The Gourmet Customizer

Besides, even though Li Mingtao was at Xinghui, he had still done a great deal of tangible work for Delicious.

That being the case, there was no need to bring up things that were already tacitly understood.

Su Chen saw Li Mingtao constantly peering inside, so he pointed to the elevator. "Let’s talk in my office."

"Okay."

When they got to Su Chen’s office, Li Mingtao didn’t sit down right away. Just like old times, he first brewed some tea. Only after pouring a cup for both Su Chen and himself did he finally take a seat.

"Boss, a lot of parents came looking for me again toward the end of the workday today."

"Oh?" Su Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip. ’I wonder who sent this tea,’ he thought. ’It’s actually pretty good.’ "What’s this about?"

Li Mingtao said, "Word got out that you invited the teachers to eat here for free. A lot of the parents who were originally just picking up and dropping off their kids every day heard about it. Now they’re all coming to me, asking if our after-school program can still take on more children."

"Taking on more children is definitely not a problem. But what’s brought this on?"

Before the semester started, the understanding was that the families who didn’t sign up for the program were the ones who could handle daily drop-offs and pick-ups themselves.

’And now they suddenly want to join the program?’

"Sigh, you know how parents are. They found out the teachers eat here too, so they feel more at ease if their children come here to eat with the teachers every day. Besides, they think that being around the teachers might help their kids learn a little something extra."

Su Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. As someone who wasn’t a parent, he couldn’t quite empathize with that kind of mindset.

But in any case, this was exactly what the after-school program was for. If new students wanted to join, of course they had to be accepted.

"Alright then. Whoever wants to join, have the parents come over tomorrow to register. Make sure to get all the payment dates sorted out so we don’t end up with a mess later."

Li Mingtao clicked his tongue. "Boss, I don’t think I’ve made myself clear."

"Hmm?" Su Chen asked, puzzled. "What wasn’t clear?"

"It’s not just one or two parents. It’s a lot of parents."

"How many?"

Li Mingtao took out his phone and scrolled through his chat history. "From what I’ve tallied so far, there are two hundred sixty-four."

Huh?

Su Chen nearly spat out his mouthful of tea.

The first batch of a hundred students had solved his most pressing problem back then. That was nearly a hundred thousand in revenue!

’Now another two hundred sixty-plus have popped up? All told, that’s nearly two hundred forty or fifty thousand a month?’

’This is a hell of a surprise, and it came out of nowhere!’

"Take them, we have to take them! When we designed the place, we set aside five hundred beds in the rest area, and we have enough tables too."

"That’s good." Li Mingtao leaned back, relieved. "The Mechanical Kindergarten only has a little over six hundred students in total, anyway."

Su Chen nodded. He hadn’t expected that Li Mingtao, despite being at Xinghui, could still bring in such a huge amount of business for Delicious.

The after-school program was now the company’s main source of revenue. With a gross monthly income of over three hundred thousand, he wouldn’t have to sweat the small stuff if other problems arose.

The two chatted for a while longer. As the sky outside grew dark, it was time to leave.

As Li Mingtao reached the office door, he stopped. "Boss, thank you."

"Hmm?"

After some hesitation, Li Mingtao finally said what was on his mind. "A few days ago, I received the bonus you sent. I’m not even working for the company anymore, but you still gave me a bonus. Thank you."

Su Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Your contract was still active last month, and you deserve the most credit for those big deals we closed."

Li Mingtao took a breath. "Well, I’ll be going then."

After leaving the company, Li Mingtao stood under the night sky, a mix of emotions swirling within him.

Staying at Xinghui had been a carefully considered decision.

Compared to Delicious, Xinghui felt more like a legitimate corporation. Even though Delicious had made a comeback from the brink, it still gave off the vibe of a child’s game of house.

Li Mingtao couldn’t bet his future on a company like that.

「The next morning.」

Ling Shuyu stared at the registration form Su Chen had sent over, falling into a state of complete self-doubt.

"I never would have guessed the boss had this layer to his plan!"

She had thought she was getting good at figuring out Su Chen’s plans, but seeing the sudden influx of two hundred and seventy new children, Ling Shuyu knew she was still too naive!

"I’m impressed. I’m truly impressed this time. To think I originally thought the boss had lost his mind letting those teachers eat for free. It turns out I was the real fool!"

Bai Xiaobo was also completely dumbfounded.

Su Chen had merely offered free meals three times a day, and now not only did they have ten full-time teachers to help with pick-ups and childcare...

...but he had also gained over two hundred new customers for the after-school program.

’It was such a brilliant idea, and I actually thought the boss was crazy at first. Turns out I was the crazy one all along!’

Liu Shengnan was also in shock for a long while before she could process it. "Based on the current numbers, we now have exactly three hundred and seventy children. At nine hundred a month per child, that’s three hundred thirty thousand in monthly revenue. After deducting costs, our net profit will be at least two hundred thousand!"

HISS!!!

Hearing Sister Shengnan’s quick calculation, everyone present couldn’t help but gasp.

’Just a few days ago, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. After a single trip to the Capital City, it’s suddenly a new company with a monthly net profit of two hundred thousand?’

’Is this the power of Boss Su!’

Several of the veteran employees even felt a surge of relief. ’Thank goodness we stayed with Delicious. If we’d chosen to leave, we’d probably still be at home waiting for interviews right now, wouldn’t we?’