After the meeting, Xiang Mingzhang was going to visit old Xiang Yue, so he left first.
Everyone stood up and left their seats, coming out of the conference room. Shen Ruozhen and Zhou Kesen walked along the corridor to the rest area at the end. It was not a big place and few people passed by during working hours.
Zhou Kesen was obviously a little excited and asked, "When was the share issue decided?"
Shen Ruozhen stood with his back to the French window, his body outlined by a layer of light, and replied: "Mr. Xiang and I have discussed this before, and the formal talks will be held in the next few days."
Zhou Kesen couldn't help but mutter: "This is really unexpected. The shares I sold are back. What do you think this is? It's regaining lost territory."
Shen Ruozhen smiled, pressed twice on the self-service coffee machine next to him, and said, "Mr. Xiang took the initiative to propose it."
Xiang Mingzhang said it was "compensation" at the meeting. Zhou Kesen naturally thought of the kidnapping case not long ago and said, "Mr. Xiang is an absolute businessman. You can tell from his ending in Old Xiang Yueying. I admire him very much. So he is willing to repay you for saving him with shares. It's very real and sincere."
Shen Ruozhen handed Zhou Kesen a cup of coffee and said frankly: "Uncle Sen, the shares are not for me, but for my mother and Xiao Hui."
Zhou Kesen looked surprised and said in confusion: "What do you mean? You had a share when we sold it."
"We've discussed it and we all agree. I'll explain it to you later." Shen Ruozhen assured, "It doesn't matter whether I have shares or not. I will do my best."
This was an internal matter of the Chu family, and Zhou Kesen had no intention of interfering. He swallowed a mouthful of coffee and changed the subject: "Li Zangqiu didn't show up last week. It seems that he is preparing to retire early."
Shen Ruozhen joked, "Uncle Sen, you are very concerned about Mr. Li's movements."
Zhou Kesen came back from Harbin. In addition to reorganizing Yisi's R&D department, he kept staring at Li Zangqiu and said, "Du Heng had a bad luck last year and changed his path. He has been in contact with the manufacturing industry recently. It is likely that Li Zangqiu set him up with him."
Shen Ruozhen was relieved and said, "At this point, he will cut ties with Yisi sooner or later."
Over the past year or so, Yisi's business has grown, and Zhou Kesen has become increasingly busy with the R&D department. He anticipated the future situation: "Li Zangqiu will take a group of people away, so we will have to add new forces, and the R&D department will also need to increase manpower."
Shen Ruozhen observed Zhou Kesen's expression and found a hint of excitement, so he asked, "Uncle Sen, does it feel like the beginning of the company's development?"
Zhou Kesen was very pleased. Thinking of his old friend Chu Zhe, he said, "I'm going to the cemetery this weekend. I have to tell your dad and make him happy. You just focus on your work. Uncle Sen will support you unconditionally if you need anything."
Soon, Xiang Yue and all the employees of Yisi knew Xiang Mingzhang's decision, and there was no possibility of any regret.
Two days later, the lawyers appointed by both parties had a formal meeting. Since Xiang Mingzhang was the initiator and had a positive attitude, the process went smoothly.
Shen Ruozhen didn't have much to help with, so he was relieved. He went to work and came home from get off work as usual every day, occasionally met with clients for social events, and at the same time waited for news to happen in the company.
Within a week, he received three resignation letters.
Shen Ruozhen approved and interviewed the matter according to the procedures and handled it efficiently and promptly, leaving both the resigning employee and Yi Si with dignity.
Li Zangqiu still didn't come to the company and only made one phone call. His voice sounded a little tired, probably because of his busy work for Du Heng.
Shen Ruozhen was working overtime at the time and had just made a cup of strong tea from the tea room. He stopped in the empty aisle of the office area and looked at the locked outer door of the CEO's office.
Li Cangqiu didn't beat around the bush and said frankly that he had already told Xiang Mingzhang that he wanted to retire early.
Shen Ruozhen held the phone and said he understood.
The phone call was not long. Both Shen Ruozhen and Li Zangqiu remained calm and took the last step in the most nonchalant manner.
No matter what era, in the real world, there is no easy breaking off of friendship. Everyone understands that they will inevitably meet in the business world in the future, and they will always shake hands and exchange greetings when they say goodbye.
On the weekend, Shen Ruozhen got up early, changed his clothes and went downstairs.
Mrs. Chu looked different than usual. She was wearing a black and white professional suit and carrying a square leather bag. After Chu Shihui had packed everything, the family of three went out.
The agreement was officially signed today. Shen Ruozhen accompanied Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui to the law firm. Xiang Mingzhang also arrived with his lawyer.
Both parties were well prepared and the whole process took only about half an hour. The remaining miscellaneous procedures were left to the lawyers.
After Xiang Mingzhang signed his name, he felt relieved and relieved of his burden.
Coming out of the law firm, Shen Ruozhen and Xiang Mingzhang fell behind. He said, "It's finally done. Don't worry about it anymore."
"Yes." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Thank you for your company. What are your plans for today?"
Shen Ruozhen said: "Nothing else, what about you?"
Xiang Mingzhang was fine, but before he could answer, Mrs. Chu turned around in front and called out, "Xiaochen, get in the car. We're going to another place."
Shen Ruozhen asked: "Mom, where are we going?"
Mrs. Chu smiled and kept the secret, inviting, "If Mingzhang is not busy, come with us."
Xiang Mingzhang said politely: "I won't disturb your family activities, right?"
"How could that be?" Mrs. Chu waved and urged, "I'm worried that I might make things worse, so I need your advice before I make a decision."
Xiang Mingzhang asked the driver to take the lawyer back, and he got into the Chu family's car. Half an hour later, they arrived at the emerging business district south of Jiang'an.
There are clusters of high-rise buildings standing nearby, and the smoke in the sky is reflected on the blue glass walls. The streets are busy with traffic, and most of the men and women passing by are dressed in professional attire.
The driver parked the car in front of a building, and Mrs. Chu said, "We're here."
After getting out of the car, Shen Ruozhen looked up at the building in front of him and asked, "Mom, what is this place and why are we here?"
Mrs. Chu replied, "This is the new place I found for Yisi."
Shen Ruozhen turned to look at Xiang Mingzhang. They had discussed and even argued before about when Yisi would move out of Xiangyue Park. The two of them decided to wait for a while. They didn't expect Mrs. Chu to do something big without saying anything. She actually did it quietly.
The interior of the building is beautifully decorated, the structure is scientific, and the area is more than enough. Office buildings of this level are in short supply in the market.
Mrs. Chu said to Shen Ruozhen: "It's not too convenient to go home by Jiang'an Avenue. You can sleep an extra half an hour while you're at work."
Chu Shihui took a photo with her phone: "My friend's company is on the street next to it."
Mrs. Chu smiled and said, "When you graduate and start working, you can have lunch with your friends at noon."
Xiang Mingzhang visited with his hands behind his back and recalled the early days of his business. Xiang Yue Communications was also located in an office building with only two floors, and was rented near the school for convenience.
Over the past decade, the company has continued to develop, its location has changed again and again, and it has become larger and larger. The headquarters has established a park, and branches in the southwest and southeast, and an office in the north have all more than doubled in size.
Xiang Mingzhang likes to look forward and rarely recalls the past. Thinking about it now is like a dream. He smells the scent of Canaan on Shen Ruozhen and comes back to his senses: "What do you think?"
Shen Ruozhen told the truth: "It's pretty good."
Mrs. Chu said modestly: "Mingzhang, you are well-informed, please give me some advice. I know that this place is definitely not comparable to Xiang Yue."
Even though Xiang Mingzhang was reluctant to let Shen Ruozhen go, his upbringing did not allow him to pour cold water on his elders, so he said, "I think it's good too. Auntie must have put a lot of thought into it."
Mrs. Chu's idea was actually very simple. Yisi wanted to be independent, so it was unreasonable for her to stay in Xiangyue Park. She said shyly, "I didn't care about anything before, but now I want to do something for the company. I hope it's not too late."
Shen Ruozhen encouraged him by saying, "As long as you want to do it, it's never too late."
Mrs. Chu was excited after receiving the positive comments. She came out of the building and said, "I have to ask Lao Zhou again. The R&D department is different from other departments."
Chu Shihui said: "I took pictures, let's go now, I just happened to have some questions for Uncle Sen."
Shen Ruozhen asked the driver to take Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui away, and he and Xiang Mingzhang stayed on the street. With nothing else to do, the two of them walked slowly along the sidewalk, like office workers taking a break from their busy work.
After walking for a while, Shen Ruozhen said, "It looks like Yisi will be able to move soon."
Xiang Mingzhang argued in the car that day, but today he seemed to have changed his attitude. First, he respected Mrs. Chu's wishes, and second, he was a mature man after all and knew what was important.
"Alright." Xiang Mingzhang accepted it. "To establish yourself as a king, you need a base to recruit soldiers and horses."
Shen Ruozhen smiled lightly and said, "Thank you Mr. Xiang for your understanding."
Xiang Mingzhang immediately started to think: "Isn't it too simple to just say "thank you for your care" in front of all the leaders of the company and "thank you" in private?"
Shen Ruozhen said: "Then what do you want?"
They have been through many things together, some of which were thrilling, some of which were secrets that could not be told to outsiders, and at the very least, they had tacit cooperation in the business world. When they counted them all, the ordinary scenes between partners were the rarest.
It was still early, so Xiang Mingzhang asked, "Do you want to make an appointment?"
Shen Ruozhen was very happy, but he and Xiang Mingzhang both lacked dating experience and didn't know what to do. They just wandered around the street, stopping and starting, and were picky.
The coffee shop was crowded and I was too lazy to join in the fun; the bookstore was quiet, but unfortunately not as spacious as Xiang Yue’s library; the bar was okay, but the atmosphere was a little worse than Yunjiao; the shop selling small items was flashy and full of young people taking pictures.
After walking down a street without much interest, Shen Ruozhen saw a seal company at a corner. He stopped outside the window and said, "Would you mind giving me a seal?"
This was the first time Shen Ruozhen took the initiative to ask for a gift. Xiang Mingzhang agreed and said, "Let's go in and take a look."
In this place where every inch of land is valuable, the store is not big, but it has pre-carved seal stones. Customers can also customize the content and then select natural seal stones for the master to make.
Shen Ruozhen looked carefully and picked out a piece of jade. It was not a rare variety, but it was quite transparent.
Xiang Mingzhang whispered, "There are no royal French craftsmen here, no gold and crystal, wouldn't it be a bit shabby to make a seal for the president?"
Shen Ruozhen said with a smile: "Fuhua Bank is gone, and President Shen is gone too, so what's the point of having the president's official seal?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Then only your name will be engraved?"
Shen Ruozhen said "hmm", and just then the master came. He said, "Use regular script for the characters, and the pattern on the top of the seal stone... Help me carve a copper coin."
Most customers choose traditional ruyi patterns, cloud patterns, or unique and romantic patterns such as flowers and plants. The master curiously asked: "What kind of copper coins?"
Shen Ruozhen said skillfully: "The Tianqi Tongbao of the Ming Dynasty has a round square hole, with 'ten' engraved on the top and 'one liang' engraved on the right. There are also a day and a month engraved on the left and bottom of the hole."
The master said: "This copper coin is quite special."
The ancestors of the Shen family opened a money shop. When Shen Ruozhen was one year old, they held a three-meter-long table filled with various copper coins, silver dollars, banknotes and bonds.
He crawled from the beginning to the end, grabbing them one by one. Grandfather said he would make a fortune in the future. He stared with wide eyes and looked enough, then put them down, finally holding only a copper coin at the end of the table. Grandmother said he had a sense of propriety and would not be stained with the smell of money.
That one is the Tianqi Tong Bao.
By carving this copper coin, Shen Ruozhen was commemorating his family business and also recording the interesting experience of his first contact with currency in his life.
He asked, "The Sun and Moon version of Tianqi Tongbao is very rare. Please carve the pattern carefully."
The master made a guarantee and went to register the information.
There were only two of them left in the corner of the store. Shen Ruozhen said, "Actually, there is another reason."
Xiang Mingzhang guessed, "The sun and the moon shine together, which has a good meaning."
Shen Ruozhen corrected: "It is the sun and the moon that represent 'Ming'. I want to engrave it on my seal."
(End of this chapter)