Chapter 406: 413: Undeniable

Chen Li, with a stern face, scolded her staff, feeling somewhat helpless inside. In the past, she would have replaced them without hesitation, but having been in ancient times for so long, she had grown accustomed to life here and knew the rules well. She understood that finding good talent wasn’t so simple. Take Li Ming, for instance; she had inquired about him before poaching him, only to find him less satisfactory than expected. Though it irked her, she had to admit that Li Ming was no match for Yu Zhengqing.

Speaking of Yu Zhengqing, Chen Li felt uncomfortable. By her own estimation and strategies, Yu Zhengqing should have been living a miserable life. Even though Chen Li acknowledged deep down that Yu Zhengqing was not at fault for the earlier incident, his departure out of spite was a betrayal to her. Chen Li was conceited and self-centric, incapable of tolerating anyone’s betrayal. In her mind, a person who betrayed her could never have a good end.

After Yu Zhengqing left Chen Li’s store, it wasn’t that he couldn’t find work. Despite some rumors, smaller stores were willing to employ him because of his abilities. However, he was pushed to this point because he was intimidated by the people Chen Li sent after him, fearing trouble. Chen Li still harbored the thought that Yu Zhengqing would eventually come back, begging for forgiveness when his days became unbearable, contemplating whether or not to give him another chance. It was only after Yu Zhengqing’s departure that she realized how difficult it was to hire a skilled and loyal shopkeeper, let alone having him snatched away by her rival.

Whenever Heavenly Pavilion was mentioned, Chen Li’s brows furrowed tightly. The owner of Heavenly Pavilion, whether a woman or someone else, remained a mystery and was incredibly powerful, completely overpowering her. Since entering the business world, she seldom felt as thwarted as she did now. This was the second time, the first being… it seemed her fortune had turned ever since that woman returned.

Although there was no apparent connection between this matter and Su Wenyue, Chen Li instinctively blamed her. Even if the reasoning was far-fetched, it was typical for people to refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes and failures, preferring to pass the blame onto others—especially when the target of their hatred and envy was Su Wenyue.

Chen Li’s choice to evade her errors and attribute her failure to Su Wenyue wasn’t solely for that reason. It was also a sense of sensitivity and intuition. These intangible feelings are hard to explain yet are often accurate.

“Boss, I have found out everything,” a servant reported back, whispering into Chen Li’s ear. He was dispatched to investigate the situation at Heavenly Pavilion. Despite her arrogance, Chen Li wasn’t foolish. She was aware that Heavenly Pavilion’s momentum had now surpassed that of Li Xiu Department Store, even completely suppressing her business. It was time to understand such a formidable rival.

The setback had served as a wake-up call for Chen Li, enabling her to grow significantly. She was no longer as proud and arrogant as before, also realizing that the backward ancient world and its people were not as simple as she had imagined.

“Well, did you find out who the secret owner behind Heavenly Pavilion is?” Chen Li was most concerned about this matter.

“That, no, the person behind Heavenly Pavilion is too mysterious,” her subordinate replied. “Despite our efforts, we couldn’t ascertain their identity. Still, many clues indicate a significant link with the Su Family. It likely isn’t owned by the Su Family’s business, for if it were, they could have operated openly and straightforwardly, rather than putting on this mysterious charade.” Chen Li’s subordinate was quite resourceful, piecing together clues to uncover substantial information.

After hearing her subordinate’s words, Chen Li felt a sense of vindication. The Su Family was Su Wenyue’s mother’s family, and indeed, this matter couldn’t be separated from Su Wenyue. Otherwise, why would Su Wenyue have spoken those words at the Yin Family’s banquet that day, promoting the opening of Heavenly Pavilion? Although it seemed unintentional to others, Chen Li, as a shrewd businesswoman, quickly noticed the underlying intent—the approach she used was similar to Su Wenyue’s, except that Su Wenyue’s network was beyond her reach, placing Chen Li at a disadvantage.

“Tell me about the situation at Heavenly Pavilion,” Chen Li asked, though she already had a foreboding feeling about it. Without mentioning Su Wenyue’s tactics, the servant’s grave expression was enough to indicate the situation was grim.

“Heavenly Pavilion opened at the same time as our store, attracting many noblewomen, including Miss Yin, making it an enormously lively and successful event. I had someone go undercover to gather information. When it comes to decoration or the merchandise, everything at Heavenly Pavilion far surpasses our store, but their prices are shockingly high, probably beyond the means of the ordinary people,” the subordinate informed, suggesting their store still had some advantage, and shared with Chen Li further details about Heavenly Pavilion.

The more Chen Li heard, the darker her expression became. The VIP cards, grand opening discounts… these ideas were supposedly hers alone, unique to her. Why would Heavenly Pavilion employ such similar marketing strategies? She even began to suspect that the elusive owner of Heavenly Pavilion had also traveled from the modern world, as their mindsets were strikingly similar. Still, no matter what, she had lost to Heavenly Pavilion, and that was a fact.

However, Chen Li didn’t give in to defeat and discouragement, but instead, it ignited an unstoppable fighting spirit within her. This was attributed to her positive attitude—after all, transmigrated women are no ordinary beings. Chen Li believed she was the protagonist of this world, destined for success after enduring hardships and setbacks. Her high spirits led her to quickly adjust some of the flaws in her department store based on Heavenly Pavilion’s strengths. Although she couldn’t immediately turn the tables and suppress Heavenly Pavilion, the changes yielded some results. At the very least, they managed to sustain basic expenses and supplies. Relying on the consumption of the middle and lower classes, they managed not to run a deficit.

Like Chen Li, Su Wenyue didn’t become complacent after her initial victory and continued to monitor Li Xiu Department Store’s moves closely. Learning that Chen Li’s store had survived her series of assaults and even carved out its own path, she couldn’t help but feel a grudging respect.

In these turbulent times, the spending power of the middle and lower classes was limited. In a peaceful era, Chen Li’s department store might not necessarily fare worse than her Heavenly Pavilion. But the comparability between the two wasn’t high, as Su Wenyue and Chen Li had chosen different paths. Su Wenyue’s high-end route targeted the upper-class nobility, while Chen Li’s more populist approach wasn’t initially intended, but it had proved successful nonetheless, showing that one should never underestimate an opponent.

While Su Wenyue felt admiration for Chen Li’s accomplishments, Chen Li was not one to be content with the status quo, especially regarding Heavenly Pavilion, which had numerous connections with Su Wenyue. Chen Li’s eyes narrowed, and an idea formed in her mind.