CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 59 WU XIAOLI: BROTHER SUN, YOU’RE GOING TO BE A FATHER._2

She couldn’t wait to say, "Master, after more than a month of poaching talent and running ads, the money you gave me is almost spent. Could you possibly support your apprentice a little more?"

Her eyes were innocent and pleading.

"You really are an expert at spending money," Sun Dasheng said, tapping her on the forehead.

She didn’t dodge. Instead, she leaned in, making it easier for her master to tap her.

"Master, if you’re willing to give me the money, you can tap me a few more times."

"Hasn’t your company already started making money?" Sun Dasheng asked.

"We’ve earned quite a bit, but I spent it just as fast as it came in," she admitted.

"Master, you don’t understand. Right now, Douyin dominates the market. If you want good ad performance, you have to be willing to spend big. Otherwise, the traffic you generate is mediocre at best. The live-streaming e-commerce world is incredibly competitive now. If your traffic drops even slightly, you’ll get knocked off the sales charts in a heartbeat.

"The company is in a very awkward position right now—we either move forward or we fall behind, Master."

Ouyang Jiani’s words made sense, and Sun Dasheng could understand her desperation in spending so freely.

But he still tapped her forehead.

"Ouch, Master, why are you still tapping me? I already explained everything to you."

Sun Dasheng glared at her. "And this ’explaining’ of yours, did it involve telling me *before* you did it?"

"Er..." She was taken aback.

That’s right, why didn’t I think to tell Master beforehand? He put me in charge of running this company, but he’s the real boss behind the scenes. Major decisions and plans should have been cleared with him first. She began to reflect. Things have been going so smoothly lately, I’ve definitely gotten a bit carried away.

She quickly apologized, "Master, I was wrong. Please scold me."

"Alright. There’s nothing greater than admitting your mistake and correcting it. Besides, the decisions you made were the right ones, so why would I scold you?"

"But from now on, you need to think things through more carefully. After all, you’re no longer a junior manager of a small team, but the head of a large company with hundreds of employees. You need to change your mindset. I came today because someone under you filed a complaint. I’m here to give you a heads-up."

"What?"

She was greatly shocked. It wasn’t the complaint itself; that was something she was used to. But she never imagined someone could take a complaint all the way to her master.

That person’s status can’t be low. Who could it be?

Before she could think any further, Sun Dasheng told her directly, "It’s the deputy manager you poached from Xiaoju Technology. The man has poor character. I’ll find a time to have him transferred. You can find a new deputy for yourself."

"As for the funding, I’ll have the finance department arrange to inject another 20 million into XinXin Media when I get back."

Moved by her master’s actions, she gently hugged him and said, "Master, you’re the best to me. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down."

"Alright. I’ll be watching to see what you do."

...

After instructing his apprentice, he returned to the investment company’s headquarters and told the finance department to wire the money.

"Director Sun, after this payment goes out, the investment company’s account will only have 18 million in cash left," the finance manager said.

"I know." He dismissed the manager with a wave.

He looked at his attribute panel, where his experience had already reached 4,800 points.

Converted to RMB, that’s 340 million. This money can’t just sit in an account; it needs to start flowing. But before that, I need to test a theory. Does investing more money yield more experience points when a company goes bankrupt?

The opportunity to test this theory came soon enough. Xinli Media, the first company the firm had acquired, had finally gone bankrupt. Its manager, Yu Xiaoqiang, had relentlessly poached online influencers and burned cash on traffic until the funding chain snapped.

Although the initial acquisition hadn’t cost much, Sun Dasheng had subsequently injected a considerable amount of capital, conservatively estimated at fifty million. Even after spinning off the short-form drama and live-streaming divisions, the online influencer department still accounted for the bulk of the investment.

[Your investment, Xinli Media, has reached a state of de facto bankruptcy. Experience +4,000]

Sun Dasheng was overjoyed. Looks like I was right. The more I invest, the more experience I get when the company goes bust. Sweet!

While he was ecstatic, Yu Xiaoqiang, standing right in front of him, was completely stunned.

Did the big boss go crazy from losing tens of millions? But on second thought, no, that can’t be right. Tens of millions is an astronomical sum for a working stiff like me, but for a tycoon like him, it should be a drop in the bucket. There’s no way he’d go crazy over losing such a small amount, right? Still, he couldn’t find a better explanation for his boss’s behavior.

"Director Sun, are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

Only then did Sun Dasheng snap back to reality. Oh right, I’m not alone.

He quickly reined in his excitement and spoke with gentle encouragement, "Xiaoqiang, don’t lose heart over this small setback. Failure is unpleasant, of course, but losing the will to keep fighting is what’s truly terrifying."

My boss isn’t crazy... I think I must be the one who’s lost his mind. How else could I hear words like that coming from a boss? Especially to the professional manager who just bankrupted his company!

However, relying on years of professionalism, he quickly replied, "Director Sun, your words make me deeply ashamed. I bear full responsibility for the company’s mismanagement. I will submit my resignation immediately so as not to make things difficult for you."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Sun Dasheng criticized. "I already told you, a small setback is nothing. As long as you can get back on your feet and keep trying, you’ll be fine. Don’t talk about resigning at the drop of a hat."

Yu Xiaoqiang raised his head, his face a mask of utter disbelief.