Chapter 340: I'm in Charge of the Soy Sauce

Ruijing Commerce’s nationwide annual sales were over four billion, but its yearly profit was less than two hundred million. Its net profit margin was barely better than bank interest.

The Ruijing Commerce Qingjiang Branch used to contribute nearly twenty million in profit annually, making it one of the better branches in the country. Although its sales volume was only average, its profit margin ranked among the top nationwide, mainly due to the support from the Xinyue Group’s Qingjiang Region.

Now, all of that was gone. The tide had gone out, revealing that they had been swimming naked all along.

“That may be true, but it’s the company I’ve served for half my life, and watching it decline day by day… I feel terrible about it. What’s more, this month’s performance has plummeted month-over-month and year-over-year. The handful of general manager candidates headquarters was considering are all getting cold feet now. I originally agreed to postpone my retirement for three months, but I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to leave when the time comes.”

From what President Zhao was saying, Yang Hui knew that Fang Zheng likely had no chance at all. He was no longer on headquarters’ list of candidates.

He shook his head. None of this was his business. Such was the retail environment, and leather goods were one of the most affected categories. In the end, one couldn’t go against the trend.

“A Hui, how have things been since you went to Futong Commerce? With your client connections, they must feel like they hit the jackpot hiring you to run operations.”

He wasn’t wrong, either. Since joining Futong Commerce, Yang Hui had easily brought in several million in profit for Li Yang.

“It’s been fine. But like you said, it’s all thanks to outside help, not my own abilities. In one month, I took their Airex brand—which had the lowest year-over-year growth, month-over-month growth, and sales target completion rate—and brought it to number one in all three metrics. The employees’ income this month should see a significant boost as well.”

President Zhao gave him a thumbs-up. “Impressive. I don’t quite agree with you, though. Leveraging external forces is a skill in itself. The ability to harness that help is a talent.”

Yang Hui smiled. “President Zhao, this is my last week at Futong Commerce.”

President Zhao’s expression froze. He instinctively leaned forward, his tone serious. “What happened?”

It was just too bizarre. Who achieves such incredible results in a single month only to quit suddenly, right when they should be building on that success?

“It’s nothing. I’m just working to experience life, so I never plan on staying anywhere for long. Once I get the team up and running, my mission is complete. I generated a few million in profit for the company this month, so I’ve more than pulled my weight.”

President Zhao sighed in amazement. Such an oddball employee was truly a rare sight. Then again, this was the same man who chose to resign the moment headquarters appointed him General Manager. Could anything be more bizarre than that? At this point, nothing Yang Hui did could be considered surprising.

Then, a thought suddenly struck President Zhao. “A Hui, is there any chance you might come back?”

‘Return to Ruijing Commerce?’ Yang Hui hadn’t really considered it. It was his old company, and they had always treated him well. He couldn’t just go there and provoke his superiors to get himself fired, like he had with Li Yang at Futong Commerce. If he worked there for a few months and then tried to leave while Ruijing Commerce still hadn’t found a suitable General Manager to take his place, it would be difficult for him to resign, which would be a huge loss.

Seeing that he didn’t immediately refuse, President Zhao knew there was room to negotiate. He quickly said, “You can name your terms. As long as you’re willing to come back, I can personally call the corporate CEO and report this to him.”

He pondered for a moment. ‘If Ruijing is willing to play by my rules, this might actually be a good way to farm unemployment points.’

“President Zhao, if I do come back to Ruijing Commerce, I probably won’t stay long.”

“A year?”

He shook his head. ‘If I stay for a year, I can’t collect unemployment benefits. That’d be a huge loss. Besides, in one year I could join and quit several other companies and farm a few unemployment points. Who would stay at Ruijing Commerce that long?’

“My proposal is this: I help Ruijing Commerce solve its current problems—namely, renewing the contracts for the partnership stores with Xinyue Group and providing short-term operational support. Once that’s done, I’ll leave. I’m sure once those major issues are resolved, you’ll have candidates willing to take over the position, right?”

This was an angle President Zhao had never considered. The idea Yang Hui proposed was astonishing: a regional general manager who would take the job, solve the contract renewal problem, and then immediately resign. But from Ruijing Commerce’s perspective, it was actually an acceptable deal.

To solve a life-or-death crisis for the branch for the price of a few months’ salary… The only thing he couldn’t understand was why Yang Hui would repeatedly cast aside a regional general manager position—the career goal of a lifetime for so many people—as if it were a worthless pair of shoes.

“I’ll schedule a call with the CEO today to report this to him. If you’re willing to come, the matter with the Xinyue Group should be easily resolved.”

Yang Hui waved his hand. “Let’s not make promises we can’t keep. If I can’t solve it, I’ll take responsibility and resign within three months at most. If I do solve it, you have to process my resignation the same month the issue is resolved.”

If President Tian were still around, it would have been a sure thing. But he had never met the new regional general manager, Zong Lan, and wasn’t sure what to expect. He’d also heard from Brother Chun that she was parachuted in from the Zong Clan, so Yang Hui worried that Zhang Chun’s influence over her would be limited.

‘Looks like I’ll have to pay her a visit as soon as she gets to Qingzhou. A single conversation should be enough to gauge her attitude.’

Setting work matters aside for the moment, President Zhao wouldn’t know headquarters’ official stance until after he reported to the CEO by phone that afternoon. Only then could he finalize the arrangement with Yang Hui.

They made small talk for a while longer. Yang Hui recalled President Zhao mentioning last time that he planned to return to his hometown after retiring. After a lifetime of work, he certainly deserved to relax and enjoy life. ‘If I didn’t have this system,’ Yang Hui mused, ‘I might have already returned to my own hometown to dote on my grandchildren by now.’