Changes
"You're leaving?" Vera looked at Lin Qi with some surprise. She didn't quite understand why Lin Qi suddenly wanted to leave the Federal.
Judging from the seriousness with which Lin Qi came specifically to tell her this, it seemed that it wouldn't be a short time. "Will it take a long time?"
Lin Qi nodded as he peeled a piece of fruit on the table—a very common fruit that the family wouldn't have bought unpeeled a year ago.
They will source from some supermarkets with entry barriers—
In the Bayer Federation, there are some supermarkets that specifically target the Middle Class. These supermarkets screen their customer base to a certain extent, and their approach is simple: they charge membership fees.
Membership fees range from 150 yuan to 500 yuan per year, dividing all customers into tiers.
So, are all the products in these supermarkets necessarily good?
Not necessarily, but these supermarkets create a more upscale atmosphere and think more about their customers, including things that customers might not even think of themselves, such as peeling fruit.
Whether it's hard-shelled or soft-shelled fruit, there will always be some people who are helpless with them. Supermarket employees will dress as if they are about to go to the operating table, and then peel the fruit that the customer has chosen in front of them, and cut, arrange and package it.
This ensures that customers can eat it directly after returning home, instead of having to spend time preparing it themselves.
Various services make some higher-income groups willing to spend more money to enjoy such convenience. This is also an attitude of the Middle Class. They earn more money than ordinary people and are willing to spend money to enjoy life in order to improve their social status.
The situation has changed somewhat. After divorcing Gepu, Vera retained some of her major assets, but only a portion.
Gepu voluntarily relinquished all his assets and left with nothing, but the court rejected his claim. Their family savings, family stock accounts, and some other shared assets were confiscated, including half ownership of their house.
The house was originally going to be taken away, but Vera bought it back because it was originally their house.
Of course, she didn't spend much money, about half the market price, which made her less financially secure.
She already knew how to choose between a one-pound unpeeled fruit and five ninety-eight-cent one-pound peeled fruit.
Lin Qi tossed the fruit peels into the trash can, then nodded while munching on the sweet fruit. "It'll probably take three to six months. Maybe I'll be back sooner, maybe later..."
He slurped up the juice that had fallen between his thumb and forefinger. "So I'm here to tell you that I won't be in the Federal for a while. You need to keep an eye on all the company accounts for me, understand?"
Seeing that Vera was still a little dazed, he ate the fruit in his hand in a few bites, picked up a towel and wiped his hands while saying, "Those people on the Board of Directors are not on my side. I have made arrangements for everything else, but I can only rely on you for the accounts."
More than two months ago, he had already found a suitable manager, a man, through some connections.
This manager, Joyce, was very young, only thirty-five years old, the prime of his life when his energy, physical strength, and mental capacity were at their peak.
This person is very ambitious and opinionated, which also means that he is not easily manipulated by others on the Board of Directors.
He won't make the mistakes that young people make. At the same time, his fighting spirit and his expectations for the future will make him seriously consider whether to tarnish his career. With Lin Qi's control measures, there shouldn't be any major problems.
The Board of Directors doesn't need to worry about problems, but the finances are still at risk. Without a reliable person, a few simple tricks could easily drain Lin Qi's company. Vera's importance is beyond question.
Lin Qi's attitude, expression, and eyes were all very serious. Vera nodded after a moment of silence. This time, she did not make any excuses to shirk this responsibility.
After experiencing so much, she gradually realized that the road ahead might not be easy, and without someone to help her, she wouldn't be able to make it through with a child.
Rather than finding a complete stranger to work with again on tenterhooks, it's better to wholeheartedly and diligently help Lin Qi with his work, since at least they are familiar with each other.
This matter has now been resolved, or rather, concluded. After a moment of silence between the two, Vera suddenly brought up Lin Qi's plan, "If you're going to be gone for that long, you'll miss the new semester!"
Lin Qi once said he planned to pursue higher education, especially to join a school affiliated with the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance. Vera knew what that meant, and everyone else did too.
The Saint and Harmony Society wields immense influence in Federal society. Whether it's celebrities, politicians, capitalists, or scholars, most of the top figures in these groups are either members of the Saint and Harmony Society or Saint and Harmony Society some connection to it.
It's not unreasonable for people to believe that "the Saint and Harmony Society controls the Federal and even the world through conspiracies," which of course underscores the Saint and Harmony Society's status.
The easiest way to become a member of the Saint and Harmony Society is through the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance campus. This is also the simplest and most effective way for the Saint and Harmony Society to select its members, much like supermarkets with entry requirements.
Students who can afford to attend the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges generally come from Middle Class families, giving them an advantage over the average person.
Connections, wealth, status, and various advantages.
These already outstanding individuals then gather together to compete, ultimately selecting a few to join the Saint and Harmony Society. This ensures that every new member added to the Saint and Harmony Society each year is the most outstanding one.
They will bring something new to the Saint and Harmony Society, completing its network of interpersonal relationships, which is one of the main reasons why the Saint and Harmony Society subtly influences the Federal.
Of course, nothing is absolute. Lin Qi simply smiled at Vera's doubts, "I have my own methods..."
If his business in Nagaril is successful enough, it will prove that the theories he made in some radical salons were correct.
Then we can donate some more money and get affiliated Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges; those people probably won't mind.
Most non- Secret Society societies are doing the same thing: expanding their influence, and the Saint and Harmony Society is no exception.
They never hide themselves from the outside world, and even hope that people know about them. They hold some semi-open events and do not shy away from other people's opinions. What they need is influence, and Lin Qi happens to have that ability.
He will become a trendsetter of an era, and there will be no more influential person or thing than him. The Saint and Harmony Society extend an invitation to him.
Vera knew less about these things than Lin Qi did. She forced a smile, which meant she understood Lin Qi's arrangement. The things she had experienced in just a few months made it difficult for her to smile now, and she was also very tired.
It was a weariness that came from the soul; she felt very tired.
After leaving Vera's house, Lin Qi went to visit Neil, who was his Neil, and needed his help.
Lin Qi's parents had moved out of their old neighborhood and took advantage of the financial recession to buy a large detached house in a middle-class community at a very low price.
Lin Qi could understand his parents' actions, which were precisely the most urgent and genuine desire of all the people in the lower strata of Baylor—a big house.
The cramped public rental apartments in the Lower District make each room feel like a box. It's okay if there are fewer family members, but if there are more family members, the Living Room will turn into a bedroom at night, which is extremely inconvenient.
People's desire for big houses outweighed their desire to squander money, so the first thing Neil did after he got money was to sell his old, damn little house and buy a big one.
The Neil of this time was very different from the Neil of a few months ago. He gradually figured out how to be the superior person he once regarded.
Most people who rise from the bottom will go through the same process that Neil went through. They will wonder how, if they became managers, they could use humane management and a friendly approach to gain the friendship of the workers and work together in a relatively harmonious environment.
But that's not actually the case. Neil initially worked alongside the workers, thinking that leading by example would motivate them to work harder on their own.
He improved the workers' treatment, adding large chunks of beef to their lunches and providing them with free juice and fruit.
But aside from calling him an "idiot," the workers didn't become much more motivated to work. Some even secretly mocked him, saying he was just acting and putting on a show.
Then he finally understood how to use rules and punishments to discipline these lazy workers, and how to make them more effective through respect, not enthusiasm and friendship.
This is an essential path for a manager to grow from naive to mature!
Neil and Sera greeted Lin Qi. Sera held Lin Qi's hand and chatted for a while before going to prepare dinner for the men, while Neil and Lin Qi stayed in the Living Room.
Seeing Neil dressed in such bright and shiny clothes was a stark contrast to his shabby and shabby attire just a few months ago.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Neil asked casually.
After serving as the manager of the Construction Company for several months, Neil gradually came to understand some things. He felt that Lin Qi would not visit him for no reason.
Lin Qi adjusted his posture to be more comfortable and nodded, saying, "There is something. Do you remember what happened two or three months ago? The factory where you used to work, those thieves..."