Chapter 5 ✦ Just do things my way
They spent some more time than they expected at the reservoir.
Chen Xi regretted following them out of the car and being recognized by the media. “I don’t know where this reporter came from. I’ll talk to them later and try to suppress the news…”
He Jianzhen rubbed his temples, “It’s better if the company doesn’t get mentioned. Just spend the money that needs to be spent.”
Tang Litao stood next to him, answering the phone with a serious expression. He Jianzhen’s eyelids twitched wildly. He seemed to have a bad premonition.
Sure enough, Tang Litao hung up the phone and asked the driver to turn around. “The bidding for that project from the Institute of Aeronautics is opening this morning. Originally, Wu-zong1[The previous general manager, Wu Zhaoguang.] was supposed to go with the project team. But now there’s a bunch of people waiting in front of the bidding room, and no one showed up, so they’re panicking. I’ll take over first. We need to secure this contract.”
He Jianzhen knew about this project. It was large in scale and high in difficulty. General Manager Wu Zhaoguang was leading the team personally. The project team started preparing at the end of last year. The line of combat had already stretched for half a year. If they could win the bid, they would get at least 400 million2[Around 55 million USD.]. But now the general manager’s life and death was uncertain, and there was no one to lead the bid proposal team to the final battle.
He Jianzhen took the initiative to grab Tang Litao’s hand, wanting to say something encouraging, “You…”
Tang Litao shook his hand back, “It’s okay, leave it to me.”
The car took him to the bidding site first, and he left in a hurry. He Jianzhen watched his back disappear, his heart beating wildly.
Chen Xi waited until he left, and asked, curious, “You and Tang Litao have such a good relationship?”
He hadn’t been in the company for long and he didn’t know the relationship between the two.
He Jianzhen wasn’t in the mood to gossip with him and responded vaguely, “It’s not bad.”
“I was really scared last night,” Chen Xi breathed, patting his chest, “I used to think he had a very good temper, but he got mad at the drop of a hat.”
“He wasn’t really mad at you.”
“That’s good. Fortunately, we have him. If we can land the bid today, we can probably still save the stock price. Otherwise, I might as well resign.”
A plane crashed, so even if they didn’t know which company was involved, the entire aviation sector would definitely drop today. If the media leaked the company’s name again, they would definitely drop to the daily limit3[In Chinese stock exchanges, stocks are limited to a daily change of 10% (might be different now). So in this case, if the stock drops by 10%, it can’t drop any further that day.]. At this time, they could only save the stock price a little by signing a large order contract or announcing a major technological breakthrough.
It was no exaggeration to say that Tang Litao’s 400 million was a life-saving straw4[Actually refers to the English idiom “grasping at straws”, but the meaning has changed in Chinese to mean the only hope in a difficult situation.]. Now, whether the company’s plane could successfully make an emergency landing completely depended on Captain Tang’s piloting ability.
In order to send Tang Litao off, they returned to the company a little late. Not long after the start of the work day, the young secretary girl had finally finished the internal memos and the red header documents5[Official documents announcing He Jianzhen’s appointment as the new interim general manager, printed with a red title.], and she was leaning against the back of the chair sneaking a nap. She had also stayed up with them all night. He Jianzhen didn’t want to wake her up, so he went to get a kettle to boil water himself. Just as he finished steeping the tea, someone came in.
“He-zong, please take a look at today’s schedule.” It was the office manager, Wei Ning. “There is a Party Committee6[In China, companies are encouraged to have their own Party Committees committed to promoting the CCP’s political and economic agenda. Since He Jianzhen’s company is in aviation and competes for government contracts, it must be deeply connected to the state. Hinted at earlier when the Politburo Standing Committee did an inspection.] meeting at 10:30 in the morning that you must attend.”
He Jianzhen glanced at the densely packed schedule. Only the hour from 2:30 to 3:30 in the afternoon was free.
He joked, “You guys are quite considerate, giving me a break for afternoon tea.”
Wei Ning had a slightly embarrassed expression, “Originally, the research institute was supposed to hold a review meeting, but they just called and said that Xu-zong suddenly decided to go on a business trip and couldn’t come. It’s not possible to hold this meeting without him.”
Xu Xinchang was the head of the company’s R&D system and the dean of the research institute. In terms of rank, he was considered upper management. But typically, the business trips of senior executives were scheduled in advance. Occasionally, a senior executive would have to go on a sudden business trip due to an emergency, and they would also cancel important meetings and events. But then they would definitely explain the situation themselves to the general manager or the chairman. Even if they didn’t come in person, they would at least call or send a text. This was about respect.
The red header document for He Jianzhen’s appointment had already been sent out, and every single employee had also received an internal memo. There was no way Xu Xinchang didn’t know who the new leader was. But he didn’t come to meet He Jianzhen in person, nor did he contact him over the phone. He only sent this message through the office manager. Clearly, he didn’t take He Jianzhen seriously.
Wei Ning put it tactfully, but He Jianzhen wasn’t really stupid. It seemed like some people couldn’t accept this new general manager, and were about to cause trouble. But for now, He Jianzhen didn’t have the time to care about these problems.
Without the chairman and the general manager, these two big bosses, every aspect of the company’s day-to-day operations was affected. From the top of the morning, the bid proposal team was missing a person. Then there was a free fall in the stock market. Then the Party Committee scheduled a new election before lunch. He Jianzhen wasn’t even a member of the committee, but for now, he could only bite the bullet and go. Then he had to go to the administrative department to hand over his work. He was running back and forth, so busy that he didn’t have time to breathe.
After finally making it to lunch, his stomach was growling as Wei Ning brought him to the canteen. The executives had a small separate room there. In the past, He Jianzhen wasn’t qualified to go in. But today, the moment he walked through the door, it was obvious that everyone was staring at him with a strange look in their eyes.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. On the left side of the long buffet table sat a row of vice general managers, and on the right side sat a row of research scientists with PhDs. He saw that there were only two seats remaining, one at the very end of each side. He Jianzhen held his food tray unsure of where to sit. The entire room was watching him overtly and covertly, wanting to see which seat he would choose. He felt uncomfortable all over, so he simply put the food tray down on the table, taking out his cell phone and pretending to answer a call. Then he sneaked back out to the employee area to buy malatang7[
A soup and a common street food, similar to hotpot, that is made with “mala” (numbing hot) sauce.].
The head chef made the soup base extra strong today. It was so spicy that He Jianzhen was huffing and puffing while wiping his eyes. He gulped the spicy soup in big mouthfuls. The more his taste buds were stimulated, the emptier his mind became. He stared at his phone screen photo, a picture of him and his daughter, and froze. He suddenly remembered that he had to go to her school activity today.
He was so busy that he completely forgot about his daughter!
Poor He Tong had been waiting for her father the entire time, but even when the event finished and all her classmates and their parents had left, her father still hadn’t shown up. When her stupid father called her at noon, she cried, heartbroken, “You lied! I knew you would do this! I’m never talking to you again!”
He Jiancheng sincerely apologized to her, “I’m sorry Tongtong, daddy is a big liar and a big villain! Dad really didn’t know that overtime would take so long…”
He really thought so last night. Who would truly believe that they could become the general manager of a company overnight?
The little girl didn’t listen to his explanation, howling until she was hoarse.
He Jianzhen felt terrible, “Daddy will definitely come home tonight, alright? Be good, do your homework, and if you’re bored, you can have your classmates come over and play… You can also go to the library, just don’t go home too late… Don’t just play on your computer or phone all the time, and remember to lock the door before going to bed. Daddy guarantees, even if the sky falls down, I will go home tonight!”
The daughter whined and acted spoiled, crying for a long time before she was successfully coaxed.
He Jianzhen felt incredibly guilty. He had adopted the little girl. They already weren’t blood related8[The author probably made a mistake, it says later that they are blood related.], so he always gave her whatever she wanted, afraid that the child would have a rift in her heart. Even though he was usually busy with work and couldn’t spend much time with her, for important events, he would still try his best to take time off and go. Even if he really couldn’t be there, he would try to let her know in advance. This kind of situation had never happened before.
He was a single parent, without a woman in the family. Originally, there were already shortcomings. And now he was suddenly “promoted”. In the short term, he would probably have even less time to spend with his kid, which definitely wasn’t a good thing for He Tong. But fortunately, summer vacation was coming up. Perhaps she didn’t want him at home keeping an eye on her all the time, either. He would properly apologize to her again, find time to talk to her and explain what had happened.
Anyway, it still wasn’t certain if he could be the general manager. And taking ten thousand steps back, even if he was the general manager, it was still temporary. If it was short, two months, and at most, three months. Once the new board of directors was elected, he could resume his previous life.
As long as he could get through this period, he would find a way to make it up to the little girl. She would understand.
The malatang was too salty when it cooled down, and it was hard to eat. And He Jianzhen wasn’t in the mood to eat anymore.
The TV screen in the canteen was playing the news. He vaguely heard the company’s name and looked up. The screen happened to cut to the clip of the plane crash—
“…Reporters contacted the police and learned that the crash was still under investigation. Whether or not it was an accident still hasn’t been determined.
According to an inside source, the plane that crashed was the private jet of Liang Chongzheng, chairman of Sky Azure Aviation Technology Group. Liang Chongzheng himself, along with the company’s general manager Wu Zhaoguang, were both on the plane, and their situation is currently unknown. This morning, the Sky Azure Group’s company secretary, Chen Xi, was photographed at the reservoir site.
Last night, Sky Azure Group made an emergency replacement of the de facto person-in-charge9[The actual controller of the company, not necessarily the legal representative, but the person with final decision-making power.]. This morning, all employees received red header documents and internal memos, clearly appointing the administrative director He Jianzhen as the new interim general manager. Directly promoting a middle management cadre to the position of the top executive is extremely rare in corporate management. Why was the de facto person-in-charge replaced so quickly when the investigation of the crash is still ongoing? Can the new general manager take on this kind of responsibility? I am afraid that employees, customers, and investors all need clear answers from the management…”
He Jianzhen’s phone was vibrating wildly. Office Manager Wei Ning was going crazy looking for him–
“He-zong, where are you currently? How about coming back to the office for now.”
Just then, He Jianzhen noticed the strange looks he was getting from the people around him. He silently thought oh no, and quickly slipped out of the crowd, hiding in the elevator.
In the office, other than Wei Ning and Chen Xi, there was also the brand department manager and staff from the legal department, all crowded around the TV, watching the news.
“Didn’t you say you would contact the media? Chen Xi, what’s going on?” He Jianzhen was full of resentment, “Might as well just pull off my underwear!”
Chen Xi had a bitter expression, “The provincial TV station, the municipal TV station, and the newspaper group, I contacted them all. And there were no problems there. This is an online program, new media are all scoundrels. They never play by the rules, and can’t be controlled.”
“Then just let them air out our dirty laundry? Then what do I need you for!”
“I will contact this media company now.”
He Jianzhen shook his head. He turned his gaze to the brand manager, “What does the brand department think?”
The brand department manager was very excited. Since last night, she had been persuading the entire time, but unfortunately none of those old guys could understand her. Now, she finally had the opportunity to speak, “Information spreads very quickly on the Internet. I’m afraid the news has already spread out. It will cost a lot to completely remove it. In my opinion, we should hold a press conference as soon as possible, and be open and honest with investors.”
Chen Xi said angrily, “A press conference for what? Why should we have to do a press conference? We didn’t break any laws or regulations! This is the company’s own matter, how is it any of their business?”
“If we let things go on like this, even if we haven’t done anything wrong, anyone who wants to can spread rumours!” The brand manager summoned up her courage and said, “You still don’t understand? High-level corporate battles, power struggles, murder plots… these are the types of stories netizens like reading the most. Now we’re like material delivered right up to their doorsteps. Self-media10[Independent media, for example influencers or bloggers.] definitely won’t miss the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. These headlines are the best evidence, and they’re just short of typing out the two words conspiracy theory on the screen! To turn around the situation, we can only be open and honest, and take back the initiative. If we don’t want to give people the opportunity to make us a laughing stock, we need to be the first to speak, and the first to say things clearly.”
He Jianzhen looked at them both coldly.
The brand manager’s face flushed with excitement, but she was still clear and organized, “He-zong, the rules of the game on the Internet are different now. One plus one can equal three11[The original phrase is literally “black can also be spoken into white”.]. We did nothing wrong, so there really isn’t any need to shrink back and be so timid. Speak openly, express condolences if necessary, and announce the news of your appointment to investors. As long as we have a sincere attitude, investors won’t make things difficult for us.”
He Jianzhen asked, “What if they ask why it was me?”
“This decision was made through a vote by the company’s board of directors. We followed the correct procedure, they can’t say anything.”
“I’m afraid right now they would dig out where I went to kindergarten if they could.”
“If they violate your personal privacy later, we can choose a suitable media company and sue them directly.”
“We don’t need to make them take down the news?”
“This depends on your media budget. I assure you, what I’m saying now is the cheapest method.”
Sky Azure’s public relations and media budget has always been low. This was a very obvious problem in terms of brand building and PR, but it was also due to the nature of the company.
Sky Azure was a traditional industrial enterprise. As an aviation technology company with an old brand, its long-term target customers were professional customers and special customers. It has never needed to go and please the general public. This meant that their budget for branding and public relations couldn’t be too high. After all, even if the company went out and threw money at marketing and ads, it wasn’t as if ordinary people could afford to buy planes.
With such a constrained budget, Sky Azure would have a hard time once a PR incident occurred. Public relations required money, a lot of money. Doing a good job at public relations while saving money didn’t only test the professional ability of the brand strategy department manager. It also tested the heart of the leader of the company.
The reason why the brand strategy department manager hadn’t been valued until now wasn’t because the leader didn’t trust her professional ability. It was because not all leaders had the courage to let a professional take risks, when it came to something that would affect their own personal image. This time, He Jianzhen was also handing over his personal reputation to the brand department.
Chen Xi still disagreed, “He-zong, we never handled it this way in the past. I think it is inappropriate. We are a high-tech group, and you are the person in charge of the entire enterprise. You don’t need to explain anything to outsiders.”
The brand strategy manager was about to start arguing, but He Jianzhen’s gaze stopped her.
The atmosphere in the office was a little tense. He Jianzhen glanced at the people present and then turned his attention back to the TV screen. His portrait was placed on the left side of the frame. It was one of his official work photos, probably taken from his public resume by the copywriter.
“Prepare for a press conference. I will speak publicly.” He Jianzhen made a decision, “The brand department will write the speech. It doesn’t need to be too long, just say clearly what needs to be said. Keep the media and the Q&A session under control.”
The brand manager’s eyes lit up: “Okay, no problem!”
Chen Xi still wanted to talk, “He-zong…”
He Jianzhen’s tone was not harsh, but his attitude was unyielding, “I know what I’m doing, Chen Xi. Since I’m the general manager now, starting from today, just do things my way.”
- 1[The previous general manager, Wu Zhaoguang.]
- 2[Around 55 million USD.]
- 3[In Chinese stock exchanges, stocks are limited to a daily change of 10% (might be different now). So in this case, if the stock drops by 10%, it can’t drop any further that day.]
- 4[Actually refers to the English idiom “grasping at straws”, but the meaning has changed in Chinese to mean the only hope in a difficult situation.]
- 5[Official documents announcing He Jianzhen’s appointment as the new interim general manager, printed with a red title.]
- 6[In China, companies are encouraged to have their own Party Committees committed to promoting the CCP’s political and economic agenda. Since He Jianzhen’s company is in aviation and competes for government contracts, it must be deeply connected to the state. Hinted at earlier when the Politburo Standing Committee did an inspection.]
- 7[A soup and a common street food, similar to hotpot, that is made with “mala” (numbing hot) sauce.]
- 8[The author probably made a mistake, it says later that they are blood related.]
- 9[The actual controller of the company, not necessarily the legal representative, but the person with final decision-making power.]
- 10[Independent media, for example influencers or bloggers.]
- 11[The original phrase is literally “black can also be spoken into white”.]