H Province
"Ring, ring!"
The landline on the desk rang. Du Liu glanced at it, quickly pulled his chair closer to the desk, and pressed the speakerphone.
"Du Liu, are you an idiot?! From today on, you'll just sit at home and wait for dividends. Deal with the Weibo incident yourself!"
The dial tone echoed as the call ended. Du Liu finally reacted.
"Weibo? Wasn't Weibo resolved?"
As he spoke, Du Liu opened Weibo.
"School Belle Achiever Starts a Business with Conscience!"
"On Starch Sausages with Fifty Percent Meat Content"
"Others are starting businesses at nineteen, what am I doing at nineteen?"
"What is this? What's a school belle achiever? Fifty percent? Is that referring to Meili Brand's starch sausages? Is Meili Brand boasting too much? What starch sausage has fifty percent meat content? They'd go bankrupt!"
Du Liu clicked around as he spoke, and happened upon Liu Chen's Weibo.
Clicking on the picture on Weibo, he saw a smiling, festive, young and beautiful girl. Du Liu's eyes lit up.
Then, seeing the subsequent mention of Meili Brand Enterprise manufacturing and Meimei Brand registrant, Du Liu was still cautious. He searched for the 2009 science top scorer – Liu Chen.
"Hmph, you say fifty percent meat content and it's fifty percent? I'll see what happens if you're caught for false advertising! Meili Brand will suffer too! I don't know why Meili Brand would do such a demeaning thing, even acting as a contract manufacturer for others?"
To ensure enough samples for testing the meat content, Du Liu directly ordered ten packs, a full case.
After placing the order, Du Liu smirked triumphantly, "When I get it and the test results come out, let's see you boast then!"
...
Liu Chen wasn't the first college freshman to start a business, but she was the most eye-catching.
Even her former supervisor, He Long, had heard whispers about Liu Chen's entrepreneurial ventures.
Early one morning, He Long asked Liu Chen to come to his office.
"Student Liu Chen, long time no see. Please sit. We haven't had a proper chat since the lab ended, mainly because I've been busy with patent applications. But now that these patents are approved, I have a bit more time."
Liu Chen smiled and nodded, sitting on a plastic stool opposite the desk. A growing sense of confusion filled her. Why was Supervisor He Long being so amiable to her? Was he seeking a favor?
"Liu Chen, it's like this. When we were seeking sponsorship for this project, it was quite fragmented. Fifty percent of the shares were retained by our school's laboratory."
"You're aware of the project's results. The school wants us to set up our own production line to manufacture this additive."
Liu Chen suddenly understood. He Long hoped her associated Meili Factory could provide a production line, or rather, sell one?
Liu Chen couldn't agree to this request on behalf of Old Man Chen. Several responses swirled in her mind, taking only a few seconds. Liu Chen finally spoke.
"Teacher He, you see, this additive definitely won't be ready for production before the Lunar New Year. Even if it were, with the Spring Festival coming right after, it would be like starting over. I have an idea. My registered Meimei Brand currently occupies a production line at the Meili Brand factory, as you know."
He Long nodded. It was precisely because he knew this that he had thought about whether he could buy a production line.
"This production line is already operating at full capacity. So, I plan to purchase a piece of land after the New Year to build my own Meimei factory. If you want a production line, it can be set up directly within my factory premises. We can cooperate."
He Long felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to Liu Chen's plan. He was still struggling for a single production line, while Liu Chen, who had just turned nineteen, was already planning her own factory!
Although stunned, He Long remained clear-headed. He realized that the possibility of directly purchasing a production line was gone. However, after much thought, outsourcing production to other factories indeed carried a high risk of imitation. So, he didn't refuse outright, only saying,
"I'll consider it. For now, please focus on your studies."
Stepping out of the office, Liu Chen checked her mission completion rate:
10000/30000
One-third of the task was completed in a week. Theoretically, she could take a break, but Liu Chen dared not. No one knew what hidden pitfalls the mission might hold.
After leaving the office, Liu Chen finally had time to call Guo Da.
The call was answered immediately. Before Liu Chen could even speak, Guo Da's words poured out like a rapid-fire speech.
"Ah, ah! Liu Chen, you absolutely wouldn't believe how lucky we are! Today, during a check-up, we happened to have an expert explaining breast hyperplasia. They asked Sister Yu if she could serve as a teaching case, and Sister Yu said yes.
After the expert's explanation, they said Sister Yu's condition was atypical breast hyperplasia, easily misdiagnosed as breast cancer, and invited Sister Yu to be their patient for follow-up treatment."
"That is indeed very fortunate. And the fertility check-up..."
"Yes! Let me tell you, incompetent doctors are truly deadly. Sister Yu isn't infertile at all. Sister Yu just has a cold uterus; she just needs to keep warm.
Sister Yu wants to spend the winter in Beijing, and I want to accompany her. When her condition improves, we'll do other things."
Liu Chen nodded.
"That's good too."
As Liu Chen was about to say something else, she heard Yu Li's voice from the other end:
"Guo Da, you've been rambling for ages without getting to the point. Hurry up and tell Liu Chen about that land. You asked about it for almost an hour last night!"
"I was just too happy and eager to tell you how lucky we are today. Liu Chen, yesterday I specifically asked that person who had done several land projects in C City.
He said a few plots of land will be auctioned in mid-January. If you're interested, you can go take a look. You can observe the process and see the final transaction prices. I originally planned to go with you, but now..."
Liu Chen understood what Guo Da left unsaid and quickly replied,
"C City is my hometown. Brother Guo Da, just introduce me. You and Sister Yu Li should rest at home."
"Then... Ouch!! It hurts! I misspoke! Liu Chen, I'll go with you then! No! Sister Yu and I will go with you! I'll send you the information to look at first!"
"Hehe, alright. Brother Guo Da, please extend my thanks to Sister Yu Li. I'll treat you to a meal when I have time."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Chen checked the time, rode her mountain bike home, and opened her computer to receive the files sent by Guo Da.
Upon opening them, Liu Chen was speechless.