Chapter 86 Difficulties
For the first few decades, Li Huguo and Gao Ming were almost in sync, both in their studies and work, until they started their own company, at which point the gap between them widened dramatically.
On the surface, they still appeared to be very close, but in reality, Li Huguo's ambition had already begun to swell without him realizing it.
Why is Gao Mingxing not as good as Li Huguo?
Do you remember when you came to the company five years ago and argued with Qin Yuehua?
“I remember it vividly.” Chen Yun raised an eyebrow with a half-smile.
“Li Huguo was in the shed that day,” Gao Ming said coldly.
Li Huguo was right there but didn't say anything. It seemed like a small matter, but it served as a wake-up call for Gao Ming.
From that time on, Gao Ming used the excuse of needing formal internal management to completely separate the company's business from its internal management.
“Li Huguo probably thinks starting a company is as simple as handling shipping orders.” Gao Ming shrugged. “He probably had the idea of going solo a long time ago.”
"You're quite cautious," Chen Yun said with a smile.
"With so many examples before us, how could I not be careful?" Gao Ming put his arm around Chen Yun's slightly chubby waist and pinched it. "If even your figure can change, why can't other things?"
"You dislike me?" Chen Yun grabbed Gao Ming's stomach with her other hand: "Look at your own waist!"
The weight gain issue faced by middle-aged couples... also appeared in this couple.
About an hour later, three people came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Ruanqiu was looking down, tugging at her purse. The zipper was stuck on a corner of the divorce certificate, and she didn't dare to pull hard, so she could only tug at it haphazardly back and forth.
Li Huguo's eyes were fixed, staring straight ahead as if he were looking at Ruanqiu.
However, Cui Niang, who was beside him, stopped pretending to be innocent. Her smile revealed a blatant smugness, and she tightly hugged Li Huguo's arm as if she were declaring something.
"Don't rush to pull that."
Chen Yun took a few steps forward, took the bag, and carefully pulled it back.
Ruan Qiu's heart was still in turmoil...
Gao Ming looked up and stared at his brother who had stood shoulder to shoulder with him through thick and thin. Their relationship was closer than blood, but it seemed to be coming to an end today.
"Li Huguo," Gao Ming said slowly, his voice tinged with the last trace of sadness, "I hope you won't regret this later!"
Li Huguo was startled, and suddenly felt lost.
For Cui Niang, he divorced his wife, became estranged from his son, was expelled from the family genealogy, and severed ties with his parents... Was it really worth it?
He didn't even understand how things had gotten to this point!
At first, people just felt sorry for the mother and her two children. Later, they discovered that Cui Niang was not only resilient but also understanding. Every time they had a conflict with Ruan Qiu, they could find comfort in her. Gradually, everything began to take a different turn.
He knew perfectly well that Ruanqiu couldn't tolerate even the slightest imperfection, yet he still gradually succumbed to Cui Niang's gentleness.
Gao Ming saw that he was so dazed that he didn't hear what he was saying at all, and in the end he could only let out a long sigh.
"Come to the company to process your resignation when you have time... I don't think you're interested in continuing to work here!"
"Huguo is a shareholder of the company, so what gives you the right to fire him like that?"
At this moment, Cui Niang looked like a victor on high, her gaze towards the group filled with disdain, as if Li Huguo were the company's general manager.
“He is no longer on the shareholder list of Anping Transportation,” Gao Ming said.
As soon as the Lantern Festival ended, Li Zhong forced Li Huguo to go to the company to handle the equity transfer, and successfully transferred all the shares to Li Yi's name.
From that moment on, Li Huguo could only be considered an ordinary employee of the company.
"You say it's gone and then it's gone... Huguo, say something! How can 40 percent of the shares just disappear like that?" Cui Niang shouted, tugging at Li Huguo's sleeve.
"Who told you about forty percent of the shares?"
The two men asked the same question at the same time, and Gao Ming and Li Huguo looked at Cui Niang at the same time, but their expressions were completely different.
Gao Ming gave a half-smile.
After his initial shock, Li Huguo seemed to realize something, and a bitter smile gradually appeared on his lips.
"It seems someone in the factory told you a lie that you took to heart," Gao Ming said.
The company has only two shareholders. Li Huguo's five percent stake was a clever offer he made when the company was first established, out of consideration for our friendship.
Back then, the company was just a makeshift operation. Everyone acted entirely out of conscience, and the profit sharing was just a hasty private division between two people.
Perhaps it was the arbitrary and opaque nature of profit sharing that led employees to mistakenly believe that the company was jointly owned by Li Huguo and Gao Ming.
As for why it's 40%... it's probably because the general manager's position is in Gao Ming's hands!
All of the above are just wild guesses by Gao Ming. I won't say anything more... but the guesses are pretty close to the truth.
"What do you mean! Li Huguo, what do you mean?!" Cui Niang anxiously grabbed Li Huguo's sleeve and pressed him for an answer.
She first heard the name Li Huguo from the transportation company employees.
The employees got drunk at the restaurant and made a bet on how many shares Gao Ming and Li Huguo owned in the company. Some guessed that Li Huguo owned at least 40% of the company's shares, otherwise how could he buy a car so easily?
All sorts of speculations became facts as soon as they reached Cui Niang's ears, and the name Li Huguo naturally entered her mind.
“The company belongs to Gao Ming, and I’m just working for him.” Li Huguo said expressionlessly, his body swaying as Cui Niang pulled him, his words broken and fragmented: “He could fire me with just a word.”
Chen Yun raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that Cui Niang hadn't figured out exactly how much wealth Li Huguo had.
Li Huguo... also never mentioned that five percent of the shares from beginning to end.
"Let's go." Ruanqiu was too lazy to watch her ex-husband and lover arguing anymore. She zipped up her purse again and turned away decisively.
Before leaving, Chen Yun noticed that Li Huguo's gaze was constantly following Ruan Qiu's movements.
Unfortunately... there's no going back!
Ruanqiu has always been decisive and efficient. He said he was going to Guangzhou to make his way in the world, and within two days of returning, he packed his bags and left Guanming Hutong.
This turn of events caused the four best friends to split into three groups.
***
Anping Transportation Company.
Why aren't you doing it anymore?
In the office, there were already more than a dozen resignation letters on the table. Su Weiming glared angrily at the man in front of him.
Gao Ming, on the other side of the desk, showed no change in expression, simply nodding: "Go!"
The man who resigned had been working for Gao Minggan since the Hongri Machinery Factory's motorcade team.
A few years ago, when the company was first established, Gao Ming, being a man of loyalty, brought all the laid-off drivers from the trucking fleet to the company. In the past few years, while the salaries may not be high, most of the drivers have already bought houses in Beicheng.
Gao Ming believes he has never wronged his brothers.
Even so, if he wanted to leave, Gao Ming would never stop him.
"Have you no conscience?!" Su Weiming couldn't calm down. He rushed over and grabbed the man's collar. "If it weren't for Captain Gao back then, you would have been laid off and starving long ago!"
"I'm sorry." The man, his face full of shame, stammered as he finished speaking, "My child... my child needs to go to university, which costs a lot of money, I... I had no choice!"
"It all comes down to a few stinking bucks." Su Weiming raised his fist in anger, veins bulging on his neck: "Li Huguo is a scoundrel, and you're all scoundrels!"
"Alright!" Gao Ming slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Let him go."
"Captain! Are we just going to let Li Huguo poach people from our ranks?"
The man staggered away, and Su Weiming's face was flushed red, filled with anger and sadness.
"How do we stop it?" Gao Ming smiled wryly, opened the office door, pointed to the bicycle shed, and said, "Are we supposed to offer higher salaries to keep them here, and then drag the company down with us?"
Li Huguo wanted to go it alone, but Gao Ming knew that he hadn't expected that he would get involved with Zhao Jinguo of [Qianjin Transportation].
The two partners opened a business called [Beyond Transportation Department].
Li Huguo understood Gao Minghe's company very well, and in just six months, he successfully obtained a bank loan to buy a new car.
Before the vehicles even arrived, Li Huguo began poaching people from Anping Transportation by offering wage increases.
More than a dozen people resigned today. In fact, more than twenty people who had a good relationship with Li Huguo had already left half a month ago.
"With him gone, what will we do without a driver for the Guangzhou-Shanghai line tomorrow?!" Su Weiming's eyes reddened with worry.
"Li Huguo is a real scoundrel!"
He openly uttered those words, and even wanted to point his finger at Li Huguo and curse him in front of him.
Before poaching clients, Li Huguo had already snatched away many short-term clients in Beicheng City, causing the company's performance to decline by 30% in just two months.
Su Weiming was very worried that Li Huguo would snatch away the major orders that supported the company's business.
"I'll call Old Zhang and his neighbors next door and ask them to temporarily borrow a few drivers to help out."
Gao Ming's fingers trembled slightly as he spoke. Upon hearing the news, he did not fly into a rage, nor did he rush to question the person in question. In fact, his breathing was as steady as if nothing had happened.
But as Li Huguo became increasingly blatant in poaching talent, all the calm seemed about to crumble at any moment.
Li Huguo was also in the group photo on the table. Gao Ming's eyes trembled as soon as they met the photo, and he slowly reached out and closed the photo frame on the table.
The movement was very light, yet it felt like the end of their friendship.
"Sister-in-law is here!"
Through the window, Su Weiming didn't see the anxious drivers in the carport, but he did see a slender figure slowly walking towards the office building.
Gao Ming immediately looked out the window, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
He was busy dealing with company matters and had been leaving early and returning late for many days. Chen Yun also practically lived at the company. If you think about it carefully, the couple hadn't had a proper, sober meeting for almost half a month.
Chen Yun has lost a lot of weight, and her once rounded chin has become more defined.
"Then I'll go out first. Captain, you and your wife have a good talk."
A few minutes after Su Weiming left, Chen Yun knocked on the office door, which was clearly wide open, with a smile.
"Is Mr. Gao busy?"
"Busy!" Gao Ming sat on the sofa and waved to her.
“I heard from Dad that Li Huguo stabbed you twice in the back!” Chen Yun sat down, placed his hand on his large hand and tapped it lightly, then their hands naturally clasped together: “So you were so devastated that you couldn’t get back to your senses?”
"No." The answer was weak and listless, partly from exhaustion and partly from the frustration of being hit hard.
Gao Ming leaned his head weakly on Chen Yun's shoulder and slowly recounted what had happened in the past few days.
He didn't need to pretend to be calm or act nonchalant in front of his wife; his words were punctuated by several sighs.
"Li Huguo has poached all the short-term profitable contracts. Long-distance contracts are settled every six months. If we can't come up with the money to keep things running by the end of the month, I'm sure quite a few will jump ship."
"How much difference?" Chen Yun asked softly.
It's true that acquaintances can be ruthless when they betray you. It's precisely because Li Huguo understands Anping Transportation's operations so well that he was able to find the loopholes most accurately.
Cutting off cash flow would quickly cause Gaoming to experience a break in its cash flow, thus impacting the company's long-term transportation sector.
Li Huguo's real objective was to control several long-term lines personally by Gao Ming.
The clothing transport route through Guangdong Province was entirely controlled by Gao Ming's comrades, making it impossible for Li Huguo to win them over even if he wanted to.
Furthermore, regarding agricultural product orders from the Beicheng supply and marketing system, the Cao family only recognized Gao Ming.
So... in the end, we can only start from the source. If Gao Ming collapses, the business will naturally fall on Li Huguo's shoulders.
"Don't worry about the money, I'll take care of it." Gao Ming squeezed Chen Yun's hand tightly.
Chen Yun muttered to herself as if she hadn't heard him: "I've saved all the money you brought back in the past few years, plus my salary... It totals about three million, which should be enough for the company to keep running for a year and a half."
"How can there be so much money!" Gao Ming exclaimed in surprise.
The company has made a lot of money in recent years, but it has been constantly expanding its scale and hiring drivers. With the addition of working capital, the most money it can take home is four or five hundred thousand yuan.
When Chen Yun mentioned three million, Gao Ming was genuinely shocked.
"My parents gave me this 'dowry'..." Chen Yun smiled and winked.
Chen Yun's salary accounted for less than one percent of that; with a monthly salary of less than two thousand, she could never save that much in her entire life.
The rest of the money came from Chen Shu selling his collection of antiques and his old house in Taicheng.
There's also a portion... the money Xu Cuihua saved from running her traditional Chinese painting classes.
"Mom and Dad..."
The hot breath he exhaled made Gao Ming's eyes burn. As his wife recounted the source of the huge sum of money, his throat suddenly choked up.
Chen Yun gripped her husband's hand tightly, feeling the thin calluses on his palms from years of driving, rough yet warm.
Gao Ming has been fulfilling all the promises he made before the marriage.
Throughout their more than ten years of marriage, Chen Yun never had any regrets. This man not only sheltered the family from the storms of life, but also took the initiative to shoulder half of the responsibilities that Chen Yun should have borne.
Without Gao Ming's support and understanding, Chen Yun would not have been able to devote herself wholeheartedly to her work.
Of course... Chen Yun would never take it for granted.
"What are you two talking about!" Chen Yun smiled, then changed the subject: "But I still have to pay back my parents' money, so I'll give you two years!"
"Good!" Gao Ming wiped his face, his spirits lifted. "I refuse to believe we can't solve this."
"Your daughter and son asked me to bring this to their father." Chen Yun then took out some change from her pocket: "They heard that their father was having difficulties, so they took all the money from their piggy bank to help you get through this tough time!"
"It wasn't all for nothing that I spoiled them." Gao Ming smiled, and actually took the money and stuffed it into his pocket.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Chen Yun gently shook Gao Ming's hand: "Let's go to Gao Lan's restaurant and have a free meal."
"What day of the week is it today?" Gao Ming stood up as he did so.
"It's Friday!"
"Why are you off today?" Gao Ming asked curiously. "I remember you used to take a day off every other Thursday. Has it been changed to Friday?"
"I'll have a week off from now on."
"Um?"
"I have resigned from my position as head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, and will only be in charge of the neonatal department from now on."
clever:"……"
"I have no desire to be the head of obstetrics and gynecology. I'm exhausted every day, and if I keep working like this for a few more years, I'll be in menopause before I'm even forty."
I was initially told I'd be temporarily in charge of the obstetrics and gynecology department, but I've been doing it for over six years now, and the hospital seems to have no intention of hiring me again.
She devoted 90% of her time to the hospital, which brought Chen Yun no benefits other than her salary.
The children, I can't take care of them; the husband, I can't see him...
If things continue like this, Chen Yunzhen is worried that she will follow in Ruan Qiu's footsteps and ruin her family for the sake of her career.
Moreover, Chen Yun originally preferred the neonatal department, because being busy with the management of the obstetrics and gynecology department left her with no time to apply for new research projects.
Without much hesitation, Chen Yun immediately decided to resign from her position as director of the obstetrics and gynecology department.
The hospital staff, represented by Hu Xiangming, did not agree, after all, the Workers' Hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department had such a great reputation thanks to Chen Yun.
However, Chen Yun remained resolute and used the new medical project research as a shield, which eventually persuaded Hu Xiangming to relent.
All of the above are secondary. The main issue is that Chen Yun expressed her intention to resign if things didn't work out, which made Hu Xiangming feel uncertain.
After weighing the options, we decided to respect Chen Yun's choice.
The hospital quickly poached two professors from other hospitals with high salaries to serve as directors of two departments in obstetrics and gynecology, and applied for funding from higher authorities to support Chen Yun's research on neonatal medical projects.
Chen Yun was finally relieved of her heavy burden and could spend more time with her family.
Gao Ming was taken aback, then became happy: "I'll put the two kids to bed early after dinner tonight!"
"What nonsense are you spouting all day long!" Chen Yun patted Gao Ming's shoulder, both amused and exasperated, and then rushed forward in embarrassment.
With the sky above us again, how could we face anyone if the passing workers heard us?
“We’ve already registered our marriage, what are you shy about!” Gao Ming laughed.
Chen Yun: "..."
They walked a little faster.
A corner of the parking lot.
Su Weiming was chatting with his teammates when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Gao Ming and Chen Yun walking towards the company gate.
Gao Ming's loud laughter echoed into the bicycle shed.
"Captain Gao can still laugh..."
Gao Ming was in a great mood, happier than he had been every day for the past six months.
Not only was he moved by the unconditional support of his wife and parents, but there was also someone he never expected to lend a helping hand.
On the dining table, the fish that Zhou Jianguo had just caught had been made into a bowl of sour, spicy, tender, and savory pickled fish.
Gao Lan put the soup bowl on the table and sat down herself.
"Brother, I heard from Granny Ma... is it true?"
“Yes!” Gao Ming replied.
"Li Huguo is a damn heartless bastard!" After vehemently condemning Li Huguo, Gao Lan beckoned Zhou Jianguo over: "Zhou Jianguo, tell your second brother that I'm busy in the kitchen."
It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was filled with all sorts of work clothes, with tables even set up outside.
Zhou Jianguo had just put down the beer crate when he walked over to the two men, sweating profusely, and sat down.
“Gao Lan and I discussed it last night.” Zhou Jianguo smiled sheepishly, wiping his face and chin with a towel around his neck. “We have 350,000 yuan in savings. You can take it for emergencies, brother.”
"..."
To everyone's surprise, Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo offered to help.
The 350,000 yuan should be all their savings from the past six years, plus any money they had saved before, and they were actually willing to lend it all to Gao Ming.
They should have known that the money might be lost before they lent it out.
What if the company goes bankrupt...
"Your sister-in-law has taken care of the money problem," Gao Ming chuckled.
“Even if my sister-in-law’s entire salary is put into it, it won’t be enough!” Zhou Jianguo’s concern was genuine. After saying that, he anxiously called Gao Lan over: “Let Lanzi talk to her.”
Gao Lan rushed to the table and began to earnestly persuade her.
Chen Yun didn't hear what was said in detail. Unconsciously, she put down her chopsticks and her body gradually leaned to the right.
The four drivers at the next table were bragging.
The boasting was about what they had seen and heard during their recent trip to Huzhou and the city, with the group particularly talking about blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.
Chen Yun's heart stirred, and she gradually fell into thought.
Huhe City borders the neighboring country of Su. Due to the sharp deterioration of diplomatic relations in recent years, border trade between the two countries has also been closed.
Until last year, when the Soviet Union disintegrated and split into several countries, Russia was the first to restore diplomatic relations with China.
Not only has trade between the two countries recovered, but close trade at the national level has also led to a flourishing of private trade.
Border trade... These four words kept echoing in Chen Yun's mind.
By the time they came to their senses, Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo had already left.
Beside him lay a red-covered bankbook and Gao Ming's bright, boyish smile.
"Keep the passbook safe! We'll return it to them in a few days," Gao Ming said.
Chen Yun put the passbook into her purse, picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite of tofu.
"Brilliant! Does your company have the capability to engage in border trade?"
clever:"……"
"I just overheard people at the next table talking about how many Russian manufacturers want to enter our country from the border. What do you think...?"
Chen Yun knew nothing about trade, so he could only share his thoughts for Gao Ming to consider.
As for whether or not to give it a try, that's a decision for the wise to make.
“I was just about to tell you about this when I got home tonight.” Gao Ming’s voice was low and his tone was unhurried: “My comrade-in-arms from the Northeast mentioned this not long ago.”
His comrades are all over the country, and whenever there is any trouble, everyone will think of Gao Ming.
Gao Ming has made up his mind to set up a branch of a transportation company in Huhe City, specifically to focus on international trade.
"Xiao Mu has already used his connections to get me the border trade transportation license. All I need to do is bring in the business."
Once you get the hardest-to-obtain license, you won't have to worry about business coming your way.
"No wonder you didn't seem flustered at all; you'd already planned your escape route!"
“This isn’t a fallback plan, it’s paving the way!” Gao Ming raised an eyebrow, picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth: “Taking the opportunity to change the company’s business structure is not bad.”
It's better to have a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one!
With the increasing number of private transportation companies, the demand in the local market in the northern part of the city is gradually becoming saturated.
Gao Ming discovered last year that the company's revenue structure was too reliant on local, scattered businesses.
If economic policies change one day, these scattered businesses that rely on policy dividends to make money will immediately go bankrupt, and the company will also quickly face the risk of a broken capital chain.
The best solution is to develop new business segments and reduce dependence.
Even if Li Huguo doesn't snatch up any private orders that are cheapest and immediately go there, Gao Ming will gradually reduce his volume of scattered business.
They would change locations based on the price offered by Li Huguo, and would also switch to other companies if offered a lower price.
Li Huguo merely brought the crisis forward; for Gao Ming, it was just a moment of panic.
"How cunning," Chen Yun said.
Gao Ming chuckled twice and fawned over Chen Yun, serving her some food: "From now on, the family and the two children will depend on you."
"Dream on!"
"hey-hey--"
At the restaurant counter, Gao Lan nudged Zhou Jianguo with her elbow, looking puzzled.
"What are you laughing at, Second Brother!"
Is he so happy he's gone mad...?
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