novelonline Chapter 1538 2019
Chapter 1538 2019
Chapter 1538 2019
As the year draws to a close, Xingyao Media is completely engulfed in a sea of activity. From dawn till dusk, the office lights remain bright as day, as the annual New Year's shopping festival is in full swing. This is Xingyao Media's most important event of the year and a crucial test of the company's strength.
The entire company, from front-end anchors and operations staff to back-end customer service, quality control, and logistics personnel, is extremely busy.
Hard work pays off. This New Year's shopping festival, which lasted for half a month, finally delivered an extremely impressive result—sales exceeded 32 billion yuan.
This figure not only broke Xingyao Media's own sales record for the Spring Festival shopping festival, but also made it a leader in the entire live-streaming e-commerce industry.
In just half a month, he achieved nearly one-third of last year's total sales. This achievement is inseparable from the booming development of the entire live-streaming e-commerce industry, and even more so from Qin Hao's decisive decision. After his contract with Mogujie expired, he did not choose to renew it, but instead resolutely switched to Douyin.
At that time, Mogujie's e-commerce strategy was lagging behind, and its traffic growth was sluggish, failing to meet the needs of Xingyao Media's rapid development. Meanwhile, Douyin was in a period of rapid growth, with a massive user base, and was actively exploring e-commerce, urgently needing high-quality live-streaming agencies to join and enrich its e-commerce content. The two parties quickly reached a deep cooperation agreement.
Douyin provided Xingyao Media with preferential traffic and resource support, while Xingyao Media, with its professional live streaming team and high-quality product supply chain, brought considerable e-commerce sales to Douyin, achieving a win-win situation.
After the successful conclusion of the Spring Festival shopping festival, Liu Mengyao meticulously prepared a grand banquet to reward her employees for their hard work throughout the year. The banquet was held at the most luxurious hotel in the city center, with a grand yet warm atmosphere. Not only were professional singers and bands invited to perform live, but prizes worth up to ten million yuan were also prepared, ranging from cash red envelopes to electronic products, gold bars, and cars—a truly generous gesture.
The atmosphere at the banquet was lively and cheerful. The employees, having shed their fatigue from the past few days, dressed in elegant formal attire, enjoyed delicious food and captivating performances, their faces beaming with joy. The most anticipated part, the lucky draw, brought the banquet to a climax.
As the host read out the winners one by one, cheers and applause rang out throughout the venue. When the host announced the winner of the grand prize, the entire hall fell silent instantly, followed by thunderous applause—the grand prize was a Porsche Panamera worth millions, which was ultimately won by one of the company's photographers.
The photographer was so excited that his face turned red, and when he went on stage to accept the award, his hands were trembling slightly, and he could barely speak.
The employees present all cast envious and jealous glances, discussing and teasing each other, their tone full of longing.
"How lucky!"
"Why not me? I want a Porsche too!"
"I'm so envious, she's so lucky!"
Of course, not all employees are envious of this grand prize. Early hires like Wang Rong, whose net worth already exceeds ten million yuan, don't have much of an obsession with a Porsche. Especially Wang Rong, as the company's top streamer, who can now earn hundreds of thousands of yuan in commission per livestream.
Wang Rong, dressed in an elegant evening gown, sat at the dining table, chatting casually with several other anchors around her. A calm and composed smile graced her face, and she paid little attention to the lively atmosphere on stage. The younger anchors around her, however, couldn't hide their envy, chattering excitedly around her.
"Sister Rong, look at that photographer, he's so lucky! He actually won a Porsche!" a young anchor said.
Wang Rong smiled and said calmly, "Everyone has their own destiny; there's no point in envying them."
Another streamer quickly added, "That's true. These kinds of prizes are nothing to Sister Rong. The company's Series A funding has been finalized, and I heard that stock options will be distributed soon. Sister Rong should get quite a few, right?"
Wang Rong picked up the wine glass on the table, took a small sip, and said in a calm tone, "How would I know? I guess we're all pretty much the same. We're all working for the company, and the boss won't treat us unfairly."
“How could you be the same as us!” the anchor quickly said. “In terms of seniority, Sister Rong, you were among the first anchors to join the company and have been with the company from nothing to where it is now. In terms of performance, Sister Rong, your annual sales are several billion, more than all of us combined, so you must have the most stock options.”
Other streamers echoed these sentiments, their tone filled with envy. While they said these things, only they knew what they truly thought. Some genuinely envied Wang Rong's ability and luck, while others were secretly jealous, feeling that Wang Rong had taken up too many resources.
Wang Rong knew that people's hearts were unfathomable, so she didn't argue with them too much. She just smiled and changed the subject.
Just then, the host walked onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and said in an enthusiastic tone, "Dear family members, let's give a warm round of applause to invite President Qin and President Liu to the stage to say a few words to us!"
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause as Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao walked onto the stage side by side. Qin Hao, dressed in a black suit, stood tall and straight, a composed smile on his face; Liu Mengyao, in a white dress, was elegant and poised, with an outstanding presence.
Qin Hao took the microphone, gestured for everyone to be quiet, and said in a calm and sincere tone: "Dear Xingyao family members, hello everyone! First of all, on behalf of myself and President Liu, I would like to say thank you for your hard work! Over the past year, everyone has worked together and gone all out, especially during this New Year's shopping festival. Everyone worked overtime without a single complaint, and in the end, we achieved a sales volume of 32 billion yuan. This achievement belongs to everyone present!"
The audience erupted in applause once again, and the employees wore proud smiles.
Qin Hao paused for a moment, then continued, "Here, I'd like to announce something to everyone: Xingyao Media's Series A financing has been finalized, and the company's valuation has reached a new high! Mr. Liu and I have decided to allocate 10% of the company's equity as an option reward pool to share the company's growth and achievements with everyone, and to thank you all for your continued support and contributions!"
Before Qin Hao could finish speaking, all the employees present became excited, and the atmosphere instantly erupted with cheers and chatter, making the entire banquet a whirlwind of excitement.
"Wow! That's great! We're really going to receive stock options!"
"Our company is doing so well right now, its valuation must be very high, right? If we could get stock options, wouldn't we be rich?"
"What I'm most concerned about right now is whether everyone will be able to receive stock options?"
"You're overthinking it. This kind of good thing will definitely benefit the management and the streamers. We insignificant pawns shouldn't even dream about it."
Amidst the discussions, some were excited, some were expectant, and others were disappointed and dissatisfied. Most ordinary employees worried about not receiving stock options, while management and the anchors secretly speculated about how many shares they would get.
Liu Mengyao lowered her voice: "If you distribute them like this, what if the employees who didn't get stock options cause a commotion?"
Qin Hao's smile faded, and he said firmly, "If they have any opinions, they can only deal with them themselves. The company can't operate on a egalitarian system. The 10% stock options can't be given away all at once, otherwise we won't have any trump cards to play if we want to retain core talent later."
"As for the ordinary employees in non-critical positions, we have already paid them their full salaries and bonuses, and the prizes at this dinner were also very generous. They have received the rewards they deserve. If they are still not satisfied and really can't understand it, there's nothing I can do."
According to Qin Hao's designed stock option incentive system, the first batch of 5% of the equity will be allocated to livestreamers, management, and technical staff. These individuals are the company's core competitive advantage and must be retained at all costs. The remaining 5% will serve as a "reserve fund" to be released in batches in the future to reward employees who have made outstanding contributions to the company. This will both incentivize existing employees and attract more outstanding talent to join the company.
Liu Mengyao was also aware that Qin Hao's distribution system, while seemingly cruel to ordinary employees, was currently the best way to retain the company's core competitiveness. In this highly competitive industry, only by retaining key talent could the company continue to develop.
Just as Liu Mengyao had predicted, when she announced the detailed stock option allocation plan on stage, it immediately caused a huge uproar in the company.
Many ordinary employees felt they had been treated unfairly and began to discuss it privately, complaining about the company's favoritism. Some even banded together and threatened to resign en masse, demanding that the company redistribute stock options.
When the news reached Qin Hao's ears, he did not hesitate at all, nor did he offer any reassurance. Instead, he readily signed the resignation letters of the employees who took the lead in resigning, and immediately arranged for the human resources department to process their departure procedures and settle their wages and bonuses.
This move immediately had a deterrent effect. Those employees who had been clamoring to resign were all too frightened to utter a word, shrinking back and no longer daring to mention resigning.
The employees who led the resignation were dumbfounded. They originally thought Qin Hao would compromise and appease them, but they didn't expect Qin Hao to be so decisive. They wanted to back out, but it was too late. They could only pack their things and leave the company in a sorry state.
As for the employees who received stock options, not everyone was satisfied. Many felt that the amount of stock they received was not commensurate with their contributions, and harbored some dissatisfaction and complaints. However, after witnessing Qin Hao's ruthless approach of making an example of someone, no one dared to openly raise any objections.
They knew perfectly well that these stock options weren't actual shares; they would automatically expire upon leaving the company, and they would receive nothing. Moreover, given the current market valuation of Xingyao Media, even a small portion of the options would amount to a huge sum when the company went public.
The options dispute was thus quelled by Qin Hao using forceful methods.
After the turmoil subsided, Xingyao Media officially began its annual holiday. Employees who had been busy all year could finally unwind, pack their bags, and head home to celebrate the New Year with their families. The office area gradually became empty, with only a few staff members remaining on duty, steadfastly holding their posts.
Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao were the last to leave the company. Looking at Qin Hao, Liu Mengyao couldn't help but complain, "So, you're going to Liang Danning's house for Chinese New Year again? You go to the woman's family every year, it's like you're some kind of live-in son-in-law!"
Qin Hao smiled nonchalantly: "I'm not as free as you. These past few days have been all about dinner parties."
Liu Mengyao was visibly taken aback, her eyes filled with a hint of doubt: "Is it about stockpiling medical protective equipment?"
"Hmm." Qin Hao nodded: "Shen Mo acted as a go-between and helped me contact several manufacturers of medical supplies. I plan to meet with them and finalize the orders."
Large quantities of medical protective equipment are not readily available. Generally, masks, protective suits, and disinfectants produced by factories are prioritized for hospitals and clinics, and production is done to order; factories don't keep much inventory. To stockpile large quantities of medical protective equipment, you must place an order in advance.
She shook her head, her tone tinged with confusion: "I really don't know why you're stockpiling so many medical protective supplies. Our company does live-streaming e-commerce, not the medical industry. If we can't sell all this stock, won't we just be stuck with it?"
"Just consider it a charity event for me, it doesn't cost you anything." Qin Hao waved his hand, without explaining further, and turned to pick up his coat: "Alright, I'm leaving now, see you after the New Year."
Seeing Liu Mengyao's depressed expression, Qin Hao sighed inwardly.
Liu Mengyao is an extremely rational woman. She has her own judgment on everything and is not swayed by emotions. Such a woman is a great business partner, but she is not easy to get along with if you are to marry her.
As soon as Qin Hao left the company, he received a message from Shen Mo on WeChat. It contained a location and a message: "President Qin, I've arrived at the seafood restaurant. Come on over, everyone's here."
Qin Hao put away his phone, drove to the seafood restaurant according to the location, and arrived at the restaurant.
Pushing open the door to the private room, four people were already seated inside. Shen Mo and Jin Linsheng sat in the main seats, with two middle-aged men beside them. They were dressed casually, wearing ordinary casual clothes on their upper bodies, sweatpants on their lower bodies, and flip-flops on their feet, looking very down-to-earth.
"President Qin, you've finally arrived! Please have a seat!" Shen Mo greeted Qin Hao with a smile and stood up warmly. "Let me introduce you. This is President Wang, Wang Minghui, who makes medical masks and protective clothing. He owns several factories and is very powerful. This is President Hou, Hou Jianguo, who specializes in disinfectants and disinfectant solutions and has a good reputation in the industry."
Qin Hao smiled and nodded, then stepped forward and shook hands with the two men one by one: "President Wang, President Hou, it's a pleasure to meet you."
President Wang and President Hou quickly stood up, warmly returning the handshake with honest smiles on their faces. Qin Hao couldn't help but admire Shen Mo's extensive network of connections. Just two days ago, he had mentioned to Shen Mo his desire to stockpile medical protective equipment, and he hadn't expected Shen Mo to find a suitable manufacturer for him so quickly.
After the group sat down, the waiter quickly brought out the dishes and drinks. Mr. Wang spoke first, without any unnecessary pleasantries, and went straight to the point, asking urgently, "Mr. Qin, how many N95 medical masks do you need? If it's too few, we'll have to wait until after the New Year, as my workers are about to go on holiday."
Qin Hao put down his wine glass, his expression turned serious, and he said firmly, "Mr. Wang, let me put it this way, as long as your masks are of good quality, I'll take as many as you have."
Mr. Wang and Mr. Hou exchanged a glance, then instinctively looked at Shen Mo, their eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty. Although they had been introduced by Shen Mo, they didn't know Qin Hao's capabilities, whether he could handle a large number of orders, or whether he could settle payments on time.
Seeing this, Shen Mo chuckled and said, "Don't let Qin's young age fool you into thinking he lacks ability. His net worth may not be higher than mine, but his cash flow is definitely greater!"
Upon hearing Shen Mo's words, the disdain on President Wang's face instantly vanished. He re-examined Qin Hao and his tone became polite: "Since President Shen has put it that way, then I'll be frank. If President Qin can afford 100,000 N95 masks, at three cents each, that price is absolutely the most favorable."
"One hundred thousand is too few." Qin Hao shook his head and said calmly, "At least three million!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the private room was stunned, staring at Qin Hao in disbelief. Shen Mo even paused, his wine glass still in his hand. He hadn't expected Qin Hao to want so many. Three million masks was no small amount; even a large hospital wouldn't use that many in a year.
Even the usually composed Jin Linsheng couldn't help but widen his eyes, his tone full of surprise: "President Qin, what do you need so many masks for?"
Qin Hao didn't explain, but simply shook his head and said firmly, "It's not just masks, but also protective suits and disinfectant, all produced to a capacity of one million units, with delivery by June at the latest. Can you handle this order?"
Mr. Wang and Mr. Hou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and hesitation in each other's eyes. After a moment of silence, Mr. Wang spoke up: "Mr. Qin, we can certainly handle such a large order. However, this means we won't be able to supply our existing manufacturers. Those manufacturers are long-term, long-term clients, and if we breach their contracts, we will suffer significant losses."
"As long as your product quality is excellent and you deliver on time, I can place additional orders for you after this batch is completed." Qin Hao waved his hand, appearing to be quite wealthy.
After a moment of contemplation, President Wang and President Hou did some mental calculations.
Mr. Hou hesitated before asking, "Excuse me, Mr. Qin, what exactly do you do?"
"You can search for Xingyao Media for live-streaming e-commerce," Qin Hao said calmly, without going into further details.
President Wang and President Hou quickly took out their phones and searched for "Xingyao Media". When they saw Xingyao Media's introduction, its sales of 32 billion yuan during the Spring Festival shopping festival, and the company's valuation, their gazes towards Qin Hao completely changed. They hadn't expected that this young man in front of them would be so capable.
Mr. Wang quickly put away his phone, a simple smile on his face, and said respectfully, "Mr. Qin is truly young and promising, I admire you! Okay, as long as Mr. Qin can settle the payment on time, all of our production capacity can be given to you, and we will definitely deliver on time."
President Hou quickly chimed in, "Yes, President Qin, we will definitely go all out, work overtime to produce, and ensure product quality. We will absolutely not let you down!"
Qin Hao smiled and extended his hand: "Then, shall we have a pleasant cooperation?"
"It's a pleasure to cooperate with you!" President Wang and President Hou quickly reached out and shook Qin Hao's hand tightly, their faces full of joy.
The dinner ended in a pleasant atmosphere. After the meal, Jin Linsheng offered to see President Wang and President Hou out and discuss the production details with them. Only Shen Mo and Qin Hao remained in the private room.
Shen Mo picked up the wine glass on the table, stared at Qin Hao with a face full of doubt, and asked urgently, "President Qin, can you tell me the truth now? Did you receive some advance notice? Otherwise, you wouldn't have stockpiled so many medical protective supplies all at once. This is not like your usual way of doing things."
Qin Hao smiled and shook his head, saying calmly, "President Shen, you're overthinking it."
Shen Mo scoffed, clearly not believing Qin Hao's words: "President Qin, stop trying to fool me. You're not in the medical supplies business, so why are you stockpiling so much stock and investing so much money? You can't really be doing charity, can you? There are only the two of us here. Tell me your ideas on how to make money, so I can earn some too."
Qin Hao sighed, feigning helplessness, and said, "President Shen, to be honest, I did receive some rumors, but I'm not sure what the specifics are. If the information is inaccurate, tens of millions could go down the drain, and I don't want to harm you."
Seeing that Qin Hao refused to speak, Shen Mo had no choice but to shake his head helplessly and watch Qin Hao leave the private room.
After Qin Hao left, Jin Linsheng returned to the private room. Seeing Shen Mo deep in thought, he quickly asked, "Well, Mr. Shen, did you find out why Mr. Qin is stockpiling so many medical protective supplies? Is there some way to make money from them?"
Shen Mo shook his head, saying with a hint of reluctance, "He won't say, he's very tight-lipped. But I'm sure this is definitely a chance to make a lot of money, otherwise, someone as shrewd as him wouldn't suddenly invest so much."
Jin Linsheng stroked his chin, lost in thought, and said with a puzzled tone, "What can you do to make money by hoarding medical supplies? Medical supplies aren't easy to sell right now, and the prices are relatively stable. Even if prices go up, you won't make much money."
"Wait, could it be like in 02..." Jin Linsheng's eyes suddenly lit up.
Shen Mo's eyes lit up, thinking that Jin Linsheng made sense, but then he shook his head again: "Even if it were true, we probably wouldn't need so many medical supplies, would we?"
"Then what should we do? Should we also stock up on a batch of goods?" Jin Linsheng asked hesitantly.
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Mo said, "If you have any spare cash, stock up on a batch. Medical supplies won't expire anytime soon. If all else fails, you can sell them at a loss; you won't lose much."
“Hmm, that makes sense.” Jin Linsheng nodded in agreement and said, “Then I’ll contact the manufacturers tomorrow and stock up on 100,000 masks, 10,000 doses of disinfectant and protective suits, and give it a try.”
The next morning, Qin Hao drove to Mr. Wang's mask factory and Mr. Hou's disinfectant factory for an on-site inspection. He carefully examined the factories' production equipment, production processes, and quality control procedures, and only felt relieved after confirming that the product quality met the requirements.
After the inspection, Qin Hao immediately signed a formal order contract with General Manager Wang and General Manager Hou, specifying the quantity of products, quality standards, delivery time, and payment amount.
After the contract was signed, Qin Hao did not hesitate at all and immediately transferred the deposit to the two of them through the bank.
"The deposit has already been paid to you two." Qin Hao looked at the two of them and said in a serious tone, "Production must be expedited and the goods must be delivered on time. If the delivery time is delayed, don't blame me for acting in accordance with the contract."
General Manager Wang and General Manager Hou immediately instructed the finance department to check the accounts. After confirming that the deposit had been received, they smiled with joy and repeatedly assured each other, "General Manager Qin, you can rest assured! We will work overtime during the Spring Festival and go all out to produce. We will definitely not delay your delivery time. Otherwise, with such a heavy penalty for breach of contract, we would be bankrupt."
Qin Hao nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the factory. After leaving President Hou's factory, Qin Hao immediately began looking for a warehouse. So many medical protective supplies needed a spacious, dry, well-ventilated, and safe warehouse, and its location also needed to be convenient for subsequent transportation and allocation.
Over the next few days, Qin Hao traveled throughout the city, comparing more than a dozen warehouses, and finally selected a large warehouse located in the suburbs. This warehouse was spacious, bright, well-ventilated, and dry, equipped with a complete security system and fire-fighting facilities, and was also conveniently located.
After finalizing the warehouse, Qin Hao arranged for a thorough disinfection and organization to ensure it met the requirements for storing medical supplies. He worked tirelessly until the day before New Year's Eve, and only then, with everything arranged, did Qin Hao finally feel a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.
He dragged his weary body to Liang Danning's place. Liang Danning had already started her vacation and had been staying home these past few days. Seeing Qin Hao's exhausted appearance, Liang Danning quickly went up to him and said with concern, "Didn't your company start its vacation a long time ago? What have you been busy with lately? Look how tired you are, you even have dark circles under your eyes."
As she spoke, Liang Danning pulled Qin Hao to sit on the sofa, letting him rest his head on her lap, and gently massaged Qin Hao's temples with slightly clumsy movements.
Qin Hao closed his eyes, enjoying Liang Danning's gentle massage. The fatigue of the past few days instantly vanished. He could clearly smell the faint fragrance emanating from Liang Danning and feel the softness and warmth of her thighs, filling his heart with tenderness and contentment. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
It was unclear how much time had passed before Qin Hao was gently awakened by Liang Danning.
"Qin Hao, wake up." Liang Danning's voice was gentle and soft: "You haven't slept well yet? It's already five o'clock in the afternoon, and my mom is waiting for us to go back for dinner. If we don't leave soon, my mom will get worried."
Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat dazed. He wrapped his arms around Liang Danning's waist, pressed his face against her soft belly, and said lazily, "I don't want to eat, I want to sleep, I'm so tired."
"You've been sleeping for so long, and you didn't eat lunch. Get up and eat something, then go back to sleep." Liang Danning soothed Qin Hao gently, as if coaxing a child, and stroked his hair lightly.
Qin Hao raised his head, looking at Liang Danning with burning eyes, his tone carrying a hint of coquetry and ambiguity: "I don't eat vegetables, I need strength."
"You're so annoying." Liang Danning said coquettishly, gently pushing Qin Hao's head, which kept climbing upwards, to the side. "Stop it, my mom will call to urge me later."
Seeing Liang Danning's shy expression, Qin Hao felt a surge of heat in his heart, a heat he desperately needed to extinguish. Ignoring her protests, he reached out and pulled her tightly into a hug, then pressed her down onto the sofa, lowering his head to kiss her. Liang Danning struggled a few times, but seeing Qin Hao's resolute attitude, she gradually gave up resisting.
Just as the atmosphere became increasingly ambiguous and the two were about to immerse themselves in tenderness, a jarring WeChat call ringtone suddenly sounded, like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the flames of passion that had been ignited in Qin Hao's heart.
Liang Danning couldn't help but laugh, gloating as she pushed Qin Hao away, picked up her phone, and said, "See, I told you my mom would call."
Qin Hao sighed helplessly and could only obediently get up, pack his things, and go with Liang Danning to her mother's house for the New Year.