Chapter 2: The date 2
To the world, this lady was usually referred to as 'The Devil CEO' even though men wouldn't mind making deals with he'd if it meant that they would get to see her lovely face or hear her beautiful voice for a few minutes or hours!
Liu Xinyi had her head bowed as she focused on her paperwork, her porcelain face bright under the brightness illuminating the room from the fluorescent lights and sunlight illumination.
Her left hand scribbled her signature on the box where the signature sign laid inside the document and she cross-checked it one last time before putting it aside and tapping her white colored laptop back to life.
Her phone started ringing and Liu Xinyi's clear grey eyes darted over to the device, blinking. The caller's name flashed on the screen but Xinyi bit her lower lip as her brows slightly creased.
She contemplated on her next course of action, knowing so many things could depend on the call.
If she picked this call, her whole day could end up being distracted by whatever the person on the other line would say. At the same time, she couldn't not pick the call because it also would spell trouble.
Finally making up her mind, Xinyi decided to go ahead and ignore the call with the hope that the caller would give up; even though she knew that was unlikely to happen.
She ignored the ringing of her phone and just then, there was a buzz on her intercom.
"Yes?" Her voice sounded like the freshness that accompanied spring. It was assertive and refreshing at the same time.
"The partners of Finlay Corp are here already, ma'am." Her secretary delayed.
"Send them in." She replied and put her personal phone on do not disturb so no call could come through.
Xinyi opened the file of the Finlay Corp project while slipping her delicate feet into the shoes. The representatives were led in by her secretary and she walked around the table to welcome them, shaking their hands before pointing them to the chairs facing her mahogany desk.
"Please have your seats."
"Thank you." They said in unison while one of the men brought out the proposal which was identical to what was already on her table.
One of the men had blonde hair while the other had white hair and was a shade lighter. The blonde called Mark Donald was a Canadian while the dark haired man, called Jason Cho was a Chinese. They were both wearing black suits and both had light brown eyes though they had their own distinct features based off their different origins.
"Would you like to have a drink while we go over it?" Xinyi asked and they both requested for pure spring water alone which her secretary delivered.
After that, they got down to business with discussing the proposal.
An hour later, they'd reached a conclusion.
"But I have an issue with the location." Donald said.
Xinyi relaxed into her chair while observing the two men. "Okay. Tell me."
"It's in an area that's filled with companies that deals mainly with making of steel, iron and foot wears." He explained while pointing at a spot on the document..
"So? What's your issue with that?" Xinyi asked.
Mark and Donald exchanged glances. "We might suffer a few losses, being the second company to open a restaurant there. Especially because it'll be a four star restaurant compared to the five-star restaurant that opened two years ago. Those restaurants have been getting good sales from the customers patronizing them and they've established stable relationships with them."
Xinyi folder her arms on the table and adjusted her glasses.
"It's very important to know the purpose of starting up a business. A businessman thinks of an idea after observing a pattern he wants to either break or join. Be it in the food industry, clothing line, household equipments, agriculture, health sector or education. One thing you must never forget is the purpose. What is on the list of every business owner's plan?"
Jason Cho frowned. "To make money and build connections. Also, to provide job opportunities for people."
"You're right about it all. But the most important which should be a businessman's priority is for him to meet the needs of the people."
"Yeah. But we're meeting the needs of the people already by putting our works out there." Mark said but Xinyi shook her head.
"We're meeting the needs of the people. What people? The supervisors and those in the higher-ups can afford going to the restaurants because of their high pay. But what about the laborers? What about those middle-class workers who are doing the real labor and would actually appreciate the pocket friendly prices you're fixing for the snacks and all?"
Mark and Jason nodded again but Mark suddenly thought about something.
"But if we make ours a four star restaurant, it means we'll get looked down on a lot. Also, it might affect the quality of what we want to offer. No high paying chef would want to work in such a four star restaurant where the customers can even get cheap meals."
"Presentation matters. You can go to a four star hotel and still enjoy their products and services despite it being ranked as four star. The decorum of the staff, the training they undergo and the stipends they'll receive asides their salary will reflect in the services they'll deliver, which will also encourage the customers to feel at ease with such a healthy environment and come another day. You're the bosses, it all depends on how you handle them. Even a three star restaurant can thrive successfully and beat some of the best restaurants. Presentation and package is all that matters. We'll adapt that for the new restaurant and watch the progress for six weeks."
"That's settled then. We'll transfer the rest of the paperwork to your PA."
"Do that." Xinyi nodded. They got up and she did the same, giving both men firm handshakes and escorting them to the door as they bade their farewell and left.
Walking back to her seat, she settled into the chair and took her phone out of the 'do not disturb' option before getting back to work. Just then, another call came in and it was the same person that'd been calling incessantly all along.
Her grandmother.
Xinyi realized she couldn't continue to ignore the caller.
She was one of the few people that still mattered most to Xinyi in this world. With a resigned sigh, Xinyi slid her left thumb over the phone to pick the call.
"Hello grandma, yes, I'm fine. How are you doing?"
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