Chapter 25: Only Choose the Most Expensive

“Mr. Chen, here are the quotes and floor plans from the renovation companies. Please take a look.”

Shen Rou walked over with a stack of documents.

“Mm.”

Chen Mo reached out to take the documents and casually flipped through them.

Shen Rou was quite meticulous as an assistant—she had neatly compiled each company’s quote and floor plan together and labeled them clearly.

This made it very easy to differentiate between them.

With such a detail-oriented assistant, how could a salary of 6,000 be enough? It had to be increased.

“You did well. Looks like you’ve fully adapted to your role as an assistant.”

“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Chen.”

Shen Rou expressed her gratitude, unable to hide a small smile.

Being recognized felt quite nice.

“Mm, starting next month, your salary will be increased to 8,000.”

Seeing her happy expression, Chen Mo smiled as well.

Internally, though, he was complaining about the stingy system—it only allowed a raise of 2,000.

“Ah!”

Shen Rou let out a surprised gasp, then looked at Chen Mo in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.

“Mr. Chen, did you just say… a salary increase?”

“Yes. After observing your work these past few days, I’ve found that you’re highly capable. Plus, our company’s staff isn’t fully assembled yet, and most tasks fall on you alone. A raise is only fair.”

“But… isn’t that a bit too much?”

Shen Rou whispered. She was, of course, happy about the raise, but she hadn’t expected it to be 2,000 all at once.

“Not at all. You deserve it.”

“You can go back to work now. I need to review these quotes.”

Seeing that she had more to say, Chen Mo waved her off.

With no choice, Shen Rou turned to leave.

But in her heart, she made a firm decision—since Mr. Chen valued her so much, she would have to work even harder.

Chen Mo, unaware of her thoughts, was frowning as he flipped through the quotes.

He had clearly told the designers that all renovation materials must be top brands.

Yet, after reviewing four or five quotes, the most expensive one was only 200,000.

And after briefly scanning the materials listed, while they weren’t from unknown brands, they still weren’t the top-tier brands he had in mind.

The most outrageous part? The central air conditioning was only quoted at a little over 20,000.

With a look of frustration, Chen Mo tossed these companies’ proposals aside and continued reviewing.

But soon, his frown deepened. These other companies’ quotes were just as disappointing, far below his spending expectations.

One by one, he discarded the quotes. Before long, only three remained.

Oh?

Just when he was about to lose hope, a different quote caught his eye.

This one was a whopping 450,000!

That was more than double the other renovation companies’ quotes.

A quick glance at the materials confirmed that everything was exactly as he had requested.

Nice, so at least someone understood his intentions.

Nodding in satisfaction, Chen Mo briefly checked the remaining two quotes. Finding nothing special about them, he discarded them without hesitation.

“This is the one.”

Chen Mo set aside the quote from Chenglin Decor, then called Shen Rou over.

As for the floor plan, he gave it only a quick glance. It mostly aligned with what he had described, with no outrageous design choices, so he didn’t scrutinize it further.

“Mr. Chen, you’ve made your choice?”

Shen Rou curiously glanced at the quote in his hands, wondering which company had been selected.

She had skimmed through the quotes while organizing them. Other than one ridiculously high-priced proposal, most were similar in cost.

She was eager to see which lucky company had won the bid.

Looking at the company name—Chenglin Decor—she found it oddly familiar.

A moment later, she realized why.

Chenglin Decor was the company that had submitted the outrageously expensive quote—the one that was more than double the others!

That particular quote had left such an impression on her that she had even thought, There’s no way this company will be chosen.

Yet reality had just slapped her in the face.

Mr. Chen had chosen them.

Did this company have some special advantage?

Puzzled, Shen Rou flipped through the quote again. Soon, she understood.

Yes, it was expensive, but for a reason. The listed materials were all top-tier brands, exactly what Mr. Chen had specified.

The other companies had cut corners significantly.

It was proof that Mr. Chen genuinely cared about his employees—he wasn’t willing to compromise even on renovation materials.

Unlike those bosses who talk about providing great benefits but either do nothing or drastically cut costs when actually implementing them, Mr. Chen meant what he said.

He followed through on his promises.

Having such a boss was truly a blessing.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, a small, subconscious smile appeared on Shen Rou’s face.

Holding the quote, she returned to her desk and called the designer from Chenglin Decor.

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Chenglin Decor

Wang Yang sat at his workstation, restless.

Ever since his colleague had pointed out that his quote was too expensive, he had been feeling anxious.

He had spent the entire morning waiting for a response.

Each time his phone made a sound, he would eagerly check it, hoping for an update.

“Xiao Yang, have they replied yet?”

A designer walked over and casually asked.

“No.”

Wang Yang checked his phone again, then shook his head.

“Then it’s probably a lost cause. If they were going to pick your proposal, they would have called by now.”

“Don’t dwell on it—just focus on your work. There will be more opportunities to land projects in the future. If you miss this one, just wait for the next.”

The designer patted Wang Yang’s shoulder in a brotherly fashion.

“I understand, Brother Jun.”

Wang Yang nodded dejectedly.

He had put a lot of effort into this project. Both the design and the quote were carefully crafted with genuine dedication.

His goal was to have his proposal selected so he could use it as a stepping stone toward becoming a full-time employee.

Although he had mentally prepared himself for rejection, it still stung to face reality.

“As long as you get it, that’s what matters. Don’t get discouraged. Next time you’re working on a quote, run it by me first—I can share some of my experience with you.”

“Thank you, Brother Jun. I’ll rely on you more in the future.”

Grateful, Wang Yang looked at Chen Jun. Having a mentor’s guidance would definitely help him avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Chen Jun nodded in satisfaction. He enjoyed the respect that came with being a mentor.

Just as he was about to say something else—

Wang Yang’s phone suddenly rang.

Glancing at the caller ID—

“Brother Jun, it’s them! The renovation company is calling!”