Chapter 756: Chapter 755: Lost in Thought
On the other side,
Liu Zheng was staring at the financial statements of his company, deep in thought.
He was a highly educated individual with extensive work experience. Having worked at Liu Corporation for ten years, he had acquired management experience with three large supermarket chains, two medium chains, and five smaller supermarkets.
This experience was the result of his excellent work capabilities and exceptional vision, something Liu Zheng took great pride in.
However, he was currently troubled by concerns about his salary.
He held the position of manager in the internal sales department at Liu Corporation. Although it was only two days, Liu Zheng’s daily salary was much higher than that of the average salesperson. In a week, it was enough for him to afford a very comfortable life for his family, but his wife and children needed a large sum of money for treatment at the hospital.
"Sigh," Liu Zheng sighed and crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball.
"Boss, why haven’t you left work yet? Aren’t you on the night shift today?"
Just then, a man dressed in a suit and leather shirt, sporting a small beard, and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, giving off the appearance of a white-collar elite, pushed the door and came in.
Liu Zheng looked up and forced a smile, "Manager Chen, hello."
Manager Chen was Liu Zheng’s immediate superior.
Manager Chen nodded slightly and said, "Manager Liu, you’re still working overtime?"
Liu Zheng replied with a bitter smile, "Yes, Manager Chen. At this recruitment event, we hired over seven hundred people. We have limited funds here, so we can only give them thirty thousand yuan each, let them start by doing odd jobs in various supermarkets or storefronts, and then become full-time once their performance is good. It’s a way to reduce the burden."
After listening, Manager Chen’s face instantly creased with concern, and he earnestly advised, "Liu, your intention is right, but this approach might lead to social unrest! These people are from the lower strata of society and have absolutely no work experience. How can they be competent for our job? If you don’t arrange them properly, the supermarkets and stores will definitely suffer, or even shut down, rendering our efforts over the past few years in vain. This would be a considerable loss for Liu Corporation as a whole. Do you really want to see that happen?"
Hearing Manager Chen’s words, Liu Zheng also felt somewhat helpless.
Manager Chen was not wrong; with Liu Corporation’s immense scale and monthly product sales reaching tens of millions of yuan, if there were no competent service personnel, it would quickly be eliminated by consumers, or even go bankrupt.
Under their current circumstances, it indeed seemed like the only solution to ensure the work efficiency of these people.
However... these people all came from the countryside with no work experience and were fresh graduates. How could they possibly be suited for such work?
At this moment, Manager Chen suddenly took out his phone and dialed a number: "Hello, President Wang, good... Yes, Manager Liu is working overtime. Do you have time? Let’s have a drink together."
After hanging up, Manager Chen turned to Liu Zheng with a meaningful smile, "Our CEO has agreed to have a drink with you tonight."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng’s face beamed with joy. Standing up, he patted Manager Chen’s shoulder excitedly, "Thank you, I’m so grateful, Manager Chen. I’ll treat you to dinner some other day to properly thank you!"
Manager Chen smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don’t mention it."
Just then, Manager Chen suddenly looked out the window, and his expression changed slightly.
"Manager Liu, look outside the window, it seems like there’s something..." Manager Chen’s voice trembled.
Liu Zheng turned his head to look outside the window, and his complexion also slightly changed.
In his line of sight, a black car was slowly driving by.
The car parked in a parking lot not far from Liu Corporation, looking very ordinary and nothing special.
But Manager Chen knew that the person sitting inside that car was by no means ordinary.
He had been working at Liu Corporation for so long and had seen countless influential people, but those who could shock him like this were few and far between.
Manager Chen’s gaze fell on the license plate of the car, his face showing a trace of solemnity as he muttered lowly, "How can it be him?!"
He knew very few people, but he did recognize Liu Zheng. The person sitting in that car was clearly the Mr. Wang that Liu Zheng had mentioned.
Liu Zheng also asked with a puzzled face, "Manager Chen, do you know the person sitting in this car?"
Manager Chen shook his head, "No, I don’t know him. I only know his last name is Wang. He’s just like you, Mr. Liu, came from the countryside to the city to become a manager. However, unlike you, Mr. Liu, when he first came to the city from the countryside, he almost died by the roadside. It was you, Mr. Liu, who saved his life. So, the person sitting in front of you must be an old friend or brother of yours; otherwise, he wouldn’t be appearing here."
"Yes, I did save him once back in the countryside, and he remembered me for that. Now that we have met again in the city, he naturally wants to invite me for a meal. By the way, Manager Chen, do you know why Mr. Wang is inviting me to dinner?" Liu Zheng asked.
Manager Chen smiled, "That’s your affair, Mr. Liu, how would I know!"
Liu Zheng snickered bitterly, feeling an inexplicable sensation as if he had been betrayed.
He had been friends with Mr. Wang for twenty years and knew very well what kind of man he was—direct and honorable. Mr. Wang would never go out for drinks without a reason, yet now Mr. Wang had sought him out... What exactly was going on?
Liu Zheng felt somewhat bewildered.
Seeing the turmoil in his heart, Manager Chen spoke up with words of comfort, "It’s alright, Old Liu, let’s not fret over it. Since Mr. Wang has invited you to dinner, he must have something he needs your help with. Just go with peace of mind; I will help your company to thrive."
Having heard that, Liu Zheng felt slightly relieved. He nodded, "Alright then, Manager Chen. I’ll head over first. You should come to the dinner tonight too. It would be a waste to miss such a great opportunity!"
"Sure, I will get ready," Manager Chen agreed.
After leaving the company, Liu Zheng immediately began to call a meeting with his staff.
He sent Liu Zheng’s assistant to buy some fresh fruit from a nearby mall with a few others, while he himself drove directly towards the private room reserved by Mr. Wang.
When he arrived at the door of the private room, Liu Zheng took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and then pushed it open to enter.
A man dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with a crew cut and a lean figure, stood by the table. Upon seeing him walk in, the man immediately smiled broadly and stood up, saying, "Old Liu, long time no see!"
Liu Zheng walked over to the table and shook hands with the man, "Hello, Brother Wang!"
The man said with a smile, "You, Old Liu, are still the same as when you were a kid."
"Ha ha, so are you, Brother Wang!"
The man named Wang Hao is the younger brother of the chairman of the board of directors of Liu Corporation. He’s in his fifties and has worked at Liu Corporation for more than thirty years. He’s a company stalwart with enormous prestige within the company.
After inviting Liu Zheng to sit down, Wang Hao asked with a beaming smile, "From your tone, it seems like you are reluctant to attend tonight’s banquet. What’s the matter?"
"Brother Wang, it’s nothing serious, just that Liu Zheng is feeling a bit under the weather and would like to take a leave," Manager Chen explained.
Wang Hao nodded, "Oh, I see. But you seem to be in good condition."
"Really? I’ve been full of energy lately, not a minor ailment in sight. I think it’s you, Brother Wang, who looks a bit under the weather!" Manager Chen joked.
Seeing this, Liu Zheng hurriedly said, "Manager Chen, don’t talk nonsense, I’m in very good health."
