Sixty Branches

Star Moon Bay Hotel.

Zhao Xueying sat in her office, looking out the window with a gloomy expression. She had been sitting there all night, still waiting for the news that would bring her joy.

Ding Ling~!

With a tired look on her face, she reached out and picked up the phone!

"What did you say?" It failed. Is this equipment unable to produce fish balls at all? "Why can the other party use this equipment to produce fish balls, but you can't?" Zhao Xueying frowned and asked.

The person on the other end of the phone remained silent, unsure of how to respond. They had been busy all night, but the machine, although not high-end, could not be made to run, let alone produce fish balls. They couldn't even produce fish paste.

"This equipment is not intended for making fish balls at all." "As for why, I have no idea!" After saying this, the other person hung up the phone.

Zhao Xueying held the phone, her face alternating between pale and flushed. Suddenly, she felt a sense of regret. Why did she listen to her brother and send someone to steal Li Zhi's equipment?

If she had managed to retrieve it and obtain the technology, everything would have been fine. But now, where was the promised technology?

Dang dang!

The secretary knocked on the door and entered, saying softly, "Manager, two police officers have arrived downstairs and would like to ask you some questions." "What should we do?"

A look of panic flashed in Zhao Xueying's eyes, but she quickly concealed it and calmly said, "Bring them in!"

"Okay!" The secretary turned and left.

Before long, Dong Yingxue and a teammate walked in...

Dong Yingxue's visit this time was just routine. After asking Zhao Xueying a few questions, the team left without taking any action against her. Based on Li Zhi's suspicions, they couldn't treat Zhao Xueying as a 'behind-the-scenes mastermind', and the influence of the Zhao family in Haicheng did not allow them to do so.

As Dong Yingxue left, Zhao Xueying's expression darkened. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Tell your people to turn themselves in!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Xueying suddenly threw everything on her desk and rubbed her forehead. This move was truly a misstep.

Dong Yingxue had already mentioned that she arrived based on the information provided by the factory owner who was robbed. This meant that after the factory was robbed, the man immediately suspected her.

Although they had fallen out before, it hadn't been this bad. With Huang Youwei's help, they could still ask him to assist in processing some fish balls. After this incident, could they still rely on Star Moon Bay Hotel?

Stupid, really stupid!

Even more stupid were those engineers. They had already retrieved the equipment, but not only could they not obtain the technology, they couldn't even assemble the production line. What were they if not useless?

After taking a shower and changing clothes, Li Zhi called Mu Xiaomei.

"Hello?" Mu Xiaomei's voice was very soft, resembling that of a kitten.

"What are you doing?" Li Zhi asked.

Mu Xiaomei whispered, "I'm in class." Is there something wrong?

Li Zhi teased her for answering the phone during class. No wonder her voice was so soft. She was really something.

"Do you have time after class?" "Accompany me to the car dealership!"

Mu Xiaomei hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I can't." I have Professor Gao's main class in the morning. I can't skip it. Why don't you ask Xiao Rou to accompany you?

"Alright, you focus on your class!" Li Zhi smiled wryly and hung up the phone. Call Xiao Rou? Li Zhi thought about it and decided against it. She was so busy that it would be strange if she could spare time for him.

Should he go by himself? Li Zhi felt a bit lazy and didn't want to move.

Just then, Zhuge Meili called and asked if Li Zhi was free for lunch. She wanted to treat him to a meal.

Li Zhi didn't refuse.

"Do you have time in the afternoon?" "I want to buy a car, and I want you to accompany me to the dealership!" Li Zhi didn't consult with her; instead, he gave her a direct order. That settled the matter.

"Sure, I also want to change my car!"

After arranging the meeting place, Li Zhi hung up the phone, planning to discuss the details when they met.

The "Happy Fish Ball" branch on Jinrong Road welcomed a group of over ten foreign guests today from the island country.

The "Happy Fish Ball" branch on Jinrong Road was a relatively formal storefront, situated in the bustling commercial street of Haicheng. The store's rental, decoration, and staffing for the 100-square-meter storefront cost nearly $800,000.

It was currently the largest branch!

The preparation of fish balls has become more diverse, including frying, boiling, braising, and more, offering a variety of flavors to choose from.

The "Happy Fish Ball" brand had not invested much in advertising, sticking to the principle of "taste first". It relied on repeat customers, and through word of mouth, the number of people coming to eat gradually increased, and its reputation grew.

It wasn't that Dong Xiaorou and Li Zhi didn't want to invest in advertising for 'Happy Fish Ball', but they simply didn't have the funds. The money to open the branch came from the two million they received from Sophie, and the rest was used to expand the factory and purchase equipment. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to open the branch.

However, the most difficult time had passed.

On the side of Xiaorou's food factory, the new production line was put into use, producing eighteen thousand catties of fish balls per day. With the ten old and new branches combined, last month's total revenue was $6 million, with a net profit of at least million.

Within three months, Xiaorou's plan is to open sixty directly operated branches in Haicheng, spanning three districts and twelve counties.

As the headquarters of "Happy Fish Ball," Haicheng would definitely be managed by the company itself, and it could serve as a model for other second and third-tier cities.

Assuming that each of the sixty branches could sell five hundred catties of fish balls per day, they could sell nine hundred thousand catties in a month. Priced at fifty per catty, this would result in sales of four and a half million. Of course, this was not net profit.

For the time being, it was not possible for each branch to achieve such high sales every day. With more branches, they would need to establish their internal logistics company, as well as cover expenses for labor, taxes, rent, and other costs. The best estimate was a net profit of one billion per month.

Whether they could achieve this, Xiaorou didn't dare to say for sure at the moment. Based on the current customer flow, sales, and number of repeat customers at the ten branches of 'Happy Fish Ball', achieving the expected results shouldn't be too difficult.

"Full production?" Xiaorou frowned. She didn't understand why Li Zhi wanted to increase the factory's output immediately. At the moment, the factory is unable to utilize even thirty percent of its production capacity. Where would they send all the fish balls produced at full capacity?

"That's how the boss instructed." Heizi replied over the phone.

Xiaorou thought for a moment and said expressionlessly, "Then do as he instructed." "If there aren't enough workers, hire more..." "Forget it, I'll go back in person!"

"Happy Fish Ball" still had a very serious shortage in one area: if they expanded too quickly, they would severely lack reserves of talent.

If the net profit reaches one billion per month, the total annual profit could reach twelve billion, making it a medium-sized chain company.

Establishing a dedicated human resources department was becoming increasingly urgent. With numerous responsibilities solely on Xiaorou's shoulders, she felt both motivated and pressured.

Li Zhi, the big boss, was nowhere to be seen all day, and Xiaorou didn't know what he was busy with. It sounded nice to say that he was delegating authority to Xiaorou, but in harsher terms, it was laziness, shifting all the work onto a woman's shoulders.