After politely bidding farewell to Mr. Wen, Wang Xiaoke continued to call several other suppliers, but each attempt ended unsuccessfully for various reasons.

After hitting several roadblocks in a row, even a fool could tell that something was wrong.

Su Man clenched her fists tightly and said angrily, “This must be that woman Feng’s doing!”

“Honestly, I had considered this possibility before, which is why I tried so hard to finalize the contract earlier. Unfortunately, fate wasn’t on my side, and they managed to snatch it away,” Wang Xiaoke said, taking a deep breath. She looked up at the dim, grayish sky, her tone reflecting her low spirits.

“So, what do we do now?” Su Man asked.

She wasn’t good at handling such matters and could only look to Wang Xiaoke for direction.

“I refuse to believe that in a city as big as Xinyun, I can’t find enough grapes to meet my needs,” Wang Xiaoke said, clenching her fists to motivate herself.

This time, whether it was for Wang Chengyao or for herself, she had no room to retreat. Wang Group was Wang Chengyao’s life’s work. Losing it would mean not only handing over his hard-earned legacy but also potentially forcing the father and daughter to live under others’ mercy in the future.

As for Feng Jin and her daughter, Wang Xiaoke now saw them for who they truly were. Expecting them to have a change of heart was as unrealistic as hoping for Wang Chengyao to wake up now.

“The key issue is that most of those suppliers are either aligned with that Feng woman or colluding with the Lu Group. Even if you want to win those unscrupulous merchants over with sincerity and determination, there’s not enough time,” Su Man said pragmatically. Hearing that Wang Xiaoke wasn’t ready to give up eased her anxiety, but she still frowned as she calmly analyzed the current situation.

“No matter what, I absolutely won’t admit defeat to them,” Wang Xiaoke said firmly. She turned to her troubled companion and added, “Su Man, can you help me post some ads for grape procurement in the newspapers?”

“Of course, that’s no problem,” Su Man replied, blinking curiously. “But… you’re not planning to rely on this to find suppliers, are you?”

Wang Xiaoke didn’t answer directly, but Su Man shook her head first and said, “The chances of success are probably slim. Most real businesses have their own established networks. They’re unlikely to work with new partners unless those partners are very powerful. It’s hard to break into their circle.”

“Yes, I understand it’ll be difficult. And now that Feng Jin has taken action, our chances are as slim as finding a needle in a haystack,” Wang Xiaoke agreed with a nod.

“Then why bother doing all this?” Su Man asked, baffled.

Wang Xiaoke flashed her a bright smile, her large almond-shaped eyes shining with determination. She said, “Because I’d feel so unwilling to give up without trying.”

“While we might not be able to secure a large-scale supplier, I’ve learned that there are smaller growers in rural areas. We could visit them directly to purchase grapes, or we could post our ads in newspapers and magazines. Alternatively, we could distribute flyers to let these growers know about our needs so they can reach out to us, and then we can coordinate a unified purchase.”

“Although the process might be exhausting, and we might still fall short of the required supply, it’s better than giving up without even trying, don’t you think?”