Chapter 137: Are You Hiring at Your Company?

Mr. Han kept completely quiet about selling his own shares. He urged Su Mu to sell a 49 percent stake for two million dollars, painting it as a golden opportunity, yet when Su Mu countered with a three-million-dollar asking price for the deal, Mr. Han was unwilling to part with even a single percentage point of the 51 percent he held.

The situation was now crystal clear. He knew the true value of the business and was playing Su Mu for a fool, attempting to bait him with a two-million-dollar windfall. He had expected it to be easy, treating Su Mu like a naive child, and had assumed the boy would be thrilled to sell. The reality, however, was quite the opposite.

During the phone call, Mr. Han told Su Mu to think it over, and the conversation ended on a sour note.

Previously, no matter how much Mr. Han tightened his grip on the management, Su Mu had never caused a scene. His original intention in investing in the supermarket was simply to make some money; he cared little for day-to-day control as long as the company’s trajectory remained sound, and he was happy to let his partner handle the rest.

Things were different now. Mr. Han had resorted to underhanded tactics to push Su Mu out. As for the so-called "investor" interested in buying the shares, it was likely Mr. Han himself, attempting to seize full control of the company.

Su Mu reflected on how things had reached this point, feeling that he, too, was largely to blame. He had failed to install his own personnel in management during the company's infancy, or alternatively, he should have insisted on both of them relinquishing control to a professional manager. At the time, out of a sense of decorum, he had felt awkward about inserting his own people. After all, Mr. Han had done all the heavy lifting in the beginning; to demand control later would have felt like reaping the harvest without having planted the trees.

He could only blame his own former ignorance and his misplaced trust in Mr. Han’s character. Neither of them had expected the Fun-Buy Supermarket to grow into such a massive success—a success so great that it had made Mr. Han’s eyes turn green with greed.

Having tested the waters once, Mr. Han would likely try again. Su Mu had no desire to create a rift at such a critical stage of growth, but if the other man continued to strike at him, he was prepared to fight back. He wasn't ready to burn bridges just yet, but he was no longer passive. The other party relied solely on the supermarket's profits, whereas Su Mu owned the highly lucrative Penguin company. His own net worth was already equal to, if not greater than, Mr. Han’s, and that realization gave him confidence.

He wondered if his firm warning to Mr. Han—not to treat him like an idiot—would be enough to make him back down. Unable to predict how things would unfold, he sat on the sofa, clutching his head in frustration.

Suddenly remembering something, he picked up the phone again and dialed the house in Beverly Hills.

Su Mu’s father, Su Dingcai, had stopped running his restaurant. Living off his son’s success, he had recently begun his retirement early, daydreaming about opening a grand restaurant once he had more money. He answered the phone lazily, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, your son!"

"Oh? Which son?"

"I’m in no mood for jokes. Has Mr. Han reached out to you? He’s trying to trick me into selling my supermarket shares. He wants to buy them for a measly two million dollars—he thinks I’m a fool. Tell Grandpa and Mom: unless he offers ten million, nobody is to agree to anything!"

"...Really? That scumbag actually tried to pull that on us? Fine, I get it. I’ll tell them later. A 'measly two million,' well said—you’re truly my son!"

Su Mu rolled his eyes. When it came to losing money, he never had to worry about his family losing their cool. Given their nature—where they would pinch pennies over a few dollars of electricity—if millions of dollars were on the line, they would fight tooth and nail. Unknowingly, he had become the backbone of the family. He was the clever one who could make millions, and even the old man didn't dare act like the patriarch or offer unsolicited advice, especially since he didn't have the brains for it anyway. They were perfectly happy to let Su Mu run the show.

"Son," Su Dingcai asked, sounding uncertain, "is it really worth ten million?"

"It’s not worth that much yet, but it will be soon. Don't let Mr. Han pump you for information. It’s best to act as if we have plenty of money," Su Mu replied. "I’ve realized this: the wealthier you are, the safer you are. Once I make billions, even the President won't dare target me. I’ll handle the supermarket situation. The shares are mine; he can't force me to sell. Don't worry about it."

He had wanted to contact Qian Helberg to ask about Mr. Han’s recent movements, but mobile phones weren't widely available yet, so he would have to wait until he got home from work.

Worried about his family being swindled, Su Mu had given them a heads-up. Having spent the last six months studying programming, textbooks, and the science of business, his mindset had changed significantly.

James was sitting on the sofa nearby watching TV. He hadn't intended to listen, but he had caught the gist of the conversation. He knew Su Mu was doing business and doing it well, but they rarely discussed work, so he hadn't known the specifics. Realizing now that the scale of the business was far larger than he had imagined, he couldn't help but sigh; it was infuriating how people differed, considering Su Mu had been a poor kid when he first moved in last year.

After his own startup failed, James had been working part-time as a teacher at a programming training center for a mediocre salary. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Is your company hiring? I remember you asking me who knew how to develop programs. I have those technical skills, and I'm about to graduate from Stanford. I’ll have plenty of time."

Su Mu had originally intended to enter the software development industry, but he had been too busy to manage it and had no idea where to start, so the project had been delayed repeatedly.

Interested, Su Mu said, "That works. Can you help me hire some people? We can start right now. I have a pretty good idea, and it has a high chance of success. The computers and the space are already set up. I just rented an office on Sand Hill Road with two empty rooms. How do you want to handle this? Want to partner with me?"

Having partnered with Li Zhekai to develop office software only to see all his time and money vanish, James was traumatized. He shook his head quickly. "No partnership. Just pay me a salary to work for you. If the development is successful and we make money, just give me a bonus. A lot of companies are recruiting at our school lately; I can help you ask my classmates. There should still be some who haven't found jobs and are busy with their theses. How about a starting rate of seventeen dollars an hour? That’s about the minimum; any lower and no one will be interested."

In recent years, programmers were a hot commodity, especially top-tier ones, with monthly salaries easily exceeding ten thousand dollars. The talent market was constantly being raided.

Su Mu nodded with a smile. "Fine. As long as they have real skills, we'll go with that rate, plus two months of extra salary as a bonus. It would be best to recruit a senior programmer."

"OK, leave it to me. I'm so sick of teaching those clueless people all day..."