Chapter 138: The First Major Order

"Furthermore, what if your energy-saving lamps fail to break into the development zone's market? Do you have any good contingency plans? Could it lead to blocked sales channels, forcing you to liquidate your factory equipment and declare bankruptcy?" Yang Tian continued to question, making Zhou Xing and the others' scalps tingle. These were the exact types of questions that should be asked during a final review. What was this rookie trying to pull?

"We would add a portion of the cost and ship them to Shenzhen; the demand for energy-saving lamps is much higher there! As long as I have venture capital, I will not give up production. I have confidence in my energy-saving lamps. Besides, to speak frankly, I am in my late thirties and have been starting businesses for over a decade. I don't want to back down the moment I encounter failure like I used to, only to blindly start another business afterward. This time, I just want to succeed!" Gao Xinhua, somewhat exasperated by Yang Tian, spoke with rising excitement as the fat on his face twitched continuously.

Zhou Xing and the others were thoroughly startled. Pushing the host to this extent—how were they supposed to enjoy their free lunch now?

"Okay. Go back and do your preparatory work. The funding will be in place within three days!" Staring at Gao Xinhua for a moment, Yang Tian said unsmilingly. He had seen the yearning of an entrepreneur in Gao Xinhua's eyes, prompting him to decide on an immediate investment.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xing and the others nearly choked on the water they held in their mouths, while Gao Xinhua wore an expression of utter astonishment, finding it both unbelievable and thrilling.

"Little brother, you aren't joking, are you?" Gao Xinhua asked urgently, his plump face filled with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"Yang Tian, have you lost your mind? That's not how you drive performance numbers!" Zhou Xing kindly and softly reminded Yang Tian. Let alone Yang Tian, even Sister Li would never dare to agree to a deal so rashly.

"If you people don't dare to take this order, I'll take it alone, and I will bear all the consequences of the investment by myself!" Yang Tian smiled with absolute confidence. As long as Gao Xinhua could manufacture the energy-saving lamps he described, Yang Tian had ways to help the investment company turn a profit. Since the development zone was being overseen by the Construction Bureau, Director Zhang Siguo of the Construction Bureau had the final say. Why would Yang Tian fear this deal falling through?

Moreover, the reason he dared to boldly propose the investment was that even if Team Leader Li and the business department manager disagreed, he could simply make a phone call to Zhang Xiuxiu to finalize the order.

"This..." Zhou Xing and the others were completely dumbfounded, inwardly crying out in dismay at this greenhorn. Gao Xinhua's order involved a substantial sum of money. If it fell through, all the staff members in the business department would have labored in vain for nothing this quarter, and Team Group Five would be branded with an irreversible stain, making it impossible for them to hold their heads high ever again in the business department—or across the entire Grand Corporation.

"Boss Gao, surely you aren't having second thoughts about this investment?" Yang Tian laughed cheerfully, knowing what Gao Xinhua was worried about—he was afraid Yang Tian lacked the authority to make the decision.

"No. Of course not. If we can get the funds quickly, that would naturally be for the best!" A look of wild elation swept across Gao Xinhua's face. He fervently hoped this rookie would keep his word.

"Right. However, everything must still follow procedure! According to our company's regulations, the final profit-sharing for investments is seventy-thirty—you get seventy, we get three! But you probably understand the principles regarding return on investment rates. For long-term stable investments, aside from costs, the investment company only takes a profit margin slightly higher than a bank's. However, for short-term, high-risk investments, our share of the cut must be higher: a sixty-forty split. The net profit from this batch of energy-saving lamps will be split forty for us and sixty for you. If you agree to this, the funds will be in place within three days. If you feel you're getting short-changed, then consider everything I just said as nonsense, and we'll do things strictly by the book!" Yang Tian spoke with a seasoned composure—a sophistication that stunned Zhou Xing and the others standing nearby. Even if Sister Li herself were handling it, she likely wouldn't have had such audacity.

Yang Tian knew what he was doing. If he provided Gao Xinhua with the funds within three days, it was entirely possible for them to manufacture the first batch of energy-saving lamps by the end of October, break into the development zone market, and recoup their profits swiftly. Such rapid production, sales, and capital turnover would drastically reduce the operational costs of the company. Gao Xinhua wouldn't be losing out; in fact, he would be able to rapidly develop the market and generate pre-sales momentum for the next batch of energy-saving lamps.

"Good. Little brother, if you really can provide me with the funds in three days, the contract can be modified. We'll do it your way!" After a brief moment of silent deliberation, Gao Xinhua let out a hearty laugh, raised his glass to toast Yang Tian, and restored the lively atmosphere of the dining table.

Zhou Xing and the others also put on smiles, though they drank in silence, turning things over in their minds. If they had known, they never would have brought this greenhorn along. Now that he had stirred up trouble, how were they supposed to explain this when they got back?

Upon returning to Grand Corporation, Yang Tian did not head straight back to the business department. Instead, he quietly went to find Zhang Xiuxiu. He knew that if he wanted to secure this order—his very first order at Grand Corporation—applying through the business department definitely wouldn't work. Putting aside whether such a large sum of money could be approved within three days, the business department would never trust a minor staff member who hadn't even been on the job for a single day. Most importantly, he was still an intern.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing and their group returned to "confess their sins" to Sister Li. Seeing that Yang Tian hadn't returned with them, they assumed he had "fled in fear of punishment" and didn't dare face Sister Li, whose middle-aged, fierce temperament was not something ordinary people could endure.

When Yang Tian finally returned to the business department, not only the staff of Team Group Five, but also members of the other teams had already heard about the news. A greenhorn staff member on his first day on the job had rashly accepted an order, and a massive high-risk investment at that. Everyone's eyes flickered with confusion and disdain, as if they felt this youngster was completely out of his mind.

As for Zhou Xing and his companions, they gathered nearby, looking at Yang Tian with sympathetic expressions. They seemed convinced that not only was it impossible for Yang Tian to get this order approved through the department, but he was also undoubtedly going to be fired.

"You're back? Is there anything you have to say to me?" The moment Yang Tian stepped into Sister Li's office, she hit him with a barrage of words right off the bat. Sister Li was not particularly tall, but her face radiated authority—or more precisely, the confidence and poise of a successful woman, causing many men to keep their distance out of respect.

Outside, a crowd had already gathered. Members of Team Group Five and other teams alike had crowded around. Some were gloating and waiting to watch the show, while others sympathized with the rookie; being fired on his first day simply for trying to secure business made the young man rather pitiful.

"Sister Li, this matter is partly my fault. I didn't guide him properly..." Zhou Xing had originally intended to wash his hands of the matter since Yang Tian seemed destined for termination, but ultimately he chose to walk into Sister Li's office, hoping to shield Yang Tian a little. Although he knew Sister Li's temper was formidable, he didn't want to watch the young man get chewed out mercilessly, especially since he himself had once passed through this exact stage.

"Don't you know how to knock before entering? Where are your manners? What business of yours is this? Get out!" Sister Li barked sharply, startling Zhou Xing into hurriedly scurrying back outside.

"What? You had the guts to take the order, but no courage to speak to me?" Seeing Zhou Xing leave, Sister Li maintained her authoritative stance, speaking coldly to Yang Tian.

"This is President Zhang's signature. The initial one million yuan in investment funds for Gao Xinhua's energy-saving lamp company will be in place within three days! If Team Group Five is afraid of bearing the consequences of a failed investment, I will bear it entirely by myself!" Yang Tian did not get angry. He cheerfully handed Zhang Xiuxiu's letter of approval onto Sister Li's desk.

"You'll bear it? Can you afford to bear..." Sister Li initially assumed Yang Tian was just boasting and prepared to continue her intimidation, but when she saw that the handwriting on the approval letter genuinely belonged to Zhang Xiuxiu, she froze in place.

Since Zhang Xiuxiu had signed and approved it, what more could she say? Suddenly, a sense of bewilderment washed over her. What kind of background did this greenhorn have, and how managed to secure the general manager's approval letter so quickly? Seeing Sister Li fall silent, the people outside froze as well. They had expected a ruthless trial, but in the end, the judge had been left dumbfounded.

Everyone looked at the young man before them with incredulous expressions. This fellow indeed had powerful connections; no wonder he had managed to land a spot at Grand Corporation before even graduating from high school.

Zhou Xing and the others finally understood why this guy had dared to make such a bold promise about the investment at the dinner table—it turned out he had backing.

Sister Li remained somewhat baffled, so she dialed the phone of Business Department Manager Lao Tang. According to company regulations, she was not permitted to contact General Manager Zhang Xiuxiu directly.

Soon, Business Department Manager Lao Tang arrived. The staff members respectfully greeted the manager. Lao Tang was a middle-aged man wearing a dark suit, looking sharp and capable as he familiarly greeted the team members.

"Haiyan, the General Manager has signed off on this order. Take it!" Before Sister Li could speak, Lao Tang stated directly. Evidently, Zhang Xiuxiu had already given Lao Tang a heads-up.

"Oh!" Sister Li wanted to press further, but her iron-lady persona still fell short of Lao Tang's authority, leaving her with no choice but to swallow her grievance. Though unconvinced, she had no alternative but to comply. Even if the investment ultimately failed and she had to take the blame, she would simply have to swallow her bitter pill and bear it.

"Little Yang is a new colleague, interning at the company without pay because he wants to learn more! It's always good for young people to be ambitious. Everyone should help him out from now on, and we won't assign him to any specific subgroup for the time being!" Lao Tang offered a few concise instructions, then smiled at Yang Tian and departed.

Although Lao Tang had spoken politely, Yang Tian could tell from his gaze that he wasn't entirely pleased with this order either, given the excessive investment risks. Yet, he likely wasn't overly worried either, because the Zhang family held considerable influence in Binhai; as long as it wasn't a completely hopeless order, they would find a way to recover the funds!

"An unpaid intern, no wonder he dared to play games with the company's funds!" Sister Li remarked with annoyance, but she signed the paperwork nonetheless, approving the release of funds to Gao Xinhua.

Although colleagues from the other teams smiled and chatted with Yang Tian on the surface, inwardly they were muttering to themselves. Yet another connected insider; if things went wrong, their hard-earned labor for this quarter might very well be squandered by this privileged newcomer.

As for Zhou Xing and his group, they kept a respectful distance from Yang Tian. Having a formidable figure join Team Group Five could be a good thing, but if he turned out to be a troublemaking disaster, Team Group Five would truly never see a day of redemption. Not to mention their year-end bonuses shrinking to practically nothing, their monthly salaries would also be pitifully low due to poor performance!

"Brother Tian, such a huge order—do you actually have any certainty of success?" Zhou Xing changed his address to Brother Tian, his face etched with worry and tension.

"We'll just have to try and see. If we want to turn things around, we have to bite the bullet and fight for it!" Yang Tian smiled with self-assurance. He understood Zhou Xing and the others' position, but without a breakthrough change, Team Group Five would probably never turn their fortunes around in this lifetime!