Chapter 91: Do You Really Want to See Me in a Skirt?

With the ringing of the final bell—

The last final exam of the first semester of senior year was officially over.

As the teacher collected the test papers—The classroom instantly turned chaotic.

“Did you choose A or C for question four on the multiple choice?”

“I picked B.”

“Wasn’t it D?”

For a moment, the three girls comparing answers all turned their eyes in unison toward the daydreaming Jiang Ning.

“Jiang Ning, what was the answer for question four?”

Question four…

“The one about uniformly accelerated linear motion?”

“Oh, I picked A…”

As soon as she said that, the three girls’ expressions darkened.

Clearly—Four people, four different answers for the same question.

They went on to compare a few more, and as expected, their answers were all over the place.

Jiang Ning couldn’t be bothered to join their guessing game.

She was busy thinking about the issues at her store.

Because just last night—Tian Wenhao had sent her a message.

He told her that the shop near the train station had run into trouble.

Specifically, CFC had put up a big advertisement board—It clearly listed the breed and origin of their chickens, including info about the farm.

Not to be outdone, McRonald’s across the street put up a similar board the next day—It not only detailed their chicken source, but also showed the entire process from hatchling to being served on the table.

Jiang Ning immediately saw what the two chains were up to.

They were telling customers—Their chicken might be more expensive, but it was clean and traceable.

While some other places—though cheaper—couldn’t vouch for the origin of their meat.

This silent message caused a steep decline in business at her station-side shop.

From a daily revenue of 40,000 yuan, it plummeted to barely over 10,000 in less than a week.

That kind of sudden drop in sales meant one thing: a war had begun.

Exactly.

Jiang Ning defined it as a war—A long, ongoing battle she had no choice but to fight.

Just thinking about going up against those two international giants—even if it was just one store out of thousands—That pressure still gave her a rush of adrenaline she’d never felt before.

Which meant this first clash had to be a win—And not just any win—she needed a clean, decisive, and honorable victory.

Just as Jiang Ning was considering how to strike back, Sun Qian suddenly tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

“Jiangjiang, a new accessories shop opened at New World. Let’s go check it out tomorrow?”

Hearing that, Luo Shanshan came over too.

“Accessories shop?”

“Is it that one called ‘Little Sprite’?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Sun Qian’s eyes lit up.

“Shanshan, you’ve been there already?”

“How is it? Do they have a lot of stuff?”

“Loads! Especially for girls!” Judging by her expression, Luo Shanshan had clearly already visited.

Sun Qian got even more excited and after chatting for a bit, turned her hopeful gaze on Jiang Ning.

Tomorrow?

Jiang Ning shook her head.

She already had plans.

In the morning, she’d go practice piano with Du Xinrui.

In the afternoon, she had an appointment with Li Mingyu at her company—Something related to Top Entertainment.

Jiang Ning didn’t ask for details. She figured she’d find out when she got there.

The other two girls didn’t press her after she declined and instead happily made their own plans.

School let out.

Since today was exam day, there was no evening study session.

So the entire first-year cohort got to leave early at five in the afternoon.

Just outside the school gate, Jiang Ning was stopped by Qi Wen.

“What’s up?”

“Don’t rush off yet.” Qi Wen grabbed Jiang Ning’s hand and pulled her to the side.

With her soft, warm hand in hers, Old Man Jiang didn’t have the heart to pull away, letting her drag her across the street—Into a stationery store.

She led her straight to a corner, pointed at a row of pricey notebooks, and said:

“Jiangjiang, pick one.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s a gift.” Qi Wen said sweetly, eyes squinting into a smile.

“That skirt I gave you before was your birthday gift, but I still owe you a Christmas present.”

Wait, there’s a difference between birthday and Christmas gifts?

Jiang Ning was about to refuse, but the moment she heard the word “skirt,” her brow arched.

“Which skirt was from you?”

“That pink cake skirt! So pretty,” Qi Wen said, glancing downward ever so slightly.

The implication in her gaze was crystal clear.

Good grief—That cake skirt was the shortest of them all.

It barely covered her knees.

Jiang Ning had suspected it was a prank gift from that troublemaker Sun Qian.

But turns out…

Tsk tsk tsk.

“So… do you really want to see me in a skirt?”

As she said that—Jiang Ning saw it. In Qi Wen’s beautiful eyes—there was a clear, hopeful sparkle.

Seeing that—Jiang Ning’s lips curled into a sly grin.

“Well, it’s not impossible.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“But you’ll have to come to my place… and try one on for me first…”

A while later—Old Man Jiang walked out of the stationery shop with a notebook trimmed in gold, her face full of anticipation.

——————

Jiangzhou Train Station.

Inside the CFC manager’s office—

Liu Ju sat by the window, elegantly dressed in a tailored suit, legs crossed, sipping coffee while reading the newspaper.

Just then—There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

A woman in uniform entered, holding a form in her hands.

“Manager, this is the weekly ingredient logistics report. The accounting office needs your signature.”

“Just leave it there,” Liu Ju said casually without moving at all.

It was obvious he had no intention of signing it right away.

The woman hesitated, looking troubled, and said:

“Manager, the accounting office is still waiting to close the books…”

“I said, just leave it.”

Liu Ju’s voice suddenly turned stern, startling the woman in uniform.

She opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, said nothing. With a wronged expression, she quietly backed out of the room.

Once she was gone—Liu Ju put down his coffee, glanced at the document on the table, and sneered.

As the in-store manager assigned by the provincial office just last month—Liu Ju carried a lot of responsibility.

But with that responsibility came significant authority.

He had the power to oversee everything that happened in the store.

And yet, some people didn’t take him seriously.

Did Liu Ju not know what the accounting office was trying to do?

Of course he knew—they just wanted to wrap things up early and get off work on time.

But why should he accommodate their schedule?

If everyone came and went right on the dot, how was he supposed to find ways to trip up that McRonald’s across the street?

As for that other fried chicken shop on his task list—To be honest—Liu Ju didn’t even see them as a threat.

With just a small move, their business had already taken a dramatic dive.

At this rate—They’d be cleared out in less than six months.

Jiang Ning knew what was happening too.

But she wasn’t anxious.

She simply stood outside the CFC entrance, blending into the crowd, expressionless as she stared at the advertisement board that had cost her so much.

“Playing the branding game, huh?”

“Then don’t blame me for going full combo mode.”

(End of Chapter)