As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store - Chapter 470

Chapter 470: I’m So Disappointed!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Director Li, guess who’s here!” Xiao Wu excitedly pushed open the door to Director Li’s office and walked in.

Director Li was sitting in his chair, looking at documents. When he heard Xiao Wu’s voice, he didn’t even lift his head and said, “Xiao Wu, you’ve been in a leadership position for a while now. Why are you getting so worked up? Who’s making you this excited? Could it be the boss?”

Zhou Chao also followed Xiao Wu into the room and happened to hear Director Li’s words. He smiled and said, “What, am I not allowed to come?”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Li Wei quickly looked up and saw that the person speaking was indeed Zhou Chao. He stood up from his chair, his face full of excitement, and exclaimed, “Boss, why did you come?”

“If I hadn’t shown up, it would have turned into a major problem. Some calls even ended up on Uncle Ye’s desk. Can you imagine the boss not showing up in such a situation?”

Upon hearing this, Li Wei quickly understood what was going on and explained, “Boss, you can’t blame me for this. If it wasn’t for the initial suppression of our steel plant, 1 wouldn’t have had to do this. At most, I’m just giving them a taste of their own medicine. But 1 still have to thank you for the funding, otherwise, 1 wouldn’t have had the confidence.”

When Zhou Chao transferred the funds initially, he transferred a whopping 20 billion US dollars for the development of the steel plant. Unexpectedly, this funding gave him and other major steel plants the confidence to compete.

“Tell me, what’s the scale of the steel plant now?”

Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s question, Li Wei couldn’t help but swell with pride. Lin Wu, who was on the side, could already imagine the scene. It was like when Li Yunlong was about to gather his troops to attack Ping’an County in the TV series “Bright Sword.” Those battalion commanders all had that self-important look. Lin Wu knew that Li Wei was about to show off.

“Hehe, Boss, we now have 15 steel plants. In addition to Fuxing, we also have 2 large-scale steel plants, 8 medium-sized steel plants, and 4 small-scale steel plants. We also have 5 mines. Meanwhile, I’ve already sent people abroad to acquire some heavy metal mining areas, and there are some leads already. We also have 4 research institutes with 65 patents. We’ve not only continued to produce special steel, but also developed some secondary special steel, which is of world-class quality, mainly for export.

Currently, the entire Fuxing Group has 15,000 employees, distributed in the three northeastern provinces. The annual production of crude steel and substandard special steel is expected to reach 40 million tons, which already ranks among the top five in the country. This doesn’t even include our special steel. But now we urgently need various mineral resources, and our development has been restricted.”

“How much has been spent?”

“Altogether, it’s less than 2 billion US dollars.”

Zhou Chao didn’t speak upon hearing this, but instead began to contemplate. He rhythmically tapped his fingers on the desk. Li Wei and the others knew that Zhou Chao was thinking about the direction of Fuxing’s development.

“Li Wei, I want you to send someone to the Cayman Islands to establish a company. Don’t use domestic identities. It’s best to find a reliable foreigner to operate it. I allow you to use the remaining funds at your disposal for a large-scale global acquisition of mineral resources. As for how to bring them back to the country, you don’t need me to teach you how to do it.”

“Boss, 1 don’t know anyone like that, and my current status doesn’t really allow me to engage in such activities,” Li Wei said, looking troubled.

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. You should remember that you’re my man now. Your previous identity has no connection to your current position. You don’t need to worry about being used against Uncle Ye or anything like that. You don’t need to worry about these concerns anymore.”

Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Li Wei’s mood improved somewhat. After all, he had spent a considerable number of years working with Ye Zhengfeng in the past, and it was inevitable that he would be used by some malicious individuals. With Zhou Chao’s assurance, he felt more at ease.

“Boss, what do you think of Todd?” Lin Wu suddenly spoke up from the side.

Hearing Lin Wu’s words, Zhou Chao also seemed intrigued, “Are you suggesting that we let Todd step into the spotlight?”

“Yeah, considering Todd’s background as one of the world’s top security personnel and his past interactions with influential figures, having him take the lead could save us a lot of trouble. Additionally, he can help us recruit some management talents. It’s a win-win!”

Zhou Chao looked at Lin Wu with some surprise, “Did you come up with this plan? I didn’t expect you to think of something like this. But the feasibility of this plan is quite high. We just need to find out if Todd is willing to go along with it.”

“Boss, should I give Todd a call and ask him?” Lin Wu said, preparing to take out his phone and leave the room.

“Come back! Why are you in such a hurry? We haven’t even planned things out yet, so there’s no need to make any calls.”

Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s reprimand, Lin Wu stopped in his tracks, looking embarrassed.

Zhou Chao didn’t pay him any more attention and turned to Li Wei, asking, “If we proceed with the plan we just discussed, where do you think we should set our sights?”

“Africa!” Li Wei said firmly.

Zhou Chao contemplated for a moment and said, “1 see. 1’11 have people cooperate with you. Your task is to buy, buy, buy as much as possible. Also, domestic competition can take a back seat now. Our focus should be on foreign markets. Once things stabilize here, we can start expanding abroad. We mainly need to ensure the special steel market domestically.”

“Boss, this is giving those people a break,” Li Wei said, somewhat puzzled.

“We’re not after internal conflicts; we need resources. We can make a little less money; we can always recover it from those foreign sources.” Zhou Chao’s tone turned serious, and he looked at Li Wei earnestly.

As someone who had been a secretary for many years, Li Wei understood Zhou Chao’s words quite well.

“Boss, what about our medium and small-scale steel plants under our umbrella? Should we reorganize them?”

“No need to reorganize; they can continue as they are. We just won’t expand further. Our focus will shift to foreign mineral resources.”

“Understood, boss,” Li Wei said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

“By the way, where’s Wang Lan? Why haven’t I seen her?” Zhou Chao suddenly remembered the beautiful woman he had sent earlier but hadn’t seen her yet.

Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s question, Li Wei’s face turned embarrassed, and his thumbs interlocked nervously. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, standing nearby, had a look of anticipation on his face.

Zhou Chao noticed their expressions and furrowed his brow slightly. He spoke, “You and Wang Lan are in a romantic relationship.”

Li Wei quickly stood up, feeling embarrassed, and said, “I’m sorry, boss.”

Zhou Chao waved his hand and said, “No need to apologize. Being in a romantic relationship is normal, especially when you’re both talented individuals. However, not reporting this matter to me and hiding it from me is your mistake. As the top executives of the company, you should understand the nature of this relationship. So, tell me, how do you plan to handle this situation? And Xiao Wu, you’re also responsible for not reporting it as someone who was aware.”

“Boss, I…” Xiao Wu started to explain, but he was stopped by Lin Wu, who was standing next to him.

As someone who had been by Zhou Chao’s side for the longest time, Lin Wu knew that Zhou Chao didn’t want their explanations; he wanted to see their attitude.

“Boss, please don’t blame Xiao Wu for this. It was me who told him not to say anything. I’m willing to accept any punishment,” Li Wei said with his head bowed.

Upon hearing Lin Wu’s words, Zhou Chao burst into laughter, suddenly slamming the table, causing everyone to tremble.

“Any punishment? Li Wei, do you think you can manipulate me like this? Do you think Fuxing can’t function without you? I always thought you were a rational person, but I didn’t expect you to become emotional. You truly disappoint me. Why are you lowering your head? Look at me!” Zhou Chao scolded him with a stern expression.

Li Wei raised his head and met Zhou Chao’s disappointed gaze, feeling increasingly ashamed.

No company can allow its top management to be in a romantic relationship, especially when they are in leadership positions. If he hadn’t come forward now, did he think Zhou Chao wouldn’t find out? Did he think Zhou Chao would tolerate this situation?

Zhou Chao tried to suppress his anger but couldn’t help himself. He looked at Li Wei and asked, “Where’s Wang Lan? Where did she go?”

Li Wei, feeling uneasy, cast a quick glance at Zhou Chao and said cautiously, “Wang Lan went to the maternity and child hospital for a checkup.”

Hearing this, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but laugh in anger. He stared at Li Wei and said, “Alright, Li Wei, 1 didn’t know you were such an expert in matters of the heart. Come on, tell me what happened.”

Li Wei didn’t hide anything and explained the whole situation, from start to finish. Zhou Chao finally understood that it was Wang Lan who had pursued him, and Li Wei’s charm had captivated her.

“Call Wang Lan and ask her to return to the company immediately.”

Li Wei was about to take out his phone to call Wang Lan when Zhou Chao said, “No need to call her. Xiao Wu, you make the call. Tell her there’s an urgent matter at the company and she needs to come back.”

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment but dialed Wang Lan’s number in front of everyone.

“Hello, Sister Lan, where are you?”

“I’m out handling some matters. What’s up?”

“The company has an urgent matter that requires your presence. Can you come back?”

“Okay, I’ll come back right away.”

“Good, I’ll be waiting for you in Director Li’s office,” Xiao Wu said and hung up.

“Sit down, everyone. Why are you standing there? Did you forget to make tea? Didn’t you see me talking so much?” Zhou Chao grumbled, looking annoyed.

Lin Wu, who was standing by, noticed Xiao Wu still standing there and whispered, “What are you waiting for? Didn’t you hear the boss? Go outside and make some tea.”

Xiao Wu snapped out of it and quickly went outside. He returned a while later with several cups of tea.

Zhou Chao looked at Li Wei, who was still standing, and said, “Sit down, why are you still standing? Do you want me to look up at you?”

Li Wei took a deep breath and finally sat down, and the room fell into an eerie silence.

After about ten minutes, the office door suddenly swung open, and a voice accompanied it, “Brother Wei, why did you call me back so urgently?”