Chapter 95

Wu Di's shocking words naturally drew a round of criticism from the two women, and he received several playful punches. Perhaps feeling that he had explained himself, the two women were quite relaxed, even Wen Lan showed her coquettish side. However, this also made Wu Di's resolve even stronger. Every frown and smile was captivating, and he thought to himself, "Such a charming girl, I, Wu Di, will take her in!"

After a bit of playful banter, the three of them cut and ate a watermelon. Seeing Wu Di's face covered in juice, Meng Yao teased him again. At this moment, Wu Di's phone rang; it was Zhong Qi.

"Xiao Wu, where are you? If you're free, come over. I'll show you Qi Shao's company, and if it's suitable, we'll finalize it."

Wu Di took the opportunity to bid farewell to the two women. Meng Yao blinked her big eyes and gave him a flirtatious look.

"Xiao Wu, if you come back early tonight, remember to bring a boxed meal for your big sister."

Wu Di made a face of disgust and closed the door before Meng Yao could get angry.

As soon as Wu Di left, Wen Lan turned to the deflated Meng Yao and said,

"Sigh, is it impossible for men and women to have a pure friendship?"

"It's possible, but usually, it ends up in bed, naked and very pure."

"Yao—Yao—"

"Anyway, I don't think this guy will give up. Actually, it's not bad. A little flirtation, someone to vent to when you're unhappy, and you can kick him out when you're tired of him."

"I feel like some people are speaking sarcastically. Is it that piece of fuchun jade that moved Miss Fuchun's heart?"

"Calling me Miss Fuchun! I think some people can't stand the loneliness. Come to my room and go online, but don't mess around, or my heart will race!"

The two women bickered and played together.

Wu Di hurried to the Donghuan International in Guomao, where Zhong Qi had been waiting for him. A handsome young man was with him, who smiled at Wu Di as soon as he saw him.

"Xiao Wu, right? I'm Qi Shaodong, your fourth brother's best friend! I heard you're interested in the jade business, and you've really helped me out of a big trouble."

"Hehe, I don't want to mess around all day. I need to find something to do, right? Has my fourth brother talked it over with you? What else do you need, Qi Shao?"

"Calling me Qi Shao is a slap in the face. Call me Dong Ge. This Zhong Qi really helped you, even talked me into giving up some of my properties. No way, lunch is on me, but dinner is on you!"

"Xiao Wu, take a look. This floor is over 4,000 square meters, all part of the company. Add two stores and some inventory, and it's a total of 400 million. Cheap, right?"

Cheap? Wu Di's smile froze. 400 million! Besides the 150 million on his card, where would he get the remaining 250 million? He never realized money could be so hard to come by. The house was fine, with the glass jade to help, but now he would have to take on a huge debt, assuming they were willing to let him owe it!

"What's wrong, short on cash? If you don't use this rich man, I'll change my mind after today."

Qi Shaodong was indeed a bit reluctant to part with the properties in Guomao. This was a scarce resource, and the price was rising every day.

"Don't worry, your big brother has it all sorted out! If you really can't pay, just give me a couple of your treasures."

Zhong Qi patted Wu Di's shoulder generously, his eyes gleaming. Wu Di felt dizzy. What kind of people were these? Spending 400 million without even asking him? If it weren't for the Heavenly Book, he couldn't even pay back if he sold himself! He was extremely suspicious that Zhong Qi was eyeing his treasures and had teamed up with Qi Shaodong to trick him.

Wu Di toured the company with Qi Shaodong. The jewelry company only occupied about 1,000 square meters, the rest was rented out. Wu Di realized that the 400 million was not a bad deal at all. Just the property itself, listed at 300 million, would have many takers, and 350 million would likely find a buyer. Not to mention the two stores, both of which were his own properties, with the Xidan store being nearly 1,000 square meters!

Wu Di casually flipped through the various documents and suggested visiting the stores. Qi Shaodong smiled.

"We go for the high-end market, and the stores mainly target mid-to-low-end customers. There won't be many people, but the annual profit is decent. If it weren't for the constant noise, this Zhong Qi wouldn't have gotten such a good deal."

In fact, Qi Shaodong was very satisfied with the price. Although he had lost several hundred million on paper, he had a plan when he learned that Zhong Qi and Chang Linlin were getting married. Friends are friends, but when it comes to business, it's all about interests. His father's position in the ministry would be vacated after National Day, and the three candidates vying for the position were all active. Not to mention the possibility of an outsider being appointed. His father was getting old, and missing this opportunity would mean a lifetime of being a deputy minister! He was at a loss for how to find support, but a wise person advised him to focus on Wu Di. After some inquiries, he heard that this guy was quite wild in Ruili, just like himself in the past! Losing a few hundred million was nothing; if Zhong Qi was willing to take it, he would give it away for free! This amount was just one project for his real estate company. But if his father was ousted, everything would be over.

Wu Di didn't know the details, and Zhong Qi didn't tell him. He had already consulted with Zhong Lao Ye, who had approved it. The 400 million was taken from the 1 billion Wu Di had with his godmother. Making Wu Di owe a debt also served as a test, to keep him from wandering around aimlessly and to instill a sense of urgency.

The Xidan store was large, part of a real estate project by Qi Shaodong. The store alone was worth 300 million. Wu Di didn't care much about commercial real estate and didn't know the exact value, but he knew he was getting a great deal. So be it, he would owe the debt.

The store employees didn't seem to know that the three visitors were their new and old bosses. They greeted them warmly. Wu Di looked around, and the items displayed were mostly mid-to-low-end. It was a Sunday, and the store wasn't as quiet as Qi Shaodong had said. People were coming and going, but the purchase rate was low. Wu Di wasn't worried; this was a common practice in the jewelry industry. Many people look, but few buy. The store's revenue just needed to cover daily expenses, and the real profits came from the big deals made in the VIP room.

After a tour, Wu Di found the situation quite different from what Zhong Qi and Qi Shaodong had described. He had some thoughts and headed to the other store in Dongdan.

The Dongdan store was smaller, but only in comparison to Xidan. It was a two-story building with an area of over 300 square meters, and the business was better.

Seeing Wu Di's satisfied expression, Qi Shaodong smiled.

"Let's go back to the company. I've already called a meeting of the management. We'll finalize everything today. I'll take all the relatives with me, but I suggest you keep the two store managers, who are highly paid professionals. You need a trustworthy financial person. I was the general manager, and if you're interested, you can take over. If not, you'll need to find someone. I won't tell you about the jade supply channels, but I suggest you buy clear jade. Gambling on jade won't sustain the store. I'll have them tell you about the other channels and prices for diamonds, gold, and soft jade. I'll leave you with the inventory list. But I must say, I'm taking all the high-end goods with me. You'll need to figure that out yourself. I've heard your glorious deeds, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Summer is the peak season, and in a few days, we'll need to restock soft jade and jade. I'll take you through the process."

Wu Di felt dizzy and his legs trembled. Wasn't being a boss supposed to be easy? A wave of the hand, and a large group of people would do your bidding. How could there be so many things to do?

"By the way, the executives were all relatives, so their salaries were a bit high. You'll need to adjust the management salaries. I suggest you give the two store managers a 20% raise. The salespeople are trained professionals, so you can give them a small raise as well. Changing bosses can make people nervous, and if someone tries to poach them, it will be a loss. I'll introduce you to some major clients gradually, and your fourth brother has resources in this area..."

Wu Di looked helplessly at Zhong Qi, who was driving.

"Fourth Brother—"

"Don't worry, everything is on your fourth brother. I'll lend you a full set of office and financial staff. When you're done, I'll take them back. I can't help with procurement; they're all novices. You'll have to handle it yourself."

Back at the company, over a dozen executives had been waiting for a while. After a brief introduction by Qi Shaodong, everyone remained calm. Wu Di looked around; these weren't just relatives taking advantage. They were clearly seasoned business professionals!

Everyone had been briefed by Qi Shaodong, knowing this was a matter of life and death for the family. Each person was very cooperative, but the two store managers were a bit nervous. How could a store that made money every day be transferred so easily? Qi Shao was a well-known figure in Beijing; could this dark-faced young man be even more influential?

Seeing the cold atmosphere, Zhong Qi whispered,

"Leave the financial, inventory, and office management to the people I send. First, stabilize the two store managers. Announce the end of the meeting and talk to them separately."

Wu Di nodded, and the large group quietly left. Qi Shaodong and Zhong Qi accompanied Wu Di to talk to the store managers. The Xidan store manager was a middle-aged woman who had been with the company for five years, with consistently growing performance. She was someone Wu Di needed to keep. On the way, Wu Di had reviewed her profile: Shao Yanan, 42 years old, 20 years in the jewelry industry, over 10 years at Qi's Jewelry. A senior jewelry appraiser with an MBA from Peking University. She had a 10