Xu Xiuwen thought for a moment and added, "We used to produce 41-degree Lao Guangming wine and 40-degree Guanglu wine. Nowadays, people increasingly prefer high-proof liquor, so we should launch a 50-degree aged original brew. Publicly, we will claim to have found the recipe for the tribute wine that Bao Er presented to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, reproducing the Ming dynasty emperor's Mingguang tribute wine. (Guangming wine is a name bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang.)
The new wine launched by the winery targets the mid-to-high-end market. You need to research the quality of the wine, but the bottle and packaging must be changed.
My hope is that when people see the bottle, they immediately think it's a high-end product, not a cheap one. As for the packaging, I suggest using high-end leather boxes uniformly, and we can set the price above 400 yuan."
Xu Chengde had been listening all this while and couldn't help but say, "Isn't 400 too expensive? No one will spend 400 on our Guangming wine."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled upon hearing this.
He wanted to tell Xu Chengde that in his previous life, a lot of rubbish could be sold at high prices as long as it was well-packaged and marketed.
Xu Xiuwen explained, "Director Xu, do you know what's most important in the 21st century?... It's packaging and marketing. No matter what wine we sell, if the packaging and marketing are good, people will recognize our wine. I've thought it through; Langya is our stronghold. The new wine must first establish itself in Langya. I plan to have the city government leaders help promote it, ideally persuading them to make our Mingguang tribute wine aged original brew the official reception wine for the city government."
Xu Chengde asked, "Isn't that difficult? Why would the leaders help us promote it?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "When the wine is produced, I plan to hold a ribbon-cutting event, inviting city government leaders to participate in the winery's opening and inspection. At noon, we'll host a banquet to entertain the leaders, offering the new wine for them to taste. After the banquet, each leader will be given a bottle, emphasizing that this new wine is a high-end product, made from a tribute wine recipe from hundreds of years ago and not easy to produce. After drinking the wine and receiving our gift, how could the leaders refuse to help promote it? Of course, the premise is that the quality of the wine must be up to standard. Once we establish the reputation of Mingguang Tribute Wine Aged Original Brew, we can later introduce 5-year aged original brew and 8-year aged original brew to expand the market. Along with our unique Guanglu wine, the winery will definitely turn around."
Everyone in the conference room was astonished by the new boss.
Some of his ideas seemed extreme and impractical, but on closer thought, they found them feasible.
The only way for the winery to revive seemed to be to follow the new boss's plan.
The new boss looked young, but he was both smart and daring.
All seven managers put away their underestimations.
Xu Xiuwen looked at the production manager and said, "Producing high-quality 50-degree aged original brew, the brewing techniques don't need me to worry, right? I hope you can cooperate with the procurement manager to produce a batch of wine that meets the requirements as soon as possible. If there are any difficulties, communicate with Director Xu."
Turning to Xu Qian, Xu Xiuwen said, "The trademark for the new wine name must be registered promptly. As for the bottle design... Forget it, give me paper and pen."
After saying this, Xu Qian immediately handed over the paper and pen.
Taking the paper and pen, Xu Xiuwen started drawing the bottle from memory.
Xu Xiuwen's drawing skills weren't high, but he had a good memory.
He directly drew the bottle of the old tribute wine aged original brew.
Handing the paper to the office manager, Xu Xiuwen said, "Find a reputable glass factory as soon as possible and have them produce a few samples according to my drawing. I want to see them first. The price isn't the key; the key is that the quality of the produced bottles must meet the standards. Tell them that if the bottles meet my requirements, we can establish a long-term cooperation."
After the meeting, everyone got busy.
Xu Xiuwen asked the HR department to prepare for recruiting sales staff.
Everyone in Guangming City and Langya City knew that Guangming Winery had gone bankrupt.
After the winery was acquired, a major layoff began. Many people doubted the future of the winery, so no one applied for the job in the first two days.
On the third day, young people finally started coming in for interviews.
Xu Xiuwen had simple requirements for salespeople: young, energetic, and able to speak well.
On the third day, Xu Xiuwen hired nearly ten newcomers at once, both men and women, almost all locals from Guangming City.
For the first three months, it was an internship period. Xu Xiuwen offered a salary of 1,500 yuan per month, with a base salary of 2,500 yuan plus commission after regularization.
This salary standard was considered very high in the local area.
By the fourth day, more young people came for interviews.
In the end, a total of 30 salespeople were hired. Not one of them had ever worked in sales before, and many had no idea what sales entailed.
So after hiring, the first thing Xu Xiuwen did was train them personally.
During the training, Xu Xiuwen's first words were, "The first three months are the assessment period. After three months, the ten people with the worst performance will be eliminated. The best performer will receive a 1,000 yuan bonus. The second to fifth places will receive 500 yuan, and the sixth to tenth places will receive 300 yuan."
In Langya City in 2005, the average monthly salary was less than 1,500 yuan.
The salary Xu Xiuwen offered, 2,500 yuan after regularization, was significantly above the average and considered a very good deal.
Besides the base salary, there were bonuses.
By proportion, with ten people eliminated, at least half of the remaining 20 people could get a 300 yuan bonus, making it 2,800 yuan.
After hearing Xu Xiuwen's words, the new employees' eyes turned red. They had only one thought: to stay no matter what and become regular employees.
Then Xu Xiuwen began the formal training.
He spent two days sharing the sales experiences and techniques he had learned in his previous life with the newcomers.
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
A glass factory has been found, and after several modifications and adjustments, a bottle that Xu Xiuwen is satisfied with has been produced.
It is almost identical to the bottle of aged Laogong Liquor from his previous life.
The purchasing manager has already procured a batch of high-quality raw materials, and the distillery has begun production.
The trademark registration also went smoothly.
After the distillery resumed operations, the biggest problem Xu Xiuwen faced was a lack of funds.
To address this, Xu Xiuwen had to mortgage his house and car in Jinling, securing a loan that significantly alleviated the immediate financial crisis.
With this loan, the distillery's operations could be sustained for the time being.
Xu Xiuwen has truly put everything on the line for the distillery.
Most people would not have the courage to do what he did.
To many, Xu Xiuwen's actions seemed crazy, and he knew they were.
That's why he kept everything a secret from Ning Wanqiu, knowing that if she found out, she would definitely give him a good beating.
A month had passed since the school term began. While other students were still attending classes, Xu Xiuwen was busy with the distillery.
He rented a room in a hotel near the distillery and stayed there at night, hardly ever returning to Jinling.
Not returning to Jinling or school meant he had no chance to see Cheng Lu or anyone else.
Since the incident last time, he had called Cheng Lu at night, but every time he called, the call was immediately hung up.
He eventually gave up calling and started sending text messages.
Initially, he sent apologies and expressed his feelings, and later, he shared his daily experiences, describing the people he met and the things he did.
But no matter what he sent, he never received a response.
Still, Xu Xiuwen did not give up.
He knew he was in the wrong, and Cheng Lu had every right to be angry.
On April 18th, after a busy morning, Xu Xiuwen followed Xu Qian to her home for lunch.
During this period, he mostly ate at her house, along with Zhao Yatong, who also came over for meals every day.
With daily meals at Xu Qian's house, Xu Xiuwen became more familiar with her family, calling her parents "Uncle Xu" and "Aunt Zheng."
Zheng Jinyun liked him very much and always cooked his favorite dishes, which made Xu Qian jealous.
She often complained to her mother, who always responded with a gentle smile.
After lunch, Xu Xiuwen and Zhao Yatong went back to the hotel for a nap.
Xu Xiuwen asked, "Zhao Yatong, I need to go back to Jinling today. Do you want to come with me?"
Their rooms were next to each other.
Just as Zhao Yatong opened her door to enter her room, she turned back upon hearing Xu Xiuwen's words and nodded, "Sure, I need to bring some clothes back."
"Okay, I'll call you when it's time."
After a short nap, they returned to the distillery.
Zhao Yatong, having been transferred from Jinling to the distillery's finance department, had a busy workload, while Xu Xiuwen's job was relatively easier.
At 5 PM, Xu Xiuwen found Zhao Yatong and accompanied her back to the hotel to get her suitcase.
Then, he drove to Jinling.
At 7 PM, in a private room of a restaurant on East Street of Jiaotong University , two girls sat facing each other.
Anyone who knew them would immediately recognize them as An Shishi and Cheng Lu, the two campus belles of Jiaotong University.
An Shishi, facing the door, wore a white sexy camisole with a white knitted cardigan over it and gray sweatpants, giving a look that was both sexy and cute, pure yet alluring.
Cheng Lu, with her back to the door, wore a lace high-neck base shirt with a brown knitted cardigan and a lace double-layer skirt, revealing a small section of her legs.
She wore brown cotton socks that just covered her ankles, paired with white sneakers, exuding a gentle and vintage literary charm.
An Shishi said to Cheng Lu, "It's your birthday today, cheer up."
Cheng Lu shook her head and said nothing.
An Shishi's eyes darted around, and she asked, "Are you upset because Xu Xiuwen didn't celebrate your birthday?"
Cheng Lu denied it, "It has nothing to do with him. Don't mention him."
An Shishi and Cheng Lu's relationship had always been average, but they became closer after that night returning from Jiangning Huayuan to their dormitory.
On the night of March 12th, in dorm 301, the three girls returned first, and Cheng Lu came back later.
Upon returning, Xiao Youran was crying uncontrollably.
When Cheng Lu returned, Xiao Youran, not wanting to be seen as a joke, forced herself to stop crying and wiped away her tears, appearing calm.
Seeing Cheng Lu, who looked unbothered, Xiao Youran, unable to hold back, coldly said, "Cheng Lu, I didn't expect you to be such a person, coming between Xiao Xu and me. Are you happy now?!"
Cheng Lu was also feeling down, but unlike Xiao Youran, she didn't show it.
Xiao Youran's question surprised her and made her unhappy.
She turned to Xiao Youran and coldly asked, "Were you with Xu Xiuwen? If not, what right do you have to say I came between you two?"
Xiao Youran said, "Xiao Xu and I have known each other since we were kids. We'll be together sooner or later. You knew about our relationship, so why did you take him from me?"
Cheng Lu replied, "I remember you saying at the start of the school year that you rejected him. Since you rejected him, why can't I be with him?"
"That was because someone was stirring things up," Xiao Youran retorted.
Cheng Lu nodded, "So in the end, it just shows that your feelings for each other weren't strong enough. Besides, I need to remind you, Xu Xiuwen and I are already together. During the winter break, while I was apart from him, you tried to come between us. You are the one who needs to understand your position."
Xiao Youran said, "You're shameless. You took Xiao Xu behind my back."
"He chose me, which means he doesn't like you. Have some self-awareness, will you?"
Xiao Youran couldn't hold back her tears and shouted, "You're lying! Xiao Xu likes me; he admitted it himself."
Cheng Lu calmly responded, "Maybe he did like you before, but now I'm his girlfriend. Don't forget, he just said he chose me."
Cheng Lu's words were a final blow.
Xiao Youran burst into tears.
This was something she couldn't accept.
Even when Xu Xiuwen was secretly with Cheng Lu, she wasn't as upset.
Her Xiao Xu had abandoned her for Cheng Lu!
Xiao Youran cried pitifully.
Song Siyu tried to comfort her repeatedly.
An Shishi was acting particularly strange today.
She didn't join Song Siyu in comforting Xiao Youran.
After a few words of comfort, Song Siyu couldn't help but say to Cheng Lu, "Cheng Lu, we're all roommates. You knew about Xiao Youran and Xu Xiuwen's relationship. Why did you interfere? There are so many boys at school, why did you have to compete with Xiao Youran?"
To Cheng Lu, Song Siyu's words were completely biased towards Xiao Youran.
She didn't even bother to respond.
But then, An Shishi, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.
She said, "Actually, whoever Xu Xiuwen chooses, it's not Cheng Lu's fault, right? He has the freedom to like whoever he wants, and we can't control that."
As soon as An Shishi said this, the dorm room fell silent.
The three girls looked over simultaneously.
Cheng Lu was surprised; she didn't expect An Shishi, who usually had the best relationship with Xiao Youran and Song Siyu, to speak up for her.
Song Siyu was equally astonished.
Xiao Youran found it unbelievable.
Her good roommate and best friend had chosen to side with Cheng Lu, her rival.
She felt as if An Shishi had abandoned their past friendship.
Having just been abandoned by Xu Xiuwen, she now felt abandoned by An Shishi as well.
Xiao Youran felt the whole world had forsaken her.
She lay on the table, crying her heart out.