Days passed, and Du Fei's mother, Wu Chunmei, settled comfortably into the villa.
After all, no mother would want to see their child daily, especially when the child's significant other didn't object.
She woke up early every day to make breakfast for Du Fei and Liu Shishi. After watching them finish and leave for work, she would contentedly tidy the kitchen and head out to meet her fellow townswomen.
As for lunch, since Du Fei and Liu Shishi rarely returned home to eat, Wu Chunmei usually helped out at the stall at the ... market, eating lunch with the other vendors.
In the afternoon, when the ... stall also closed, Wu Chunmei would buy some vegetables and head back to cook dinner for the two of them. Her days were fulfilling.
"Auntie, I have a meeting with a client tonight, so you don't need to make dinner for me," Liu Shishi said gently to Wu Chunmei as she finished breakfast and prepared to leave for work.
Du Fei then added, "Mom, it happens that I'm meeting Ah Bin tonight for some business as well, so I won't be back for dinner either."
"But even though Shishi and I won't be back for dinner, don't just eat some biscuits to get by. You need to eat properly," Du Fei cautioned, knowing his mother well.
Wu Chunmei knew her son was concerned about her, so she smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I understand. Since you both won't be back for dinner, I'll go eat at your Auntie's place and come back."
Du Fei had initially worried about his mother being too tired from helping out at the ... stall every day. However, Liu Shishi had told him that since Du Fei and she were busy with their own affairs during the day, Wu Chunmei would be bored alone at home. It was good that she had someone of a similar age to keep her company and find something to do to pass the time. Du Fei felt Liu Shishi's reasoning was sound and didn't say anything further.
After talking with his mother, Du Fei and Liu Shishi headed to the villa's garage together.
"You drive me today. I have to entertain a client tonight and it might be quite late, so I won't drive myself," Liu Shishi said as she opened the passenger door of Du Fei's car and got in. Usually, they each drove their own cars to work, as it was more convenient for any unforeseen circumstances.
Du Fei used the remote to open the garage door, and as he drove the car out, he asked, "What kind of client requires you to personally handle it and entertain them so late?"
After Liu Shishi's company's products were officially launched, they quickly became super bestsellers in the market. Even though her company's products were positioned in the high-end market, living standards in China were continuously improving, and women were increasingly willing to spend on cosmetics. Coupled with the incredible effectiveness of the two products, it immediately triggered a buying frenzy, with scalpers even appearing. Due to production limitations, Liu Shishi's company's products were only sold in Chengdu and a few surrounding cities, with distribution channels not even expanded throughout the entire province yet. Scalpers exploited this by buying these two beauty products and reselling them online at inflated prices to people across the country. Although Liu Shishi had urged her subordinates to strictly control and crack down on scalpers who damaged the company's image and brand, as long as there was profit to be made, there would always be people willing to do it. To this end, Liu Shishi had even established a dedicated department within the company specifically to combat these scalpers. It was precisely because the company's products were so popular that no marketing or promotion was needed, which was why Du Fei asked his question.
"It's someone from an investment bank in Europe. They find our company's products very promising and want to discuss cooperation. Their plane is expected to arrive in the evening, so the meeting might run a bit late," Liu Shishi replied.
Hearing that Liu Shishi was meeting with representatives from a European investment bank that evening, Du Fei showed a slight expression of surprise. It was understandable, as Liu Shishi's company had been in operation for less than three months and had already attracted the attention of a European investment bank, truly making waves overseas. Besides the efficacy of the beauty products, Liu Shishi's effort and persistence were undoubtedly indispensable.
"Although our company's products are indeed good and have gained some reputation, we haven't reached a point where we've attracted the attention of the international market. To put it bluntly, these European investment banks are like bloodthirsty sharks. They scour the world for promising projects, and under the guise of investment or participation, their real aim is to push out the founders of these brands, then package and hype them up for an IPO to cash out and make huge profits through unscrupulous means."
Just as Du Fei was amazed that Liu Shishi's company had attracted the attention of European investors and was about to become an internationally renowned brand, Liu Shishi's words poured like cold water, shattering his pleasant illusions. Although Du Fei was intelligent, and his mental capacity had surpassed 99.9% of people after cultivating the Ten Thousand Forms Art, these sordid business tactics were something only those with extensive experience in business and in this particular industry could understand.
There was a classic quote that accurately and sharply described these capital behemoths: "With sufficient profit, a company becomes bold. With 10% profit, it will be employed everywhere; with 20% profit, it becomes active; with 50% profit, it becomes irresponsible; with 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; and with 300% profit, it commits any crime, even risking the noose." These were the kind of people operating in the world's most developed economies today.
"Since you already know that the European investment bank has malicious intentions, why are you personally meeting with them?" Du Fei stopped the car at a red light and, while waiting, looked at Liu Shishi in the passenger seat. He knew Liu Shishi to be an astute and capable person with a unique talent for business. And since she already knew what kind of people these European investment banks were, why was she personally entertaining them? After all, the company's development was currently booming, and they could completely ignore these disgusting individuals.
Seeing Du Fei look at her, Liu Shishi gave him a breathtakingly beautiful smile that would make flowers blush with shame. "Business is not something I can develop peacefully by shutting others out. If these people are provoked, they will use all their power to deal with you and hinder your development. Although I hold the production and sales in my hands now and am not afraid of their schemes, I also want to take this opportunity to gauge their assessment of the company, so that I can have a clear roadmap for future development."
Liu Shishi spoke eloquently, like a top-tier business magnate. At this moment, even ignoring her stunning beauty, the confident aura she exuded was enough to capture every man's attention. Du Fei felt incredibly fortunate and happy from the bottom of his heart to have found such an excellent girlfriend.