Chapter 89: Arrival
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This was really awkward! Out of all the places where he could have sat, he just had to take the senior seat.
No matter how unshakable Xiao Luo’s confidence was, now, he couldn’t stop fidgeting.
Just when he was about to change his position, Chu Yunxiong waved his hands and stopped him. He said, “It’s just the two of us now, so it doesn’t matter who takes which seat.”
Xiao Luo let out a few dry coughs to calm himself down, then said, “What is the reason for our meeting this time, Mr. Chu?”
He just wanted to be straightforward and not overly polite with Chu Yunxiong.
Chu Yunxiong seemed to have antic.i.p.ated this question. He smiled and answered, “Well, I recently bought a company. It just so happens that I lack a suitable person in a certain position, would you be interested?”
Xiao Luo’s eyes brightened up and asked, “What company is this?”
This could be a great opportunity. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to start over from scratch or climb his way up from the bottom. Most importantly, although he intended to show off and build a stable career, he had not yet made any concrete plans.
“Luo’s Workshop!”
“Luo’s Workshop? The company that makes bread and pastries in Jiangcheng?”
Xiao Luo was shocked. Having hung around Jiangcheng for so many years, it was only natural that he should know of Luo’s Workshop. The company had more than 70 franchised bakeries that sold bread and pastries all over Jiangcheng. His ex-girlfriend, Zhao Mengqi, loved the cakes. As a result, he’d often frequented Luo’s Workshop.
Chu Yunxiong nodded and said, “That’s right. That’s the shop. There’s even ‘Luo’ in the name. It seems fated for you.”
“But I vaguely remember that the family name of Luo’s Workshop’s boss was ‘Fang."”
“Yup, Fang Changmiao!”
Chu Yunxiong picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and calmly said, “Around six months ago, Luo’s Workshop experienced an incident regarding food safety. You know about this, right?”
“I vaguely recall something about an old person who ate a piece of bread and died inside one of the bakeries. The media even did an exposé about it,” Xiao Luo replied.
Chu Yunxiong reluctantly answered, “As a food company, food safety and word-of-mouth are critical. The old person dying in front of the bakery caused word-of-mouth to turn negative almost immediately. They lost a large number of customers. In just half a year, Fang Changmiao, a CEO who had been worth 200 million, became an indebted pauper who owed 10 million.” Chu Yunxiong sighed, before continuing, “The business world is just like a battlefield. Many can become rich and popular, but the next minute, they can face defeats so crus.h.i.+ng that they don’t even know where their next meal will come from. It’s cruel and insulting.”
“Since you’ve taken over Luo’s Workshop, why don’t you just let Fang Changmiao continue to manage the company? Isn’t he a better fit than someone like me who doesn’t have much experience?”
Chu Yunxiong shook his head, stretched out his fingers, and pointed. “There are two reasons why Fang Changmiao was not chosen. Firstly, from what I understand about him, he is not a reliable person. He’s likely to burn bridges and cause a lot of speculation. Naturally, I wouldn’t have spent so much money to acquire the company only to give it straight back into his hands.”
Stretching out his second finger, he continued, “The second reason, which is also the most important, is that customers subconsciously blame the boss for Luo Workshop’s food safety issues. Only by changing the boss can the customers change their att.i.tude and try to trust Luo’s Workshop again.”
Xiao Luo nodded. Chu Yunxiong had unknowingly voiced a point with which he agreed. When the incident at Luo’s Workshop had occurred, even Xiao Luo had blamed the boss, so it was natural that other people would too. If they changed the CEO, although Luo’s Workshop would essentially remain the same, to the customers, the company would appear to have changed and evolved. Of course, if the food progressed as well, then customers would certainly give Luo’s Workshop another chance.
“Xiao Luo, I’ve already told you that I trust you. So, the responsibility of Luo’s Workshop will fall on you. You will take over!” Chu Yunxiong said, grinning.
Xiao Luo shook his head and refused, “Mr. Chu, although this sounds like a pretty good offer, I wish to start my own career.”
A job and a career were two very different concepts. The former was bound by the boss, whereas in the latter scenario, a person was their own boss.
Chu Yunxiong laughed and said, “Outsiders often comment that my eyes are very good at spotting gems, just like Monkey Sun’s fiery eyes. Well, they’re not wrong. I do agree that I’m a pretty accurate judge of character. Your carefree and confident att.i.tude is not something often seen in regular people. You’re young, and you have your own ideas and persistence. I really think quite highly of you.”
Xiao Luo remained silent. Big bosses had their ways around things. After talking so much, they were able to make people feel like they were in the clouds while still keeping their intentions hidden.
“As I said earlier, and I’m sure I’ve told you before, I will give you the challenge and freedom you want. You won’t be reporting to me. If you accept this offer for Luo’s Workshop, you will become the company’s official owner,” Chu Yunxiong said.
Luo’s Workshop’s official owner?
Xiao Luo’s heart fluttered slightly, and he glanced quickly at Chu Yunxiong, waiting for the businessman’s next move.
“I’m only in charge of salary matters. You’ll just need to give me 20% of the total profit every year, and that’s enough,” Chu Yunxiong said, looking at Xiao Luo and smiling.
“Mr. Chu, then that would make you no different from a shareholder. You singlehandedly took over Luo’s Workshop, and you…” Xiao Luo reminded Chu Yunxiong, although he clearly already knew this.
Chu Yunxiong waved and interrupted him, “I’m a businessman, but I’m also a father. You did a good job of protecting my daughter. As repayment, as long as it is within my means, I will try my best to support you. Luo’s Workshop is my way of demonstrating my sincerity.”
Xiao Luo finally understood what Zhang Dashan had meant. Once you were well-acquainted with Chu Yunxiong, your struggles for the next ten years would be severely lessened.
He then said, “I need some time to think about this!”
Of course, he would need to consider the proposition carefully. Chu Yunxiong had just pushed an enormous slice of cake his way, but he would need to consider whether he had the appet.i.te to eat it. It would be very embarra.s.sing if he could not swallow it.
“Alright. You have three days to consider my offer.”
Chu Yunxiong was very generous and patient with Xiao Luo. “Once you agree, I will remit 10 million to Luo’s Workshop as funds for subsequent operations. As for whether Luo’s Workshop will be able to expand beyond Jiangcheng, that will depend on your ability.”
Xiao Luo nodded to show that he was clear on the terms proposed.
After talking to Chu Yunxiong, Xiao Luo stood up and took his leave. As a huge player in the shopping mall sector, the fact that Chu Yunxiong looked so highly at him and had confidence in his abilities made Xiao Luo really grateful. He also sincerely admired Chu Yunxiong for being a self-made legend.
Sitting at the bottom of the steps, Xiao Luo watched the rain and frowned. He disliked rainy days, especially on days like this, which were a little bittersweet. He flagged down a taxi and headed for the house that he had rented for around five hundred and fifty per month.
Just as he was about to step into the taxi, Chu Yue emerged from her red BMW 3 Series.
Chu Yue saw Xiao Luo climbing to the taxi, so she rolled down her car window and shouted to him loudly, “Pretentious D*ck!”
Why is she here? Xiao Luo whispered to himself.
He pretended that he had not heard anything and shouted at the taxi driver, “Drive!”