Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 66

Watching Her Eat

The moment Zhang Qiang opened her mouth, it was as unpleasant as ever: “Little Director Su? So you really do know this person. You brought her here, didn’t you? To think you’d resort to something like this just to secure the deal. Don’t even think about getting this cooperation from me. How dare you offend me like this and still expect to work together?!”

All she talked about was the deal, making Sun Miao furious¹, but Su Ruixi remained very calm.

Su Ruixi did indeed know Sun Miao. Claiming otherwise would be far too fake. Right now, she was sitting behind the food cart, eating at the small fold-out table, and what she was eating wasn’t Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, but the same lunch as Sun Miao.

The plum and mint duck meat sat in the insulated lunchbox her assistant had bought for her, looking exceptionally tempting.

Given their relationship, how could they not know each other?

But the rest of what Zhang Qiang said was pure slander.

Su Ruixi was very composed: “Sun Miao can set up her stall wherever she wants. It has nothing to do with me, nor does it have anything to do with you, Director Zhang. One shouldn’t be too narcissistic. Also, regarding the cooperation, I happen to want to tell you the same thing: I am no longer willing to continue pursuing this deal either.”

She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her movements very elegant. “Our company does not wish to cooperate with someone who doesn’t know how to write the word ‘respect’. Even if we incur some losses because of this, it’s better than groveling before you.”

Su Ruixi spoke these words with an attitude that was neither servile nor overbearing. There was no trace of humility from being in a disadvantageous position, nor any arrogance from gaining the upper hand after Zhang Qiang was messed with by Sun Miao.

Her calm demeanor and icy expression only made Sun Miao scream internally: Ahhh, my crush is so cool today too! [LP: This called be a novel title lmao]

After saying this, the stone that had been weighing on Su Ruixi’s heart finally lifted. Before, she had been too eager for quick success², wanting to push this deal through. It was also because she had never failed before; nothing she set her sights on had ever slipped through her fingers. Her inability to accept failure made her even more desperate for success.

But after Sun Miao’s guidance, Su Ruixi’s obsession with success had lessened. She hadn’t expected that she would need Sun Miao to enlighten her. She was right; accepting failure is also a part of growth. So, Su Ruixi gave up on the cooperation with Zhang Qiang’s company and started contacting other companies instead. Because she had let these things go, Su Ruixi now seemed particularly calm and unconcerned³.

Zhang Qiang, however, frowned: “Doing this is really unwise. Our company should be your top choice.”

This was true; otherwise, Su Ruixi wouldn’t have compromised for so long. Moreover, Su Ruixi had already worked on this proposal for too long, starting even before she met Sun Miao and continuing until now. If she gave up now, the sunk cost would be too high.

Zhang Qiang hadn’t planned on giving up on this potential partner either; otherwise, she wouldn’t just be making things difficult, she would have rejected her outright. In other words, others didn’t even qualify for her to make things difficult for them.

However, she was too arrogant, so arrogant that she forgot one thing: people didn’t have the leisure to jump through hoops just for her to make things difficult. Since you act unscrupulously⁴, don’t blame others for choosing to give up directly.

If it were the original Su Ruixi, she probably would have chosen to stubbornly pursue⁵ Zhang Qiang, determined to secure this deal no matter what. Because Su Ruixi was too competitive, and her life had been too smooth, so smooth that she had never experienced failure. For such a person to admit that a deal couldn’t be reached due to her own reasons, how upset would she be?

But now, with Sun Miao around, everything had changed. Even someone as competitive as Su Ruixi could let go easily.

“You’re right, your company is, but you are not.” Su Ruixi’s words could be quite sharp too. Before, she had needed something from Zhang Qiang and had to bow her head, but now that she needed nothing, her venomous tongue reappeared, leaving Zhang Qiang with nothing to say.

Zhang Qiang stared at Su Ruixi for a moment, then turned to Sun Miao: “Since you have nothing to do with her, why are you targeting me like this? Yesterday morning was fine, why won’t you sell to me today?”

Sun Miao didn’t explain in detail, just said lightly: “I’m not targeting you. I make the Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, I can sell it to whomever I want.”

What she said really made sense.

Su Ruixi chimed in from the side: “Exactly. Just like Director Zhang can decide who she cooperates with, Sun Miao can also decide whether or not to sell to you.”

“…” Zhang Qiang was furious and wanted to just walk away. But she had eaten almost nothing yesterday, nothing this morning either, and by now, her stomach wouldn’t allow her to maintain her pride. Yet Sun Miao wouldn’t sell to her either, simply turning back to continue eating her lunch.

Zhang Qiang was suddenly stuck awkwardly, forced to stand there in embarrassment. At this moment, she recalled her own awkwardness when she first started in the industry; back then, she too stood on the sidelines like an underling⁶. Perhaps the memory troubled her, preventing her from leaving. Instead, she just stood there, as if waiting for Sun Miao to change her mind.

Sun Miao paid her no mind. If she wanted to stand, let her stand.

But Su Ruixi had a mischievous idea: “Sun Miao, give me a bowl of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup.” Sun Miao understood Su Ruixi’s intention and just nodded. Right under Zhang Qiang’s nose, the Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup tumbled in the steaming pot, then was scooped out entirely into a disposable bowl.

Su Ruixi took it and started eating. She slurped the vermicelli without any particular expression, but her slightly curved eyebrows still revealed how happily Su Ruixi was eating.

Keep in mind, she had basically finished her own lunch, with only some side ingredients left. For Su Ruixi to be able to eat another bowl under these circumstances… her appetite had really grown. Sun Miao noticed this and marveled inwardly.

This scene registered in Zhang Qiang’s eyes nearby, only making her stomach feel even emptier… Her current state could be described as her chest sticking to her back⁷. Su Ruixi finished slurping the bowl of soup, but it wasn’t enough; she asked Sun Miao for her share of the duck snacks. Sun Miao gave them to her, making Zhang Qiang’s eyes widen.

She had been sending people over periodically, so she certainly knew the situation at the stall. Sun Miao’s duck snacks had sold out long ago, yet she could still produce a portion for Su Ruixi!

Who would believe you two aren’t connected? They must be deliberately trying to mess with her!

Zhang Qiang admitted she had indeed been messed with, because as Su Ruixi ate the duck snacks, the look of utter satisfaction⁸ on her face made Zhang Qiang realize that those duck snacks must be truly delicious. Zhang Qiang wasn’t someone particularly greedy for food, but she had been thoroughly controlled⁹ by Sun Miao using food.

Right in front of Zhang Qiang, Su Ruixi first finished her remaining lunch, then ate a bowl of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, and finally slurped down the duck snacks. She ate until she was completely satisfied, her stomach even bulging slightly outward. She was truly full, couldn’t be fuller. To be precise, she was stuffed.

Su Ruixi felt like burping, but in front of Zhang Qiang, she held it back. Having finished lunch, Su Ruixi could actually leave now. Sun Miao had gotten busy again too. Now it became a standoff between Su Ruixi and Zhang Qiang, while Sun Miao bustled about on her own.

Zhang Qiang actually didn’t want to stand here; standing here felt a bit like being watched like a monkey. As someone ranked among the top ten richest women, just being here made her feel uncomfortable all over. But the typical Chinese mindset, rigidly controlled¹⁰ by the four words “might as well since I’m here,” prevented her from leaving.

She had already swallowed her pride to stand here and had been humiliated by Su Ruixi for so long; leaving just like this would be somewhat…

In short, the current Zhang Qiang, like the previous Su Ruixi, was firmly gripped by the four words “sunk cost,” and also like Su Ruixi, found it hard to accept failure due to having had things too easy. Su Ruixi had experienced smooth sailing¹¹ since childhood and couldn’t accept failure, whereas Zhang Qiang’s difficulty came after she made her fortune.

In her early years, she had indeed suffered greatly. As a youth in the mountains, she was worked like a beast of burden¹², doing farm work and household chores at home. Starting her business after leaving the mountains wasn’t easy either. But she caught the right trend¹³, and after making her fortune, she encountered almost no setbacks.

After becoming famous, countless people flattered and fawned over her. Under such circumstances, Zhang Qiang naturally became proud and arrogant¹⁴. Consequently, Sun Miao’s defiance seemed unbelievable to her.

Zhang Qiang didn’t leave, so naturally, Su Ruixi didn’t either. Her reason for staying was simple: she worried Zhang Qiang would make trouble for Sun Miao.

So, for a time, neither spoke, just maintaining the standoff. However, Su Ruixi’s situation was much better than Zhang Qiang’s, because she was sitting.

Sun Miao could also see that Su Ruixi didn’t really want to stay; she was purely afraid Zhang Qiang would bully her. So she spoke up: “Susu-jie, you probably still have work to do, right? You should go first, I’ll be fine.”

“But…” Su Ruixi hesitated, still looking worried about Zhang Qiang. Sun Miao smiled: “Don’t worry, if I get wronged, I’ll definitely call you.”

“Okay.”

As the two exchanged sweet words over there, Zhang Qiang nearby was very unhappy: What does she mean, ‘if she gets wronged’? How is Sun Miao being wronged? Isn’t she the one being wronged?

But finally, Su Ruixi left. Before leaving, she kept looking back, her gaze practically wishing she could just knife Zhang Qiang dead on the spot or drag her away. However, Zhang Qiang’s mental fortitude was still high; no matter how intensely Su Ruixi stared, almost drilling holes through her, she remained unmoved.

Once Su Ruixi was gone, Zhang Qiang’s neck, which had been held stiffly, refusing to bow, could finally relax. She directly asked Sun Miao: “What exactly do I have to do for you to sell me Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup? Is it about the deal with Su Ruixi? If I agree to the cooperation, will you sell to me then?”

While they were in their standoff, the lunchtime rush had mostly ended, so Sun Miao now had time to chat with her.

She looked at Zhang Qiang and sighed inwardly: Running into me is really Zhang Qiang’s bad luck.

She shook her head: “I never said that, nor do I intend for you to do that. Susu-jie has already let go of the business matter herself. Besides, even if you reluctantly agree to the deal now just to eat a bowl of soup, you might continue to make things difficult for Susu-jie later. Why would I want to ask for trouble for Susu-jie?”

Hearing Sun Miao say this, Zhang Qiang was even more baffled: “Then what exactly do you want?”

Sun Miao looked at her steadily, holding her gaze for a long while before speaking: “Actually, I always thought that outstanding female entrepreneurs like you would be supportive of younger women. Supportive of young women like Susu-jie, who are also struggling¹⁵ in the business world like you. That you might even give women preferential treatment.”

She knew not all women practiced ‘girls help girls’¹⁶, but she still firmly believed that more women would help other women.

Even if one couldn’t do that, at least don’t deliberately make things difficult. But sometimes, malice is just that inexplicable¹⁷; just because you’re unhappy, you can wantonly torment¹⁸ another girl.

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