Chapter 75: The Unspoken Rules at the Station

This is just ridiculous.

These days, old ladies will do anything for business.

Do I really look like the kind of person who’s that easygoing?!

Unbelievable!

Muttering to herself, Jiang Ning made her way to the station.

Inside, the place was bustling with people, a sea of heads moving in every direction.

Countless travelers stood around or hurriedly passed through the main hall.

To be honest—

With this kind of foot traffic, even begging here would make more money than doing it outside.

Sighing at the thought, Jiang Ning followed the scent of fresh paint and soon arrived at a particularly eye-catching store near the entrance and exit of the hall.

At the moment, the storefront was covered with a large curtain, cutting it off from view.

But from the edges, she could still catch glimpses of the white walls inside.

Jiang Ning didn’t want to seem nosy, so she didn’t press up against the curtain to peek.

Instead, she took a look around at the surrounding stores.

To the left was a specialty goods shop, where three employees were chatting and laughing.

To the right was a chain supermarket, its entrance buzzing with customers constantly going in and out.

But neither of these were competitors.

The real battlefield was on the other side of the waiting hall, where a McDonald’s and a KFC stood face to face in direct competition.

It seemed like only those two had the right to duel it out here.

Everyone else was irrelevant.

And it was true.

Right now, whether it was McDonald’s or KFC, even a single strand of their hair was thicker than Jiang Ning’s fledgling “Shi Ning Ji” business.

But who knew what the future held?

For a moment, she felt a surge of ambition and was about to say something bold—when suddenly, a mop was shoved in front of her.

“Hey, girl, move aside!”

“Oh, oh, sorry.”

The interruption completely deflated her moment of grandeur.

She tried to rally her spirits again, but it was no use. Eventually, feeling a little defeated, she lifted the curtain and stepped into the store.

The moment she entered, a middle-aged worker blocked her path.

“Hey, hey! Miss, you can’t come in here!”

“I’m the client.”

There words.

The worker froze for a moment, exchanged glances with his coworkers, and then—

A young man wearing glasses stepped out from inside the store.

“Oh, Jiang Ning, it’s you.”

“You’re here to check on the renovations?”

Jiang Ning recognized him.

Back when “Shi Ning Ji” delivered late-night takeout, this guy had always been the most enthusiastic customer.

But unlike the admirers she’d encountered before, his enthusiasm was respectful and kept at a proper distance.

His name was… Zhou Qian?

“Qian-ge, it’s you.” Not entirely sure if she got his name right, Jiang Ning played it safe with a vague address.

Fortunately, she hadn’t gotten it wrong.

The young man chuckled, waved his hand, and then stopped about a meter away from her.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a face mask and handed it to her.

“Put this on. The fumes in here are strong.”

“Thanks.”

Jiang Ning didn’t hesitate. She took the mask, tore open the packaging, and put it on.

Then, she listened as the young man gave her an update on the renovations.

The general layout was already taking shape.

The planning closely followed the blueprints Jiang Ning had drawn up earlier.

There weren’t any major discrepancies in the details.

Jiang Ning was satisfied.

“Thanks for overseeing everything, Qian-ge! Once the place is finished, I’ll make sure to send you a big red envelope!”

It was an unwritten rule in construction projects, and Jiang Ning had no problem following it.

But the young man just gave a modest smile.

“We can talk about red envelopes later. For now, just get my name right.”

“I’m Zhou Xian.”

One sentence.

And Jiang Ning’s face turned beet red.

She quickly laughed it off to smooth over the awkward moment.

After getting a clear idea of the renovation progress, Jiang Ning bid farewell to Zhou Xian and stepped out of the store.

The moment she was outside—

Surrounded by the sweaty, muggy air of the station—she actually felt a strange sense of relief.

It was probably because the paint fumes inside had been too overpowering.

At that moment—

A somewhat familiar voice spoke up beside her.

“Miss Jiang, is that you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning turned around.

The first thing that caught her eye was a bald head.

But she didn’t let her gaze linger there.

Instead, she smoothly let her eyes slide past it and focused on the man’s nose.

This way, she could avoid awkward eye contact without seeming rude.

“Oh, Director Wang! Hello, hello.”

“Hello, hello.” Wang Xianwei still wore that slightly obsequious smile of his.

“Miss Jiang, are you here to check on the store’s renovations?”

“Yeah, I had some free time since it’s a school holiday, so I thought I’d drop by.”

“School holiday? Miss Jiang, you’re still a student?”

“Yes, I just started high school at Yizhong.”

The moment Jiang Ning mentioned she was a high school freshman, Wang Xianwei’s smile froze slightly.

But only for a split second.

He quickly recovered, though this time, his smile carried a hint of wistfulness.

“I never would’ve guessed you were still in high school and already helping out with the family business.”

“My son is in his third year of middle school, but he still spends all his time in arcade halls.”

As he spoke, Wang Xianwei’s face filled with frustration.

Jiang Ning could only offer an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, Wang didn’t dwell on the topic. He soon shifted the conversation back to the store.

“Miss Jiang, if I remember correctly, your contract states that your store is set to open around November 20th, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Jiang Ning nodded, signaling him to continue.

“Well… the thing is, our station has some different regulations compared to regular businesses.”

“When you open… it’d be best if you didn’t… you know, set off fireworks. After all, we have a lot of passengers coming and going every day… I’m sure you understand.”

Looking at Wang Xianwei’s slightly embarrassed yet still fawning expression, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but admire him a little.

Someone who could express so much just through facial expressions alone—

There was no way they wouldn’t be successful in life.

“I understand. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

With that one sentence, the atmosphere immediately became much more pleasant.

After a bit more small talk, Jiang Ning waved goodbye to the bald-headed director.

That evening—

Jiang Ning returned home, whipped up a simple fried rice, ate, and then shut herself in her room.

Sitting at her desk, she pulled out a few sheets of blank paper and began outlining the next steps for her fried chicken business.

The renovations for the new store were already underway, and it would be finished in about a week.

But to carve out a share of the market at the station and compete with those established fast-food giants, she needed a clear strategy.

She had to refine her store’s positioning and unique appeal.

That meant developing meal combos specifically tailored to the station’s environment.

She needed variety—while keeping prices competitive.

Speaking of pricing—

Jiang Ning did a rough calculation of her store’s income and expenses.

She realized that the profit margin at her Jiangzhou University location was only a little over 30%—far below her initial target of around 45%.

The biggest issue?

Ingredients.

She had to figure out a way to cut costs in that area.

Deep in thought—

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Jiang Ning glanced down at the screen.

It was a message from Tian Wenhao.

She tapped to open it.

【A-Ning, I think my mom might know about us…】