The Art of Teasing - Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Ma Lu returned. Ye Ling, unwilling to put Wen Zhengyu through any more trouble, led her by the hand into their shared study.

Wen Zhengyu sat to the side, listening as Ye Ling and Ma Lu talked.

If Wen Zhengyu had spoken up herself and told him to give thirty percent of the shares to Ye Ling, Ma Lu wouldn't have had a single word of objection. But Wen Zhengyu was merely sitting off to the side, observing. Ma Lu understood, then, that even when facing the Boss Lady, he could still have a say in the operational decisions of the security company. This matter—Ye Ling wanting to take thirty percent of the security company—meant taking thirty percent from the brothers' hands and from Wen Zhengyu's hands.

The security company was funded by Wen Zhengyu's investment. The brothers were counting on using this company to establish roots and earn a stable livelihood. Ma Lu's first instinct was to refuse. But the company was indeed currently operating at a loss. Ye Ling claimed she could guarantee the company would turn a profit. Ma Lu first ran the calculations in his head, then asked Ye Ling how she could guarantee making it profitable.

Ye Ling first asked him how much he had invested in advertising and marketing, what the security company's service offerings were—a whole list of detailed questions.

The current state of the security company was that all the money had been sunk into equipment. They had almost no liquid capital. Even the renovations had been done with every possible corner cut. There wasn't a single cent allocated for advertising and promotion. They had simply printed some flyers and had the brothers hand them out during their idle moments.

Ye Ling then asked what was written on those flyers. She said, "And the local police station hasn't come knocking to investigate you?" The flyers actually dared to proclaim: We are a world-class security team from the Middle Eastern combat zone, armed with live ammunition to guarantee your safety.

Ma Lu said they had been investigated. They were a legitimate company and weren't afraid of inspections.

Ye Ling gave a cold laugh. "Armed with live ammunition! If someone hires you, and in the course of protecting the client, you end up killing or maiming someone, that's a lawsuit and a whole mess of legal disputes. The client might even get dragged into a detention center as an accessory."

"Fine wine still fears a back alley. If you don't invest in advertising and make some noise, your brand won't become known. You'll be left sitting on the bench." She went on, from the company's project operations all the way to various promotional and marketing methods. Even Ma Lu himself got thoroughly dressed down by Ye Ling. She said, "For all intents and purposes, your security company has over a hundred million in registered assets. You're the registered legal representative and CEO. You look like a boss worth over a hundred million. Your ride? A fifty-thousand-yuan minivan. Your clothes…" She gestured at Ma Lu from head to toe. "Is this the best outfit you own? Did it cost more than three thousand?"

Ma Lu's face tightened. He said in a deep voice, "Capital is tight right now, so naturally we save where we can. Whether I wear slightly better or worse clothes doesn't matter."

Ye Ling pointed a finger at Wen Zhengyu, who was sitting nearby with her chin propped on her hand, listening in. She said, "Your boss is so broke she doesn't have a single cent to her name, yet she still employs a bodyguard with an annual salary in the millions and rides in a luxury car." She told Ma Lu, "Don't say you're currently worth over a hundred million. Even if you were over a hundred million in debt, you still need to put on the airs of someone worth several hundred million. How much money is left in the company account right now?"

Ma Lu gestured a "three" with his fingers.

Ye Ling asked, "How much? Tens of millions or hundreds of millions? If it's three million, go buy a car."

Ma Lu said, "Three hundred thousand."

Ye Ling swept a glance over Ma Lu. "Go buy a watch, then."

Ma Lu's face went green. If Ye Ling weren't the Boss Lady, he would have flipped out on the spot.

Ye Ling told Ma Lu, "Put together a balance sheet of the company's assets. Then find a guarantee company. Use the guarantee company to apply for a bank loan. Right now, with money being what it is, loans are hard to get. Having a guarantee company will make it somewhat easier. Of course, the guarantee company will charge a certain handling fee. Your current liquid capital is far too low. The places that truly need investment haven't received a single cent—and now you have no money left. As for that equipment, it's actually more cost-effective to invest in it when you secure a project and actually need to use it. Right now, you've tied up all your funds in equipment that isn't needed yet. Without sufficient operating capital, the moment you fail to pull in new funds, your company will collapse due to a broken capital chain. And all that equipment of yours will become useless scrap."

She picked up a pen and paper and began jotting down, point by point, the things the security company needed to do now. For example: the business direction, the target clientele, and the operational scope needed to be set. Which services were to be primarily promoted, and which were secondary. All of this had to be formulated based on what Ma Lu and his men were skilled at. Ma Lu was to produce a detailed report on this. She would then match their specialties to the current domestic market to finalize the plan. Second: find money for the company. Secure liquid capital. This, she could handle. The security company had over a hundred million in registered capital; she could find at least fifty million. That amount of money would be enough to revitalize the security company. Third: market promotion and publicity. On this point, she heavily emphasized the matter of the company's image, including the image of Ma Lu, the titular boss. As the boss, his image was the face of the security company, the embodiment of the security company's net worth.

She even wrote out a checklist for Ma Lu, instructing him to follow the list to buy a car, a watch, clothes, and shoes to package himself. She told Ma Lu, "Take off that thick gold chain around your neck. Ask your boss to pick out a nice jade piece for you to wear."

Wen Zhengyu covered her forehead, unable to hold back her laughter.

Ye Ling shot Wen Zhengyu a glare. "You can still laugh? If I had invested such a large sum and the operations turned out like this, I'd be crying my eyes out." As she spoke, her pen continued scratching across the paper. She filled several full pages with project details, then handed them to Ma Lu. "Take this back and study it carefully. See whether I'm worth that thirty percent stake or not."

After reading it through, Ma Lu said, "Miss Ye, how about this: we draft an agreement. If, within six months, you can bring the company's profits to a specified amount, we will transfer thirty percent of the shares to you. If you fail to reach it—if things remain the same as they are now—we won't charge you for any losses. If the company incurs further losses, you will also need to compensate us."

Ye Ling realized that Ma Lu actually possessed a bit more business acumen than his boss.

Ma Lu's request was not unreasonable. It was a safeguard to prevent her from trying to profit without putting up anything of her own.

The two of them then engaged in a round of negotiations over the specifics of the agreement. They also delineated the company's operational and authority structures. Ma Lu would remain the general manager, retaining dominant authority over the company's operations. All projects Ye Ling implemented would have to be reviewed by him. Major projects and the use of funds would require his approval. He had the right to involve himself in the work of any department and any project, and he would also fully cooperate with the launch of Ye Ling's work. Ye Ling, for her part, would appoint a deputy general manager to the company to participate in operations. This deputy would not touch the core technical aspects controlled by Ma Lu's security team. Areas such as finance, marketing and publicity, public relations, and human resources management would all be arranged by the deputy general manager. In the agreement, both parties' rights and responsibilities were clearly divided.

Wen Zhengyu had initially found the discussion quite engaging. But once it passed ten o'clock, her drowsiness crept back in. When Ye Ling and Ma Lu moved on to the finer details of the company's internal management, she lost all interest. That wave of sleepiness was irresistible. Propping her chin on her hand, her head began to nod, and after a few bobs, she fell asleep right there with her chin supported in her palm.

Ma Lu was intently focused on pondering everything Ye Ling was saying, afraid of any oversight that might allow Ye Ling to get the better of him. He prided himself on his quick mind, but facing Ye Ling, he truly felt he could barely keep up. He was in the thick of an animated discussion with Ye Ling when he saw Ye Ling suddenly stand up mid-sentence. He looked up and watched as Ye Ling used one hand to support his boss's chin, while with the other she fished a throw pillow over and wedged it in front of her boss.

Wen Zhengyu drowsily opened her eyes. "Are you finished talking?"

Ye Ling's voice softened. "Not yet. We'll be a little while longer. Here's a cushion to rest on while you lean forward. Don't end up stupidly knocking your head against the table later." As she spoke, she pulled over the small blanket that had been neatly folded on the sofa for covering one's legs. She draped it over Wen Zhengyu's back and helped her adjust her sleeping position so that Wen Zhengyu could comfortably hug the pillow and lie against the tea table to sleep.

Seeing this, Ma Lu stood up and said to Ye Ling, who had walked back over, "Miss Ye, I'll come back tomorrow."

Ye Ling gestured for him to sit back down. "Let's finish this. I won't be free tomorrow."

Ma Lu nodded slightly and turned his head to glance at his boss. He saw her curled up there, delicate and soft like a sickly little kitten. He hastily averted his gaze, not daring to look any longer. If it were some other beautiful woman, glancing a couple more times would be nothing. But regarding his own boss, he didn't dare commit the slightest impropriety.

Ma Lu and Ye Ling finalized the detailed clauses. Ye Ling told Ma Lu to go back, print out the agreement, bring the company seal, and return to sign it with her.

She told Ma Lu, "First, get your attire sorted out. Arrange the presentation and style of your comings and goings. There's a banquet this Saturday. Your boss is also going. You'll come along then. I'll take you to meet some people."

Ma Lu lowered his voice and responded, "Yes. Thank you, Miss Ye."

Ye Ling checked the time. It was already approaching one in the morning. She said to Ma Lu, "It's very late. You should get some rest early." She rose and walked over to Wen Zhengyu, who was hugging the pillow and sleeping rather uncomfortably. She scooped Wen Zhengyu up. "Back to bed to sleep."

Wen Zhengyu rubbed her bleary eyes, covered her mouth as she yawned, then rubbed and smoothed down her sleep-tousled hair. "Finished talking?"

Ye Ling said, "Finished."

Ma Lu, not daring to look at his boss's just-woken-up appearance, kept his head down as he organized the documents Ye Ling had drafted. Without even lifting his head, he said, "Miss Zhengyu, Miss Ye, I'll take my leave now." Hugging the documents, his head still lowered, he walked out.

Watching this, Ye Ling couldn't help but smile. Although Wen Zhengyu wasn't skilled in business management, her eye for people and the way she handled things and conducted herself were truly quite reliable. The security company's current predicament was simply due to unfamiliarity with the domestic environment and a case of maladjustment. Ma Lu was someone willing to do real work and bold enough to accomplish big things. This man not only had great courage, but also many shrewd calculations. He and his boss operated on entirely different wavelengths. All those detailed clauses and stipulations he had haggled over with her, demanding to participate in the work of all departments—it was actually for one single reason: what he didn't know how to do, he wanted to get involved in and learn.

She wasn't afraid of Ma Lu learning. She only needed to ensure that Ma Lu would never harbor ill intentions toward Wen Zhengyu or pose any threat.

A boss like Wen Zhengyu could only be considered an investor. She didn't meddle much in the company's decisions, so she wouldn't affect his interests. Likewise, if Ma Lu himself caused some trouble, it would be difficult for it to implicate Wen Zhengyu. Given this layer of relationship, as long as Ma Lu didn't do anything excessively out of line that brought about trouble, in times of crisis, Wen Zhengyu would be able to protect him, to a greater or lesser extent. At the very least, she wouldn't let him be framed by someone for no reason without even having a path to seek help. In business, the most feared thing is being unable to settle a problem and then collapsing all at once. Ma Lu was a man who understood clearly in his heart: taking good care of Wen Zhengyu was what was most advantageous to him. Otherwise, even if he sought out another boss, he would never receive the kind of treatment Wen Zhengyu gave him.

For Wen Zhengyu to dare invest such a large sum of money directly into Ma Lu's hands like that—it required not only enormous courage, but also deep pockets and substantial resources. If Ma Lu's company couldn't get off the ground, her money would simply be thrown down the drain, disappearing without even making a splash. From Wen Zhengyu's non-participation in the oil field project, she could see that the Lian family was quite wary about interfering in the businesses of other branches of the family. With this point in place, Lian Xin couldn't directly intervene in the security company's operations. If Lian Xin didn't participate, and she didn't participate, anyone else, just upon seeing this group's background, wouldn't dare easily get involved. Ma Lu's company would very likely go under directly.

With Wen Zhengyu not participating in the oil field project, Ye Ling also lost any interest in that oil field project. Even if the oil field project had profit potential, she didn't have the manpower to invest. Any money thrown in would only be wasted. To borrow people from the Lian family would violate the Lian family's taboo. If she assigned her own people, just the investment in security alone would be a staggeringly large expense. That kind of investment wasn't something she could bear alone. Such a massive investment just for one oil field—and domestically, they would still need to find another project to absorb that oil field's output. The project investment was too large; the uncontrollable risks were too high. It was too reckless.

The next day, Wen Zhengyu had a headache. She asked Ye Ling to write a leave note for her and didn't go to work.

After Wen Zhengyu's long string of bizarre leave excuses, the Human Resources department witnessed something even more absurd. The Chairman personally wrote a leave note for her odd-job assistant and had her secretary deliver it to the Human Resources department.

On that leave note, there was also a line of special approval personally signed by the Chairman: This person does not draw a salary. Should she have matters in the future, there is no need to request leave.

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