Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

Gao Cheng brought over a folder and handed it to Zhong Yuemin with both hands:

"Mr. Zhong, take a look. This is the sales report since the business opened. When business is good, we can make five or six thousand a day! On average, we can make three or four thousand a day."

Zhong Yuemin took the folder, glanced at the numbers on it casually, didn't look at it closely, and put it back on the table, speaking in a flat tone:

"Well, it's fine."

Gao Cheng noticed that his face remained calm and showed no sign of excitement, which puzzled him.

"Mr. Zhong, what... do you think this... is too little?"

"It's alright." Zhong Yuemin picked up his teacup and took a sip.

He genuinely didn't think it was much. Having witnessed the flow of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in Hong Kong and Japan, the daily turnover of a few thousand dollars in front of him was hardly enough to excite him.

Gao Cheng was somewhat 'discouraged'. He had wanted to show off, as this revenue of over a thousand was an astronomical figure for him. Before, when he ran a restaurant, he was lucky to earn a few hundred yuan.

Instead, they complained that there weren't enough people.

Zhong Yuemin turned to Ma Weimin and brought up another matter:

“Old Ma, I observed the food service today and it seems the food is still a bit slow. If we encounter impatient customers or those in a hurry, they might get impatient and just leave, which is a real loss.”

Ma Weimin stubbed out his cigarette and explained with a hint of helplessness:

"Mr. Zhong, you don't know, during mealtimes, customers come in droves, and there are only a few stoves in the kitchen. I brought two apprentices with me, who were poached from other hotels. They are already very capable, but we are still short-handed."

“Then we’ll hire more!” Zhong Yuemin said decisively. “We’ll offer high salaries; I don’t believe we can’t find a suitable chef.”

Gao Cheng chimed in from the side, displaying the shrewd calculations typical of a businessman:

"Mr. Zhong, actually it's only a couple of hours during peak meal times that are a bit hectic, the rest of the time it's pretty relaxed. We also need to take costs into account, we need to maximize profits as much as possible, right?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled upon hearing this and tapped his finger lightly on the table: "Brother Cheng, cutting costs is not wrong, but the approach must be correct."

"How much more money will it cost to hire more chefs?"

He counted on his fingers.

"During the peak meal hours of two or three hours, if the kitchen has two more people and the speed of food preparation is increased, it is very likely that three or four more tables can be turned over."

"If we do this every day, little by little, it adds up. I think our monthly revenue will increase by at least 10% or 20%. This extra income will be enough to cover the salaries of the two extra chefs we hire, and we might even have some left over."

He paused, looked at the two of them, and continued, "This score isn't hard to calculate, is it?"

"Besides, having more staff is also a preparation for the opening of new hotels later. This is called talent reserve, which is very necessary."

"A new hotel?!"

Ma Weimin and Gao Cheng spoke up almost simultaneously, their faces filled with shock.

"Ah."

Zhong Yuemin shrugged, looking completely at ease.

"You've all seen it, haven't you? Business is so good, which means there's market demand. So let's roll up our sleeves and go all out. When I do business, I either don't do it at all, or if I do it... I have to do it well. I don't expect to be number one in the industry, but I'll at least squeeze into the top three."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, as if he were planning a blueprint for the future.

“My idea is to not only run restaurants, but also expand into accommodation, integrating dining and lodging, and creating a chain hotel model. Franchising is also an option.”

"First, we'll establish a foothold in Beijing and open four or five hotels. Then, we'll expand to surrounding areas, such as Tianjin, Hebei, and Shenyang, gradually building our own brand chain. Our goal is to make our hotels the benchmark in the industry!"

Not only were Ma Weimin and Gao Cheng dumbfounded, but even Liu Jing, who was standing to the side, was somewhat bewildered by Zhong Yuemin's seemingly casual but actually ambitious plan.

Isn't this step a bit too ambitious? It feels a bit unrealistic, like floating on clouds.

Gao Cheng subconsciously pushed up his glasses, his expression hesitant:

"Mr. Zhong, is what you're saying... true?"

"Otherwise?" Zhong Yuemin retorted. "Are you kidding me?"

"How much...how much will this cost?" Gao Cheng felt his throat go dry.

"I'm already running around like crazy with just this one restaurant. If I opened so many... how could I possibly manage them all? Wouldn't I be exhausted?"

"Brother Cheng,"

Zhong Yuemin laughed, his tone carrying a hint of guidance.

"You're a teacher by profession, after all. In your spare time, find some books on business management and read them carefully. Money left at home, buried in the ground, won't grow or increase. Only by investing it will money make money..."

"A person's energy is limited after all. You have to learn to delegate and let capable people below you take charge of specific tasks. It's good to do everything yourself, no matter how small. But that doesn't mean you have to handle every little thing yourself."

He gave an example:

"It's like a sophisticated machine with hundreds or thousands of parts. If you have to take care of each one and tighten the screws yourself, even a person made of iron can't handle it, and you might not be able to manage the machine well."

"You need to delegate authority, establish a system of accountability, and set up a clear reward and punishment mechanism. You, on the other hand, are responsible for grasping the overall direction and ensuring that this machine can operate well and efficiently—that's enough."

Gao Cheng's head was buzzing, and he felt even more uneasy. He asked hesitantly, "This...can I do this?"

"Have some confidence in yourself." Zhong Yuemin patted him on the shoulder. "You come from an intellectual background and have a good cultural foundation, so you'll definitely learn these things quickly. If you really encounter something you don't understand, just ask your sister for help. There's nothing shameful about it."

Gao Cheng nodded blankly, still processing the grand ideas about "chain hotels," "industry benchmarks," and "decentralized management" that he had just heard. He felt both excited and a little unsteady on his feet.

On the way back, Liu Jing drove, but her eyes kept glancing at Zhong Yuemin in the passenger seat. He was resting with his eyes closed, and the outline of his face was particularly clear in the light and shadow flowing outside the window.

She was thinking about his eloquent talk about chain hotels, brand expansion, and management delegation in the restaurant earlier.

Normally, this guy always seems unreliable, joking, and even a bit "rascal," but once he gets serious, his keen understanding of business trends, his pioneering spirit, and his vision and perspective far beyond that of ordinary people... are things that ordinary people can't possess.

A sense of genuine admiration, and even... a touch of secret pride, welled up within her.

I was so engrossed in watching that I didn't notice the person next to me had quietly opened their eyes.