Chapter 131: The Rabbit Changed?

In the office, aside from the chair where Ji Si’an sat, there was only the long bench where Shen Subai sat. Xie Yunshu had no choice but to sit beside Captain Shen, sincerely asking, “Manager Ji, how is the canteen contracting fee usually charged?”

Ji Si’an first asked for Shen Subai’s opinion: “Captain Shen, since this person is recommended by you, it’s safe to say we’ll cooperate long-term. The construction period of the site is at least five months, so we plan to sign a five-month contract with renewal each month.”

With Shen’s attitude so clear, the words “trial operation” could be ignored; smart people would just start talking about signing the contract.

Shen Subai hummed in agreement, “No problem.”

Ji Si’an adjusted his glasses, having roughly formed a plan in his mind: “As for contracting fees, there are two reference methods. One is Miss Xie paying a fixed contracting fee per month, bearing all profits and losses herself. The other is taking a percentage of the profit—for example, if the monthly profit is 30,000 yuan, the investor would take 10% as commission, which is 3,000 yuan. Which method do you think is better?”

Shen Subai pondered before speaking: “Is 10% commission a bit high? There are also considerable upfront costs for purchasing utensils, ingredients, and paying staff wages.”

Ji Si’an raised an eyebrow, “So what’s your suggestion, Captain Shen?”

Shen Subai said nothing more but looked at Xie Yunshu, tilting his head: “What do you think is appropriate?”

Xie Yunshu had no experience with this. She’d started selling boxed meals as a small-scale business. She would be delighted to earn three thousand a month, not to mention thirty thousand. When she first heard about contracting the canteen, her idea was simple: cook and make money.

Now she realized this business was much bigger than she thought…

She pressed her lips, quickly doing the math in her head. Catering profits are usually over 50%. After deducting her initial investments, a 10% commission still left a considerable profit.

But who ever thinks money is too little?

So, boldly, she said: “Manager Ji, I focus on low profits but high sales. I ensure fresh and quality ingredients, so the profit margin isn’t that high. How about 8% commission on profit?”

If she were less picky, she’d happily accept 10%.

Shen Subai smiled slightly, “Manager Ji, your thoughts?”

The Haicheng project development was the largest private investment in the area, with tens of thousands invested in phase one and over a million in total. A small canteen was insignificant to them.

“Since Miss Xie says so, there must be reason. Let’s set it like this: this month, we’ll trial operate on the first floor for everyone to adapt. Once the canteen over there is set up, we’ll officially sign the contract.”

This southern big boss spoke with no arrogance to such a grassroots person. No wonder he made his fortune in the south.

Xie Yunshu reflected on herself. She’d never done big business before. Although she understood a great man should be flexible, often it was hard to hold back frustration. Life at the bottom meant to not get bullied, you had to fight back.

Now she somewhat understood that hiding emotions was also a skill. Because she exploded too easily, in her past life she kept getting taken advantage of by Zhou Shiyue. To run a business well, she had to learn that spirit.

She stood up and extended her hand, “Manager Ji, I will do my best to satisfy the project department. Looking forward to a good cooperation!”

Ji Si’an thought this girl had some merit, her smile genuine, “Looking forward to cooperation.”

The project was just starting; Ji had many things to do, but took the time out for Shen Subai’s sake. After a brief talk, Ji left quickly.

Xie Yunshu was still excited, “Captain Shen, does this mean the canteen contracting is confirmed?”

Shen Subai patted the spot beside him, “Sit down, I don’t like talking with my head tilted back.”

Earlier, when Ji was present, sitting on the same long bench didn’t feel strange, but now only the two of them were left, sitting on one bench felt odd. Yet she couldn’t sit on the opposite chair, that would seem like she was the boss.

Xie Yunshu half-sat on the edge of the bench, tone more reserved: “Then tomorrow, I just ride the tricycle and bring the food over to sell?”

“Remember to find a reliable helper. Not just anyone can enter the construction site,” Shen Subai said steadily, sitting straight-backed.

This scene somehow reminded Xie Yunshu of a photo studio taking ID photos of men and women, making her feel even more awkward. She quietly shifted away a bit, “I’ll have a neighbor from the old dormitory help. She’s a dependable auntie, you can trust her.”

Shen Subai’s gaze scanned her as she moved farther away, then suddenly stood up: “Alright then, you can go now.”

“I…ah…”

The long bench was easy to fall off if not sitting in the middle. Xie Yunshu had been inching away toward the edge. Shen Subai stood up without warning, and caught her just as she almost fell, then quickly let go, voice a bit helpless: “Why aren’t you more careful? What if someone saw and misunderstood?”

Xie Yunshu blushed deeply, feeling like one of those scheming women deliberately making moves to flirt with the righteous Captain Shen.

She hurried to explain, “Captain Shen, I wasn’t on purpose. Who would know you’d suddenly stand up?”

Shen Subai bent down to place the bench back against the wall, “Then it’s my fault.”

Xie Yunshu’s pride wasn’t that thick—he wasn’t on purpose standing, but she was definitely on purpose moving toward the edge…

“Fault is mine, fault is mine. Captain Shen, you get back to work, I’m going…”

She spoke hurriedly and dashed out like the wind, moving so fast it looked like a sprinting athlete. Shen Subai straightened up but she was already gone. To an outsider, it might look like a runaway fugitive.

“The rabbit changed?”

Shen Subai chuckled softly, pulled a chair, sat heavily at the desk, and started looking through the documents. There were two more meetings this afternoon. If the gatekeeper hadn’t told him Xie Yunshu was looking for him, he would have been busy and planned to talk to her about the canteen after work.

Unexpectedly, when he went to find her, he saw how fierce she was in a fight.

He was ex-military, so he’d seen plenty of female soldiers training. The phrase “women are no less than men” was exemplified in the army. But no woman was like her—both fierce and timid, yet stunningly beautiful with a kind of aggressive charm. Every meeting was full of surprises and seemed perfectly fitting…