27. Just an ordinary person
Nothing special happened at the gathering Lin Yang had called that night. Vivian sat with Feng Simiao, not much conversation with anyone else. Late in the evening, Yang Ziqi hurried over and sat for a short while before everyone dispersed.
The vice president that Lin Yang had brought was the one Feng Simiao had originally intended to introduce to Weiwei. It was clear that she had no interest in him and even deliberately kept her distance. The other party also understood her intentions and only politely poured her water and handed her fruit without engaging in excessive conversation.
People are so smart these days that you don't need to make things awkward to understand what the other person is saying. That's fine.
Vivian's relationship with Yang Ziqi is currently strained. This tension has two layers: the public one is a disagreement arising from work, and the private one is Vivian's own inner demons.
Therefore, in this kind of situation, there is nothing to say to her except politeness.
Yang Ziqi was incredibly lively, constantly calling out "Brother Lin Yang." Like Feng Simiao, she was accustomed to being the center of attention, the bright, single moon. But today's environment wasn't quite right for her; she wasn't the sole protagonist. Vivian watched coldly, her expression darkening.
Feng Simiao had time to turn around and wink at Vivian.
Weiweian had some not-so-noble emotions in her heart, and she was happy to see Yang Ziqi reveal her not-so-good side.
Apart from this, there was nothing dramatic that night. Vivian laughed at herself for being too fanciful. Mortal life is just as dull as water, like a fixed routine running every day, so how could there be so much drama?
Speaking of drama, ironically, the biggest drama of the year was Qiu Fang. But the whole thing has died down, never to be revived again. The rest, like the millions of people in this city, is completely ordinary.
She is just an ordinary person.
The more dull her life became, the more time flew by. Qiu Fang and Eric were like yesterday's flowers, and she had no time to dwell on them. The only thing left in life was to work hard. The market had been tough lately, and many of her colleagues were quietly laying off staff. News of this had been making the media abuzz, leaving people feeling uneasy. Vivian had to stay alert.
Here, Jia Lan urged her to finish the due diligence quickly and strike while the iron was hot. There was not much money left in this fund, and no one knew where the money for the next fund was. She should not wait any longer and have more troubles.
The FA kept urging him to explain that Sanchuan had been holding frequent roadshows and meeting with other investors. A leading local tea beverage company was very interested and had expressed interest in a strategic funding round. By then, Dai Qi might not consider bringing in financial investors.
Vivian knew this was probably a smokescreen, a common tactic used by the FA to advance their work. But she still followed the advice and conducted another interview with Dai Qi to clarify the issues that might be the focus of internal decision-making.
She has taken Yang Ziqi with her to all recent activities, and has meticulously copied her on all appointments and emails she has written, making sure that she has no room to find fault and avoid any further trouble.
That day, she and Yang Ziqi went to Sanchuan again to meet Dai Qi and Amy. Although they had only known each other for a short time, Vivian could already tell that although they seemed to be doing something stylish and fashionable, they were still running the company like a mom-and-pop shop.
After returning from studying in the United States, Dai Qi has started several businesses. Despite his youth, he quickly developed the demeanor of a nouveau boss, seemingly from nowhere. He has no faith in professional managers. Although the company has heads of operations, finance, and human resources, he refuses to delegate any authority. Everything, big or small, requires his or Amy's approval, leading to a mountain of daily work.
He even summoned executives to the store every Friday afternoon for a lecture, or frequently took them on weekends to the suburbs for hiking trips as part of team-building. Every morning and late at night, he would send short corporate management videos to the company's executive group, requiring each executive to promptly respond with their thoughts and feedback, and to avoid copying others' content, ensuring it was original.
...and so on.
As a boss, it is common to like to teach others, but Dai Qi and Amy have never worked in the catering and retail industry. Their management concepts that they copied from here and there are purely rote memorization, which are not suitable for the local environment and difficult to implement.
Recently, Dong Li, the head of operations, felt overwhelmed and resigned. He was originally hired from Starbucks at a significant expense by Dai Qi. Before joining, Sanchuan was still a small workshop that had just opened three stores to test the waters. Dai Qi and Amy had no operational knowledge. He had thought that a small, beautiful startup like this would offer more room for him to flourish than a large corporation. However, he never imagined that the main purpose of his workday would be to listen to his boss's endless lectures, even though he only wanted to do his job well.
Vivian had a good impression of him. She felt that he was diligent and down-to-earth, and his experience and logic were better than Dai Qi's. He was an excellent professional manager.
Ten minutes late, Dai Qi and Amy walked into the meeting room with two cups of coffee in their hands. They were dressed in fancy clothes and looked like a pair of conjoined twins, inseparable.
"Boss Dai, shall we just get started?"
He nodded reservedly.
"There are a few additional questions that need further investigation. We know that scale is a prerequisite for achieving cost advantages and brand momentum, and is one of the most important barriers. Currently, our customer base is relatively small. Will this affect our future scale development?"
Dai Qi is confident: "Although we are a boutique company, we are definitely not a small workshop. From the beginning, we have been preparing for scale. Amy comes from the financial industry and has worked in a Singapore investment bank. We understand the logic of financial investors very well. Look, our team now has over 100 people, and we may expand from 100 to 300 in the future."
He didn't answer the question directly. Vivian could see that he had no more ideas to offer, so she continued, "Currently, our stores are focused on the core business districts of first-tier cities. With the urban middle class becoming more cautious in their spending decisions, will you consider expanding into second- and third-tier cities for future growth..."
Before Dai Qi could even begin, Amy responded, "Second- and third-tier cities are indeed very different from first-tier cities in terms of affordability and competitive landscape. I think we should let our competitors educate the lower-tier markets in these cities. For a brand like Sanchuan, expanding into these lower-tier markets isn't very efficient. We hope to attract consumers who pursue unique tastes and the influence that radiates from them."
Yang Ziqi interjected, "I know! Like Tsutaya Books or Blue Bottle? I used to go there a lot when I was in Tokyo."
Amy smiled at Yang Ziqi and said, "We don't want to copy anyone; we want to be unique. For example, our recently launched zero-sugar series has gone viral online. People aren't just looking for products; they're pursuing a lifestyle. Our innovative concepts, coupled with the rapid implementation of product development, are difficult for existing competitors to match."
Dai Qi chimed in: "As the company's chief product development officer, Amy spends every day in the R&D room, patiently tasting food with her team members over and over again."
"I've gained 10 pounds in the past six months." Amy said in a coquettish tone.
Vivian smiled, but it was hard not to frown. Showing affection, expressing hard work, or flaunting taste were all unnecessary. Getting capital was both difficult and easy: they needed to quickly open stores, continuously expand, and even open up franchises. Otherwise, where would the growth come from? They were investors, not subordinates. There was no need for pretentious sermons.
Dai Qi observed the situation and added, "Capital support will certainly help us move faster and better. For example, it will attract more senior talent and provide more bargaining power for future store expansion, securing better locations and lower rents. For now, we're still focusing on our boutique, high-end positioning, but if funding is secured, the team is absolutely confident that we can open 20 stores by the end of the year."
Vivian suppressed a laugh and nodded. At first, the words sounded logical, yet they seemed to have been generated by AI, devoid of emotion and filled with formulaic rhetoric. Words are cheap, unless they're accompanied by numbers.
In the middle of the meeting, Vivian went to the tea room to get a cup of coffee to refresh herself. Dai Qi reminded her that even the coffee for the company's daily tea breaks was made from Guatemalan coffee beans personally selected by Amy.
Vivian happened to meet Dong Li, the Operations Director, who was coming to handle his resignation. She had a vague feeling from her previous conversations with management that Dong Li's departure was not a happy one, so she wanted to find out the reason. Dong Li, however, was very diplomatic, saying only that he had other considerations for his career development. Vivian had no choice but to politely wish him well. Dong Li had already stepped out of the tea room, but after a pause, he turned back and said, "Director Fang, I think we could take a closer look at the company's financial data."
Then turned and left.
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