Chapter 70: Prepared
Chapter 70: Prepared
The dinner was rich. Besides his best dishes and a pot of Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup, Li Zian also used sliced salmon and mustard bought from the supermarket to make a Japanese-style sashimi.
Tang Qing left after dinner. Li Zian saw her out the door.
“Xiao Tang, you’ve worked hard these past few days,” Li Zian said words of thanks.
Tang Qing smiled. “Brother Zian, why are you being so polite to me? Hurry back inside.”
“Then take care on your way.”
“Mm, goodbye.” Tang Qing smiled at Li Zian once more before turning and leaving.
If only Yu Meilin were as gentle as her.
Li Zian closed the door and returned to the living room. Kun Li was talking with Yu Meilin about company matters. Li Xiaomei sat on the carpet beside the sofa again, unboxing a new Barbie Doll. He went to his Little Cotton-padded Jacket’s side and also sat on the carpet to play with her, while listening to Kun Li and Yu Meilin speak.
“Those guys are really infuriating. When I watch them, they pretend to work. As soon as I turn my back, they change—some browse the internet, some knit sweaters, some chat, and some even team up to play Honor of Kings. It made me so angry, I really wanted to beat them up!” Kun Li looked very upset.
Yu Meilin said, “I came back for two things. One is to get a bank loan to deal with the upcoming debts. The other is to replace the staff at the company. Those people still dream of returning to the Dajiang Group and living that comfortable life where they get paid without working. There’s no need to keep them anymore.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“You go recruit talent at the job market. I’ll handle the firing here.”
Kun Li said worriedly, “Firing so many people at once will definitely lead to lawsuits.”
Yu Meilin said coldly, “Labor lawsuits at most mean paying compensation. It’s better to have a short, sharp pain than a long dull one. New Star Company needs people who actually work if it wants to take off.”
Kun Li thought for a moment and said, “I’ll call the Legal Affairs Officer right now and have him prepare.”
Yu Meilin said, “Go ahead and call. I’m going to the company first thing tomorrow morning. I want to see his draft on my desk.”
Kun Li nodded, took out her Mobile Phone, and prepared to make the call.
Li Zian turned his head and glanced at the two women, saying lightly, “Why make it so complicated?”
The two women shifted their gazes to Li Zian.
“Zian, do you have a better way?” Yu Meilin’s eyes were full of expectation.
Kun Li, however, had an expression of disbelief.
Li Zian said, “Isn’t there a warehouse next to the office building?”
Kun Li couldn’t help interrupting Li Zian. “This is about firing people to replace the company’s staff. Why are you bringing up the warehouse?”
Li Zian slightly furrowed his brow. “Why are you so impatient? Can you let me finish?”
Kun Li’s lips moved. The words reached her mouth but she swallowed them back.
“Zian, speak quickly.” Yu Meilin was eager to hear Li Zian’s idea.
After this trip to Yun Di, Li Zian’s image in her mind had completely changed.
Li Zian said, “If you fire so many people at once, and those people are all former Dajiang Group employees, once you fire them all, Yu Jiahao will definitely encourage them to cause trouble. Fighting lawsuits with them costs money and effort, creates a bunch of trouble, and the impact isn’t good either. If you fire so many people without a proper reason, the compensation will also be a huge sum. New Star Company is short on money anyway, so why spend that wasteful money?”
“Then what do you suggest?” Yu Meilin asked.
Li Zian smiled. “Didn’t I just mention the warehouse? We can make use of that warehouse. Meilin, you don’t need to fire those people at all. You’re the Boss. You just need to transfer them to different positions. Send them to the warehouse to work as loaders, on a piece-rate system—earn money based on how much work they do. Buy their insurance at the lowest level. Make that Ma Chuan the foreman. Tell him to be fierce, to scold anyone he catches, to scold them harshly. This way, how many of those people do you think could stick it out?”
Yu Meilin’s beautiful eyes immediately lit up. Her heart also felt like clouds parting to see sunlight. She said excitedly, “They won’t be able to stick it out! I won’t need to fire them; they’ll resign on their own!”
Kun Li laughed. “Wow, you’re really wicked.”
Li Zian frowned. “Watch your language. My daughter is right here.”
Kun Li’s smile immediately froze on her face. She said awkwardly, “That… sorry.”
Li Xiaomei crawled up, walked to Kun Li’s side, and said in a childish voice, “Aunt Xiaoli, you said a bad word. I’m going to slap your hand.”
Kun Li obediently stretched out her hand, palm open, and presented it to Li Xiaomei.
Li Xiaomei used her small hand to hit Kun Li’s palm, scolding her in an adult tone while hitting, “Will you say bad words again in the future?”
Kun Li held back her laughter. “No, no more.”
Li Zian said, “Xiaomei, come with Dad upstairs. It’s about time to wash up and sleep.”
Li Xiaomei returned to Li Zian’s side and opened her arms. “Daddy, carry me.”
Li Zian bent down and picked up Li Xiaomei. He shook her as he walked. “You’ve grown fatter again. You’re so heavy.”
Li Xiaomei giggled. “I’ve grown up.”
Yu Meilin watched the father and daughter go upstairs, her eyes unusually gentle.
Li Zian attended to his Little Cotton-padded Jacket’s washing up, putting her to bed, and told her a bedtime story. He only left the room and went downstairs after Little Cotton-padded Jacket fell asleep.
Kun Li had already left. Yu Meilin was still sitting on the Sofa. It seemed she wanted to talk with him.
Li Zian walked over. He also wanted to talk with her about that West Point Military Academy’s Hank Baynes.
A smile played on Yu Meilin’s lips. “How is your Studio with Mu Chuntao going?”
It seemed she wanted to talk with him about Mu Chuntao.
A smile also touched Li Zian’s lips. “My Studio is different from your company. Mine is the kind of business that doesn’t make money for three years, but makes enough to live for three years once it does.”
“I heard you say before that when you offered to share the money with her, she didn’t want it. Then you set a salary of fifty thousand a month for her. Have you paid her yet?”
“No, it hasn’t been a month yet.”
“Even if you tried to pay her, I doubt she would take it. It’s not money she wants. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she take the money you offered to share?”
Li Zian suddenly remembered the cosmetics he bought for Mu Chuntao. Good thing she didn’t know.
“A woman opens a Studio with a man. If she doesn’t care about money, then what does she care about? Tell me.” Yu Meilin stared at Li Zian, waiting for his answer.
The word “friendship” popped into Li Zian’s mind, but he couldn’t say it out loud. He didn’t even believe it himself; how could he expect a woman like Yu Meilin to believe it?
Yu Meilin frowned. “Can’t you answer?”
Li Zian said, “How can you be sure she won’t take my salary? You’re asking me about something that hasn’t happened. How can I answer you?”
“I’m trying to have a proper conversation with you.” Yu Meilin was a bit displeased with Li Zian’s attitude.
Li Zian smiled. “I’m also having a proper conversation with you. I’m not arguing with you.”
“In Yun Di, everything was fine. I asked you to come home just a few days ago, and now it feels like you’re different from before. You and Mu Chuntao…” Yu Meilin didn’t finish her sentence. She stared at Li Zian, observing the changes in his expression.
Li Zian said calmly, “If you have something to say, say it directly. No need to test me or beat around the bush.”
Yu Meilin hesitated before speaking. “Zian, is there something going on between you and Mu Chuntao?”
“Something going on between us?” Li Zian countered.
Yu Meilin slightly frowned. “Do I really have to spell it out?”
“Of course you should spell it out. Married couples should be open and honest with each other. It’s not good to keep secrets in your heart. Do you have any secrets?” Li Zian fired back.
Yu Meilin’s expression changed noticeably. Her tone softened a bit. “Zian, we were talking about your Studio and Mu Chuntao. Why are you dragging secrets into this?”
A faint smile appeared on Li Zian’s lips.
You pretend. I’ll just watch you pretend.
“I’m actually not suspecting that something is going on between you two, after all, you haven’t known each other for long. I’m just worried…” Yu Meilin didn’t finish.
“What are you worried about?”
“I’m a bit uneasy about your face. You might not be thinking in that direction, but she might not be the same.” She said what was on her mind.
Such words, if applied to other men, would most likely be insincere. But when applied to Li Zian, they could be used as textbook material.
When a woman is beautiful, men will think about her. Even after marriage, some will try to flirt with her.
It’s the same for men. If a man looks as handsome as Pan An, outside flowers and grasses will also come to tempt him.
Crescent Moon Village’s Wu Yanzu was already married. If he remained a farmer, Yu Meilin wouldn’t have to worry. But now he had become a Master. Just casually doing a divination earned him two million in divination fee. She couldn’t even borrow ten million from the bank, but Crescent Moon Village’s Wu Yanzu borrowed twenty million with just one phone call. A man like this, and she hadn’t… collected his… homework. How could she feel at ease?
Li Zian smiled. “You definitely have more to say. Wait until you finish, then I’ll speak.”
“I don’t want you to run the Studio with her. Come with me to New Star Company. With your ability, you could easily handle the vice president position.” Yu Meilin looked at Li Zian with expectant eyes.
Li Zian shook his head. “Four years ago, when I married into the Yu Family, people in the village said I was a man who lived off his wife. I don’t want to come here and still be called a man who lives off his wife. I won’t go to your company to be some vice president. I’ll run my own Studio.”
“Then you can’t run it with Mu Chuntao. If you found a male partner, I wouldn’t mind.” Yu Meilin said.
Li Zian said calmly, “That won’t work either. We cooperate very well. All those connections I have, all the money I’ve earned, came through her introductions. Firing her for no reason would be burning the bridge after crossing the river. I can’t do something like that.”
“You…” Yu Meilin was angered.
Li Zian looked at her. For some reason, seeing her angry gave him a sense of “revenge” pleasure.
Yu Meilin took a deep breath. “You still say there’s nothing between you? That day I called you, you were clearly in her car, but you told me it was a Ride-Hailing Car. Could a Ride-Hailing Car have the Engine sound of a Ferrari?”
Li Zian was stunned. He didn’t expect Yu Meilin to be so sneaky, actually judging from the Engine sound that he was in Mu Chuntao’s car. And she had said so much just now without revealing it, only breaking it out after failing to persuade him to dissolve the Studio. It seemed she came prepared!
He didn’t need to calculate with his fingers to know that tonight, there would definitely be a battle with this fake wife.