Chapter 55

Opportunities are the steps that distinguish heroes from cowards; seizing them means advancing and achieving everything, while missing them means retreating and accomplishing nothing. Cheng Jemin silently pondered these words, feeling deeply moved. This Christmas had given him a taste of making money to his heart's content.

"125,985." Sun Zhihai almost mechanically repeated what Cheng Jemin had just said, standing there in a daze.

Even though Sun Zhihai had been mentally prepared before the accounting, based on his years of hard work, he was still taken aback when the number came out.

Sun Zhihai was already stunned, but those standing beside him, like Sun Ermen, were even more shocked. Just yesterday, they had been worried about the unsold apples in the village, and now, they had sold over 120,000 yuan in one night. It was simply an astronomical figure!

Faced with the thick stack of money, everyone looked at each other in surprise and delight.

Gu Xixi, though not as inexperienced with money as Sun Xiaozhu, realized that with her current salary and savings, which amounted to only about 300 yuan, this sum was equivalent to over 30 years of her salary!

This money was earned by Cheng Jemin with just one idea and one night's work.

She almost couldn't believe her eyes, but the surprise in Cheng Jemin's eyes finally convinced her that what she was seeing was not an illusion. Seeing him stand there calmly, she felt as if she was meeting this man, whom she had thought about for so many years, for the first time.

Cheng Jemin was also biting his lips tightly. Although he was the driving force behind the entire plan, he was also stunned by the huge number—120,000 yuan in cold, hard cash!

If it weren't for the fear of disturbing others, Cheng Jemin would have wanted to howl with joy or even roll on the ground, or perhaps hug Gu Xixi and kiss her passionately.

After a while, the people in the room finally recovered. All eyes turned to Cheng Jemin, who had now become the undisputed leader.

Cheng Jemin paused for a moment and then said loudly, "We did a great job tonight! I really want to celebrate, but now is not the time or the place."

He continued, "As we agreed initially, we would share the profits equally. We spent 22,000 yuan on renting stalls and buying packaging. That leaves us with 100,000 yuan for 10,000 pounds of apples at 0.4 yuan per pound, which is 40,000 yuan. Subtracting 62,000 yuan, we have about 64,000 yuan left. According to our agreement, each family gets 32,000 yuan."

Although there were seven or eight people in the room, Cheng Jemin's voice echoed like a bell. The room was silent, and one could almost hear each other's heartbeats.

Even Gu Xixi felt her heart pounding. In the past, her privileged upbringing had made her indifferent to money, but now, looking at the stacks of bills on the table and thinking about the purchasing power they represented, she suddenly felt that this seemingly steady and honest man might bring her a different life.

"Brother Cheng, I don't agree with this distribution!" Sun Ermen extinguished his cigarette and said loudly, "You helped us sell the apples, which was to help us. Although this was a partnership, the initial investment was all yours, and we just provided some labor. You've already done us a huge favor, and we can't take this money and feel guilty!"

Sun Xiaozhu, who had been dry-mouthed, suddenly stood up and said, "Yes, Brother Ermen is right. I can't take this money and feel guilty!"

Compared to Sun Ermen and Sun Xiaozhu, Sun Zhihai's heart was racing. Even if he felt resentful, he couldn't complain. The two had already spoken their minds, and their words were reasonable. If he opposed, he would have no face to go home.

Suppressing his greed, Sun Zhihai said solemnly, "Director Cheng, Brother Ermen and the others are right. We only provided some labor, and we didn't invest any other costs. Taking this money would make us feel uneasy."

Cheng Jemin waved his hand and said, "Everyone, stop. Selling the apples was a joint effort, and I already said we would share the profits. This is just fulfilling our promise."

"Brother Cheng, this won't do..." Sun Xiaozhu firmly refused.

"Xiaozhu, remember what we agreed on. Everyone is here. Do you want me to be a man of no word?" Cheng Jemin said, putting away the money. "Let's organize this today and put the money in the bank tomorrow."

Seeing Cheng Jemin's determination, Sun Zhihai was completely convinced. It's easy to make people listen, but hard to make them truly respect you. Earlier, he had admired Cheng Jemin's sharp business acumen, but now, he respected the man himself.

"Director Cheng, since you put it that way, we can't refuse! But you are generous, and we can't be too stingy. Although we didn't weigh the apples, there should be about 10,000 pounds in total. We should deduct the money for these 10,000 pounds."

Sun Zhihai's words made Sun Xiaozhu, who was more astute, say loudly, "Brother Zhihai is right, Director Cheng. If you don't agree with this, we'll take the money for 10,000 pounds of apples and leave."

Seeing the determined expressions of the few, Cheng Jemin hesitated and was about to say something when Sun Ermen stood up and said, "Brother Cheng, you might be younger than me, but I still want to call you Brother Cheng from the bottom of my heart. According to the principles of Sun Family Gully, we must speak and act with integrity. If you insist on dividing the money equally, you are looking down on the people of Sun Family Gully!"

"Alright, let's say we only sold 10,000 pounds of apples, and we'll continue selling the rest." Cheng Jemin had to agree.

As the night deepened, Cheng Jemin walked with Gu Xixi on the school's small path. The cold moon hung in the sky, and the surroundings were silent and icy.

"Hey, when did you start liking me?" Gu Xixi, walking ahead, suddenly turned and asked playfully.

As Cheng Jemin got to know Gu Xixi, he realized she had a bit of a bourgeois flair. He smiled and sang, "I inexplicably like you, deeply in love with you, from the first day I met you!"

"You're lying!" Gu Xixi's tone was exaggeratedly coquettish, and her face suddenly turned red. Clearly, she was moved by Cheng Jemin's answer.

Cheng Jemin looked at the starry sky and then whispered, "On the first day I came to the school from my hometown, I saw you. At that moment, I had a wish: how wonderful it would be to hold this girl's hand! Do you know, Xixi, from that day on, my heart was forever stolen by you! Now, thinking back, not having the courage to pursue you during our four years of college was a waste of my youth!"

Gu Xixi gave Cheng Jemin a warm smile and pounced into his arms, murmuring happily, "Whether what you said is true or not, I'll take it as the truth."

"It's getting late, let me take you back?" Although Cheng Jemin was reluctant to part with Gu Xixi, he insisted.

"No need, I've already told my mom that I'm staying at my aunt's house tonight, and it's right on campus." Gu Xixi said coyly, leaning close to Cheng Jemin's ear, "I lied to my mom, saying we're working overtime at the office today!"

Cheng Jemin hugged Gu Xixi tightly and remained silent for a long time.

In this silent gaze, Gu Xixi suddenly said, "If we had followed your original plan, wouldn't you feel like you were at a disadvantage?"

"To say I don't feel at a disadvantage at all would be lying to you. I'm not a saint. But one must have principles. How can you casually change what you've said? In business, credibility is key. I'll take the loss as a blessing." Cheng Jemin paused and continued, "If they had taken the money without a word according to my distribution plan, I wouldn't be angry. Money is external, and isn't it more important to see through people because of some money?"

Gu Xixi's face felt hot, and she pressed it against Cheng Jemin's chest, making him suddenly feel a bit distracted.

"Darling, it's as if I'm meeting you for the first time. Where did you learn this business wisdom? It's so mature, like the secretaries in our office who are in their forties or fifties!"

"Thank you for your flattery, darling." Cheng Jemin smiled and gently flicked her nose.

When love is deep, one naturally wishes time would stand still. But time always moves forward, and when the clock struck twelve, Cheng Jemin took Gu Xixi to the faculty housing area of Donghu University.

Watching Gu Xixi enter a small villa, Cheng Jemin turned to leave. After a few steps, he instinctively looked back and saw Gu Xixi waving at him from a window on the second floor of the villa.

"Goodbye, sweetheart!"

The cold night wind blew, but Cheng Jemin's heart was warm. He walked the same path he had come on, but he could still feel Gu Xixi's lingering presence in the air.

The villa Gu Xixi entered was probably the school's expert building. As he turned a corner, Cheng Jemin suddenly thought about it. Years ago, he had visited the faculty housing area with a senior classmate, who had said that only the school's main leaders or famous academic leaders could live in these villas.

Who is Gu Xixi's aunt? What does her family do? A shadow of doubt crossed Cheng Jemin's mind.

But this shadow was ultimately dispelled by the joy of making money. He clenched his fist toward the sky and strode toward the small meeting room.

When Cheng Jemin pushed open the door of the small meeting room, he saw Sun Ermen and the others eating apples with instant noodles. Seeing him come in, Sun Xiaozhu quickly brought over a bowl of noodles and said, "Brother Cheng, have some noodles."

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