Chapter 226 - Appointment With The Wedding Organizers (2)

Sofia lowered her gaze and thought for a while. Although there are numerous advantages that Lee family could get on their arrangement, she has to give the elder couple the most appropriate response.

Such subtle movement of Sofia's eyes may not be caught by the two elders in front of her but it surely did not escape in Jing Jing's eyes who sat quietly next to her.

Jing Jing gently tapped her shoulder. Somehow, the warmth of her gesture connected and Sofia smiled at her.

"The old master of the Lee Family is a man that inspires the young generation. He managed to build a legacy of wealth and successfully pass it to his son. To have such wealth, it was expected that the Lee family kept their family affairs exclusive. It's just that, I could not help but wonder. Is it possible for me to have that level of success? If I think of this question, there is one clear answer that comes to my mind. It is not yes or no. My answer is... I can try," Sofia said firmly.

She made consideration of her words and did not forget to compliment the old master of the Lee family.

It was understandable that they do not want to take the ceremony and reception in public. But, Sofia had a different view...

Opposite to her, the elder couple were both stunned by the response. Sofia's words managed to tug in their heart and it lingered briefly in their mind. 

'It is not yes or no. My answer is... I can try!'

The contempt that they had for her completely changed to empathy. As the two elders shared a meaningful look, their eyes seemed to convey one message,

'Isn't this also our mentality before we started our cake business? To try out a business and see our luck on it.'

But the only difference was that the one talking with them and presenting this idea was perhaps half their age when they came up with the courage to try opening their cake business.

That's something that greatly astonished the two elders. Is the current generation youngsters were really business-minded than them in the past?

Both elders scoffed to hide the astonishment in their expression. They raised their eyebrows with great coordination as if they had rehearsed how to react.

"Ehem, the old master of the Lee family is indeed great and worthy of compliments!" the wife muttered as she adjusted her sitting position comfortably. Her husband took a cup of tea and silently nodded his head in confirmation.

Sofia looked at them and opened her mouth, but before she could speak a word, the old man had already made a comment...

"Since you also expected that they would privately do the ceremony, how come that they changed their mind and choose your place as the reception. Heavens! Of all places, they actually agreed to choose the very dangerous location! And of all available business, how could they trust youngsters to handle such important responsibility!"

Sofia clasped both of her hands and smiled at the old man, "Dangerous location, that is in the past. Now, the intersection street is already safe. It is really safe."

"Safe? Only you, youngsters, do not understand what the real danger is! Those rumors about the intersection street are not just rumors. There are really thugs creating trouble there. What if they will cause a scene in the middle of the event? Can you handle them? The police would not even dare offend those thugs!" the wife questioned.

"Ehem, ehem," Jing Jing finally made a sound by clearing her throat and then smiled sheepishly at the elder couple. "Ma'am, the thugs that you mean are employed by Ms. Sofia. They will protect the place."

"What?! You employed those troublesome adults?" the wife exclaimed as she subconsciously leaned sideward and gripped her husband's arm.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, let's not talk about this matter anymore. I know that you are busy, let's get into the business. If something wrong will happen in the reception, I will take responsibility and face all the blame," Sofia stated while raising her hand to gesture for them to end the topic. Since the husband and wife were overly concerned about the location, she could only initiate to change their discussion and proceed to the negotiation.

"Young lady, you are quite eloquent and full of confidence! Back then, I teach in school and met so many students but, it is my first time to encounter someone with your character," the husband said as he gave Sofia a sincere smile.

"Thank you, sir!" Sofia expressed in a humble tone. "The Lee family is the biggest network in our district when it comes to business. I think that using our place as the venue of their reception would show the character of being modest, a perfect representation of the young master's balance in terms of his self-presentation. A good character is the most important thing than their wealth," she finished with a sincere smile on her face.

"Right! That's right! Let's negotiate then," the elder couple agreed with much reluctance in their voice. They still wanted to talk about the troublesome adults on the intersection street. However, their appointment was indeed not for such discussion.

"Then, about the venue, I would like to ask the theme, decor motif of the wedding so we can make preparation for the reception," Sofia stated while unlocking her phone. She opened the memo to take notes of the details but the elder couple waved their hands.

"The decorations, we will prepare it. We already have types of equipment, all you have to do is to secure the place. Make sure it is safe for every guest," the old man stated.

"Oh..." Sofia trailed. This was something that she had not expected. But such an arrangement would also be advantageous to her. It only meant that her employment would be on the sideline and observe the staff of the elder couple to do their job. "That's great to hear! Then, may I ask about the budget price for the venue?" she inquired.

"How much fee do you charge for it?" the elder couple retorted.

Jing Jing took a deep breath. They finally come to the negotiation. And it occurred to her that both these two business owners were testing the waters. One was young while the others were old. But they seemed to have struggled drawing the digits for the price.

'I am suddenly curious as to how Sofia would respond when it comes to the price of the venue,' Jing Jing mentally commented while she looked at three people with eagerness in her eyes. 

Sofia leaned backward and stood straight. The phone in her hand was casually placed on the table and she looked at the elder couples with a spark of confidence and determination in her eyes. "There are two ways that I want to set the price for the venue... First, we can go the expensive way. 500, 000 dollars."

The husband and wife gasped and were totally shocked by the price. "Young lady, are you too eager to profit and have a turnover of your business capital? Being greedy will not do good! You must set a reasonable price!"

This reaction was within Sofia's expectations. Even Jing Jing tensed after hearing the price. 

"This is not about greed nor eagerness to profit. This is me setting the value of my business," Sofia softly answered.

"Bah! You are just starting! You haven't even opened this place yet! How can you give this ridiculous price?!" the old man exclaimed. The disappointment was evident in his voice.

"What value? That is daylight robbery! Your business has no value yet!" his wife added. Even the budget of them as the coordinator of the wedding was three times lower than what Sofia's price mentioned!

Jing Jing also thought of the same way. Half a million dollars was equivalent to insanity! The price was indeed a rip-off. Who would spend this kind of money on just a venue? No one! 

As the three felt goosebumps and thought that Sofia was very unreasonable, the young lady maintained her calm composure. Only she had understood the desire for a sense of indulgence that truly wealthy people want. 

"Why do you set the price so high? Little girl, you are operating a business but you seemed to be unaware of the prices for your services?" the wife suddenly questioned as she held her husband's hand. Even if she was already successful in terms of her pastry business, she knew that the amount is very high. For someone living in district 7, such a request could be seen as beyond the level of shamelessness. Perhaps, stupidity?

But, since they were still negotiating, she also suspected that the young lady may not be aware of the price range of an event. Or rather, Sofia was deliberately setting an expensive amount so that they can have a benchmark of their negotiation. 

This trick of giving a high price is common in business so they could meet halfway. But when she glanced at Sofia's face, it did not look like she was eager to have the price negotiated. It looked like the young lady had already decided the amount even before they came to meet them!

Somehow, the old woman wanted to give Sofia the benefit of the doubt. When she looked at the young lady in the eye once more, there seems to be so much deeper things that she felt they did not know.. Even though they have called her greedy, she became curious about her reason for demanding such a ridiculous amount.