Chapter 22: My Secretary

The next day, military training proceeded as usual.

By noon, Wang Can had finished his lunch in a hurry. Instead of returning to the dormitory to rest like the other students, he went straight to the parking lot and found Xia Kewe waiting for him in the car.

At Wang Can's request, Xia Kewe had changed back into that sharp, professional secretary attire. It was a pity that, perhaps due to Wang Can's sharp tongue the night before, she had deliberately chosen not to wear her signature black silk stockings, leaving her legs bare. Even so, her long, fair, and curvaceous legs remained incredibly eye-catching.

"Is everything ready?" Wang Can asked as he approached quickly.

Xia Kewe gently shook the black bag in her hand, which contained two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Because the lunch break was short, Wang Can didn't waste any time. He took Xia Kewe directly to the school's Logistics Department. He knew the logistics staff would be resting at this hour, but given the constraints of the military training, he had no choice but to try his luck. He could have sent Xia Kewe to handle this alone, but Wang Can wanted to use this opportunity to make himself a familiar face to the department, hoping to broaden his network within the campus.

When he pushed open the glass door of the logistics office, the large room was empty, save for two or three staff members napping at their desks. Wang Can glanced around, then walked softly to the desk of the only man present and tapped his fingers lightly on the surface.

"Excuse me."

The man, interrupted from his nap, looked up with clear annoyance. His expression soured even further when he saw Wang Can in his military training uniform. However, just as he was fumbling to put on his glasses, preparing to lash out, his peripheral vision caught sight of Xia Kewe standing behind Wang Can, clutching a stack of files.

"Ahem..."

The man’s Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the reprimand that had been on the tip of his tongue, forcing a somewhat stiff smile instead. "You two... is there something you need?"

Wang Can keenly noted the shift in the man's attitude and his lips curled almost imperceptibly. Men, regardless of their age, would subconsciously try to maintain a gentlemanly image in front of a beautiful woman.

"Hello, I would like to rent a stall in the cafeteria."

"You?" The man’s suspicious gaze swept over Wang Can’s uniform. "A student of this university?"

"That’s right. Is there a problem with that?" Wang Can asked.

The man’s gaze drifted past Wang Can, landing on Xia Kewe. "And who is this...?"

"My secretary," Wang Can said in a flat tone, as if stating the most ordinary fact in the world.

Seeing that Xia Kewe did not contradict him, the man couldn't help but gasp, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes. A freshman with a personal secretary? What kind of wealthy scion was this?

He quickly straightened his rumpled clothes, stood up, and donned a professional smile. "My name is Shao Wenrun, in charge of investment for the Logistics Department. Let’s go to the reception room to discuss this in detail."

Although his attitude couldn't be called sycophantic, it was noticeably more respectful than before. This was exactly why Wang Can had insisted that Xia Kewe wear her professional suit; it saved a great deal of trouble. While whether or not he was actually wealthy might not directly benefit Shao Wenrun, most people subconsciously felt a sense of awe toward wealth. People respect the clothes before the person, and the skin before the soul; it is hard for anyone to be immune to such vanity.

Xia Kewe, who had originally been quite critical of Wang Can "ordering" her to wear certain outfits, looked at him thoughtfully, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

The reception room was small, about seven or eight square meters, and very simply furnished. Two somewhat worn-out sofas were placed opposite each other, separated by a wooden coffee table. After Wang Can and Xia Kewe sat down, Shao Wenrun used disposable cups to pour them water, then took out a stack of documents and sat on the opposite sofa.

He first asked for Wang Can’s business license and health certificate. After confirming everything was in order, he continued, "According to school regulations, you must hire one or two students from this university for part-time work. Also, the school does not charge rent for cafeteria stalls, but we do take a 20% cut of the turnover. You are aware of this, correct?"

"Completely understood. That is not a problem," Wang Can nodded slightly.

"Currently, Cafeterias 1 and 4 are managed by an outsourcing company, and Cafeterias 3 and 6 already have chicken cutlet stalls," Shao Wenrun said, pulling two floor plans from his folder and circling a few locations with a ballpoint pen. "So you can only choose from Cafeteria 2 or 5. These are the currently vacant stalls."

Wang Can took a look. As he had observed during his sweep of the cafeterias, these were all corner locations.

"Besides these vacant spots, are there any stalls whose leases are about to expire or are being returned?" he asked.

Shao Wenrun pondered for a moment and shook his head. "None at the moment."

The school cafeteria was a decent business. While it wouldn't make one incredibly wealthy, earning 200,000 to 300,000 a year was easily achievable, so the turnover of vendors was quite low. Although disappointed, Wang Can didn't press the issue. "In that case, I will take this stall in Cafeteria 5."

He tapped his finger on the floor plan for Cafeteria 5, pointing to a corner next to the stairs. It wasn't a great spot, but it wasn't terrible either.

Xia Kewe frowned slightly at this. She clearly remembered that the data she had provided to Wang Can regarding customer traffic in each cafeteria showed that the business conditions in Cafeteria 2 were significantly better than in Cafeteria 5.

"That's possible, of course." Shao Wenrun looked down, then offered a professional reminder: "However, Cafeteria 5 is in the South Dormitory area. Students from other areas rarely visit, and it doesn't have the same foot traffic as Cafeteria 2."

Wang Can immediately looked surprised. "Is that so? My dorm is near Cafeteria 5, so I always thought it was quite busy there." He then gave an embarrassed smile. "Since Teacher Shao has offered his guidance, I'll choose Cafeteria 2."

As he spoke, he traced his finger across the floor plan for Cafeteria 2, finally stopping at an L-shaped corner stall of about ten square meters. This time, Shao Wenrun nodded, satisfied; this was one of the better remaining locations in Cafeteria 2.

After they signed the contract, Wang Can offered a few words of gratitude and left with Xia Kewe, never mentioning the cigarettes in the black bag.

Left in the reception room, Shao Wenrun shook his head helplessly as he organized the contracts. "These rich kids today... they all chase the trend of entrepreneurship, but they’re too lazy to do even the most basic market research. This isn't entrepreneurship; it's just burning money."

...

Walking out of the Logistics Department, Xia Kewe lifted the black bag in her hand. "Why didn't you just give it to him earlier?"

Wang Can looked sideways, gave a small smile, and said, "I didn't find the right excuse, but the next time we meet, I’ll have a reason to."

"Honestly, I don't understand. You are just running a simple stall; is it necessary to give gifts to a staff member who only handles leasing?" As a top-tier graduate from one of the world's top 50 universities, Xia Kewe was inherently repulsed by the complexities of social etiquette. She felt that if he had the energy for this, he should be thinking about how to run the business.

Wang Can, walking in front, nodded slightly. "You're right. Shao Wenrun is indeed just an ordinary employee in the Logistics Department with no real power. The only difference is that his workplace is a university, so giving him gifts likely won't yield any immediate benefits. But even so, the most I lose is two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes—a thousand yuan or so. Now, look at it from another angle: for that small amount of money, I might gain first-hand information regarding school investment opportunities from a teacher who has been deeply involved at Shen University for years. So, rather than calling it a gift, think of it as investing in an opportunity."