Chapter 129: Chapter 115: Tengying Drops Out of Top Three

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Chen Pingsheng had wanted to develop large-scale retail stores for more than just a day or two.

He always felt there was a significant business opportunity within.

He had mapped it out very well.

By the end of this year, that is in December, he planned to invest one to two billion yuan to organize a massive Splendid Night event.

14 Water Cloud Space locations would simultaneously lay the groundwork.

Furthermore, with six months of advance publicity and momentum building, achieving five to eight billion was certainly not a dream.

Besides, he had now further consolidated the shares of Water Cloud Space under himself.

Previously owning only 55%, he now owned 75%.

This was a project that could activate Golden Finger, and the shares had to be centralized.

By the time it launched, even a modest multiplier could potentially bring in ten to twenty billion in one go. He was not into real estate, nor did he understand anything about Internet plus.

Investing heavily in something suitable for him meant only super-scale retail stores.

Just imagine.

If he could own a dozen or more super-scale malls in Capital City, how formidable that would be.

Not to mention, he could also independently segment the projects inside.

The event at the end of December was the main act for him this year.

With Zhang Tao and the others taking the lead in researching full-category fresh supermarkets, he felt relatively confident.

Pausing, Chen Pingsheng said, “These data surveys you’ve done are still acceptable. Recruit some more excellent market researchers. Tenghui is preparing to officially establish a market research department. Initially, focus on a detailed data analysis and survey of the well-performing large-scale stores nationwide, and collect data on the failed ones as well.”

Lin Jia was slightly startled, “Mr. Chen, could you tell me the specific requirements for this department, and how many years of expenses are you planning to allocate?”

This was a very realistic question. In Capital City, hiring people was a very simple matter.

The key was how many to hire and at what level of expected salary.

She needed to know the boss’s thoughts in order to proceed with her work.

Chen Pingsheng thought for a moment and said, “I don’t have the time to travel all over the country, so I need your marketing team to go to various places to collect key data. The marketing department’s budget for the first year is thirty million.”

Thirty million?

Specifically for recruiting people to collect data on traditional retail stores.

Lin Jia thought the number was quite exaggerated.

Chen Pingsheng continued, “Of course, it’s not just about observing which malls are doing well and which are doing poorly. The key is to understand the supply channels of each category and conduct comprehensive comparisons of products.”

This was easier to understand. With the addition of channels, the amount of work they had to do became much more extensive.

Thirty million yuan, even if you hired people at an annual salary of two hundred thousand yuan, you could hire one hundred and fifty.

Then distribute these people to investigate large-scale stores while also understanding the supply channels and quality comparisons of each category.

With half a year’s time, this would be enough to fully understand every aspect of large-scale stores.

“By the way, your personal annual salary has increased to six hundred thousand, and the next step will be 1.5 million. Whether you can get it depends on the results of your work in the next six months.”

Chen Pingsheng never focused on encouragement; he only placed tangible money in front of you. If you had the ability, you would take it.

If not, he would find someone who did.

A very pragmatic approach.

Lin Jia was directly stunned by this, no wonder Bai Xin downstairs said that in this company, as long as you can do your job well, there would be endless amounts of money.

The boss never talked about dreams; he only made you deeply feel that the job needed to be done well, the job needed to be done well.

Because as long as the job was done well, he would help you achieve whatever dreams you had.

She had only been at Tenghui for a few months, and this was only the second time she saw the boss come to the company.

And then her annual salary had doubled.

The next target was half a year later, and the specific assessment standard was no standard at all.

If the boss thinks you’re capable, then you are.

If the boss thinks you’re not, then don’t even think about getting an annual salary of 1.5 million.

In a word, he was not short of money.

But you had to satisfy him with your work, and then you would get far more than expected.

1.5 million!

Even graduates with a PhD from Qingbei couldn’t get that high of a salary.

Lin Jia knew this was an opportunity to change her fate right before her eyes.

If she could complete this task well, it meant she wouldn’t have to rely on anyone in the future.

No matter how much the housing prices rose, an annual salary of one hundred fifty thousand would allow for an easy purchase.

If not, might as well drop a bomb to destroy it all.

99.99% of the people struggling in the Capital would despair.

When Chen Pingsheng went downstairs with Chang Fu and Yang Qian, Lin Jia was already thinking of ways to recruit people.

And she had to recruit those who were extremely capable, even several times more competent than herself.

The boss rarely came by, and the task was assigned to her, so it would be her responsibility.

If she played games and recruited people who were worse than her, then the survey results coming out six months later would be mediocre.

Forget about getting 1.5 million; even keeping six hundred thousand was very likely not guaranteed.

She was not the kind of woman who lacked vision and loved to play clever tricks.

For that annual salary of one hundred fifty thousand, she had to go all out.

Chang Fu puzzled, “Old Chen, I don’t understand your way of managing people. You haven’t really done anything yet and you’ve already doubled her annual salary. If she does well and you triple it again directly, what kind of people management is this?”

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“What’s there not to understand?”

Yang Qian, still very poised and having been part of the system for so long, was well-accustomed to the ways of the world.

She said, “For Old Chen, what he wants is a solid research result. With this result, it’s very likely he could open several superstores in the next few years, and the profits from those stores are incomparable to just a few million a year.”

“As for that girl just now, she’s working to make money. You give her what she wants, let her give her all to get you the result, isn’t that a win-win?”

“I just think he’s giving a bit too much,”

Don’t be fooled by Chang Fu’s spendthrift ways in his personal life; he’s actually quite economical with others.

“You could give her seven or eight hundred thousand, and she would still give it her all for you.”

“Look at how stingy you are. A person with an annual salary of three hundred thousand, do you think she’s never seen a salary of eight hundred thousand?”

Yang Qian said, “Think about it, if you were only making a hundred thousand a year and suddenly a chance for five hundred thousand a year was placed in front of you, how would you handle it?”

“Do I even need to say it? Anyone who dares to stop me from earning that five hundred thousand, I’d f***ing kill them,”

Chang Fu said fiercely.

Yang Qian kicked him lightly, “It’s a society governed by law now, stop with the violence. Everyone’s playing the game of relationships and social etiquette, learn a bit more. You know you’d go all out, don’t you think others would too? Only by giving more than expected can you receive more than expected; how can you be a big boss by nickel-and-diming?”

“Old Chen can manage so many companies by himself, and when he doesn’t show up at the group for over a month, the group still operates smoothly without any problems. Do you think ordinary people can do that?”

“That’s true,” Chang Fu admitted, respecting this aspect. The little streamers under his charge would all engage in various antics when he wasn’t around.

Like secretly seeing big brothers for handbags, asking for lots of red packets.

The moment he was present, everyone would behave.

“It’s not as mystical as you guys make it out to be,”

Chen Pingsheng said, “I just like to simplify complicated things, that’s all. If there’s something I can’t do well or don’t understand, then I just leave most of the profits to those who can do it well.”

Arriving at Tengying Entertainment, indeed a company renowned for slacking off.

The employees were doing yoga or dancing during work hours, with hardly anyone seriously working.

It’s mainly because there’s nothing to do.

“Oh my god, Uncle, you’re finally here,”

Bai Xin appeared dramatically in front of him, “If you hadn’t come, I’d have gone crazy from boredom.”

Although a bit idle,

everyone was still doing what they were supposed to do; the artist training classes were still in session every day.

The legal department would send out flyers miles away at anyone who slandered the leading sister.

The online marketing department was busy every day pulling the trainees to dance and shoot videos,

then uploading them online to generate some buzz.

Beyond these activities, really, all that was left was to clock out on time.

“Bai Xin, without me, you all are quite free, huh?”

“Uncle, try to understand. There’s nothing to do, and you nearly haven’t invested in a drama for half a year. Those who don’t know better might think Tengying has financial problems. Nowadays, those seeking investment don’t even come to us.”

Bai Xin felt like their status in the circle had plummeted drastically.

Worrying, indeed.

As just a small secretary, what could she do? Without the boss around, all she could do was honestly stay put.

Chen Pingsheng patted her on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, once your big sister finishes filming, we’ll consider our next investment plan.”

Hua Qiangu had been shooting for almost half a year and was expected to wrap up officially by September.

By then, he would definitely make a substantial amount of money.

Only with ample funds could he make major investments.

It’s mainly because the cost of investing in TV dramas had skyrocketed this year, including the actors’ fees.

Last year, having a first-tier actor as the lead only cost about ten million.

This year it had doubled, and even investments of over a hundred million were no longer considered big-budget productions.

The stars’ fees in the entertainment circle had risen the fastest this year.

Mainly because B.A.T.’s individually invested platforms Youku, Penguin, and iQIYI had begun to compete in full force.

These three video websites wouldn’t mind losing billions a year, as their hearts pounded with anxiety.

Internet companies, well, that’s just how they are.

Chen Pingsheng, coming from a modest background, wouldn’t behave like them, who brashly make loss-making deals.

He was in it to make money.

“How’s Peiyao doing?”

“Uncle, you really care about her, don’t you? She’s still studying acting seriously,”

Bai Xin updated him on Tengying’s situation over the past few months.

The outside world was saying that Tengying had encountered major problems.

Whether Hua Qiangu could even finish filming was in question.

All that was complete nonsense.

It’s just that Tengying’s position in the industry, which had made its way to a second-tier entertainment company last year thanks to a two-hundred-million investment,

was at risk of falling below the third tier because they hadn’t invested in a single project this year.

Chen Pingsheng didn’t care much about these; he didn’t attend entertainment industry parties.

What significance did entertainment circle status hold for him?

He preferred to earn money quietly and earnestly.