After being laid off by a major tech company, Chen Zhiyuan returns to Yunhe County to take over the run-down machinery factory his father left behind.
The factory is drowning in debt, employees are blocking the doors to demand their back pay, relatives are pressuring him to sell it, and his first love is about to marry a local rich kid. Everyone thinks he can't make it and will slink back to the county seat, defeated and ready to give up.
Then he gets bound to the Employee Prosperity System.
As long as he raises his employees' incomes, he gets a hundredfold return. So while other entrepreneurs start by laying people off, he starts by paying back wages. While other bosses cut salaries, he gives his employees raises. While others raise money by going public, he doesn't need the money and refuses to list.
Starting by paying three months of back wages, Chen Zhiyuan turns a small factory on the brink of collapse into Yunhe County's leading company. His employees earn high salaries, live in apartments, and receive bonuses. There's a medical fund for family members who fall ill and a free school for their children.
The Zhao family wants to seize his land, capital from the provincial capital wants to take control of his company, listed giants want to force him to bow down, and overseas conglomerates want to blockade his technology.
Chen Zhiyuan has only one response:
“My company will never go public.”
“And my employees have a future to look forward to.”
