Chapter 6 ✦ Laozi is quitting!
Chen Xi was suppressed and felt that his aura was a little different.
After reacting, he immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, He-zong, it’s my fault for not controlling the media well.”
Actually, He Jianzhen didn’t mean to blame him. Chen Xi’s ideas were old-fashioned. What this signified was Sky Azure’s closed and conservative corporate culture. The root cause was the culture of the entire company. It was useless to assign blame, they could only try to start changing things right away.
After sending away the brand department, He Jianzhen only kept Chen Xi and the office manager Wei Ning, to talk privately–
“The news leaked from within the company. I want to know which bastard did this wonderful thing.”
Chen Xi immediately said, “I’ll check it out.” He analyzed, “The main points of the leak were the chairman’s private information and the news of your appointment. Because all employees received the internal memo, the news of your appointment could have been leaked by anyone. But the chairman’s private information is a different matter. Only people with a very close relationship with the leader could have known.”
Wei Ning looked at He Jianzhen, “I can guarantee with my character, that the news definitely did not leak from me.”
The general manager’s office directly reported to the general manager and the chairman. Its daily work was to handle these two leaders’ schedules, documents, meetings, and receptions… So when something happened, it was difficult for the office to avoid suspicion. Wei Ning spoke frankly and forcefully, calling on her reputation as an office manager who had been in this position for over a decade.
He Jianzhen trusted her, “Ning-jie1[Sister Ning, an honorific to connote respect and intimacy.], behind closed doors, we are all in the same camp. I just want your help, I have no other meaning.”
Wei Ning brushed her hair back. A few white hairs were visible on her temples. In two years, she would be at retirement age2[Retirement age for office workers is 55 years old in China.]. She had served through two terms of top leaders3[She was the office manager during the time of the first chairman, when the general manager was Liang Chongzheng, as well as when Liang Chongzheng was chairman and the general manager was Wu Zhaoguang.] and experienced countless changes in the upper management, but this office manager position stood firm as a rock and didn’t change. In front of others, Chairman Liang Chongzheng was very respectful to her, and always said that only Manager Wei could understand what he meant.
“In my opinion, this information was leaked by the company’s senior executives.” She didn’t beat around the bush, “The so-called ‘insider’ in this news report could clearly say that this plane was the chairman’s private jet, which means that they recognized it. They had seen it before, perhaps they even flew on it. This is a very important point. Many people know the chairman’s private schedule, but only the personal secretary, the receptionist, senior executives, and the chairman’s family members would recognize the jet.”
“The secretary and the receptionist were on the plane, so it definitely wasn’t them. I personally called the chairman’s family this morning, and I told Lin-dajie4[Big Sister Lin, a respectful way to address the boss’s wife.] (the chairman’s wife) not to speak to the media. She understood this very clearly, and besides, leaking the news wouldn’t benefit the Liang family. So, I think the news leaked from the company’s upper management.”
He Jianzhen wondered, “Could it be Madame Wu?”
He thought of the hysterical woman who scratched him last night. She had been to the reservoir site and she was also very dissatisfied with the company’s handling of the situation. If she wanted to force the company to give her a satisfactory response, it was very likely that she would complain to the media.
Wei Ning had served the leader for a long time and she was familiar with the leader’s family, “Although Su Wen-jie5[Sister Su Wen, respectful way to address the boss’s wife.] is easily excited, she has opinions about the company’s handling of the matter, not about you personally. I think this ‘insider’ has more opinions about you.”
The report kept talking about He Jianzhen’s appointment at the end, and it was obvious that they were skeptical about his promotion to the position.
“Honestly, the other party made a rather clever move. They directed the problem toward you, but everything they revealed was the chairman’s private information, there wasn’t much about you. Even if you wanted to sue them for invasion of privacy, it would have to be the chairman suing them. And now the chairman certainly can’t sue them. He-zong, everyone in the company already knows that you took office. It’s not a business secret, nor is it a matter of personal privacy. Even if they say it outside, no one can do anything to them.” Wei Ning’s expression was also a little heavy.
He Jianzhen asked, “Ning-jie, is there someone you’re thinking of?”
Wei Ning looked at him cautiously, then at Chen Xi. The atmosphere seemed a little tense. She lowered her head and wrote three names on her notebook–
“Seven vice general managers plus a chief scientist, Dr. Song, these eight people are all of the company’s senior executives. Among them, only these three have flown in the chairman’s private jet. That’s all I know, it’s really hard for me to say anything else.”
Of the three names, the very first was Tang Litao.
He Jianzhen’s chest tightened. As expected, he heard Chen Xi say, “Tang Litao is the closest to the chairman, isn’t he?”
“It can’t be him,” He Jianzhen stopped him in a stern tone, suddenly raising his voice and scaring Wei Ning and Chen Xi.
“Why not?” Chen Xi asked.
He Jianzhen looked at Chen Xi as if he were a fool. He finally understood, this company secretary’s habit of speaking without thinking was a chronic illness.
“He was with me last night, and he went to the reservoir with us this morning. We saw him going to the bidding site with our own eyes. The bidding office collects cell phones and you’re not allowed to contact the outside world. When did he have the time to expose the news to the media?” He Jianzhen explained.
Chen Xi hit his head and said, “That’s right.” But then he reacted, “Why were you with him last night?”
He Jianzhen’s face was slightly hot, and he randomly made up an excuse, “Resting in his office right after Wu-zong had an accident, that’s too disrespectful. Tang-zong just happened to be there, so I borrowed his lounge and slept there for a while.”
This excuse didn’t have any problems and both of them could accept it. He Jianzhen quickly drew their attention to the two other names, “Chen Xi, check these two. The press conference will be in the evening, let’s not make any more mistakes when the time comes.”
In the end, the brand department decided to hold the press conference at an investor relations meeting that night, only inviting three professional media companies. The rest were institutional investors and retail investors.
The meeting was simple and serious, with a 25 minute agenda. He Jianzhen would only speak for 10 minutes, plus 15 minutes of Q&A. It could end in half an hour.
He Jianzhen arrived at the scene an hour in advance. Wei Ning put some powder on his face, covered the wound on his forehead, and applied some lip balm. The suit was a pure black three-piece, appropriately solemn. They even adjusted the camera position in advance. On the camera lens, it appeared as if there was a world reflecting rainbow light6[Might be a religious reference to the idea of the “rainbow body” in Tibetan Buddhism, not sure.], seeming to extend inward infinitely. He Jianzhen stood at the entrance to this world. Just taking a deeper look, the world came rushing toward him with a roar.
This was the first time he stepped to the front of the stage.
In the past, he was always working behind the scenes. Administrative work was a typical behind the scenes job. People in the company jokingly called it the job of the grand eunuch7[Because the male servants of the Emperor’s harem in imperial China were eunuchs.]. A bunch of small miscellaneous tasks, and it was always, if you did it well, it was your duty, if you didn’t do it well, you would get a beating. He had also gotten used to hiding behind the scenes, working like a good ox to plow his 1.3 mu of land8[Literally one mu and three fen of land. Mu and fen are units of area measurement used in China. One mu is 1/15 of a hectare, and one fen is a tenth of a mu. This phrase means one’s own small territory, or personal interests, or sphere of influence.], day after day.
A man who could only see a few steps under his feet was suddenly asked to raise his head and thrust out to face the wider world. He was scared.
Ten minutes before going on stage, Chen Xi finally arrived and whispered a name in his ear, “It’s Xu Xinchang.”
He Jianzhen showed a cold expression. He almost forgot about this Xu-zong.
The boss of the R&D system, the dean of Sky Azure’s research institute. It was this great god who dared to not report to the newly appointed general manager on his first day in office, and stood him up9[放鸽子 (fàng gēzi), lit. releasing pigeons, means to break a promise or to miss an appointment] instead. Using an impromptu business trip as an excuse, he showed He Jianzhen his displeasure. This character was truly impudent enough.
But he had the capital to be so impudent. Sky Azure was a high-tech corporate group, it produced aircraft components. Building an airplane wasn’t making egg drop soup10[
Not something super easy.]. In order to stay on the cutting edge, they had to rely on R&D. In addition to reinvesting more than 60% of their profits in research every year, the most important thing was R&D talents. The two pillars of the R&D system were Dr. Song, the chairman of the company’s supervisory board and the chief scientist, and Xu Xinchang, a senior executive and a vice general manager.
Xu Xinchang wasn’t like Tang Litao who joined Sky Azure straight out of university. Based on his qualifications11[The implication is that he went to an inferior school.], he wasn’t even as good as He Jianzhen. But he came out of the doctoral program at the National University of Defense Technology12[The number one military academy in China. I think this school is highly ranked, so presumably the school where he did his undergrad wasn’t as good.], and he spent many years in the Air Force. Not only was he exposed to the most cutting-edge things in the country, and his technical skills were strong enough, but he also had many Air Force connections. As a leader who came from the military to work in industry, he was appointed to vice general manager on arrival, and he was immediately put in charge of the entire R&D system. He single-handedly led the Sky Azure research institute. His methods and temperament were the typical military style, attaching great importance to rank, authority, and obedience. No one could do a thing about him.
Chen Xi was also afraid of this god and was very worried, “I tricked that little reporter. He said that he got the news from a phone interview with someone from the research institute. He was also very cunning. He didn’t accept the interview himself, it was a subordinate who spoke on his behalf. But since it was someone from the research institute, and he’s the dean, how could he possibly not know? And what he gave them was much more than what ended up on the news. It was the reporter who thought it was too risky to publish everything, and they helped block a lot of information. I also got a copy of the materials.”
Chen Xi handed over a manila envelope full of documents.
He Jianzhen called Xu Xinchang directly, but he didn’t answer. Switching to Chen Xi also didn’t work. Finally, he used Wei Ning’s account to send him a video call request and it went through. He Jianzhen directly put him on speaker phone and said to him–
“Xu-zong, you’re even busier than the premier13[Second highest position in China.] of the country, I’ve looked everywhere and couldn’t find you.”
Xu Xinchang laughed lazily on the other end, “Jianzhen, what’s the matter?”
“It seems like you haven’t seen the news. It’s crazy outside, but Xu-zong is still in the mood to laugh.”
“What do you mean?”
He Jianzhen was too lazy to hum and haw with him, so he wasn’t polite, “I just want to remind you. Xu Xinchang, this is a matter concerning the company’s reputation. If you have any opinions about me personally, you are welcome to come and talk to me directly. I will wait for you in the general manager’s office. But you better not mess around with the company. If anyone tries to damage the company’s reputation, I will definitely not allow it.”
Being told off like this by someone who was previously just a subordinate, Xu Xinchang couldn’t keep his face. He immediately turned frosty, his voice rising an octave, “What part of the company’s reputation did I damage? How? Ah? Laozi14[Means roughly “your ancestor” and is a kind of way of swearing.] has made how f***ing15[What he actually says is “their mother’s”. Changed it because it doesn’t flow in English.] big of a contribution to the company, you know sh**16[What he actually says is “you know a fart”.]! Why should Laozi talk to you? Do you understand technology or do you understand customers? You are just a f***ing17[Again, he says “their mother’s”.] tea-serving girl18[Literally, a young maid who serves tea and brings water. The reason why he calls him this is because his previous position was completely in a support role.], if Laozi gives you face, then…”
“Xu-zong!” Chen Xi interrupted, indignant, “He-zong is the general manager now, please show some respect.”
Xu Xinchang didn’t take He Jianzhen seriously at all, “Bullsh**19[In Chinese, it’s “dog fart”, means the same thing.] general manager! If Laozi doesn’t recognize him, no one can force me!”
After that, he cut off the call, leaving a black screen only reflecting He Jianzhen’s eyes, wide with anger.
Even Wei Ning, who always had the best temper and knew how to speak considerately in front of the leader, cursed, “Shameless20[混账 (hùnzhàng), apparently this term means from Mongolian and originally was a curse for young men who would sneak into tents and have sex with women and “sleep around”. Eventually became a generic curse.] thing.”
He Jianzhen felt better after hearing her curse. “Forget it.”
Actually, Xu Xinchang spoke the truth. He didn’t have technical skills, nor did he understand the core business. None of the work he did could produce actual effects or revenue. He was raised to a high position, but his abilities weren’t strong enough. It was no surprise that other people didn’t accept him. How could they, when he himself didn’t have the confidence to be the general manager?
His heart squeezed. The three-piece suit was too tight. He couldn’t breathe. He went to the window to get some fresh air.
Wei Ning came up with tea, comforting him, “Don’t think too much, you’ve already done well.”
He Jianzhen lowered his head. The hot steam from the tea made his eyes a little sore. He was too ashamed to raise his head again.
Someone outside came to urge him to go on stage, “He-zong, you’re up next!”
He Jianzhen was so shocked that his shoulders shrank, and he was about to step back. Wei Ning and Chen Xi both looked at him with a sympathetic gaze.
Still, he gritted his teeth and went over. The ten-minute speech on stage was still okay. The speech written by the brand department was sincere and realistic. It neither avoided the facts of the plane crash and his urgent promotion, nor did it deliberately exaggerate and sell misery. The teleprompter was placed right in front of He Jianzhen, with a large and clear font, so He Jianzhen could even read along without thinking.
The Q&A session started with questions from the press, and the brand department reviewed the pool of questions in advance to make sure he wouldn’t be asked anything inappropriate or out of line.
The brand department intentionally focused the questions on Sky Azure’s future development strategy and didn’t mention the crash. First, this was an investor relations meeting, and investors were most concerned about the company’s development. Second, it could also assure investors that the company’s operations were still on the right track.
But in the last five minutes, during the free Q&A with institutional investors, something went wrong.
The first analyst’s words were a punch in the stomach–
“He-zong, we can see that your public resume isn’t particularly outstanding. You graduated with a bachelor’s degree, entered the company, and ever since then, you’ve been working in positions relating to administration. Your business capabilities and management experience are relatively limited. What do you think of the board’s decision to appoint you as general manager?”
This was basically Xu Xinchang’s insults from earlier, repeated in polite language.
The brand department manager felt that things were going wrong, and interrupted, “It’s not convenient for us to answer this question. Next, please.”
The press conference was live, and He Jianzhen looked a little embarrassed on camera. He looked up and met the analyst’s haughty expression. Repressed fire rose from his chest, and the resentment he felt since he was stood up21[By Xu Xinchang, who skipped their meeting.] suddenly burst out.
“I can answer this question.” Under the brand department manager’s dumbfounded gaze, he simply turned on the mic and said, “I also don’t know why the board of directors chose to appoint me. This is the truth. There is no need for me to beat around the bush. I was suddenly told last night that I was the general manager. No one told me that this decision had been approved by the board of directors in advance.”
The analyst then asked, “Do you mean that you don’t want to do it? Why didn’t you refuse?”
If he continued, the situation would go out of control. He Jianzhen was about to speak, but the brand department manager had already turned off the microphone and stood up to pull He Jianzhen away, “Everyone, I’m sorry, today’s press conference ends here. We won’t answer any more questions.”
He Jianzhen was very angry. He struggled, punching and kicking, “Let me speak! Why don’t you let me speak!”
The camera recorded the whole thing, but he didn’t care at all. The brand department manager couldn’t hold him back. Chen Xi came up to help and forcibly carried him away.
Backstage, He Jianzhen was still venting, “Everyone f***ing22[Again, the actual swear used here is “their mother”.] thinks laozi can’t do it, and laozi doesn’t want to do it! This sh**** general manager, whoever wants to do it can do it!” He swept the teacups on the table and overturned the entire little tea table to the ground, “Chen Xi! Tomorrow we will hold an emergency board meeting! Choose a new one, I’m quitting! If Xu Xinchang wants to do it, let him do it!”
T/N: Ohhhh boy… Zhenzhen has a lot to learn from politicians.
- 1[Sister Ning, an honorific to connote respect and intimacy.]
- 2[Retirement age for office workers is 55 years old in China.]
- 3[She was the office manager during the time of the first chairman, when the general manager was Liang Chongzheng, as well as when Liang Chongzheng was chairman and the general manager was Wu Zhaoguang.]
- 4[Big Sister Lin, a respectful way to address the boss’s wife.]
- 5[Sister Su Wen, respectful way to address the boss’s wife.]
- 6[Might be a religious reference to the idea of the “rainbow body” in Tibetan Buddhism, not sure.]
- 7[Because the male servants of the Emperor’s harem in imperial China were eunuchs.]
- 8[Literally one mu and three fen of land. Mu and fen are units of area measurement used in China. One mu is 1/15 of a hectare, and one fen is a tenth of a mu. This phrase means one’s own small territory, or personal interests, or sphere of influence.]
- 9[放鸽子 (fàng gēzi), lit. releasing pigeons, means to break a promise or to miss an appointment]
- 10[Not something super easy.]
- 11[The implication is that he went to an inferior school.]
- 12[The number one military academy in China. I think this school is highly ranked, so presumably the school where he did his undergrad wasn’t as good.]
- 13[Second highest position in China.]
- 14[Means roughly “your ancestor” and is a kind of way of swearing.]
- 15[What he actually says is “their mother’s”. Changed it because it doesn’t flow in English.]
- 16[What he actually says is “you know a fart”.]
- 17[Again, he says “their mother’s”.]
- 18[Literally, a young maid who serves tea and brings water. The reason why he calls him this is because his previous position was completely in a support role.]
- 19[In Chinese, it’s “dog fart”, means the same thing.]
- 20[混账 (hùnzhàng), apparently this term means from Mongolian and originally was a curse for young men who would sneak into tents and have sex with women and “sleep around”. Eventually became a generic curse.]
- 21[By Xu Xinchang, who skipped their meeting.]
- 22[Again, the actual swear used here is “their mother”.]