Chapter 239: Trouble in the Studio
Chapter 239
Rong Dai was a quick learner. Once she got the hang of it, the five of them became a combine harvester racking up consecutive wins.
They played until four in the morning before finally logging off the game and heading upstairs to sleep.
Since it was the new year, they woke up quite late on New Year's Day.
Rong Dai groggily opened her eyes in bed to see Huo Shao Ting already awake, staring at her. Her heart couldn't help but skip a beat as she immediately woke up.
"Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Huo Shao Ting had an arm around her waist and gently asked her.
Rong Dai shook her head. Even though it was the new year, she still had a lot to do. It was impossible for her to just sleep in all day.
"I still have some things to take care of at the company today. I'll come back tonight and take you somewhere nice for dinner."
He stroked her cheek, his eyes full of indulgence.
"You're not eating at home today for New Year's Day?"
Rong Dai was a little puzzled.
"Shao Jie and Mei Shu went with mom to the Lu family. It's like this every year. Granny has to go back too. Our family is different from other families. We only get together on New Year's Eve."
"I only eat dinner at home on New Year's Eve. The rest of the time I'm at the company."
"It's only this year that I have you by my side to spend the new year with."
His voice was gentle, but Rong Dai found it a little heartbreaking to hear.
Everyone said wealthy families led glamorous lives, but for ordinary families New Year's meant a break until at least the Lantern Festival.
But for Huo Shao Ting, New Year's was just a meal at home and staying up till midnight.
After all, his company didn't observe the holidays. There were no Spring Festival celebrations overseas either.
She nodded, "Then I'll go to the studio later. Even though the renovation was very thorough, there are still some areas that need organizing."
Huo Shao Ting nodded. The couple got out of bed, washed up, changed, and went downstairs.
Wang Ma and Li Shu, who were also going back to visit family today, had prepared breakfast for the couple before leaving.
But it was already cold now, and it was almost noon. So the couple went into the kitchen to make lunch themselves.
After eating, Huo Shao Ting sent her to the siheyuan they had bought before driving to the company.
"Nianzhi?"
As Rong Dai walked through the door, she saw Lu Nianzhi coming over and was a little surprised.
But Lu Nianzhi just smiled and took out a box from her bag, "New year's gift for you, happy new year!"
"Thank you!"
Rong Dai took the box and put it in her own bag. She had already prepared Lu Nianzhi's new year's gift in advance.
"You're not spending New Year's at home today?"
Lu Nianzhi laughed and shook her head, "I already had our family reunion dinner at home yesterday. I saw my aunt and them this morning. For people like us, there's no rest during the holidays. It's already pretty good if we can have a meal with family."
Rong Dai understood. There were always people who had to sacrifice on holidays like this.
The two walked into the courtyard together. Lu Nianzhi habitually took out her notebook and started examining the overall layout of the courtyard.
"Courtyards like this are hard to find in this area now. Chairman Huo really spared no expense for you."
Lu Nianzhi said with a smile.
Rong Dai could only smile and didn't try to explain.
She had very strict requirements for the house. After all, it was a workspace, and delicate work like embroidery couldn't be done in a damp environment.
Lu Nianzhi listened very carefully and wrote down all her requirements.
"Take a look." She handed her notebook to Rong Dai.
Rong Dai took the notebook and read it carefully. Lu Nianzhi was very meticulous in her work, so Rong Dai was assured, but since this concerned the studio, she still wanted to be more rigorous.
"No problems. These issues all need to be resolved properly. The studio must stay dry, absolutely no dampness, and the lighting also needs to be bright enough."
Lu Nianzhi nodded, then took out a document from her bag and handed it to her, "This is the plan I made. Opening the studio is just the first step."
"Registering the company, trademarks, contacting factories, sales channels, etc., I've already made plans for all of this. Also, once the studio is operational, it won't just be the two of us. We'll need to recruit talent."
"Give me a clear positioning so I can get it done. Recruiting will be easier after the new year. I've also sent you some documents I compiled of talent resources, people who are looking to switch jobs. These people are connected to the nature of our work, so I think you can prioritize selecting from them if there's anyone you want."
Rong Dai nodded. Starting a company was tiring and tedious work. Fortunately, Lu Nianzhi had strong business skills.
"You've really worked hard."
Looking at the meticulously laid out information, Rong Dai was very impressed with Lu Nianzhi.
As Lu Nianzhi put away her notebook, she took out her tablet and showed Rong Dai some photos, "These are all custom made for embroidery. Take a look and see if there's anything we need to add?"
"I've already contacted the vendors. They'll personally deliver and install everything on the eighth day after new year's, so we need to decide how to layout and divide up the studio today."
Rong Dai nodded and carefully looked over the tablet.
Lu Nianzhi was a hardcore assistant who had considered every aspect very thoroughly.
After discussing, they finalized all the details.
They were both the type to get things done decisively without dragging their feet, so everything got handled very cleanly and efficiently.
"But I don't know if Chairman Huo found out, if you buy this courtyard, it may offend the Brocade Embroidery Workshop a bit."
After finalizing everything, the two found a nearby cafe to get drinks. Lu Nianzhi took out her chat with a friend and showed Rong Dai.
Rong Dai was a bit surprised to see these messages.
"Is the Brocade Embroidery Workshop trying to foment internal division, or compete in some way? Why would they open a branch here too? And it shouldn't be this courtyard, right?"
While her courtyard was spacious enough for her startup, she would definitely need to move to an office building as the brand grew in the future.
But the Brocade Embroidery Workshop was already at the pinnacle domestically. Buying this courtyard to open a branch was a bit baffling to her.
Lu Nianzhi shook her head very seriously, "Grandmaster Shi Yue has incredibly discerning vision. Shi Ning may have been personally nurtured by her, but she is still young in the end. And the Brocade Embroidery Workshop isn't solely Grandmaster Shi Yue's decision either, there are other shareholders too."