"Boss."
"Boss."
Upon seeing Shao Junjie emerge from his office, Xiao Zeng and Meng Hong, who had been waiting at the door, spoke up.
Shao Junjie glanced at Meng Hong and said, "Meng Hong, you've been with me for several years now. With the opening of this new store, I intended to heavily cultivate you. You should be very clear about this."
Hearing this, Meng Hong took a deep breath.
"Boss, I'm sorry. I didn't handle today's matter well. But I hope you'll give me another chance. I will do my utmost. If there are any further slip-ups in the future, I'll resign immediately!"
Although today's incident wasn't entirely Meng Hong's fault, she was the manager of the new jewelry store, and that came with responsibilities.
Earning the highest salary in the store meant bearing the heaviest burden. This was the same across any industry.
After listening to Meng Hong's assurance, Shao Junjie nodded. "Alright, I'll give you another chance. If you do well, you'll be the head manager for all the franchised stores in Rongcheng. Otherwise..."
Shao Junjie didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear to everyone.
As he had said before, Meng Hong was a long-term employee at Shao Junjie's original store on Jewelry Street.
She had always given Shao Junjie the impression of being smart, capable, and possessing high emotional and intellectual intelligence.
This was why, in just two years, she had risen to the position of sales champion.
It was precisely because of Meng Hong's outstanding abilities that Shao Junjie had transferred her to manage the new store.
Who would have thought such an incident would occur?
However, as things stood, Shao Junjie didn't want to dwell on fault.
He had just called their new store partner, Huang Peter, but it wasn't convenient to talk over the phone, so they arranged to meet in person.
Shao Junjie instructed Meng Hong to brief the staff outside, urging them to be fully focused and to present their best selves when the store opened tomorrow.
After giving his instructions, he left with Xiao Zeng.
After leaving the jewelry store, Xiao Zeng immediately drove the business van over.
"To Caesar Hotel."
The Caesar Hotel was Huang Peter's accommodation in Rongcheng. After Shao Junjie's call, Huang Peter, upon hearing about the problem with the goods, had immediately wanted to rush to the jewelry store.
Shao Junjie, however, said the store was in disarray and suggested he would go there instead.
Thus, this trip was arranged.
Sitting in the fast-moving business van, Shao Junjie's mind was a jumble of questions, his eyes idly watching the scenery blur past the window.
...
"What's going on?"
Old Wu saw that Old Huang's expression had changed after his phone call and quickly asked.
"Damn it! There's a problem at the jewelry store. It seems the pearl bracelet has been discovered to be fake."
Old Huang cursed and slammed his phone onto the coffee table with a loud bang.
Old Wu, hearing this, froze for a moment, then asked, "Could that fellow surnamed Shao have suspected something?"
As he spoke, Old Wu's breathing slowed, and his tension heightened.
Old Huang's eyes darted around, his mind racing.
"It should be fine for now, but just to be safe, you..."
Old Huang quickly whispered to Old Wu.
After finishing, Old Huang, fearing Old Wu might not remember, added, "Even though the bracelet was found to be fake, I don't think he's suspicious. But to be on the safe side, we should prepare for both eventualities."
"I understand. I'll go and do what you've instructed now."
Old Wu quickly stood up and walked out of the private room.
Meanwhile, Old Huang picked up his phone from the coffee table, left the private room, took the nearby elevator, and returned to his executive suite.
He changed his clothes first, then used the internal room phone to order some drinks from the hotel front desk.
After doing all this, Old Huang rubbed his face and sat down on the sofa in the outer area of the suite.
Ding-dong.
Ding-dong.
About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.
He walked over and opened the door.
"Brother Huang."
"Ajie."
Standing at the door was Shao Junjie, who had just arrived by car.
And Old Huang, in the executive suite, was his business partner, Huang Peter.
After entering the room, Shao Junjie was led by Huang Peter to sit on the sofa.
"Ajie, what exactly happened?"
As soon as Shao Junjie sat down, Huang Peter showed an anxious expression.
Shao Junjie explained the entire process in detail.
"Brother Huang, I know this might be impolite to ask, but this batch of goods was provided by your friend. Can you contact him and see what's going on? This incident has had a huge impact on the new store. In our jewelry business, reputation is paramount. This is the first time, and if it happens again, our cooperation will likely be over."
Shao Junjie had considered this on the way, but now, facing Huang Peter, he decided to be direct.
Although Shao Junjie wanted to expand his business and take his career to the next level, and Huang Peter was his biggest help in this process due to his willingness to provide substantial investment, such a serious issue could not be ignored. Therefore, he rushed over to get to the bottom of it.
"Yes, yes, yes, Ajie, you're absolutely right. I have a significant responsibility for this fake product issue. I'll call my friend right now."
After speaking, Huang Peter reached for his phone.
Just then, his phone rang.
Huang Peter glanced at the caller ID and answered.
To his surprise, after just a few words, Huang Peter's face changed drastically.
"What! That guy Sun Liangbo has skipped town?"
"Old Wu! Is the news you got true? I invested a full twenty million in him, and now he's run off, all my money will be wasted."
"Oh, right, I'm with Ajie. Something just happened at the jewelry store, and I was just about to find that scoundrel Sun Liangbo!"
Huang Peter's face flushed and his neck bulged as he spoke excitedly. His knuckles were white from gripping the phone so tightly.
He spoke for a good several minutes before hanging up, panting heavily.
"Brother Huang..."
"Ajie! Old Wu just called me to say that Sun Liangbo has absconded with the money. Apparently, he owed a large sum of money from loan sharks."
"That detestable fellow! I trusted him so much, treated him like a good friend, and invested a full twenty million in him, thinking he'd supply raw materials for the jewelry store. Who knew he'd run off with the money? It makes me so angry!"
As soon as Shao Junjie started to speak, Huang Peter roared furiously.
As he spoke and cursed, Huang Peter, in his agitation, kicked the coffee table.
The fruit platter and ashtray on the coffee table clattered to the floor.
However, Huang Peter didn't even glance at them.