Chapter 2022 - 667: For You! (Part 3)
Right at that moment.
"Ring ring ring——"
The phone Xie Shuyu had left on the coffee table suddenly started ringing.
[Zhao Ying]
Meng Ran immediately cut herself off, leaned forward slightly, her gaze turning focused as she lowered her voice and asked, "Is that the deputy secretary-general of the Chuan Province Catering Association?"
"Mm." Xie Shuyu answered softly, picked up the call, and turned on speaker.
A warm middle-aged woman’s voice came from the speaker: "Oh my, President Xie! I’m not disturbing your rest, am I?"
Xie Shuyu replied gently, "You’re too polite, Secretary Zhao. If you need to speak to me, I’m always available."
After a few pleasantries, Zhao Ying finally got to the point, and her tone turned businesslike.
"Here’s the thing, President Xie. Our association has recently received feedback from several member companies, saying that a few of Glimmer Coffee’s new stores seem to still be in the process of getting their fire safety and food safety permits... so we wanted to check with you whether you need the association to step in and help coordinate?"
Xie Shuyu’s expression didn’t change; she continued to smile as she responded, "Thank you for your concern, Secretary Zhao. Glimmer Coffee has always operated in strict compliance with the law, and all store licenses are being processed in parallel under the most rigorous standards. But since the association cares so much, I’ll have our legal team send you a copy of the progress documents later, just for your files."
They chatted a bit more.
The call ended.
Xie Shuyu let out a helpless sigh and rubbed her sore brow.
This wasn’t the first time.
Just an hour ago, a sales manager from New Hope Dairy that Glimmer Coffee had previously been in contact with had also personally reached out to her, tactfully bringing up Zhongshu Group and Coffee and Time, his words full of implication.
Zhongshu Group’s influence was like an invisible net that had long since penetrated every corner of this region.
And Chen Hao was using this net to exert pressure on her.
Meng Ran’s expression also grew solemn.
"Yu, looking at it now, if you want Glimmer Coffee to develop smoothly in the Southwest, relying on your own strength alone is probably impossible.
If you don’t want Zhongshu Group meddling in everything, you have to bring in a stronger capital partner—one with a complete ecosystem and absolute clout, who can shield you.
Otherwise, as Glimmer grows bigger, all kinds of trouble will keep coming your way."
Xie Shuyu nodded.
This situation is actually very common in business; it’s also why many companies that clearly don’t lack money and have healthy cash flow still proactively accept financing.
Often they even bring in several investment institutions with different backgrounds at the same time.
It’s not just for the money; it’s also to bring in the shareholders’ underlying resources, connections, and "umbrella."
To form a community of interest that jointly resists external risks.
The two of them spoke quietly for a while.
Meng Ran looked at her and suddenly asked, "What about that mysterious boyfriend of yours? When is he coming?"
"The exact time’s not fixed yet, but he should definitely be here before the 2nd."
"I think you really need to have a proper talk with him this time. This isn’t a small matter." Meng Ran’s tone turned serious. "If he can take out forty million in cash in one go to support you, he must have some kind of background, right?"
Xie Shuyu shook her head. "I’ve never asked about that."
She was extremely independent, and she actually enjoyed that way of being together where they each had their own space.
She had never taken the initiative to dig into Tang Song’s privacy, such as his real assets.
"You’re something else." Meng Ran shrugged helplessly, then as if thinking of something, she probed, "Hey, by the way, where’s your boyfriend planning to stay when he comes to Rong City this time?"
"Probably a hotel."
"How about... letting him stay here for a night? Sharing a room with you is fine." Meng Ran’s eyes rolled thoughtfully. "We’ve been best friends for so many years; I really want to officially meet him, and I can help you feel him out a bit while we’re at it."
She was actually very tempted by that COO invitation that Xie Shuyu mentioned, but her biggest concern was the current instability of Glimmer Coffee.
So she hoped to meet this mysterious "Tang Song" face to face, and ideally, seriously assess his real strength.
If she really did jump ship in the future, he’d basically be her behind-the-scenes boss.
Hearing her friend’s suggestion, Xie Shuyu’s cheeks instantly flushed red, and she hesitated.
Seeing her like this, Meng Ran acted as if she’d discovered some earth-shattering secret. "No way?! No way, Yu! Don’t tell me you two... haven’t even slept together yet?!"
The corner of Xie Shuyu’s eye twitched. She picked up her glass, trying to hide her embarrassment. "...Is that really so important?"
"Of course it is!" Meng Ran’s voice jumped up several pitches, her face full of disbelief. "Didn’t you say you’ve been together for months now? You’re such a stunning beauty, and he can actually hold back? Don’t tell me he’s got some kind of physical issue?"
"Oh, screw you! Don’t talk nonsense!" Xie Shuyu gave her back a light smack. "We just haven’t had the time."
"Tsk tsk, my god! Now I really want to meet this Tang Song—he’s practically a god!" Meng Ran marveled for quite a while.
Then she perked up again. "Dear Yu, he’s your boyfriend! You two till now don’t even talk properly for a whole day, and even when you travel out of town on business together you don’t sleep in the same room—do you think that’s normal?"
Xie Shuyu’s expression paused slightly.
Meng Ran did have a point.