A western restaurant.

Ye Chen walked toward Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng, who were already seated.

He carried a bag filled with several boxes of flawless cream.

"Ye Ge!"

"Ye Ge!"

The moment they saw Ye Chen, Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng instinctively stood up.

Perhaps even they didn't realize it—deep down, Ye Chen felt more like an elder to them than their actual elders.

Their respect for him far exceeded what they held for others.

Before they could fully rise, Ye Chen gestured downward with his hand, signaling them to stay seated.

They hesitated but eventually stayed put.

"Ye Ge, I ordered the same thing you had last time. Is that okay?" Zhang Jingshan spoke up the moment Ye Chen sat down.

He had the classic toady vibe.

"Sure, just something light to fill the stomach." Ye Chen replied casually.

"So, are you two here to share good news with me?"

"Huh?" Zhang Jingshan looked stunned.

"If I'm not mistaken, He Shaocong must have told you right away that I signed a contract with Qin's Foreign Trade. And after that, you two probably swept the market clean of certain wines, right? How much did you collect?" Ye Chen smiled knowingly, as if he had seen through everything.

"We knew we couldn't hide it from you, Ye Ge. But to be fair, we waited three days for you to make a move in the market. Since you didn't, we took action. We swept every possible channel and collected 130 million yuan worth of stock. I contributed 50 million, Changfeng put in 50 million, and He Shaocong added 30 million. But because of price hikes, what you bought for 3,000 yuan now costs us 4,000 yuan, and the 5,000 yuan tier has gone above 6,000. So, we didn't get as much." Zhang Jingshan explained with a bitter smile.

Since Qin's Foreign Trade had no more stock to offer, they had to turn to distributors and even third-tier markets.

"Ye Ge, when do you think we should sell? And at what price?" Li Changfeng asked directly, not bothering to hide his intentions.

"I've already sold mine," Ye Chen replied with a grin.

"Qin's Foreign Trade bought it back?" Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng blurted out in unison.

Ye Chen nodded. "Yes, at a 50% markup on the original order. I didn't want to make it too complicated. Qin's Foreign Trade showed sincerity from the start and didn't even ask for a deposit. They deserve a share of the profits. As for you guys, it depends on whether you want to go short or long."

After a pause, Ye Chen continued, "If you want to go short, Qin's Foreign Trade will gladly take it off your hands, but your profit will be lower. If you're in for the long haul, hold onto it. Let them hype the market first. Based on the price I set, a 70% increase is almost guaranteed. If you wait longer, it could even double."

Even though Ye Chen's projection aligned with what Li Changfeng had anticipated, hearing it so directly still left them in awe.

A 50% markup on the total order amount?

This came less than half a day after signals from European wineries and wine associations.

And... there wasn't even a deposit involved.

In other words, they just made 70 million yuan without lifting a finger.

Seventy million yuan in two weeks—what kind of divine maneuver was this?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ye Chen teased, noticing their almost reverent expressions.

"Ye Ge, how did you know Europe would—" Zhang Jingshan couldn't hold back his curiosity.

Before he could finish, Ye Chen interrupted, "Don't ask. It's just instinct."

"I told you! Why do you have to question it? Just follow Ye Ge's lead and stop being so curious!" Li Changfeng laughed, shaking his head at Zhang Jingshan.

"Uh... right." Zhang Jingshan scratched his head awkwardly.

Ye Chen shifted the topic. "Aren't you afraid this could backfire? You bought in at 30% higher than my price. What if it all goes south, and you end up taking a huge loss?"

"If Ye Ge makes a move, the profit margin has to be over 50%, or it's not worth it. Plus, wines like these are clearly a short-term play for you, not a long-term hold. So why should we worry?" Li Changfeng smiled.

"Ye Ge, honestly, if you told me selling air from the northwest could make money, I'd be out there with a compass, bagging wind. Wherever you point, we'll charge ahead without a second thought!" Zhang Jingshan chimed in.

Ye Chen could only shake his head with a wry smile.

He had expected them to catch on to the wine market, but he didn't think they'd jump in without even calling him first.

Did they really see him as some kind of deity?

Before the topic lingered too long, their food arrived, and the three of them laughed and chatted over the meal.

Halfway through, Zhang Jingshan remembered something Ye Chen had mentioned over the phone.

"Oh, Ye Ge, you said you needed something from me. What is it?"

"I need your company, Yunshan Network, to help promote my product."

"Promote? That flawless cream your company makes?"

"Exactly."

Ye Chen pulled out the boxes he had brought.

"It's for scar removal, but it also helps with blemishes and whitening. The main focus, though, is scar removal. You'll see results in seven days, and noticeable improvements in fifteen. If it doesn't work, we'll refund the money."

"What? Refund if ineffective?" Zhang Jingshan was stunned.

In his mind, scar creams were mostly a gimmick—a cash grab.

"Yeah, this isn't a gimmick. We've run multiple clinical trials, and the results speak for themselves. I'm confident in this product. I brought these samples for you and your influencers to try. Once production scales up in about half a month, we'll launch officially."

"Seven days to see results and fifteen for significant improvement... Is this for real?" Li Changfeng gulped.

"Would I bother if it wasn't?" Ye Chen laughed.

"If this really works... Ye Ge, our company will promote it without question. But I have an idea."

"Oh? What idea?"

"Before the launch, let's get a celebrity to endorse it. Wu Qian, a top male idol, is my high school classmate. If this cream works, I can get him to endorse it for a reasonable price. What do you think?"

Zhang Jingshan's eyes gleamed with excitement.