Chapter 56: Starting a Company and Being the Boss

The dinner location was chosen by Yang Lili, near the city center People's Square, at a newly opened French restaurant. When making this decision, Yang Lili hesitated for a moment, considering the high prices, but ultimately told Chen Xie about it.

To her surprise, Chen Xie responded straightforwardly, "Got it, I'll be there soon."

When they met, it was already dark, and the city lights were just beginning to shine. Yang Lili deliberately arrived five minutes late and saw Chen Xie standing at the door, looking lost in thought. It seemed he was troubled by something. As she thought this, she suddenly felt, "He looks so handsome!"

"Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way," she said, using the excuse she had prepared. She then carefully observed his reaction.

"Traffic jams are common here. Let's go up, I've already reserved a table," Chen Xie replied calmly, gesturing for her to proceed. The restaurant was on the 38th floor, with a window seat offering a view of the brilliant lights along the river.

"Isn't this seat hard to reserve?" Yang Lili asked, though she hadn't eaten here before, she had heard that the seats were hard to come by. Chen Xie recalled the restaurant manager's change in attitude after receiving a thousand yuan tip from him half an hour earlier.

"I've always had good luck!" Chen Xie smiled, and Yang Lili was momentarily dazzled by his confident smile. Chen Xie quickly whispered in her ear, "Let me tell you a little secret, it's my first time eating Western food, so you'll have to order for me."

Yang Lili felt a warm feeling in her heart and returned a smile with a slight upward curve of her lips.

There was no intention to take advantage of the rich, just a normal meal. When deciding on the drinks, Yang Lili hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether to skip the wine and just have two glasses of juice. Seeing her hesitation, Chen Xie handed a red bill to the waiter and smiled, "Could you recommend the best wine here?"

The waiter, seeing the red bill, smiled warmly and bowed slightly, "I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

"2008 Château Rieussec Sauternes, the best in the restaurant," the waiter recommended enthusiastically. Chen Xie nodded in agreement.

"Hey, have you really never eaten Western food before?" Yang Lili leaned forward and asked in a low voice. From this angle, a deep V-shaped cleavage was clearly visible, and Chen Xie felt a slight flutter in his heart.

"Why would I lie? I've been too busy with work, always eating fast food. When I was in China, do you think someone who travels a lot would choose Western food upon returning?" Chen Xie's reasoning was strong, and indeed, Chinese people have a lot to be proud of when it comes to food.

Dinner began quickly, and they chatted while eating. Chen Xie's use of the knife and fork was a bit clumsy, but the waiter chose to ignore it, understanding that he was a wealthy customer.

Taking a sip of wine, Chen Xie smiled, "It might taste better with Sprite." This time, the waiter couldn't bear it and walked away with a smile. Sometimes, having good hearing isn't always a good thing, but the rich are indeed very genuine.

Yang Lili also found it amusing, as speaking like this in such a setting required courage. She took a sip of wine and teased, "If someone asks who you are and where you're from, I'll tell them I don't know you."

The dinner atmosphere was harmonious. When they were almost done, Chen Xie said, "Lili, quit your job at the company. I need a full-time assistant for my domestic business, and you'll have full authority over it. The salary is one million per year, with full benefits and a company car."

The fork dropped on the table, and Yang Lili's hands trembled. In her real estate company, her annual salary plus bonuses didn't even reach 500,000. For this, she had to work hard and often endure harassment from clients. Chen Xie was offering a million, and a full-time assistant role.

"Sure, it's very attractive. I only have a vocational school degree, do you think I'm suitable?" Yang Lili asked, a common question from her years of experience.

"I say you're suitable, so you are. By the way, I forgot to mention, the domestic company isn't registered yet, and you'll need to handle that. Recruitment, location, and legal representative—all of it. It won't be easy, so think carefully," Chen Xie said bluntly, also testing her resolve. Yang Lili smiled and decided firmly, "No need to think, I'll quit tomorrow. By the way, what kind of car will you provide?"

The rich man's true colors were revealed again, "Up to one million, you decide."

The expected scene of sending her home and inviting her up for a cup of coffee didn't happen. After leaving the restaurant, Chen Xie hailed a taxi and sent Yang Lili off. As she disappeared in the taxi, she felt a bit disappointed, looking back but not seeing the unromantic bastard.

Chen Xie was really busy. The hotel's internet was good, and he had over ten download projects running on his computer. The printer was constantly working, and the printed documents were being bound as if by an invisible hand. If a server had come in, they would have screamed and run away. Opening the door, Chen Xie didn't see the virtual beauty Wu Qi and shouted, "Where are you?"

A dark spot appeared in the air, and Wu Qi's face flashed, "I'm busy, no interruptions. You've already paid for this month, so don't worry about it."

The printed materials were all modern military data found online. Chen Xie, a military novice, had been cramming recently. The problem was that he couldn't bring a computer back to the Ming Dynasty, so he had to print the materials in the modern world and take them back to study when he had time.

Picking up a document, Chen Xie lay on the bed and fell asleep after reading for a while. He didn't notice the extra head in the air, watching him and muttering, "Sleeping like a pig, doesn't even chat with me."

On a drizzling morning, Chen Xie woke up to see a stack of bound materials. The printer had stopped, and it seemed the paid service was working well. A million a month, 12 million a year—now it didn't seem like much.

Qian Siyu's call came in, and he heard her excited voice, "It's done, the auction in Hong Kong is on the 3rd of next month..."

Chen Xie responded bluntly, "Got it, I'm busy, bye." Then, Qian Siyu raised her iPhone 6, hesitated for a moment, but didn't throw it. In the face of huge profits, any annoyance was acceptable.

He arranged to meet Yang Lili at the coffee shop next to the hotel lobby. After breakfast, they went downstairs, and this time Yang Lili was five minutes early. Chen Xie saw her silhouette and the back of another woman, nodding in satisfaction. He walked over and greeted, "You're here!"

"Boss, good morning!" Yang Lili smiled and stood up, and Qiu Lihua also stood up. Chen Xie was surprised to see both of them.

"Yang, you called me last night, saying the boss asked you to be his assistant and asking if I wanted to join," Qiu Lihua explained. Chen Xie didn't show much reaction, speaking calmly, "Thank you, Qiu, for considering me. Please sit down."

He threw a document on the table, quickly finding the boss's tone, similar to his tone in Zhangjiavillage, "This is the relevant information. My business mainly involves cooperation with people, buying Chinese products for some third-world countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Sales and customs are not your responsibility. Your job is to organize the supply. Just a heads-up, some of the goods have special requirements, so don't be surprised."

Qiu Lihua was a bit nervous, but Yang Lili was nonchalant, "With our social connections, could we even get a nuclear bomb?"

This statement made Chen Xie feel he had chosen the right person, but his face remained expressionless, "Lili, you have a lot to do today. Register a trading company, and the requirements are all written here. The name will be 'Outlook Trading Company,' and you will be the legal representative. Any problems?"

Yang Lili nodded firmly, and Chen Xie took out a check and placed it on the table, "This is the startup capital. If it's not enough, call me. Get it done as soon as possible, preferably within half a month. Register the company, find a location, hire staff, and get office supplies and transportation. If you need more people, hire them yourself."

Yang Lili listened attentively, nodding occasionally. When Chen Xie finished, she said, "Boss, there's one more thing. Lihua's salary, you need to decide. Her position is my assistant."

Chen Xie was pleased with this request, indicating that Yang Lili knew her limits. "Regarding the salary, since she's one of the company's founders, let's say 120,000 per year, with a bonus based on performance at the end of the year. Many things are still uncertain, so we'll see."

"I have no issues, Lihua, what about you?" Yang Lili turned to ask. Qiu Lihua was still in a daze, the whole process was unimaginable—two employees were given a 2 million check by a boss and left to handle it.

"Boss, about the employment contract..." Qiu Lihua was more meticulous, as it involved her personal interests. Chen Xie waved his hand, slightly impatient, "That's Yang's job. You two can draft a contract and bring it to me for review. If it's fine, I'll sign it."

If Qiu Lihua had any doubts about Chen Xie not being a big boss before, she no longer had any now.

After confirming the company's affairs, Chen Xie sent the two off and didn't return to the hotel but got into a taxi. He left the city, turned a few corners, and arrived at a small town called Huilong. The town wasn't very big, with a permanent population of over 10,000. Chen Xie's goal was a small steel mill in the town.

To be precise, it was a small steel mill producing substandard steel, which had been ordered to rectify several times but had secretly restarted operations. During the day, the factory was quiet, with only an old guard and a fierce wolf dog visible. At night, it was bustling. Zhang Guangming, who introduced Chen Xie, was from this town, and the factory owner was his childhood friend.

"Chen Xie, right? I'm Shen Dong, Fatso and I are childhood friends," Shen Dong, who was about the same age, greeted Chen Xie warmly after receiving his call. Chen Xie smiled, shook his hand, and offered a cigarette, lighting it and smiling, "Fatso told me about you. How's business? Can you take on some work for me?"

Shen Dong smiled, "Business has been getting worse each year. I took over this year, and the environmental bureau hasn't approved it. I was caught three times last year, and I almost gave up. My old man, however, refuses to let go, and I can't convince him."