"Change the business model?"
Qin Chuan didn't immediately understand Li Ya's meaning, his dark eyes filled with confusion.
"Yes, change the business model!"
Li Ya nodded seriously.
"Because I feel that although our previous 'rural encircling cities' strategy was good, it's still too slow to develop!"
"To achieve a hundred stores in a hundred counties, who knows how many years it will take! I... I can't wait any longer!"
As she reached the end, a hint of panic and fear flashed across Li Ya's pretty face, her gaze towards Qin Chuan filled with complex emotions.
Qin Chuan furrowed his brows slightly. A hundred stores in a hundred counties was a goal he and Li Ya had once set. The idea was simple: to have a flagship store for Jin Die Apparel in a hundred surrounding counties.
After achieving this goal, Jin Die Apparel would then advance into first-tier big cities.
At that time, whether it was for advertising, financing, or even selling the company off, they would have immense confidence and sufficient capital accumulation.
Yet now, Li Ya had suddenly proposed changing the business model, which surprised Qin Chuan.
"Sister, can you tell me in detail why you suddenly had this idea?"
Qin Chuan felt there must be some hidden reason, but he had no idea what it was.
"I..."
Li Ya dared not meet Qin Chuan's eyes, but the more she avoided him, the more Qin Chuan suspected something was amiss. He reached out, one hand grasping Li Ya's shoulder, the other gently lifting her delicate chin.
"Sister, look at me!"
"I'm your man. If something happens to you, you have to tell me, understand?!"
"Nothing has happened!"
Li Ya explained in a panic. She knew Qin Chuan had misunderstood, thinking something major had happened to the factory, or to her.
"Our clothing factory is operating normally. It's just... it's just that I feel this model makes money too slowly in the early stages!"
"Makes money too slowly?"
Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Is that really the only reason?"
Li Ya explained, "Our current development model doesn't sell any products externally. The clothes produced by the factory only supply our own flagship stores!"
"As of now, including the one that just opened, we only have three flagship stores!"
"Although the feedback on our products is very good and well-received by young people, the sales from three stores are still too small. After deducting all sorts of factory expenses, there's not much left for ourselves!"
Listening to Li Ya's explanation, Qin Chuan's frown deepened. "Sister, are you too impatient for profit?"
"In just seven to eight months, our clothing factory has already opened three flagship stores. This speed is actually quite fast!"
"Our current model wasn't designed for rapid profit within one or two years. We just need to use the money earned from the flagship stores to continuously expand the market, while also supplying the factory's operations and daily miscellaneous expenses. That would be perfect!"
"Once the number of flagship stores increases in the future, say to twenty or thirty, and our Jin Die Apparel brand becomes widely recognized, that will be our time to reap the rewards..."
"Our hundred-store in a hundred-counties plan is absolutely fine!"
As he said this, Qin Chuan suddenly stopped, his dark eyes fixing intently on Li Ya. His gaze was so piercing that Li Ya couldn't meet it, appearing rather guilty.
"Sister, something else must have happened with you, otherwise you wouldn't casually propose changing our development model for no reason!"
"I... I haven't!"
Under Qin Chuan's intense gaze, Li Ya shook her head like a rattle drum, but Qin Chuan still detected the panic in her eyes.
Under Qin Chuan's relentless questioning, Li Ya finally broke down, letting out a soft cry and throwing herself into Qin Chuan's arms, starting to act spoiled.
"Xiao Chuan, I'll tell you why!"
"But you can't laugh at me!"
Qin Chuan nodded, his confusion growing. "What kind of thing are you so afraid of me laughing at?"
"Actually, the reason is very simple. I've found that your current development speed, or you could call it your money-making speed, is really too fast!"
Li Ya confessed her inner thoughts, then began counting on her fingers:
"Look, in just over eight months, you've gone from having nothing to owning your own real estate, your own supermarket, and even your own sand quarry!"
"During this time, you've taken over the Xinhua Electronics Factory in our county and quickly stabilized the situation!"
"Your net worth has probably changed daily, likely already exceeding ten million."
Qin Chuan listened quietly, offering no opinion.
"And me? I've practically stood still. In over eight months, I've only managed to set up three flagship stores!"
Li Ya held up three fair fingers and continued.
"Before, I used to feel a sense of superiority when I was with you, but that superiority is long gone. Watching you develop so rapidly while I remain stagnant!"
"You're not me, you can't understand the anxiety I'm feeling now!"
"Because I'm a full four years older than you!"
Li Ya's expression was very serious, and this time she switched to four fingers.
"I studied abroad, spent several years overseas, and I know that men become bad when they have money."
"I also know that if there isn't enough equality between a boyfriend and girlfriend, or a husband and wife, it can be very unstable."
"There are so many temptations in this world, and there are plenty of women prettier than me. I'm really afraid that one day when you have money and your wings are strong, you'll kick me aside and fly off with another woman."
Qin Chuan listened, dumbfounded. He had never imagined that Li Ya, who was with him every day, had such a rich inner emotional world.
He hadn't even done anything with other women yet, and she was already worrying about potential future problems, fearing he would cheat and run off with someone else.
Was this cleverness, or was it a woman's intuition being too sharp?
"If, one day, I were to have a relationship with another woman, Sister, what would you do then?"
"I'm saying 'if'!"
Qin Chuan's heart stirred. As an experienced driver of many years, he wasn't foolish enough to make vows or promises. Instead, he used this opportunity to gauge her reaction.
This didn't mean he didn't like Li Ya. It was simply that he was greedy. The reason lay entirely within himself, a trait he called "scum."
Li Ya shook her head, her expression appearing lost.
"I don't know, I really don't know!"
Seeing Li Ya's expression quickly turn to pain, Qin Chuan's heart ached. He reached out and pulled her tightly into his embrace, comforting her, "Silly girl, I was just teasing you. Did you really take it seriously?"
He sighed inwardly, thinking that opening a harem was a long and arduous journey!
If Li Ya was like this, then Yang Laoshi, who was even more proud, would be an even tougher nut to crack.