"Chairman of Tianchen Group," Chen Xiaofeng said unhappily when Lao Deng was mentioned.
"Isn't that the group with assets worth hundreds of billions?" Zhen Linqi asked, a little surprised, though she had heard of it before.
Jia Fuhai and Zhen Linna, two poor students, had no clue and didn't care much, but Qianyi piqued their interest.
"That's impressive," Jia Fuhai said nonchalantly, though it wasn't his money at stake.
Seeing their calm reactions, Chen Xiaofeng was slightly taken aback. Usually, people would try to form some sort of connection when they learned about this. But this family was different, really extraordinary.
When Zhen Linqi became best friends with Liu Yandi, she had already encountered many world-class business groups, so she wasn't particularly shocked. Zhen Linna, on the other hand, didn't care much as long as it didn't interfere with her fun.
Chen Xiaofeng then brought up the topic of special suppliers.
It was the first time that several of them had heard about this, even for Zhen Linqi. She never had the opportunity to explore the details of food procurement. Who cared about those kinds of things?
"But our rules here are strict. Otherwise, companies like Xiangjin Food Diary would have been wiped out long ago," Chen Xiaofeng continued.
"Then, what do I need to worry about?" Jia Fuhai asked, confused.
Chen Xiaofeng began to explain, "Although underhanded tactics aren't allowed, commercial means are fair game."
"My dad taught us how to protect ourselves. Fortunately, Brother Jia, your cake factory has many advantages."
"The key is to control the source of your raw materials. If someone else gets control and you're not prepared, what happens if they cut off your supply?"
"The more ruthless ones might even sign contracts loaded with benefits, but if you can't deliver, you'll be liable for huge compensation. They could cut off your finances, and you'd be done."
"Also, from now on, you should brand Jiaji Cakes as premium products, and the price should be at least doubled."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Linna was the first to jump in, "Won't that be great for Brother Jia's income?"
"Shut up and listen to the rest," Zhen Linqi quickly scolded her sister.
Jia Fuhai was helpless. He never thought running a factory could involve so many complications, but he continued to listen carefully.
"Raising the price has its pros and cons. However, Brother Jia, your cakes are worth it. By making them more expensive, you'll have fewer interest groups to deal with."
"It also provides a good reason to live stream the factory operations. Since the price is high, we can frame it as involving netizens to help supervise the employees."
"Make sure your employees are on the same page. There are a lot of things they'll need to pay attention to as well."
Chen Xiaofeng continued, sharing everything his father had taught him about preventive measures.
All three listened attentively, absorbing the information. Even Zhen Linqi found herself learning practical knowledge, different from the theory she had read before.
"It seems that in the end, it's about money," Jia Fuhai concluded, realizing it all came down to finances.
"It's alright. If worse comes to worst, I'll sell some assets," Zhen Linqi reassured him. As long as there was a solution, they could make it work.
"Brother Hai, you already used my sister's money to start the factory. You can use mine next time," Zhen Linna chimed in.
That's how the sisters were. Since Zhen Linqi had been exposed to so much information while following Liu Yandi, she frequently invested in assets and stocks on her own, steadily growing her wealth. However, she didn't have much cash on hand. Zhen Linna, on the other hand, received fixed income from Zhen Fugui, so she had plenty of cash at her disposal.
Chen Xiaofeng was tearing up internally at this display of sisterly wealth. How had he wasted his wife's money? He wished he could live like this too.
But deep down, he knew the chances of finding a pair of sisters like these were nonexistent. Absolutely impossible.
"So, the most important things are honey and eggs?" Jia Fuhai asked for confirmation.
"Yes, there's no way to control the wheat flour since there are too many alternatives on the market," Zhen Linqi nodded.
"Brother Jia, you're a genius! Your cakes only need three ingredients. That's so convenient!" Chen Xiaofeng marveled at the simplicity of it all.
Jia Fuhai hadn't anticipated that his choice to use just three ingredients for convenience would turn out to be such an advantage.
"Master, don't you know that the best dishes are often made with the simplest ingredients?" Jia Fuhai said proudly.
Everyone gave him a thumbs up.
"Qiqi, will you come with me to secure the suppliers this time?" Jia Fuhai asked, looking at Zhen Linqi. He figured Zhen Linna should sit this one out.
"No problem," Zhen Linqi agreed without hesitation.
"My goodness, this guy even needs his sister-in-law to help. Brother Jia is something else," Chen Xiaofeng thought to himself, genuinely impressed.
Jia Fuhai had no choice. Fortunately, Qiqi was still early in her pregnancy; otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted her to travel.
"By the way, Brother Jia, my dad has helped you out a lot. Don't you think you should show your appreciation?" Chen Xiaofeng suddenly remembered his father.
"No problem. Your father, as the chairman, shared so many strategies with us. He really gave us some great advice," Jia Fuhai acknowledged. It was rare for someone to share business knowledge so generously, especially with someone they had just met.
"Actually, my dad's only request is that you keep sending him your cakes. He's become quite fond of them," Chen Xiaofeng said, revealing his father's true wish.
"Of course! I'll keep you updated whenever I come up with something new," Jia Fuhai promised. This was an easy task.
"That's perfect," Chen Xiaofeng grinned. He couldn't wait to indulge in more delicious treats himself.
"Nana, go pick up Teacher Wang," Zhen Linqi suddenly said to her sister while glancing at a message on her phone.
"Alright," Zhen Linna quickly ran downstairs.
"What's going on?" Chen Xiaofeng asked, confused.
"Oh, Teacher Wang is my son's tutor," Jia Fuhai explained casually.
"But doesn't your son already speak clearly?" Chen Xiaofeng was even more confused, having spoken to Brother Jia's son before.
"I mean learning languages. Is there only one language in the world?" Jia Fuhai smirked.
"What? How many languages does your son know?" Chen Xiaofeng asked, truly surprised.
"Three, and he's learning a fourth," Zhen Linqi answered, proud of her son's progress.
"I'm a failure," Chen Xiaofeng muttered, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Don't be like that. Want to hear about the languages I know?" Jia Fuhai tried to comfort him, though he knew his son's skills were indeed discouraging.
"Hey, does your son need a godfather? I think I could be a great one!" Chen Xiaofeng said shamelessly, trying to weasel his way into the family.
"What do you think?" Jia Fuhai grinned.
"I'll spoil him with so many gifts! All for my godson!" Chen Xiaofeng eagerly offered, trying to sweeten the deal.
"In your dreams. But if you can convince my son in the future, we'll talk," Jia Fuhai teased. He knew his son's intelligence would make things tricky for Chen Xiaofeng. Chances were, Chen would end up calling his son "dad."
"Really?" Chen Xiaofeng naively believed that fooling a kid would be easy.
"Really," Jia Fuhai and Zhen Linqi exchanged a mischievous smile.
"By the way, what are my godsons' names?" Chen Xiaofeng quickly changed his tone.
"Good grief, you're calling them your godsons before you've even met them." Jia Fuhai shook his head before finally answering, "The eldest is Jia Qiyi, and the younger one is Jia Naji."
"What awful names," Chen Xiaofeng said, exasperated.
"Hey, I named them after their mothers," Jia Fuhai defended himself, though he knew the names weren't great.