39: Chapter 39 The Fork in the Road 39: Chapter 39 The Fork in the Road Nan Zhubin raised an eyebrow.
The same reward as completing the [Monthly Goal] last time?
Three speculations popped into his head:
First, the rewards for [Psychological Ability Training] are completely random; it’s all about luck.
Second, the rewards for [Psychological Ability Training] are fixed and always the same, increasing by +1+1+1 until it’s maxed out before changing.
Third, since [Psychological Ability Training] is a reward for the [Monthly Goal], perhaps the rewards are the same for a given month and only change after completing the [Monthly Goal] in the following month.
As for which situation it truly was, further verification would be needed later.
“Speaking of which, my [Emotion Soothing Ability (Voice)] is already [+2],” Nan Zhubin reflected.
“Shouldn’t there be some significant change?”
“We don’t need to change!”
The angry voice pierced through the soundproof walls, reaching the ears of everyone in the office area.
Consultants who were napping were startled awake, those browsing on their computers quickly closed the browser, and those running games quietly pressed “X,” lest their careers and virtual avatars both faced a crash.
The consultants uncharacteristically began to flip through various materials, pretending to be diligently working.
Because the source of the high-decibel voice was the boss’s office.
Behind the venetian blinds, on the other side of the soundproof glass, Howard was repeatedly making a downward pressing gesture, pleading with Weng Pinting.
“Lower your voice; it’s office hours, and there are employees outside.
There might even be visitors in the consultation room now.”
“And you’re supposed to be someone who studied psychology.
Don’t you have any emotion management skills at all…?”
Seeing Weng Pinting’s gaze shifting towards a more dangerous direction, Howard quickly stopped himself and steered the conversation back to the original topic.
Howard put on a flattering smile: “Let’s get back to what we were discussing before—I already signed the contract.”
Weng Pinting looked incredulous: “When?”
“I was watching you all day!”
“…While you were in consultation.”
Weng Pinting clutched her heaving chest, her tone disbelieving: “So you really rented a studio in the core business district of Zhongjiang Road again?”
Howard slowly nodded: “Yes.”
Weng Pinting was so furious her words became unstable: “Do you know how much our revenue was this month?
Do you want to open the blinds and see how idle the consultants are outside?”
No wonder Weng Pinting was this angry right now.
The situation at Yan Nuo Center was indeed not looking good.
Yan Nuo had only been established for a few months and hadn’t made a name for itself in the industry.
Most of the current consultations came from Weng Pinting, the consulting director’s reputation in the field.
From another perspective, one could say it’s not an exaggeration to say Weng Pinting was supporting the entire Yan Nuo by herself.
An Advanced Consultant could only bring in a limited amount of consultation, and with so many consultants supported by the center, Yan Nuo’s financial situation was quite bleak.
Not to mention profit, merely maintaining a balance between income and expenditure was extremely difficult.
In this situation, Howard, the boss, went ahead and rented another spot in the core business district of Zhongjiang Road.
“Pingting, listen to me, you really should check out that place,” Howard passionately said.
“It’s by the river, in a commercial center, and the foot traffic and visitors’ economic status there are on another level compared to here.
Setting our first office in a legal building was too conservative; it’s too isolated, and many visitors don’t want to come after knowing the location…”
Weng Pinting interrupted: “How much is the rent?”
Howard clenched his teeth: “Forty-eight thousand a month.”
Weng Pinting continued her inquiry: “It’s a twenty-kilometer drive from our current office.
How do you resolve schedule conflicts for visitors?”
Howard replied: “Take a taxi; the fare will be reimbursed by finance.”
Weng Pinting, exhausted, held her throbbing temples and felt her skin starting to feel dry: “Do you know how many additional consultations our consultants must do every month to fill this gap?
And the issue now isn’t that consultants aren’t taking up consultations; it’s that there are no visitors!
The psychological consultation market in Jiangdu is only so big.
Many visitors are still introduced from other provinces through my connections!”
“We’ll soon be unable to make ends meet.
We should cancel that office and pay a penalty while we can.
Getting our internal affairs in order is more important than anything…”
Without waiting for Weng Pinting to finish, Howard interrupted her.
“As we discussed, you’ll handle the professional matters, and I won’t interfere; I handle the management, so stay out of it.”
Howard’s face still bore a smile, but Weng Pinting knew well enough that smile had become a social, perfunctory smile.
She could see what Howard’s true expression was now.
“It’s the internet era now; I’ve already reached out to a team with experience in online lead generation and promotion.
We could use online psychological consultations to expand nationwide, even to overseas Chinese!”
Howard fervently described Yan Nuo’s blueprint: “They’re still transitioning from their previous client, but I’ve seen their report; it’s quite effective, and the riverside office I rented was even prepared for them.”
“As for before they come, we’ll indeed have some losses, but I’ve already considered this issue…”
Weng Pinting grew wary, her eyes catching something she didn’t wish to see: “What are you thinking?”
Howard took a deep breath: “I was thinking…”
An even more angry voice came from the boss’s office.
The consultants sat up straight, uncharacteristically flipping through visitor information for the next day, the day after, and even the day after that.
Their eyes were on the desk, their gaze following the boss’s figure as they watched Howard escape from the office, pretending to be authoritative as he inspected, then, seeming to have nowhere to go, meandered into the tea room.
Nan Zhubin, standing in the tea room with freshly brewed coffee, was somewhat surprised to see Howard.
Slacking off in the tea room during office hours?
Howard only felt that the pressure suppressed in the office earlier was now finding signs of bursting out and a target.
Howard was about to exercise his duties and authority as a boss.
Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Nan Zhubin extended his hand, speaking gently.
This young man’s quite polite.
That was Howard’s first thought.
And, this young man seemed to have good performance recently; his conversion rate was pretty high.
That was Howard’s second thought.
Driven by some mysterious force, Howard reached out to accept the cup of coffee.
He looked down at the coffee: deep color, fragrant aroma, delicate foam with a subtle caramel sweetness.
This young man’s coffee-making skills aren’t bad, even if it’s just instant coffee.
That was Howard’s third thought.
[I shouldn’t be angry with Xiao Nan; if I need to scold someone, I should look for Lao Yang.]
With this thought, Howard also managed his expression, forcing a smile at the corners of his mouth.