Chapter 157: The Rival Appears

Glancing at the documents belonging to the Yuanhong Group, Zhao Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. "The arrangements in this document are quite good, but doesn't the Second Master think this is a bit too narrow-focused?"

"How so?"

"Future development won't necessarily lean solely toward films. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—as the economy develops, the demands of most people will inevitably rise. If we cling solely to movies, our target audience will be extremely narrow."

Wu Qingping asked, "You have no doubts about the development of the film industry?"

Zhao Fan: "..."

He was talking about future trends, yet Wu Qingping was focused on whether he had doubts. Truly...

"Why would I have doubts?" Zhao Fan asked directly. "Future development is inevitable. Once the economy picks up, let alone films, under the current sweeping tide, changes will happen across food, clothing, housing, and transportation. It's completely normal."

Wu Qingping narrowed his eyes slightly. "Everyone says President Zhao has ways of thinking that differ from ordinary people."

Zhao Fan fell slightly silent. Wu Qingping's topic had drifted again.

"President Zhao, a small place like Yangcheng is too confining for you."

"Thank you for the compliment, Second Master. In my view, no place can truly confine a person; it simply depends on whether one wishes to leave or not."

"President Zhao speaks the truth. It seems I was the one whose thoughts wandered."

Zhao Fan steered the conversation back: "Regarding this website..."

"Little Tian."

The person who had handed the document to Han Chen moments earlier stepped forward once more, offering a different file.

Zhao Fan: "..."

So he had been waiting right here for him.

Wu Qingping made an inviting gesture. "Take a look at this document as well."

Silently, Zhao Fan opened it, quickly scanning through the contents.

Compared to the previous one, this document was noticeably more detailed and bore a striking resemblance to a certain review site Zhao Fan was familiar with.

"Can this website be built?"

Zhao Fan turned to Han Chen. "Whether it can be built depends entirely on this gentleman here."

In truth, Zhao Fan knew that with Han Chen's capabilities, building this website was a piece of cake. However, one shouldn't be too naive in business; only by making it appear challenging could one ensure the other party felt they weren't getting a raw deal.

Han Chen opened the document and read through it carefully. "There shouldn't be any major problems."

As he spoke, he closed the document again.

"Of course, the specifics will depend on the actual process, so I can't give you a definitive answer right now."

Zhao Fan was satisfied; Han Chen wasn't entirely inflexible after all.

"Regarding the pricing, Second Master, shall we discuss this properly?"

"Five hundred thousand. The initial quote won't be short by a single cent."

Zhao Fan smiled. "Personally, I feel this quote could go a bit higher."

"A quote of five hundred thousand, and you want to push it even higher? Aren't you afraid, President Zhao, that by asking for too much, I'll take my business to another company?"

Not the slightest ripple of emotion could be seen on Wu Qingping's expression, as if he were simply joking with a friend.

Zhao Fan lowered his gaze. "What are you saying, Second Master? Looking across the entirety of Yangcheng, Feiteng is currently the only company capable of building this website."

There was one more thing Zhao Fan left unsaid: if Wu Qingping sought out teams abroad, the price might not be quite this high, but when it came to maintenance, they certainly wouldn't match Feiteng's convenience and promptness.

"Add another two hundred thousand, and Feiteng will throw in two years of maintenance. How does that sound to you, Second Master?"

"One hundred thousand a year for maintenance—that's certainly not a low price."

"Once the Second Master sees Feiteng's maintenance work, you'll understand just how worthwhile this hundred thousand is. You get what you pay for. Don't you agree, Second Master?"

"Very well. Then show me whether your Feiteng maintenance is truly worth that price."

Wu Qingping's implication was clear: he agreed.

Zhao Fan smiled. "The Second Master will never regret this."

With both parties present and Wu Qingping being far from a procrastinator, once the terms were settled, contracts were signed on the spot.

Half an hour later, Wu Qingping and his entourage departed.

Zhao Fan escorted them to the entrance, and only after the car drove away did he turn back with a beaming smile.

Han Chen was still sitting in the office. Seeing Zhao Fan return, he greeted him, "This is the first time we've seriously made money building a website."

Zhao Fan replied, "I didn't expect it either. But now we have a problem."

"What problem?"

"Regarding the website project, it's definitely profitable, but given our company's current scale, is your team's manpower sufficient?"

If possible, Zhao Fan certainly didn't want to let slip a single cent of attainable profit.

The crucial question, however, was whether the company had enough hands.

If taking on outside work caused issues with the company's core projects, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

Han Chen's expression turned solemn. "For now, it's enough, but..."

He left the rest unsaid, but Zhao Fan understood his meaning: manpower was sufficient at present, but other issues couldn't be ruled out in the future.

"Forget it, let's proceed with this for now. We'll deal with future issues when they arise."

The company hadn't reached the point where they had to obsess over every single scrap of meat.

After Han Chen left, Zhao Fan carefully recalled the development trajectory of Yangcheng in his past life, prioritizing the shifts that would emerge later on.

After careful consideration, he ultimately decided to leave things as they were for now, focusing first on laying a solid foundation in the present.

The next day, Zhao Fan received a phone call from Haicheng.

Over the phone, Jia Yuanteng detailed Tian Yongliang's situation thoroughly, including some of the strategic maneuvers Tian Yongliang had deployed.

"Although we still haven't managed to surpass that Haiyuan Supermarket, we've at least managed to plant our roots here."

Zhao Fan rubbed the bridge of his nose; that wasn't the kind of reluctant "at least" he wanted to hear.

To earn praise from Jia Yuanteng, Tian Yongliang's capability was clearly beyond doubt. But was Haiyuan Supermarket really that formidable of an opponent?

After turning it over in his mind, Zhao Fan decided that once an opportunity arose, he would make a trip to Haicheng to see this Haiyuan Supermarket for himself.

Who would have thought that before Zhao Fan could even go to Haicheng, Haiyuan Supermarket would open a branch right in Yangcheng.

Zhao Fan learned this news from Shi Wenxuan, who mentioned that the person in charge of Haiyuan Supermarket had purchased a plot of land in Yangcheng and approached him to commission a supermarket design layout.

Not long after receiving the news from Shi Wenxuan, Zhao Fan saw promotional advertisements for Haiyuan Supermarket on television.

Various architectural blueprints and interior displays quickly catapulted Haiyuan Supermarket into the spotlight.

When it came to supermarkets, the people of Yangcheng were quicker to accept them than those in many other places. Within days, discussions about it could be heard everywhere.

This was particularly evident in Zhao Fan's daily life; practically whenever he took a break, he would overhear people talking about it.

Gradually, Zhao Fan's father, Zhao Chengyi, and mother, Li Hui, could no longer sit still. Before dinner, the two of them pinned Zhao Fan down on the sofa.

"Xiaofan, let me ask you, what's going on with that Haiyuan Supermarket?"

Mother Li Hui furrowed her brows deeply. The whole affair struck her as exceedingly strange. A Haiyuan Supermarket had suddenly popped up out of nowhere, and even before a single trace of the store could be seen, promotional campaigns were flooding everywhere, making a much bigger commotion than their own family's supermarket.

Zhao Chengyi also leaned in close to Zhao Fan, looking deeply worried. "With this kind of momentum, once it's built and opens for business, won't it completely crush our supermarket?"

Zhao Fan: "..."

His parents sure were worrying early.

Though he thought this to himself, Zhao Fan couldn't possibly say it out loud.

"Don't worry. In Yangcheng, our supermarket has the home-court advantage. No matter how aggressive they are, they won't crush us."