Seeing Ye Qing's confused expression, Huo Pingping waved her hand and said, "Forget it, asking him is like asking a wall. I might as well go ask Ms. Mu myself."
"Don't go over there," Chen Keai caught Huo Pingping in a hurry and whispered, "Ms. Mu is in a bad mood, locked herself in her room, and doesn't open the door no matter who knocks. Don't go and disturb her now, that's just her personality. She's really too stubborn; none of us can help her!"
Huo Pingping looked towards Mu Qingrong's room, shook her head with resignation, and said, "What's the point of being so strong as a woman? This kind of thing should be handled by men. Why take it all on herself?"
"Actually, I think Ms. Mu has quite a personality; she's a role model for the new generation of women," Fang Tingyun said.
Huo Pingping curled her lip and responded, "Yeah, right, a role model. If you admire her so much, why don't you try starting a company yourself?"
Fang Tingyun clenched her fists and said, "It's just that I haven't had the chance. If I did, I'd really like to give it a try!"
"Come on, it sounds good now," Huo Pingping retorted, "but when you actually start a company, you'll understand how difficult starting a business can be. In my opinion, for a woman, it's simple; just marry a good man, and that's it. Why take on so much worry?"
Chen Keai asked, "Pingping, what exactly are your standards for a 'good man'?"
"Isn't that obvious? He's got to be rich!" Huo Pingping didn't try to hide her criteria.
"Rich guys are unreliable," Chen Keai commented.
Huo Pingping glared at her and retorted, "Hmph, who needs to rely on a guy? It's all about the money. Besides, is your pretty-boy doctor any more reliable?"
"Hey, you're talking about me now, why drag me into this?" Chen Keai complained with a pout.
Huo Pingping shot back, "Well, you shouldn't have criticized my view on choosing a partner!"
Chen Keai stopped talking immediately; arguing with Huo Pingping was a battle no one could win.
Ye Qing had been watching Mu Qingrong's room door all along, also feeling a bit worried. Although he had not known Mu Qingrong for long, he could tell that for her, running the company was actually very exhausting. For a small company, business is the biggest problem. If there's an issue with the business, the company might face the danger of closure!
Ye Qing wasn't worried about his own job; he just felt that Mu Qingrong was a decent person. If her company, which she had worked so hard to build with her own two hands, were to collapse, who knew if she could withstand such a blow?
Mu Qingrong didn't come out all night, nor did she eat dinner. It wasn't until the next morning, when Ye Qing returned from his run, that Mu Qingrong had already left.
Ye Qing tidied up and hurried to the office, where Mu Qingrong had already returned. She did not look well, appeared somewhat haggard, and her eyes were bloodshot, probably from not sleeping all night.
Ye Qing entered Mu Qingrong's office where she was looking at a document. He put a cup of soy milk and a piece of bread on the table and said, "Have something to eat; your stomach can't handle this much stress."
Mu Qingrong seemed not to hear, her gaze fixed on the document.
Ye Qing, resigned, sighed and turned to leave. Just as he reached the doorway, Mu Qingrong's voice came from behind him.
"Ye Qing, go to Das Group this morning and return the contract to them," she said.
Ye Qing turned around; Mu Qingrong had already handed him the Das Group's contract.
Ye Qing looked at the contract, which was unsigned.
Ye Qingqi said, "Did you grab the wrong one? The contract isn't signed."
"It's not a mistake," Mu Qingrong said with a hint of desolation in her eyes, "I've decided last night; I'm giving up on the Das Group's business!"
"Why?" Ye Qing was greatly surprised.
Mu Qingrong replied, "There's a problem with the company's finances, and we don't have the extra capital to support other businesses right now. So, the company must make choices and sacrifices among these businesses!"
Ye exclaimed urgently, "The Das Group's business is only tens of thousands of yuan. If the company allocates ten thousand yuan, we can carry out this business well!"
Mu Qingrong sighed, looked up at Ye Qing, and said, "The Feiyun Group's business is the largest one the company has ever had so far. Feiyun Group has increased their volume to five hundred thousand. For this business, the company must transfer all its funds. Therefore, we have to give up some smaller businesses to ensure there are no problems with the Feiyun Group's business!"
Ye Qing frowned slightly. Although he didn't understand much about corporate affairs, Mu Qingrong's approach made him quite skeptical. In business, the last thing one should do is put all their eggs in one basket. Now she was giving up other business to focus entirely on Feiyun Group's contract—it was a dangerous move.
If anything went wrong with Feiyun Group's business, wouldn't that spell doom for their company?
Of course, Mu Qingrong's decision was based on her own considerations. The Feiyun Group contract was the best opportunity for the company's growth. If the company could secure and successfully manage this contract, it would move up a notch and gradually penetrate the mid-end market, instead of sticking to small deals. So, Mu Qingrong was taking this business with Feiyun Group very seriously.
Despite the risks, she was determined to land it!
This decision was one Mu Qingrong had contemplated all of the previous night. Whether the company could step up to the next level hinged on this opportunity.
"Are we certain to get the Feiyun Group's business?" Ye Qing asked softly.
"One must try everything. We have invested too much for this contract," Mu Qingrong replied, looking at Ye Qing, "I have no way out. I must secure this contract!"
Ye Qing said no more and left the company with the Das Group contract in hand.
Two hours later, Ye Qing sat in Liu Yuan's office. Before Ye Qing could explain why he was there, Liu Yuan excitedly said, "Ye brothers, I've been meaning to find you, but you beat me to it. Come, come, have a seat. Secretary Wang, make a cup of coffee for Mr. Ye!"
The first time Ye Qing visited, he didn't even have a place to sit. This time, treated warmly by Liu Yuan's enthusiastic attitude, he felt almost overwhelmed.
Ye Qing said, "Manager Liu, actually, my visit this time is mainly... mainly to discuss this contract with you..."
Liu Yuan waved his hand and said, "That's not important. Tens of thousands of yuan in small deals—just say any requests you have!"
"Ah?" Ye Qing was taken aback. What did Liu Yuan mean by that?
Liu Yuan continued, "Ye brothers, I have another matter to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Ye Qingqi asked.
"Well, I'd like you to join me for a meeting shortly; I'm afraid I might need your help with something," chuckled Liu Yuan. "Don't worry, we can talk about it on the way. By the way, you were saying there was an issue with the contract? Speak now and I'll change it until you're satisfied."
Ye Qing finally understood why Liu Yuan was so accommodating—he needed help. Ye Qing didn't ask further; Liu Yuan had entrusted him with a contract before, and he felt obliged to return the favor.
"We're afraid we won't be able to sign this contract with you," Ye Qing said quietly.
"Ah? Why not? Is there something wrong with the contract? If you're not satisfied, just say so. Ye brothers, I know you're trustworthy. Any issues you raise, I'll definitely revise them to your satisfaction!" Liu Yuan declared, patting his chest.
"That's not the issue... The key is..." Ye Qing paused and continued in a low voice, "The key is our company's finances have encountered some difficulties recently. To ensure our other businesses run smoothly, we may have to give up some contracts."
"Ah?" Liu Yuan's eyes widened, a common scenario in Shenchuan City. Having too much business and not enough capacity to handle it required letting some go. He'd been in the business long enough to understand, but what he couldn't grasp was, considering Chiyun Company's situation, how could they be overwhelmed with business?
"Brother Ye, forgive my bluntness. Your company's business has always been sluggish. Logically, this shouldn't be happening," said Liu Yuan.
"No helping it, our company has taken on a big contract, and we truly don't have the financial means to support other businesses now," Ye replied.
"I see," Liu Yuan nodded, but without responding immediately, he fell silent for a while. Then, suddenly looking up at Ye Qing, he asked, "Ye brothers, do you know why I chose to sign this contract with your company?"
Ye Qing shook his head, and with a faint smile, Liu Yuan said, "To be frank, your company's products don't hold a special competitive edge in the market. This kind of product is commonplace, and I might even get better from others. But still, I chose your company's products. And the reason is only you, Ye brothers!"
"Oh?" Ye Qing was surprised and asked, "What do you mean, Manager Liu?"
Liu Yuan said, "I think you're a capable and honest man, Ye brothers. That's why I entrusted this business to your company. So, this contract signifies my trust in you!"
This left Ye Qing slightly embarrassed; Liu Yuan had put his trust in him, yet he had failed to meet expectations in handling the business.
Liu Yuan assured, "Since I've decided to trust you, I won't change my mind. I'll still hand this contract over to you. Moreover, I can have the finance department pay eighty percent of the payment upfront. This should give your company the financial leeway to manage this contract, right?"
Ye Qing was stunned; he'd never heard of such a decision. Generally, such contracts paid a ten to thirty percent advance, with the balance due only after product delivery. In fact, collecting the remaining payment was often a difficult task. Difficulty in receiving the final payment was a persistent industry problem.
Yet here was Liu Yuan, offering to prepay eighty percent to the company even before the contract was signed, a precedent unheard of in the business world. Although the deal was only worth tens of thousands of yuan, this boldness spoke volumes of his trust in Ye Qing!
"Ye brothers, eighty percent is the limit of my authority to move upfront payments. I think you should reconsider this contract," Liu Yuan said with a light smile. "When you return this afternoon, discuss it with Manager Mu. But you can't leave this morning no matter what!"