"Indeed, Bai Weiwei has the ability to obtain goods at lower prices than us, which is her advantage. Furthermore, no one knows how her building was constructed; perhaps there was no cost at all, which saves her a considerable amount. If she also takes shortcuts in water and electricity and uses the mayor's wife's name to her advantage, she will truly have many head startes. There is only one thing she cannot cut corners on: labor costs and management."

Qin Xiaoyu's greatest strength in dealing with Bai Weiwei lies in management. Bai Weiwei thinks she's learned a lot from her, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. She's still too green to fight her.

"Sister-in-law, you can start getting membership cards now. A regular card costs five yuan, and a premium VIP card costs fifty yuan. You can choose whichever you prefer. The regular card gives you a 10% discount on purchases, and the VIP card gives you an 8.8% discount." Qin Xiaoyu sat at the table and casually sketched out the designs for the two cards.

"This will lower our profits," my cousin-in-law said with some concern.

"When there is no competition, there are high profits. When competition comes, profits must be reduced. Survival is the most important thing." Qin Xiaoyu has read some books on business management and now has a better understanding of the market than she did when she was only focused on making money.

"Furthermore, for users who make purchases by card, each transaction amount will be converted into points, with 10 points for every yuan, accurate to the cent. There will be a dedicated points redemption area to record the points."

Qin Xiaoyu felt a deep inconvenience about this. In the days before computers, something that could be solved by swiping a card now required manual operation.

Having learned her lesson from the previous TV scam, Qin Xiaoyu became more shrewd and implemented more meticulous invoice management. All transactions in the store now involve issuing invoices, which were originally two-part slips: one for the payee to keep for settlement, and the other for the counter to collect the goods.

She ordered a three-part form from a printing factory. One of the forms is a voucher for customers, which can be used for returns, after-sales service, and as proof of purchase—a win-win situation. Now she's using it to register for points.

"What's the use of these points?" My cousin-in-law was still a little confused.

"It'll be very useful. Don't worry, I've planned everything. I won't let her take over the market so easily. She can have a share, but the business world is vast, and no one can do it all by themselves. But to think she can squeeze someone out of business is a pipe dream." Qin Xiaoyu had already guessed that Bai Weiwei was going to unleash her big move, and she was just waiting for a fierce battle.

"Another department is being added. We're already short-staffed, it's really hard to let go," her cousin-in-law started grumbling again. Qin Xiaoyu knew that explaining too much to her was useless, so she let her figure it out herself.

It rained for a few days in early October, the weather was gloomy and oppressive, making people want to cry. Qin Xiaoyu simply took a few days off and slept in. Her face, which had become thin from the summer's fatigue, puffed up again.

Every day she complains to herself in the mirror, constantly talking about losing weight.

"Cake's gotten so fat, let's lose weight together." Qin Xiaoyu hugged Cake and kissed it from both sides. Cake broke free and ran to her little sister's side, her inseparable follower.

"What dieting?! No one in my family is allowed to lose weight! Neither people nor cats are allowed to lose weight!" Commander Zhou lost his temper at the dinner table, unable to contain himself any longer.

Qin Xiaoyu dared not argue, and could only swallow the steak that Zhou Xing's mother had brought over during the meal.

When Qin Xiaoyu arrived at the garment factory that day, it was almost noon. She pushed open the door and was met with an unexpected guest.

She is Chen Xiaohong, the manager of Xinxin Department Store in the provincial capital.

"Director Qin, you're late! I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Manager Chen stood up from the sofa and extended his hand to her.

"Manager Chen, what brings you here? Are you in a meeting? It's almost noon, let me take you to a nice place." Qin Xiaoyu felt a little guilty for not being able to work with Manager Chen last time, so she wanted to treat him well this time as compensation.

"I didn't come here for a meeting, I came here to ask you for help," Manager Chen sighed.

The last collaboration fell through, and she lost her job as manager of the apparel department, ending up being reassigned to the warehouse. This was something she couldn't tolerate; after so many years in a leadership position, to be stripped of everything like that was incredibly humiliating.

"Manager Chen is very experienced. It would be a waste of his talent to send you to the warehouse." Qin Xiaoyu also felt sorry for him.

"So I resigned. Will you take me in?" Manager Chen asked frankly.

"Resign?" Qin Xiaoyu looked at Xie Lanhua in surprise. Did Liang Jingru give her the courage to resign from a big shopping mall in the provincial capital and come to find her?

"Yes, just tell me if you're going to accept it or not." Manager Chen had quite a few suitcases beside him, it seemed he was going all in.

"Take them in, we absolutely must!" Qin Xiaoyu was short-handed at the time, and she couldn't be happier to have such talent.

You have to understand that Manager Chen has been in the business world for over twenty years and has an abundance of resources. Only a company with a "free-rider" system could possibly push her out of the business world.

Qin Xiaoyu took her to Qi Si's hotel, booked a private room, and the two started chatting.

"The current model of operating a physical store is still quite good, but opening one in one city is too few; we need to continue expanding outwards," Qin Xiaoyu explained her plan.

"How about we open one in Fengcheng, the provincial capital next door?" Manager Chen's eyes lit up.

"I've thought about it, but it's not easy to pave the way when you're unfamiliar with the place and the people." Qin Xiaoyu wanted to wait until the counter in the provincial capital was settled before pulling Tang Wenwen out.

"You're unfamiliar with this place, but I am. I've been traveling all over the years, attending countless exchange meetings between provinces, and I know the place like the back of my hand. Besides, I have friends in all the big shopping malls there," Manager Chen said proudly.

"That's great! How could I have forgotten about that? Just tell me, how many people and how much stock do you need?" Qin Xiaoyu was a straightforward person and made the decision immediately.

"We need the goods, not the people. We can hire them locally. The key is for the leaders to manage things well, and I'm confident about that," Manager Chen said confidently.

Qin Xiaoyu believed her words; being a floor manager at Xinxin Department Store was no ordinary job. She simply couldn't compete with the power struggles within the system, and working as a sales clerk was beneath her.

She now has a new idea: if this counter is successful, she wants to expand it nationwide.

"Okay, how about this? I'll arrange a place for you to stay tonight, and we can discuss things properly tomorrow and start planning right away." Qin Xiaoyu clinked glasses with Manager Chen.

"Hey girl, how's the food?" Qi Si happened to be there on business and, hearing that Qin Xiaoyu was there, came over to say hello.

"This is my brother," Qin Xiaoyu quickly introduced.

"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Qi. You're a business genius. I look forward to your guidance." Manager Liu spoke with impeccable composure.

Xie Lanhua heard about Qin Xiaoyu's plan and was very supportive. It's not difficult to transfer goods now; it depends on Manager Chen's operational capabilities to decide when the counter will open.