The position of the sales director still hadn’t been settled. However, Yu Zi heard another piece of interesting news.

The once prominent Xu family in the northern city faced financial collapse, leading to numerous properties and collections flooding the auction market.

“Is it the Xu family with Xu Zhuo?” Xie Dongcheng looked at the news and asked Yu Zi.

Yu Zi nodded. “Yes.”

The downfall of the Xu family wasn’t unexpected. Yu Zi had heard earlier that the family had invested heavily in a financial project in recent years, with Xu Zhuo’s father stubbornly pouring a lot of money into it despite the risks.

Xu Zhuo, the second son of the family, had little say and was early on sent by his father to manage an investment management company with little capital. Xu Zhuo wasn’t a good investment talent, and the projects he invested in over the past two years were all losing money.

Sheng Chuan apparently also knew about this news. Being someone who enjoyed stirring up trouble, he immediately started a group chat with four people and posted the link to the foreclosed items of the Xu family. Below, he added a smirking dog emoji.

Yu Zi happened to have some free time and clicked on the link to take a look.

However, the next moment, he suddenly stopped at a photo.

It was the last item in the link, a bottle of wine from an overseas vineyard.

This wasn’t important. What was important was that the more Yu Zi looked at this bottle, the more familiar it became to him.

The design of the bottle and the unique code on the label were exactly the same as the bottle he vividly remembered. Yu Zi’s head buzzed.

This was the genuine bottle that Wang Jing had shown him in the warehouse for the first time.

Wang Jing actually knew Xu Zhuo.

Everything that had been unclear suddenly became clear.

Why did Wang Jing happen to have thirty bottles of counterfeit wine that he needed, and how could he connect with him immediately? It was probably impossible for Wang Jing to do it with his own brain. But Xu Zhuo could.

Yu Zi’s search for wine throughout the city, as long as Xu Zhuo paid a little attention, he could find out. Xu Zhuo naturally wouldn’t act himself, as that would be too obvious. So, he found Wang Jing, who seemed inconspicuous, set up a trap, and set Yu Zi up.

Seeing him remain silent for a long time, Xie Dongcheng asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Zi turned to him. “Wang Jing knows Xu Zhuo.”

“Damn.” Xie Dongcheng couldn’t help but curse, “So, was that whole thing set up by Xu Zhuo?!”

Yu Zi nodded. “Most likely.”

Yu Zi slid back in his office chair, and the wheel made a dull noise. He reached out and picked up the phone from the desk, dialing Wang Jing’s number.

The phone rang three times before it was answered.

“Young Master, what’s wrong again?”

“Do you have time now? Come to my company.”

“Go to your place?” Wang Jing was puzzled.

“Yes. I need you for something.” Yu Zi said and hung up the phone.

Half an hour later, the glass door of Yu Zi’s office was pushed open.

Yu Zi used his eyes to signal him to sit in the empty seat opposite him, then pushed the screen of his phone towards him along the table.

“Do you know this person?” The screen showed a picture of Xu Zhuo.

“I don’t know him.” Wang Jing replied decisively.

“Nonsense.” Yu Zi enlarged the face and pushed it towards him again, “Take a closer look. Do you know him?!”

“I really don’t know!” Wang Jing shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing him not confessing, Yu Zi had to change his approach, “Last year, where did you get the information that I was looking for wine? Who gave you the information?”

Wang Jing was stunned for a moment before answering, “A stranger.”

“A stranger?!”

Wang Jing pondered his words for a moment before continuing, “Yes. I received a call from a stranger who said he could give me some money and then asked me to cooperate with him in setting up a trap.”

“How did you contact him? Have you never met him in person?”

“He sent different people to meet me each time.” Wang Jing nodded confidently. “He never showed up in person, I only heard his voice.”

Yu Zi cursed inwardly. Xu Zhuo handled things quite meticulously.

However, there was still one thing he couldn’t figure out. If Wang Jing was hired by Xu Zhuo and Xu Zhuo promised him money, why did he later voluntarily surrender and listen to his orders?

With his legs crossed, he looked at Wang Jing. “You took his money, and yet you still came to deal with me? Aren’t you afraid he’ll come after you?”

At the words, Wang Jing suddenly looked angry. “Damn it, the problem is he never gave me the money in the end. Why would I sell my life for him?!”

Xie Dongcheng and Yu Zi exchanged a meaningful glance, wearing the same expression of speechlessness.

Xu Zhuo, born cautious, died stingy.

“Is that all?” Wang Jing calmed down and looked at Yu Zi. “I’ve told you everything. I know nothing is hidden from you. If I had known it was you back then, I would never have taken that job.”

“Do you still think you’re upright?!” Yu Zi gave him a sideways glance.

“Everyone has times when they’re driven by self-interest… I was forced.” Wang Jing lowered his eyelids and avoided his gaze.

“Being forced doesn’t excuse lying to people? You really know how to whitewash yourself.” Yu Zi wanted to slap him hard with the documents on the table.

“I realized my mistake early on and quickly returned the money to you. What else do you want me to do?” Wang Jing immediately changed his attitude, bowing repeatedly to him.

Suddenly, Xie Dongcheng, who was standing behind them, spoke up, “Why are you so short of money? Is it necessary to take on such unscrupulous work?”

Wang Jing’s gaze wandered for a moment before he answered softly, “… My grandmother got sick.”

“What illness?” Xie Dongcheng continued to ask.

“Pancreatic cancer.” He said and then prepared to get up by pulling out the chair.

“How is she now?” Yu Zi’s hand, which was holding the phone, suddenly relaxed.

Wang Jing didn’t look at him again. “She’s gone. She died the day after we returned from Bai Cheng last year.”

The two fell silent for a moment. Wang Jing had already stood up, opened the door of the office, and was ready to leave.

“Where are you going?” Yu Zi asked him from behind.

“Haven’t you asked everything already? Can I leave now?”

Yu Zi also stood up. “You promised me three things, and there’s one left.”

Wang Jing sighed and turned to look at him. “What’s it this time, Young master?”

Yu Zi didn’t say anything but tossed a document from the table to him.

Wang Jing walked over, picked up the document, and glanced at it. It turned out to be a job description.

“Sales Director?!” He asked incredulously.

“Pah, you think too highly of yourself,” Yu Zi said, arms crossed, looking at him. “For the first year, you’ll start as a supervisor, with a basic salary set at the lowest standard.”

“I won’t do it. Working for you is asking for trouble,” Wang Jing immediately refused.

Yu Zi clicked his tongue. “I haven’t finished. You’ll also get quarterly profit commissions, five percent, uncapped. How much money you make depends entirely on your own ability.”

“A few percent?!” Wang Jing doubted he heard correctly.

“Five percent of sales profits, paid to you along with your salary after each quarter’s financial accounting.”

Wang Jing was silent for five seconds, then closed the office door again and took a few steps back.

“When can we sign the labor contract?”

Half an hour later, Wang Jing went to the HR department to pick up the contract.

Xie Dongcheng was still in Yu Zi’s office, looking uneasy.

“Is he capable?” Xie Dongcheng still didn’t trust him. After all, he had been bought off by Xu Zhuo before, and who knows what he might do. “Are you sympathizing with him because of what he said?”

Yu Zi shook his head, then smiled. “Do you know what kind of dog is the easiest to raise?”

“What kind of dog?”

“A dog that values meat over life.”

Xie Dongcheng, who had been replying to emails, froze at once.

“A person who prioritizes profit above all else, once polished, becomes a sharp knife,” Yu Zi said, rotating the black pen in his hand and then gently tossing it out. With a thud, the pen landed steadily in the pen holder in front of him.

“He’s been in this industry for so many years, with more resources than us. Even the tricky route we took last time to CWS, he helped us get in. To open up major clients in the real market, it’s as easy as pie for him.”

Xie Dongcheng’s brow furrowed, and after a few seconds, he suddenly stood up, leaning on the table. “I’ll have the legal department draft a non-compete agreement and a confidentiality agreement.”

Yu Zi laughed, “You really learned the ways of a capitalist from somewhere.”

They did need a sales representative to develop major clients. Currently, most of the major client resources in Baiyun Wanli were referrals from Xuyang. Once they fell out with Paul, these resources would disappear in an instant. This was a situation Yu Zi didn’t want to face.

A week later, Wang Jing signed a bunch of agreements and officially joined the company. Of course, Wang Jing didn’t come alone; he brought his subordinates from the wine industry. These people had been seasoned in the industry for many years. The three of them formed a brand-new sales team.

Yu Zi gave them a probation period of three months.

However, Wang Jing’s desire for wealth was even more terrifying than Yu Zi had imagined.

In just one month, he visited all the distributors he used to know with his subordinates and quickly brought back three hefty agency contracts.

The sales team quickly expanded from three people to more than twenty, becoming the largest department in the company.

They not only did business with offline distributors but also started to enter online platforms. Within half a year, they opened three online flagship stores. Wang Jing brought in a well-known operations team in the industry to take over the online operations of Baiyun Wanli.

The originally stable brand department was also caught up in Wang Jing’s battle and began to aggressively advertise and promote.

Before the end of the year, Shandai’s advertisements were already spread across the LED screens, subway passages, and elevator displays in the central area of North City.

On the other hand, Wei Yunli also made strides forward, taking the newly developed products to France to participate in competitions and bringing back another gold medal. This move instantly made Bai Cheng more visible to more wine merchants, and the once barren mountainous land gradually became fertile ground for commerce.

Obviously, the first round of investment from Xuyang was not enough to support their development speed. Yu Zi first invested more money himself and soon attracted new institutions, securing a second round of substantial financing.

The company quickly grew to over a hundred people. Wang Jing held the position of supervisor but did the work of a director. However, the money Yu Zi gave him was enough, and he had no complaints.

In the autumn of the second year, it was the season when grapes ripened all over the mountains. Yu Zi and Xie Dongcheng came to Bai Cheng again.

At this time, Wei Yunli had merged four or five wineries around, expanding the scale of Baiyun Wanli by more than three times. Her stable was also home to several more good horses, each with sleek fur, looking energetic.

Wei Yunli took off the woolen scarf around her neck, looked at the golden autumn day, and smiled back at the two. “Do you smell it?”

“What?” Yu Zi didn’t understand.

“The taste of success.” Wei Yunli replied.

Yu Zi laughed after hearing it, then shook his head. “It’s the smell of money.”

Wei Yunli retorted, “Crass.”

The mature fruit fragrance wafted towards the winery with the autumn breeze, and the three of them stood at the high point, laughing together. The mountain goats in the distance popped their heads out to look here, then quickly retreated back into the deep mountains.

As it turned out, Yu Zi was telling the truth.

After Wang Jing’s team joined, the sales of Baiyun Wanli’s entire product line tripled. After a year of operation, the online platform grew rapidly and quickly caught up with offline sales.

At the end of the latest fiscal year, after meticulous accounting, Baiyun Wanli’s entire product line made a profit of tens of millions.

As for Yu Zi, he received a bonus of nearly eight million that year.

Another deep winter arrived, and the company started its holiday on the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month. The sales department happily went home with their hefty bonuses. Other functional departments also earned generous year-end bonuses.

Only Xie Dongcheng remained to tie up loose ends with Yu Zi. After the two finished their last bit of work before the New Year, it happened to be New Year’s Eve.

Xie Dongcheng, as usual, drove his black Toyota with Yu Zi in the passenger seat after work. Before the car reached the intersection leading back to Fangjiayuan, Yu Zi asked him to turn in another direction.

“Where are we going?” Xie Dongcheng asked, puzzled.

“To the south,” Yu Zi simply directed, saying no more.

Xie Dongcheng drove until they reached the entrance to the expressway, about to leave the urban area. Suddenly, Yu Zi pointed to a building not far away. “Go there.”

Xie Dongcheng hit the brakes abruptly, turned off the engine, and turned to Yu Zi, the passenger seat. “What’s the meaning of this?” he asked sharply.

“Your year-end bonus,” Yu Zi opened the car door and got out. “The black Bentley at my home wasn’t suitable for you. I thought you might like this one instead.”

On the empty ground in front of them sat a brand-new, deep blue convertible Bentley.