Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Almost Blacklisted
"What’s there to learn? If you hadn’t left Ruijing Commerce, you’d be a general manager by now. Instead, you run off to Futong Commerce, and that Li Yang just makes you an operations manager for some small-time brand. I don’t think he has much vision.
I’ll have President Tian give him a little nudge later. If he doesn’t get with the program, Xinyue Square will stop working with him!"
Yang Hui quickly interjected, "Brother Chun, really, there’s no need. Please, just give me some space. If you arrange everything for me, I’ll never have the chance to grow. What I need right now isn’t a high position, but a chance to really hone my skills!"
Wang Qing’s mind reeled as he listened. ’Does Li Yang have any idea he’s about to get blacklisted?’
’Just how much does Zhang Chun dote on Yang Hui?’
Hearing Yang Hui’s explanation, Zhang Chun relaxed.
"That’s true. The title isn’t important for you. It’s good to get experience in different roles. That way, when you’re in a high position in the future, you’ll have a good understanding of what goes on at the lower levels and won’t be easily fooled!"
’There he goes again. A high position?’
’He makes it sound like I can get one just by wanting it. Could he possibly know about my system? No, that’s impossible, right?’
’But where does all his confidence in me come from?’
The waiter began to serve the food, and Yang Hui stood up to ladle a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup for Wang Qing first.
"President Wang, something to whet your appetite."
Wang Qing hurriedly rose to his feet. "Please, serve President Zhang first!"
Zhang Chun waved a hand dismissively. "You’re the guest, so of course you should be served first. Besides, A Hui will be counting on your support in the future!"
Wang Qing replied hastily, "I wouldn’t dare say I’m looking after him, but I will absolutely help in any way I can!"
Zhang Chun accepted the bowl of lotus root soup that Yang Hui offered him and took a small sip.
"President Wang, now that you’ve said that, if there’s ever anything you need my help with in the future, just say the word. I won’t refuse either!"
"You’re too kind!"
’Could Yang Hui be Zhang Chun’s illegitimate son?’ he wondered privately. ’But they don’t look anything alike!’
Zhang Chun’s backing went far beyond normal. It wasn’t just support; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was willing to go to war for him.
Seizing the opportunity, Yang Hui brought up the main reason he’d sought out Wang Qing today.
"President Wang, I have a work-related matter I’d like to run by you, if that’s all right?"
Wang Qing replied instantly, "A Hui, if you consider me an older brother, then call me Brother Wang. There’s no ’reporting’ between us. If it’s something I can do, consider it done!"
Zhang Chun smiled. This Wang Qing was a savvy one.
Yang Hui hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly, so he briefly explained what he needed.
"That’s a small thing. I can give you a definite answer right now: your big brother will handle it for you!"
During the meeting that morning, while reporting on the month’s sales progress and plans for the next, the group purchase orders negotiated by each store had naturally come up.
Not much time had passed, so Wang Qing remembered everything clearly. He asked Yang Hui which stores’ group purchase orders he needed.
Yang Hui thought for a moment, then asked a bit sheepishly, "Would it be possible to negotiate a total amount at the group level, and then let me handle the allocation to specific stores?"
"Of course. I’ll give them a directive. Every month, they must secure a portion of group purchase orders for Airex. Yida Department Store headquarters will tally the total amount and give it to you. You can then allocate it to the individual stores as you see fit. I’ll make sure the store general managers cooperate with you!"
"Brother Wang, thank you for your support! I’m so grateful!"
This would basically solve the issue of the stores’ and the supervisors’ performance targets.
Still, for such a trivial matter, getting the chairman of Yida Department Store involved felt like using a cannon to swat a mosquito.
"If I’m your brother, don’t stand on ceremony. Time is tight this month. The High-tech Zone Yida Department Store has some group purchase orders that haven’t been logged in the system yet. I’ll personally call the general manager in a moment and have him negotiate with the clients to redirect a portion of those sales to Airex.
As for the other stores, I’ll hold a special meeting just to brief them on this matter and make sure they give it the attention it deserves!"
"That’s fantastic!"
If the High-tech Zone branch had un-logged group purchase orders, it would solve his most pressing problem!
Wang Qing was a man of decisive action. Midway through the meal, he was already on the phone with Chen Yu, the general manager of the High-tech Zone Yida Department Store.
Receiving a call from the chairman, Chen Yu was a nervous wreck. They usually reported to the group’s vice president; the chairman rarely involved himself in such matters directly. But when he did, it was always something major.
When he finally understood what the chairman was saying, Chen Yu was stunned for a long moment. ’That’s it?’
’The chairman called me personally for such a trivial matter?’
He had been told to sort it out and then contact a President Yang.
Chen Yu all but beat his chest guaranteeing he would complete the task. It wasn’t a major issue. These group purchase clients all used Yida Department Store gift cards for their shopping. Unless a client had a specific brand in mind, the store could easily guide their purchases.
Of course, thanks to long-standing relationships, he did have some influence over his clients. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared make such a guarantee to the chairman.
Yang Hui?
The chairman had sent him his WeChat contact, and his tone had made it clear this person was very important.
Chen Yu grew curious about this Yang Hui.
After lunch, Yang Hui saw Zhang Chun and Wang Qing to their cars before driving his own Mercedes E-Class back to the office.
Now, it all depended on whether Yida Department Store could deliver. By the end of the workday, he should know exactly how much group purchase revenue they had managed to divert for him.
The moment Wang Qing returned to his office, the first thing he did was call for an online meeting.
He personally issued a directive requiring every store to contribute to the group sales performance of the Airex brand each month. The results were to be compiled by the 20th of each month and submitted to his secretary for his personal review.
Any store that failed to generate group purchase revenue would be criticized, and it could even affect their annual promotions and raises.
Immediately, the general managers’ private group chat erupted in discussion. They had always known the company valued its relationship with Futong Commerce, but they had never paid much mind to the Airex brand, as it wasn’t one of their core partners.
So why was the chairman acting so uncharacteristically today, personally issuing orders for a single brand while not saying a word about Futong Commerce?
"The chairman is giving Airex special treatment. He’s never interfered in things like this before!"
"Yeah, and the suspicious part is that he didn’t even mention Futong Commerce. He only stressed the importance of this one brand!"
"Did you guys notice? The chairman said that for any coordination involving the Airex brand, we are to liaise directly with someone named Yang Hui!"
"Normally, our own operations managers or business VPs are the ones who liaise with Futong Commerce. Why are we general managers now being told to deal directly with one of their brand managers?"
"I know, it’s bizarre. This Yang Hui must be someone special. At the very least, he has the chairman’s complete confidence!"
When Yang Hui returned to his office, Zhu Jing came over, her face full of apology. "Sir, I’m sorry for causing you trouble."
Knowing she was referring to the issue with collecting the payment, he smiled. "It’s fine. A boss’s job is to solve problems, after all!"
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