Chapter 105: Chapter 105 You Disappoint Me
After returning to China, Xu Yang immediately got in touch with Wei Debin from Fengkai Mining.

Originally, he had negotiated with Wei Debin to purchase the aluminum mine from Fengkai Mining.

If Fengkai Mining offered a suitable price, he would resell the aluminum mine back to them.

Having already dealt with them, and feeling that Wei Debin was a decent person, he decided to continue doing business with Wei Debin.

“What! You dug down another thirty meters below the aluminum mine and found more aluminum ore?!”

Wei Debin couldn’t hide his shock upon learning that Xu Yang had struck aluminum not long after taking over the mine.

“President Wei, I’ve returned to the country and brought the data with me. If Fengkai Mining is interested, let’s talk. If not, I’ll contact other mining companies,” Xu Yang said.

“We’re interested, of course we’re interested. Don’t contact anyone else. Let’s meet tomorrow. Bring the information to our company. We’ll examine it first and then send someone to investigate the site before we discuss the price,” said Wei Debin hastily.

Fengkai Mining certainly wanted to buy back the mine, even if it meant suffering financial losses and a blow to their reputation.

Of course, he also knew that, with such a development, the leaders in the company who had insisted on transferring the aluminum mine would have to be held accountable.

The chairman also had to bear leadership responsibility.

There was no possibility of slipping through unscathed.

Neither was there any hope of covering up the incident.

The rediscovery of aluminum ore was something that couldn’t be concealed.

This matter would definitely become a topic of discussion in the industry, and Fengkai Mining would become a laughingstock.

But being a laughingstock wasn’t as important as getting the mine back.

Making money was more important than being a laughingstock.

“Alright, we’ll meet tomorrow at ten in the morning as usual.”

Xu Yang hung up the phone and went straight to Fengcheng without even going home.

The following day at ten in the morning.

Xu Yang arrived at Fengkai Mining where Wei Debin received him, and the two communicated while the company team reviewed the data.

In the end, a summary was reached and one person reported back to Wei Debin.

Upon learning the situation was indeed as Xu Yang had described, the rediscovered aluminum ore resources were extremely valuable.

“President Xu, we will immediately send a team to investigate the location of the aluminum mine and give you the results in three days. How does that sound?” Wei Debin said.

“No problem,” Xu Yang naturally had no objections.

It would take one day to send the team and another day or two to investigate.

It must be said, giving results in three days showed great sincerity.

At noon, Wei Debin invited Xu Yang for lunch.

After lunch, Xu Yang said goodbye and left, taking the high-speed train back to Jiang City.

That day was a Sunday, and Xu Yang called Zhao Yuxin to ask her to pick him up by car.

Stepping out of the high-speed train station, a figure threw herself into Xu Yang’s arms.

“Husband, I’ve missed you so much.”

Zhao Yuxin held Xu Yang tightly, as if trying to merge herself into his body.

“I miss you too.” Xu Yang kissed Zhao Yuxin’s forehead, and they got into the car to go home.

Once home, they couldn’t wait to entangle with each other.

At eight o’clock in the evening, the pair finally left the residential complex and went out to a restaurant for dinner.

During the meal, Xu Yang briefed her on the situation of the trip.

“You’re saying we could earn between one and a half to two billion?” Zhao Yuxin’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“About that.” Xu Yang nodded.

“Hubby, you’re amazing, buying it for fifty million and then flipping it for at least one and a half billion!” Zhao Yuxin’s eyes sparkled with stars.

“Of course, you don’t see whose husband I am.” Xu Yang boasted proudly.

…

During this time, Haidilao’s reputation continued to ferment, and the craze for Haidilao showed no signs of abating.

On social media, everyone was talking about Haidilao’s supreme service.

Weimeihuoguo, which tried to emulate Haidilao’s service, not only failed to achieve the intended effect but also received backlash from customers, making their business even worse.

If, after Haidilao became a sensation, Weimeihuoguo’s business was just quiet,

now their business was bleak.

The reason was that Weimeihuoguo’s attempt to copy Haidilao’s service was only superficial, lacking the core essence.

Haidilao’s superb service was built on the foundation of high salaries, coupled with comprehensive training, resulting in staff who served customers wholeheartedly.

Haidilao’s service made people feel delighted.

It was different with Weimeihuoguo. They didn’t raise their staff’s salaries but demanded that they provide supreme service, which increased their workload. The staff, of course, were reluctant and when serving customers, were unwilling and brusque. Customers naturally did not feel satisfied, and sometimes even got talked back to by the servers.

Under such circumstances, Weimeihuoguo’s reputation plummeted.

Compared with Haidilao, they seemed even more inadequate.

Now, the number of customers coming to Weimeihuoguo each day could be counted on one hand.

Yang Tiancheng realized the problem and went to see the boss, seeking to convince him to raise salaries. Then he would draw up a training plan and rigorously train the staff, aiming to achieve the same level as Haidilao.

The boss flatly rejected Yang Tiancheng’s request for a salary increase and said coldly, “Yang Tiancheng, what did you promise me when you applied for five million in advertising expenses? Now the money is spent, and there’s not a single result. You still think about raising salaries. Do you think it’s possible? Even if you provide more training for the staff, you can’t achieve the same effect as Haidilao. If you’re always one step behind, don’t you realize that trying to learn from Haidilao was a mistake? All imitation can never surpass the original. People who want to experience that kind of service will only go to Haidilao. What you need to do is find another way to turn things around, not continue to mimic Haidilao.”

Yang Tiancheng was at a loss for words. If he could think of another way to turn things around, he wouldn’t have suggested a raise for the employees.

After all, asking the boss to spend money is like cutting his flesh, especially when there’s no certainty that it’ll lead to profits.

The boss’s flesh isn’t that easy to slice, is it?

The boss continued, “Yang Tiancheng, you’ve disappointed me. I don’t want to talk about your grudge with Zhao Hai, but you shouldn’t bring your personal grievances into your work. You’ve chosen our hot pot restaurants to be close to Haidilao. If it weren’t for that, Weimeihuoguo would be easier to save. But now, it’s become much harder. Forget about raising salaries. You figure out a way to turn things around with the normal expenses. If you can’t think of anything, I will have to cut this project or let someone else take over and relocate.”

Running a hot pot restaurant indeed has potential.

Even if Haidilao is bustling, other hot pot places still attract patrons.

The current predicament of Weimeihuoguo was due to Yang Tiancheng’s poor decision to locate near Haidilao.

He’s likely to let someone else take charge of the project, choose a new location, and start over.

Yang Tiancheng left the boss’s office with a bitter expression, went back to his office, slumped into his chair, and felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

“How can we turn this situation around?”