Chapter 33: Salary Increase

"However, President Lin, their salaries can't just be a mere 600 yuan, or you won't be able to retain them at all." Liu Yingying raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Lin Feng's brows furrowed, knowing this was another test from Liu Yingying. Bringing up such a sensitive topic in public, wasn't this just causing trouble for himself?

"Alright, starting next month, your salaries will be increased to 1500 yuan, and I will sign a long-term contract with you." Lin Feng didn't hesitate; this was both a test and an opportunity from Liu Yingying. An opportunity to secure talent.

These two months of practical experience, plus Liu Yingying's guidance, would definitely help Su Xiaomei and Qin Sirong grow rapidly. Seeing Liu Yingying's confidence in them, Lin Feng believed they would become capable talents in the future. If he didn't bind them with a contract now, he would regret it when they left.

"Thank you, President Lin." Su Xiaomei and Qin Sirong were overjoyed. Finding a company with a promising future and good treatment right after graduation was something they had never expected. Although "Lin's Catering and Entertainment Co., Ltd." was currently very small, they saw its potential for development.

For them, who didn't graduate from prestigious universities, this was absolutely the best opportunity.

President Lin, what about us... — The two people who had been following Lin Feng on his left were also recent graduates from Chu City University. Seeing their classmates receive a salary increase while they still earned 600 yuan, they felt a bit unbalanced but couldn't say it outright, only muttering to themselves.

Lin Feng was well aware of their thoughts. This was also one of Liu Yingying's despicable points. Mentioning a salary increase for her subordinates in public, if he didn't do the same for his recruits, there would definitely be complaints.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Feng said,

"Cheng Peijia, starting tomorrow, you will be promoted to my secretary. The astronomy city, flower tea factory, murder club, and barbecue shop all require attention. If no one helps me handle some trivial matters and reminds me of the workflow, things will eventually fall into chaos. Perhaps soon, anyone who wants to see me will have to make an appointment." Lin Feng secretly found this idea amusing.

"Thank you, President Lin." Cheng Peijia, though slightly jealous that her salary wasn't as high as Su Xiaomei and Qin Sirong's, quickly balanced her feelings. Being a secretary to the boss was a relaxed job, no need to run around or worry about sales performance, which suited her introverted personality.

"Lu Tao, as for you..." Lin Feng really didn't know how to handle Lu Tao. He was a recent graduate from the computer science department who had come to "Lin's Catering and Entertainment Co., Ltd." because he couldn't find a job. Lin Feng saw that his work didn't require highly specialized skills, so he hired him.

However, now that the company was gradually getting on track, his position was quite awkward.

"Let's do this, I have a plan at the end of the month, and we'll discuss it then." After some thought, Lin Feng decided not to increase Lu Tao's salary for the time being.

"Yes, President Lin." Lu Tao was naturally very disappointed, but he also knew that his major didn't match the company's needs. Perhaps after the summer vacation, he should consider finding a job that matched his major.

For Lin Feng, not increasing Lu Tao's salary was very normal, and there was no need to feel guilty. After all, he ran a private enterprise, not a state-owned one. Everyone should be paid according to their abilities. If everyone got a raise regardless of their abilities, it would not be a good thing and would instead dampen employee enthusiasm.

Liu Yingying secretly nodded and then shook her head at Lin Feng's handling. The approach was appropriate, but the魄力 (魄力 means "courage" or "determination" in this context) was too small. If it were Liu Yingying, she would have given Su Xiaomei and Qin Sirong a base salary of 2000 yuan.

Next, they discussed some trivial matters. After everyone confirmed the work priorities for the next week, Lin Feng announced the meeting adjourned.

Not bad, this feels great! — When Lin Feng called for the meeting to adjourn, a sense of pride welled up in his heart. In his previous company, he always waited for others to call the meeting to adjourn. Now, he was the one calling it, and the feeling was indescribable.

Great!

However, the office indeed needed to be moved to a larger space. With 6 employees, the 30-plus square meter room was too small. Everyone working in such close quarters was not conducive to the normal workflow and confidentiality of different departments.

"Cheng Peijia, you first help me look for a larger office nearby, with partitions, or even a residential space." Lin Feng instructed.

"Yes, President Lin." Cheng Peijia nodded.

After Liu Yingying took Su Xiaomei and Qin Sirong to negotiate the flower tea supply business, Lin Feng found Lu Tao.

"Lu Tao, we're both young, so I'll be straightforward." Lin Feng didn't want to beat around the bush; he hated bureaucratic formalities. It was better to speak clearly and directly, rather than waste time and saliva.

"My company's nature doesn't match your major at all. Unless you're willing to give up what you've learned, otherwise..." Lin Feng left the rest unsaid. They were all smart people, and it wasn't necessary to spell everything out.

"I understand, President Lin, I..." Lu Tao immediately prepared to write a resignation letter. The pride of a bachelor's degree graduate made it impossible for him to stay and do nothing. Moreover, he had chosen the computer science field and would never give up halfway.

"Wait, I have a business next month that needs your help." After some thought, Lin Feng said, "Do you know how to localize an English game?"

"Um... Yes, but localizing a game requires several types of talent. First, someone needs to crack it, then someone needs to translate it, and someone needs to do the graphics. That's basically it. If the game's encryption technology is too good, more people will be needed to crack it." Lu Tao pondered and said.

"Alright, this month, you go to the school and look for talent. I'll find you on September 11th. You'll still receive your salary this month, and next month, I'll give you a game to crack and localize. We'll split the sales revenue 50-50." Lin Feng said.

"Alright!" Lu Tao originally wanted to say that such business was usually done for a fixed fee, with little profit-sharing. But considering that Lin Feng still let him take a paid leave, he didn't say anything. He was also secretly amazed by Lin Feng's decisiveness over the past month, as he had never made a wrong decision.

So, Lu Tao was willing to take a chance. It turned out that this decision was indeed very wise.

The reason Lin Feng decided to let Lu Tao leave his company now, besides his major not matching, and his attitude towards the marketing job, was more importantly because Lin Feng was going to set up a flower tea processing plant. This involved the confidentiality of the flower tea formula. The fewer people who knew, the safer it was.

Now, flower tea was one of Lin Feng's main sources of income, and he couldn't afford any mistakes. Besides himself, he couldn't trust anyone.

Also, he should go back and discuss with his master to see if the flower tea ingredients could be encrypted further, so that no one could easily analyze the formula.