Hearing that Ye Chen was not only paying back the company's debts but also giving them a raise, Old Lü's eyes stung, and his eye sockets grew moist.
He wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to express the gratitude in his heart.
The other workers felt the same way.
They had really struggled during this period.
Their families were pressing for money every day, yet their wages couldn't be paid out.
Ye Chen could be called their lifesaver.
The twenty-odd workers bowed to Ye Chen together.
Watching this scene, Ye Chen also felt a bit of heartache.
He used to be a worker himself and knew the hardships they faced.
In truth, besides wanting to fleece the system, Ye Chen also genuinely wanted to help them.
To the side, Xia Yingluo looked at Ye Chen and couldn't help but smile.
Although she knew what Ye Chen was doing was a bit silly—after all, when acquiring a company, who would pay the debts of the previous boss?
However, Xia Yingluo was moved by Ye Chen's kindness.
Xia Yingluo loved Ye Chen's kindness; she sometimes felt her Boyfriend was like an angel.
His only flaw was that he always liked to take advantage of her.
After agreeing on the price, Ye Chen and Boss Lu signed the contract directly.
Half an hour later, the lawyer from the Law Firm arrived.
In the Office, the lawyer drafted the contract.
This Law Firm was also the largest and most famous in Hangzhou.
But being famous meant being expensive.
Ye Chen's principle was that for anything related to Xia Yingluo, there was only one rule: everything had to be the most expensive.
Only then could he better fleece the system's rewards.
The lawyer carefully reviewed the contract terms and explained them to Ye Chen.
Basically, except for some small details that needed modification, there were no other issues.
After all, Ye Chen was just a High School student and wasn't an expert in contracts.
Although Ye Chen liked spending money, it didn't mean he was willing to be cheated.
Therefore, hiring professional people to do professional things was Ye Chen's principle.
Fortunately, this Boss Lu was quite honest.
Seeing the contract signed, Boss Lu let out a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, Ye Chen also felt a sense of relief.
The money was finally spent, and now he was just waiting for the cashback... In the end, Ye Chen's acquisition of the Factory, including the lawyer's fees, cost a total of 3.2 million yuan.
Just as Ye Chen sent the money out, the familiar metallic voice sounded in the system.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for helping the investment target complete an investment. You have received a rebate of 9.2 million yuan.]
The corners of Ye Chen's mouth curled up slightly.
The feeling of fleecing the system is just so satisfying!
Counting the Hot Pot Restaurant, Ye Chen's assets were now over 20 million yuan, and adding in the Shared Bikes, it was nearly 30 million.
A High School student who had just graduated and earned over 30 million—even Ye Chen felt he was pretty impressive... Outside, Old Lü and the others were anxiously waiting for the result.
"Is what this young boss said really going to happen?"
"I don't think it's fake. Didn't you see them signing the contract?"
"It feels like a dream. My kid finally has milk to drink."
"Yeah, I was originally planning to have my kid drop out of school, but now they can go back."
...Everyone was extremely happy.
Old Lü looked at everyone and said, "Since our boss is so generous, we can't be ungrateful. We must work hard to repay the boss, right?"
"But there's no work yet?" one worker said.
"No work? Look at these machines that haven't been used for so long; they're covered in dust. The yard is full of leaves."
"Right, right! Let's get to it, everyone, and repay the boss properly."
...A group of workers started sweeping the floor and wiping the machines, working with great enthusiasm.
Ye Chen and the others walked out of the Office and were stunned by the scene.
Boss Lu also marveled inwardly as he watched; these workers' enthusiasm had never been this high before.
Actually, when they arrived, the Factory wasn't that dirty, except for some dust on the floor.
But Ye Chen now noticed that the workers had wiped the Factory floor so clean it was like a mirror, capable of reflecting shadows.
Ye Chen glanced at Xia Yingluo.
Xia Yingluo was wearing a dress today; looking at the floor, she couldn't help but blush and hold the hem of her skirt tightly.
If she didn't hold it tight, this pervert Ye Chen would definitely try to peek at her again.
"Boss Ye, I've been in food processing for over a decade, and this is the first time I've seen employees so proactive."
Boss Lu couldn't help but exclaim, his tone carrying a hint of envy.
He hadn't expected that an eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth, who had just taken over the business, could win over the workers' hearts so quickly.
Boss Lu even felt a sense of admiration for the young man before him!
...The Factory was bought, but there was still much to do.
After all, food processing is a very serious job.
Food safety and hygiene are both extremely important.
Moreover, various previous systems, including the quality of ingredients, needed to be improved, and these required training.
Fortunately, Old Lü and the others had been doing food processing for over ten years.
These tasks could be left to them.
For now, the Hot Pot Restaurant's demand wasn't that large; formal expansion of production would only be needed in two months after the Hot Pot Restaurant's Provincial Capital branch opened.
After signing the contract, Ye Chen and Xia Yingluo took a taxi to the city center to complete their second task in Hangzhou: inspecting the site for their branch... Ye Chen and Xia Yingluo walked along the Commercial Street.
Xia Yingluo was speechless.
She didn't feel like Ye Chen was inspecting the market at all; he was just wandering around aimlessly.
This seemed quite different from the inspection she had in mind.
Along the way, they ate ice cream, Candied Haws, and Lamb Skewers, but they hadn't visited a single Hot Pot Restaurant.
Was Ye Chen's inspection for real?
"I heard Hangzhou's Soup Dumplings are the best. Should we go in and have a meal?"
Xia Yingluo finally couldn't help but ask, "Ye Chen, shouldn't we go look at some Hot Pot Restaurants?"
Ye Chen smiled and held up a spoonful of ice cream. "Ah, open wide."
Xia Yingluo obediently opened her mouth.
Ye Chen fed the ice cream into Yingluo's mouth.
"Is it sweet?"
"Mhm, very sweet."
Xia Yingluo continued to ask, "Ye Chen, aren't we here to inspect the market? I feel like you're just taking me shopping."
After wandering all this way, Xia Yingluo realized Ye Chen's purpose didn't seem quite right.
Ye Chen said with a smile, "The model of the Hot Pot Restaurants here is different from ours, so they have no reference value."
"Then what are we doing wandering around here?"
Looking at Xia Yingluo beside him, who was staring at him with curious, wide eyes, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.
Since they were already here, how could he miss such a good opportunity to fleece the system?
"Yingluo, you're right. Just eating these snacks won't let us truly feel the Shopping Mall's situation. We must personally experience the consumption."
Xia Yingluo nodded.
Ye Chen was finally back on track; now they could conduct a proper inspection, right?
"Let's go. We'll head to a Clothing Store first and buy you a few outfits."
Xia Yingluo: "..."
Buying clothes?
Is that what I meant just now?
Is Ye Chen's train of thought completely different from mine?