Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 77

After sending the message, Xia Tian waited for a long time without receiving a reply.

Just as he was about to call directly, he suddenly received a call from Tang Hao.

“Boss, the museum’s foot traffic today is even higher than during the opening days. I estimate today’s revenue alone could surpass 60,000 yuan!”

“Mm, it’s only the first day of May Day. The peak revenue should come tomorrow, on the 2nd, so tomorrow will be even better. Make sure to maintain tight security.”

“Don’t worry, boss. With me here, you can rest easy… Oh, by the way, a few people came by earlier expressing interest in working with us. I haven’t responded to them yet, so I wanted to check with you first. What do you think?”

“Oh? Interested in a collaboration? Tell them to wait—I’ll be there shortly.”

“Understood, boss.”

After hanging up, a glint flashed in Xia Tian’s eyes.

These prospective collaborators had shown up even earlier than he had anticipated.

He had thought that those observing from the sidelines would wait until they saw the visitor numbers during the May Day holiday before approaching to discuss partnerships.

But it was only the first day, and they were already here.

“However, if potential collaborators are already appearing, imitators won’t be far behind.”

Xia Tian quickly got ready to head to the Heartbreak Museum.

Before leaving, he checked QQ one last time and saw that Little Ye still hadn’t replied to his message.

That’s fine—since there’s something to handle now, I’ll reach out to her later. We can always go boating tomorrow.

—

Outside the Heartbreak Museum, the line of people waiting nearly filled the entire street.

The entrance was even more packed with visitors.

Seeing the crowd, Xia Tian was in great spirits.

Damn, these people are all walking wallets!

Xia Tian called Tang Hao, who immediately came out of the museum.

“Boss, the museum is absolutely packed inside. I had the two people interested in collaborating wait for you at the café across the street. I’ll take you there now.”

“Alright.”

Xia Tian gave Tang Hao an appreciative glance.

No doubt about it—this guy, with his years of experience in the workforce, had a sharp eye and solid people skills.

Once they entered the café, Tang Hao led Xia Tian to a table.

Seated there were a man and a woman, chatting and sipping coffee.

The man wore glasses and looked to be around forty years old.

The woman had long hair, light makeup, and carried herself with elegance in every gesture.

“Mr. Zhang, Ms. Mi, this is Xia Tian, the owner of the Heartbreak Museum… The museum is very busy, so I won’t disturb your meeting. Excuse me.”

After introducing Xia Tian, Tang Hao tactfully left the café.

When the two heard Tang Hao identify Xia Tian as the owner of the Heartbreak Museum, a look of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Neither of them had expected the owner behind the sensation sweeping across Beian to be so young!

He looked like… a college student?

“Hello, you two. I’m Xia Tian, the owner of the Heartbreak Museum.”

Xia Tian was already used to this kind of reaction. He politely extended his hand.

Zhang Mingsheng and Mi Lan snapped out of their astonishment and quickly shook his hand.

“Hello, Mr. Xia. I’m Mi Lan.”

“I’m Zhang Mingsheng.”

Xia Tian nodded and humbly returned their greetings. Then, he called over the server and ordered a cappuccino.

Smooth, seamless, flawless—like silky Dove chocolate.

After sitting down, Xia Tian noticed that Zhang Mingsheng and Mi Lan were still staring at him, seemingly unsure of what to say. He decided to break the ice himself:

“Ms. Mi, Mr. Zhang, there’s no need to be so surprised. Just treat me as an ordinary business partner. Age shouldn’t be an issue between us now, should it?”

“I heard from Tang Hao that you’re interested in collaborating with us. I’d love to hear about the cooperation model you have in mind.”

Xia Tian’s calm and composed tone surprised them once again.

However, it also eased their initial doubts and made them take him more seriously.

“It’s like this, Mr. Xia. I noticed your museum’s online promotions even before it opened. After seeing how wildly successful it became after the opening, surpassing my expectations, I’ve been observing closely. Have you considered opening a second branch?”

“After all, Beian is a large city, and there are neighboring cities as well. A unique museum like yours would be easy to replicate. Choosing the right location for additional branches could yield excellent results.”

“So… Ms. Mi and I discussed this before you arrived and decided we’d like to invest in helping you open a second, third, or even more branches. Eventually, we could expand into other provinces as well.”

After finishing his proposal, a glint of ambition flashed in Zhang Mingsheng’s eyes.

Mi Lan, however, glanced at him with a subtle look of surprise that quickly disappeared.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic toward Xia Tian.

This young owner was far too inexperienced—being taken advantage of like this was almost inevitable.

After all, this would be his first lesson in navigating the business world.

However…

Xia Tian’s response left both of them stunned.

“Mr. Zhang, forgive me for being blunt, but I can’t accept the model you just proposed. Since neither of you seems genuinely interested in working with me, I think we can finish our coffee and part ways.”

“Mr. Xia, what do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean? Shouldn’t I be asking the same of you two? You’re both well aware that mine is the only Heartbreak Museum in the country, and all the online buzz is centered around it.”

“You want to invest to open branches, with your revenue coming from a share of each museum’s profits. But this isn’t a company—we don’t need that many shareholders. The more investors that come on board, the less I earn.”

Xia Tian took a sip of his coffee and continued, “Let me cut to the chase. The only collaboration model I can accept is a franchise model. You can open as many branches as you like and share access to all my current resources and privileges, but for each branch you open, I’ll take a 35% revenue share.”

Hearing Xia Tian’s firm response, Zhang Mingsheng and Mi Lan exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

Clearly, they hadn’t expected Xia Tian to be so decisive, leaving them no room for negotiation.

Of course, they didn’t find his terms unreasonable.

From the start, they had been prepared to accept such a model.

It was only after seeing how young Xia Tian was that Zhang Mingsheng had entertained other ideas.

Xia Tian, meanwhile, sipped his coffee leisurely, not rushing them, as he waited for their response.

Zhang Mingsheng quickly realized that the young man before him, who had created such a successful Heartbreak Museum, wasn’t relying on luck.

He had real skills and vision.

“Mr. Xia, I must apologize for our earlier presumptions. Let’s go with your terms and sign the contract. We’ll cooperate under the franchise model.”

Zhang Mingsheng was the first to compromise.

He understood that Xia Tian had made his stance clear, and any further attempts to negotiate would only result in Xia Tian walking away.

Seeing their agreement, Xia Tian smiled and stood up to shake their hands again.

“Great! Congratulations, Mr. Zhang and Ms. Mi. You’re now part of a franchise with tremendous potential. Let’s meet here tomorrow to sign the franchise contract.”

“Sounds good.”

The initial condescension in Zhang Mingsheng’s eyes was long gone.

Before leaving, Mi Lan couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Xia, if I may ask… How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

After Xia Tian left, both Zhang Mingsheng and Mi Lan stood in place, their expressions a mix of shock and amazement.

—

The next day, Xia Tian had Tang Hao bring the franchise contracts that had been prepared during the museum’s renovation period.

After successfully signing with Zhang Mingsheng and Mi Lan, Xia Tian held meetings with three more potential franchisees.

During these discussions, not every deal went through.

Xia Tian was fully aware that those who walked away would likely steal the Heartbreak Museum’s concept without hesitation.

But he wasn’t worried.

The franchisees understood that the Heartbreak Museum was currently the hottest attraction in the country.

With its reputation and popularity, opening branches under its name alone would quickly draw crowds in any location.

It wasn’t until the evening of May 2nd that Xia Tian finally had some free time.

Over the past two days, he had sent messages to Little Ye, but she hadn’t replied.

“When I dropped her off that night, I reminded her to log onto QQ during the holiday. Did she forget because she’s too busy studying?”

Feeling annoyed, Xia Tian picked up his phone and called her.

It took two tries before Little Ye finally answered.

Xia Tian, slightly irritated, said, “Hello! Why haven’t you logged onto QQ? And why are you so slow to answer your phone?!”