Chapter 51: Not Coming to Find Him Anymore

Chu Dong followed behind Tan Xue like a retainer, entering Tan Songhai’s office and sitting down properly.

“Hey, Dongzi, what’s gotten into you?” Tan Songhai was puzzled. Chu Dong had always been boisterous and carefree; this was the first time he’d seen him so reserved.

“It’s nothing, really.” Chu Dong covered his ear, afraid he might say something wrong.

“You finished looking over everything so quickly?” Tan Songhai asked, though he knew it was impossible to have any results so soon.

“I haven’t finished, but I’ve already found a few issues,” Chu Dong replied cautiously.

“Oh? Tell me, what problems did you find?” Tan Songhai was very concerned about this matter, unlike Tan Xue, who hadn’t even asked what Chu Dong had discovered.

“The sales timing. I noticed that most of Silver Dragon’s properties over the past two years were sold out before the official opening. Are you aware of this situation?” Chu Dong gradually relaxed; with Tan Xue here, she would probably give him some face in front of her father, and his nerves eased.

“Oh, some partners did purchase before opening, but not in large quantities. Besides, the marketing department completed the set sales tasks. Is this really a major factor in the profit decline?” Though Tan Songhai wasn’t always hands-on, he had some understanding. Since Wang Dongliang had arrived, every sales cycle was completed rapidly, so he had let him handle things as he wished.

“It’s definitely related,” Chu Dong said, seeing Tan Xue was far enough away to speak freely. “The opening of each property is the first sales round, and prices are at their lowest. After opening, prices are adjusted upward according to sales progress, reaching their peak at the final phase. But with Silver Dragon, there aren’t many units left by the time of the opening, so this crucial stage is missing, and a significant portion of the profit is lost. All that profit instead goes to those who bought large numbers of properties before the opening. I believe this is one of the reasons for the profit decline.”

Tan Songhai nodded repeatedly; Chu Dong’s words made sense. Silver Dragon’s rapid development had caused it to overlook many details. Tan Songhai always believed in not restraining his subordinates’ growth and didn’t adhere strictly to rules—so long as targets were met, it was good enough. The targets themselves weren’t set too ambitiously, so factors like rising prices and labor costs weren’t taken seriously. Although sales and profits continued to grow, the profit margin was falling sharply. Hearing Chu Dong’s explanation, things suddenly became clear.

“Dongzi, if I put you in charge of marketing, how would you handle it?” After thinking for a while, Tan Songhai suddenly asked.

“I’d either let the public benefit from lower prices or sell slowly myself, but I definitely wouldn’t let the profits slip away for nothing…” Chu Dong replied without hesitation, but was interrupted by Tan Xue.

“Easy for you to say! I don’t believe you wouldn’t try to make money for yourself.” Her cheeks flushed, Tan Xue scoffed at Chu Dong’s words.

This was mainly because Wang Dongliang was her subordinate, and it was because of her that he joined Silver Dragon Group. Now, with Chu Dong blaming Wang Dongliang’s management style for the company’s declining performance—and her father agreeing—she felt she was losing face.

“I was just speaking off the cuff; I really have no intention of taking a share of Silver Dragon Group’s profits. Uncle Tan, I have something else to attend to. I’ll come visit you another day.” Chu Dong stood to take his leave. After all, they weren’t family yet, and even if the elders of the Tan and Chu families intended it, he couldn’t speak too freely.

“Dongzi, don’t listen to Xue’er—she’s just too willful. Xue’er, go see Dongzi off. And later, give me a written report,” Tan Songhai said, waving for Tan Xue to escort Chu Dong out. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, lost in thought.

“Xue’er, what brand of perfume do you use? It’s so fragrant,” Chu Dong teased as soon as they left the office, seeing Tan Xue reverting to her elegant, demure self.

“Stay away from me. I warn you, I’m not the little girl you used to bully years ago. If you try anything, you’d better watch yourself.” She slowed her pace, and as Chu Dong drew near, she stomped her high heel down hard on his foot, raising her fist in mock threat.

“Ow!” Chu Dong let out a low groan, hopping into the elevator, his face contorted in pain.

Tan Xue waved cheerfully, bidding him farewell as he clutched his foot inside the elevator. Only after the doors slowly closed did she skip back to her office.

The secretary at the front desk was left gaping, unable to process the sight of the usually dignified young lady acting so out of character.

“Hey, hey, how did it go? He’s gone?” Li Youlan rushed over as soon as Tan Xue returned.

“He’s gone. That guy won’t dare come back next time.” Tan Xue proudly massaged her wrist, as if she had single-handedly thrown Chu Dong out in a brawl.

“Lame. If I’d known he was so easy to get rid of, I wouldn’t have schemed so many tricks. I had a whole set of plans, but it looks like I won’t get to use them.” Li Youlan sighed dramatically, as if she’d just lost a favorite toy.

“It’s fine, there’ll be plenty of opportunities.” Tan Xue threw herself onto the sofa, propped her legs up, and lay on her stomach. “I actually think that rascal is quite interesting. Besides, he bullied me enough as a child—just getting back at him once isn’t enough. If he doesn’t come, I’ll go find him myself, and I won’t stop until I drive him out of China. I don’t believe the twin stars of Cambridge can’t accomplish this!”

“Well said—ambitious and determined, that’s the true spirit of the infamous She-Devil Queen.” With nothing else to do, Li Youlan became animated at Tan Xue’s words.

As soon as Chu Dong stepped out of Silver Dragon Group’s office building, he felt a chill down his back, shivering in the heat of summer. He realized he hadn’t seen Mouse in days. He pulled out his phone and dialed.

“Mouse, where the hell have you been hiding? Not even a phone call? Have you drunk up all the seawater yet?” Chu Dong started teasing as soon as the call connected.

“Dong-ge, I’m here drinking with Qiangzi. What’s up?” Mouse replied with a sly chuckle.

“You two untrustworthy guys, drinking without telling me! How could you do such a difficult thing alone? Where are you? Wait for me, I’ll be right there.” Chu Dong got into his car, eager to hurry over.

“We’re at your place. You’d better get back quick—there’s only half a bottle left. If you’re late, there’ll be none for you,” Qiangzi shouted, recognizing Chu Dong’s voice.

“Bastards, those are my last two bottles of vintage Hennessy—save some for me!” Chu Dong groaned as he started the car, tearing off toward Feipeng Hotel.

PS: By the way, you all know Fox Books is changing its name, right? It’s been back and forth twice now, sorry for the trouble. Remember, the new name is “Peerless Business Cavalier.” I hope you’ll continue to support me after the name change—send those flowers my way!