Chapter 314: Chapter 314: Getting Paid
Wen Wenxuan’s heart seized in fear of Su Shuochi, and he unconsciously took two steps back.
His long, well-defined fingers clenched into tight fists, his nails digging into his palms.
But it couldn’t quell the rage and anguish in his heart. This feeling of powerlessness was driving him mad.
It was as if this was the only way he could vent all the fury coiling inside him.
Wen Wenxuan had never imagined himself in such a situation. Everywhere he went, people fawned over him.
His father was a high-ranking official in the city. While not the top leader, he still wielded considerable power.
At his young age, he was already an influential figure who could make things happen, yet here he was, being forced back by some no-name.
How could he possibly endure this humiliation?!
But what else could he do? For now, he could only leave.
Even though the man was in a wheelchair, Wen Wenxuan could vaguely tell he had a burly, tower-like physique.
His gaze was like a blade of ice aimed straight at his heart. Wen Wenxuan knew that if he refused now, he would suffer the consequences.
He took a deep breath. "Comrade Su, we’ll leave now. My name is Wen Wenxuan. I’m Wen Wenjin’s younger brother."
"Good riddance. Don’t let me see you again," Su Shuochi said, his voice cold and merciless.
Wen Wenxuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but even as he was forced to leave, he still wanted to drag Wen Wenjin down with him.
If Su Shuochi fired Wen Wenjin, his father would have no reason to hold back against Su Shuochi, and his older brother’s career would be ruined.
The more Wen Wenxuan thought about it, the more he felt his trip hadn’t been in vain. Not only had he avenged his sister, but he had also achieved a satisfying outcome for himself. It was a perfect case of killing two birds with one stone.
"Shuo Ci, you’re not worried he’ll get people to retaliate after you kicked him out like that?" Xi Guodong asked, concerned.
"When did you get so timid? We were on the battlefield together. You should know my personality by now."
Su Shuochi retorted, unconcerned.
Xi Guodong was speechless. He couldn’t argue with that.
He’d thought Su Shuochi was ruthless on the battlefield because he was on his own back then.
Now that he was married, with a family to consider, Xi Guodong had expected him to tone it down a little. But who knew he’d be just as unwilling to bow his head and compromise.
"Call everyone in for a meeting. I have some things to assign," Su Shuochi instructed Xi Guodong.
"Alright."
Su Shuochi may not have been born into a powerful clan, but he understood Wen Wenxuan’s dark intentions.
He knew what Wen Wenxuan was afraid of: that his older brother would steal his thunder.
The Wen family might be a top-tier family in Qing City, but compared to his own wife, they were worlds apart.
That was why Su Shuochi dared to so brazenly fire Wen Qing of the Wen family and throw Wen Wenxuan and his people out.
Besides, while the Wen family had appeared magnificent over the years, they weren’t invincible.
Mr. Wen had a mistress and illegitimate children on the side—facts that simply hadn’t been exposed yet.
Since Su Shuochi planned to establish himself in Qing City, he had to investigate the Xi and Wen families thoroughly. It was always best to know your terrain.
He and most of his subordinates came from humble backgrounds. Gao Xiangming, in particular, was descended from a line of shady landlords.
If they didn’t have some compromising information on the established families, Su Shuochi wouldn’t dare to focus so intently on his research.
He had to avoid a situation where all their hard work would just be gift-wrapped for those families, their achievements stolen, only to face retaliation on top of it all.
He hadn’t reached such a high position at a young age through brute force alone; his intelligence and cunning had played a huge part.
Soon, everyone had arrived in the conference room. Sheng Shiwu had been summoned as well.
Su Shuochi and Gu Jiaojiao sat side-by-side at the center. To their left were the key members of the R&D team, and to their right were the managers.
"Now that everyone’s here, I have a few announcements to make. That’s the main purpose of today’s meeting," Su Shuochi said from his seat at the head of the table.
CLAP, CLAP... Xi Guodong led the applause.
While applause might not be common in executive meetings in later years, it was very much in vogue during this era.
Su Shuochi raised his hands to quiet the room. "In the next day or two, we’ll have people coming from Yun City to purchase our instruments."
"Really? We’ve only produced one unit and someone’s already coming to buy it?" one of the top researchers exclaimed, thrilled.
They weren’t concerned with calculating costs and such; as long as the products they made were recognized, it was a good thing.
"The first instrument we produced was pre-ordered by Qingcheng First People’s Hospital a while ago," Song Zijie added happily.
He was temporarily in charge of procurement and sales, so he knew exactly how much profit each instrument could bring in.
"Let’s put aside our successes for a moment and sort out our personnel. From now on, Song Zijie will be the Manager of the Procurement Department.
He won’t just lead the purchasing team; he will also take over the miscellaneous tasks I’ve been handling, essentially acting as my executive assistant.
Xi Guodong, along with Sheng Shiwu, will manage business relations—that is, the sales division. They will be responsible for connecting with the leaders of various regional health bureaus and major hospitals.
Wen Wenjin, as head of R&D, will lead his team in developing prototypes from the blueprints and moving them into production.
Gao Xiangming will lead a team to manage site security, personnel safety, and the security of product transport.
Zeng Kunheng will lead a team to handle all site and building construction, with Uncle Zeng overseeing the engineering."
Su Shuochi spoke without a script; these roles had all been decided upon after discussion between him and Gu Jiaojiao.
"Next, I’d like to invite our new Manager Xi and Manager Song to share some of their thoughts and future goals."
Su Shuochi’s voice echoed in the conference room.
The previously lighthearted and joking atmosphere vanished, replaced by a profound seriousness.
The conference room was dead silent, the only sounds being the clear voices of Song Zijie and Xi Guodong.
Song Zijie’s main point was that he would maintain strict quality control, ensuring that all purchased raw materials were of the highest grade.
Xi Guodong’s message was simple: as long as the team could produce superior instruments, the sales department would find a way to sell them.
Wen Wenjin also spoke with great passion about their research achievements and the future direction of their work.
Once everyone had finished speaking, Su Shuochi spoke again. "I’d like to ask if anyone has any thoughts on the contents of today’s meeting."
"We’ll follow the lead of Brother Su and Jiaojiao. We know things will only get better from here on out," they all said in unison.
"Mm, Jiaojiao and I feel the same way. Let’s all work hard together. Tomorrow, Jiaojiao and I are heading to the Imperial City. She’s going for school.
I’m going for surgery. If anything comes up, stay in contact by phone. For now, I’ll have Manager Song distribute everyone’s wages."
"So, Su is getting surgery?"
"Yes. Your Brother Su’s leg could have been operated on long ago. After the surgery, he should be able to walk freely in about two months."
Gu Jiaojiao’s voice was crisp and clear, and the news she delivered was even more explosive.
No one present doubted her words, as they all knew she was a disciple of the Divine Doctor Su Gu.
Song Zijie, of course, knew even more: she *was* the Divine Doctor Su Gu.
Everyone went back to work, their confidence multiplied a hundredfold. As of today, Sheng Shiwu would no longer have to haul bricks.
Before, there were no products to sell, so Su Shuochi had put him on physical labor to keep him conditioned.
As the sun set, everyone received their first paycheck. For the university students especially, the joy was indescribable.
