Chapter Six: The General Manager’s Wisdom

"Mr. Chen, why didn't you wait for us?" Li Han stepped into Chen Jin's office, her tone half-mocking as she clicked across the floor in high heels.

"I need to head to the factory, so I have to get ready first. Oh, by the way, print out this month's financial statement for me, and also the customer order data. I'll be taking them with me to headquarters," Chen Jin explained, assigning her the task.

"Right away, Mr. Chen." Li Han was nothing if not efficient, and her work attitude was impeccable. The moment Chen Jin gave her instructions, her expression turned appropriately serious.

"And also, let everyone know—tonight we're having a company dinner at Prosperity Restaurant, my treat," Chen Jin added just as Li Han was about to leave.

"My, aren't you generous today, Mr. Chen? I’ll go inform everyone straightaway. I'll tell them to eat less this afternoon and come hungry for your feast," Li Han quipped with a grin as she turned back, her mood light.

She was the type who could be serious when needed and relaxed when appropriate—a truly pleasant character. Without waiting for Chen Jin to shoot her a sidelong glance, she exited his office in a few quick steps.

She had her own office as well; all the storefronts outside were considered her territory. Li Han had originally been a designer at the factory. For various reasons, she had later been transferred to the storefront to work in sales. Thanks to her design background, she was intimately familiar with all the furniture in the store, making her job smooth and effortless. That's how she became the deputy store manager last year, and perhaps next year she'd be the store manager.

Chen Jin browsed his computer, glanced at the latest news, and waited for Li Han to bring the documents. He opened the search engine and checked the local news, then searched for "Xiahu Snack Shop on Yangxiang Road, Xiahu County."

He wanted to see if there were any rumors or strange incidents about the shop across the street. But all he found were promotional articles about how delicious the snacks were; there was nothing unusual. It seemed the shop did a good job keeping things under wraps.

After flipping through a few pages and finding nothing, Chen Jin closed the browser.

Knock, knock, knock...

"That was quick," Chen Jin remarked as Li Han walked in.

"Please, you know how efficient I am," Li Han replied, rolling her eyes as she brought over a document folder.

"I can really see that now. Let me take a look—otherwise, if they ask me something over there, I won't know how to answer." Chen Jin took the folder from her.

He opened it and leafed through the contents.

He only needed a single glance to memorize everything. This was the advantage of reaching the "Calm Mind" stage—it greatly improved memory, turning a person into a living recorder.

The information matched what he remembered from last month's sales, and there were notes about customer preferences as well.

"Good, very good. Dinner's on me when I get back tonight," Chen Jin said, placing the folder into his briefcase and heading out of the office.

"Don't be long—we're all waiting for your treat," Li Han called after him with a wave.

"No problem," Chen Jin replied, leaving the store and getting on his electric scooter to ride to the furniture factory.

As he left, he glanced casually at the snack shop across the street, but didn't linger. The owner was still busy stir-frying noodles, chatting and laughing with the customers.

Chen Jin's scooter didn't go fast—how fast could an electric scooter go, anyway?

The factory was on the outskirts of Xiahu County, about three miles from Xiahu First High School. Land prices there weren't cheap anymore, so when Chen's father bought the land five years ago to build the factory, it turned out to be a great investment.

Now, Xiahu County was full of new developments, and the land next to the high school was highly sought after. The factory covered an area half as large as the school—over a hundred acres. Back then, the land cost over eight million, but now it could fetch more than eighty million, a tenfold increase. Still, the Chen family had plenty of working capital, so Chen's father wasn't planning to sell. Instead, he was negotiating partnership developments with companies, the idea being that everyone could profit together.

The factory was soon to be relocated, likely to the Chen Materials Base, which had more convenient transportation and was right by the highway.

The plan was to merge the furniture and building materials companies. In addition, Chen's father was preparing to invest in the used car market and was currently negotiating to acquire a used car company in Jiaocheng City.

Chen Jin couldn't quite understand his father's confidence in business. From what he knew, his father had invested in many companies. He'd put millions into a software company in Xiahu County the year before last and tens of millions into a local restaurant chain two years ago. Some businesses lost money, but most were profitable.

His father believed these were the golden years for the economy—if you had money, you were guaranteed to make more, and even if you lost, you just had to stay calm and you'd make it back.

Chen Jin knew exactly how much his family was worth: several hundred million.

Despite their wealth, his father kept a low profile in life and a high profile in business. They lived in a small villa on the edge of town and drove a common BMW. His father refused to buy him a car or let him get a driver's license...

What else could Chen Jin do? He could only stick with his electric scooter and obediently prepare for his driving test.

Lost in thought, Chen Jin leisurely rode to the factory.

The Chen Furniture Factory had a large output. Its main clients weren't just their own stores. Most of their furniture was sold outside the county, covering the entire province and even extending to the neighboring island province across the strait.

So, the real money-maker turned out to be this unassuming furniture business, while the original building materials company was still focused locally.

The company had originally been named Chen Furniture Co., Ltd., but when they wanted to build a brand beyond the county, they changed it to Jinlan Furniture Co., Ltd., combining the names of Chen Jin and Chen Lan.

Chen Jin rode into the factory, made a round to greet a few familiar faces, and then headed into the office building.

Every week, the company held a regular meeting, and once a month, all subsidiary companies held a general meeting presided over by his father. All managers from the main and subsidiary companies were required to attend, as were factory workshop supervisors and store managers.

Chen Jin just made the cut for attendance.

He first dropped off the documents at the statistics department, then went up to the top floor for the meeting.

Along the way, he ran into his mother, Wang Xuemei, who managed the furniture company.

Chen Jin considered avoiding her, but her glare stopped him, and he obediently walked by her side.

"What happened last night? Why did Lan cry as soon as she saw me?" Wang Xuemei asked.

"She cried when she saw me too..." Chen Jin replied meekly.

"You didn't bully her, did you?" Wang Xuemei pressed.

"Would I dare?" Chen Jin looked utterly aggrieved.

"Alright. I'll ask her about it tonight," Wang Xuemei said.

"You're wise as always, Mom!" Chen Jin replied, all admiration.

"Address me as General Manager!" Wang Xuemei shot him another glare.

"General Manager—you are wise as always!" Chen Jin echoed, his admiration undiminished.

"..."