Chapter 61: Chapter 61 Got a fever, need an injection!
"This is Mr. Sun, who will also be the new big boss of our fitness center," Xiang Yiren said preemptively, introducing the man beside her.
"Hello, Mr. Sun!" Jiang Ziyan, whose internal complaints had been interrupted, quickly greeted him respectfully.
Sun Dasheng nodded with a smile. "Hello."
He saw that she, like Xiang Yiren, was wearing professional attire—not the yoga outfit from their last meeting. Even though it was just business wear, the tight skirt still hugged her form like yoga pants would, her striking hips creating an attractive outline against the fabric.
"Ziyan is my best friend. She used to be a yoga instructor here, so I took the liberty of promoting her to deputy manager. She’ll help me manage the VIP member files. You don’t mind, do you, Brother Sun?" Xiang Yiren instantly put on a cutesy, fawning act.
Hearing this, Jiang Ziyan felt goosebumps crawl over her skin. Women have a natural aversion to other women using that kind of voice.
Sun Dasheng, however, rather enjoyed it. A fawning tone, ’green tea’ behavior... it just means she’s an understanding little sister who can provide emotional value.
"Since I’ve made you the manager, you can handle the staffing as you see fit. You don’t need to report every little thing to me," Sun Dasheng said magnanimously.
"I knew you were the best to me, Brother Sun," Xiang Yiren cooed sweetly, still using that cloying voice. Then, she shot a triumphant look at her best friend.
Honestly, Jiang Ziyan felt a pang of envy. The situation was clear: her best friend had secured the powerful backing of a wealthy patron. She had seen women with patrons before. They certainly became rich, but they lost their freedom, becoming little more than canaries in a gilded cage. It was nearly impossible for them to do anything on their own, as their patrons were always terrified they would use the money to secretly keep a handsome young lover.
Sun Dasheng, handsome and skilled in bed, had no such worries. He was happy to let his woman do as she pleased.
Seeing her friend’s envious expression, a proud Xiang Yiren cleared her throat. "Ziyan, I asked you to compile the VIP client list from last year. Have you finished?"
Jarred back to reality, Jiang Ziyan immediately handed over the document in her hand. "It’s all sorted out.
"For the 4,999 yuan Platinum Annual Card, we have 1,566 members, bringing in 7,828,000 yuan in membership fees. Of those, 42 percent, or 658 people, frequent the main branch.
"For the 9,999 yuan Diamond Annual Card, we have 245 members, with membership fees totaling 2,450,000 yuan. Seventy-eight percent of them, 191 people, use the main branch.
"For the 19,999 yuan Supreme Annual Card, we have 35 members, bringing in 700,000 yuan in fees. All of them use the main branch.
"Total membership income is 10,978,000 yuan.
"Income from private coaching sessions is less than 30 percent of the membership revenue, at 3,300,000 yuan.
"The chain’s total revenue last year was 14,280,000 yuan."
After finishing her report, Jiang Ziyan fell silent.
Looking at the document, Sun Dasheng nodded. "The revenue isn’t bad. I’m surprised Boss Pi was willing to sell this golden goose."
Hearing this, Xiang Yiren leaned in and whispered in his ear, "After you deduct expenses like rent, wages, coach commissions, and taxes, there isn’t much profit left."
Right. Just thinking about the rent in Dahu City is enough to understand the challenges of running a brick-and-mortar store. Aside from the incredibly successful ones, most businesses are just working for their landlords. The usage ratio for the main branch indicated that the other directly-operated stores were small. Sure enough, the document showed that most of them were only one or two hundred square meters. With an annual revenue of a few hundred thousand, they were barely covering expenses, and some were even losing money. The main branch was large and had high rent, but its income was decent, making it profitable overall.
Seeing the frown on the man’s face, Xiang Yiren pinpointed the issue and suggested, "Brother Sun, why don’t we cut the loss-making branches?"
Sun Dasheng put the document on the table, then pinched her cheek with a smile. "Is this the brilliant remedy our newly appointed manager has prescribed for the fitness center? Do you think just cutting unprofitable branches will turn the business around? If so, I’ll have to seriously reconsider if you’re fit for this manager position."
If they were alone, Xiang Yiren wouldn’t have minded his words. But in front of her best friend, she couldn’t appear incompetent. She grew anxious. "Brother Sun, just give me some time! I’ll do more research, and I promise I’ll give you a satisfactory proposal."
At that moment, a system notification popped up.
[Xiang Yiren’s first attempt at management has her little brain buzzing. Experience Points +1000]
Nice, the experience points finally came through. Making her manager wasn’t a mistake. Her pressure is my motivation.
He clicked convert.
[Experience Points converting... You have received +700 Experience Points]
His current status panel appeared:
Protagonist: Sun Dasheng
Occupation: Investor
Level: 3 (1000/?)
Experience Points: 700
Cash-Out Value: 7,000,000
Two additional lines appeared for convenience:
Investment Firm Balance: 82,000,000
Personal Account Balance: 106,000,000
Both accounts have plenty of funds for now. I’ll hold off on cashing out the experience points.
Faced with Xiang Yiren’s chest-thumping guarantee, Sun Dasheng simply smiled and patted her head. "Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best."
"I knew you were the best to me, Brother Sun!" Xiang Yiren nestled into his embrace, completely unconcerned about the outsider in the room.
The "outsider" in question, Jiang Ziyan, stood stiffly in her high heels, nearly cursing out loud at the public display of affection. She always wore sneakers and hadn’t worn heels in a long time; her toes ached as if needles were pricking them. You two can be all lovey-dovey, that’s fine, but could you please dismiss this third wheel first?
The perceptive Sun Dasheng noticed her strange behavior. Her stocking-clad legs kept rubbing against each other, a movement that could easily be misinterpreted. Is she playing with some kind of incredible toy down there?
He stared directly at a certain area.
Confronted with Sun Dasheng’s blatant stare, her face flushed a deep crimson, as red as a sunset cloud. It felt terribly hot.
"Ziyan, why is your face so red?" Being a good friend, Xiang Yiren noticed something was off. She quickly stood up and placed the back of her hand on Jiang Ziyan’s forehead. "You’re burning up! It feels like you have a fever. I’ll take you to the hospital for a shot."
"No, no!" Jiang Ziyan refused hurriedly. "I have fever medicine in my bag downstairs. I’ll be fine after taking a couple of pills. There’s no need for a hospital or a shot, it’s not that serious."
With that, she turned and fled. In her haste, her prominent buttocks, several sizes larger than average, got momentarily stuck in the doorway. This only made her face burn even redder. Once free, the clacking of her high heels on the floor grew more rapid as she hurried away.
The two left in the office looked at each other.
"If you’re worried, you should go check on her," Sun Dasheng said.
"Mwah! Thank you, darling." After planting a quick kiss on him, Xiang Yiren chased after her friend.
My dear friend, why are you so stubborn? If you have a fever, you need to get a shot!