Chapter 310 - 216: More Wronged Than Dou E
He glanced at Huang Lingyu and Zhao Ling. They were both beautiful women, especially Huang Lingyu, who was the kind of woman who would turn heads everywhere she went.
However, he had worked hard to get to his current position in the Xinyue Group and hoped to climb even higher. He naturally knew that you couldn’t get involved with certain beautiful women before you understood their background.
After Huang Lingyu poured their tea, she and Zhao Ling sat to one side, listening to Director Wang and the executive discuss their collaboration. Zhao Ling kept glancing at the amulet bracelet on Huang Lingyu’s wrist, filled with envy. She secretly vowed, ’When I find a boyfriend, he can’t be any less impressive than Lingyu’s.’
As soon as Zhang Chun and President Tian entered the private room, they laughed heartily. "A Hui, it’s been too long!"
Yang Hui stood and invited them to take a seat. ’Brother Chun is right,’ he thought. ’The last time we met was right after I started at Futong Commerce. Back then, I needed some corporate purchasing contacts from Wang Qing, so I asked Brother Chun to come along and lend me some weight. In the blink of an eye, it’s been nearly a month.’
"After all, Brother Chun is in charge of a major region and serves as the Group’s Vice President. With so much going on at headquarters and in all the different territories, I’m guessing you can’t spend more than two or three days a month in any single city."
With that said, he turned to President Tian. "Brother Tian, congratulations!"
President Tian was taken aback for a second before realizing Yang Hui was congratulating him on his promotion to Regional Head. The move hadn’t been officially announced yet, so no one outside a few core figures knew. He smiled and said, "Looks like President Zhang gave you a spoiler. A Hui, my boy, I have you to thank for this."
Yang Hui was at a loss for words. He thought President Tian was joking. ’What qualifications do I have to help him get promoted to Regional Head?’ He didn’t see Zhang Chun shoot a look at President Tian, who immediately got the hint and changed the subject. "A Hui, you’ve opened two stores recently, and their sales figures are about to break records. I checked all the Xinyue Square locations nationwide, and your NLB store’s performance is ranked second. The top one is the Shanghai store, but their foot traffic is three times that of your store, yet you’ve managed to achieve nearly the same sales. And that one is a brand-owned, directly-operated store."
Their support for Yang Hui was unconditional, but his performance was still a pleasant surprise. At various corporate meetings, their colleagues praised them for their keen eye for talent, which was an unexpected bonus for President Tian.
KNOCK KNOCK—
There was a knock at the door, and a waiter pushed it open. Wang Qing had arrived. After a round of greetings, Yang Hui began to arrange the seating. He offered the seat of honor to Zhang Chun, but Zhang Chun refused, insisting that Yang Hui take it. Having no other choice, Yang Hui sat at the head of the table, flanked by Zhang Chun and Wang Qing, while President Tian took the seat of least precedence at the far end.
Wang Qing noticed it again. ’Zhang Chun’s attitude toward Yang Hui isn’t just about taking him under his wing. There’s a hint of awe. Yes, that’s it—respect and awe. It has nothing to do with simply looking out for him. What kind of top executive puts the "little brother" he’s mentoring in the seat of honor?’
He didn’t yet know that President Tian was about to become the Regional Head; otherwise, he would have felt like he was sitting on pins and needles next to Yang Hui.
After the restaurant manager took their food order, Yang Hui said to her, "Please bring us a few bottles of Maotai."
The manager smiled. "President Yang, the liquor has already been brought over. It’s in the corner over there."
Yang Hui looked in the direction she pointed. ’When did they bring Maotai over? I didn’t order any liquor.’
"Our lady arranged it. It’s 30-year-old Maotai."
Everyone at the table was accustomed to drinking Maotai, but 30-year-old Maotai was a rare treat. For Wang Qing, in particular, this was his first time having the opportunity to taste it.
Yang Hui froze for a second, then realized Hu Mei must have arranged it. ’I already got such a huge advantage in our partnership, and she’s the target of one of my system’s missions. I guess there’s no need to be modest about a few bottles of liquor.’
"In that case, please open them for us."
After some preliminary small talk, the conversation turned to Yang Hui’s business and the expansion of NLB and Zen. Zhang Chun again pledged his full support, and Yang Hui, knowing this was said for Wang Qing’s benefit, smiled. "Brother Wang has also given me tremendous support this time. For the store on the Qingzhou Pedestrian Street, he freed up a prime, street-facing, ground-floor location for me. I expect it to become my most successful store in all of Qingjiang."
President Tian laughed. "Not necessarily! We at Xinyue Square will just subsidize some more shopping vouchers to pump up the sales figures. We can’t let the number one spot get away, no matter what."
A thought struck Wang Qing. ’Of course I heard the rumors, but seeing President Tian today, he doesn’t look like a man who’s been fired at all. He’s even talking about increasing support for Yanghe Commerce’s stores. It seems the gossip can’t be trusted.’
So, he also laughed and said, "President Tian, don’t forget that we at Yida Department Store have our own subsidy vouchers. A Hui and I are only collaborating on this one store, so we’ll definitely be concentrating all our resources on it."
At this point, Yang Hui raised his glass. "At this gathering today, I have one more piece of news to share with all you brothers. I may need even more of your strong support in the future."
Zhang Chun, playing the perfect straight man, said, "Oh? Let’s hear it, A Hui. What is it? Don’t tell me you’ve picked up another new brand."
Yang Hui recalled their phone call the other day, when Zhang Chun had mentioned his national expansion. ’It feels like he already knows something.’
President Tian and Wang Qing put down their glasses and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"I’m preparing to launch my own brand. It will be positioned as fashionable, casual sportswear, targeting the mid-to-high-end market. I expect to open the first store in the fourth quarter of this year, and I’ll be counting on all of your support then."