Chapter 235: Expanding the Scale

At the Clothing Factory, Chen Mo strolled through the factory grounds with Kui Kui and Qian Qian in tow.

With only a dozen days left until the final settlement, the cafeteria’s space had already been rented. They were just waiting for Wang Yang to finalize the budget, and then they could essentially spend the remaining System Funds.

The remaining System Funds could be used up through company team-building activities. With most tasks handed over to Shen Rou, Chen Mo found himself with little to do, so he decided to take the dogs for a walk.

He first took a round through the workshop. Watching the employees at work, he felt a bit frustrated. Despite the large banners with slogans hanging on the workshop walls, the employees seemed oblivious, working with such enthusiasm.

Chen Mo was speechless, deciding it was best to leave the workshop and wander around the park instead.

“President Chen!”

Suddenly, a voice called out from the side.

Chen Mo turned to see Park Manager Li Maode, who looked as if he had encountered some difficulty.

“Manager Li, long time no see. Is there a problem?”

“Nothing major, just a company owner decided to terminate their lease.”

Li Maode waved it off.

“Did they go out of business, losing money?”

Chen Mo considered this possibility, feeling a bit envious.

Li Maode shook his head, giving President Chen a complicated look.

“Not exactly. Actually, this has something to do with you, President Chen.”

“Something to do with me?”

Chen Mo was puzzled by Li Maode’s words. How could a company’s lease termination be related to him? Their Clothing Factory was the only one in the park, so there was no competition.

“Well, President Chen, ever since the benefits at your Clothing Factory became known in the park, employees at other companies have been comparing their work conditions to yours, leading to a lack of motivation.”

“The company owner had no choice but to move the business elsewhere.”

Li Maode offered a wry smile at President Chen’s confused expression.

If it were just one company, he wouldn’t be too concerned. But now, many companies in the park were experiencing the same issue, with employees feeling demotivated.

He was worried that more company owners might choose to terminate their leases or not renew them when the time came, which would be a big problem.

Chen Mo gave an awkward smile at Li Maode’s words. He hadn’t considered the wider impact of offering generous benefits; he simply wanted to spend more System Funds.

But now, reverting the benefits wasn’t an option. As for the park’s situation, the solution seemed simple: just increase the employees’ benefits slightly.

However, increasing employee benefits would inevitably cut into the owners’ profits. How many owners would be willing to do that?

Thinking about it, Chen Mo began to understand why the system imposed so many rules on him. Human nature is inherently greedy. Without those rules, he could easily exploit the company’s resources for personal gain. What kind of person would he become then?

He had no answers, unsure of the choices he would make when faced with immense profit. After all, that profit wasn’t right in front of him yet.

But he knew he was just an ordinary person, a common man. Throughout history, many aspired to be good officials, but how many stayed true to their principles and remained incorruptible?

Chen Mo sighed quietly. Regardless of the system’s intentions, his immediate task was to spend the System Funds and convert them into personal assets.

Money—who would ever think they had too much?

Soon, he could fully convert 1500 System Funds, and he wasn’t about to pass up that opportunity.

But then he thought, if that company vacated, wouldn’t it open up another workshop? Could he possibly utilize it?

Currently, his Clothing Factory only produced garments. What if he rented the vacated workshop and started a Shoe Factory? After all, most clothing stores also sell shoes.

Starting a shoe factory would require employees, machines, rent, and renovations—another avenue to spend money.

Chen Mo’s eyes brightened as he turned to Li Maode.

“Manager Li, has that company’s lease been terminated?”

“No, they’ll sign the termination in a week.”

Li Maode shook his head. He had tried to persuade the owner not to terminate the lease, but to no avail. He managed to secure a seven-day window to find another tenant.

“Manager Li, once that workshop is vacated, could you hold it for me?”

Chen Mo asked. He didn’t have extra System Funds to rent the workshop now, but after the settlement, with new System Funds coming in, he could rent it and immediately start spending the new funds.

“President Chen, you want to rent the new workshop?”

Li Maode looked at Chen Mo with surprise and delight.

“Yes, but I’ll need to rent it at the end of the month, not now.”

“The end of the month is fine. I’ll agree to the owner’s termination tomorrow and hold the workshop for you, President Chen.”

Li Maode smiled. Though it would take over ten days, it was still a good outcome. Finding a new tenant on his own might take months, and with President Chen’s company in the industrial park, he wasn’t worried about being deceived.

“Great, it’s settled then.”

Chen Mo nodded, then left with Kui Kui and Qian Qian.

Not bad. A simple walk led to a new way to spend money.

Moreover, through this reflection, he realized another possibility: he could expand the Clothing Factory!

Currently, not many clothes were being sold. The larger the expansion, the greater the costs, and the more he would lose.

With this thought, Chen Mo had an idea. If he turned the entire industrial park into a Clothing Factory, the daily expenditure would be enormous.

Yes, next time he talked to Li Maode, he could discuss this possibility. If any more companies decided to vacate, he could just rent all the spaces.

After walking the dogs around the park, Chen Mo returned to his office. Leaning back in his chair, sipping the coffee Shen Rou had made, he immersed his consciousness into the System Panel in his mind.

This had become his routine for the past few days. With the settlement approaching, he needed to keep a close eye on the System Funds to avoid any surprises.

Hmm!

Seeing the funds on the System Panel, he was stunned.