Chapter 403 A Face-to-Face Confrontation
The next day, Li Yundong got up early in the morning. Although he was already a cultivator who should be calm and collected, today was the day of the opening ceremony of Disanxian, and a delightful opening would undoubtedly greatly increase the confidence of Li Yundong and the others.
The Chinese were a superstitious lot. Especially after Li Yundong began to cultivate, he became convinced of certain things.
Although he had gotten up very early, when Li Yundong walked through his door, he found that Su Chan, Zhou Qin and the others were already busy in the living room.
The moment Zi Yuan caught sight of Li Yundong, she smiled and greeted him. "You're up?"
Li Yundong smiled with some embarrassment. "I'm really ashamed. Seems like I'm the only idler around here."
Zi Yuan smiled and said, "These guys were so excited that they couldn't sleep last night. They got up before dawn and started to work, but you were so deep in meditation that you didn't get disturbed."
Li Yundong chuckled. "So, have you gotten everything prepared?"
Just then, Su Chan said loudly to Li Yundong with a smile, "We've already prepared everything! We were only waiting for you!"
Li Yundong waved his hand and said enthusiastically, "Alright, everyone, let's go! Today, Disanxian officially opens!"
At this time, Su Chan, Ruan Hongling, and the little foxes of the Fox Zen School all cheered in unison, crying, "Hooray, it's open!"
Li Yundong shouted over them, "But before that, let me brush my teeth and wash my face first!"
The crowd burst out laughing and shouted back in unison, "Go quickly!"
After Li Yundong had finished washing up, he deliberately changed into the suit he had purchased with Su Chan before. His suit and leather shoes made him look energetic and manly. Su Chan also changed into the dress that Li Yundong had bought for her. She looked so beautiful, like a princess who should be doted on by tens of thousands of people.
She wasn't the only one. The three Shibos and little foxes of the Fox Zen School solemnly changed into their formal attire, all beautifully dressed. Although Zi Yuan and Zhou Qin did not don formal outfits, both of them were wearing plain yet elegant long dresses, making them look like a water fairy and an orchid.
Even Ruan Hongling, who usually didn't pay much attention to her appearance, put on a red Qipao for the occasion. The high, V-shaped collar added a bit of mature charm to her.
Li Yundong gazed at the sharply-dressed crowd and said with a smile, "There are so many beauties here. Do we even need to invite guests? As long as you are here, Disanxian will be able to shine, but..."
"But what?" Su Chan asked curiously.
Li Yundong smiled and said, "But I am afraid that the guests will not come in to drink tea but rather just to see our beauties. That would kind of defeat the point of having a tea store!"
Ruan Hongling snorted and said, "Nowadays, the economy of beauty is very important, and they're at eye-catching ages. Since so many beautiful women are with you, you must secretly be enjoying yourself. What a lucky dog you are!"
Zi Yuan laughed and said, "All right, all right. Stop talking. Everyone, let's set off quickly. We can't be late."
They took a taxi to the pedestrian street. As soon as they got out of the car, they attracted the attention of countless citizens.
Li Yundong was masculine and handsome. Modern effeminate men couldn't be compared with his elegance and ethereality. As soon as he appeared, he immediately attracted the attention of many women on the street. What attracted even more people's attention was the gaggle of stunning women around him.
Su Chan, Zi Yuan, Zhou Qin, Ruan Hongling and the rest of the ladies from the Fox Zen School all had unique appearances, but all of them were peerless beauties.
With so many gorgeous women gathered together, the passers-bys' eyes were dazzled. They couldn't help but secretly wonder, "Who are these beautiful women? Who is this boy surrounded by these girls?"
Li Yundong could see that the street was getting congested, so he quickly winked at Su Chan and the others. "Hurry up. Let's go to the store first. We'd better not cause any traffic accidents again!"
Right when they were about to leave, they heard a cry of surprise. "Li Yundong!"
Li Yundong looked in the direction of the voice and saw Feng Na standing in the distance and wearing a coffee-colored dress. She looked at him in surprise and waved her hands enthusiastically at him.
Li Yundong waved back and said with a smile, "What a coincidence!"
Feng Na jogged over in a pair of high heels. She first warmly greeted Su Chan and Zhou Qin, then politely nodded at Zi Yuan, Ruan Hongling, and the rest of the beauties. Finally, she smiled at Li Yundong and said, "I was worried that I would get here too early. Your shop hasn't opened yet! Heh. how is the opening ceremony going? You've been busy for a few days, haven't you?"
Li Yundong laughed and said, "No! You know, it's only a small place, and just a few acquaintances will be coming to waste their time here. It's just for fun! By the way, why are you alone? Where's Cheng Cheng? Where's the class rep? Where are the others?"
How could Feng Na believe him? In her opinion, Li Yundong was simply an omnipotent superman. Even if he opened a small store, it would definitely not be a simple business.
She covered her mouth and said with a smile, "They are busy with make-up. Cheng Cheng went to the hair salon early in the morning to do her hair. Unfortunately, the hairdressers were woken up by her before they opened for business, and now several hair salons near the school are crowded."
Li Yundong was slightly surprised. "How many people? Is it really that many?"
Feng Na played with her fingers and said, "Apart from Cheng Cheng, Sun Li, and me, there are still twenty other people. There are only two corridors near our school and neither is big enough. Think about it, how could there not be a long line?"
Li Yundong said in surprise, "Didn't you say that including you, there are twenty people in all?"
Feng Na spread her hands helplessly and said, "That's what I intended, but once the news of you opening a shop on the pedestrian street spread, the school forum immediately exploded. Everyone wanted one of those twenty invitation cards! Do you know that someone actually paid 500 yuan for one?"
Feng Na shook her head and sighed as she said, "Alas, if I had been more ruthless and sold these twenty cards, I could have easily obtained ten thousand yuan! Why am I so soft-hearted?"
Li Yundong laughed and said, "Don't exaggerate. But I guess you must have sold your own cards, right?"
Feng Na stuck out her tongue and smiled slyly, "You caught me! Thanks to you, I made a small fortune! I bet that you wouldn't even be able to guess the price of an invitation personally written by you!"
Li Yundong asked curiously, "Eh, really! How many did you sell?"
Feng Na rolled her eyes and gave a sly smile. "I won't tell you! Guess it yourself!"
Li Yundong pretended to be angry and said, "You little witch! Let me tell you, people who don't have invitations will not be allowed to enter today!"
Feng Na smiled cheekily. "You won't uphold that. You speak harshly, but your heart is very soft!"
Li Yundong's expression was one of rage. "Hum, just be arrogant then! Let's go. Don't stand here. Don't you see the people gathering around us?"
While they had been speaking, more than a hundred people had accumulated at the side of the road. Seeing that there was about to be three layers of people, Li Yundong and others hurriedly walked along the pedestrian street.
On the way, Su Chan grabbed Li Yundong's arm and asked in a low voice, "Yundong, you can sell such ugly calligraphy for money?"
Although she had spoken relatively quietly, her words were still heard clearly by Zi Yuan, Zhou Qin, and the others around them. Li Yundong's face turned red. He glared at Su Chan and said, "What are you talking about? Ugly words can bring in money, which is a real skill!"
Su Chan saw that Li Yundong was a little annoyed, so she quickly said with a smile, "Of course! My master is the most capable!"
Li Yundong raised his head and yawned. Then, he lowered his chin and looked at himself carefully, touching himself again and again. Su Chan asked in confusion, "Yundong, what's wrong with you? Do you feel ill?"
Li Yundong said with a serious expression, "Since I can sell a few ugly words, I think if our business fails one day, I will be able to sell some of my organs so you beauties won't starve to death!"
Su Chan immediately covered Li Yundong's mouth with her hand and spat, "Bah, bah, don't say that! It's unlucky!"
Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "You're so useless. Do you really want to die before you even get started? Are you the one who wrote Memorial to the Throne on his Expedition?"
Zi Yuan also smiled and said, "Li Yundong, it's the day of the opening ceremony. You can't talk like that, it'll bring bad luck."
Li Yundong looked at the pair and then at Zhou Qin, who was silent. He said gloomily, "My disciples really are the best. You all know how to teach me a lesson!"
Only then did Zhou Qin begin whining, "Master, it's just that I haven't made up my mind yet. When I've made up my mind, I'll tell you."
"You naughty girl," Li Yundong said, wagging his finger. "How can you do what they did?"
Zhou Qin tried hard to hold back her laughter and said, "I love my teacher, but I'd rather hear the truth!"
The crowd burst out laughing at once.
Li Yundong also chuckled and scolded, "Do you think you are Aristotle? Even if you are, I am not Plato!"
The group of people chatted and made merry, soon arriving at the store.
Feng Na raised her head and saw that the store was two stories high. The roof was covered with golden glazed tiles, beneath which were flying eaves and arches. In the corner of the house were four carved wooden lions painted gold. Underneath the lion's claws was a red wooden ball. These lions looked imposingly to the front, appearing out of the ordinary.
Feng Na couldn't help but nod and say admiringly, "Not bad, very bold and it has ancient charm! It's amazing!"
When she looked down, she saw a row of red, glassless wooden windows on the second floor. The patterns on the windows were different, but most of them depicted gods from ancient Chinese myths. Feng Na looked at them one by one and saw familiar figures like Nvwa, Kua Fu, Pan Gu, Great White Plane, Yu Huang Da Di, Queen Mother of the West, etc. After seeing so many magical things in connection to Li Yundong, she didn't think these were exaggerated. She felt that the decoration was beautiful and elegant, which was refreshing.
After Feng Na had looked at the store up and down, she suddenly felt that something was missing and couldn't help but ask, "Strange, I can't see your plaque? That's right, where's your store's plaque?"
Li Yundong chuckled and winked at Su Chan and the others, who ran off with smiles on their faces. After a while, they came back out with a huge plaque covered with a red cloth.
Feng Na could tell at a glance that the plaque was even bigger than Su Chan's body. Though Su Chan was not short, she looked like a little child with the enormous plaque in her hands.
She said in a loud, nervous voice, "Be careful, don't damage it."
Li Yundong laughed cheerily. "It's okay, it's okay!"
Su Chan stopped in front of her and pulled a face at her mischievously. Then, with a shake of her hands, she threw the huge plaque into the air and grabbed it with ease. She giggled mischievously and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen!"
When Feng Na saw that Su Chan was playing with the plaque as if it were a child's toy, she was amazed and reached out to pick up the plaque.
Attempting to lift it, she could immediately feel that the plaque in her hands was extremely heavy. It probably weighed at least twenty to thirty pounds!
Feng Na was startled. Just as she was about to ask about it, her gaze wandered and she saw something behind Li Yundong. She asked curiously, "Li Yundong, the guy opposite you is also opening a tea shop?"
Li Yundong snorted in his heart. "Yes!"
Feng Na couldn't help but frown. "This is asking for it! Who would dare to do such a thing? Open a shop doing the same business directly opposite?"
Li Yundong said lightly, "It rains when heaven deems fit, and mother remarries when she wants to. He wants to open a store, so what can I do? Just let him go ahead and do whatever he wants!"
Feng Na suddenly exclaimed in shock, "They're also opening for business today?"
This time, Li Yundong and the others were the ones feeling surprised. They looked back together and saw a group of people filing out of the opposite building. The leader was Zhao Yougen, who had his nose in the air. Behind him stood a group of slim, exquisite women in Qipao. Together, these beautiful women were carrying a plaque with the same red cloth on it. They lined up behind Zhao Youjin obediently with professional smiles on their faces.
Li Yundong frowned and thought to himself, "It can't just be a coincidence, can it?"
Feeling sick, he saw Zhao Youjin laughing and walking toward him. Once he'd gotten near, he began saying brashly, "Little brother, I didn't expect us to be so fated. We chose the same kind of store and opened them on the same day. What a coincidence, hahaha!"