Chapter 196: Blocking the Door—Qiu Feng’s Plan

After listening to Gu Xu, Bian Changxi asked, “So these people are deliberately trying to keep us—well, mainly you—stuck out here and not let us in?”

She wasn’t slow to catch on. “Who exactly knew about the five o’clock opening?”

“At first, only Qiu Feng, Zhou Yiyan, and a few others. By the afternoon, as we made preparations, pretty much everyone who needed to know had been informed.”

So maybe there isn’t necessarily a mole. Someone could have gotten wind of it and set this up right away—it wouldn’t take much time. But what’s the point of blocking them outside?

Qiu Feng sat at the front desk of the water plant. The rolling shutter was already up, but the glass door remained closed. It was made of special frosted glass—those inside could see out, but not the other way around.

This storefront was in a prime location, even by the standards of the auction house street: spacious, eye-catching, with wide, flat roads connecting in all directions. It was far enough from both the auction house and the bank that they didn’t have to worry about being swamped by crowds during peak times.

Most importantly, this spot was destined to become a major thoroughfare. It was only natural—and likely—that people passing by on their way home would pick up some water. Unlike the base’s water plant, which was tucked away by the administrative hall—remote, closed off, heavily guarded—buying water there felt like entering a palace, making people instinctively reluctant.

This storefront was one of the three locations Bian Changxi had picked out.

He had to admit, Bian Changxi had been wise to set her sights here from the start. She really was sharp.

But now, with everything ready, somehow word had leaked. Someone had seen the huge profits to be made and wanted a piece of the action.

He walked to the door, a mocking look in his eyes as he glanced across the street. Over there was another freshly renovated shop—originally meant to be a restaurant, but after a noisy afternoon of hammering and rearranging, it looked like they were opening a water store too.

A red silk banner hung above the door—he didn’t even need to look to guess what it said.

And it wasn’t just that one. Next door, across the street, even the street behind them—one after another, shops were busy preparing in secret. You could imagine how lively it would be at five o’clock—or even earlier—when firecrackers started going off everywhere.

Their water plant had no chance of dominating the base now.

But whether they dominated or not didn’t really matter. Qiu Feng wasn’t even that concerned about the profits from the water plant. After all, they’d be leaving soon, and there were countless other ways for them to make money or train themselves—they didn’t have to run a business.

In fact, his philosophy was a bit different from Gu Xu’s. While both agreed they should stabilize Jiangcheng internally before expanding their strength outside, the time and effort Gu Xu invested in “internal stability” far exceeded what Qiu Feng had planned.

He’d thought a little management would be enough—just to ensure nothing major went wrong while they were there. But Gu Xu had insisted on building a whole framework for a harmonious society: welfare programs, factories, jobs, employment—most of the people were now living in order and even enjoying themselves.

Who knew how much sweat and effort had gone into all that behind the scenes?

But none of that could be taken with them when they left. It was all just wasted effort, really.

He did appreciate the idea of the water plant, but deep down, he found it rather pointless. Now, faced with this situation—which he’d pretty much expected—he was even considering just letting things take their course. If the water plant failed, it wouldn’t hurt them, but it would be a bit of a slap in the face for Bian Changxi.

—If this succeeded, Bian Changxi would get all the credit. And that, he didn’t particularly want to see.

He pondered calmly, sitting with a posture that was both elegant and relaxed. Behind him, Zhou Yiyan, Chen Yisha, and the others looked anxious, but since he stayed put, no one dared rush him.

Especially Chen Yisha—her palms were sweating. Whether the water plant could open as planned, whether it could build a reputation, whether it could establish a large-scale supply chain—all of it directly affected her current situation and her future.

She really didn’t want to end up serving some crusty old man!

So she was nervous—both annoyed at Qiu Feng’s calmness and hoping he had a plan, all while silently praying for Bian Changxi to hurry back.

Meanwhile, in the back by the water room, Bian Wei was dressed in a bright, beautiful outfit, like a delicate flower. The few men present admired and fawned over her—even the supervisor treated her with extra kindness. Whenever everyone sat down to chat, three out of five conversations revolved around her, which she quite enjoyed.

But soon she grew disdainful—these people were too low-class. No matter how much they flattered her, what could they really offer?

She couldn’t help but daydream about those office romance stories—chance encounters, relationships between bosses and subordinates.

She’d met Gu Xu, the young general, several times. He really was a handsome and outstanding man. If only… The Qiu Feng outside didn’t seem bad either.

Bian Changxi really did have the advantage of being close to the action.

She felt jealous, then envious, then started considering her own qualities—so much so that she didn’t notice the tense atmosphere out front.

“Why block Gu Xu outside?” In the shop across the street—formerly a restaurant, now hastily converted—a young man with a sly look sat behind the desk, stroking his chin. “If Gu Xu’s stuck outside, Qiu Feng’s left in charge inside. Then we only have to deal with Qiu Feng. Don’t be fooled by how many people they seem to have—when it comes to actually getting things done, they’re stretched thin. And now, we’re not the only ones opening a water store. With just Qiu Feng, he might not be able to handle it all. We can squeeze him out.”

An older servant stood respectfully by his side, looking thoughtful. “But Qiu Feng hasn’t made a move yet. What’s he waiting for?”

“Who cares what he’s waiting for.” The young man stretched lazily. “In twenty minutes, at four-thirty, we set off the firecrackers.”

“Isn’t that a bit early?”

“Relax. Today, every unit in the base gets off work half an hour early.”

Gu Xu, meanwhile, seemed to think of something. He paused, hand tapping the window sill, glanced at Bian Changxi in the rearview mirror, and a faint smile tugged at his sharply defined lips. He handed his black card to Qiu Yun. “Go tell the gatekeepers we have urgent business inside. If they don’t let us through, our guns and cannons won’t be so polite.”

He called over someone waiting by the car. “Tell everyone to stay alert. There’s something I need them to do.”

After giving detailed instructions, he turned back to the still-confused Bian Changxi and asked, “Tell me, what’s the most important step when opening a store?”

Huh? Bian Changxi blinked.

Sure enough, the base gate refused to let Gu Xu through. Someone came out to say they’d have to wait a bit—after all, Gu Xu had brought a lot of people. Even if they passed the scanning device, just checking everyone for zombie bites or scratches would be a huge task.

Of course, Gu Xu wasn’t going to accept that excuse.

If he’d wanted to go in alone, that excuse wouldn’t have worked. But he was determined to bring everyone in, so he had several military trucks, each loaded with people armed with machine guns, drive up. The black muzzles of the guns, silent and menacing, were enough to intimidate anyone.

The troublemakers looked over, suddenly wary and hesitant. The silent men tossed away their cigarette butts, straightened up, and put on a show of unyielding strength and anger.

ps:

A bit short—I'm really exhausted, please forgive me! (tears) l3l4