Chapter 27: Chapter 27: A Strange Invitation
This pack of she-devils was something else!
In the operations department of Ruijing Commerce, only a few of them were single. The other three were married, and they told even more outrageous jokes.
Every time I ate with them, it felt like I was walking into a lion’s den.
I asked how work was going, mainly to change the subject.
"Boss, now that you’re gone, there’s no one to look out for us anymore. We don’t even have the heart to work!"
"Exactly. I don’t even want to go into the office."
Jiang Qin and Li Qing chimed in one after the other. Yang Na didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t hide the gloom on her face.
"It’s not that dramatic. Keep up the good work. Fight for the operations manager position and lead the department well!"
They all knew that Yang Na was planning to resign, too. The operations manager position hadn’t been filled yet, so they all had a chance.
Li Qing pursed her lips and said, "I heard Fang Zheng is planning to transfer Qin Hong over to run the operations department."
"No way. The manager of the General Affairs Department doesn’t know the first thing about operations. How could she manage the operations department?"
"Boss, you have no idea. Yesterday, Fang Zheng took Yang Na to the Xinyue Square area to discuss business. When they came back, the news spread throughout the entire company. They’re saying the Xinyue Group gave him a lot of face—all the store leases will be renewed at the same rate, and they’ll even give Ruijing Commerce a lot of operational support!
"Because of this, the COO from headquarters even praised him verbally and told all the other regional general managers across the country to learn from him. Under these circumstances, if he proposes Qin Hong to head the operations department, HQ’s HR probably won’t block it."
He picked up his glass and took a sip of water. Of course, he knew what was really going on with Xinyue Square. He remembered what President Tian had said so clearly about Xinyue Group’s support for Ruijing Commerce over the past two years: "A Hui, this is all because you’re at Ruijing!"
’Fang Zheng basically just got lucky and stumbled into a windfall. But how long can that last? Once Xinyue Group finds out I’ve already resigned, will they still offer all this?’
’How is he going to clean up this mess then? He’s already bragged all the way to headquarters!’
While they were talking, the rest of the group arrived.
Everyone took their seats. Yang Hui sat at the head of the table, looked at his former subordinates, and said with some emotion, "I asked Yang Na to get everyone together for a meal today as a way of thanking you all for your support over the past two years. My resignation was a bit sudden, so my apologies for that."
At this, the women just looked at him without speaking. It wasn’t just "sudden"; it was *too* sudden. By the time they found out, he had already left the company.
Even getting fired wasn’t this fast, let alone resigning voluntarily.
Seeing them grow melancholic, he felt a pang of sadness at their parting after two years together.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s all look forward. You’ll all do better and better, and my career will too. Who knows, maybe we’ll all get to work together again someday."
Just then, the waiter started bringing out the dishes, and the private room gradually grew lively again.
Li Qing said, "We had no idea things were going so well for you, Boss! You’re even wearing Archaeopteryx now!"
Once she said that, the others also noticed what Yang Hui was wearing. Back at Ruijing, if he bought outdoor brands, it would be something like Jack Wolfskin or Columbia.
"I went to the mall yesterday and realized I had nothing to wear, so I just grabbed a few things."
Jiang Qin laughed. "Boss, that ’just grabbed a few things’ of yours has the distinct flavor of a humblebrag!"
"Boss, if you’ve found some secret to making money, you have to let us in on it!"
"Yeah, I want a big bird too!"
"Big bird" was a nickname for Archaeopteryx, but the way they said it sounded a bit like a dirty joke.
Yang Na, sitting next to him, ladled a bowl of soup for him. "Have some of this first."
He thanked her. ’Perfect. The soup is just the thing to fend off this pack of wild women’s attack!’
Huh? Chicken kidney and bull pizzle soup?
’I’m a 24-year-old guy, full of vim and vigor. Isn’t giving me this just adding fuel to the fire?’
"Boss, Yang Na ordered this soup especially for you. She said you needed to ’recharge.’ No wonder she’s been in a bad mood lately. Did you fail to satisfy her or something?"
"Li Qing, if you say one more word, I’m going to call President Zhao and have him dock your bonus for the month!"
’There was nothing else I could do. Since I’m not at Ruijing anymore, all I could do was bring up President Zhao to scare them.’
Of course, it was just an empty threat. No one took it seriously.
After a few more jokes, the atmosphere loosened up. They asked, "Boss, what are your plans now?"
This was probably what everyone was curious about. Yang Hui took a sip of the soup.
Yang Na handed him a tissue. After wiping his mouth, he said, "I’m starting work again next Monday. Futong Trading Co., Ltd., in charge of the Airex brand."
Huh?
Everyone at the table looked at each other, baffled. They couldn’t understand his thinking. He was giving up his position as a regional general manager at Ruijing Commerce to be an operations manager for a single brand. They all knew of Futong Commerce; it was an agent for a dozen or so brands. An operations manager for one brand wasn’t even the head of the whole operations department.
Besides, Ruijing Commerce was a national chain, while Futong Commerce was owned by a local private boss. They really couldn’t figure out what their boss was thinking.
With a choice like that, probably only Yang Na would be willing to follow him. The others weren’t interested. After all, the career ceiling at Ruijing was high. At a private company, you could never become the regional head, because the owner himself was right there.
They didn’t drink that evening. Everyone knew Yang Hui was a lightweight, so they were saving it for karaoke later. Otherwise, he’d fall asleep the moment he got there.
As dinner was winding down, BUZZ~!
’Who’s calling this late?’
He pulled out his phone and saw it was a call from Zhang Chun.
He motioned for them to continue eating, then took his phone and stepped outside to answer.
When he returned, he had a strange look on his face. On the phone, Zhang Chun had invited him to the Tianyu Hotel for a chat.
’This is a little strange,’ he thought. Normally, if Zhang Chun wanted to talk, he would have invited him to dinner. Meeting up late at night just for a chat was unprecedented.
He also knew that Zhang Chun was supposed to be entertaining some important people today. He had seen the motorcade at noon with his own eyes. How could he possibly have time for him?
Zhang Chun’s tone had been almost nervous, as if he was afraid Yang Hui wouldn’t go. That was even stranger.
Still, Yang Hui decided to go. After all, Zhang Chun had helped him so much over the past two years, and he had always regarded him as a respected elder.
He returned to his seat. "Sorry, everyone, but something’s come up. An elder just called, and I have to go meet him in a bit. I’ll treat you all next time, okay?"
Yang Na had arranged for karaoke tonight. The others didn’t mind, and aside from a slightly disappointed Yang Na, everyone was understanding.
"Boss, you’re still in the retail circle, so we’ll have plenty of chances to meet. Maybe next time we can even get together with the team from Futong Commerce!"
Yang Na called the waiter over to pay the bill, only to find out that Yang Hui had already paid when he stepped out to take the call.
"Boss, we agreed it was our treat!"
He waved his hand. "My salary is higher than yours. Let’s not argue over one meal."
"You all can stay a little longer. I have to go to my appointment."
"I’ll see you out!" Yang Na stood up.
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