Once the initial arrangements were made, Zhou You felt much more relaxed about the prospect of pursuing another doctorate.
Checking the calendar, the New Year was approaching. Before the holiday, a few of them from the swimming center gathered for a get-together.
Wang Ping was now riding high. Ever since meeting Zhou You, everything in his work and personal life had been smooth sailing.
During the peak summer income period, Wang Ping hadn't been without his own sneaky thoughts. Seeing hundreds of thousands in revenue, he'd often wondered, "If I were doing this on my own, would I be rich by now?"
All summer long, he'd toyed with the idea of going solo and contracting a swimming center himself. At least in his view, he knew the process inside and out, had the funds, and had connections with skilled professionals. Why not go for it?
It wasn't until Wang Ping ran into some senior alumni from previous years that he dropped the idea. As they put it, "Contracting a swimming center doesn't take much investment, and our circle isn't short on wealthy people. But this business is too unpredictable. One year you make money, think the next year will be even better, and then you lose it all—every penny you earned."
"Do you think hotel owners are fools? If swimming centers were so profitable, why wouldn't they run them themselves? It's because they're too much of a hassle to manage and barely worth the effort."
As the winter months set in, Wang Ping's desire to go solo faded further.
For an ordinary person, making money is one thing, but losing it is another. Earning a few hundred thousand was fine, but if he lost that much, Wang Ping knew he couldn't afford the hit. It wouldn't ruin his family, but being tens of thousands in debt would basically cut off his future.
Relying on Zhou You was different. The more they interacted, the more Wang Ping realized how solid Zhou You's foundation was. He'd heard from Wang Fangfang that the movie Zhou You invested in had been a massive box office hit, netting tens of millions in profit.
Leaning on a big tree gives good shade. Zhou You was a decent guy, rarely bothered with the swimming center, and let Wang Ping handle things. With him as a safety net, Wang Ping felt much more at ease. Now, with a stable salary and several chain locations about to open, he could call himself a successful entrepreneur and hold his head high among his peers.
His income had doubled from before, not counting bonuses. What more could he ask for?
"Ping, give us a quick rundown of the basics. Skip the small stuff, just the essentials," Zhou You said, noticing Wang Ping seemed distracted.
Hearing Zhou You call him, Wang Ping snapped back to attention. "Sorry, You, I was just thinking about something."
"The two new swimming centers we're contracting are all set. Fangfang and I have both checked them out, and we've already done the handover and磨合. Two other coaches are there now, and I drop by occasionally. Everything's running smoothly so far."
"About the year-end bonuses I mentioned last time—how much liquid cash do we have in the account now?"
Wang Ping glanced at Wang Fangfang, signaling her to answer. Given her sensitive role, she usually handled the finances.
"Based on what you said last time, You, we've set aside enough to cover expenses through next summer. The available funds are probably around 200,000," Wang Fangfang said after a moment's thought.
She wanted to share in the profits too, but she also insisted on keeping enough reserves. She was in this for the long haul. If they ran short midstream and had to ask Zhou You for more investment, that would be hard to justify.
Hearing there was only that much left, Zhou You was surprised. If not for Luzhou's rapid development over the next decade, running a swimming center would definitely be a losing bet.
But in a booming economy, you could make money in almost any venture, and it was a great time to grow the pie.
"Alright, for the first year, you've both done an amazing job. I was thinking of putting in more money, but based on the shares—I hold 60%, and you two have 20% each—since I'm mostly hands-off and you two are doing the work, it wouldn't be right for me to take all the dividends. So I'll take a slight cut: I'll take 50% this time, and you two get 25% each."
Zhou You genuinely didn't care much about this money, but in business, rules matter. Without them, nothing works. Since they were running a business, they'd stick to business principles. This wouldn't just involve the three of them going forward.
Hearing this, Wang Ping and Wang Fangfang were thrilled. It meant a year-end bonus of 50,000 each. Combined with their regular salary and bonuses, they'd be pulling in 200,000 a year—a solid high income for the times.
At current housing prices, they could buy an apartment in three years. What more could they want?
And as the business expanded, their income might even grow.
"But with the two new locations opening next year, I suggest bringing the other two coaches into the profit-sharing plan. We'll deduct their share proportionally from our dividends. That'll boost their motivation—you can't keep people tied down without giving them a stake."
Wang Ping nodded in agreement. From his own perspective, if he were on a fixed salary and saw the swimming center doing so well, he'd be tempted to take a gamble.
But once he had a share in the profits, he had a piece of the pie. He wasn't starting from scratch anymore. Weighing the risks and rewards of going solo, it just didn't add up, so he wouldn't take that risk.
This was actually why many big companies grew over time—they tied more people in and attracted more talent.
Zhou You might not care much about the dividends, but if they could scale this model and capture most of the business in Luzhou or even the province, the profits would be substantial.
After a brief chat to finalize things, Zhou You and Wang Fangfang got up and left.
It had been over a year since they'd met. Last year when she went home, Wang Fangfang had just retired from the military with no money to her name. This year, with no rent to pay, minimal food costs, and company dividends, she'd saved up 200,000 to 300,000. At least she'd have more confidence going home this time.
Wang Fangfang compared herself to her former senior sisters. Those with good results and luck who landed teaching jobs at schools had the best paths, but they made less than 100,000 a year.
Others who became swimming coaches only earned money in the summer and had to spend all day in the pool. Even on uncomfortable days, sometimes they had no choice but to get in the water.
When they were young, it didn't bother them, but as they aged, hormonal imbalances and uterine cold brought a host of problems. Many of her senior sisters quit after a few years and moved into other fields.
Wang Fangfang was content and satisfied with her current life. Meeting Zhou You, he hadn't kept her like a caged bird. Instead, he'd supported her in building a career, even covering her share of the swimming center investment.
She had no idea what the future held, but based on Zhou You's plans and her confidence in the swimming center, she knew she'd always have a foothold in Luzhou and the skills to stand on her own. That was the greatest gift Zhou You had given her.