After listening to Liao Xinming recount the entire affair from beginning to end, the four of them finally managed to piece things together.
It was Wei Wei who first began substituting the store's purchased goods. Initially, no one paid much attention.
However, eventually, someone in the store discovered the trickery.
Driven by profit, none of them chose to report it. Instead, they set Wei Wei up, and subsequently used her as a shield, continuously extracting "money" from her.
Compared to the long-term profits, Wei Wei didn't care about the meager gains they demanded, so this group of people lived quite "smoothly" in the store.
"Did you get a clear answer?"
"What was her reason for doing this?"
After organizing their thoughts for a while, the group still had a few more questions.
Liao Xinming nodded. "I did."
"After I finished in the afternoon, I did some inquiring. Wei Wei was originally a steady and capable worker, that's true."
"But a while ago, through a family introduction, she entered into a relationship with a middle-aged man named Jia Shihua. Later, for reasons unknown, this man persuaded her, saying that since she already had the skills, she could open her own shop."
"After some deliberation, she discussed it with her family and started this business."
"At first, she was cautious and discreet, but her courage grew, especially with Sister Xi, you all..."
"Hmph!"
Before Liao Xinming could finish, Qiu Xi let out a cold snort.
She never expected this person would resort to the tactic of borrowing a tiger's might!
It was her own mistake!
She had fueled this person's ambition!
And in the end, she turned around and bit her!
"Xiao Xi..."
Song Dailu and the other two looked at the person who suddenly exuded a cold aura, and they all felt a little scared.
They had known Xiao Xi for so long, and they had never seen her like this.
It seemed she was truly angered this time...
Although they were also angry, truthfully, they could only express it with words and couldn't project such a cold aura...
But thinking about it, Xiao Xi had seriously taught her, and in the end, it turned into a case of the farmer and the snake. Anyone would find that unbearable...
In just a moment, Qiu Xi adjusted herself immediately.
Having experienced so much, she was no longer the young girl from years ago.
"What happened next? How was it handled?"
After Qiu Xi calmed down, Liao Xinming also quickly regained his senses.
"You can rest assured about this, Sister Xi. When she joined Lager, because we had training, I specifically drafted a contract after she was hired."
"It required her to work for three full years and stipulated that she was not allowed to do anything detrimental to the store. Violating it would incur a high penalty."
"The penalty, plus what she had embezzled, likely means that all the money she earned outside and in the store over this period is not enough to compensate us."
Speaking of this, Liao Xinming's spirits perked up.
Even now, his only source of relief was that he had done this one thing back then.
While they could win without that contract, it would inevitably take a lot of effort.
With this contract, resolving the matter became much easier.
His only regret was not increasing the penalty clause when drafting the contract!
What a loss!
As soon as Liao Xinming said this, not only Qiu Xi, but also the looks from the other three, Song Dailu, were filled with a bit of surprise...
However, it was only for a moment before Qiu Xi's lips moved.
Then she looked at Liao Xinming, "Brother Liao, you're amazing!"
With just this address, Liao Xinming completely relaxed.
He understood that his hurdle was, more or less, cleared.
"Yes, that contract, bring it over for us to see."
She was still very curious.
"It's here."
Liao Xinming had prepared it long ago. As soon as Qiu Xi mentioned it, he immediately took it out.
Qiu Xi took it casually and pulled the other three to read it.
Hmm...
In addition to the standard employment contract requirements, several additional clauses were indeed included.
The penalty of as high as 200,000 yuan alone was difficult for ordinary workers to gather.
However, Liao Xinming must have considered this at the time.
Since Wei Wei was the only pastry chef in the store, Qiu Xi and the others provided her with excellent compensation.
Except for a slightly lower salary during the initial three-month probation period, after confirmation of employment upon regularization, they were given industry-high standards, 8,000 yuan per month.
Precisely because of this, Qiu Xi really hadn't expected Wei Wei to do what she did now.
"Alright! Brother Liao, you're great!"
After reading the contract, Song Dailu showered Liao Xinming with praise.
"We underestimated you!"
Liang Yunfei and Shen Yan also agreed that he had done a great job!
It's just that if they had known, they should have increased the salary a bit more...
This time, they didn't make people completely lose everything, so they were being lenient...
That's right!
All of them, to varying degrees, were influenced by their families and inherently despised such "scum" in such situations.
Liao Xinming began to chuckle foolishly. "Heh heh..."
"As an employee, of course, I have to consider the boss!"
And as a way to polish his own image first. Although Sister Xi was being lenient, it's never wrong to show off and maintain his good employee image!
"..."
As for Qiu Xi, she merely raised an eyebrow at Liao Xinming's flattering behavior.
Although she disliked it, she could deeply empathize.
Because when she worked for her teacher, she sometimes thought the same way...
"Alright!"
"This matter is almost settled, but when can you get the money back?"
Liao Xinming collected his thoughts and blurted out, "I've given her an ultimatum, five days."
Qiu Xi nodded. "Okay!"
She also disliked procrastination. The sooner this matter could be resolved, the more at ease she would be.
"Once this is over, consider 5% of the penalty as your bonus and compensation for the hard work of recruiting in the future."
Although Qiu Xi was indeed very angry about his inefficiency before, her own reasons also played a part.
However, the fact that this matter could be resolved so quickly was indeed Liao Xinming's merit, so Qiu Xi didn't mind giving him a small portion.
As long as it could bring longer-term benefits, what was this small amount?
This was something Qiu Xi had learned through her system study of business and practiced with Uncle Shen.
Looking at the results, she had to admit it was somewhat effective.
Liao Xinming was already beaming. Even a mosquito's leg is still flesh; having something is better than nothing.
And this wasn't a small amount...
"Sister Xi!"
"Don't worry, I will definitely handle this properly."
"Alright, no need for more pleasantries. We trust you."
"As for the remaining portion, you should use it to hire more people."
"And those other employees who were replaced as well..."
"Let us know when you've recruited enough people."
Liao Xinming nodded. "Okay!"
This wasn't a major challenge for him.
"Then that's settled. It will be a bit tough for you and the remaining few during this period."
"Once the new hires are in place, I'll see."
If she couldn't raise their salaries, she could still give them bonuses.
"Okay!"
"That's all then. We're heading back, you should also go back early."
Qiu Xi, who was not in a good mood, had no intention of staying any longer now that the matter was resolved.
Seeing Liao Xinming nod, Qiu Xi picked up the milk tea on the table and walked out first.
Song Dailu and the other two exchanged glances, smiled at Liao Xinming, and followed her out.
Liao Xinming watched the four of them finally leave, then sat down on a nearby chair.
This matter was finally over!
Although the process was precarious, considering the additional income, it was a blessing in disguise...
However, he would have to be extra vigilant with his work from now on!
If anything like this happened again... he might not even be able to quit and leave if he wanted to...
He was afraid no one would want him...
It's so hard to be a worker!
Not only do you need to work 996, but you also have to read your boss's mood...
And now you need to keep an eye on your colleagues...
As he pondered, Liao Xinming finally composed himself, locked the shop door, and left.
For the sake of money, he could do it!