Back to the prime of life

Chapter 200 Encounter
Li Ming was truly determined to drop out of school.

The lack of understanding from everyone, including Lu Changge, actually gave him some motivation; after all, this guy hadn't seriously read a single book in the three years he'd been in school.

But in the last ten days or so, Li Ming has been unusually quiet, living a life of going back and forth between the company and his newly rented home.

Lu Changge later subtly inquired with Qin Jun about what this guy was doing, and Qin Jun was also surprised, saying that he was studying.

I wonder what this guy is learning.

However, his dropping out of school made him the first of the co-founders to work full-time at Ruman, which was a good thing from the company's perspective.

After discussing it with Lu Changge, Chen Xiaohe decided to gradually hand over most of the responsibilities of the marketing department to him.

Occasionally, when Lu Changge thinks about it, he feels that it is a bit strange that he is so young to hold such a high position. However, he also thinks that what determines a person's thoughts and abilities is not age, but experience.

A person who ventures out into the world at seventeen is already a seasoned veteran of society by the time they are twenty-four or twenty-five.

However, if one continues to study, most recent graduate students are just like children.

He just hoped that Li Ming wouldn't regret it later.

There was nothing more he could do, since even his parents couldn't stop him. After this matter was settled, Lu Changge received another call from Xu Huiya, who wanted him to go to Shanghai again.

"Didn't we just go there a few days ago?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The person I'm introducing to you this time is even more important, you can't refuse."

"Could it be Chen Nian himself?"

Xu Huiya laughed out loud, "What are you thinking? Hurry up, you'll know when you get here."

Okay, let's go then.

Hsu Hui-ya and her backer, Titanium Capital, were quite enthusiastic about this investment. After the investment intention was officially reached, they helped Lu Mang Company grow as quickly as possible in terms of various resources.

This includes talented individuals.

She even secretly asked Lu Changge if he had any plans to replace Chen Xiaohe. This was really worrying her way out of line, because they felt that Chen Xiaohe lacked experience in the industry, and they could contact better people.

Lu Changge refused, saying that Lu Mang Company was operating very well, largely due to his good cooperation with Chen Xiaohe.

Moreover, he was a rather special person. After becoming a prophet, his views and actions on many things were different from those of ordinary people.

Chen Xiaohe had known him for a while and was willing to trust him. Furthermore, she was straightforward and didn't have any deep ulterior motives, making communication with her very easy.

It would be different if it were someone else.

The newcomer doesn't understand Lu Changge or Lu Mang. He brings his old ways of thinking and offers a bunch of suggestions. When the time comes, should we listen to him or Lu Changge?
This is exactly what Xu Huiya, the investor right in front of us, is like. They all think they're smart, they all have a lot of ideas, and they all want to turn their ideas into Lu Changge's ideas, and then into Lu Mang Company's practices.

One very important skill for a boss is knowing how to say no.

This is actually more difficult than you might imagine, and only those who have truly been leaders can understand it. The fundamental reason is that you have a lot of resources at your disposal, so many people want to use those resources through you to achieve their own ends.

However, Chen Xiaohe cannot be replaced, but Lu Changge agrees with some of the middle-level cadres.

Xu Huiya is really capable; she even poached two people from Vancl: one who was in supply chain management and the other who was in charge of fast fashion clothing design.

Lu Changge kept one of them, but the one in charge of supply chain management refused outright. Vancl's supply chain was already a complete mess, so it was better to stay away.

Xu Huiya also learned about Lu Changge's management style in a short period of time, which can be summed up in one word: assertive.

For example, when the business was expanding rapidly, what was Chen Xiaohe of Lumang Company doing? She was strictly controlling the expansion speed of SKU scale and resolutely not allowing unlimited increases in volume.

Many people have suggested building their own logistics network, but once Mr. Lu says no, there's been a long period of silence.

This is just one example. In other areas such as supplier management and payment for goods, Lumang Company has very strict self-discipline.

This is actually one of the reasons why they chose to invest, because Lu Changge, as a very young entrepreneur, has a much deeper understanding of company management than they expected.

In fact, Lumang Company has clear regulations in internal management, personnel assessment and selection, product planning and marketing. Especially compared with another competitor, Vancl, Lumang Company is much more efficient and capable despite its smaller size.

Of course, dealing with such a strong-willed entrepreneur is also more difficult, because he is so confident that he will not easily change his company management strategy because of what outsiders think.

Lu Changge never expected that his investor would connect him with a future celebrity, namely that formidable e-commerce entrepreneur surnamed Liu.

As for why he was recommended, he asked clearly why: it was because of logistics.

"Although you've always been calm and composed, and have a good grasp of company management, the logistics aspect is indeed not under your control..."

Lu Changge had heard Xu Huiya's reasons countless times; his ears were practically calloused. "President Xu, if Lu Mang were to build its own logistics network like Vancl, the first thing I would do is ask for money."

"Well, we're not that short-sighted."

Lu Changge shook his head slightly. Actually, he was quite willing to communicate more. Communicating with interesting people is also a great pleasure in life. Therefore, despite the disagreement on the matter itself, he still got out of the car with Xu Huiya and entered the company building.

As soon as he walked in, he remembered that there was an old friend of his here. He would contact her whenever he came to Shanghai and visit her when he had time. This time, he came directly into the company, but he didn't tell her anything. He just wanted to give her a surprise.

"Mr. Xu, are you going to invest in JD.com? I've heard that the company has been looking for funding for the past six months."

Xu Huiya was dressed in a business suit, her calves encased in flesh-colored stockings, exuding a compelling urban sophistication. Moreover, she was quite tall; fortunately, Lu Changge was also nearly 1.8 meters tall, otherwise she would have easily outshone him.

At this moment, she swayed her hips, her face radiating confidence, and chatted easily, "The company is considering it. Actually, since both of your companies have come into the company's view, but have very different development ideas, the company is still watching, and no one knows which one will be right in the end."

Lu Changge said, "Could it be that we've all taken the right path?"

"is it?"

"A single flower does not make a spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together make a garden full of spring. Just as Mr. Xu has his own beauty, others also have their own beauty. If everyone were exactly the same, wouldn't this world be meaningless?"

This statement implies that there are very high requirements for a man's appearance.

If you're even slightly ugly, women will definitely criticize you as sleazy or a pervert.

When it came to Lu Changge, Xu Huiya simply gave him a charming glance before moving on and answering her phone, saying, "Coming up."

At this company, Han Jiayi was unaware that Lu Changge had arrived. She was still busy with the tasks assigned by her supervisor at her workstation as usual. The cubicles felt oppressive, like birdcages, and hardly anyone in the room was talking.

Especially for employees like them who have only been with the company for a short time, things have been even tougher lately. News of tight cash flow and difficulty in securing financing has caused widespread anxiety, and cost-cutting measures such as layoffs have been considered.

The so-called grain of dust of the times becomes a mountain on everyone's shoulders, and Han Jiayi, being in the midst of it, naturally feels considerable pressure.

In addition, today was particularly special because the boss came from the Beijing headquarters to their East China branch. The junior employees don't see the boss often, so everyone was quite interested.

Within their group, they were whistling and winking at each other. Han Jiayi glanced down at the computer and saw the chat between them: "Look at Manager Qu's face. He can't get close to her, but he still tries to force it."

Another person commented: "That fawning face has reached its peak. I knew she was fawning, but I didn't expect it to be this exaggerated."

Someone else asked: Who are we meeting today? I saw that the CFO from headquarters personally went to greet us.

Everyone dared not make a sound, only chirping crickets in secret. Han Jiayi disliked the man surnamed Qu, so she sent a mocking emoji. Unfortunately, her workstation was near the aisle, so she was terrified of being seen. Therefore, she had to glance around before sending or reading messages, making it feel like she was stealing.

Just as she was glancing around aimlessly, she suddenly saw a familiar face emerge from the elevator.

In my line of sight, the CFO from headquarters first shook hands with a woman, then the woman stepped aside, seemingly to introduce him, and then the two shook hands happily. After that, the CFO stepped aside, and he and the woman walked over together.

During this time, many people looked up and gazed over.

Lu Changge knew Han Jiayi was here, but he didn't know which office she was in. He scanned the room with his eyes and, thanks to his good eyesight, he spotted her in the cubicle.

"Mr. Xu, I saw someone I know. Can I say hello?"

"An acquaintance?" Xu Huiya asked, puzzled.

It wasn't far from the elevator, and Lu Changge arrived here in just a few steps. For some reason, Han Jiayi looked at him as if she were a frightened kitten, and even lowered her head.

But Lu Changge felt it wouldn't be appropriate to pretend not to know her when they were clearly acquaintances, so he took the initiative to go over to her and said, "Senior, long time no see. What's with that expression? Don't you recognize me?"

Han Jiayi seemed a little uncomfortable with being watched by so many people, and said somewhat awkwardly, "No, nothing. You... what are you doing here?"

"I was dragged here to do some work," Lu Changge said with a smile. "Wait for me a moment, I'll find you when I'm done."

After he finished speaking, he ignored the various expressions and gazes of the others. However, when he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of another somewhat familiar face out of the corner of his eye. Wasn't this... the woman who had seen him with Han Jiayi that day and mocked him?

Her face was a little pale at this moment, but Lu Changge didn't even bother to look at her again and continued walking forward with Xu Huiya.

The man next to him asked, "Does Mr. Lu know anyone in our company?"

Lu Changge casually struck up a conversation with her, "We go to the same school; she's my senior."

"It's quite a coincidence."

"yes……"

Han Jiayi's colleagues, including those next to her and across from her, were all staring at her with wide eyes. It was obvious they had many questions, and some were even bombarding her with messages on QQ.
Han Jiayi, you actually know the owner of LUMO?!

(End of this chapter)