"How did you manage that?"
Chu An pondered for a moment and decided it was better to explain everything clearly to Chu Ning.
Chu Ning was good at many things, but she still lacked a bit of experience. If she could grow up quickly, it would benefit both the family and Chu An.
Besides, Chu An didn't intend to hide his abilities like other time travelers did. He planned to be exactly who he was.
As for whether his sudden change would shock others—that was something others would have to worry about.
After organizing his thoughts, he said, "Actually, it's not that complicated."
"Did you think we were asking someone for help, needing to be extra careful and humble?"
Although the words sounded harsh, it seemed like that was exactly how it was.
From Chu Ning's expression, Chu An could tell that she thought that was the case.
"Younger brother, isn't that the case? We're borrowing the store from the film crew, after all!"
"Sigh~!" Chu An sighed inwardly. What Chu Ning lacked was the ability to think about things from different perspectives.
But it wasn't surprising. Based on his earlier conversation with Ma Lan, if a third party had been present, they would have assumed that Chu An was begging someone for help.
But in reality:
"It was a deal! There's no such thing as one side begging the other."
"Huh?" Chu Ning was stunned. "A deal? What do you mean?"
Chu An smiled calmly, his aura different from before. It was the confidence and certainty of a man who had experienced both the warmth and coldness of the world.
"I gave her a card she couldn't refuse."
He led his sister to sit under an old elm tree, where they both found two bricks to sit on in the shade and reviewed the details of what had just happened.
"Let's start from the beginning." Chu An was serious, wanting his sister to understand the logic behind it all. But he couldn't help but think, Why is it that after traveling through time, I'm talking about game theory now?
"First of all, for us, renting the storefront was impossible. That's our core demand."
"And for the film crew," this time, Chu Ning finished the sentence herself, "It was so easy!!"
She sighed and continued, "The film crew is led by a famous director, and they stay in government guesthouses. I've heard that county leaders accompany them in and out, and the province often sends people to check on them."
Chu An nodded, "A famous director coming to a small county like Ningyuan—it's a huge honor, a significant achievement. In a small place like Ningyuan, saying that they have influence is no exaggeration."
"So!" Chu An continued, "What is impossible for us is a piece of cake for them. That means the cost of the deal for them is very low!"
Chu Ning somewhat understood, but still didn't fully get why the film crew agreed to help.
Well, her way of thinking still needed some work.
Chu An wasn't in a rush. "Next, opening the store and having the film crew participate in its setup, then renting it to them for shooting, is much better than finding a ready-made shop for location shooting."
"And besides, it's very close to the other two main shooting locations—Ningyuan No.1 Middle School and our house. This will unknowingly lower the crew's filming costs."
Chu Ning tried to follow Chu An's line of thought. "So, in other words, the film crew doesn't lose anything in this deal?"
Chu An nodded, "Right, they don't lose!"
"But not losing doesn't mean they make a guaranteed profit. That's why there's a third point."
"We need to give the film crew a reason to make a guaranteed profit, or even a huge one, before the deal can happen."
"Otherwise, it's just a chance encounter. Why would they help us?"
Chu Ning's eyes lit up. "Oh, this is like selling cucumbers in the market. If everyone sells them for 50 cents, why would someone choose to buy yours?!"
"Exactly!" Chu An followed her train of thought, "Our cucumbers have to be fresher than everyone else's."
"Or, we need to make the buyer trust or even like the seller."
Chu Ning flashed a bright smile. She hadn't expected the situation to be so similar to selling vegetables.
"So you used the emotional appeal, talked about our family, and made Sister Lan develop a liking for you, the cucumber seller?"
"No!" Chu An shook his head. "I made her realize that when she buys cucumbers from me, she gets two extra pounds of beef!"
Chu Ning: "???"
She was confused and didn't understand at all.
Chu An didn't keep her in suspense. He revealed the answer right away.
"Giving away beef with the cucumbers—now that's a big bargain. She might even want to make the cucumber deal just to get the beef."
"So I made up a story for her."
"???"
Chu Ning understood the first half—if all business was done this way, no cucumbers would ever go unsold.
But the second part? Not a word of it made sense to her.
Chu An continued: "Imagine a young actor the film crew brought in temporarily. He has a tragic childhood."
"He was born to a single mother who died during childbirth. His father, sickly and frail, struggled to raise two children while working hard to make ends meet, and eventually had to leave home to work in another city."
"And his sister dropped out of school to work so that her brother could attend university, sacrificing her own future for his."
"A family with such a touching story—once the crew hears about it, they decide to help them start a business and escape their difficult situation."
"Sister!" Chu An's clear, steady gaze made Chu Ning feel a little unfamiliar, "Do you see how perfect this would be for publicity?"
"It's the kind of rare opportunity that could really boost the audience's goodwill! This kind of attention can't be bought, no matter how much you spend on promotions!"
Chu Ning: "…"
Her first reaction was: This isn't about selling cucumbers with beef at all! This is like giving away a villa and 500,000 yuan!
How did Chu An manage to pull that off!?
As she recalled everything that had happened today—the difficulties she faced, her hesitation, and her brother's calmness and confidence—she couldn't help but realize the stark contrast.
Wait.
Suddenly, Chu Ning realized something—her brother wasn't just calm. He had everything planned out the moment he entered the second-hand store and woke her up from her own laziness.
He knew she would be persuaded. He knew Ma Guoyou wouldn't rent them the storefront, so he went to the film crew, knowing they would help him resolve the issue.
She had never realized that the seemingly shy and awkward younger brother had such a meticulous mind. I was so careless!
Well, maybe she didn't think of it. Could it be that her brother had the experience of someone in their forties in another life?
It seemed hard to imagine, after all, people only operate within the limits of their own understanding.
She muttered to herself, her eyes filled with affection and regret for not noticing her brother's growth. "Little brother…"
"Huh?"
Chu An was stunned. What was that expression? Shouldn't she be shocked? Shouldn't she be doubting whether her younger brother had been possessed by someone else? Why did she look like she owed him money and was apologizing?
Should he mention the fourth point?
Chu An hadn't planned to mention it, fearing it would scare his sister.
But, seeing her calm demeanor, he decided to say it. After all, the first three points were techniques, but the fourth was the real meat of the matter.
"There's one more thing, and it's very important!"
Chu Ning became even more guilty. "There's a fourth point? How many things has my little brother thought of today?"
Her voice softened, "Little brother, tell me, I'm listening."
Chu An: "…"
Things were starting to get weird.
He braced himself and said, "Sis, remember, any judgment based on logic might fail, because we're dealing with people."
"No matter how calm someone is, everyone has their subjective side, and it's often this subjective part that determines success or failure."
"If I don't like this vendor, I think the deal is too strange, and it might even be a trap—that's a subjective judgment."
"So, even if we give them a tempting deal, trading with a seventeen-year-old boy feels a bit odd. Sister Lan might resist that subjectively."
"That's why I've been acting weak and showing enough flaws, making her think she's figured out my motives and holds all the power to decide."
"And suddenly, the deal feels more like charity."
"That's human nature!"
Chu Ning's eyes sparkled. "Mm, mm! Little brother is amazing!"
Chu An: "…"
Now, he felt like he was lost.
Did she learn anything? He was pretending to be younger, but now he had to show off in front of people. It was exhausting!
He didn't know that family would overcome all logic. That's what family is—something he had lacked in his previous life.
At this point, Chu Ning was left with only one question: My brother is a genius. He's so capable. But no matter how capable, someone had to teach him...
"Little brother, who did you learn all this from?"
"Who did I learn from?" Chu An thought, A lifetime of struggle and experience.
But he couldn't say that to Chu Ning. So he teased, "Who else? You learned *