Chapter 107: The First Sales Blast Ignites with a Bang (Shamelessly Asking for Favorites)

Just as their lively conversation was in full swing, the beautiful supervisor from the supermarket burst into the office, calling out before she’d even crossed the threshold, “Director He, something’s wrong! Something’s wrong on the first floor…”

She was out of breath, barely able to finish her sentence before the manager stopped her at the doorway. “Zhang Qin, what are you saying? What happened on the first floor? What’s going on?”

He Zhixing quickly handed her a cup of tea, doing his best to appear calm as he said, “Here, don’t worry, have some water first. You’re out of breath from running all the way here…”

Zhang Qin took a sip, the two regional directors and all the sponsor representatives watching her with anticipation, only then did she finally speak. “Director He, here’s the situation: all of the rural specialty products on the first floor have been completely sold out, and there’s still a crowd clamoring for more. But every last piece of stock is gone—not even one percent of what they want is left. Someone mentioned that the Yingscenic District’s Wanjia Supermarket might have some, so a group has already rushed over there to buy…”

She had barely finished when He Zhixing’s phone rang. It was Jiang Chunmei. He answered right away. “Hello, Chunmei? How are things on your end?”

Jiang Chunmei sounded a bit excited. “Director He, you won’t believe it! All the rural specialty products at our counter have been bought out. There’s a crowd demanding we restock, but we have nothing left. This was all you brought from the five towns for us. How about your side?”

He Zhixing replied, “It’s the same here. Everything is sold out. It looks like we’ll need to massively expand the production of these rural specialties across all five towns!”

He chatted with her briefly, saying he’d send the truck drivers back to urge the suppliers, hoping to restock a little by tomorrow.

After he hung up, the two regional directors and the other business partners around him were staring in disbelief. It seemed He Zhixing had brought them not just an opportunity, but a shock. He smiled at them and said, “Gentlemen, directors, please hold onto your VIP cards for now. I have something urgent to take care of.”

He asked the manager to stay and entertain them with tea, then followed Zhang Qin downstairs to see for himself. The scene was exactly as she’d described: not a single wild vegetable or fruit remained on the rural specialties display. Crowds lingered, hoping for a miracle, that new stock might arrive. Zhang Qin looked to He Zhixing at his side. “Director He, what should we do?”

He Zhixing replied, “It’s alright. Let them wait. Once they know there’s nothing left, they’ll disperse and buy other things instead. I do have something for you to do: write a small sign that says ‘Cake Specialty’ and place it on the empty rural products shelves. Once you’ve done that, join me at the cake specialty section nearby.”

He and Zhang Qin entered Sister Lan’s cake boutique, where Qin Ya and Zheng Huizhen were also present. Since He Zhixing had brought back new recipes and taught them to make a variety of modern cakes, the shop’s display had grown rich with many attractive new treats, filling the illuminated cases.

He Zhixing walked in and asked, “How are sales? Are the cakes selling well?”

Sister Lan replied, “Much better than before—even the best day at the old shop can’t compare to half a day here. Lots of people are coming to choose desserts, cakes, and breads.”

He Zhixing smiled with an easy confidence. “This is still far from enough. What I need is to make a name for ourselves!”

Hearing this, the women looked at him expectantly, while a few customers nearby edged away, thinking perhaps this young man was a little mad—maybe running a fever from last night, or perhaps not quite right in the head.

He Zhixing ignored the curious stares and said to the women, “It’s time. Sister Lan, turn on the lights for the small glass demonstration room I designed. Prepare all the tools and ingredients for making birthday cakes—cake bases, decorating trays, piping tips, chocolate, fruit jams of every color, all types of flour and starch, as well as a few bowls of wild strawberries. Have the whipped cream ready, too.”

At the center of the octagonal glass room stood a table, surrounded by shelves filled with every kind of cake-making ingredient. When everything was ready, He Zhixing requested a chef’s uniform and changed into it.

Then he climbed the short steps into the glass room, which was perfectly positioned for maximum visibility from the supermarket entrance and all around. What was he planning? Many people watched with curiosity as he entered, and the bright lights flattered his figure.

With all eyes on him, He Zhixing began. His movements were light and unhurried; as he placed the special decorating tray on the table, it became clear to everyone: he was about to give a live cake decorating performance in front of the crowd.

What kind of spectacle would this turn out to be? Would He Zhixing’s counterattack succeed in drawing a huge crowd? Would the cake he created offer an unprecedented taste? Gradually, more and more people gathered, drawn in by the anticipation…