Sail across the sea

Chapter 522 So poor they only had money left

"It's nice to have money."

Xia Shihui said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Sigh, don't laugh at me, I'm so poor now that all I have left is money," Gao Fan said, making fun of himself.

Xia Shihui shook her head and said, "Just finding minerals doesn't require your company's funding. The biggest investment will be needed to develop these minerals in the future, and that's when we'll see how capable your company is."

"So, can the exploration trip to Lop Nur be confirmed?"

"This matter still needs to go through a process. I need to first make a plan, and then take it to the office meeting for discussion. If I get the approval of other institute leaders, then I need to apply for funding, organize a team, and so on. It will take at least a year and a half."

"A year and a half isn't a long time."

Gao Fan nodded.

When it comes to getting things done within the system, procedures are crucial. A year and a half of approval for a single matter isn't a long time; in fact, it can be considered highly efficient.

In contrast, things are sometimes much simpler for private enterprises; as long as the boss gives an instruction, they can get things moving immediately.

Of course, this also inevitably leads to situations where people give inappropriate or misguided instructions.

Xia Shihui explained very seriously, "Gao Fan, when I said a year and a half, that was already the lowest possible timeframe. We have teams within our system that have been exploring Lop Nur, but due to insufficient investment, progress has been very slow."

"Now that you've proposed increasing exploration efforts, we first need to gather the preliminary results, organize experts to discuss the metallogenic principles, and identify the most promising metallogenic zones before we can finalize a formal exploration plan."

"The moment you open your mouth, I'll probably be spending the next year immersed in data about Lop Nur."

"Isn't this to keep you from getting bored?" Gao Fan teased with a chuckle.

Mineral exploration is Xia Shihui's job, so Gao Fan asking for her help doesn't count as owing her any favors and he doesn't need to feel guilty.

Gao Fan also knew that Lop Nur did indeed have potash deposits. The lack of major discoveries before was simply due to a lack of determination from the geological department, which prevented large-scale exploration. If Xia Shihui could lead the exploration in Lop Nur, the discovery of potash deposits would be inevitable, which would be a significant achievement for her.

As for hard work, when has this girl ever been afraid of hard work? Letting her be idle is the most unbearable thing, okay?

"Searching for minerals in the desert is quite interesting." Xia Shihui couldn't suppress her excitement as she muttered to herself, "I've always searched for minerals in the mountains. This is my first time searching for minerals in the desert. I can't wait to fly to the northern border region to take a look."

Gao Fan said, "If you want to go, then go. Our company will fully sponsor your airfare and everything else."

Xia Shihui laughed and said, "I know you're a tycoon, but it's not time for me to fight against tycoons yet."

"Didn't you say your research institution is facing a tight budget right now?"

"I am quite nervous. But if it's just a trip to northern Xinjiang, I can just buy my own plane ticket and do some sightseeing while I'm there. If I'm using public funds for a business trip, I'd feel embarrassed to travel around like that." "I didn't realize Xia was such a wealthy woman."

"What rich woman? Minmin is the rich woman. I spent six years abroad, and the overseas allowance was very high. Plus, I didn't have many expenses abroad, so I saved some money."

"I see." Gao Fan nodded, then added, "You said it yourself, I'm a tycoon. If you ever need funding or money in the future, just ask me. I'm not giving you money for nothing; you or your team can help us with some research projects, and you'll be paid accordingly."

"I know—" Xia Shihui drawled to show her impatience, "Isn't it the same way Yanyan helped you write your manuscript back then? I've heard Yanyan talk about it before. Oh, right, speaking of Yanyan, she really wants to help you with something, but she's too shy to ask."

“Yuan Xiaoyan?” Gao Fan asked, somewhat puzzled. “What’s there for her to be embarrassed about? You’ve been away from the country for the past few years, and Yuan Xiaoyan has done a lot for our company. I know her very well.”

“This time it’s different,” Xia Shihui said. “Yanyan told me that she feels her current job is meaningless, and there are too many backstabbing and infighting in the workplace. She wants to go into business.”

"Going into the private sector? She wouldn't be thinking of working for our company, would she?"

"Do you want it?"

"Of course! ...if her asking price isn't too high."

Xia Shihui covered her mouth with her hand and burst into laughter: "If Yanyan heard you say that, she would be furious. She is a senior reporter from People's Daily, and she condescended to apply for a job at your small company, and you are complaining that her asking price is too high."

Gao Fan dropped his teasing expression and asked, "You're not serious, are you? No, I mean, what she said isn't true, is it?"

If the same words came directly from Yuan Xiaoyan, Gao Fan would be 70% sure she was making a not-so-funny joke. But since Xia Shihui said them, Gao Fan was 70% sure he believed them.

Xia Shihui is the kind of person who takes things very seriously. Since she was going to help Yuan Xiaoyan relay a message, she naturally confirmed it with Yuan Xiaoyan repeatedly.

Sure enough, Xia Shihui nodded firmly and said, "She is indeed serious. She told me some things that I can't tell you. However, I can tell that she really wants to change her lifestyle. If your company doesn't want her, she will find another company."

“Of course we want her,” Gao Fan said eagerly. “Yuan is exceptionally intelligent and talented, and she has so many years of experience working in major media outlets. She is exactly the kind of public relations talent we need most. If she is willing to take the position, I can make the decision right now to hire her as the public relations director of Canghai Chemical. Her annual salary is up to her... well, as long as it doesn’t exceed 20 yuan.”

In the end, Gao Fan still made a patch.

Yuan Xiaoyan is not Xia Shihui. If he dared to offer her a salary that she could set, she might actually ask for a high price of 100 million.

Twenty years from now, it wouldn't be unusual for a PR director at a major company to earn several million a year. To put it simply, if a PR director's annual salary doesn't reach that level, how can they have the confidence to negotiate endorsement fees of several million or tens of millions with big-name celebrities?

But in this day and age, a million-yuan annual salary is a bit excessive; 100,000 is already considered quite good. Yang Kai, an associate professor at Peking University, earns only around 500 yuan a month.

Yuan Xiaoyan is currently the deputy director of an editorial department at a major newspaper. Her salary isn't very high, but her extra income, such as travel expenses, should be quite substantial, probably around 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year. Gao Fan offered her an annual salary of 200,000 yuan, which is equivalent to quadrupling her income. She should be satisfied.

(End of this chapter)