Chapter 55

The two arrived at Huichun Hall and saw that the adjacent storefront was under renovation, with a fence erected around it. On the fence, it read: "GG —— Ting Mei Breast Enhancement —— Giving You a Fuller Life," with the opening date set for ten days later.

It was already past working hours, but the workers were still working overtime, creating a lot of noise. The scale of the storefront was much larger than Huichun Hall, with the business area at least three times the size of Huichun Hall.

Xu Changshan, who usually enjoyed a quiet environment, was somewhat irritated by the renovation noise. According to regulations, construction in residential areas should stop by 5:30 PM, but since this was a commercial storefront, there would be no management as long as no one reported it.

However, in general, merchants should inform their neighbors before renovation, as the saying goes, "Distant relatives are not as helpful as close neighbors." Everyone would see each other frequently, so it was normal to be considerate. However, the boss of Ting Mei Breast Enhancement had not come to say a word, which was somewhat impolite.

Zheng Peian, holding the vegetables he had bought, went straight into the kitchen. Xu Chunliang noticed that his grandfather was not in a good mood and came behind him to massage his shoulders: "Grandpa, is the noise from next door bothering you? I'll go talk to them!"

Xu Changshan sighed and said, "Noise during renovation is inevitable. We should be more understanding as neighbors."

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "Then you must feel that the opening of a breast enhancement center next to Huichun Hall lowers our status."

Xu Changshan, whose thoughts had been guessed by his grandson, smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I can't control what business they do." Although he said that, these so-called breast enhancement centers were mostly fraudulent, and his grandson was right. Being neighbors with such an institution would lower their status, which was even more distressing than having a funeral parlor next door.

Zheng Peian asked Xu Chunliang to help serve the dishes, and Xu Chunliang went to arrange the cold dishes on the table.

When Zheng Peian heard about the old man's troubles, he couldn't help but laugh: "Uncle, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. If they can do breast enhancement, Huichun Hall can do it too. I used to do similar projects in Xiangnan. We can use some ointments, apply them, and massage for a while to see results."

Xu Changshan glared at him: "How old am I? Don't talk nonsense to me."

Zheng Peian and Xu Chunliang both laughed. Zheng Peian said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not suggesting you do it yourself. We can hire some young female assistants to do the breast enhancement massages. If you're interested, I can handle these matters."

Xu Changshan said, "Forget it, I'm not interested."

Xu Chunliang was curious about the breast enhancement procedures next door and asked Zheng Peian about them.

Zheng Peian, who was well-informed, explained that the popular breast enhancement procedures in recent years were essentially physical treatments. Some people saw the profit and exaggerated the effects.

The basic principle was to use the negative pressure of a breast enhancement device to perform physical suction, helping the chest expand. This was combined with some so-called plant ointments, which were applied and then massaged by professionals. In the short term, there would be some effect.

Xu Chunliang understood. In essence, it was using external force to torture the chest, sucking and rubbing, which naturally caused swelling. Once swollen, the chest would naturally appear larger. While it wasn't entirely ineffective, the long-term effect was basically zero. Once the swelling subsided, it would return to its original size. So the common tactic of these institutions was to extend the treatment period, not allowing the swelling to completely subside before another round of suction, keeping the customers in a constant cycle.

People were strange; even when the scam was obvious, some still fell for it. Zheng Peian told them that such institutions were common in the south, mostly making quick money.

The scale of the store next to them was not small. If operated properly, making a few million a year was not a problem. These institutions also had a common feature: they were very short-lived and could not operate long-term. They usually moved to a new location after scamming people in one city, continuing their fraud elsewhere.

Xu Changshan was indignant. He couldn't understand why such unscrupulous merchants could still operate openly, and why the regulatory authorities did not shut them down.

Zheng Peian added that not all such cases were scams. Some did have breast enhancement effects. These institutions conducted thorough market research, accurately targeted their customer base, and were skilled at maintaining relationships in various aspects.

As they were chatting, Xu Chunliang's phone rang. To his surprise, it was the drug dealer Pei Lin calling. He had only met her twice and didn't know why she was calling.

Pei Lin asked where he was, and Xu Chunliang told her he was at Huichun Hall. Pei Lin laughed and said she was outside Huichun Hall and wanted to visit.

It would be impolite to avoid a guest at the door, so Xu Chunliang went out to welcome her. He saw Pei Lin and another elegant lady carrying gifts approaching.

Xu Chunliang was puzzled. Before he could ask, Pei Lin introduced the other woman with a smile: "This is my cousin, Pei Yu. The medical beauty center next door is hers."

Xu Chunliang now understood that Pei Lin had a purpose. He didn't particularly like or dislike her, but he found her too shrewd and opportunistic. Following the principle of not hitting a smiling face, he let them in.

Although Pei Lin was young, she had years of experience in pharmaceutical marketing and was very sweet in her speech. As soon as she entered, she said, "Mr. Xu, hello. I'm Pei Lin, a good friend of Chunliang."

Xu Chunliang thought they weren't that close, but it wasn't appropriate to point it out in this situation.

Xu Changshan, who was very kind and gentle to the younger generation, smiled and said, "I've seen you before. You brought Chunliang back a few days ago. I was just saying I wanted to thank you for the tea." The old man's memory was remarkable; he had remembered Pei Lin from a brief glance.

Upon learning that Pei Yu was the boss of the adjacent store, Xu Changshan became wary. Due to Zheng Peian's earlier explanation, he had no good feelings about medical beauty breast enhancement.

Pei Yu was more reserved than Pei Lin. She first apologized for the inconvenience caused by the renovation and brought two boxes of tea and two bottles of liquor as gifts.

Xu Changshan said that since they were neighbors, it was only natural to look out for each other, and there was no need for gifts.

Pei Lin and her sister wanted to leave the gifts and go, but Xu Chunliang chased after them with the gifts. He called out to Pei Lin, "Pei Lin, the old man ordered that the gifts must be taken back."

Pei Lin said, "Do you think my gifts are too thin?"

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "The gift may be light, but the sentiment is heavy. I appreciate it, but don't make it difficult for me."

Pei Lin had no choice but to take the gifts back and hand them to Pei Yu, asking her to get in the car. She then said to Xu Chunliang, "Director Xu, I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your promotion yet."

"Don't tease me," Xu Chunliang thought her information was really up-to-date. She knew about everything that happened in Changxing first. Recalling her words during the ride back, he realized that Pei Lin must have known about Zhao Feiyang becoming the hospital director in Changxing.

Pei Lin said, "To be in charge of the medical affairs department at such a young age, you have a bright future ahead."

Xu Chunliang didn't want to discuss this topic and looked at the breast enhancement center next door: "Did you invest in it too?"

Pei Lin laughed, "You can't fool me. I did invest a bit, but I don't manage the operations. I just wait for the dividends."

Xu Chunliang wondered why she had chosen to open a store here. Could it be that she had her eye on this place when she dropped him off? If so, had he inadvertently invited a wolf into his home?

"Then I wish you a grand opening and a booming business."

Pei Lin smiled, "You must come to the opening. We'll have more opportunities to meet."

Xu Chunliang nodded, not looking forward to seeing her again.

The medical beauty center at Changxing Hospital was still closed. The original contractor, Zeng Hongwen, had left early, and the center's director, Cai Rongjuan, had resigned, leaving the center leaderless.

Cai Rongjuan had not intended to resign, but her and her husband's calculations had backfired, and they had been outsmarted by Gu Houyi.

Although Cai Rongjuan was well-known in the Dongzhou medical beauty industry, finding a suitable platform for her was not easy. She looked down on small beauty institutions, and large medical beauty centers were mostly led by renowned experts. Even if the conditions were right, she wouldn't be able to take charge immediately and would face competition from peers, which was far from the authority she had at Changxing Medical Beauty.

The trial of the lawsuit filed by Tong Meili had concluded. Due to a lack of solid evidence, Cai Rongjuan could not prove her innocence in the incident involving the broken bracelet. Based on the video footage and witness statements, the judge ruled that the bracelet was broken during the argument between Cai Rongjuan and Tong Meili.

Considering the special circumstances, the final judgment was that Tong Meili and Cai Rongjuan would each bear half the responsibility. The court rejected Tong Meili's claim for one million in compensation and ordered the responsibility to be shared based on the original invoice price, which amounted to 440,000 for Cai Rongjuan.