For a moment, Xu Tingsheng wanted to laugh.
Not because the situation was funny.
Rather, he had just discovered that being reborn did not prevent the world from playing unpleasant jokes on him.
His father had finally found the courage to begin again. And standing in front of his first opportunity was the very man who had helped destroy the last one.
The middle-aged man was still smiling.
"Jianliang, I'm saying this for your own good. Running a little shop and taking on an entire shopping floor are two different things."
Mr Xu looked at the hand the man had finally withdrawn.
"Then you should understand that I came here to discuss a lease, not to ask for your advice."
The man's smile stiffened.
Xu Tingsheng almost applauded.
His father rarely spoke harshly. Even when angry, he usually preferred to end an argument rather than win it.
This time, however, he had not stepped aside.
"Dad," Xu Tingsheng said, "Manager Luo is probably waiting for us."
Mr Xu nodded.
They walked past the man.
Behind them came a short laugh.
"Still the same temper after all these years."
Xu Tingsheng turned his head slightly.
The man had already begun speaking to his companion, as though the encounter meant very little to him.
Of course it means little to you, Xu Tingsheng thought. You're not the one who spent years paying for it.
Manager Luo appeared surprised when they entered his office.
"Mr Xu? You're early."
"You said the company wanted a proposal," Mr Xu replied. "I've brought one."
He set a folder on the desk.
Xu Tingsheng had helped write it the previous evening. The first version had been filled with optimistic predictions. After his parents examined it, most of those predictions had disappeared.
What remained was a modest plan: expected renovation costs, initial staffing, product categories, supplier arrangements and a reserve fund for unexpected expenses.
It was less exciting than the original.
It was also much more believable.
Manager Luo opened the folder.
He read the first page, then the second.
"Your planning is more detailed than I expected."
"It's our family's savings," Mr Xu said. "We can't afford to be careless."
Manager Luo nodded. "That's reasonable."
A voice came from the doorway.
"Then perhaps you should consider whether your savings are enough."
The man from outside entered without waiting to be invited.
Manager Luo rose. "Mr Peng. I didn't know you'd arrived."
So his surname was Peng.
Xu Tingsheng quietly memorised it.
Mr Peng placed his briefcase on a chair.
"I met an old friend downstairs. I thought I'd come see how his negotiations were going."
Manager Luo looked from one man to the other.
"You know each other?"
"We used to do business together," Mr Peng said. "Many years ago."
Mr Xu said nothing.
Manager Luo seemed to sense that the relationship was not a pleasant one.
"Well, both of you are interested in the space. Naturally, we'll have to compare your proposals."
"There's no need to make it complicated," Mr Peng replied. "I can pay a year's rent in advance."
Xu Tingsheng's heart sank.
He had prepared himself for competition, but hearing the offer was different.
A year's rent paid up front would be attractive to almost any landlord. His own family couldn't match that without putting the whole business at risk.
Mr Peng glanced at Mr Xu.
"You see? Some opportunities require money, not just enthusiasm."
Mr Xu remained calm.
"Manager Luo," he said, "would the company rather receive a year's rent quickly, or keep a reliable tenant for ten years?"
Manager Luo hesitated.
"Both, ideally."
"Of course. But a supermarket needs time to build its customer base. If the tenant struggles after opening, the landlord may end up with an empty ground floor and another renovation."
Mr Xu tapped the folder.
"We're asking for terms that allow the business to survive, not merely a chance to put our name on the entrance."
Mr Peng laughed softly.
"Survive? You haven't even opened, and you're already thinking about failure?"
"I'm thinking about responsibility," Mr Xu replied.
The laughter stopped.
Xu Tingsheng looked at his father's profile.
He suddenly remembered something from his previous life.
His father had seldom talked about the brick factory. Whenever anyone mentioned it, he would change the subject or say that the past was past.
Xu Tingsheng had assumed the memory was too painful.
Perhaps it was.
But now he understood that his father had also learned something from losing it.
The meeting lasted nearly an hour.
Mr Peng talked about capital, connections and how quickly he could begin renovation. He clearly knew how to impress people.
Mr Xu spoke about operations.
He explained where deliveries could enter, how the shopping space might be divided and why the initial stock should focus on household necessities instead of expensive products that might sit unsold.
Xu Tingsheng added a few suggestions about clear pricing and keeping the entrance bright and welcoming.
Mr Peng gave him a sideways look.
"Students nowadays have plenty of ideas."
Xu Tingsheng smiled. "That's true. Luckily, ideas don't cost rent."
Manager Luo coughed to hide a laugh.
Mr Xu shot his son a warning glance.
Xu Tingsheng lowered his head and pretended to study the floor plan.
Fine. I'll be quiet.
When the discussion finally ended, Manager Luo closed both folders.
"I can't decide this myself. I'll present the proposals to the company. You should both hear from us soon."
Mr Peng immediately stood.
"Then I'll expect good news."
He picked up his briefcase and walked out.
Mr Xu waited until the footsteps faded.
"Manager Luo, there's something I should make clear."
"Yes?"
"If the company prefers someone with stronger finances, I can understand that. But please judge our proposal on its own merits."
Manager Luo studied him for a moment.
"I will."
Mr Xu thanked him and left.
Outside, the sun had climbed high. Workers were carrying tiles towards the building, and a truck was trying to reverse into the narrow passage.
Mr Xu stopped to watch.
"See?" he said.
Xu Tingsheng followed his gaze.
The truck had nearly blocked the road.
"Delivery access," Xu Tingsheng said.
"Exactly. We'll need an arrangement for that if we get the lease."
Xu Tingsheng stared at him.
"Dad, are you really still thinking about deliveries?"
"What else should I be thinking about?"
"Mr Peng."
Mr Xu's expression changed slightly.
They walked to a small tea stall nearby.
Only after two cups of tea had arrived did Xu Tingsheng speak again.
"Was he the partner who lost the brick factory?"
His father nodded.
"When I became ill, I trusted him to manage it. By the time I recovered, there was nothing left to manage."
"Because of gambling?"
"Because he made one bad decision after another. Gambling was part of it. He borrowed money, trusted the wrong people and thought he could win everything back."
Xu Tingsheng clenched his jaw.
"Then how can he stand in front of you and act as though nothing happened?"
Mr Xu lifted his tea.
"Perhaps because he eventually made money again."
"That doesn't erase what he did."
"No."
The answer was quiet.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Mr Xu said, "I was angry for a long time. Mostly with him. Sometimes with myself."
"Why yourself?"
"I left everything in his hands. I didn't check the accounts. I thought that because we were friends, I didn't have to."
He looked at his son.
"Trust is important, Tingsheng. But trust doesn't mean closing your eyes."
Xu Tingsheng lowered his gaze.
He had wanted his father to condemn Mr Peng completely. Instead, Mr Xu was talking about his own mistakes.
It made Xu Tingsheng feel both proud and uncomfortable.
"Do you want to beat him?" he asked.
Mr Xu nearly spilled his tea.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Not literally. I mean in business."
His father set down the cup.
"I want to open a supermarket that can support this family. If that's possible here, good. If not, we'll find somewhere else."
"So you're not angry?"
"Of course I'm angry."
Mr Xu gave a small smile.
"But anger isn't enough to pay next month's wages."
Xu Tingsheng laughed despite himself.
There it was again: the frustratingly practical wisdom of his father.
He had been given another life, yet he still had so much to learn from the man sitting opposite him.
On their way home, Xu Tingsheng began making a list in his notebook.
Alternative locations. Smaller shopfronts. Suppliers who might allow delayed payment. Businesses that could help bring customers into a new supermarket.
He wasn't ready to abandon Golden City Tower.
But his father's words had reminded him that the family was not obliged to risk everything for one building.
At home, Mrs Xu listened to their account in silence.
When Mr Peng's name came up, she put down the vegetables she was washing.
"He's back?"
Mr Xu nodded.
"And he's competing with us?"
"Yes."
Mrs Xu wiped her hands.
"Then listen carefully. I don't care whether you win against that man. I care whether our money is safe."
Mr Xu smiled. "I know."
"If you're thinking of borrowing a fortune just to prove something—"
"I'm not."
"Good."
She picked up the vegetables again.
"Then you can help me wash these."
Xu Tingsheng immediately stood.
"I'll go work on the supplier list."
"Sit down," his mother said. "You can help too."
And so the future supermarket owners spent the afternoon washing vegetables.
Xu Tingsheng felt that this was probably a scene no successful entrepreneur would include in his autobiography.
Shortly after dinner, the telephone rang.
Mr Xu answered it in the living room.
Xu Tingsheng was upstairs when he heard his father call him.
"Tingsheng. Come down."
Manager Luo was on the line.
The company had reviewed the two proposals.
Mr Peng's financial offer was stronger, but the management team liked the supermarket plan. A stable, well-run store could bring customers to the entire building.
There was still a chance.
However, the company wanted proof that the Xu family could actually open and operate the business.
"Proof?" Xu Tingsheng asked after his father repeated the message.
"Supplier commitments, a realistic financing plan and someone prepared to take responsibility for the operation," Mr Xu said.
"By when?"
"Three days."
Xu Tingsheng stared at him.
Three days was barely enough time to make appointments, let alone persuade suppliers to support a supermarket that did not yet exist.
Mr Xu placed the receiver down.
"Well," he said, "we have work to do."
Xu Tingsheng nodded slowly.
Then the telephone rang again.
This time, Mr Xu's face darkened as soon as he heard the voice.
He listened without interrupting.
Finally, he said, "I have no intention of doing business with you again."
Xu Tingsheng stepped closer.
A few seconds later, his father hung up.
"Was it Mr Peng?"
"Yes."
"What did he want?"
Mr Xu looked at his son.
"He says he can guarantee we get the ground floor."
Xu Tingsheng frowned.
"Then why is he competing for it?"
His father was silent for a moment.
"Because he wants us to run the supermarket."
Xu Tingsheng felt a sudden chill.
Mr Xu continued, each word deliberate.
"He wants to provide the money, hold the controlling share, and make me his manager."
For a second, Xu Tingsheng could only stare.
The man who had once lost his father's factory now wanted to own his father's second beginning.