Chapter Nineteen: Preparing to Open the Shop

“By the way, buddy, I still don’t know your name. What’s it?” Ma Hongyu asked enthusiastically in the teahouse. “Ji Yu. ‘Ji’ as in the four seasons, ‘Yu’ as in the universe,” Ji Yu replied, taking a sip of tea.

“Well, isn’t that great? See, I told you we were destined to meet! You’re Ji Yu, I’m Ma Hongyu, we both have ‘Yu’ in our names. Maybe we were brothers in a past life.” Ma Hongyu’s warmth bordered on excessive.

He had been pestering Ji Yu all the way, his familiarity so immediate that Ji Yu was left speechless. His attitude was humble and enthusiastic; though a bit of a chatterbox, he wasn’t truly annoying. After all, Ji Yu used to work on renovation budgets, often negotiating with clients, so he was used to being friendly. You had no choice but to be.

So, Ji Yu’s attitude toward Ma Hongyu wasn’t bad; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to have tea at the teahouse. Along the way, after learning Ji Yu wasn’t the owner of a pet shop but instead unemployed at home, Ma Hongyu’s eyes lit up. He said he’d been unemployed for a long time himself, previously working as a coder in a gaming company, but for certain reasons, he resigned and had been at home for over half a year.

Now, he was tagging along with Ji Yu, essentially to invite him to open a pet shop together.

“Alright, you’re quite the talker. Let’s get to business. What’s your plan for inviting me to open a pet shop?” Ji Yu had been unemployed due to illness for four months. During that time, he’d been on medication and undergoing various tests; rent and meals were no small expenses. Although he still had about a hundred thousand yuan left, now that his health had recovered, he had to consider reality and find stable work.

When Ji Yu brought up the pet shop, Ma Hongyu immediately stopped rambling and grew thoughtful. “Brother Ji, here’s what I’m thinking: I provide the funds, you provide the manpower, and we split the profits fifty-fifty. I saw your charm today, so I’m sure we’ll make money. You’re the top resource for this pet shop, so I think this arrangement is pretty reasonable.”

Ji Yu was taken aback. Ma Hongyu’s proposal sounded logical, but in reality, Ji Yu had no experience caring for pets. If he really opened a pet shop, he’d need to hire employees to handle the work. In that case, the money Ma Hongyu would need to invest would be substantial.

Rent, renovation, inventory, and hiring staff—even for a small shop in Wuyang City, it would require at least a hundred thousand yuan. In this arrangement, Ji Yu would be getting an enormous advantage.

Ji Yu was not someone who liked to accept benefits for nothing. Even if he was considered a draw for customers, he disliked running around and causing a stir.

So, Ji Yu frowned and was about to refuse this profit split and suggest his own terms. But perhaps sensing Ji Yu’s concerns, Ma Hongyu quickly added, “Brother Ji, you look like you think you’re taking too much advantage of me, and you have other worries, right? But let me finish.

“It’s like this: under my dad’s name, there are more than ten shopfronts in Times Square just ahead, so renting a place is basically free.

“Besides, opening a shop is something I want from you. I don’t want to go work for someone else again. As for my dad’s company? I don’t want to go there either.

“You wouldn’t know, Brother Ji, but my dad runs nightclubs. All the drinking, socializing, and networking—it’s a headache. I worked as a reception manager for two months, and honestly, it was unbearable.

“I’m not going back there, and I don’t want to be a coder anymore. I’ve tried running my own company—every time I open one, it fails. I’ve realized I’m just not cut out to be a boss.

“I’m clear on that point, so now that I’ve met you, Brother Ji… well, you know,” Ma Hongyu finished with a sly, knowing smile.

Well, who would have guessed—he’s a rich kid! Ji Yu almost felt a twinge of envy and resentment.

It turned out Ma Hongyu didn’t care about the money; his motivation for starting a pet shop with Ji Yu was simply family pressure. After all, a rich kid who fails at everything can’t just loaf around forever.

Ji Yu had met plenty of big bosses while working on budgets, and their children were usually quite decent—not as reckless or incapable as novels often depict. Many were easy to get along with and actively learned business from their parents.

“So, you think this fifty-fifty split is reasonable?” Ji Yu asked.

“Yeah,” Ma Hongyu replied as if it were obvious.

Alright, Ji Yu saw through it: Ma Hongyu really had no business acumen. Well, since one is willing to give and the other to take, Ji Yu decided to go with the flow. After all, his own money was nowhere near enough to open a pet shop.

Still, Ji Yu had his principles.

He considered for a moment, then addressed the expectant Ma Hongyu. “I’m fine with opening the shop, and you providing the funds and location works, but we need to change the profit split.

“You get seventy, I get thirty.”

Ma Hongyu was surprised; it was the first time he’d met someone like Ji Yu who refused a good deal.

“Uh, isn’t that a bit low? How about you take forty, I take sixty?”

Ji Yu could only sigh at Ma Hongyu.

“Enough. Don’t talk to me about profit splits anymore. Seventy-thirty, that’s final.

“The truth is, once the pet shop opens, I won’t be doing much. You’ll be handling all the manpower and resources, so I’m already getting a big advantage.

“So let’s settle it now!”

Ji Yu looked at Ma Hongyu as if there was nothing left to discuss.

Ma Hongyu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond, and finally said, “Alright! Since you insist, if I keep arguing, I’ll just look petty.”

He finished with a satisfied expression, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Heh, now I finally won’t have to listen to my parents nagging me about accomplishing nothing. Once I make some money, I’ll show off in front of them—but for now, I’ll keep it secret.”

Imagining the scenes to come, Ma Hongyu grew almost giddy with excitement.

Ji Yu was silent. Ma Hongyu’s personality was really too quirky—frankly, he was just a bit clueless.

Honestly, if Ji Yu hadn’t met him, this guy would probably live his whole life off his inheritance.

Truly, born into fortune without knowing it.

Ji Yu smiled, refraining from commenting on Ma Hongyu’s family or character.

Next, the two began discussing the details of opening the shop, searching online for all the requirements needed to start a pet store.