Chapter 194 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

During the afternoon, several shops on the north-facing commercial street took the initiative to collaborate with Daqi Bank. Meanwhile, He Yunxiao avoided the situation and let Du Meimei, the upright figure, handle them. After several negotiations, these shops secured a slightly lower discount compared to the first batch of collaborating shops, and they happily left. He Yunxiao and Du Meimei were on the same page: they couldn't offer too much on the discount policy. In reality, Daqi Bank's resources were thin, and releasing extensive discounts would not be sustainable. Following He Yunxiao's orders, Du Yinyun executed the plan dutifully. The early second batch of collaborating shops were able to receive on-the-spot subsidies. However, those who came afterward were promised delayed subsidies by Daqi Bank. This meant that the shop owners had to front the money for the discount and, in return, Daqi Bank promised to pay them a month later. As the number of gold and silver coupon users increased, various discounts gradually began to diminish. Otherwise, the vast amount of funds spent on subsidies each time would be unsustainable. Du Meimei was negotiating business on the second floor, while He Yunxiao strolled down to the first floor to inquire about the morning's gold and silver coupon exchange. This morning, Daqi Bank had exchanged over a thousand taels of gold and silver coupons, with most being the smaller denominations such as one, two, or ten taels. There were very few people even exchanging twenty-tael gold and silver coupons. This indicated that the majority of those exchanging the coupons were ordinary citizens, with very few children of the wealthy or privileged families. However, this wasn't entirely the fault of Yinjing's wealthy connections. Among the collaborating shops, only Yaohui New Porcelain had high-end products. The rest of the shops probably wouldn't even bother returning the change when serving the wealthy, let alone make them go through the trouble of exchanging gold and silver coupons for a discount. After all, the goal was to earn money from the wealthy. He Yunxiao understood the mentality of the young masters better than anyone else. Their purchases were not for necessity, but for the sake of face and flaunting. As long as these two aspects were fulfilled, the price of an item could be inflated significantly. He Yunxiao changed his approach. After the wave of people finished negotiating their businesses, he found Du Meimei and said, "Yinyun, when you negotiate with them again for collaboration, make sure those shops introduce a product that can only be purchased with gold and silver coupons." Understanding He Yunxiao's intentions, Du Yinyun responded earnestly, "Understood." He Yunxiao embraced Du Meimei and asked with concern, "Are you tired? If you are, take a break. You call the shots at this bank." Du Yinyun chuckled and shook her head, "Young Master, did you not hear how I conducted the negotiations?" He Yunxiao would never indulge in such domestic matters, "No, how did you conduct it?" Du Yinyun chuckled, "If there's another person next time, Young Master should stay to hear it for himself." He Yunxiao was also curious about how Du Meimei conducted her negotiations, so he agreed. The impact of making the first few collaborating shops invest heavily in the discount was not disappointing. This afternoon, there was a continuous flow of shops actively seeking collaborations. It was almost as if one left, and another came shortly after. Coincidentally, this time, when He Yunxiao planned to eavesdrop, the person who came was someone he was familiar with – the owner of the Big Fat Fireworks Store. He Yunxiao pretended to be an ordinary clerk, diligently taking notes upon Big Fat's arrival, to avoid spooking him away. Upon arriving at the second floor of the bank, Big Fat was initially struck by the beauty of Du Yinyun, the female lead. He then stammered, "Um, uh, Miss Fairy..." Without showing any initiative or interest in collaborating, Du Yinyun looked up and coldly asked, "What is it?" Big Fat hesitated to sit down and said, "I'm Big Fat from the store on this street. I'm looking for Young Master He Yunxiao. Do you know where he is?" Having been accustomed to Du Yinyun's indifference, he replied, "He's not here. If you don't have any other business, then you should leave." "But I do! I want to discuss the matter of the gold and silver coupons with Young Master He." Seeing this, He Yunxiao quickly transmitted to her, "Do as you see fit. I'm not familiar with him." Du Yinyun knew He Yunxiao was always enthusiastic about collaborations. But strangely, he claimed to be unfamiliar with this fat man. Thus, she flatly refused, "We can't discuss this. Please leave." But Big Fat was not willing to leave. He had seen the shops collaborating with He Yunxiao selling their goods like hotcakes. Customers were lining up, waiting to enter their shops, and the trend seemed to continue. Moreover, it was said that the sharp drop in prices at those shops was all He Yunxiao's doing, and the resulting losses were all compensated by him. Big Fat regretted not agreeing to the collaboration in the first place. He pondered on why he hadn't trusted He Yunxiao, who came from a prominent family. "Miss Fairy, I truly want to collaborate. Please give me a chance," Big Fat implored as he even seemed on the verge of kneeling in front of Du Yinyun in He Yunxiao's presence. However, reconciling charity, bribes, and even shedding tears and mucus, Du Yinyun remained firm. Her response was always, "We can't discuss this." After seeing Big Fat dejectedly leave, He Yunxiao asked Du Meimei, "Yinyun, there's no need to refuse like that. We could have compromised a bit to reach an agreement." Du Yinyun responded, "Young Master, if you felt that way, why didn't you say so before he left?" He Yunxiao felt awkward, "When I saw you refusing so resolutely, I didn't want to contradict you." Du Yinyun laughed, "By refusing in that manner, I was also considering your feelings. In the future..." Seeing Du Meimei's hesitation, He Yunxiao promptly interrupted her, "In the future, regardless of being right or wrong, at Daqi Bank, Yinyun's decision is final. I won't intervene." Du Yinyun blinked, her cheeks slightly flushed, "An occasional exception from the Young Master is acceptable." He Yunxiao: ? Why do I feel like there's a two-meter-wide tire mark on my face? ... As the number of collaborating shops increased, the exchange business at Daqi Bank in the afternoon was noticeably more active than in the morning. However, there was still the issue that the users of the gold and silver coupons were predominantly common folk. It was easy for an item to circulate from top to bottom but incredibly difficult from bottom to top. Efforts had to be made to ensure that Yinjing's upper-class individuals, if not nobles, at least the spoiled young masters, used gold and silver coupons. When it came to the spoiled young masters, the first place He Yunxiao's mind went to was Chunfeng Pavilion. Thinking of Chunfeng Pavilion naturally led He Yunxiao to think of Sister Jiang. Chapter 195: Discussing Matters with Sister Jiang Tl: Soothsayer.io