Deep love silently guards the lost traces, but occasionally finds them.
Xue Jiuyue smiled disapprovingly and said, "Hey, I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. What's the big deal?! In this day and age, as Xinyue said, it's very difficult to have large-scale information asymmetry. How can there be so many secrets? I've always told you that we should use open strategies, not conspiracies! Our business model is not a secret, it's not our core competitiveness, and it's not the only way to win. Business is like the use of troops, 'use the right tactics to unite and the surprise to attack'. A magnificent formation and a brilliant army are the true troops!"
Xue Jiuyue's words were too general, and Lin Yiyi was still not quite clear. "Then what is our core competitiveness?"
"Our core competitiveness lies in our systems, algorithms, and data, but even more crucial is our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. As the saying goes, 'Small victories rely on intelligence, great victories rely on virtue!' Therefore, we maintain strict quality control. The croissants we sell every day, including those you and I eat, are randomly sampled—this is essentially a spot check process. Even with such a high market share, we continue to collect, update, and adjust data. Even if others don't know, do you? The croissants we sell today are vastly different from those we sold a year ago. Customer tastes, even the 'taste of home,' change over time. Tradition doesn't necessarily mean unchanging. It's like the saying, 'Running water never stales, a door hinge never rots.' These are our core competitive advantages."
Xue Jiyue's analysis completely dispelled Lin Yiyi's guilt, "Sister Yue, I understand! You are so amazing!"
But Xue Jiuyue didn't stop there. She continued, "Besides, are you sure that godfather didn't know about it?"
"Does Mr. Qiu know about this? I haven't heard Qiu Nian mention it before, and judging from Qiu Nian's expression yesterday, it seems like this is the first time he's heard of it."
"Why would Godfather's big data company ask me to provide data? Is it just the data from our cafe? That's a drop in the bucket. Godfather not only knows our situation, I even suspect he's secretly helped us many times."
"Is it true? How come I don't know?"
"Do you still remember our flour crisis in the first half of the year?"
"At that time, our supplier and the alternative supplier had problems at the same time. Seeing that the flour in stock was running out, we were so anxious that we looked for solutions all over the world. You didn't sleep well for several nights, and I had several blisters on my mouth." Lin Yiyi still feels scared when she thinks about it now.
"So, is it that after you lost your temper at Qiu Nian, a major distributor from the north suddenly contacted us within two days? I remember I talked about you after you lost your temper."
Even though it had been so long since she mentioned it, Lin Yiyi still felt a little ashamed. "I was too anxious at the time and was annoyed by everything I saw. It just so happened that Qiu Nian walked into the trap..."
"Also, at the end of last year, butter prices went up across the board. Just a few days after you complained about Qiu Nian's food allowance being deducted, a manufacturer contacted us with a large inventory of butter."
A series of coincidences, coupled with Lin Yiyi's knowledge of the will, made her certain that Elder Qiu was behind all of this. "Then why was Qiu Nian so surprised after hearing about our business model last night?"
"I guess Godfather doesn't want me to know this. He would deny it even if I asked him. Love that can't be endured is a burden. That's why he and Godmother come here every day, just to protect us silently. He must know that Qiu Nian can't keep secrets from you, so he didn't tell Qiu Nian. I've also been through a lot recently, especially after Godfather helped me deal with the 'scumbag', and only then did I finally figure it out."
"I'm so lucky to have met them!" Lin Yiyi said this when she realized Xue Jiuyue was looking at her with a wicked smile. She quickly added, "I'm also so lucky to have met you" to cover up the sweetness of a little girl's love in her heart...
"Xinyue, does my shirt look good?"
"Uncle, you've asked me several times! It looks good, looks good, looks good! Don't say I didn't remind you. In half a day at most, all the employees in the company will know that when they greet you, they must say, 'Mr. Qian, your shirt is really nice!'"
Qian Jianjun was puzzled by Tu Xinyue's words. "Is it that exaggerated? I didn't ask anyone else, only you!"
"You haven't asked anyone. But where's your dress shirt and the suit you wear? And since this morning, no matter who you're talking to, you've been tugging at your shirt, intentionally or unintentionally, and then raising your hand to touch your forehead. Everyone knows you're showing off your shirt and cufflinks!"
"Uh..." Qian Jianjun was nervous now, "Is it that obvious?"
"Hahaha..." Tu Xinyue laughed a few times before slowly saying, "Anyway, I think it's obvious. I'm not sure about others. Sister Yue gave it to you, right?"
Qian Jianjun frankly admitted, "If it wasn't Xiaoyue who gave it to me, how could I be so happy? And she made it herself."
"I see your attitude towards Sister Xiaoyu has changed a lot recently. I thought you were in love with someone else."
"I admit that I have feelings for Xiaoyu, but I'm not sure if it's love! Just like I have feelings for you, but I know it's just..." Although Qian Jianjun was frank, he still didn't feel comfortable saying it in front of Tu Xinyue.
"It's just desire, right? I understand, uncle, hehe..." Tu Xinyue was not angry but very happy. "Opportunities are fleeting, and you don't have a chance, uncle! Of course, I don't mind your fantasies..."
Tu Xinyue's bluntness startled Qian Jianjun. His eyes darted around like a frightened rabbit before he continued the previous topic. "I'm just listening to Xiaoyue's advice and facing my relationship with Xiaoyu normally. I'm not trying to avoid it or suppress it. That's the only way I can see myself clearly and be worthy of Xiaoyu. But Xiaoyue is the one I pursue most clearly and understand most! I asked you to come here to help me analyze whether there's any deeper meaning behind Xiaoyue giving me the shirt."
"Did you send it alone?"
"That's not the case. The ones I know of are Mr. Qiu, Qiu Nian, and ahem, me."
"So, uncle, what do you think this means? If you didn't have any idea, you wouldn't ask this question. Besides, you know more about the situation than I do."
"Xiaoyue should have made them first for the elders, like Old Qiu, and I guess her father as well. Then it was Qiu Nian, Keke, and me. At the very least, this shows that in her heart, I belong to the second tier, second only to the elders. And I saw Keke and Qiu Nian's styles, and they are both simpler than mine."
"Uncle, do you think Sister Yue actually cares about you?"
Qian Jianjun was once again choked by Tu Xinyue's words. He coughed a few times like Ke Yike before recovering and asking, "Isn't it?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know! Sister Yue never told me, and just like you can't see clearly the relationship between you and Sister Xiaoyu, does Sister Yue necessarily know the relationship between her and you? I can only say that since I can make shirts for you, there must be some feelings. As for what kind of feelings, I think..." Tu Xinyue narrowed her eyes and kept it a secret.
“There’s a bonus!”
“I need extra annual leave!”
"make a deal!"
After raising the price, Tu Xinyue finally gave the answer, "I think you should ask Sister Yue."
"What did you say just now? The company has regulations, you can't..." Qian Jianjun glanced at the roof.
"Uncle, you're amazing! You can even go back on your word! If you don't ask Sister Yue about this, who should you ask? It all depends on how you ask!"
"How do you ask?"
"How long has it been since you and Sister Yue signed that ridiculous agreement? Have you confessed your feelings? Do you know what's going on now? Are you going to wait for Sister Yue to tell you?"
Tu Xinyue asked Qian Jianjun a series of questions, confusing him. "Then what should I do?"
Tu Xinyue did not answer Qian Jianjun's question, but instead asked a new question, "Uncle, do you think you are romantic?"
"I'm not romantic enough, but don't I have you and Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu suggested I send flowers and cards every day, and you suggested I send a whole estate of roses on Valentine's Day. Both are very romantic!"
"Sending flowers every day is so perfunctory. The Qixi Festival gifts, including the bag you gave me before, are too commercial! They're not pure and unique! Did you hear about Brother Keke's confession on the grassland? Do you know the gift he gave on Qixi Festival? That love is as pure as crystal, without a trace of impurities. What girl wouldn't be moved? That's why Brother Keke is the only man who is immune to me!"
Qian Jianjun's heart was moved. "What do you mean...?"
Xue Jiyue was still chatting with Lin Yiyi when Zhou Ying came over with a frown on her face. "Sister Yue, I just discovered something."
Seeing Zhou Ying's nervous expression, Xue Jiuyue put away her casual attitude and asked, "What's wrong?"
"That guest over there, the artistic guy who comes here often, brought a stack of magazines with him today and was flipping through them. When I went to bring him coffee just now, I noticed that the cover of one of the magazines looked very similar to the photo you received earlier, the one shot of the early morning, taken from between two doors."
"I'll go and take a look." Zhou Ying only stated the facts without making any guesses, but Xue Jiuyue couldn't sit still.
"Hello, can you sit down?" Xue Jiuyue was only a few steps away, but when he walked over, he had already adjusted his thinking and changed his straightforward strategy.
"You're welcome," the "art man" said in a low, slightly hoarse voice. He was wearing a dark red short-sleeved T-shirt, topped with a photographer's vest. His long hair, still casual and unrestrained, framed his gaunt face, as weathered as the cuffed leather bag beside him. Only his eyes, a striking white against his dark complexion, radiated a hidden brilliance.
Xue Jiuyue said the prepared words, "Would you like to chat? I'd like to learn more about our customers' preferences, especially regular customers like you, so that we can further improve our service quality. If you don't mind, could you please introduce yourself, including your occupation, why you are willing to come here, and any suggestions for improvement?"
"Okay. I came here purely because I need to think and get inspiration. I'm a photographer, and I'm used to conceiving the subject matter and images I want to shoot here in advance, and then going out to find targeted scenes to shoot."
"So you're a photographer who only takes landscape photos, not the kind that takes wedding photos or portraits these days?"
"Oh, it would be great if I was willing to take pictures of people!" The hoarse voice also revealed a sad sigh.
"Why, what's the story?"
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