After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Taking Over the Convenience Store

The morning military training ended, and Xu Yuan didn’t go to the cafeteria with Li Rui and the others, heading straight for the convenience store instead.

Their school is roughly divided into four zones, with Xu Yuan’s dormitory located in Zone A.

It boasts a prime location, conveniently close to the teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, and sports field, with an area of over sixty square meters.

Logically speaking, opening a convenience store here would be profitable no matter what. Xu Yuan couldn’t quite understand why the owner was in such a hurry to transfer it when the lease contract hadn’t even expired yet.
The convenience store entrance was cluttered with all sorts of miscellaneous items. A notice was pasted on the glass door announcing a store-wide 50% discount.

Xu Yuan stepped inside the convenience store, where the interior decor was still decent. It looked no different from a regular quick-stop store, except that the shelves were nearly empty.

Only a middle-aged woman stood behind the cash register. The cigarette display had just a few unpopular brands left, suggesting they weren’t planning to restock.

« Boss, a pack of cigarettes, » Xu Yuan casually picked a pack of Huazi—expensive and less popular, which was why it remained on the shelf.

Wait a moment.

After scanning the code to pay, Xu Yuan didn’t leave in a hurry but instead took another look around the store.

« Boss, there’s not much left in the shop. Are you planning to close down? Convenience stores near schools shouldn’t be unprofitable, right? » Xu Yuan asked with deliberately feigned curiosity and a smile.

Hearing this, the convenience store owner also smiled somewhat helplessly and said, « No choice. It’s not that I don’t want to keep it open.

But my son wants to buy a house, and housing prices have skyrocketed ridiculously. I’ve only had this shop for a little over a year, with all my money invested in it—where would I get the funds for that?

I signed a ten-year contract with the school, and the rent isn’t refundable. I thought about transferring the shop to someone else to at least recoup some money. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul. »

Wu Huijuan truly couldn’t bear to part with this shop. College students’ spending power ranks among the highest in the entire consumer market.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably—this aunt was truly a force to be reckoned with! Signing a ten-year lease for a convenience store?

A ten-year contract meant there were still nine years left on the lease—most people wouldn’t dare take that on.

The main issue was that with a ten-year contract, if you only ran it for a year and then left, outsiders would naturally suspect there was something fishy going on.

« A ten-year contract—that’s not easy to find a successor for, » Xu Yuan sighed in sympathy.

« Who says it isn’t? We’ve already had three or four groups interested, but as soon as they hear about the ten-year contract with only one year completed, they all say they’ll think about it. » Wu Huijuan’s expression was also somewhat bitter.

She had been nearly overwhelmed with worry these days. The business wasn’t doing well, the shop couldn’t be transferred, the rent couldn’t be refunded, and she still had to worry about the down payment for her son’s house.

Xu Yuan pondered for a while before finally speaking up.

Boss, how much is the monthly rent for this shop?

Wu Huijuan was somewhat curious when Xu Yuan asked this, wondering to herself, could it be that you’re the one who wants to rent?

But seeing the other person in military training uniform, clearly a freshman, he dismissed the thought.

Thirteen thousand and a bit.

What about the daily turnover?

It’s around 2,500 on average, but on good days it can reach 3,000 or even 4,000. However, business drops significantly during holidays.

Hearing this price, Xu Yuan began calculating in his mind.

After deducting rent, utilities, and inventory costs, the monthly expenses would barely reach 20,000. That leaves a net profit of over 50,000 per month!

Even accounting for holiday periods, the annual income would still amount to several hundred thousand.

College students’ money is so easy to make!
« Boss, what’s the application process for our tobacco and alcohol license? » Xu Yuan continued asking.

Tobacco and alcohol are always the biggest profit drivers for convenience stores, bar none.

From the current perspective, this store is worth taking over, but if the tobacco and alcohol license can’t be obtained, then it’s all for nothing.

The capital city has strict regulations, but the process isn’t particularly cumbersome. If everything goes smoothly, maybe five days? At the latest, no more than twenty days?

« Classmate, you’re asking so many questions—could it be that you’re thinking of taking over this store? » Wu Huijuan also joked. Xu Yuan’s serious questioning would have made her think he really wanted to take over her store if not for his military training uniform.

Name your price. That includes nine years of rent, and of course, I’ll also need your supply channels.

Xu Yuan didn’t beat around the bush anymore and directly stated his purpose.

« Kid, you’re not joking with me, are you? » Wu Huijuan forced a smile.

Xu Yuan was young beyond reason.

..

..

« Holy shit! Which deity answered my prayers? This rain couldn’t have come at a better time! Just half a day of military training and I’m already done for! » Zhang Long, with his flabby physique and puffy appearance, stared longingly at the pouring rain outside, genuinely moved.

« Bro Long, ever thought about shedding some of that meat? Don’t you want to get a girlfriend in these four years of college? » Li Rui teased from the side.

Zhang Long curled his lip dismissively and pointed at Qian Jialun, who was lying on the bed reading, saying, « Lun doesn’t have a girlfriend either, does he? »

Lun’s got that clean-cut look—put on some glasses and a suit, and he’s the epitome of a refined scoundrel. You really comparing yourself to him?

The group was chatting idly when Xu Yuan finally made it back through the heavy rain.

Talk about bad luck—the downpour started right after he left the convenience store. Luckily, it was close to the dorm, or he’d have been soaked head to toe.
« Yuan, guess who we ran into at dinner? Shen Yueshu! » Li Rui perked up the moment Xu Yuan returned, grinning as he sidled over.

« Just a coincidence. What’s the big deal? » Xu Yuan wiped his hair with a towel, sounding indifferent.

« Are you really clueless or just pretending? There are four cafeterias in our school. She lives in Zone C, so why isn’t she eating at the Zone C cafeteria and instead coming all the way to our Zone A? »
« I’d say there’s an 80% chance Shen Yueshu has taken a liking to you. But this campus belle doesn’t have the best reputation, so you’d better be careful. » Li Rui frantically winked at Xu Yuan.

Although the real campus queen Li Xinran wasn’t at their university, Shen Yueshu was still quite the celebrity at their school – her reputation definitely extended beyond Finance University.

Xu Yuan shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it too much.

Do you guys know what hobbies our academic affairs director Song Qiming has? Smoking? Drinking? Or maybe tea?

If you want to open a shop on campus, it’s still necessary to give a heads-up. It would be best to get the principal’s office stamp—that way, the business license and other required documents would be handled by the school, making the process faster and saving him a trip.

Given his status as a student, he couldn’t expect to meet with top leadership. Among the mid-level administrators with significant influence, Xu Yuan could only think of the Academic Affairs Office director.

Why are you asking about this?

The others were puzzled. Was Xu Yuan planning to run for class leadership and curry favor with a gift? But the Academic Affairs Office director didn’t have that much authority, did he?
« I plan to take over the convenience store, » Xu Yuan said unhurriedly.

Hearing this, they were stunned for a moment, but soon their eyes widened in surprise.

Damn, this is awesome! Having a dad in the dorm! With Xu Yuan opening a shop, they’d be the ones getting all the perks.

« Godfather! »

Zhang Long was about to step forward to acknowledge him as his sworn father, but Li Rui stopped him.

Holy crap, I want to be the sworn father’s eldest son!

« Good sons, don’t rush. Even my biological sons have to pay! Let alone you lot who recognize a thief—who recognize me as your father! » Xu Yuan sneered as he watched the group compete to become his sworn sons. These guys definitely weren’t getting anything for free.

« Sworn father! How can you be so heartless? Sworn father! » Zhang Long cried, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

Li Rui even went so far as to pick Xu Yuan up in a bear hug, putting on an exaggerated act of « you can’t treat your bro like this. » His expression was so disgustingly affectionate that Xu Yuan started wondering if the guy had ulterior motives.

« 20% discount, how’s that? I’ll even get you VIP cards later, » Xu Yuan said, genuinely unable to handle these overgrown sons of his.

Thanks, godfather!

Enough joking. Any insider info? Can we actually pull off taking over that convenience store? It all depends on whether your intel is solid.

« Your son humbly submits that tobacco and liquor lack impact—nothing shocks like cold hard cash, » Li Rui proposed the simplest and most brutal solution.

Zhang Long’s adopted son shook his head in disapproval. « That won’t do. Directly offering money is illegal. Instead, treat them to dinner, karaoke, and spa treatments—a complete three-step combo. Who wouldn’t be dazzled by that? »

Then follow up with some antique calligraphy and paintings. Wouldn’t that be perfect?

This approach seems inappropriate, » Qian Jialun adjusted his glasses uncomfortably. « Director Song from the Academic Affairs Office is known for his integrity. If we do this, I fear we might easily get expelled.

« Is there a cat that doesn’t eat fish? Lun, you’re too naive! » Li Rui shook his head upon hearing this, wearing an expression that suggested he had seen through the harsh realities of society.

Xu Yuan was also speechless at the methods of these two. Had these guys watched too many TV dramas?

« But… Director Song is my uncle. His son even borrowed money from my family for his wedding. » Qian Jialun felt somewhat uncomfortable inside. After all, no one would feel good hearing their own uncle spoken of like that.

His words left everyone stunned.

Li Rui and Zhang Long nearly dropped to their knees upon hearing this. Xu Yuan also looked up in shock, staring at Qian Jialun.

Even he had no idea that Song Qiming was actually Qian Jialun’s uncle.

But thinking about it, it made sense. The academic affairs director usually didn’t interact much with students. In his previous life, Xu Yuan had never gotten into trouble, so it was understandable that Qian Jialun kept it quiet to maintain a low profile.

« Jialun, we were just joking earlier—don’t go spreading that around, okay? » Zhang Long was the quickest to back down, as their dorm now had one more authority figure to answer to.

Li Rui also cleared his throat and quickly backed down, saying, « In shallow waters, the turtles are many; everywhere you look, there’s a big shot. Lun, don’t hold a grudge against me, bro. I’ve just watched too many dramas. »

« It’s fine, I won’t tell my uncle, » Qian Jialun shook his head. He wasn’t that petty, and besides, the social climate these days is just like that. Even if you’re clean-handed, people will still make wild assumptions the moment you have a little authority.

It’s hard to be a good person, and even harder to be a good leader. After all, conspiracy theories are what get people talking, and public opinion can crush a man.

Yuan, I think you can just go straight to my uncle. The school’s shop transfer is completely legal and compliant—you taking it over is by the book.

« Just follow the normal procedures, » Qian Jialun said to Xu Yuan.

« Thanks, I got it. These two guys can’t keep their mouths shut—don’t take it to heart, » Xu Yuan replied with a nod to Qian Jialun.

..

The rain stopped after just a short while, but the sky remained overcast, so there was no announcement in the school’s group chat about resuming the afternoon military training.

Xu Yuan disliked procrastinating. After buying some fruits, tea leaves, and a tea set from the supermarket, he prepared to visit Song Qiming.

Even these items cost him nearly a thousand—after all, this world still runs on social niceties and human connections.

Song Qiming wasn’t in charge of the school’s shops, so just saying thanks when asking for help wouldn’t be enough.

Of course, charging straight into the academic affairs office would be inappropriate. Fortunately, Qian Jialun had given him the address and also put in a word with Song Qiming.