Chapter 395: 402: Conquering Desire

“There’s another matter I’d like to discuss with Madam,” Fu Lu added, having intended to seek her advice even if Su Wenyue had not visited today. After all, Fu Lu couldn’t just decide on such matters on his own, even though Madam had granted him ample authority. He had to merit Madam’s trust by basing his actions on solid grounds.

“Uncle Fu, please state your business,” Su Wenyue said upon seeing Uncle Fu address her so formally.

“It’s like this: Madam wants to expand the business, which means I cannot devote all my energy to the Department Store alone. We need sufficient hands to help, so I was thinking of recruiting someone.”

Su Wenyue had thought Uncle Fu was seeking her opinion on some significant issue. Upon hearing his words, she said, “I’ve already given you the authority, Uncle Fu. You should decide on such matters yourself. As long as the person is reliable, I won’t object.”

“I thank Madam for her trust. If it were an ordinary person, I would have decided by myself. However, this individual requires Madam’s consent, as his recent affairs have tarnished his reputation somewhat. Many stores are reluctant to hire such a person, and there are also some entanglements with Chen Li. Therefore, as a subordinate, I came to report to Madam and dared not make my own decision,” Fu Lu explained the situation clearly.

“Oh? Who is this person who concerns Uncle Fu so much and is even connected to Chen Li?” Su Wenyue became somewhat curious. Anyone whom Fu Lu valued and recommended certainly possessed talent and ability, and their character wouldn’t be too poor. As for outside reputation, Su Wenyue didn’t mind much, but since Fu Lu spoke as he did, she still needed to ask clearly. Being entangled with Chen Li alone made her wary. Who knew if this person was a spy sent by Chen Li to gather intelligence?

“I’ve had some reservations before, but this individual truly has some skills. Most importantly, he’s quite upright and doesn’t hide malice, which makes him most suitable for managing the Department Store,” Fu Lu continued to clarify his reasoning.

Su Wenyue’s interest was piqued: “Oh, Uncle Fu, stop keeping me in suspense. Just tell me who it is. My curiosity has been aroused by you. Chen Li isn’t a simple woman. Since this man is connected to Chen Li, how come he hasn’t been won over by her? And he would be willing to join us?”

Seeing Su Wenyue’s eagerness, with a trace of childlike innocence, Uncle Fu chuckled warmly. After all, he had watched Madam grow up and held a deep affection for her as if she were his own child.

“Since Madam has said so, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The person is Yu Zhengqing, the shopkeeper previously employed by Chen Li. He was initially hired by Chen Li for a substantial sum, presumably for his reputation. However, when Chen Li’s shop started to suffer from business suppression and incurred significant losses, Chen Li wouldn’t accept her failure and blamed Yu Zhengqing instead, falsely accusing him. The issue escalated to the Government, where Yu Zhengqing’s innocence was proven, yet he no longer wished to continue working for Chen Li and left in indignation.”

“Is it him?” At the mention of Yu Zhengqing, Su Wenyue was naturally familiar. Not to say that she had orchestrated the whole matter, but she had certainly made a significant contribution behind the scenes and was the driving force behind it. However, since Yu Zhengqing’s innocence had been confirmed in the end, why did he have a bad reputation that other shops did not want to hire him? Su Wenyue couldn’t understand and voiced her confusion.

Fu Lu was not surprised by Su Wenyue’s reaction. After all, Madam was young and naive, more attuned to right and wrong, black and white. However, business dealings were not always so clear-cut, and he patiently explained this to Su Wenyue to broaden her horizons.

“Although what Madam said isn’t wrong, and we believe in Yu Zhengqing’s innocence because we know the truth, others might not see it the same way. Especially since the Government, due to General Liu’s influence, was somewhat biased towards Chen Li’s side and did not penalize her based on Yu Zhengqing’s accusations, this gave an illusion to those uninformed. Many would think Yu Zhengqing was too cunning, hiding evidence of his crime, allowing him to escape punishment from the Government but not proving his innocence,” Fu Lu expounded.

“But those are just speculations. It is more likely that Yu Zhengqing is indeed innocent!” Su Wenyue said with a hint of indignation.

“That may be so, but what does it matter? The so-called way of employing people, in most people’s eyes, they would rather hire someone with a cleaner reputation, even if their abilities are lacking. It is more reassuring than hiring someone who might be insidious. Moreover, the reason that the shop’s losses became such a scandal is because they were so substantial. In most people’s eyes, this reflects poorly on Yu Zhengqing’s abilities.”

Having said all this, Su Wenyue felt somewhat uneasy. No one knew better how wronged Yu Zhengqing was. The shop’s losses were not his fault, and if it weren’t for Yu Zhengqing’s efforts, the losses would have been even worse. She was the person responsible for all of it.

“Since Uncle Fu holds Yu Zhengqing in such high regard, let’s bring him over. I trust Uncle Fu’s judgment. Anyone you value should be trustworthy in both character and ability.” Su Wenyue already lacked talents so even without Fu Lu’s suggestion, she had plans to recruit Yu Zhengqing. With Fu Lu bringing it up, she readily agreed, doing Uncle Fu a favor and fulfilling her own wishes in one move—an ideal outcome.

Seeing Su Wenyue agree without hesitation, not wavering for a moment, Fu Lu felt a comforting sense of approval. Madam’s trust made him even more determined to work hard and justify her faith in him.

“Madam’s trust in me is unwavering; I shall not disappoint. Yu Zhengqing will undoubtedly become an excellent assistant to you, Madam.”

“Good, I look forward to it.”

After the discussion about Yu Zhengqing finished, Su Wenyue shared numerous business strategies and ideas with Uncle Fu, which left him thoroughly impressed. With such innovative thoughts from Madam, he gained even more confidence—the Department Store was sure to thrive.

—

Chen Li had been full of competitive spirit lately. Her shop had suffered losses, and she was determined to recoup the losses, hoping to restore General Liu’s confidence and regard for her.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chen Li could feel a subtle shift in General Liu’s attitude towards her. He had started to show signs of impatience after being together for so long, and that was not a good sign.

It wasn’t that Chen Li was particularly fond of General Liu. In fact, she preferred the cold and domineering Han Yu, but he seemed unwilling to pay her much attention, probably because he already had a wife. The more he ignored her, the more Chen Li felt an irresistible urge. Such a good man, devoted wholeheartedly to his wife, was hard to find—not only in ancient times but even in modern times with its one-man-one-wife norm. It was just unfortunate that this good man’s loyalty was not directed towards her, but it sparked a desire in her to conquer him.