novelonline Chapter 1547 Helen Joe
Chapter 1547 Helen Joe
The next morning, Ruijing Consulting's office area was already bustling with activity. The sounds of keyboards clicking and documents turning mingled together, conveying the unique tension and energy of the workplace. Tao Ling sat at her workstation, organizing the documents in her hands while glancing enviously at Xiao Yang's group next door.
The members of Xiao Yang's team all wore expressions of joy, their faces beaming with undisguised smiles. Tao Ling sighed softly and said to Qiao Hailun beside her, "It seems that they have secured the big order from Xingyao Yanxuan almost completely."
Hearing this, Qiao Hailun followed her gaze and looked over with a helpless expression: "Sigh, there's no use being envious. Our boss is still on his honeymoon in Europe. We should just wait for President Li to come back and then work hard for him."
“But Mr. Li’s honeymoon will last at least a month,” Tao Ling frowned.
Qiao Hailun frowned as well. In the workplace, performance is the foundation of confidence. If there is no performance for a long time, not only will her income be affected, but she may even be marginalized by the company. But she had no choice. Without Li Dongming leading the team, her subordinates could not get any quality resources and could only do some trivial tasks to maintain their basic work.
Just as the two were talking in hushed tones, their voices filled with helplessness and envy, Xiao Yang suddenly walked out of his office with a triumphant smile on his face: "Xiao Qian, is the contract with President Qin ready? Check it carefully, make sure there are no mistakes."
Xiao Qian quickly stood up, a respectful smile on his face, and said, "It's ready, Mr. Xiao. I've checked it carefully three times, and all the terms are in order. The legal department has also given it a preliminary review."
"Good, well done." Xiao Yang nodded in satisfaction, then quickly instructed, "Quickly call the legal department and have them wait for me in the conference room. President Qin will be here soon."
"Okay, Mr. Xiao, I'll go right away." Xiao Qian replied quickly and turned to run towards the legal department.
After giving his instructions, Xiao Yang straightened his suit, put on a polite smile, and jogged to the company reception desk, his eyes fixed on the elevator, afraid of missing Qin Hao. Not long after, Qin Hao appeared at the elevator with two senior executives.
"President Qin, welcome to Ruijing Consulting. You must be tired from your journey. Please come in." Xiao Yang quickly stepped forward, extending his hand warmly, his tone respectful and enthusiastic.
Qin Hao nodded slightly, extended his hand, and gently shook hands with Xiao Yang: "Thank you for your help, Mr. Xiao."
The group marched through the office area, and the employees in the office area subconsciously stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to Qin Hao and his group, their eyes full of curiosity.
Qin Hao's gaze casually swept across the office area. When he saw a well-proportioned female employee, his eyes lingered for a few seconds. The female employee was wearing a smart business suit, had a slender figure, and a delicate profile. She was busy with her work.
The female employee noticed Qin Hao's gaze and subconsciously looked up, giving him a slightly puzzled look. Only after Qin Hao and his group entered the conference room and closed the door did Qiao Hailun slowly withdraw her gaze, still with a hint of doubt on her face.
Just then, a female colleague came over, her eyes shining, and said excitedly, "That handsome guy just now was so charismatic! He's good-looking and has such a strong presence, he must be a rich kid, right?"
Just as Qiao Hailun was about to agree, she heard Tao Ling beside her say with a hint of smugness, "What rich second generation? He's a standard first-generation entrepreneur."
"A first-generation entrepreneur?" The female colleague paused for a moment, a look of surprise on her face.
"Have you heard of Xingyao Yanxuan?" Tao Ling raised an eyebrow: "He is Qin Hao, the CEO of Xingyao Yanxuan."
Qiao Hailun's eyes widened, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face. She quickly said, "Xingyao Yanxuan? Is that the Xingyao Yanxuan that insisted on selling N95 masks at the original price during the pandemic, without raising prices, and even donated protective clothing to frontline medical staff for free?"
"Yes, it's him." Tao Ling nodded, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "Do you know how much Xingyao Yanxuan was valued at in its Series A funding round?"
Several colleagues nearby gathered around upon hearing this, their faces showing curiosity, and urged each other, "How much? Tao Ling, tell us quickly, don't keep us in suspense."
"Yeah, hurry up and say it."
Tao Ling chuckled and slowly held up five fingers, her tone tinged with pride: "Fifty billion! Xingyao Yanxuan's Series A funding round valued the company at a full fifty billion RMB!"
"Fifty billion?" Qiao Hailun was startled by the number. She subconsciously raised her voice, then quickly lowered it, her face full of disbelief: "Impossible, right? How could a live-streaming e-commerce company be worth so much money?"
Tao Ling curled her lip, her tone tinged with disdain: "You just don't understand. Xingyao Yanxuan is not an ordinary live-streaming e-commerce company. Its sales exceeded 10 billion last year, and what's even more terrifying is that its profit margin is extremely high, with a net profit of 11.8%."
She paused, then continued, "In other words, Xingyao Yanxuan's net income from live-streaming e-commerce alone is 11.8 billion yuan a year, not including the revenue from commercial orders and brand collaborations received by its contracted anchors. According to industry estimates, Xingyao Yanxuan's total annual revenue will not be less than 13 billion yuan."
"My God, that's amazing!" The surrounding colleagues all showed shocked expressions and started discussing among themselves, their voices full of amazement: "An annual income of 13 billion is too scary. This President Qin is too amazing. He has achieved so much at such a young age."
"No wonder President Xiao values him so much. He's such a big client. If we can secure the Xingyao Yanxuan order, President Xiao's performance this year will definitely be guaranteed."
Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Tao Ling felt even more smug. However, Qiao Hailun frowned and asked with some suspicion, "Tao Ling, Xingyao Yanxuan isn't a listed company and doesn't publish financial reports. Where did you get this data from? You didn't just hear about it, did you?"
“Although Xingyao Yanxuan doesn’t publish its financial statements, it did have a professional financial audit when it raised funds. Our company also spent a lot of effort collecting this audit data.” Tao Ling put away her smugness and said in a calm tone, “Otherwise, how do you think our company spends so much money on data every year? This core data is the key to our consulting reports and the capital that allows Ruijing to stand firm in the industry.”
"I see, thank you Tao Ling, I've learned another trick." Qiao Hailun said quickly, her tone full of sincere gratitude.
But the moment Qiao Hailun said that, Tao Ling's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a barely perceptible wariness. She inwardly cursed herself for being so smug. Although she and Qiao Hailun had already been promoted and weren't currently in direct competition, who could predict what would happen in the workplace? The company was full of talented people, and the competition was fierce. If the company were to lay off employees in the future and she had to choose between her and Qiao Hailun, the more Qiao Hailun knew, the more disadvantageous it would be for her.
"You're welcome," Tao Ling said perfunctorily, her face expressionless. She turned around and returned to her workstation, burying her head in her work without saying another word to Qiao Hailun.
Qiao Hailun was taken aback by Tao Ling's sudden cold attitude. She was puzzled and didn't know what she had said wrong, but she didn't dare to ask too many questions. She could only shake her head helplessly and return to her workstation.
Meanwhile, in the conference room, the atmosphere was extremely tense. Qin Hao and Xiao Yang were engaged in heated negotiations over the terms of the contract, each sticking to their own version of events and refusing to yield.
Qin Hao sat in his chair, leaning back slightly: "Mr. Xiao, to be honest, the reason I agreed to sign a contract with you is because of Ruijing Consulting's data collection capabilities. You do have certain advantages in industry data collection and organization."
"As for industry analysis and internal management advice, to put it bluntly, you may not be as professional as I am. I myself come from a consulting background, and I understand Xingyao Yanxuan's development direction and operating model better than you do. Therefore, your service fees must be reduced by another 10%, otherwise, there is no need for us to continue negotiating this contract."
Xiao Yang sat opposite him, a troubled look on his face, secretly racking his brains. He could compromise on the other terms, but as a junior partner, his authority wasn't enough to offer a bigger discount on fees. To reduce the service fee by 10%, he had to report to the company boss and get his approval, and such opportunities were rare.
Xiao Yang took a deep breath and forced a smile: "President Qin, I understand your request very well. It's just that I really can't make a decision about the cost. Why don't you rest for a while, have a cup of coffee, and I'll go and ask my boss to try to get you the best possible price."
Qin Hao looked up at him, pointed to the minute hand on his watch, and said, "Ten minutes. I hope to hear good news from you."
"Okay, okay! Mr. Qin, don't worry, I will give you an answer within ten minutes."
Xiao Yang nodded hastily, but inwardly cursed: These first-generation entrepreneurs who climbed up from the bottom are really hard to deal with. Not only are they sharp-eyed, but they're also so assertive, showing no mercy whatsoever. He didn't dare delay, so he quickly stood up, strode out of the conference room, dialed his boss's number, and urgently reported the situation.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Yang rushed back to the conference room and said excitedly, "President Qin, I've communicated with the boss repeatedly, and he's finally agreed to your request. The service fee will be reduced by 10%, and we will also provide additional value-added services for Xingyao Yanxuan to fully support its development. I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
Qin Hao looked at him, a faint smile on his face, and extended his hand: "Pleasure doing business with you."
Xiao Yang quickly reached out and tightly grasped Qin Hao's hand, finally feeling a weight lifted from his heart.
He had originally planned to invite Qin Hao to have a meal together, have a good chat, solidify their relationship, and lay the foundation for long-term cooperation in the future. But before he could speak, Qin Hao stood up and said in a calm tone, "President Xiao, there are still many things to take care of at the company."
"Next time, I'll treat you, and we'll have a proper drink together."
Xiao Yang felt a little regretful, but he couldn't force the issue, so he could only nod and say with a smile, "Okay, okay! Then I won't keep President Qin from working any longer. I'll see you out."
As Xiao Yang accompanied Qin Hao out of the conference room, passing through the office area, Xiao Yang keenly noticed that Qin Hao's gaze seemed to linger on one of Li Dongming's team members for a few seconds.
Xiao Yang subconsciously glanced at Qiao Hailun, secretly wondering: She's quite pretty, with a good temperament, but not particularly stunning; however, her figure is definitely quite good. Could it be that she likes this type?
He thought for a moment, then shook his head—he remembered that President Qin's girlfriend, Liang Danning, didn't seem to be this type. Could he have been mistaken?
Just as Xiao Yang was lost in thought, Qin Hao had already stepped into the elevator. He waved to Xiao Yang and said in a calm tone, "Mr. Xiao, please wait a moment."
"President Qin, please take care!" Xiao Yang waved hurriedly, with a respectful smile on his face. Only after the elevator doors closed did he slowly turn his gaze away.
After seeing Qin Hao off, Xiao Yang could no longer contain his excitement and clenched his fist.
His team members also gathered around, high-fiving each other in celebration, their faces beaming with elation, and cheers echoed throughout the office area.
"Great! Mr. Xiao, we've finally closed this deal!"
"Mr. Xiao is amazing! Our performance this year is guaranteed!"
Seeing everyone's excitement, Xiao Yang smiled with satisfaction and said loudly, "Everyone has worked hard lately. You've all stayed up a lot of nights and put in a lot of effort. Don't leave after get off work today, it's on me."
"Long live President Xiao! President Xiao is so generous!" The cheers of the team members grew even louder, and the entire office area was infected by their joy. Meanwhile, the members of Li Dongming's team next door looked at this scene with envy and helplessness in their eyes.
Xiao Yang returned to his office, closed the door, thought for a moment, and then dialed Li Dongming's overseas call.
The phone rang a few times before being answered. Li Dongming's yawning voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is it?"
Xiao Yang smiled and said excitedly, "Dongming, it's me, Xiao Yang. Sorry, I forgot it's midnight where you are, but I have some good news that I have to tell you right away: I got the Xingyao Yanxuan order!"
Upon hearing this, Li Dongming instantly sobered up considerably. He subconsciously glanced at Zhao Mei, who was already fast asleep beside him, then gently got up and walked to the balcony, feeling somewhat depressed. If it weren't for Zhao Mei's opposition to his contact with Qin Hao, this deal should have been his.
"Congratulations, Lao Xiao."
Xiao Yang said with a smile, "Dongming, don't worry. As we agreed before, you get half of the bonus. I'll transfer it to you as soon as the bonus is paid out."
"Come on," Li Dongming smiled, his tone softening a bit. "It's just a small bonus. You should keep it for yourself. Besides, I didn't do anything."
“That’s not how it works,” Xiao Yang said firmly. “I reckon that the reason President Qin agreed to sign with me was partly because of your wife, Zhao Mei. After all, Zhao Mei and President Qin’s girlfriend are best friends, and that relationship is quite important. Besides, maintaining our relationship with President Qin in the future might depend on your wife’s connections, so giving you half of the bonus is only fair.”
Seeing Xiao Yang's firm attitude, Li Dongming couldn't refuse any longer and could only reluctantly agree: "Alright then, I'll bring you a gift when I return to China."
"Oh, I'll have to look forward to it then." Xiao Yang said with a smile, and just as he was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered what he had seen in the office area earlier, and quickly asked, "By the way, Dongming, what's the name of that team member in your group who has a really great figure?"
Li Dongming paused for a moment, then asked in a puzzled tone, "What kind of group member has a particularly good figure?"
"They are the two new members of your team who were just promoted to full-time positions in the first half of the year. One of them is slim and quite pretty."
Li Dongming frowned: "Newly promoted? Has a great figure? Is her name Qiao Hailun?"
“Yes, yes! I think her name is Qiao Hailun.” Xiao Yang nodded quickly: “There were too many people in the office area just now, and I didn’t dare to look at her. I just caught a glimpse of her by chance, and I felt that President Qin treated her a little differently.”
"Qiao Hailun?" Li Dongming frowned, his tone tinged with doubt. "She doesn't seem to be particularly beautiful, just average-looking. How could President Qin have noticed her?"
"I don't know either, maybe I saw it wrong." Xiao Yang smiled and said, "Alright, I won't disturb your rest anymore. You can continue sleeping. When you come back to China, I'll treat you two to dinner to celebrate."
“Okay, it’s a deal,” Li Dongming said. “Bye.”
After hanging up the phone, Li Dongming stood on the balcony, feeling somewhat puzzled. He took out his phone, opened the company's internal website, found the employee information section, and opened Qiao Hailun's resume.
The resume shows Qiao Hailun wearing a business suit, with a shy smile and delicate features, but her figure is not noticeable.
"It doesn't seem like anything special." Li Dongming muttered to himself, frowning. "Never mind, maybe Xiao Yang really did see it wrong."
He shook his head, put away his phone, turned around and went back to the room, gently lay down next to Zhao Mei, and continued to sleep.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Dongming, Zhao Mei, and Liang Danning returned to Guangzhou after their honeymoon in Europe. Having all taken a month-long leave, adjusted to the time difference for a day, and rested for a night, they went back to their respective jobs.
Liang Danning returned to Guster and had just sat down at her workstation to tidy up her things when Xu Yuntian's assistant called her to his office.
Zhao Mei didn't pay much attention at first, but not long after, Liang Danning came out of Xu Yuntian's office with a terribly gloomy face.
Seeing this, Zhao Mei quickly stood up, walked briskly to her side, and asked in confusion, "Dan Ning, what's wrong? What did Xu Yuntian say to you?"
Liang Danning said dejectedly, "President Xu said that I didn't maintain good relationships with the clients he assigned to me before, and those clients all complained to him. Starting this month, he will transfer all the clients I have to Dong Yue."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei's expression changed instantly. Her first reaction was anger, and she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "What the hell? Does Old Xu not want to work anymore?"
"Wait, did he hear something?"
Liang Danning nodded slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness and sorrow: "I guess so."
"That old Xu is going too far!" Zhao Mei said in a low voice, "Isn't he afraid that you and Qin Hao will get back together, and then Qin Hao will come after him?"
Liang Danning glanced in the direction of Xu Yuntian's office and said quietly, "Perhaps he has already sounded out Qin Hao?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei was startled and quickly grabbed Liang Danning's hand, saying urgently, "Come on, Danning, go find Qin Hao right now, beg him to apologize, and have a good talk with him. After so many years of relationship, I don't believe he won't remember any of our past feelings!"
However, Liang Danning forcefully shook off Zhao Mei's hand, stubbornly standing in place with a firm gaze, unwavering in the slightest.
Seeing her stubbornness, Zhao Mei earnestly advised, "Danning, don't be so stubborn! It's not shameful for a woman to act cute or charming."
“But what’s the point of that?” Liang Danning shook her head with a wry smile.
Zhao Mei felt like her head was about to explode. She looked at Liang Danning and said urgently, "Danning, I know it's inappropriate to say this, but the truth is, Qin Hao is indeed better than you in many ways. A woman has to pay a price for marrying someone of higher status, and besides, there aren't any fundamental issues between you two..."
“No, this is a matter of principle,” Liang Danning said firmly, her eyes resolute. “What I want is an equal love. I don’t want to become humble or lose my sense of self just because he is better off than me.”
Zhao Mei opened her mouth, wanting to continue persuading, but when she met Liang Danning's stubborn gaze, she swallowed her words. She knew that her best friend, seemingly gentle, was actually strong-willed, and once she made up her mind, she wouldn't easily change it.
“If you still consider me a sister, then don’t go looking for him,” Liang Danning said firmly, looking at Zhao Mei.
Seeing Liang Danning's determined gaze, Zhao Mei knew she couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she could only nod helplessly: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you and won't look for him."
Liang Danning looked at Zhao Mei and finally managed a faint smile: "Don't worry, I got through it before without his help, didn't I? At worst, we can just start over. It's no big deal."
……
Meanwhile, in the private rooms of Night Bar, the lights were on and the atmosphere was lively.
Shen Mo put his arm around Dong Yue's shoulder and walked into the private room. With a warm smile on his face, he introduced Dong Yue to Qin Hao, who was sitting on the sofa, saying, "President Qin, you should have met Dong Yue before, right? I hope you can take good care of him in the future."
Qin Hao glanced at Dong Yue, a faint smile on his face, and said half-jokingly, "President Shen, this is the first time you've asked me for a favor, so I'll certainly give you that face. But there has to be a reason, right?"
Dong Yue stood to the side, looking a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and didn't say anything.
Shen Mo patted Dong Yue on the shoulder and said with a smile, "President Qin, stop teasing him. Dong Yue is very capable, has a calm personality, and most importantly, he can keep our Shen Xing in check."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao couldn't help but chuckle to himself. No wonder Shen Mo, as her father, had a headache. Shen Xing was practically a rich second-generation version of a frivolous young woman. Although she hadn't done anything illegal or disorderly, she spent her days hanging out in bars and nightclubs, neglecting her duties, and frequently asking Shen Mo for money to tip gigolos.
It's estimated that Shen Mo has been racking his brains to find a reliable son-in-law for his daughter. Dong Yue is indeed good in every way, with outstanding abilities and a good personality. Most importantly, he came from the countryside to Guangzhou to make a living without any connections, so he can only rely on his father-in-law in the future.
It just goes to show how pitiful parents are.
After a few words of conversation, the atmosphere became even more relaxed. Then, Shen Mo picked up his glass and said to Qin Hao, "Mr. Qin, I'm planning to open another bar. The location has been chosen, and the decoration plan has been finalized. The only issue is that I need some financial support. Are you interested in joining me as a shareholder?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao smiled and said casually, "Sure, it's no big deal. Prepare the contract, I'll take a look, and if there are no problems, we'll do it your way."
This level of investment was insignificant to Qin Hao. However, business is business, so he still needed to review the contract first.
"Great! Mr. Qin, you're really a friend!" Shen Mo smiled happily and quickly raised his glass: "Mr. Qin, let me toast you."
Qin Hao picked up his wine glass, lightly clinked it against his, and drank it all in one gulp.
Standing to the side, Dong Yue watched as the two finalized an investment of several million with just a few words, and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself—is this how the wealthy do business? So effortlessly, so casually, investing millions as if it were buying a piece of clothing for an ordinary person, without the slightest hesitation. He secretly resolved to make something of himself. (End of Chapter)