Chapter 72: Paid Shopping Trip?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Everyone was feeling a little abashed!

The company had arranged for high specification computers, given overtime pay, project bonuses, snacks; their normal expenses claims were already significant.

Now, even if one of them wanted to top-up money to play games, that could also be counted as expenses?

As if sensing everyone’s apprehension, Xin Hailu smiled slightly and continued, “Everyone doesn’t have to feel uneasy. This afternoon, Boss Pei will accompany all of us to the shopping complex to celebrate Ocean Stronghold’s success!

“Get ready your things; we’ll be knocking off today at three in the afternoon punctually. A bus would be waiting for us downstairs on the dot.”

…

Pei Qian had predicted that some people would not feel good about using this special expense. He was worried that they wouldn’t be willing to spend on this 3500 yuan in special expenses. Hence, he was going to bring everyone to the shopping complex today, so that they would use up all the money in their gift cards and the special expense!

After all, Pei Qian was going all out to spend money now. When the System Funds started the settlement process, it would naturally provide him with more money; it would be a waste if he didn’t spend what he had now!

He had roughly calculated. The System Funds had around one million one hundred thousand yuan in it. Wages and bonuses for this month amounted to four hundred thousand while the gift cards had thirty thousand in them. Once everyone used up their special expenses, that would be another hundred thousand yuan. Pei Qian would then buy some more things for himself and maybe spend another hundred thousand yuan?

After this rampage spending, there was indeed hope of creating a loss!

Unfortunately, he had already paid the rent and other utilities and fees at the start of the month; and he couldn’t pay next month’s ahead of time.

Pei Qian grew happier the more he calculated. He decided to go on a spending spree with everyone in tow at the shopping complex!

Everyone had to spend the full 3500 yuan for me; not a cent could be left!

…

At three in the afternoon, everyone boarded the bus and arrived at the shopping mall.

After disembarking, Pei Qian clapped his hands lightly to get everyone’s attention. “To celebrate Ocean Stronghold’s success and everyone’s hard work, I have decided to reward everyone with a paid shopping trip! The thousand yuan shopping gift card must be spent; the three thousand five hundred in special expenses as well! As long as someone doesn’t finish spending it all, no one is allowed to leave!

“Alright, dismissed!”

Everyone glanced at each other for a moment as they then instantly roared their delight.

“Alright!”

“Many thanks, Boss Pei!”

A few younger employees immediately rushed to the reception desk. A paid shopping trip was too good to be true; no one had seen any company being so generous before! This was such a huge shopping mall; they could buy to their heart’s content! Not only could they spend their shopping gift card and special expenses, but they also had their salaries!

Everyone’s wages had been raised during an increment; combined with the project bonus, everyone had a sizable amount of funds; they definitely had many things they wanted to buy!

Pei Qian soon saw that all his employees had formed into groups as they all left. Those who had left the fastest were those with the greatest desire for shopping; it wasn’t an issue for these folks to finish spending their money.

Those that were slightly hesitant and entered whichever shop they saw to shop while they might slightly more cautiously, they should not have much left either.

As for the last group that was taking their own sweet time and didn’t seem to like shopping that much, Pei Qian felt that he needed to keep a close eye on this bunch.

These people might potentially not spend all their money!

This bad habit of not spending decisively had to be curbed! Huang Sibo, Xiao Lu, Lin Wan, and Ma Yang soon became part of this last group. Pei Qian decided to focus his attention on these four. Besides Lin Wan, the other three were the type that didn’t know how to spend money and didn’t have many material needs. Hence, they didn’t have much passion for shopping.

As for Lin Wan… she really thought she lacked nothing. If she lacked anything, she would have long bought it and wouldn’t have waited until now. To her, observing Pei Qian was more important than spending money!

Lin Wan thought that as a boss, Pei Qian was really too special!

Not only had he given everyone shopping gift cards and a special expenses tab, but he had also proactively brought everyone to come and shop?

He was so meticulous!

Could this be the legendary humorous, warm, easy-going, and meticulous boss?

The few of them sauntered in the shopping mall and soon reached Shenhua Digital’s exclusive shop. As the largest telecommunications and hardware manufacturer in the country—although Shenhua Corporation also dabbled in real estate and tech ventures, its main business was in digital products such as computers, cell phones, earphones, etc.

Xiao Lu lifted the latest flagship phone model and instantly fell in love with it. Pei Qian thought that in comparison with the phone models in his previous life during the same years, these phones’ appearances were actually quite decent.

In his previous life, smartphones in 2009 and 2010 were actually not that common yet. There was a wide variety of phones on the market. Most of them still had basic keyboards with a number pad; some even had full keyboards.

In this world, as the era of smartphones had arrived earlier, most of the phones on display here were fully touchscreen. This world was probably two or three years faster than his previous one. It felt more or less like the preliminary stages of Xiaomi.

Xiao Lu was now holding the Shenhua G9 model. It was one of the very few on the market currently that catered slightly more towards mobile gaming; it was 3999 yuan.

After taking a long and hard look, Xiao Lu placed the phone down silently.

Pei Qian was now not happy.

“What’s wrong, you don’t like it?” Pei Qian asked.

Xiao Lu hurriedly replied, “Err, nope. Just that I feel that my current cell phone can last for another year. Furthermore… this is a little pricey…”

“A little pricey? Use your special expense!” Pei Qian said.

“Ah? Boss Pei, this can be used under special expense as well?” Xiao Lu was a little bewildered. “What does buying this cell phone have to do with work…?”

Pei Qian shook his head, “Why isn’t it related? Who said we might not move to developing mobile games in the future? We could even do a new edition of Ghost General, right? What’s wrong with purchasing a new gaming cell phone as a test?”

“Err…” Xiao Lu was a little lost for words.

“The special expense limit is 3500 yuan. If you use 499 from the shopping gift card, wouldn’t that be just nice?”

Xiao Lu blinked. “However…”

“What’s there to hesitate about? Don’t you want this? Your current G6 is a model from two years ago; it’s almost going to crash, right? I think that using this phone has evidently lowered your work productivity!”

“Next time if I need to find you for something and your phone hangs, wouldn’t that disrupt our work? For the sake of your work, change it!” Pei Qian said sternly.

Xiao Lu could only nod and say, “Alright, Boss Pei!”

He was a little emotional as he took a brand new unsealed phone from the table and went to settle the bill.

“Remember, use three thousand five hundred on your credit card and four hundred and ninety-nine from the shopping gift card; then, give the receipt to Assistant Xin to charge as expenses!

“Don’t spend your own salary!”

Seeing Xiao Lu heading to pay, Pei Qian was still a little not content. He looked at Huang Sibo and asked, “I think it’s time for your cell phone to change as well, right?”

Huang Sibo hurriedly gestured and said, “No, Boss Pei, I only changed it two months ago…”

“However, your cell phone is a lite version; it is like digital trash, do you know?” Pei Qian took a look and immediately saw what model that was.

“There’s really no need, Boss Pei. I have other things I want to buy.” Huang Sibo rejected once more.

Pei Qian nodded. Since Huang Sibo had other things to buy, Pei Qian was going to wait and see. He took a look at Lin Wan. However, Lin Wan actually raised her left hand and displayed the Shenhua M10 model in her hand.

This was the latest commercial flagship cell phone; the cheapest model cost over five thousand yuan. Furthermore, Lin Wan’s cell phone looked rather special; it should be a high-spec one. Lin Wan said, “I basically have everything in this shop, Boss Pei.”

Pei Qian, “…”

Sigh, rich second-generation heirs really could do as they wished; Lin Wan was really something!