Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again

"..."

As the two were casually drinking tea and chatting, the manager’s office door was pushed open, and Brother Xiao Yang and Kang Baohong walked in one after the other.

The two came together; Brother Xiao Yang has a pickup truck, and since his living place is on the way to Zhejiang University and the Finance Institute, he usually picks Baohong up for meetings, though at first, Baohong found it a bit unusual. After a few rides, he got used to it.

After Su Zelin talked with Kang Baohong last time, he tried to accept Brother Xiao Yang and the new team, and found them quite decent. Recently, they’ve been working together to prepare other branches, running business errands many times, and their relationship has become increasingly harmonious.

This was also expected by Su Zelin. Kang Baohong isn’t petty, and Brother Xiao Yang is very skilled at social interaction; they just needed some time to adjust.

"President Su, President Kang!"

Liuu Wanyin quickly stood up, greeted the two, and offered them tea, then sensibly excused herself.

The three inside are all high-ranking officials of New Era, and gathering tonight suggests there are important matters to discuss, which someone of her rank shouldn’t eavesdrop on.

As Liuu Wanyin left, Kang Baohong took over the task of making tea.

As he brewed the tea, he curiously commented, "Boss, Xiaoliu has changed a lot!"

Liuu Wanyin could be said to be specially recruited into the store by Su Zelin himself. When this girl first joined New Era, she was so timid she would blush and stay speechless for half a day when talking with others. During her interview, if they were strict with requirements, she would’ve been eliminated for sure.

But it only took one word from Su Zelin to keep her.

Kang Baohong didn’t anticipate that a year later, Liuu Wanyin would become like a new person.

She has become talkative, lively, outgoing, and confident, and recently has even developed a touch of elegance, probably from learning to prepare kung fu tea and acquiring that temperament.

In short, every time Kang Baohong sees Liuu Wanyin after some time, he notices obvious changes in her.

Actually, this isn’t just true for Liuu Wanyin, but for himself as well.

When he first started following Su Zelin, Kang Baohong was also quite naive. However, after much learning and experience, he gradually matured, becoming more competent.

"Hehe, she’s doing well. Wanyin is a very hardworking girl who learns everything with great dedication!"

Su Zelin said with a light smile.

Kang Baohong thought to himself that even if she learns diligently, it still requires your nurturing and guidance!

He always felt that the boss had a special consideration for this female employee. Whether it was due to their schoolmate relationship, empathy for her impoverished family background, or something else, he didn’t dare to speculate recklessly.

With everyone gathered, they started discussing business matters while drinking tea.

The first was good news.

The brand accessory merchant deal that Brother Xiao Yang negotiated has officially signed a contract and can be operated now. The New Era Finance Institute and Zhejiang University branches have both become after-sales service points for a few accessory merchants. Concurrently, some merchants have signed advertising contracts with New World, so while promoting their ads, they can also earn advertising fees.

These two extra streams of income aren’t very large. In comparison, customized PCs still represent a significant portion. However, they enhance the digital store’s profitability potential; a bit here and a bit there, once all potential is tapped, the digital store’s profits can be maximized, which can then be promoted throughout all New Era branches, resulting in considerable increased profits.

The second piece of good news is that branches at three other universities are being actively established. The connections were facilitated through Zhou Fuliang’s networking, with Su Zelin and Yang Fen personally approaching the school leaders to finalize the deals, which have been gradually approved over the past week.

If there’s no surprise, by the start of the new school year, New Era’s branches can expand to five!

In the Lin’an of 2001, this certainly counts as a major chain!

It is only now that Kang Baohong realizes the necessity of Su Zelin bringing in partners. Without Yang Fen leading his team, New Era couldn’t have opened branches so quickly. Getting one store on track in one semester would’ve already been impressive.

With the simultaneous opening of three more, it’s impossible for him to manage everything even if he were overwhelmed with work.

Fortunately, Brother Xiao Yang and his team are very capable, managing the numerous tasks and problems involved in preparing three stores in an orderly manner.

At the current pace, several stores can be completed before the New Year holiday rush begins, with income immediately rolling in upon opening.

After the winter break, the start of the new school year’s peak computer assembly season will allow profitable earnings in two phases over roughly three months, which will be quite rewarding.

However, the news brought by the two tonight wasn’t entirely positive.

The third was bad news.

"Boss, someone near the University of Technology is imitating us by opening a similar digital store! As soon as I heard the news, I took time to check it out. That store is almost identical in decoration style and layout, and their strategy of hiring university students as part-time employees is much like ours. Moreover, President Yang learned that they even have a similar name, calling themselves a certain Digital Flagship Experience Center too. Isn’t that blatant plagiarism? It’s simply outrageous!"

Kang Baohong said indignantly.

If the other party were competing fairly, there is nothing to say, because you can’t forbid others from running businesses in this field; everyone has the right to get involved.

However, since the other party is shamelessly copying, that’s a different matter entirely.

"Boss, you worked so hard to come up with those creative and marketing strategies, so why do they feel entitled to copy them so blatantly? Their skin must be incredibly thick!"

The more Kang Baohong spoke, the angrier he became, almost to the point of slamming the table.

Following the trend?

Su Zelin was slightly surprised.

New Era actually had someone following the trend!

Heh, this is truly interesting.

...