Chapter 16: I Treat You Like a Brother, But You Want to Be My Dad
“If I had to choose someone to partner with for life, I’d choose your dad,” Shou Jiaxun said with a bright, harmless smile, winking his left eye at Guo Duoyu.
Guo Duoyu turned pale with shock, yanked his biological father out of Shou Jiaxun’s arm, and warned, “Shou Jiaxun, I’m warning you!”
“What?”
Before Shou Jiaxun could make a sound, Uncle Guo asked on his behalf.
Guo Duoyu sat on a small stool by the bed, much shorter than Uncle Guo who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arms and legs around his dad’s calves like a giant koala. “I absolutely will not… call him ‘Dad’.”
“Are you an idiot? Can’t you tell he’s teasing you?” Uncle Guo smoothed his semi-long bangs behind his head and tucked them behind his ears, looking so disgusted that he seemed unable to believe the creature at his feet was his own biological son.
Guo Duoyu chuckled sheepishly. “I was joking too.”
Shou Jiaxun lay on the inner side of the bed with one leg crossed over the other, one hand pillowed under the back of his head, smiling as he observed the dark-skinned father and son in front of him… suddenly feeling a bit regretful that he hadn’t had a proper marriage in his past life.
Guo Duoyu let go of his dad’s calves and looked up, wanting to squeeze out a few more sarcastic remarks at his old classmate. Instead, he met a loving gaze that should only appear on an old father’s face.
Little Student Guo couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle, frowning and staring wide-eyed as he scolded, “Hey! What’s with that look?”
Shou Jiaxun hummed a lazy laugh and asked amiably, “What’s wrong?”
In a room over thirty degrees, Guo Duoyu actually experienced a chill down his spine. He thought, Is Shou Jiaxun bisexual (Double O lover)? Likes my dad’s type? Help…
Shou Jiaxun felt Guo Duoyu wasn’t stimulated enough, so he cast a smiling glance at Uncle Guo. “Duoyu is really nice, sensible and good at studying. You don’t have to worry about him at all. If I had such a big son… tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk, what a blessing.”
The repeated clicking of his tongue at the end was so wretched that it almost made Guo Duoyu explode and beat him up.
Uncle Guo laughed heartily, slapping Shou Jiaxun’s calf with his hand. “Have one yourself someday.”
Shou Jiaxun, who was approaching forty in his heart, teased casually, “I like ready-made ones.”
Little Student Guo grimaced, feeling a wave of nausea. He stood up cursing and approached the shameless Little Shou who was making greasy jokes. “Living in my house, sleeping in my bed, and daring to make fun of us father and son. I think you need fixing…”
President Shou suddenly raised his hand holding the phone. “Wait! Talk business first.”
The call from the landlord of the Jinfang Road pet shop came neither early nor late, just in time to save the reckless Omega from disaster.
After hanging up, Shou Jiaxun immediately called Uncle Guo to go with him to meet the landlord at the shop where they had already paid the deposit. Guo Duoyu volunteered to go along.
The three squeezed into Uncle Guo’s “old, broken, and small” Wuling minivan used for stocking goods, rushing towards their “dream” at a tortoise speed of less than sixty kilometers per hour.
When the new and old tenants met with the landlord, the potential problems of renting were immediately exposed clearly.
The pet shop owner wasn’t the primary lessee of the property, and the “landlord” present today wasn’t the real landlord either.
The real landlord had moved abroad years ago. Before emigrating, they leased the property long-term to a friend to open a nail salon.
Later, this primary lessee got married and pregnant, didn’t want to continue earning hard money, so she subleased the shop to the pet shop owner.
The original landlord recently planned to sell the property and had already contacted potential buyers. So they entrusted a friend in the country to help take back the storefront.
Although the contract in the pet shop owner’s hand still had half a year before expiring, in reality, it probably wouldn’t last half a year.
If Shou Jiaxun and Uncle Guo rashly took over, they might be kicked out just after finishing renovations.
Uncle Guo broke into a cold sweat listening to this, wishing he could pin down the dog-selling man and beat him up on the spot.
The deposit definitely had to be refunded, but losing such a good storefront just like that… President Shou frowned, feeling more unwilling the more he thought about it.
Once the pet shop owner left, Shou Jiaxun immediately dialed the phone, contacting the landlord’s representative again to ask for the new landlord’s contact information.
Unfortunately, the second landlord said, “I can’t help with this either. I only met the other party once through a real estate agent, with the agency people present… you know, they wouldn’t give us a chance to exchange numbers.”
So to meet the new landlord, Shou Jiaxun and the others had to go to the agency.
However, renting through an agency would likely mean a different price.
Shou Jiaxun, Uncle Guo, and Guo Duoyu followed the second landlord’s directions and walked for ten minutes, finding the real estate agency in a high-rise office building of a large mall facing the commercial street.
At this point, Uncle Guo had already started to get cold feet.
The starting rent on the pedestrian street side was already very high. Their capital was tight to begin with, and adding the agency fee which started at one month’s rent…
Even betting both their family savings, it seemed like stretching the lapels to cover the elbows—the investment risk was simply too great.
Just before reaching the agency door, Uncle Guo finally couldn’t help but grab Shou Jiaxun’s shoulder to persuade him, “Little President Shou, forget it. This area is really too expensive. Let’s go look at other locations. The money is in our own pockets, what’s the rush?”
“We’re already here… let’s ask.” Shou Jiaxun shrugged and smiled awkwardly. “Asking doesn’t cost money.”
While they were talking, Shou Jiaxun’s phone suddenly buzzed and vibrated.
President Shou suppressed the slight irritation in his heart and swiped the answer key first.
A strange man’s voice came from the other end: “President Shou, are you busy today?”
The voice was mature, deep, and slightly magnetic. Shou Jiaxun was dazed for a moment, vaguely responding, “It’s okay…” while his brain subconsciously searched through numerous business partners from his past life.
At the same time, a middle-aged man in a suit came out of the agency. While on the phone, he fished a cigarette pack from his pocket and shook one out to hold in his mouth. “I’m ordering thirty cups of ‘Strawberry Apple Orange,’ about what time can…”
He stopped halfway, caught off guard as his eyes met Shou Jiaxun’s standing opposite him in the corridor.
The two looked at each other, both stunned for two seconds.
Shou Jiaxun was the first to raise his eyebrows and smile. “What a coincidence?! Thirty cups, I’ll go back and cut them now, can deliver in about an hour. Is that in time?”
This man was the one who had bought the last two cups of “Mango Lychee Peach” alone when he set up a stall near the bar street a few days ago.
“No way… haha!” The middle-aged man was overjoyed, walking up to Shou Jiaxun. He put away the unlit cigarette in his mouth and took the initiative to shake hands with Shou Jiaxun. “Standing here, it seems you might become my client. Then I’d better order something else to treat you… How about iced coffee? Milk tea?”
Shou Jiaxun clicked his tongue and smiled, his social skills smooth and adept. “Are those as healthy as the fruit I sell? …I think I should fulfill your order first, then you handle mine.”
The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries like old friends. The business elite man smoothly put his arm around Shou Jiaxun’s shoulder and invited him into the agency.
Uncle Guo and Guo Duoyu looked at each other, both father and son showing an expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Guo Duoyu complained in a low voice, “If he had this energy when studying, I would probably be left in the dust.”
Chapter 17: Indeed (Guo Ran) Love You Very Much
Despite the twists and turns in renting the storefront, after the tenacious indebtedness of Shou Jiaxun, the sacrifice of wealth for righteousness by Uncle Guo, and the sincere recommendation of the agency manager, the three parties finally managed to secure a prime “C-position” shop that would make any business person’s eyes light up.
Except for being expensive, no faults could be picked.
The shop was located in the ground floor commercial space of an old mall in the middle of the pedestrian street. With business crowds in front and neighborhood residents behind, the ground floor shop could operate twenty-four hours a day.
On Monday, Shou Jiaxun withdrew over three hundred thousand in tuition and miscellaneous fees from the school and went straight to the agency to sign the contract.
Guo Duoyu specially took half a day off to act as his bodyguard, escorting the huge amount of cash… card.
However, during the forty-minute drive, Little Student Guo opened his mouth every four minutes to persuade Little President Shou: “Think about it again? Once the contract is signed, my dad’s previous ten years and your next ten years will be spent repaying debt.”
“The key is we only got a loan for one year’s rent. If the profit isn’t ideal later, this year will be for nothing.”
“Not just for nothing, but still have to pay back the money.”
“Clearing to zero until negative assets, hey.”
Shou Jiaxun took out earphones and plugged his ears, but they were pulled out by Guo Duoyu in less than five minutes.
—”A single dad emptying his pockets to start a business carries huge risk. Shou Jiaxun, what you are shouldering now is not just hundreds of thousands in debt, but also the honor and disgrace of half a lifetime of a single old father.”
Shou Jiaxun finally turned his face, frowning and squinting with a look of disgust. “Luckily my partner is your dad, not you.”
“No, let’s just say one thing. With such high rent, are you sure selling melons and fruits can earn back the capital?” Guo Duoyu was really about to die of confliction now.
President Shou sighed. “How about this… if we lose money, I’ll immediately find a rich old Alpha to marry, and the betrothal gift goes to you. Feel safer?”
Guo Duoyu didn’t understand. “Why must it be an old Alpha? Do you only like old men?”
Shou Jiaxun was amused by him. “I’m selling my body and I still get to pick? As long as they have money. At that time, if Xiao Yu still likes me, I’ll go find him.”
Guo Duoyu nodded blankly. “That’s okay… but he’s with Bai Fan now, you have to wait for the next round.” After speaking, he suddenly realized he was led astray by Shou Jiaxun and hurriedly grabbed his shoulder to question, “Can’t we pull back from the cliff now?!”
Shou Jiaxun’s head was buzzing from his noise, feeling like he was about to get carsick. “I’m really convinced by you… get off at the next stop, or I’m going to vomit on you.”
Guo Duoyu finally tactfully shut up, but still looked aggrieved, as if bullied terribly by Shou Jiaxun.
Seeing his pitiful look, Shou Jiaxun thought that getting along with young people required changing to a more relaxed topic, so he asked Student Guo, “Xiao Yu seemed to still be with Yin Xi last week. Hooking up with Bai Fan so fast, could it be cheating?”
Guo Duoyu shook his head blankly. “It’s not him sticking to Bai Fan, it’s Bai Fan chasing him. Anyway, Bai Fan said he already broke it off with Yin Xi. I see our class monitor was traumatized by you, his temperament changed drastically. Maybe he’s going the ‘saving all sentient beings’ route. Bai Fan probably won’t last long with him either.”
“Mmhmm, that’s good.” Shou Jiaxun nodded absently.
Guo Duoyu pursued, “Good where?”
Of course, good that he wasn’t coming to pester him. Little President Shou felt that as long as no Alpha coveted his butt, everything was good.
When the two arrived at the agency, Uncle Guo and the bank loan officer were already waiting there. Everyone verified the contracts face to face, signed, and fingerprinted.
The loan was a special lease loan. Although President Shou took on the debt, he himself couldn’t see the cash, and naturally, it was even more impossible to use the loan for other purposes.
The shop rent for the following year was paid in full by the bank to the agency, while President Shou would live the life of a mortgage slave repaying high loan amounts monthly for the next three years.
And the repayment amount for the first year was the highest, having to pay off half of the total rent.
Overall, the rental loan was similar to a mortgage, but paying off a mortgage meant owning a suite.
If Shou Jiaxun and Uncle Guo’s fruit shop lost money and closed, not only would they have nothing left, but they would also have to work desperately to pay back the bank.
However, the agency manager helped them fight for a one-month renovation rent-free period. Paying for twelve months of rent effectively got them thirteen months.
Once this kind of debt was on one’s back, every minute, even breathing, was burning costs. So after signing the contract at the agency, President Shou and Uncle Guo immediately rushed to the building materials market to discuss renovation without stopping.
Guo Duoyu was chased back to school by their combined nagging.
After ten o’clock at night, Student Guo, who had just come out of the study room, suddenly received a call from his dad. Uncle Guo was concise: “Come out, Dad’s treating you to a late-night snack, wait at the gate.”
Guo Duoyu threw his schoolbag back into the study room with a bang and ran towards the school gate.
Their school had many rich people. At night, luxury cars were always waiting at the school gate to pick up students for dates or parties. Uncle Guo’s broken minivan was parked in front of an Audi and behind a Bugatti. Uncle Guo and Shou Jiaxun standing in front of the minivan stood out more than a hunchbacked old man’s lumbar disc.
Guo Duoyu ran to them in one breath after exiting the gate, asking urgently, “What’s wrong? Suddenly looking for me, nothing happened, right?”
Shou Jiaxun flashed a stack of drawings from behind his back with a swish, grinning and raising his eyebrows. “Of course we looked for you because there’s something. Help choose a design style.”
“Ouch, scared me to death. My dad never looked for me at this hour.” Guo Duoyu patted his chest to calm his shock, taking the color-printed drawings to look through.
Suddenly he paused, murmuring the shop name: “‘Guo Ran Hen Ai Ni’ (Indeed/Fruit Naturally Loves You Very Much)…?”
After reading it, he looked up at his dad, then glanced at Shou Jiaxun. “Such a good name… who came up with it?”
Uncle Guo pouted towards Shou Jiaxun. “Little President Shou.”
Guo Duoyu looked at Shou Jiaxun with disbelief. “You took out a loan and got into debt to open a shop for my dad? You are so noble.”
Uncle Guo clicked his tongue and scolded in a low voice, “What nonsense? It’s a partnership, we are partners! If we lose money, I will pay back the debt together with Little President Shou, okay?”
“No…” Guo Duoyu pointed at the shop front rendering on the drawing. “‘Guo Ran’ is your name (Uncle Guo’s name implies Guo Ran/Fruit), plus ‘Hen Ai Ni’ (Loves You Very Much)… are you sure he isn’t confessing to you?”
Uncle Guo raised his hand and knocked his son’s forehead. “Idiot, can’t you interpret it as ‘I’ love my customers very much? With your reading comprehension ability, how did you pass Chinese?”
“Fine…” Guo Duoyu rubbed his forehead and compromised, but immediately added, “Dad, you have to keep in mind at all times, Shou Jiaxun is an Omega. And he’s twenty years younger than you.”
As expected, he got a kick in the butt from his dad, causing the big dark-skinned boy to stumble and almost sit on the ground.
Shou Jiaxun drove to a nearby night market and found a beer food stall. He ordered a table of peanuts, edamame, river snails, and skewers. With appetizers, naturally, a few bottles of beer were needed.
Once the food and drinks were served, he drank and chatted with the Guo father and son.
The three sets of drawings were divided into three color tones and three internal layouts, which could be mixed and matched arbitrarily. Every internal design separated the fresh produce and deep processing areas. The water bar design was comparable to a high-end drink shop bar, not only full of artistic sense but also embellished with multiple crystal elements, taking a high-profile luxury route.
The more Guo Duoyu looked, the more nervous he got. “How much will this cost?”
Shou Jiaxun poured him beer. “Don’t worry about that, just say which one looks good.”
Guo Duoyu persisted, “You guys didn’t take out another loan, did you?”
Uncle Guo’s eyes widened in surprise, looking at Shou Jiaxun. “How did he know?”
“This doesn’t look like something that can be renovated for eighty or a hundred thousand!” Guo Duoyu slapped the table in anger. “Are you two crazy?!”
Shou Jiaxun sighed with a smile, his attitude solemn. “This shop is our first flagship store. It must be beautiful enough and fierce enough to be tough enough. When I open thirty branches, it will be the number one fruit chain in the country. What’s wrong with borrowing some money? Not asking you to pay it back. Guo Duoyu, let me tell you, within three years, your dad and I will definitely make the wealth you possess match your talent.”
Guo Duoyu just wanted to howl at the sky. He snatched Shou Jiaxun’s wine glass. “Drink less! Are you so drunk you can’t find north?”
Translator’s note: Enjoy reading! Have a great day!
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