Chapter 72: Advising Xiaoyu

Legion Ant Company started a buying spree. Because its early development was too fast, many sectors of the company were left blank.

With Chen Mo’s permission, Zhao Min directly used money to fill those gaps. She eventually set up an investment and mergers department and hired senior consultants to evaluate the value of companies targeted for acquisition.

Small automobile manufacturers, advertising companies, software development firms, parts production factories, sensor production companies… One company and factory after another was quickly brought under Legion Ant Company’s umbrella, averaging almost one every five days.

People in the market who noticed Legion Ant Company’s movements were confused. The acquisitions were too complex and covered too many fields, making it hard to understand the reasoning.

Online, from time to time, news spread about which company or factory Legion Ant Company had acquired. Many people had already become numb to it.

Some described Legion Ant Company as a bloated tycoon throwing money around recklessly, wasting resources and not understanding proper company development.

But they didn’t know that Legion Ant Company acquired these small businesses and factories mainly for experimental research and development. The company’s industrial park was still under construction, so they needed places to conduct R&D trials and expand the company’s scale.

Additionally, Legion Ant Company had already established a presence in major metropolitan cities across the country. They partnered with universities, invested in research teams, and absorbed talent.

Legion Ant Company lacked time and talent.

These issues could be solved with money, so they weren’t really problems. Zhao Min’s idea was simple: use money to buy development time.

The company’s current revenue streams were limited to Smart Assistant, Butterfly Eye Phone, Ant Office, and the advertising company they acquired. Advertising fees were earned through the Smart Assistant and Butterfly Eye platforms. On top of that, there were patent licensing fees for the Waterproof Interface.

As for the acquired companies and factories, except for transferring some capable talent to the headquarters, the rest maintained their original business structures and were partly independently managed.

Even if these factories couldn’t make money right away, at least the company didn’t have to lose money to keep them running. After more than a month of rapid expansion, the company had settled into a stable track, and the development issues were temporarily resolved.

The company’s foundation was complete, and it now had the potential to aim higher.

“Sister Zhao, you asked for me?” Xiaoyu walked into Zhao Min’s office and said. Xiaoyu looked a bit tired, not as energetic as when she first joined the company.

“Notify the advertising company to prepare the promotional plan for the second-generation Butterfly Eye Phone as quickly as possible,” Zhao Min said.

The second-generation Butterfly Eye Phone had been in preparation for production since Chen Mo handed over the design. The process was interrupted once due to the Smart Assistant development and later because of the smear campaign.

Now, the headquarters’ design and planning were finished, and construction had begun. She had assigned someone to follow up on the project’s progress.

The company’s expansion was also complete. With not much else going on and after all the preparation, it was time to launch the second phone.

“Okay, got it,” Xiaoyu nodded.

“Also, for this launch event, you’ll go to the publicity department and take charge of the preparations. You’ve been following me for a while and learned what you needed to. Now it’s time to gain experience and discover your shortcomings through practice,” Zhao Min said.

“Alright,” Xiaoyu nodded.

When she first joined the company, Chen Mo had Zhao Min guide her to familiarize her with the company’s operations and various tasks. She now knew how to handle major company matters, but without real experience, Zhao Min was giving her a platform to practice.

“Xiaoyu, one last lesson. As part of management, you need to know how to delegate. You don’t have to handle everything yourself, just like how your boyfriend bosses me around,” Zhao Min said.

“He bosses you around?” Xiaoyu asked, surprised.

After being with Zhao Min for so long, she had never seen Chen Mo order Zhao Min to do anything. In fact, Zhao Min was the one who asked her, as his girlfriend, to keep Chen Mo from stirring up trouble.

“You don’t get it, do you? High-level management sets the overall direction. The rest is left to the employees below—how they solve it is their job. That’s called delegating and testing employees’ abilities. You only need to make the final decision, whether to use their approach or not. That’s your job.

If their method is wrong and you still decide to use it, that’s your mistake in judgment—it tests the vision of upper management. You’re in a high position now; don’t define your role with low-level thinking. You don’t need to do everything yourself. Delegating and steering the company’s strategic direction is what management should do,” Zhao Min explained.

“I think I understand a little,” Xiaoyu said, half grasping it.

“I’ve never touched a single phone manufacturing machine. My daily work is reading documents, signing them, and managing personnel. Yet the company is thriving. Do you know why?” Zhao Min asked.

“I think I get it a bit. If a document’s proposal doesn’t align with your overall vision, you reject it and have the team redo it,” Xiaoyu said.

“Exactly. It’s like building a high-speed rail. The top says to build a route from the Capital to Donghai—that’s the big strategy. Then they’re done. They don’t handle route surveying, budgeting, or construction—it’s all given to the people below.

If the design and construction plans meet the requirements, the design gets approved. But if the proposed route doesn’t go from the Capital to Donghai as per the overall strategy, the top rejects it and tells the team to come up with a new plan until it fits the strategy.”

Zhao Min patiently taught Xiaoyu.

“Chen Mo is the one who sets the big strategy—the kind who talks without lifting a finger. I’m the one who checks if the path aligns with his strategy. The rest of the company’s employees are the basic construction workers. That’s what delegation and management are about.

Rich people don’t do much; they just talk and still make money because they only need to point in the right money-making direction, and the people below make it happen. Just like Daddy Ma.”

“Got it.”

Xiaoyu burst into laughter at the mention of Daddy Ma, surprised by Zhao Min’s humor.

“Good, you understand. Let go of your worries and be bold in your actions. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Don’t hold back just because you’re the Chairman’s girlfriend. In your position, even if you make a mistake, the loss won’t be huge, and it’ll give you experience. I won’t blame you, and he definitely won’t either. With such a great platform, you have an advantage over others.”

Xiaoyu had been under her guidance for a long time, and Zhao Min understood some of Xiaoyu’s concerns.

Everyone in the company knew she was the Chairman’s girlfriend, so it was easy for others to label her as someone who got ahead through connections.

This became an invisible burden for her.

Because she was the Chairman’s girlfriend, she felt she couldn’t make mistakes and had to perform even better. If she slipped up, people would surely confirm that she only rose due to her relationship.

Even if they didn’t say it openly, they’d think it privately.

So, since following Zhao Min, Xiaoyu always handled tasks personally and aimed for perfection, unwilling to make even a small mistake.

The title of “Chairman’s girlfriend” brought her a lot of pressure, though Xiaoyu usually didn’t show it and bore it alone. She was a girl with a soft exterior but a strong will.

“Okay.”

Xiaoyu nodded. After Zhao Min’s words, she felt enlightened. Even as Chen Mo’s girlfriend, she was still herself—the one and only Xiaoyu.

Thinking of this, Xiaoyu’s heart seemed to lighten. Her face regained its energy, and she looked much more confident.

“Go ahead and notify everyone about the second-generation Butterfly Eye. The launch event is in your hands,” Zhao Min said.

“Thank you, Sister Zhao.” Xiaoyu smiled gratefully at Zhao Min, then turned and left the office.