Xu Juncheng closed the door to his office, stood in front of the large glass window looking at the street scene ahead, and sighed. He felt fortunate to have met Zhou Xuan, a stroke of luck that saved him from a desperate situation; he knew he had to seize the opportunity to improve his future.
If Xu Juncheng hadn't met Zhou Xuan, he probably would have either committed suicide or fled incognito, and his family would have lived a miserable life from then on.
To be honest, looking at those luxurious buildings in front of the building, Xu Juncheng still felt that the wealth still belonged to him and that he still had the opportunity to make a comeback. Perhaps if he could make the renamed Xu's Jewelry bigger and stronger, he might be even more successful than before.
Xu Juncheng felt a comfortable and warm feeling emanating from Zhou Xuan. Moreover, Xu Juncheng suspected that Zhou Xuan had an incredibly powerful background, with someone like Li Wei acting like a lackey by his side.
Xu Juncheng knew Li Wei very well, and the Li Wei he knew had never been so humble before. He was always someone who wasn't afraid to push things too far, but in front of Zhou Xuan, he was definitely not putting on an act.
Xu Juncheng, a businessman, understood this very well. Going small was fine, but if you wanted to go big, you absolutely needed strong connections and background. Otherwise, you would only end up getting hurt.
Xu Juncheng's business was actually very successful, but he failed because of gambling on jade stones, which was just bad luck.
When Zhou Xuan and Li Wei arrived at the Xu's Jewelry office building on the nineteenth floor, there were no guards at the entrance. In the office lobby, none of the dozen or so girls were working; they were all gathered together, chattering away. On the other side, there were more than a dozen men sitting, smoking and chatting, talking incessantly while staring at the offices inside.
After Zhou Xuan and Li Wei came in, no one paid any attention to them. Of course, they ignored everyone else as well. The girls didn't recognize anyone who came here, so they all assumed they were debt collectors.
Zhou Xuan and Li Wei walked directly into the offices inside. The outermost offices were for human resources, finance, and business managers. The innermost and largest office was Xu Juncheng's office.
There was a sign on the door that said "General Manager's Office." Zhou Xuan knocked lightly on the door, and Xu Juncheng's angry voice came from inside: "Didn't I tell you to wait a while? You've waited for so many days, why can't you wait a little while? You'll be fined!"
Zhou Xuan paused for a moment before chuckling softly, "Then let's wait a while!"
The office fell silent for a moment, then the door was suddenly flung open, revealing Xu Juncheng's delighted face. After a brief pause, he quickly grabbed Zhou Xuan's hand and said, "Please come in, please come in! I thought they were here to collect a debt!"
After having Zhou Xuan and Li Wei sit down on the sofa in the office, Xu Juncheng pressed the phone on his desk, but then remembered that the secretary had long since left, and the place was basically in a state of anarchy. There was no one to make him a couple of cups of tea, and they probably didn't even have any tea leaves left.
Zhou Xuan waved his hand and laughed, "Old Xu, from now on we're family, so let's not talk about anything else. Let's work together to make the business successful and everyone can make money, okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xu Juncheng nodded repeatedly. Zhou Xuan's words that they were family warmed his heart and made him feel very comfortable. Zhou Xuan's conditions were that he should pay off all of his debts, return 10% of the shares to him, and also agree that he would continue to manage the company. He had to remember this kindness.
Zhou Xuan was certainly not a philanthropist who would give money to anyone he met. His attitude towards Xu Juncheng was, of course, due to Xu Juncheng's mediocre business acumen. Giving him 10% of the shares might seem like a loss at first glance, but if Zhou Xuan were to manage the company himself, he estimated that it would be completely wiped out in less than three months. He was inherently lazy and disliked troublesome matters, preferring only to enjoy life. His luck and wealth all came from his ice-energy ability, but now that ability was gone, so too was his luck!
How could Zhou Xuan, who knew nothing about the business and had no special abilities as a foundation, possibly manage a large company? Xu Juncheng, on the other hand, was fully capable of doing so. Retaining him was practically equivalent to securing the company's future development, and it was as if Xu Juncheng would earn a continuous stream of wealth for him.
Zhou Xuan had calculated this clearly, and compared to the wealth Xu Juncheng could earn in the future, a 10% stake was not a loss. Of course, Xu Juncheng still having a 10% stake was also an incentive for himself, as he was still one of the owners of the company.
Xu Juncheng took out some documents that he had completed that morning, including the agreement to transfer Xu's Jewelry and the change of legal representative. Another document was a plan for the redistribution of shares, with Xu Juncheng holding 10% and Zhou Xuan holding 90%. These were all handled according to Zhou Xuan's instructions.
Zhou Xuan smiled and signed his name on it, then put his fingerprint on his name, and then Xu Juncheng also signed and put his fingerprint on it.
The two shook hands tightly one last time, and Xu Juncheng said excitedly, "Boss Zhou... no, no, I should call you Chairman Zhou from now on, haha, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation!"
After a pause, Xu Juncheng continued, "To prevent a repeat of the past, I will not handle any of the company's finances. I will only be in charge of development and sales. As for the finances, I think Chairman Zhou should hire a specialist to manage them."
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment and nodded. Xu Juncheng was speaking from the heart, so there was no need for him to be polite. He said, "Alright, I'll arrange for an accountant to come over in a bit and transfer 400 million to the account. After deducting 300 million for debt, the remaining 100 million is the company's working capital. Also, Lao Xu, our company can currently save a large amount of cash from inventory. That means we can temporarily focus on jadeite pieces as our main product. You know, we have a large batch of jadeite rough at the stone-cutting factory. You should call back your old carving craftsmen and reorganize our own craft team. With our own source of goods, we can compete fiercely with other jewelry companies. Lao Xu, when it comes to business, I'm far inferior to you. We're not even in the same league. You handle these matters. Don't tell me I don't understand!"
Xu Juncheng was both grateful and surprised. He was grateful for Zhou Xuan's trust in him, but he was even more surprised that if Zhou Xuan had invested all the jadeite from the stone-cutting factory, then his investment would not only be the four hundred million yuan mentioned now. The exact price of those rough stones would only be known after they were cut open, but the value of the few top-quality jadeite pieces that had been cut open so far was already over two hundred million yuan. This was an asset that had been thrown into his lap out of thin air!
Xu Juncheng was moved, but his mind immediately started racing with what to do and what kind of plan to make. With cash on hand and a large quantity of jadeite, which was of an indescribable high grade, he could almost immediately devise a strategy to deal with those jewelry companies that were pressing him and trying to take over his business. This strategy would be able to stab those rivals in the back and severely damage them.
Seeing Xu Juncheng deep in thought, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Old Xu, I'm relieved to see you like this. You seem ready to bite hard, but I hope you'll slow down. In business, make money if you can, don't force it, and don't try to destroy someone completely. I'm leaving now. Make arrangements to notify the bank and other staff. My finance person will be here at 2 PM. Have them handle the debts first. As for the company, get it back on track as quickly as possible. And also..."
Zhou Xuan then instructed, "Old Xu, you need to keep a close eye on the stone-cutting factory. Recruit the experienced carving craftsmen as soon as possible, and do it secretly. I think this is the only way to ensure your plan is implemented. Arrange for Master Chen and the others to work overtime to cut the raw materials as quickly as possible so they can be made into finished products for sale. Set good compensation for Master Chen and the others, and give them more overtime pay. These veteran craftsmen are getting old; consider their retirement benefits so they can work in our factory with peace of mind."
"I will, I understand!" Xu Juncheng nodded in reply.
Zhou Xuan invited Li Wei back, but in his heart he was thinking about who should be the accountant for Xu's Company. This person had to be trustworthy and knowledgeable in finance.
While pondering this in his mind, he was also worried. Without the ice energy ability, how would they guarantee the supply of raw jadeite? Although they had a large supply now, it could only last for six months at most. After six months, the better Xu Juncheng performed, the greater the difficulties would become!
Damn gold-plated water!
Zhou Xuan couldn't help but curse again, thinking that he should go back and study the crystal in the gold-wrapped water again overnight. Without superpowers, sitting or standing felt unnatural, as if he had become a cripple!
Volume 1, Chapter 229: Relationship with Shangguan Mingyue
On the way back several times, Li Wei was driving. Zhou Fu picked up his phone and called Zhang Jian.
"Boss, hire another accountant tomorrow, and my sister will come with you. The workload at the store hasn't been too heavy lately, so she can keep up. I need to transfer Li Li and my brother. I just wanted to let you know!"
Zhang Jian paused for a moment, then immediately said, "You're the big boss, so you can arrange things however you want, no problem. The shop hasn't officially opened yet, and the workload isn't too heavy. Basically, with Lao Wu and me looking after things, there shouldn't be any major problems. There's also Uncle and Xiao Ying. We've also hired four new apprentices, so there are a total of six workers. We have enough manpower. I'm also thinking that if business is good after our shop officially opens, we should hire a few qualified, experienced, and educated people to manage things. That would be better."
"Hehe, that's good." Zhou Xuan replied with a smile. It's good that Zhang Jian thinks that way, but for now, it's fine to transfer people here, but the people going to Xu Juncheng's side have to be people that I can trust and who are also capable.
Zhou Xuan had thought of Li Li long ago. She was a top student at the University of Finance and Economics, professional and capable. Recently, she seemed to have developed feelings for her younger brother, Zhou Tao. Zhou Xuan immediately thought of transferring her and her brother to Xu Juncheng's side. Managing finances would be the best choice, and it would also give the two more opportunities to spend time together. Over time, feelings can develop.
If Li Li and her brother can get together, then they'll be family, no outsiders. It would be best if she helped her brother manage the company's finances; managing it as if it were their own company would foster a sense of responsibility.
Zhou Xuan considered that if he were to bring his younger brother over, he would have to give him 10% of the shares, at least enough to give him the same weight as Xu Juncheng. If Xu Juncheng was doing his job well, that would be great, but if he had other motives, that was just speculation. It was better to be prepared and always be on the safe side. Zhou Tao had the same number of shares as him, and if he wasn't around, his younger brother could also compete with him.
However, this shareholding needs to be carefully considered. It doesn't matter if the younger brother gets more; he's his own brother, so any amount is fine. But given the current situation, it's not advisable to give him too much, because Xu Juncheng has just regained his confidence and is eager to make a big splash. If someone is placed in a position that makes him feel constantly pressured, it would be counterproductive. You should trust those you employ, and not employ those you don't trust. Xu Juncheng's abilities are beyond question.
After hanging up with Zhang Jian, Zhou Xuan then called his younger brother Zhou Tao and asked him to come to the house with Li Li, saying he had something to discuss.
Zhou Tao asked Zhou Xuan what was wrong. Zhou Wang didn't answer him, but just told him to come back quickly, as it was urgent.
Although he had accomplished Xu Juncheng's task and made two more phone calls, Li Wei thought Zhou Xuan was doing quite well, but it was obvious that his expression wasn't very happy.
"Xuan-ge, what's wrong with you? I picked you up this morning, and you've been sullen ever since we got to Xu Juncheng's place. Is it because Pretty Wanzi suspects something about you and Shangguan Mingyue?" Li Wei spoke formally at first, but his next sentence suddenly revealed his true nature.
"Nonsense!" Zhou Xuan cursed fiercely. "You just talk nonsense, making up things that didn't happen. What does Shangguan Mingyue have to do with me? Aren't you always by my side? I think you two are the ones who have a relationship!"
Li Wei chuckled and said, "I wanted to have a relationship with her, but she wouldn't allow it, Xuan-ge. Actually, between two people, having a relationship doesn't necessarily mean physical intimacy. As long as you have the desire, that counts as having a relationship, because you've already betrayed your beautiful sister-in-law in your heart." "Bullshit!" Zhou Xuan finally couldn't help but retort angrily, "I never even thought about it! Stop talking nonsense! If you find out, I'll... I'll kill you!"
"Come on!" Li Wei replied nonchalantly, "The person who wants to kill me hasn't even been born yet."
Zhou Xuan was truly helpless against him. He couldn't transform and devour his hands and feet, and even if he wanted to, he was powerless to do so now, because he had already lost his ice energy ability.