"Phew—cities really are where men should conquer the world."
Stretching lazily after stepping off the train,
Jerry took a deep breath of the bustling air of Naxi Province.
"Just wait...
It won't be long before this whole city bows at my feet."
He smiled to himself, full of ambition.
But instead of heading straight back to campus,
Jerry still had unfinished business to handle.
Back in 2000, Naxi Province was still under development—
half city, half countryside.
The fancy CBD he remembered didn't even exist yet;
only patches of shabby old neighborhoods and a few lonely skyscrapers stood out.
Still, he knew it wouldn't be long before this place exploded with opportunity.
After running around half the city—
feet sore, face sweaty—
Jerry finally found what he was looking for:
A small, almost pathetic-looking pet shop.
"Seriously?"
Jerry muttered, staring at the sign.
"Even the 'most developed inland city' can't manage more than one lousy pet shop?"
He couldn't help missing the future world,
where Baidu Maps and Taobao would have solved all his problems in seconds.
Oh well. Gotta work with what you've got.
Pushing the door open, Jerry stepped inside.
"Welcome!"
A crisp, cheerful voice called out—
and Jerry paused, genuinely surprised.
Standing behind the counter was a young woman so beautiful,
she could make even Jenny look plain.
Almost by reflex, Jerry silently murmured:
"Show info panel."
And sure enough, glowing text appeared:
[Ovilia: Beauty 100 | Has boyfriend | Cheating chance: 15% | Weakness: Career ambition. Exploit weakness → Cheating chance 100%]
"Uh... Are you here to buy something, sir?"
Ovilia asked nervously, fidgeting under Jerry's intense gaze.
Jerry snapped out of it immediately.
"Yeah, I need dog food. Some supplies too."
Professional and polite.
No creeping, no drooling—
just a customer.
Hearing that, Ovilia practically lit up like a Christmas tree.
"You've come to the right place!
We've got everything you need! Let me show you!"
To Jerry, finding this pet shop had been a nightmare.
But for Ovilia, getting a customer was even harder.
She had poured all her savings into opening this place,
nearly broke up with her boyfriend over it,
and had spent an entire month without a single sale.
Jerry was her first real customer.
No wonder she looked like she wanted to cry with joy.
Jerry casually browsed a few aisles.
Then, with the swagger of a true nouveau riche, he said:
"This, that, that one too—pack it all up.
And give me 10 kilos of your best dog food."
Ovilia froze.
"You... You're really buying all this?"
"Why?
Planning not to sell after all?"
Jerry teased, smirking.
"N-no! Of course not!
Coming here is to do business! I'll pack everything right away!"
Ovilia scrambled into action, terrified he'd change his mind.
Her flustered behavior amused Jerry.
He filed it away mentally as more useful info.
After a few minutes of busy packing,
Ovilia returned, trying to act composed:
"That'll be 213 yuan, sir...
But I'll round it down—200 even."
Back then,
200 yuan was no small amount.
It was half a month's salary for a regular white-collar worker.
No wonder she looked so nervous.
Jerry calmly pulled out two crisp bills from his thick wallet.
"Here."
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Ovilia beamed, almost bowing with gratitude.
Finally—
her first sale!
But just when she thought the transaction was over,
Jerry smiled warmly:
"Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Ovilia blinked.
Is this the part where he asks for my number?
"If you answer honestly,
I'll keep coming back to buy from you."
Tempted by the thought of a loyal customer,
Ovilia nodded hesitantly.
"Okay... What do you want to know?"
Jerry didn't beat around the bush.
"I ran all over Naxi and found only your pet shop.
Why did you choose to open one here?"
The question caught Ovilia off-guard.
Not what she expected.
She had assumed he was just another guy looking for excuses to chat her up.
"I used to work in Denashi City,"
she said after a moment.
"There are tons of rich families there, lots of people keeping pets.
It's already become trendy."
"I figured the same thing would eventually happen here."
"Right now, Naxi has almost no competition.
If I can establish myself early... maybe I'll become the leader of the entire market."
As she talked,
her voice grew more animated,
her face glowing with passion.
Jerry leaned back, impressed.
She's ambitious.
Not just a pretty face.
"But I noticed..."
Jerry said with a teasing smile,
"You didn't seem to have any customers until I showed up."
Swoosh!
Ovilia's face turned beet red.
She felt like crawling under a table.
Just a minute ago,
she'd been wondering if Jerry had a crush on her.
Now?
She was this close to kicking him out.
"So what if you're my first customer!"
she huffed, cheeks puffed out adorably.
"At least it's a start!"
Jerry chuckled softly.
She was actually pretty cute when she got feisty.
And now,
he knew for sure:
This girl wasn't just a random encounter.
She had real potential.
Maybe...
she'd become one of his future allies.