Chapter 245: A Surprise When You Come Back

On the morning of the 28th, Li Dong returned to the office.

Not long after he arrived, Sun Tao and Liu Hongmei came into the office together.

Li Dong greeted them and asked, "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing major, but there have been quite a few small issues," Sun Tao replied with a smile. "It's mainly about the competition. I'd like to update you on the situation."

Li Dong nodded and asked, "How much have we lost?"

"Twenty million!"

Li Dong gasped. In just a few days, the losses were this substantial!

He had anticipated that a price war would be damaging, but he hadn't expected it to be this severe. Last year at this time was the peak season, and he hadn't expected to be operating at a loss this year.

After back and forth, the losses had reached almost twenty million.

Li Dong sighed and asked, "Are the other companies still holding out?"

Sun Tao nodded and said, "But I think they're about to give up. Yesterday, Lao Bao from Carrefour even called me. It seems like they're open to negotiations."

Li Dong frowned, "Negotiating now? Who will compensate for my losses?"

When Sun Tao had previously approached them, these companies had been evasive and seemed unwilling to give in.

Now that the other companies were on the verge of collapse, they were coming to negotiate. Li Dong was unwilling to accept that.

He tapped the table and said, "Keep going. Isn't the New Year's approaching? Issue a directive for a 30% discount across the board!"

Sun Tao frowned slightly and said, "They're still maintaining an 80% discount. Isn't a 70% discount excessive?"

The price at Yuanfang was already lower than the competitors, and further lowering the price seemed redundant. The losses were too great, and Yuanfang couldn't sustain them.

Li Dong insisted, "That's the decision. I want them to see our determination! I want to see who can outlast whom!"

Sun Tao苦笑了,不过也没再劝.

A 25% discount and a 30% discount were not significantly different; since it was already a loss, and Li Dong was prepared to lose thirty million, arguing further was pointless.

After discussing the discount, Liu Hongmei spoke up, "Mr. Li, we've been asked to transfer the payment for the first batch of land in the southern suburbs. What do you think?"

Li Dong rubbed his forehead, feeling overwhelmed by the various issues.

Money was always a problem. The land for the distribution center had to be paid for, and delaying payment wasn't an option.

After thinking for a moment, Li Dong said, "Go ahead and transfer it. Delaying it would only make them doubt our financial strength."

The land price was sixty million yuan, with the first payment being twenty million, which was a strain on Yuanfang's finances.

By the end of December, Yuanfang had managed to break even, with Pingchuan losing over ten million, the land payment at twenty million, and other stores making a slight profit of around thirty million, balancing the losses.

According to the Gregorian calendar, the year 2005 would end in a couple of days.

Yuanfang had achieved many things this year, but with the mounting debts, Li Dong felt the strain.

After discussing financial matters, Sun Tao mentioned, "By the way, Mr. Li, while you were away, Longhua contacted us several times, wanting to discuss the headquarters construction. What do you think?"

"Let's not rush it. There's no point discussing it now. We can talk about it early next year."

Li Dong had a good idea about this matter. Besides Longhua, many people were keeping an eye on these projects.

But Li Dong wasn't ready to discuss it now, especially since there was no money.

Additionally, construction couldn't proceed in winter, so discussing it now would be pointless.

After discussing these issues, Sun Tao and Liu Hongmei left, and Shen Qian entered.

As soon as she entered, Shen Qian said, "Mr. Li, I'm planning to organize a New Year's Eve party…"

Before she could finish, Li Dong interrupted, "Forget the New Year's Eve party. Instead, plan a year-end party. We should have a gathering at the end of the year."

Last year, Yuanfang had few stores and employees, and Li Dong had been too busy at the end of the year to hold a year-end party.

But this year was different. With nearly seventy stores and about five thousand employees, it was no longer a small startup but a large enterprise in Pingchuan.

The timing for the year-end party was now appropriate. Many new stores had opened this year, and many store managers and leaders hadn't had much interaction with Li Dong.

Given the fierce competition with Carrefour recently, Li Dong wanted to organize a year-end party to boost morale.

Shen Qian hesitated and said, "That's fine, but the budget for the year-end party is quite substantial. It might be difficult to come up with the money right now."

Shen Qian knew the financial situation at Yuanfang.

Li Dong reassured her, "Don't worry. I can still manage to get the money."

Although the year-end party required a high budget, Li Dong wasn't willing to cut corners. At the end of the year, a motivational event was needed to keep everyone's spirits up.

Shen Qian didn't argue further. She discussed the general theme of the party with Li Dong and then left.

Organizing a year-end party couldn't rely solely on her public relations department.

The preparatory work had to start soon. With less than a month until the New Year, the time for organizing was a bit tight.

After dealing with these matters, Li Dong let out a sigh of frustration.

He had once thought being a boss meant simply delegating tasks, but now that he was truly in charge, he found himself overwhelmed with work.

Despite having Sun Tao and various department heads, Li Dong was still struggling.

Even a few days in Beijing had piled up numerous issues, which was quite stressful.

This was despite Li Dong having completely abandoned his studies. He rarely visited Jiang University now, and it was supposed to be the final exam period.

He had barely attended classes this semester, let alone taken exams.

However, he still held a student status, so he needed to notify someone if he wasn't going to take the exams.

After considering it, Li Dong called Huang Zhigao.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Dong mentioned he wouldn't be taking the exams. Huang Zhigao responded politely, "I understand you're busy. I'll handle it. And by the way, thank you for helping me last time."

Huang Zhigao referred to the cooperation agreement with his friend's vegetable base, which had long been settled with Yuanfang.

Li Dong laughed and said, "It's not a matter of helping or not. We're all in a win-win situation. Why not take on profitable business?"

"Regardless, thank you. Let's have a meal together when you have time."

Li Dong agreed and exchanged more pleasantries before hanging up.

Just after hanging up, the phone rang again.

Seeing the number, Li Dong answered and said with a smile, "What's up? Now you're calling me?"

"It's the New Year's opening. Are you coming?"

Li Dong was taken aback. The opening wasn't for his poultry shop but for an internet café.

Given that it had been only a few days since he last returned to Dongping, Li Dong was surprised at the rapid progress.

He asked, "So soon? How did you manage that?"

Wang Jie lazily replied, "Soon? Maybe I forgot to mention. I didn't open a new shop. I took over an existing internet café that was being transferred."

"Where is it?"

"The one on Yanghe Road, not far from the First Middle School. Do you know it?"

"Of course! I used to go there often. You're lucky to have taken over that place. The business there is quite good. Why was it closed?"

"Who knows? Maybe they made enough money and didn't want to continue." Wang Jie laughed and then got back to the main topic, "By the way, do you have time for New Year's Day? If you're not busy, let's celebrate together."

Li Dong considered his schedule and replied uncertainly, "I'll see how things go. I'll let you know."

"Alright, I'll wait for your call. Oh, and there's a surprise when you come back. I'm looking forward to it!"

Before Li Dong could ask for details, Wang Jie had already hung up.

Li Dong was left speechless, thinking, "A surprise? I just hope it's not a shock."