Chapter 106: The Professional Manager (Please Subscribe! Please Vote!)

Historically, Chinatown has never been without wealthy Chinese magnates, yet many of them ultimately fell into ruin due to nepotism and favoritism.

Recently, Wang An planned to hand over the CEO position of his company to his own son. This sparked a fierce uproar among the shareholders and even made headlines in the newspapers. As a result, Wang An’s computer company experienced a slight drop in its market value. His son was not a talented manager, and the old man Wang knew this well, yet under the influence of traditional values, he stubbornly insisted on his decision.

What caused Su Mu’s anxiety was mainly his youth and the family’s tendency to meddle in his affairs.

Stubborn as ever, Old Su refused to listen to anyone once he believed he was right. Su Mu worried that if his family found out he had invested in a supermarket, they might intervene and cause conflict.

At sixteen, the age when one begins to develop a unique way of thinking, Su Mu was slowly growing, his mindset becoming more independent.

After much contemplation, he came up with a solution: to hire a professional manager!

Having a manager in the middle would prevent his parents from directly controlling him and would not interfere with the company’s operations. Otherwise, under his grandfather’s heavy-handed pressure, Su Mu would likely be unable to bear it.

Every family has its troubles.

There are as many ways to raise children as there are parents. Su Mu’s family was relatively good — at least harmonious and caring.

If it weren’t for his grandfather’s overbearing nature, Su Mu’s personality might have been much better. The saying “there are gains and losses” truly applied here; the older generation’s rigid thinking made it difficult to reason with them.

So, just after eight in the evening, he told his father, who was busy cooking for guests, a quick goodbye and hurried out to find some help.

If the business went well, he would have to inform his family the next day about his supermarket investment. Su Mu needed a manager to shield him, to prevent his grandfather or parents from developing the idea that they could manage the company themselves.

He didn’t know many professional managers—actually, just one: “Money,” the Jewish boy from Chinatown named Helberg, who was studying at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Su Mu thought that Helberg should know quite a few outstanding business talents. He didn’t expect them to be exceptionally capable; he just wanted to get through this hurdle. There would be plenty of time to replace the manager later.

The last time he visited, Helberg was selling his father’s old house. Su Mu knew where it was and muttered to himself on the way, “Please don’t leave,” and “Saving people is like fighting a fire.”

Su Mu knew his family well and did not believe that either his grandfather or his parents could manage the supermarket properly.

From the radio broadcasts, he had only heard a few reliable pieces of news—one being that Walmart would rise. This showed that the supermarket industry had great potential, but he feared that if his parents interfered, they might ruin everything.

It was a rather unfortunate situation.

Still a minor, Su Mu’s parents and elders had the legal and moral right to intervene in all his affairs. If his grandfather stubbornly insisted on managing Su Mu’s business, there was little he could do.

He had just managed to secure over four thousand dollars in startup funds, and next, his family might help manage the company. Whether that would be management or sabotage was uncertain, hence his urgency.

From a distance, Su Mu saw the lights still on in Helberg’s house, his face lighting up with joy.

Crossing the street to Helberg’s doorstep, Su Mu raised his arm and knocked. Soon, someone opened the door. Seeing that Helberg was indeed home, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s great, you’re still here,” he said.

“Me? I’ve been home all along. What’s up?” Helberg asked, confused.

***********************

As a prime example of a child left to their own devices by their parents, Helberg listened to Su Mu’s story and gradually understood. Enlightened, he asked, “You’re worried your family will take over your company?”

“Huh?” Su Mu was a bit bewildered and hurried to explain, “No, no! They just think I’m incapable and will want to manage the company for me. But my family hasn’t studied business systematically, so I’m afraid things will go wrong.”

Helberg nodded knowingly. He truly understood and mocked Su Mu a little: “Well, you’re a minor. Of course they don’t trust you. But I get what you mean—my mother used to be very controlling, which I hated at the time, but now I miss that feeling of being cared for.”

“Sorry,” Su Mu said softly, sitting on the sofa.

He apologized because Helberg’s Chinese mother had passed away, while Helberg was still spoiled by his family. His discontent, at this moment, almost sounded like boasting.

“No need to apologize. It’s not your fault she’s gone; it’s my father’s fault,” Helberg said.

It had been a long time since then; both of Helberg’s parents were deceased. Now he lived alone in this empty house. He poured Su Mu a glass of water and said:

“If you come tomorrow, you might not see me. The house has been sold at a low price.”

“Well, I guess I’m lucky,” Su Mu replied.

“Do you mean you need a professional manager to handle your business? Fifteen thousand dollars—where did you get that much money?”

“More than fifteen thousand. I also invested in a company in Menlo Park, Silicon Valley, which mainly sells computers,” Su Mu said.

He paused for two seconds, remembering he was asking for a favor, and then truthfully added, “I was lucky to win a lottery ticket during the summer vacation, and just happened to have a business opportunity. So I didn’t tell my family and used the money to invest first.”

“Looks like you really have good luck. Okay, Su, what do you think of me?” Helberg asked.

“What?” Su Mu replied.

“I mean, if I help you manage your business, and you pay me two thousand dollars a month, I’ll do it. Provided you don’t mind that I haven’t graduated yet, but I definitely know more about business than you do. Last summer and the summer before, I interned at Morgan Stanley.”

This piqued Su Mu’s curiosity. He asked Helberg, “Why don’t you finish at Wharton? I thought it was a great school.”

“No money. Just thinking about having to repay those loans for so long makes me feel sick,” Helberg said, his expression a little downcast.

At first, he thought selling the house would give him enough money to continue his studies, but it turned out his father owed a lot of debts outside. The house was his father’s asset, and only after paying off the debts would any money be left for him.

Wharton was still in session, but Helberg hadn’t been to school for half a month.

“Two thousand dollars a month is a bit high. How about this: if you impress me after three months, I’ll pay you that salary. During the three-month probation period, I can only pay you one thousand dollars a month. Deal?”

“Okay, you’re the boss. I want to get half a month’s pay in advance for food,” Helberg replied.

Su Mu nodded, his heart bleeding a little—hiring one more person meant spending an extra sum.