Chapter 57: In the Beginning

“Alex is just making a normal job change, but his connection with Lingmei and everyone won’t be severed. When we have time, we can still grab a few drinks together.” Luan Nian was unusually amiable today. “So, before the meeting starts, let’s first wish Alex all the best. I personally am also very grateful for the support that Alex and the entire Marketing Department have given me since my appointment. Alex has truly built a very strong team. Thank you, Alex.”

“It’s my duty.” Alex was as affable as ever, pressing his palms together and waving slightly. “This is indeed just a normal job change. I’ve been at Lingmei for too many years and want a change of environment. And who knows, I might just make a comeback someday.”

“Welcome.”

Luan Nian said “welcome,” but everyone knew that Luan Nian would never allow him to make a comeback. All bosses hated betrayal.

“Shall we officially begin today’s meeting then?” Luke sought Alex’s opinion, giving him no less respect than he deserved.

“You lead, Luke. I’ll just listen in. If there’s any problem I need to solve, I’ll step in.”

“Okay, let’s start then.”

Luan Nian called this meeting simply to understand the overall situation of the Marketing Department’s work and to know what everyone was doing. The departure of a senior executive would inevitably lead to team changes, and he needed to prepare contingency plans and determine what kind of people Tracy should be scouting in the market. With this purpose in mind, Luan Nian didn’t nitpick during today’s meeting. He just listened attentively, occasionally asking a few work-related questions, but none of them were sharp.

Everyone’s tense hearts gradually relaxed, and the atmosphere became more harmonious. By the time it was Lumi’s turn, the atmosphere was already very relaxed. Lumi was such a casual person. During her report, she casually said, “This client is quite a pain in the ass!” Everyone laughed.

Shang Zhitao also laughed. Lumi was just that kind of person. She wouldn’t change jobs for money, nor did she have any great ambitions. Having something to do was good enough for her. She wouldn’t deliberately harm anyone, but if you provoked her, she wouldn’t care about the consequences. Lumi had taught Shang Zhitao a lot.

Luan Nian also smiled and asked Lumi, “How about we have all these clients interface with you in the future?” Luan Nian was good at judging people. Lumi seemed laid-back, but she was firm, and her firmness came purely from her confidence. This was also why, many years later, even after the Marketing Department had new bosses and Lingmei’s organizational structure was upgraded, and many employees whose abilities had stagnated were laid off, Lumi could still remain a small soldier in the Marketing Department. Later on, people at Lingmei all knew there was a powerful figure in the Marketing Department. Everyone else in the company might not survive, but this figure would.

Letting go was also a kind of wisdom.

“No way!” Lumi quickly waved her hand. “I still want to live a few more years!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Luan Nian’s eyes swept over Shang Zhitao. She was also laughing, but he wondered what she was thinking.

When it was Shang Zhitao’s turn to report her work, she summarized the new budget management project she had been working on recently. It was the most carefully prepared report in the Marketing Department.

Everyone listened attentively. Luan Nian asked her, “With the new budget management process in place, has the team’s efficiency improvement rate been calculated?”

“Two projects have already been tested. Efficiency has increased by 20%.”

“It would be great if it could reach 25%.” Luan Nian looked at Shang Zhitao. He was giving her an opportunity, not expecting her to seize it, nor expecting her to understand. Although she was down-to-earth and diligent, she was also young and impulsive, easily influenced by others. Budgeting was the core work of the Marketing Department, and the person managing the budget must be strictly self-disciplined. Shang Zhitao was upright and meticulous; she was suitable. He was giving her an opportunity after their big argument last night.

There was always a missed opportunity between Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao. This decision had been made before but was spoken at such a time. It looked like he was bestowing a favor.

“If it can reach 25%, it will have a significant impact on the company’s overall business management,” Luan Nian added. “Can it be done?”

Shang Zhitao looked at Luan Nian. She rarely looked directly at him during work or in front of others. She knew she was mediocre, fragile, and insignificant among these elites, but she hoped Luan Nian could communicate with her as an equal. She had worked so hard for so long, not to have him say she was cheap and obedient.

“It should be possible. But I can’t do it.” She rejected the opportunity Luan Nian gave her. She didn’t want it.

When love and work were mixed together, it disrupted the order that should have been there. She could have been calmer when making the decision, but at that time, she was young and didn’t understand those things.

Luan Nian shrugged, his eyes crinkled slightly, and then he smiled. “It can be seen that Flora has put a lot of thought and accumulation into her work. Alex and Tracy have mentioned your efforts to me more than once. After listening to this report today, I think their evaluation of you was too conservative. You are not only hardworking but also very smart. Keep up the good work.”

Shang Zhitao smiled at him. She defined Luan Nian’s praise as mere polite words; she didn’t believe it.

After the meeting, Luan Nian returned to his office. Tracy was waiting for him and asked, “Was what we discussed a few days ago finalized?”

“What was that?”

“Letting Flora assist Lumi in managing the budget.”

“Flora refused. Lumi is an incapable person.” Luan Nian rarely trusted anyone. He mocked himself inwardly, Look at the two people you have high hopes for.

Tracy almost choked on her water. “Flora refused?”

“Mm.” This matter was over. Luan Nian didn’t want to mention it again. He opened his mailbox to look at the resumes Tracy had sent him, all of them marketing big shots with impressive backgrounds.

“How is it? Any favorites?” Tracy asked him. “Or are you going to look yourself?”

“No need. The person I like won’t come, and I’m too lazy to look for someone I don’t like. Just follow the normal hiring process and look at more resumes.” Luan Nian thought for a moment. “No rush. Anyway, there will definitely be changes in the Marketing Department’s personnel. It’s not too late to let the new leader take office after the changes stabilize.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to review the HR department’s work errors? Someone poached our senior executive, and you didn’t hear a thing?” Luan Nian questioned Tracy.

“I’ve already started self-reflection within the team. This was our problem, and I admit it. It won’t happen again.” Tracy, as a seasoned professional, was always frank and direct. Whoever’s fault it was, it was their fault, and she never shirked responsibility. With the departure of the senior executive, there were still many problems they needed to deal with, not only in terms of personnel but also in public relations, branding, and many internal legacy issues.

“Talk to Alex and control the public opinion.” Luan Nian was no saint, and Alex had also violated regulations. Luan Nian had evidence. He had spoken very clearly with him during their face-to-face meeting on the beach in Phuket. He had achieved a class leap at Lingmei, had three houses and two good cars in Beijing. The company had treated him well. It was best to part ways amicably and not get into a messy situation over benefits.

If pushed to the limit, Luan Nian would send Alex to jail.

“And I know that you leaked the company employees’ email addresses to Zhang Xin,” Luan Nian had said to Alex that day. “But I didn’t hold you accountable because I respect you and I’m grateful to you.”

The workplace was far more complex than imagined.

Shang Zhitao was in the center of a workplace storm for the first time in her life, her heart filled with countless doubts. She didn’t work overtime after getting off work but instead picked up her bag and went out. She wanted to take a walk.

She kept thinking about those few questions: Did Luan Nian get to where he is today by clinging to someone powerful? What was the real reason Alex wanted to take me with him? He could have taken someone more independent. She walked from dusk until nine o’clock in the evening, finally reaching the entrance of her residential complex.

There were so many people in her complex; many called it a “bedroom community.” At night, the people living in the bedroom community returned one after another, and it began to become noisy and lively. She thought of every day she had experienced in the past year and more, every day that was bittersweet. Although it was hard, every day also had its rewards when she looked back.

Sun Yu got out of a shared car and was startled to see Shang Zhitao sitting there. “Hey? Why are you sitting here?”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s lively here.”

For people who come to Beijing to live alone, the first lesson to learn is how to endure loneliness. Shang Zhitao was a relatively insensitive person and was also fortunate enough to meet good roommates and good colleagues, so her loneliness wasn’t so obvious. But today, she felt a bit lonely. She knew that there was a place in her heart that roommates and friends couldn’t fill.

Sun Yu sat down beside her, took her hand, and hissed, “Why is it so cold?”

“I walked back from the company.”

“Almost 20 kilometers?”

“Yes.”

Sun Yu didn’t speak anymore but just sat with her, watching the streetlights shine brightly and the pedestrians hurry by. Shang Zhitao remembered her first day in Beijing. It was raining that day, and she was packing her things in that small, crowded room. At that time, she was very simple. What she wanted was growth, to achieve growth through lifelong learning.

Both of their stomachs growled, breaking the strange atmosphere Shang Zhitao had created. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Forget it, you’re not suited for sadness. You’re suited to go grab something to eat with me,” Sun Yu joked.

“I am really hungry.” Shang Zhitao patted her stomach and stood up. Once she was hungry, all emotions disappeared, and she just wanted to fill her stomach quickly. The two of them walked hand in hand towards the spicy hot pot place behind the complex. Sun Yu secretly glanced at Shang Zhitao several times. When Shang Zhitao caught her, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Did you have a disagreement with your boss?” Sun Yu was so smart. Shang Zhitao was such a cheerful girl and hadn’t been particularly upset because of anyone before. The few times she had an emotional breakdown were all because of Luan Nian.

Shang Zhitao told Sun Yu what had happened. In Sun Yu’s opinion, it wasn’t a small matter. She was starting her own business, and the people on her team came and went like a revolving door. Too few people were optimistic about their project.

“Do you want to hear my advice?” Sun Yu asked Shang Zhitao. “Your company is so good, unlike our precarious startup. My advice might not be very useful.”

“I want to hear it.”

“My advice is... ask yourself why you came in the first place, and then ask yourself if you’re really capable enough to leave.” Sun Yu put her arm around Shang Zhitao’s shoulder. “The process of thinking is painful, but the decision is made in an instant.”

“Thinking allows you to know yourself better. There’s nothing shameful about being confused. No one is born strong.” Sun Yu gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Look at me, I even cried today!”

“Why?”

“A VIP member was dissatisfied with the blind date recommended by our system. They thought there was a problem with the system’s calculation logic. First, they made a fuss with customer service, and then they threatened to blow up our company. In the end, I took over and was severely scolded by him.” Sun Yu giggled. “Who wasn’t a precious baby raised in their parents’ hands, yet they were cursed at, with all their ancestors for eight generations being insulted by these bastards?”

Shang Zhitao suddenly felt that compared to what Sun Yu had suffered, the little things she had encountered were simply not worth mentioning, yet she had been bothering Sun Yu for so long. Sun Yu was clearly the one who needed more comfort.

I really am not strong enough, nor firm enough.

She gave Sun Yu a very sincere hug. “You had a really tough day today. Let me treat you to grilled fish, okay?”