Chapter 44: Accelerating the Pace of Development

Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian finished breakfast and set out for work earlier than usual. Perhaps because their legs were sore and weak, they walked more slowly than normal and thus left home ahead of time.

After clearing the table, Lu Yu sent a message to Deng Qiang, informing him that he would be heading to the industrial park shortly.

Once he had straightened his attire, Lu Yu left the house before nine o’clock and made his way to Pink White Black Cosmetics Company.

The company had undergone significant changes, with its premises having expanded to more than double the original size.

Lu Yu glanced around at the surveillance equipment installed throughout the area and nodded in satisfaction before entering the company.

He went straight to Deng Qiang’s office, where the two of them spent some time discussing the company’s current state and future plans.

Once Lu Yu had a clear understanding of the basics, Deng Qiang accompanied him on a thorough inspection of the entire company, including the production workshops and various warehouses.

Finding nothing amiss, the two men returned to the office.

…

Lu Yu then shared his thoughts with Deng Qiang. “Can you further expand and speed up the production line?”

Deng Qiang considered it. “Yes, we can. We’ve mostly completed our raw material supply system, so even if we expand, we shouldn’t face any short-term shortages.”

Lu Yu nodded. “Then expand as quickly as possible. And what about the hydrating cream? Given our old production levels, I doubt we’ve even got half a warehouse in stock after all this time.”

Deng Qiang agreed. “That’s right. The hydrating cream only had one line, but recently, we’ve been prioritizing two kinds of facial masks. After the initial trial run, that production line has barely been used, so there’s almost no inventory.”

Lu Yu acknowledged him. “I see. For the hydrating cream and the whitening body wash lines, speed up procurement for the necessary equipment. As before, I’ll personally oversee the first round of production line testing.”

Deng Qiang looked puzzled. “Mr. Lu, why the sudden urgency? This is much faster than we’d planned.”

Lu Yu sighed. “I know it disrupts your schedule, but I’m really short on cash right now. I intend to build a more professional laboratory. It’s not ideal to do certain experiments in other people’s labs. You know how much a proper lab costs to set up. Without one, it’ll be hard for us to continually develop new products.”

Deng Qiang nodded in agreement, then suddenly realized something. “Are all of our current products developed by you personally?”

Lu Yu glanced at him. “You could say that.”

Deng Qiang apologized. “Sorry, Mr. Lu. I’m just shocked. I shouldn’t have asked, but I never expected it. I always thought we had a whole research team—never imagined you alone could develop such incredible products.”

Lu Yu chuckled. “It’s alright. You’d have to find out sooner or later. But this is only the beginning. These aren’t exactly miraculous—just effective. The truly extraordinary products are yet to come, which is why I’m in such a hurry to build the lab.”

…

Lu Yu was rather satisfied with Deng Qiang.

First, the man was highly capable.

Second, he knew how to weigh priorities.

For instance, when Shiseido from Neon Country had approached him for a secret project, Deng Qiang had even reported to Lu Yu his own temptation by the money.

Because of this, Lu Yu didn’t mind sharing more with him, making him more at ease in his work.

Deng Qiang was astonished by what Lu Yu had said. If even the current products weren’t considered miraculous in his eyes, what kind of products would be? It was almost unimaginable.

With this sense of awe, Deng Qiang began to ponder how best to accomplish Lu Yu's orders.

It was simple: make money, make it fast, and build an advanced laboratory.

…

After a moment’s thought, Deng Qiang said to Lu Yu, “I have a rough plan, but I’ll need to consult with the department heads to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Lu Yu nodded. “All right, handle it as you see fit. Also, make sure the company’s reward and penalty system is perfected and strictly enforced.”

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“Our products yield high profits, so there’s no need to be stingy with the bonuses. Be generous,” Lu Yu continued. “Sooner or later, we’ll be a big corporation. If our staff are happy at work, we can be at ease ourselves.”

Deng Qiang laughed. “Mr. Lu, you don’t know—I’ve already set the salaries and bonuses quite high. If I raise them any more, I’m afraid people will be breaking down the doors to join us.”

Lu Yu laughed as well. “You could always add quarterly and annual bonuses. In any case, for every position, for every outstanding contribution that’s plain for all to see, make sure it’s rewarded. I may be short on cash, but I’m hardly short on a bit of bonus money.”

Deng Qiang replied, “With you being so generous, Boss, how could I afford to be stingy?”

…

Lu Yu suddenly remembered something. “By the way, we haven’t settled your own salary and bonus, have we?”

Deng Qiang paused. “No, we haven’t.”

Lu Yu asked, “What do you want? Speak your mind.”

Deng Qiang thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t dare to ask for shares. Honestly, I don’t even know what I want, but I trust you won’t treat me unfairly.”

Lu Yu pointed at him, smiling. “Clever fellow! How about this: we’ll set your base salary at a token one yuan, and instead, you’ll get 0.1% of total profits as a bonus. How much you earn will depend on yourself. Of course, if you don’t meet my expectations, these numbers won’t count.”

Deng Qiang beamed. “Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Lu! I’ll give 120% effort for that bonus.”

In truth, what Lu Yu was offering was neither excessive nor stingy.

Given the momentum of Pink White Black Company, a hundred billion in sales would be easily attainable.

The cosmetics industry, especially facial masks, was already highly profitable.

So a 0.1% bonus could easily amount to tens of millions.

After all, Deng Qiang had been with the company from its humble beginnings, painstakingly growing it with his team, and would continue to do so in the future.

You can’t expect the horse to run if you don’t feed it.

Lu Yu also had lunch with Deng Qiang and several department heads, offering them a few words of encouragement. He assured them that with the company’s growth, they would not be shortchanged come year’s end, much to everyone’s delight.

…

He returned home past four in the afternoon.

Calculating the time, Lu Yu decided to find a good restaurant, ordered a generous selection of dishes, and had them packed to take home—just in time for the two women’s return from work.

Sure enough, he had barely arrived with the food before the two women came home from work as well.

They glanced at the spread on the table, put their bags down on the living room sofa, and sat down to eat.

After a day of adjustment and rest, they no longer appeared as slow and stiff as they had that morning; they looked much more normal.

Lu Yu smiled and helped them to some meat, otherwise they would both have just eaten vegetables.

Qin Xiaomian was as talkative as ever, eager to share all her copywriting and work stories with Lu Yu.

Shi Zixuan occasionally chimed in, and for a moment, the house was filled with a warm, homely atmosphere.

After dinner and a short rest, Lu Yu went upstairs to change into workout clothes, came back down, and ran on the treadmill.

He ran for a long while, only slowing down when he was drenched in sweat and could hardly continue, then walked at a slower pace.

There was no denying the joy that comes from exercise.

Though exhausting at first, once sweat had soaked through his clothes, the exhilaration and relaxation left him completely at ease.

…

Lu Yu finally shook off the discouragement from his recent failed experiments.

Though he had seemed fine on the surface these past few days, the sense of disappointment had lingered in his heart.

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After a couple of days of exercise, Lu Yu finally relaxed his body and spirit completely.

He realized he hadn’t had the technology files for long, nor had he studied Bluestar’s knowledge for very long. There was no reason to be so hard on himself.

He only needed to keep reading and learning; as his mind continued to develop, the problems he now faced would eventually cease to be problems.

So far, he had only read about internet programming and a small amount of biomedical science.

If he found things difficult already, then how would he ever face the advanced physics, chemistry, and cutting-edge technologies awaiting him in the future?

Walking on the treadmill, he worked through these thoughts and soon found clarity.

Exercise truly did help relieve stress and relax the body and mind.

It also fostered positivity and an upward spirit.

He resolved to keep it up.

…

After walking for quite a while, he finally stopped, wiped off his sweat with a dry towel, and left the gym.

Over half an hour later, dressed in a bathrobe and carrying his freshly changed clothes, he tossed them into the washing machine.

While the laundry was running, Lu Yu lounged on the sofa, browsing his phone for recent news.

He scrolled through, but found little of interest.

There was no shortage of entertainment news—but Lu Yu paid it little mind.

He’d heard about a certain actress with the surname Bai who had cheated on her husband—after all, the scandal was big enough to be hard to miss.

Entertainment folk—how could there be any true love among them?

It was all about practical needs, with rare genuine unions.

Even if there were true feelings, in such a dazzling world, who could stay true for long?

Ordinary people might still experience love, might still encounter it.

But in that circle, it was unlikely.

…

As he scrolled absentmindedly, he noticed that the recently popular actress Su Yihan, who had previously joined netizens in scrambling for face masks online, had a new movie out.

It was called “Urban Men and Women”—the title alone made it clear it was about love stories in the city.

(Both the person and the film are fictional; any resemblance to real people or works is purely coincidental.)

Lu Yu had no idea if the movie was any good, but he figured he could have Old Liu tally up the nearest theaters for employees and buy a batch of tickets as a company perk.

After all, Su Yihan had brought plenty of attention to the face mask rush; buying tickets to support her film would be a nice gesture in return.

It wasn’t much, but the thought counted.

In any case, the money wouldn’t go to her, but to the theaters and investors.

Having made up his mind, Lu Yu messaged Liu Shichang with the idea.

He specifically emphasized: buy more than enough; the employees shouldn’t have to go alone. Many have families and friends—let them claim tickets as needed.

Such small perks were not worth quibbling over.

Liu Shichang replied promptly, saying he would start collecting the data the following day.

Lu Yu also told him that all employees of Pink White Black Cosmetics Company should be included—no favoritism. He asked Liu to inform Deng Qiang as well.

Liu confirmed, and just as Lu Yu’s laundry finished, the conversation ended.

…

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