Landlord in the Arctic

Selling the store??

Feng Mountain looked at Hu Zi in confusion. ’Why didn’t he tell me about this?’

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Sorry, Manager Hou, I’m not planning to sell the store. I was just passing by and came in to learn a thing or two." Hu Zi cut him off stiffly, his tone clearly guarded.

Manager Hou’s initially enthusiastic expression instantly turned cold. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

He said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "So, Manager Zheng is here to watch the show, is he? Then by all means, have a good look. In a little while, you might find the joke is on you."

His tone was thick with menace, and his eyes were full of malice.

Feng Mountain subtly took half a step to the side, partially shielding Hu Zi. His gaze swept over the man’s tie clip.

Engraved on it was the English abbreviation for the Mei Jia Chain, identical to the logo at the supermarket’s entrance.

He mentally took note.

’Looks like this Meijia Supermarket Chain is up to no good. They’re probably trying to create a monopoly and crush small supermarkets like Hu Zi’s.’

"Now that’s not a very nice thing to say, Manager Hou." A faint, unreadable smile touched Feng Mountain’s lips. "We’re all in the supermarket business. We’re bound to run into each other, so why make things so unpleasant? My brother here was just hoping to learn a few things. Is there a need for such a strong reaction?"

Manager Hou’s brow furrowed. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He snorted coldly. "Learn a few things? More like snooping for information. Hmph, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to."

"Manager Hou, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want!" Hu Zi’s face flushed red as he retorted angrily.

"That’s enough, Hu Zi." Feng Mountain patted Hu Zi’s shoulder, signaling for him to calm down. "Manager Hou, we’re all trying to do business in this area. There’s no need to be so hostile. My brother’s supermarket may be small, but it has its own way of surviving. It’s best if we all stay in our own lanes."

Manager Hou sneered. "Stay in our own lanes? There’s only room for one supermarket in this area, and that’s our Mei Jia Chain."

"You should leave yourself some room to back down." A disdainful smile lifted the corners of Feng Mountain’s mouth. "My brother’s supermarket may not be large, but it relies on honest business. You, on the other hand, are using your foreign backing to monopolize the market and crush your competitors. That’s a pretty dirty way to do business."

Manager Hou’s face turned beet red. "Don’t you go making baseless accusations! Our Meijia Supermarket Chain has always operated legally. We don’t resort to the crooked methods you’re talking about!"

"Operating legally?" Feng Mountain scoffed. "Then why are all the suppliers suddenly demanding cash on delivery? You’re telling me you had nothing to do with that?"

Manager Hou’s eyes darted around, and he stammered, "Th-that’s the suppliers’ own decision. It has nothing to do with our Meijia Supermarket Chain."

"Nothing to do with you?" A mocking smile played on Feng Mountain’s lips. "Manager Hou, do you really think I’d believe that? But that’s alright. I’ll make you a believer."

With that, Feng Mountain pulled Hu Zi out of the Meijia supermarket.

Standing on the bustling crosswalk, Feng Mountain took out his phone. He frowned slightly, wondering who he should call to handle this.

’Back in China, the people I’m closest to are Zhang Kai and Su Yang. But if I keep asking them for help, I’ll owe them too many favors, and that can be a hassle.’

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

He remembered that Manager Hou had just said the supermarket’s owner was from Singapore.

’That’s right, I have people in Singapore!’

Thinking of this, Feng Mountain immediately dialed Eldest Young Master Xu’s number.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.

Eldest Young Master Xu’s mumbled, lazy voice came through, faintly mixed with the complaining voices of women. From the sounds of it, there seemed to be more than one woman there.

"Hello? Who is this? If you have something to say, say it. If not, I’m hanging up!" Eldest Young Master Xu’s voice was filled with impatience.

"Me." Feng Mountain uttered a single word, his tone calm and steady.

"Oh, Brother Feng! It’s you, Brother Feng!!" Eldest Young Master Xu’s lazy tone instantly shot up several octaves, his voice now full of surprise and a desire to please.

Immediately after, a chaotic ruckus erupted from the other end of the line.

A moment later, Eldest Young Master Xu’s fawning voice returned. "Brother Feng, what made you suddenly decide to call me? You scared me for a second there!"

"Looks like I’m interrupting your fun with the ladies," Feng Mountain replied irritably, glancing at the worried frown on Hu Zi’s face beside him. He continued, "Have you heard of the Mei Jia Chain? I hear the owner is from Singapore. Help me look into it."

Eldest Young Master Xu paused on the other end, as if searching for information on the Mei Jia Chain. After a moment, he asked, "Mei Jia Chain? Never heard of it. Why? Did they piss you off?"

"It’s nothing. You know Xiaohua and Hu Zi opened a supermarket, right? They’ve just run into some operational problems recently." Feng Mountain didn’t directly mention that Hu Zi’s supermarket was being targeted by suppliers, only hinting at it vaguely. "I figured since the owner of this Mei Jia Chain is from Singapore, and you’re from Singapore, you might be able to find something out. Maybe put in a good word."

Smart people can often keenly perceive the hidden meaning in a simple conversation.

And Eldest Young Master Xu was precisely that kind of sharp-minded person.

’If it weren’t something important, Feng Mountain would never call me so casually.’

’Business deals in the Bering Sea worth tens of millions of US dollars are all handled by Alvin, yet he’s calling me personally over a small supermarket.’

’This meant Feng Mountain was genuinely angry.’

Immediately, Eldest Young Master Xu didn’t dare to fool around anymore. He quickly slapped his chest and said.