Chapter 331: Virus
“It’s Ms. Shen’s project—the profits this quarter have increased tenfold,” Xie Ran said.
Xu Youyou: !
The project Shen Wenxing collaborated with them on was already highly profitable; she didn’t expect it could become even more lucrative.
Xu Youyou’s eyes turned into the shape of dollar signs. She even joked casually, “You guys secretly running a money-printing factory like this—aren’t you afraid of getting arrested?”
Xie Ran calmly accepted the compliment. “Thank you for the praise, Boss. I’ll bring the company’s financial report over at 10 a.m. tomorrow, is that okay?”
He even considered Xu Youyou’s habit of sleeping in. Naturally, she had no objections.
The next day, Xie Ran arrived on time.
Xu Youyou was a little surprised when she saw the gift he brought. “Our company’s making snack gift packs now?”
Xie Ran nodded and said, “It’s kind of a coincidence. It started when Song Zhibai wanted to create some special merchandise gifts for his fans. Boss, you know that although Xiao Song is a top celebrity, the company is very strict about his endorsements, so he hasn’t endorsed any snack brands.”
“You also know how big his fanbase is. If we chose snacks as merchandise, it might look like we’re advertising for a snack company. Seeing how troubled we were, Xiao Song took the initiative to name a snack brand.”
“It was a brand he loved as a kid. But when I looked for their products on the market, I couldn’t find them anywhere. After contacting the manufacturer, I learned the factory was having operational issues and was on the verge of shutting down. I thought, since Xiao Song liked it and it wouldn’t cost much, why not just buy the factory?”
“The factory, which was barely surviving, unexpectedly revived because of that batch of merchandise. We repackaged the products, and now it’s being recognized as a rising force among domestic brands.”
As she listened, Xu Youyou casually opened the snack gift pack and grabbed a bag of chips to try.
It wasn’t the traditional style of chips she was used to. She thought she might not like it, but surprisingly, the taste was refreshing and not greasy at all.
“You made a really good investment,” Xu Youyou praised.
Xie Ran humbly replied, “It’s all thanks to Teacher Xiao Song. I thought at the time, even if this business didn’t make money, helping Xiao Song fulfill a dream would still be worth it. Who knew the trend of supporting domestic brands would take off, and we’d ride the wave.”
Xie Ran still remembered the factory director’s joy when they agreed to invest. Even though ownership changed, the director was simply happy the factory could survive, the brand could live on, and the workers wouldn’t lose their jobs.
“Now that business is good, don’t forget to give the factory workers promotions and raises. I know it’s hard to match the headquarters’ standards, but at least make sure their salaries are among the industry’s best,” Xu Youyou instructed.
Xie Ran smiled and said, “I knew Boss would say that. I also brought the next quarter’s salary adjustment plan. Take a look. If you’re okay with it, you can sign it.”
Xu Youyou glanced at the salary adjustment plan—it was standard. But thinking about the massive profits from last quarter, she hesitated and asked, “If we increase it by another 10%, would you think it’s unreasonable?”
Xie Ran smiled. “If the employees’ salaries rise, it just means you, Boss, get a little less profit. If you agree, I have no objections.”
Xu Youyou said, “Even so, I’m still making a ton.”
At this point, Xu Youyou had so much money that, at the rate she spent, she didn’t know how many lifetimes it would take to use it all. Sometimes, she even felt her lifestyle was too extravagant, but no matter how fast she spent, she could never keep up with how fast she earned.
Take, for example, the 8 billion yuan profit from the second quarter—she had no idea how long it would take to spend it.
After finishing the report, Xie Ran stood up. Before leaving, he suddenly said, “Boss, you built your career by spotting hidden treasures. Even now, you still travel all over looking for lost artifacts. The company is already running smoothly; you don’t have to work so hard anymore.”
Xu Youyou paused, realizing that Xie Ran misunderstood her artifact-hunting trips as still trying to make money.
But truthfully, her recent finds hadn’t brought much return at all.
She wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. “I don’t find it hard… I just…”
Xie Ran patiently listened and then said, “I know you love what you do. You can totally keep it as a hobby. But all of us employees can’t help but worry when we think about how you faced gunfire in Thailand last year.”
Hearing that, Xu Youyou felt both amused and guilty. Not only did she face gunfire last year, but this year she also almost got hit by a sniper bullet.
She decided not to mention the Tokyo incident and instead asked, “Are they really that worried?”
Xie Ran nodded very seriously. “Boss, do you remember Little Hu? The young guy who looks much older because of his long beard?”
Xu Youyou nodded lightly. She remembered him—he used to be an assistant director on Ouyang Ouyang’s team and now led his own team.
“Little Hu even went to a temple during New Year and lit an eternal lamp for you, praying for your safety and health. I won’t say any fake stuff—everyone at the company is sincerely wishing for your well-being. They care because you’re the Boss. But more importantly, because you’re you, they’re genuinely grateful.”
Xie Ran’s words were a bit clumsy, but unexpectedly, Xu Youyou understood him perfectly.
Her nose tingled, feeling emotional. Honestly, she rarely intervened in company affairs or management and barely interacted with the employees. She never thought they’d genuinely care for her.
All because she was a generous boss.
“I… I’ll take better care of myself. Don’t worry,” Xu Youyou said softly.
After Xie Ran left, Xu Youyou stayed in her study for a long time. When she finally came out, Lu Jingyao was outside, watching her with concern.
“Did you hear about the Gu family?” Lu Jingyao asked.
Xu Youyou was puzzled. “What happened to the Gu family?”
Lu Jingyao handed her his phone. It was a news article.
It reported a scandal involving the Gu family’s main industry—clothing.
“Gu’s Clothing: A 3,000 Yuan Down Jacket Contains Less Than 3 Grams of Down!”
Even Xu Youyou couldn’t help but have a pupil-shrinking moment after reading it. Spending 3,000 yuan for less than 3 grams of down? What kind of hellish joke was that?
But Xu Youyou also knew that down jackets were just one product line and wouldn’t necessarily shake the family’s foundation.
Lu Jingyao then handed her the next piece of news. One scandal led to another, like pulling up a radish with mud clinging to it. The down jacket scandal spread like a virus, affecting not only Gu family’s other industries but also the Gu family members themselves.
