31. You Are Beautiful
It doesn't seem right that a small project like "Sanchuan" has caused so much trouble for Zhang Ruolin, who is so busy with his work.
Vivian had a hunch.
Sure enough, the industry expert Zhang Ruolin recommended to her was Dong Li, the former operations director of Sanchuan. The last time they met was in the Sanchuan office, just as he was completing his resignation paperwork. Vivian had asked to speak with him, but he had politely declined.
Dong Li was a little embarrassed during this meeting, but Vivian acted nonchalant, as if she had completely forgotten the incident. Being a man of action, he didn't like beating around the bush, so he told her everything he knew.
"Actually, when the FA first saw our financial performance, they were quite pleasantly surprised. The sales per square meter of our founding stores was considered very good in the industry. But that was only for the first few stores. The ones that opened quickly afterwards performed very poorly, far below expectations. Their location selection was haphazard. I told them many times that they needed to polish the single-store model first and not rush the first ten stores. They needed to build a solid foundation for each store before opening new ones. But in order to quickly expand their business and attract investors, they blindly amplified their reputation and spent a lot of money to attract influencers. Look at the store in Joy City. It doesn't look like a tea shop at all, it looks like a small art gallery. How many tea and dim sum do we need to sell every day to recover the rent? I've asked them countless times, but they just want to quickly increase the number of stores and don't worry about anything else."
Dong Li started talking nonstop, and it was obvious that he had been wronged by Dai Qi and Amy.
"Both of them?"
Dong Li had a look on his face that said, "Stop playing dumb!" Vivian smiled and said, "Okay, this situation...isn't uncommon among new consumer brands. Everyone wants to take advantage of the hot money and lure in the idiots to take over. So...could I ask what was the direct trigger for your departure?"
"Financial fraud."
Despite having suspected it, Vivian was still surprised to have it pointed out so directly. Dai Qi and Amy were both respectable men with decent backgrounds. It wasn't impossible for them to get some money by scamming people. There were always fools willing to take the bait.
Why would you do such a thing?
"Originally, I shouldn't have cared about their business. I'm just a professional manager, working for them. But half of the package Dai Qi offered me was options, and the cash portion was even less than what I was earning before. If they keep messing around like this, the company will eventually go bankrupt. Then wouldn't I have worked for years in vain? Besides, I still have some moral composure. Spending several years of my precious time on a company that's been fraudulent from the start is a complete waste of my professional life. As for how they knew, I can only say they think they're really smart and underestimate others."
"Thank you. I have a humble request. Can I see the actual financial data?"
"Are you investment companies still worried you can't do anything? When hedge funds were shorting Luckin Coffee, they were able to mobilize hundreds or even thousands of people to get a crystal-clear picture of store traffic. They've only opened a handful of stores, are you still worried you won't see the truth? I can help you reduce half the workload - just look at the newly opened stores and you'll see the truth."
What Dong Li said was very likely true. A professional manager like him had no reason to create such easily debunked rumors just because of a personal grudge.
"Also, you might want to ask why your CEO Jia is so anxious to push this project forward." Dong Li smiled a rare smile. "There's really no need for me to elaborate on all this. We could have parted ways amicably, but those two people were so unpleasant that they almost forced me to go to arbitration. I'm telling you this to help you avoid trouble and to vent my anger. So, no need to thank me."
Dong Li nodded and stood up to say goodbye.
Next, Weiwei worked furiously while avoiding Jia Lan to prevent him from asking about the progress. Fortunately, after being bombarded by Zhang Ruolin last time, he was dejected and his mind was focused on figuring out what was going on with Zhang Ruolin. He had no intention of asking about the details, but only reminded her to check the materials with him in advance to avoid any problems.
The on-site investigations of several stores were assigned to a local consulting firm. This firm's clients are primarily PE/VC firms, providing them with pre-investment due diligence, as well as strategic consulting services for Fortune 500 companies and major internet companies. They were familiar with the upcoming work, having conducted numerous due diligence investigations for companies across various industries and sizes. However, in those cases, they tended to invest first and then develop supporting evidence. This time, the opposite was true.
Consulting companies are paid to do their work. Research is certainly based on basic facts, but playing with numbers and using wording techniques when producing reports to reflect biased opinions are also basic operations.
Time was tight, and Vivian was thankful that Sanchuan was still small, so a large-scale investigation wouldn't be necessary. The consulting firm would hire part-time investigators to survey each store for three days: two weekdays and one weekend day, tallying the total customer flow from opening to closing time. All actions would be documented, and detailed documentation would be provided to verify the implementation.
It seems very cumbersome and clumsy, but it is the most direct and effective way to obtain first-hand information. It is also an inherent process that consulting companies are already familiar with.
It didn't take long for the consulting firm to send in its report. Dong Li was right.
A comparison of the company's financial data reveals that daily sales figures for each store were overstated by at least 78% and 82%, respectively. Average customer spending was inflated by at least 22.3%, resulting in losses of 24.7%-28% at the store level. Marketing expenses were overstated by 120%, likely to be redirected to boost revenue and store profits. Furthermore, revenue from "merchandising products" was inflated by 300%, precisely the "brand value-added" that Dai Qi and Amy have consistently emphasized.
The report has been compiled, but Vivian has not yet decided whether to submit it as is or hint it to her immediate superior.
Even though she was unfamiliar with office politics, she could tell this disagreement wasn't a business-related one. During their honeymoon period, a project of this magnitude could simply be approved with Jia Lan's nod; there was no way this back-and-forth was going to happen. Everyone knew Jia Lan was the boss's most trusted advisor. Even if the project sounded ridiculously expensive, as long as Zhang Ruolin didn't push back, the others would naturally take notice and vote in favor.
It changes so fast.
The honeymoon period between men is too short.
"I didn't expect Zhang Ruolin to give me any benefits. I just knew that I didn't dare and had no reason to say 'no' to him. In short, when gods fight, cows and horses suffer." She complained to her good friend Chen Chen.
"At this point, there really is no choice."
"Besides, the financial fraud is a done deal, and I have a clear conscience. Even though Zhang Ruolin had his own agenda, it wasn't me who harmed Jia Lan," Vivian said self-deprecatingly. "Although it wasn't my original intention, it was a fortuitous outcome, and I ended up on the side of justice, haha."
"In short, only tell your boss the facts, don't draw conclusions, and don't make any comments. How your boss decides to handle the situation is his business."
That's exactly what she did.
As a subordinate, since you can't afford to offend both of them, you must not offend the one with a higher status.
The powerlessness of an ordinary employee in the conflicts among senior management is like that of a helpless maid in the deep palace, who can be sentenced to death at any time and no one cares. In palace dramas, she will not even be given a shot in such plots.
You are a beautiful woman, but you are a thief. She could only say in her heart: Lao Jia, I'm sorry.
Here, Zhang Ruolin couldn't wait to find her. It was obvious that this matter was also a high priority for him.
She submitted all the research results.
Zhang Ruolin was very satisfied and patted the thick stack of reports. "Okay, this matter ends with me. Don't mention it to anyone else for now. In your decision-making report, you should continue to use the data provided by their company."
"To the outside world" naturally refers to anyone other than himself and Vivian.
He seemed to understand Vivian's concerns and said kindly, "Xiao Fang, I think you could step aside from the next decision-making meeting and just answer the phone."
He then instructed the secretary beside him: "Please reserve the time for me. I want to attend the meeting in person."
Vivian stepped back.
Vivian was just speculating about the rift between Zhang Ruolin and Jia Lan. Zhang Ruolin actually knew more than that. Dong Li was indeed a man with ulterior motives, and Dai Qi was indeed young, frivolous, and overly arrogant, revealing his true colors without realizing it. Jia Lan and Dai Qi had known each other for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't even consider such a project. Dai Qi promised that upon the completion of his investment, Jia Lan would receive shares at zero consideration, to be held on his behalf by someone else.
As luck would have it, I still remember this person's name, Zhang Ruolin. She was a young partner in a small local financial advisory firm. A little over a year ago, Jia Lan and this woman had a running joke: the advisor sent a coquettish message to Jia Lan in the middle of the night, and Jia Lan's wife took a screenshot and posted it on her WeChat Moments, shouting, "Hey girl, we can make money, but don't spread your legs."
Although it was deleted quickly, it had already been screenshotted and circulated privately, causing a sensation for a while.
The mention of her name speaks for itself. Jia Lan could actually do such a despicable thing.
Zhang Ruolin hates people who betray their own people the most.
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