Chapter 453 - 387: The Income of the Bai Family’s Father-in-law

After several rounds, Wu Yun was basically just taking small sips. He hadn’t drunk much of the liquor, but he’d had plenty of tea.

Wu Yun stood up and said, "You all enjoy the meal! I’m just going to use the restroom."

After leaving the restroom, Wu Yun saw a familiar face on his way back to the private room. It was the chief technical engineer from the construction company who had been at his table, a man in his fifties named Engineer Guo.

Wu Yun saw the short Engineer Guo emerge from another private room, a glass in one hand and a bottle in the other.

The man walked over to a service cart piled with junk, where a bucket for leftovers happened to be sitting. He stood by the bucket, staring blankly for a moment, before a mixture of liquor and chewed food came spewing from his mouth.

Wu Yun looked away and headed back into the private room, but he could still hear the sound of retching.

’Still,’ Wu Yun couldn’t help but sigh, ’if it weren’t for the system, I’d never be able to live this comfortably.’

Nothing comes easy in the adult world.

The moment he walked in, Wu Yun saw Bai Yang holding a decanter, standing across from his seat. It looked like he’d already made it halfway around the table pouring for everyone.

He let out a faint sigh before sitting down and picking up his chopsticks to eat.

...

The luncheon didn’t end until one-thirty. Many of the guests were staggering, unsteady on their feet, and slurring their words.

"I’m not... drunk! Engineer Wang! Let’s go get a foot massage in town this afternoon!"

Watching the scene, Wu Yun waved Leng Qian over. "Manager Leng, please get everyone sorted. Send the drunk ones to the hotel. For those who aren’t, arrange for them to have tea this afternoon."

"Yes, President Wu!"

Just then, Wu Yun’s Rolls-Royce pulled up. Wu Yun called out to Bai Yang, "President Bai, hop in! Let’s find a teahouse in town and have a proper chat."

Bai Yang smiled. "President Wu, I’ve already had someone book us a massage. How about we chat while we’re getting them?"

The corner of Wu Yun’s mouth twitched. He fought back a laugh and said, "Let’s not. The boss at home keeps a tight leash on me. I don’t go to places like that without her permission. A teahouse will be just fine. Come on! Get in my car. Just have your men follow us."

Wang Hao opened the rear door for Bai Yang, who then got into the car.

Wu Yun exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Gang before rolling up the window.

"A car worth millions really is something else!" Bai Yang said, admiring the interior trim and layout as he patted the center armrest.

Wu Yun chuckled. "President Bai, you can’t be telling me this is your first time in a car like this?"

Bai Yang sighed. "What can I do? We’re a state-owned enterprise. Being too flashy creates a problem of principle."

Wu Yun was curious. "You guys in business development must get a pretty high commission, right?"

Bai Yang took a sip of mineral water. "We don’t really call it a commission. According to our system, it’s a ’bonus’."

"It’s true that those of us in business development make much more than regular employees, or even some of the management."

As the future son-in-law, Wu Yun naturally wanted to learn more, so he pressed on. "How much higher? Can you give me a ballpark figure?"

Bai Yang gave a calm smile. If not for the faint flush on his cheeks, Wu Yun would never have guessed he’d been drinking.

"It’s no secret. It’s all written right into our company policy."

Bai Yang thought for a moment before saying, "Take last year, for example. I received over three million in bonuses."

"The bonuses aren’t fixed, of course. The more projects we secure, the bigger the bonus."

"Oh? Is there a specific formula for it?" Wu Yun asked.

Bai Yang pulled out his phone. "Naturally. The higher the project’s profit margin, the bigger the bonus for my team and me."

"For example?"

"Hmm... Let’s use your Jinshan Environment project as an example."

Bai Yang organized his thoughts. "Let’s say the total construction cost is 80 million, and the company’s profit margin is over 15%. In that case, as the one who brought in the project, my team and I would get 5% of the profit."

Wu Yun did some quick mental math. By that logic, Bai Yang’s team stood to make a 600,000 bonus from the Jinshan Environment project.

"Of course, the lower the company’s profit margin, the smaller our bonus. The highest bonus tier kicks in when the profit is 15% or more, like I just said."

Bai Yang explained, "The final bonus amount is still based on the company’s official figures after the project’s final settlement is complete."

"We get the bonus in three installments: the first after the project is secured, the second when progress payments reach 50%, and the third upon final settlement."

Wu Yun was puzzled. "Aren’t you worried about being overpaid or underpaid?"

Bai Yang chuckled. "How could that happen? When we bring in a project, we submit an estimated profit margin. The first installment is just one-third of the bonus we’d get based on that target."

"And even if we are overpaid, the policies are clear. Who would dare embezzle public funds?"

A look of understanding dawned on Wu Yun’s face. "So your project managers and their teams also get project bonuses?"

"That’s right. Everyone does. They just have a different bonus system. If our business development division is responsible for ’increasing revenue,’ then the engineering department is responsible for ’controlling costs.’ But in the end, the higher the profit, the bigger everyone’s bonus."

Wu Yun nodded. ’No wonder that guy Gao Qiang in my past life was always treating me to dinner and taking me for foot massages whenever he came back. Turns out he was raking in the bonus money!’

Along the way, Wu Yun and Bai Yang chatted easily. Despite being a generation apart in age, they found plenty to talk about. At the very least, Bai Yang felt that Wu Yun was far more knowledgeable and worldly than many of his own peers.