Amid the tense atmosphere of Chén Zhāoyáng and Lín Xiǎotáng making an all-out sprint for the high school entrance examination, campus life proceeded in an orderly fashion while quietly nurturing new stories.
Ever since Chén Zhāoyáng was injured while saving Lín Xiǎotáng at the sports meeting, not only had their relationship rapidly heated up, but he had also become a prominent focus of attention at school. The looks his classmates gave him were filled with respect and admiration, which in turn brought him even more opportunities. Chén Zhāoyáng knew very well that this attention was a double-edged sword; used well, it could help him achieve his goals, but if he became arrogant and complacent because of it, all his previous efforts might be wasted.
The summer sun grew increasingly fierce, baking the campus playground until it seemed on the verge of melting. During recess, the classmates inside the classroom were sapped of energy by the sultry weather. The electric fan turned sluggishly, emitting a creaking sound that utterly failed to dispel the heat lingering in the air. Looking at his classmates' condition, inspiration struck Chén Zhāoyáng, and an idea related to "popsicle economics" popped into his head.
Recalling marketing case studies he had read in business books during his past life, and combining them with the current situation, he felt it was entirely worth a try. After school, instead of heading straight home as usual, Chén Zhāoyáng went to the small grocery store near the school. Finding the store owner, he began discussing a partnership.
"Uncle, I see the weather getting hotter and hotter, and everyone is so hot they have no energy. Popsicles are bound to sell really well. If you could run some kind of promotion here, business would definitely boom even more," Chén Zhāoyáng said with a sincere expression.
The owner, a shrewd middle-aged man, flashed a look of interest upon hearing this, but still asked doubtfully, "What kind of promotion could there be? Isn't it just selling at a discount? Wouldn't that cut into my profits?"
Chén Zhāoyáng gave a chuckle and said mysteriously, "Uncle, hear me out. Let's do a 'popsicle group-buy' promotion—buy five popsicles and get one free. That way, just to get a bargain, the students will definitely drag the people around them into buying together. Even though your profit per popsicle will be a bit lower, the sheer quantity sold might actually increase your total profit. Besides, this will make your store much more popular, making it easier to sell other things in the future."
Pondering this for a moment, the owner felt it made some sense and nodded in agreement, "Fine, let's give your idea a try. But if the results aren't good, you'll have to come up with another way for me."
Obtaining the owner's consent, Chén Zhāoyáng was thrilled. He hurried back to school, found Lín Xiǎotáng, and told her about his plan. Her eyes lit up upon hearing it, and she praised, "Chén Zhāoyáng, this idea of yours is brilliant! I'm sure it will work."
Encouraged by Lín Xiǎotáng, Chén Zhāoyáng grew even more driven. He began promoting the store's "popsicle group-buy" event in class. Standing on the podium like a little salesman, he announced, "Classmates, I have some great news! The grocery store near the school is running a popsicle group-buy event—buy five, get one free, which is an amazing deal! With the weather this hot, everyone can pool together to buy popsicles so we can quench our thirst and save money at the same time."
Hearing this, the classmates broke into animated discussions.
"Really? That sounds pretty good. I'm suffering from the heat anyway."
"Yeah, buying as a group lets us share with everyone too. That's fun."
Propelled by Chén Zhāoyáng's promotion, quite a few classmates were tempted. They quickly pooled their money, preparing to head to the store for the group buy. Watching his classmates' enthusiasm, Chén Zhāoyáng was overjoyed. Leading them to the store, the owner smiled from ear to ear upon seeing so many students coming to buy popsicles.
"Boss, we want to do a popsicle group-buy," Chén Zhāoyáng said.
"Coming right up, give me just a moment, kids," the owner replied expertly while handing out the popsicles.
Watching from the side, Chén Zhāoyáng mentally calculated the owner's profits. Just as he had anticipated, although the profit per popsicle had decreased, the total profit was indeed much higher than usual due to the massive surge in sales volume.
"Looks like this popsicle economics really works," Chén Zhāoyáng thought with inward satisfaction.
However, things did not remain smooth sailing all along. A few days later, the owners of other grocery stores around the school noticed the unusual boom in business here. Upon asking around, they discovered it was all Chén Zhāoyáng's idea. Feeling somewhat jealous, they joined forces and launched an even better promotion, such as buy four get one free, with prices slightly lower than the store Chén Zhāoyáng partnered with.
Immediately, the business of Chén Zhāoyáng's partner store took a hit, and students were drawn away to the other shops. Anxious, the owner sought out Chén Zhāoyáng and said, "Zhāoyáng, what can we do about this? The other stores are stealing my business, and I can barely keep running."
Unforeseen as this situation was, Chén Zhāoyáng did not panic. He comforted the owner, saying, "Uncle, don't worry. Let me think of another way."
Back home, Chén Zhāoyáng fell into deep thought. He knew that a pure price war would only result in mutual destruction, and he had to come up with a more creative approach to respond. Suddenly, he remembered seeing "specialty popsicles" like fruit popsicles and chocolate popsicles in various cold-drink shops during his past life. He figured he could have the store owner stock some of these specialty popsicles to increase product differentiation.
Sharing his thoughts with the owner, the latter felt it made a lot of sense, but worried that the wholesale cost would be too high and they wouldn't sell. Chén Zhāoyáng patted his chest and promised, "Uncle, don't worry. Let me do a market survey for you first to see what flavors the students like, and then we can decide what to stock."
Thus, taking advantage of the breaks between classes, Chén Zhāoyáng conducted a survey among his schoolmates. He discovered that students were most interested in fruit-flavored popsicles, especially strawberry, mango, and watermelon. Sharing these results with the owner, the latter ordered a batch of fruit popsicles according to his advice.
As soon as the new fruit popsicles hit the shelves, they instantly caught the students' attention. Not only were these popsicles unique in flavor, but their packaging was also exquisite. Drawn back by these specialty popsicles, the students returned in droves to the store partnered with Chén Zhāoyáng.
"Wow, this strawberry popsicle looks so delicious!"
"Yeah, I want to try the mango one."
Gazing at the bustling scene inside the store, Chén Zhāoyáng and the owner both smiled happily. This experience gave Chén Zhāoyáng a deeper understanding of business operations. He realized that in commercial competition, one needs not only sharp market insight but also continuous innovation in order to remain undefeated amid fierce rivalry.
While busy with the popsicle business, Chén Zhāoyáng did not neglect his studies either. He and Lín Xiǎotáng still supervised each other's learning every day, tackling practice problems and reviewing key concepts together. They knew the high school entrance examination was a crucial turning point in their lives, and only by getting into a key high school could they draw one step closer to their dreams.
"Chén Zhāoyáng, I still don't quite understand this math problem. Can you explain it to me again?" Lín Xiǎotáng said, holding her exercise book with a troubled expression.
"Sure, look, you have to approach this problem starting right here..." Chén Zhāoyáng patiently explained to her.
With his help, Lín Xiǎotáng's math grades showed marked improvement. On the other hand, she excelled in English and frequently helped Chén Zhāoyáng practice his spoken English and listening comprehension. Helping each other and progressing together in their studies, their bond grew ever deeper.
As the date of the high school entrance examination drew closer, the study atmosphere at school grew increasingly tense. The teachers spent every day reviewing key points and explaining difficult problems with the students, while the students seized every remaining moment to study hard. Chén Zhāoyáng and Lín Xiǎotáng were no exception; they studied even harder, making their final sprint toward the exam.
"Xiǎotáng, we must get into a key high school together," Chén Zhāoyáng said firmly, looking at Lín Xiǎotáng.
"Mm-hmm, we definitely can!" Lín Xiǎotáng nodded hard.
While studying diligently, Chén Zhāoyáng was also pondering his future development. He knew the popsicle business was just a tiny experiment, and far more opportunities awaited him in the future. He would leverage his advantage of rebirth to seize the opportunities of the times and create a better life for himself and his family.
In this lifetime, amidst the sea breeze of 1990, Chén Zhāoyáng was not only working hard to make up for the regrets of his past life, but also continuously exploring new possibilities. Like a seed breaking through the soil, nourished by sunshine and rain, he grew sturdily, marching firmly toward his goal.