Chapter 230: Half a Kingdom Plus Two Beauties
TL: Etude
On the third floor of Wanzhong Mall, five managers stood in a row, silent, as a faint, almost imperceptible scent of dog lingered in the air.
They sensed it: Boss He’s belongings seemed to be finding a new owner.
“Here’s an idea, Boss Jiang,” he suggested. “Continue as my reform consultant until the reforms are over. I won’t pay you a consultant fee, but I can lend you the top-floor office indefinitely.”
Boss Jiang, Jiang Qin, paused for a moment before responding, “Hmm, this approach is indeed mutually beneficial. Why didn’t I think of it earlier?”
Boss He, He Yijun, twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself that Boss Jiang was indeed a damn good actor. Hadn’t he been leading them all along just for this?
Identifying the problem, creating a need, revealing ambition, achieving his goal.
This chain of tactics was nothing short of blatant.
Old He felt that Jiang Qin’s brilliance lay in his ability to take advantage shamelessly yet make you feel utterly comfortable about it.
Because it always seemed he was doing it for his own good, yet he made you feel he was doing it for your good.
Indeed, some people are destined to make it onto Forbes, just like Jiang Qin. It would be hard not to.
“The office issue is resolved, Boss Jiang. Can you spare some time to help me with the reforms now?” He Yijun inquired.
Jiang Qin raised three fingers, “Within three days, I’ll prepare a detailed reference manual for Boss He.”
Knowing that Jiang Qin was about to deliver something valuable, He Yijun relaxed immediately, “Yue Zhu, I have another meeting downstairs. Please take Boss Jiang to the top floor for a look.”
“Of course, Boss He,” Yue Zhu nodded and then led Jiang Qin to the top floor.
Wanzhong Mall was vast, with many employees. However, eighty percent of them were sales and service staff who did not require office space. Therefore, the top-floor office area was underutilized.
Thus, Jiang Qin easily acquired a large flat in the Linchuan CBD. (TL: Central Business District)
After wandering around half the floor, he already envisioned how the office would look after reorganization.
A simple renovation, installing glass partitions on the right side to create five separate offices, filling the center with desks, and equipping it with various devices – everything would soon be on track.
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, Jiang Qin looked out over the bustling streets and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, the office was his.
If the little rich lady were here, she would surely say, He Yijun is such a nice person.
“Are you satisfied with it, Boss Jiang?” Yue Zhu asked.
Jiang Qin nodded slowly, “Manager Yue, we’ll be neighbors from now on. I look forward to your support.”
Yue Zhu quickly waved her hand, “What could I possibly have to offer you? It’s more like you helping me.”
“I mean it,” Jiang Qin insisted, “because we’ll be conducting frequent business here, and I might need your assistance with many things. Please don’t mind.”
“You’re too polite. Just tell me if there’s anything you need,” Yue Zhu replied.
Yue Zhu gazed at Jiang Qin’s silhouette against the window. Although she smiled, her feelings were incredibly complex.
At first, she saw him as just an ambitious and energetic college student. But as he became involved in the reforms, she found him capable and mysterious.
As the reforms began, and the mall struggled financially while the group-buying initiative thrived, capturing Wanzhong’s entire sales chain, she was filled with admiration and conviction.
He didn’t seem like a college student but more like someone who could stir up a storm with just a few words. Yue Zhu had never met anyone like him.
She looked up at Jiang Qin again, noticing a brief sparkle in his deep eyes.
“Speak frankly? Alright then, since Manager Yue doesn’t like my politeness, I’ll speak directly.”
“?????”
“The thing is, for the later stages of group-buying, we need to move beyond the campus and cater to the public. So, I need to hire a batch of formal employees. But, as you know, being young and handsome, I often give off an unreliable impression. So, I’d like to ask you to take on the role of HR temporarily and help me recruit some staff.”
In just a few sentences, Jiang Qin laid it all out for her.
Yue Zhu was stunned for a moment, thinking, I was just being polite, and you took it literally!
“Boss Jiang, I mainly handle administrative tasks and don’t have experience in HR. Manager Bao, who oversees personnel, would be more suitable.”
“Good, then both of you come and help me. I also need an administrative secretary.”
In Jiang Qin’s dictionary, there was no word for ‘replacement’. He wanted it all.
Yue Zhu stood there, dumbfounded, thinking, Is this also part of your plan?
But then, the idea of earning two salaries at the same time did seem quite tempting.
Jiang Qin observed her expression and raised the corners of his mouth, knowing this was another win-win situation.
“Alright, then it’s settled. I have matters to attend to at school, so I’ll leave first. Manager Yue, please stay.”
“Boss Jiang, what about the reference manual?” asked Yue Zhu.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give Boss He a satisfactory result,” Jiang Qin assured as he waved goodbye and took the elevator down. Yue Zhu watched him leave, wanting to say something but remained silent.
She wondered, the reference manual should reflect actual situations, right? But Boss Jiang seemed to have only visited the third floor; he hadn’t explored the other floors. Could he really produce a manual?
However, after witnessing the series of events before and after the New Year, Yue Zhu didn’t dare to doubt Jiang Qin and, confused, headed to the meeting room.
At that moment, in the meeting room, a reform progress meeting was underway. Yue Zhu entered and informed them of Jiang Qin’s departure. He Yijun nodded without saying much.
He knew Jiang Qin might be cunning, but he was extremely reliable. He advised Yue Zhu not to worry and just wait. frёeωebɳovel.com
Managing such a large mall, where every little action could affect the whole, required attention to both the big picture and minute details. He Yijun thought that Jiang Qin’s promise of delivering the manual in three days was an overstatement; it would likely take at least a week, if not half a month.
However, at that moment, Zhao Zufeng leaned over and whispered something to He Yijun.
“You’re saying you’ve received the reform reference manual from Jiang Qin in your email?”
Zhao Zufeng nodded, “Yes, I just got it…”
He Yijun, surprised, pointed to the computer, “Download it and take a look.”
“Okay.”
Soon, the email attachment was downloaded. It was a Word document titled “Wanzhong Mall Reform Reference Manual · Abridged Edition.”
As Zhao Zufeng opened the document, he found it contained thirty-five pages, divided into six major sections and twelve subsections. Flipping through, the sharp and clear text outlined various potential problems and solutions.
He Yijun motioned for the managers around the conference table to come over. They browsed through the manual, which instantly inspired new ideas and perspectives.
What kind of manual was this? It was like a treasure trove specifically tailored for Wanzhong’s reforms!
Previously, Jiang Qin had provided a broad framework for Wanzhong, helping them set the right direction and reduce trial-and-error costs. But this time, the document was filled with detailed information.
“He said within three days, right?” He Yijun was astonished.
Zhao Zufeng hesitated, “Half an hour is technically within three days.”
“What I mean is, this document couldn’t possibly have been written in just half an hour, right? And it even involves Feng Shui?”
“…”
Zhao Zufeng checked the document properties and saw that the last modification date was at the end of January 2009. At that time, Linchuan University had just started the winter vacation, but it wasn’t yet the New Year.
Meaning, Jiang Qin had prepared this manual during the winter break and had been holding onto it for two months.
The managers exchanged glances, all bewildered.
“This guy, he’s not one to act without seeing the rabbit, is he? He had written it long ago, waiting for me, right?”
He Yijun cursed Jiang Qin for being sly.
He felt like he was holding a handful of golden sand, only sprinkling a little bit each time, keeping him on tenterhooks until now, when he finally revealed everything. He was cunning to the extreme.
In other words, Jiang Qin had been eyeing the top-floor office since the winter break, which is why he put so much effort into this manual. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
A trade of interests – Jiang Qin truly understood how to play this game.
“Half a floor in exchange for a manual, not a bad deal.”
He Yijun was clear that the value of this manual far exceeded his expectations and the sincerity Jiang Qin had shown, which was worth far more than the office space he had lent.
Hearing this, Yue Zhu pursed her lips and thought to herself that Boss He was too na?ve. It wasn’t just half a floor at stake, but also her and Manager Bao.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qin was already driving back to Linchuan University.
The reform of the mall wasn’t a difficult task for him. Having visited numerous thriving malls in his past life, he could easily replicate their strategies based on his experiences and observations, a clear advantage of being reborn.
But for people like He Yijun, who could only rely on imagination, that manual would indeed save them from many detours.
Thus, for yielding half a kingdom and two beauties, He Yijun was not at a loss at all.
Jiang Qin returned to the Entrepreneurship Center at Linchuan University and took out the wine he had purchased the previous night at Juxianlou, intending to have a small celebration.
After all, resolving the office issue and securing an HR and administrative assistant were indeed reasons to celebrate.
However, after tasting a sip, Jiang Qin’s expression suddenly changed, and his brows furrowed.
Something was off. Was this fake wine?
It lacked the distinct sweetness and the enchanting aroma that followed upon tasting.
“?!”
Jiang Qin poured out the wine and poured another glass, only to find it the same, “Lu Feiyu, did you drink this wine last night?”
Lu Feiyu looked up, “Yes, boss. Brother Dong and I drank about half a jin.”
“How did you find the taste?”
“It was awful. Brother Dong said the same. I don’t understand why you bought two more bottles.”
Jiang Qin looked at the wine glass in his hand, wondering if the atmosphere had influenced his perception, making a bad wine taste good. Impossible.
AN: Dear readers, how come the monthly tickets have fallen out of the top twenty? It’s a bit of a slap in my face…
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