Leilei looked at his relaxed expression, as if he was talking about something as simple as opening a fruit stand.
She reminded Long Fei, "Long Fei, although our store is not a high-end brand, the consumer group we target is not low either. The inventory in the store, plus the rent and transfer fee, adds up to a considerable sum."
Long Fei asked directly, "So, how much money do you estimate we’ll need?"
Leilei thought for a moment and said, "At least three million or more, and that doesn’t even include the working capital for turnover or the waiters’ salaries."
Long Fei inquired, "How much profit does your store make in a year?"
Leilei replied, "It was pretty good in the previous years, but in recent years with the impact of e-commerce, the annual profit has been able to maintain around five hundred thousand or so."
Long Fei calculated and said, "That means, this investment would take six or seven years to recoup?"
Leilei responded, "Not necessarily, it mainly depends on promotion and sales. If done well, it’s possible to recoup the investment in two or three years."
Long Fei said with a smile, "You seem pretty confident!"
Leilei proudly stated, "Of course, I’ve been through the wringer in this industry for three years, I’ve seen through all the tricks. It’s just that the boss doesn’t give me room to perform, which is why the store is so lifeless. If he had let me take charge, this store would have flourished long ago."
Long Fei said, "Alright, I’ll leave this matter to you. The terms are the same, your current monthly salary remains unchanged, and at the end of the year, I will give you a 20% profit share. The more you earn, the more you get, the less you earn, the less you get, how does that sound?"
Leilei swallowed hard, excitedly saying, "Of course I have no problem with that, but as for the money, are you really prepared?"
Long Fei smiled lightly, "Don’t worry, money is not a problem. Whenever we sign the contract, that’s when the money will be paid in full."
"Then I can rest assured!"
Leilei smiled happily, lifting her coffee cup and said, "To our clothing business, let’s toast!"
Long Fei smiled and clinked his cup with hers, called the waiter to settle the bill, and walked out the door with her.
As he was leaving, he reminded Leilei, "Same as before, keep everything we’re doing a secret from Xiao Ya, don’t let her find out at any cost."
Leilei laughed, "I really don’t understand you rich people, you’ve given her such a big gift, yet why not let her know?"
Long Fei sighed, "It’s a bit complicated, not something that can be explained in just a few words."
Leilei reassured, "Don’t worry, I know the drill. You’re the boss, whatever you say goes."
Long Fei chuckled, waved goodbye to her.
He was confident in Leilei’s character and abilities.
With a 20% annual bonus, he didn’t believe Leilei would take her job anything but seriously.
The more she earned, the more she would get!
He hailed a taxi and left.
Leilei watched him go from behind, noting his plain clothes and simple travel arrangements, she just couldn’t associate him with the rich and handsome elite.
For money, she was going all in this time.
Even if Long Fei didn’t seem reliable, she chose to trust him this one time.
Back at the company, Long Fei returned after not much more or less than an hour, just in time to avoid being counted as absent from work.
When he walked in, Lin Yingying had just finished her boxed lunch, and the cash box beside her hadn’t been cleaned up yet.
Seeing this, Long Fei frowned and went over to sit down.
The contract for Wang Xiaoya, which Lin Yingying had to put away, was left out for Long Fei to see.
Long Fei asked her, "Did you really talk to Xiao Ya?"
Lin Yingying responded indifferently, beckoning Bai Xiaochun to come inside and tidy up the coffee table.
Long Fei took a breath, not expecting her to be so brazen, not even attempting to disguise it.
After he finished reading the contract, he slammed it onto the coffee table and complained resentfully, "Aren’t you just insulting them? Just because you have money, you think you can do whatever you want?"
Lin Yingying replied calmly, "I am trying to figure out a solution for the three of us. The problem has to be resolved sooner or later. Do you have a better idea?"
Long Fei said, "I do. Why can’t you just back off? Why do you have to make everything so complicated?"
Lin Yingying, arms crossed, stared at him and said, "If it were that simple, I would have backed off long ago. Why don’t you have the guts to say this to my grandfather? Didn’t I give you a chance last time? If I back off, where would that leave my grandfather’s face? If he were to die of anger, could you bear that responsibility? And your grandfather, although I have never met him, I can guess that he would not agree to breaking off the engagement either."
Long Fei was rendered speechless and sat down sulkily, pulling out a cigarette and taking a drag.
What Lin Yingying said was the truth. The engagement involved the dignity of two elderly men; it wasn’t something that could be so easily called off.
Even so, he didn’t want Lin Yingying to pressure Wang Xiaoya in such a manner.
Lin Yingying looked at him with the expression of a victor and said, "Nothing to say? I knew you’d be speechless. You don’t look for a solution yourself and when someone else tries to solve it, you throw a fit. What are you thinking, keeping two boats with one foot?"
Long Fei contained his anger, trying to speak to her calmly, "Yingying, let’s talk this over in a calm and collected manner. You know that if we cooperate, we can sort out the engagement issue. You’re just clinging to this engagement to satisfy your competitive spirit. Think about it, is it really worth it?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁
Lin Yingying rolled her eyes at him and retorted, "Who said I’m doing this to satisfy my competitive spirit?"
Lin Yingying stared at him seriously and declared, "Long Fei, I want to tell you solemnly. I, Lin Yingying, have fallen for you. I want you to be my husband, do you understand?"
Long Fei was taken aback by her declaration and eyed her up and down, almost thinking she was possessed that day.
She, Lin Yingying, such a strong-willed woman, was actually initiating a confession to a man.
Long Fei dodged the topic and stood up, confronting her, "Lin Yingying, I know this is your strategy, and I won’t fall for it."
He left the room, his heart in turmoil, and hurried into the elevator.
He knew himself well, and he knew he was not of the same world as Lin Yingying.
Unless the sun rose in the west, how could she possibly fall for someone like him?
"It’s all her trickery!"
Long Fei thought weakly, nodding his head, convincing himself.
Lin Yingying, sitting alone with a cup of tea, lightly blushed and shyly slapped her cheeks. She never thought she could say such a thing.
A woman, a CEO at that, confessing her feelings to a man—how could she have failed so miserably?
Whether it was love or competitive spirit, she was determined to have this man.
In the fifth-floor cafeteria, after Long Fei arrived, Wang Xiaoya’s office was empty, with all her belongings gone.
Da Tou told Long Fei that Wang Xiaoya had come back crying earlier, packed up her things, and left.
Long Fei had a bad feeling, knowing that Wang Xiaoya was probably planning to resign.
He hurried to the personnel department, where Zhang Li was now the manager of the administrative department and in charge of cafeteria matters.
Wang Xiaoya’s resignation had to be approved by her.
When he reached the administrative department, he didn’t find Wang Xiaoya; he only saw Zhang Li sitting in her office.