Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
To prevent any accidents from happening due to delays, Ye Feng set the time for the contract to be signed at six in the evening. The location was at a cafe near the university.
“I still need a contract.”
He planned to solve the issue of the contract after his two lessons in the afternoon.
After all, it was just a standard contract and it wouldn’t take much time.
However, to be safe, he still decided to hire a lawyer to help draft it.
Ye Feng looked at his money in YouChat and thought about the coffee tonight. Then, he felt a little disappointed.
He would have to live on dirt again this month.
…
Later at 5pm, in Bluebird Café…
This was a middle-end coffee shop that was completely in line with his demands.
Ye Feng was wearing a new set of clothes. Finally, he tidied his hair and walked in.
There was still an hour before the appointed time, but to show his sincerity, he decided to wait here early.
However, he was not the only one who had the same thoughts.
Half an hour later, when Ye Feng raised his head again, he saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the cafe.
At that moment, Zhao Zhen was no longer drunk like he was yesterday.
Instead, he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He was filled with confidence. One would think of him as an outstanding talent just by looking at him.
Ye Feng’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly went over to greet him.
“Boss Zhao, come here. Have a seat.”
“You are… Boss Ye?”
Although Zhao Zhen had seen Ye Feng last night, he couldn’t remember what he looked like. Now that it was their first time meeting, he was a bit surprised.
After all, Ye Feng simply looked too young.
“Just call me Ye Feng.”
Ye Feng called the waiter over and asked, “What kind of coffee would you like to drink?”
“Anything will do.”
Zhao Zhen didn’t have many requests when he came to coffee. After all, at this moment, he wasn’t interested in coffee, but in Ye Feng.
“Very well then, waiter. Two lattes, please.”
“Boss Ye.”
Zhao Zhen deliberated and said, “From your age, I see that you haven’t graduated yet.
“Why did you suddenly think of opening a hotpot restaurant?”
The reason he asked this question was to confirm that Ye Feng had not done this on a whim, just like a rich second-generation heir playing around.
If he had simply done it on a whim… then no matter how much Zhao Zhen liked his plans, he had to consider them carefully.
“I’m sure Boss Zhao is worried.”
Ye Feng smiled faintly. “Indeed, I haven’t graduated from university yet.”
“However, I definitely did not do it on a whim. On the contrary, I’m very serious about Hedilao.”
As he spoke, Ye Feng picked up his notebook and handed it over to Zhao Zhen.
“I wasn’t too clear when I was talking over the phone. Boss Zhao, you can take a closer look here.”
This notebook recorded all of Ye Feng’s ideas about Hedilao. Compared to yesterday and this morning, it was much more comprehensive.
“Your coffee, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Time ticked by, and Zhao Zhen kept his head lowered as he flipped through the notebook in his hand, occasionally appearing to be deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Ye Feng tightened his grip on his coffee… Then, his grip got even tighter.
“Nice handwriting.”
Just as Ye Feng was beginning to let his imagination run wild, a voice suddenly sounded from beside him.
He looked up at Zhao Zhen’s face.
He seemed… to be in a pretty good mood?
Zhao Zhen was indeed in a good mood, so much so that he took two big gulps of coffee.
“Boss Ye, you don’t seem to have any management experience, right?”
Zhao Zhen put down his cup and opened the notebook again.
When he read the contents of the notebook again, he found it hard to believe that the idea originated from a university student who had yet to graduate.
“The concept is not bad, and the ideas are very clear, but there are many areas that are very messy and not systematic.”
Zhao Zhen commented.
Ye Feng scratched his head in embarrassment.
Indeed, he had no management experience. Furthermore, his studies were not in this field either.
Hence, most of the time, he simply wrote whatever he thought of in this notebook.
It was also because he was a loyal customer of Haidilao in his previous life and had done his research before. Now, he still had quite a deep impression of Haidilao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to write these.
“I’ll take this notebook back first.”
Seeing that Ye Feng was slightly puzzled, Zhao Zhen smiled and added, “I’ll take it back to tidy it up.”
“No problem, please do whatever you want!”
Ye Feng patted his chest in agreement when he heard this.
After all, Zhao Zhen was someone who had been in the upper management of a company. With his help, Ye Feng’s idea would become a reality.
“However, I have something to say first.”
Zhao Zhen knocked on the table and said, “You should know that I resigned from Prosperous Flavor.
“I can fill you in on the details. Before I quit my job, I had a very unpleasant affair with the chairman of Prosperous Flavor, Li Xin.”
“As for Li Xin… how should I put it? From what I know of him, he’s a refined, but self-interested person. Furthermore, he’s very petty.”
“Very petty?’
Ye Feng was sharp and noticed Zhao Zhen’s last sentence. His eyes lit up as he fell into deep thought.
Zhao Zhen looked at Ye Feng and felt a little nervous.
To Ye Feng and Zhao Zhen, whether or not Zhao Zhen would join Hedilao was actually a two-way choice.
Ye Feng needed Zhao Zhen, the gold-standard store manager. Likewise, Zhao Zhen also needed Ye Feng to implement his strategy.
Most importantly…
“Let’s take a gamble!”
“You can kick me away, but I must let you know that I am right!”
Zhao Zhen took a deep breath as he thought about his encounter with Prosperous Flavor.
To him, Hedilao was… very important!
“Boss Ye, what are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking.” Ye Feng raised his head and looked into Zhao Zhen’s eyes. “President Li is so petty… Will he make a scene when he’s angry?”
Ye Feng already understood.
No matter how petty Li Xin was, Ye Feng had to get Zhao Zhen.
After all, if he gave up on a gold-standard manager just because he was afraid of the petty Li Xin, what business could he establish?
Moreover, no matter how petty Li Xin was, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to fight to the death with Ye Feng, right?
As long as they didn’t fight to the death, since they were both operating hotpot restaurants… There would inevitably be a competition.
“Hm?”
Zhao Zhen seemed as if he did not expect Ye Feng to say this. Thus, he was stunned for a moment before laughing out loud. “Hahahaha, I don’t think so.”
His laughter echoed in the cafe, attracting many unhappy gazes, but he did not care.
“Then, Boss Zhao.”
Ye Feng placed the contract he had prepared on the table. “Will you consider this?”
Zhao Zhen took the contract and flipped through it.
Half an hour later, he put down the contract again.
At this moment, he was certain that there were no traps in this contract. The terms were very clear, and even the conditions that Ye Feng had previously promised were written on it.
In the end, he only had to sign, and… settle the salary.
“About the salary.”
Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment before sizing up Ye Feng once more.
“He’s just a university student who hasn’t graduated yet. Furthermore, from the way he’s dressed, he isn’t wearing any luxury brands. Thus, I believe that even if his family has some money, they’re not a wealthy family.”
“As a result, when he comes out to start a business, his family won’t give him too much.”
At the thought of this, Zhao Zhen said, “The average manager in the food industry earns about 10,000 to 12,000 yuan a month. I…”
Before he finished speaking, he saw Ye Feng stretch out his hand to make an “8” gesture.
“Eight thousand yuan?”
Zhao Zhen furrowed his eyebrows. Eight thousand was too little.
Although he was applying for the position of manager now, he was still a Deputy General Manager previously.
“No.”
Unexpectedly, Ye Feng shook his head.
“This can mean 8,000, but it also can mean 800,000.”