Chapter 382: Spending It All on Him

Li Chao was speechless. His former company was actually quite strong, with annual sales in the hundreds of millions.

What incredible brands did Ruijing Commerce even represent? If it weren’t for the high monthly salary, he might not have even given them a second look.

President Meng watched Li Chao, unable to understand why he was flipping the contract over and over like an idiot, occasionally muttering, “Holy shit.” ‘What the hell is going on with this guy?’

Knowing he was from Ruijing Commerce, President Meng’s attitude became much more polite. He took the initiative to cozy up to him. “President Li,” he began, “you’re in charge of the channel development department at Ruijing Commerce now. Does this mean President Fang Zheng has officially taken over as the regional general manager?”

Li Chao finally put down the contract and asked in confusion, “Fang Zheng? How could he be the general manager? Our general manager is named Yang Hui. Fang Zheng has already left the company.”

“Holy shit!” This time, it was President Meng’s turn to curse. A flood of realizations hit him all at once.

Of course, he knew who Yang Hui was. Back when Yang Hui was managing the operations department at Ruijing Commerce, he would often visit the regional office and frequently went into President Tian’s office. The man was a real powerhouse.

After Yang Hui left the company—and especially after Fang Zheng came to see the regional Vice President of Sales and badmouthed him—the region had cut off all support for Ruijing Commerce. Even their contract renewal had become an issue. At the time, President Meng had suspected it might have something to do with Yang Hui, but without any concrete evidence, it remained just a suspicion.

And just in the last two days, the regional headquarters had suddenly started giving Ruijing Commerce strong support again. President Meng had thought his previous judgment was wrong, but now, hearing from Li Chao that Yang Hui was back as general manager, he instantly understood. ‘That’s it. Yang Hui is the real deal. The region’s support for Ruijing Commerce depends entirely on him.’

The truth was out. President Meng’s eyes darted about as he processed everything. President Tian had supported Yang Hui before, and now the new President Zong was supporting him too. What did that mean? ‘His connections must be sky-high. Could that rumor be true? Is he really that close with President Zhang Chun?’

With these thoughts in mind, his attitude toward Li Chao became even friendlier. “Brother,” he said, “I should stop by your company for a visit sometime. If President Yang is free, I’d love to report to him on my work.”

Li Chao was stunned. The boss of his own previous company had invited President Meng over several times, and he’d always refused. Now he was actively offering to visit their company to see President Yang. From the moment Li Chao had walked in until now, President Meng’s attitude had done a complete 180, going from arrogant to utterly obsequious.

But none of that mattered now. The renewal for the 21 stores was settled. A huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Of course, President Meng. Thank you so much for your support with this renewal. I’ll be sure to report back to President Yang, and I’m sure he’ll want to express his gratitude as well.”

Meng Chao was shocked to hear this. He didn’t dare take credit for it. If Li Chao really told Yang Hui that, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock?

“President Li, please don’t! I can’t take credit for something so significant. These renewal terms are entirely the result of the bosses communicating well. I didn’t do anything; I just handled the paperwork.”

‘Huh?’ Li Chao could see that President Meng wasn’t faking his sincerity. ‘The bosses communicated?’ He recalled what President Yang had said that morning. He’d told him to come pick up the contract, not to negotiate the renewal. This whole thing was just him overthinking and creating his own drama.

‘So President Yang is that powerful. To think he has this much influence over Xinyue Group’s regional office. And judging by President Meng’s behavior, he’s desperate to get on President Yang’s good side.’

President Meng’s attitude toward Li Chao was now impossibly good, giving Li Chao a true taste of what it meant to borrow the tiger’s might. When he left the Xinyue Group regional office, President Meng escorted him all the way to the elevator. As Li Chao stepped inside and the doors were about to close, President Meng was still waving at him.

It was true what they say: it’s nice and cool in the shade of a big tree. Following President Yang, he could even strut around Xinyue Group’s regional office with impunity. Suddenly, Li Chao was filled with passion for this job.

During her afternoon tea break, Shen Meng returned to the office with a cup of freshly ground coffee and a dessert. She had to admit, the working conditions at Yanghe Commerce were amazing. The coffee beans and desserts they provided were top-notch. The employees all said they’d stopped buying coffee and dessert outside the office because nothing could compare to what they had at work.

She’d heard that some of Yanghe Commerce’s VIP members would even pop into the VIP lounge when passing by to enjoy the coffee and desserts. It wasn’t about getting a free cup; it was because the quality was genuinely better than what you’d pay for elsewhere.

While they showered the store’s service with praise, it also boosted sales. After all, once they were in the store, they couldn’t help but browse, pick out a pretty outfit, and try it on. And once they tried it on, their wallets inevitably ended up a little lighter.

She received a text message. Opening it, she saw it was from her cousin, Wu Min.

[Wu Min: Shen Meng, we got paid today! Let’s go shopping.]

Shen Meng had been racking her brain all day about what gift to buy for Yang Hui, so Wu Min’s message was exactly what she needed. She agreed with a speed that Wu Min found downright unbelievable.

Wu Min stared at Shen Meng’s reply, a little surprised. ‘Did my cousin who usually hates shopping have a change of heart?’

[Shen Meng: Okay! Let’s go to Xinyue Center. I’ll treat you to hot pot tonight.]

Thinking of her cousin’s high income this month, Wu Min felt it would be a crime not to take her up on an expensive meal. If it weren’t for the free food, she wouldn’t even go to Xinyue Center. She could only ever window-shop there; she couldn’t afford to actually buy anything. Her cousin was usually so frugal, yet she picked such a high-end place to go shopping.

She parked her Golf in the underground garage of Xinyue Center and immediately felt a little out of place. The garage was filled with either BMWs, Benzes, and Audis, or luxury electric cars. She had seen several Bentleys and Maybachs on her way in. ‘Sigh… when will I ever get a Mercedes C260L like Shen Meng?’ But she knew she could never afford it on her own. She’d have to rely on Wang Hua for that.