Seeing that they were both deep in thought, Wen Zheng turned the paper face down on the table and said, "This matter is not urgent. There is plenty of time. You can help me think about it when you have time."
"Ah!" Yu Jin and Jian Ming simultaneously reached for the paper, saying in unison, "Let me take a couple more looks!"
He wrote a note for each of them and slipped it into their hands. Without saying a word, Wen Zheng pulled them away and treated them to a meal.
Jianming complained to him about the arrogant classmates at school, and also said that Z University's academic achievements must be outstanding!
Wen Zheng had also passed the exam to get in. He smiled upon hearing this, and after sending them back to school, he and Bei Sining took a walk home.
He didn't find it annoying or troublesome at all.
It turns out that being an ordinary student is such a wonderful thing.
At the start of the semester, his classmates inevitably paid attention to him, but as time went on, all of that would gradually fade into normalcy. He held Bei Sining's hand, thinking that only a partner would walk with him through life.
...It would be even better if Bei Sining could get better soon.
Wen Zheng was cooking oatmeal porridge with milk in the kitchen. When he saw that it was almost time, he served it and brought it into the room.
Bei Sining watched TV listlessly.
Ever since Bei Sining woke up in pain in the middle of the night that day, Wen Zheng changed his sleep schedule and hasn't gone to bed before 2 a.m. since. He'll only go to sleep after he's made sure the cat spirit is no longer in pain and is asleep.
Although the cat spirit repeatedly emphasized that the demon core was not in the digestive organs, Wen Zheng still strictly followed the health preservation strategy and began to feed the cat with soups and broths.
Whether it was due to the passage of time and the gradual refinement of the subspace, or his efforts were truly effective, Bei Sining's health was improving despite his reluctance to live on porridge.
I haven't been in so much pain lately that my face turns pale, and I can even get sleepy while watching TV.
"What is this?" Wen Zheng placed the bowl on the coffee table and suddenly noticed that the television screen was unusual today.
"...The company promotional video that Manager Fan made." Bei Sining asked seriously, "Is it alright?"
Company? Wen Zheng remembered that he had been busy with health preservation lately and hadn't visited the cat food company opened by the cat spirit. He thought it was a small-scale operation, but it turned out that they had even made a promotional video?
He stuck the spoon into the porridge and handed it to Bei Sining: "Eat it yourself." Then he stared intently at the screen.
The cat spirit, who had been pondering for a long time why it refused to be hand-fed, was simply: "…………"
What's going on?! Doesn't he love me anymore?!
He definitely loves cats more!
Bei Sining swallowed the porridge in two or three bites, but he didn't even get a word from Wen Zheng like "Eat slowly, don't you want your stomach?" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became... He gritted his teeth, stood up, transformed into a big black cat, and jumped onto Wen Zheng.
Wen Zheng was caught off guard and was pinned down, almost unable to hold on.
The warm, black cat has smooth fur that feels wonderful to the touch, and it makes you feel very safe when you hold it in your arms.
Wen Zheng smiled, his eyes crinkling, and stroked his forehead down to his big black tail, displaying a truly amiable demeanor.
"What's wrong?"
Speak softly.
Bei Sining felt a thunderbolt strike her heart.
Although he had a premonition, he still couldn't understand it. Wasn't he good-looking? Why did Wen Zheng always prefer cats?!
Wen Zheng's attention was entirely focused on the screen.
He didn't expect the promotional video to be so well made.
He had seen Bei Sining's cat demon minions before; they were just a bunch of country cats, and apart from being a little spiritual, their appearance was really unremarkable.
But a lot of effort was put into making this film. The editing, color grading, and acting were all of a high standard.
The short film depicts the story of two cats outsmarting each other over a single bowl of cat food in a lush, green cat home.
The war between the white cat and the orange cat escalates, with each stealing from the other and employing various strategies. Occasionally, the cats are captured on camera happily munching on their cat food, looking both silly and adorable.
That's the thing about pet videos—as long as they're cute, everything else can be ignored. And these two cats' performances are so good that humans would want to try it out. Maybe my cat would like it as much as the one in the video?
Wen Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "I never expected Ye Yubing's acting skills to be used here!"
"It must have cost a lot of money to film this." Wen Zheng rubbed Da Hei's belly, then clicked on the next full version, a smile playing on his lips.
"Not much," the cat spirit said somewhat dejectedly, its tail drooping and dragging on the ground, occasionally curling up to sweep it away.
“Fan Lingrou said it only cost 500,000, and we earned it back in one day.” His voice was muffled.
"?" Wen Zheng stopped rubbing his belly and asked carefully, "How many kinds of cat food does your company have?"
“I haven’t asked about it in the last month. Before, there were probably more than 30 kinds. They were divided into several age groups and several flavors. Different cats like different flavors. At first, we would send them a flavor sample pack so they could choose for themselves.”
Wen Zheng: "Besides cat food, do you sell anything else?"
Cat Spirit: "There are also all kinds of snacks and toys. The blond guys eat them themselves and then sell them to others. They must make a lot of money."
"..." Wen Zheng: "I'm just asking, are you distributors? Do you buy pre-made snacks from others and sell them, or do you make them yourself?"
Big Black looked up at Wen Zheng from behind and asked curiously, "Of course there's a processing plant."
Wen Zheng silently took out his phone and looked up the "Beiyao" company.
It's gone public.
...It's listed on the stock exchange?
Chapter 101
The cat spirit and his cat minions' cat food company suddenly transformed into the listed company "Beiyao Group".
Wen Zheng stared blankly at the impressive official website, the Weibo homepage with 100,000 followers, and the crown-level store on Taobao with monthly sales of millions, feeling a sense of absurdity.
Money comes so easily.
The cat I raise is now earning money to support me.
shock.
There's such a wonderful thing in the world.
Big Black rolled over, hiding its belly, and yawned.
“It’s only just begun,” he said, turning his head away. “Don’t be fooled by the small profits now; they’ll grow in the future. That Galaxy Group will surely die within six months.”
"Huh? Ah." Wen Zheng had almost forgotten about Galaxy Group. After a moment of reaction, he asked, "Right, aren't they the number one pet supply store? You want to compete with them?"
"..." Bei Sining suddenly turned into a human, pulled Wen Zheng into her arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said angrily, "You don't care about me at all! Galaxy Group can't compete with me anymore!"
"…………"
Wen Zheng: The world is changing so fast, am I getting old?
The next day, Wen Zheng had to catch up on his studies and only then did he learn about the new situation.
Galaxy Group has indeed declined.
Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't fall down when it's dead; though it has withered away, the group's framework remains. It still generates some income each month, barely enough to cover employee salaries.
Their boss, Liu Yinhe, was imprisoned for match-fixing and didn't receive a general amnesty even in the new year. The remaining relatives then began vying for ownership of this behemoth.
Managing a company is not a simple task; it requires strength, vision, and skill.
The relatives are already arguing amongst themselves, how can they truly unite as one? Besides, their reputation had already plummeted, and they hadn't managed to manage the public relations regarding their genetic research on cats, so public opinion has now hit rock bottom.
The once-great group is now in decline.
The headquarters was sold, the research institute was demolished, and pet stores in various places introduced other catteries and various pet supply brands.
In some areas where the situation was even worse, the entire Galaxy Building changed hands.
Most of the employees have jumped ship, and the rest can't find good jobs and are barely making ends meet. But how can people who have lost faith in their own company do their jobs well?
Wen Zheng had never been in contact with business people before, and after reading a few popular science posts, he couldn't help but sigh.
Doing business is so tough. Fortune changes every thirty years. Look at the once-thriving Galaxy Group; it can fall from grace overnight. They're really unlucky.
"What bad luck?"
Fan Lingrou was pouring tea for Wen Zheng in the small reception room when she heard this and raised an eyebrow: "He deserves it!"
The headquarters of Beiyao Group is bright and clean. After a period of hard work, Fan Lingrou has rented the entire floor of office space.
Pure white tables, chairs, and walls; brightly colored cushions scattered on a gray velvet carpet; cat trees and cat climbing frames everywhere in the spacious hall; and many fun-looking little toys—truly a cat's home.
"It's all Yinhe Group's fault," Fan Lingrou said, her anger rising as she met the so-called boss's wife for the first time. She had intended to portray a shrewd and capable lady, but upon hearing about Yinhe's affairs, she exclaimed, "You have no idea what they've done!"
Fan Lingrou, dressed in a white suit skirt, plopped down opposite Wen Zheng: "They're still holding onto my entire year's bonus, 800,000 yuan! I'm so angry!"
The prize money is 800,000.
Wen Zheng calmly gave an "oh".
"You were also an employee of Galaxy Group before? What was your position?" Wen Zheng asked.
Fan Lingrou felt inexplicably pressured by what her boss was saying, and replied respectfully, "Director of Public Relations."
"At that time, I was in charge of the entire public relations department, with more than fifty people under me, all of whom were young and energetic young men and women." She looked on with a look of reminiscence.
"The period around the Galaxy Cup Pet Competition happens to be the busiest time. Sponsoring this competition has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it can expand influence, but the disadvantage is that people will inevitably suspect that there is something fishy going on."
“But Galaxy Group has a monopoly in the pet industry in Xia Country, so public relations won’t be difficult for them.” Fan Lingrou said, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: “To be honest, although I’m not a very righteous person, I still believe in the company’s innocence. If the higher-ups hadn’t been lying to me all along, the proposal I made wouldn’t have been like that.”
Fan Lingrou sighed. Wen Zheng didn't interrupt her or question her casually, which made her feel relaxed.
She subconsciously took a sip of tea, not even realizing that it was Wen Zhengxin who poured it for her.
"You were involved in what happened afterward, so you must know. After you withdrew from the competition, there was an uproar online. I and my young team worked day and night for many days, just waiting for a response from above. Having taken this job and received their salary, I should do my best, regardless of whether they really had inside information or not..."
"I just want a little trust so I can get the job done."
Fan Lingrou rubbed her temples, still vividly remembering the argument that had destroyed her career plans: "Liu Yinhe is a real scumbag."
"So you resigned?"
“Yes,” Fan Lingrou smiled bitterly, “What else could I do but resign? I’ve been in public relations for many years and I know best how public opinion can destroy a company. Besides, the boss doesn’t trust me, so the prospects for development are definitely not good. Why should I stay there? ... Of course, I resigned a bit impulsively. I couldn’t get my bonus and I couldn’t pay my monthly loan. I had no choice but to quickly pick a company to look at, and that’s how I ended up here.”
She picked up the cup and was surprised to realize that she had just rambled on and on, and the proprietress had actually poured her water! She was immediately flattered and ashamed: "Ms. Wen, I can do it myself."
Wen Zheng was not quite what she had imagined. He wasn't bad-tempered, just slightly quiet, and didn't have the boastful and self-important attitude often seen in many young people these days. On the contrary, he listened very attentively.
This made Fan Lingrou feel even more favorably disposed towards her, and she felt even more strongly that her choice was absolutely right.