The car showroom was empty except for a small car of an unpopular color. Two staff members were sitting on the sofa playing with their phones. They glanced at Chu Shichen and Xiang Mingzhang but had no intention of entertaining any customers.
Chu Shichen patiently inspected the car. After a while, the manager of the 4S store came out of the small office and asked, "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"
Chu Shichen walked closer to the car body and said, "I want to buy a car. Is this the only one?"
The manager said, "This is the only car we have in the store right now, and the price is about $100,000."
Chu Shichen opened the car door and took a look. The manager had no choice but to accompany him and introduced the car's performance in a casual manner. He heard some perfunctory words and asked, "Can you adjust a black one?"
"Uh, I can't adjust it." Seeing that he was dressed nicely, the manager apologized, "Is that Porsche parked outside yours? Our store may not be able to meet your needs."
As a salesperson, you should strive to be good to customers and be more attentive to distinguished customers. There is no reason to actively refuse them. The attitude of the manager and the two waiters showed that this restaurant is used to serving familiar customers rather than strangers.
Chu Shichen said: "The Porsche is a friend's car. Since it's here, can you do interior maintenance?"
The manager replied: “The maintenance project cannot be done, and the door of the backyard maintenance department is not open.”
Chu Shichen asked: "Why, is it closed?"
The manager said vaguely: "Business is not good."
Xiang Mingzhang wandered to the other side of the store and actually saw a few balance bikes. He turned around and used a different name to disguise his identity: "Shichen."
Chu Shichen didn't react: "... huh?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Pick one."
Chu Shichen raised his eyebrows slightly and asked silently: "Are you serious?"
Xiang Mingzhang smiled and said deliberately: "They are both very high-end. Which color is better?"
The manager said there were only a few left and they were on sale, and if you bought one you would get a safety helmet for free.
Chu Shichen picked out a dark gray one and came out of the 4S store. There was a convenience store next door. They walked under the eaves and bought two bottles of mineral water.
When paying the bill, Xiang Mingzhang asked the boss to give him a pack of the most expensive cigarettes.
The boss happily said, "I was looking at cars next door just now."
"Yeah." Xiang Mingzhang said with some disdain, "But there aren't any good cars."
The boss whispered, "It's almost closed. The rent for the store here is paid annually. I don't think the store next door will last until the end of the year. All the workers in the repair department have been fired."
No wonder they were so passive. Chu Shichen asked, "Is business bad?"
The boss revealed: "There are only a few 4S stores on this street that do well. Although their storefronts look shabby, they have been working with big companies for many years and have no shortage of customers. Who knows why they are closing down?"
Chu Shichen and Xiang Mingzhang returned to the car. During this time, the glass windows on all sides were covered with raindrops, and the interior of the car was closed and dim.
Xiang Mingzhang said: "After the field investigation, what do you think?"
Chu Shichen said: "Yisi's vehicle maintenance expenses ended two months ago. The 4S store is closing, and the two parties have terminated their cooperation."
This shows that Ren Meng had been making preparations for a long time. First, he cut off the connection between this store and Yisi, and then explained the physical reasons in the company to make his resignation seem natural.
Chu Shichen took the diagnosis to the hospital for consultation this morning. Ren Meng's respiratory problem was a minor ailment that could be controlled with a little attention. It was not as serious as described.
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Combining the revenue from the 4S store, Ren Meng's income far exceeds that of the department director. He has been living a stable life for so many years, why did he suddenly have to leave?"
"It's not sudden." Chu Shichen said, "Have you forgotten what happened a few months ago?"
The pharmaceutical company's project bid was cancelled, and three managers were removed at once, all of whom were Li Zangqiu's men. Xiang Mingzhang pondered and said, "You mean, Ren Meng is scared?"
Chu Shichen analyzed: "What you said before is right. That incident opened a loophole, and the subsequent reaction is coming. When someone is arrested, unrelated people will only watch the fun, and the accomplices will definitely feel nervous, so Ren Meng feels guilty."
Xiang Mingzhang sneered: "Li Zangqiu has more than one subordinate. He is too impatient to run so fast."
"No, it's because he's too cautious." Chu Shichen summarized all the information he had checked in the past two days. "All the accounts handled by Ren Meng are clean. His job ability is good enough, so Li Zangqiu will use him. Even if this store is found to have a relationship with him, the profit earned from Yisi will not exceed a reasonable range. If I'm not mistaken, his real big customer is Du Heng, and that is the real channel for Li Zangqiu to reward him."
Ren Meng has been willing to be just a department manager for so many years. If something happens to Yi Si, he has layers of superiors to support him, so if he quits this position it won't alarm too many people.
The cancellation of the bid was a shock. Xiang Yue had hardly interfered with Yisi's department business during this period. This was the aftermath of the shock. Xiang Mingzhang said, "So Ren Meng chose to get out at this relaxed time."
Chu Shichen said: "But for Li Zangqiu, this is not a good time. He will definitely not want to let Ren Meng leave after suffering heavy losses. However, what Ren Meng has learned over the years should be enough to make Li Zangqiu compromise."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "They are restraining each other. Once they break up, Ren Meng is likely to leave the industry, or even leave the country. Otherwise, Li Zangqiu will not be at ease."
Chu Shichen took out a business card. He usually received countless business cards when socializing with Xiang Mingzhang. He selected and saved them. He said, "This is a famous headhunting company. I want to check who Ren Meng has contacted recently."
"You've done so much silently, but you're only talking to me now. I'm afraid you want to investigate more than just this." Xiang Mingzhang asked, "What else do you want to investigate?"
Chu Shichen said: "Check the accounts."
No one is stupid. The problematic accounts must have been "beautified", but there is no perfect account in the world. If you tamper with it, there will be flaws. If you want to find out the truth, you need more time and more in-depth research.
Chu Shichen needs greater authority.
The weekly routine documents were arranged in a row, and the first one always came from the Finance Department. Xiang Mingzhang had already understood the hint and asked, "You have been eyeing the Finance Department for a long time, so Ren Meng's resignation caught your attention?"
"This is just one of the reasons." Chu Shichen ran to the hospital and then ran here, fearing that he would miss a single glimmer of the truth. "I'm worried that a Zhai Feng 2.0 will appear."
Seeing the risk of bringing up old issues again, Xiang Mingzhang remembered the day on Wutong Path when Chu Shichen said that the compensation he had given was not enough and that he would owe him money for the time being.
It was probably time, Xiang Mingzhang agreed, "You go ahead and do it."
Raindrops hit the car window densely, reducing the volume by half. Chu Shichen said in a deep voice, "Thank you."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "You're welcome."
Chu Shichen added bluntly: "I mean the balance bike."
Xiang Mingzhang: “…”
There was still half a day left in the holiday, so Xiang Mingzhang sent Chu Shichen home.
When getting off the car, Chu Shichen picked up the bag of X-rays. Xiang Mingzhang couldn't help but say, "Forget about the consultation, but you also want to take a picture yourself?"
Chu Shichen was suddenly inspired and wanted to experience the difference between modern medicine and the old times. He was too lazy to change his excuse: "I have a fever."
Xiang Mingzhang was skeptical: "Don't eat lychees, drink more hot water."
Heavy rain turned into moderate rain and lasted the whole day. Fortunately, the city's drainage system was good and the waterlogging was not serious. The temperature dropped by eight degrees overnight, as if the summer had passed faster.
Mrs. Chu felt that the custom-made suits for Chu Shichen were too orthodox, so she went shopping and bought a few ready-made clothes. Chu Shichen picked out a dark blue shirt, which was a loose-fitting style for outerwear and matched well with the fitted trousers.
Arriving at the company early in the morning, Chu Shichen discussed with Xiang Yue's finance department to set up a temporary task force. The supervisor was very sensitive and had anticipated that there would be action as they had received frequent requests for documents in the past two days, so he had already made preparations in advance.
Just when the staffing was decided, news came from the Human Resources Department that Yisi's superior approved Ren Meng's resignation report.
After the meeting, Chu Shichen used his work account in the system to make an appointment with Ren Meng.
Twenty minutes later, Chu Shichen arrived at the rooftop cafe in the park early and ordered a glass of water and a cup of warm oolong tea.
Ren Meng showed up, perhaps he was about to leave, wearing a non-business sportswear. He pulled out a chair and sat down, somewhat confused about Chu Shichen's appointment.
After taking a sip of hot tea, Ren Meng said, "Secretary Chu, do you want to discuss something with me?"
Chu Shichen asked with concern: "Are you okay?"
Ren Meng replied: "It's a chronic disease, neither good nor bad."
Chu Shichen suddenly pointed out: "I heard that you want to resign because of health problems?"
Ren Meng was planning to say nothing, but now he understood: "I didn't expect that my leaving as a small manager would alarm Mr. Xiang."
"Manager Ren, why do you think so little of yourself?" Chu Shichen said, "Mr. Xiang cares a lot about Yisi's employees, especially those who have worked for us for many years. Manager Ren, you were in the Finance Department when my father was here, right?"
Ren Meng nodded and speculated, "If you want to keep me, then there's no need. All good things must come to an end, and Yisi is not indispensable without me. I can only thank you and Mr. Xiang for your kindness."
Chu Shichen denied, "No, people are alienated and cannot be retained."
Ren Meng was stunned for a moment.
Chu Shichen said: "I am here to have a resignation interview with you."
Ren Meng looked at the park scenery in the distance: "There is no other reason, it's just that I'm a little tired after working for so many years. My family depends on me, and I dare not collapse as a middle-aged man."
Chu Shichen asked: "What are your plans after you resign?"
Ren Meng said: "Take a break. You've been busy for so many years. Go out and travel with your family."
"I remember you said you were afraid of the cold and damp weather in winter, so you can go to a place with a warmer climate." Chu Shichen paused for two seconds, "Singapore is pretty good."
Ren Meng turned around quickly and pursed his lips stiffly.
Chu Shichen predicted that Ren Meng would not stay in the country. Due to respiratory problems and his parents' old age, it was inconvenient for him to travel too far. He asked a headhunting company to check and found out that Ren Meng had recently been in contact with a company in Singapore.
He said: "The environment and climate there are quite good, suitable for the elderly, we can take Grandma Hu there as well."
Ren Meng's face turned cold: "Secretary Chu, check me."
Chu Shichen said: "I was afraid that you were wronged by Yisi, and then I checked the 4S store. It seems that Yisi did not treat you unfairly."
Ren Meng: "The 4S store and the company have normal cooperation, and every profit is clean."
Chu Shichen hypothesized, "This is your one-sided statement. Xiang Yue thinks there is a problem and wants to file a complaint, collect evidence, investigate and sue. The whole process will take a year or so. Even if the result proves that the 4S store is innocent, can your grandmother endure this process at her age?"
Ren Meng suppressed his anger and said, "What is this? Using an old man as a target? Threatening me?"
Chu Shichen said: "You used your own grandmother to make money, did you ever think that this day would come?"
Ren Meng's clenched fist suddenly loosened. At this point, there was no way out. However, Chu Shichen gave him a special look, so there might still be room for maneuver: "What do you want me to do?"
Chu Shichen said: "You know a lot of things. Should you passively wait for the results or take the initiative to cooperate? Think about it yourself."
After leaving the rooftop, Chu Shichen stared at the decreasing numbers in the elevator. He thought that the news would soon reach the top management of Yisi, and someone would definitely be unable to sit still.
Chu Shichen talked too much this morning and wasted his time talking. He was too lazy to even eat lunch and did not go to the restaurant to join in the fun.
He walked alone to the small square next to the scenic lake.
Although he couldn't be said to be working himself to death, he had consumed a lot of energy in the past two days and wanted to relax.
While there was no one around, Chu Shichen started the balance bike and stood on it. He felt just like a kid learning to ride a bicycle. He stretched out his arms to keep stability, and after struggling for a long time, he finally stopped shaking.
Suddenly there was a soft whistle from behind.
Chu Shichen turned around and saw Xiang Mingzhang standing not far away, with one hand in his pocket and the other hand holding the access card of the front-end workstation.
Returning from the R&D center to the office building, this is a must-go place. Xiang Mingzhang stopped to watch and issued a harassing instruction: "What are you standing there for? Turn around."
Chu Shichen turned 180 degrees and approached Xiang Mingzhang, and stopped when he was less than half a meter away. Xiang Mingzhang raised his hand to block the outside of his arm and did not touch him. After he stopped, he put his hand back into his pocket.
Chu Shichen expressed his opinion solemnly: "I think it's harder than riding a bicycle."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I gave you a helmet as a gift, why don't you wear it?"
Chu Shichen sneered: "It's insulting, like a military police."
Xiang Mingzhang laughed: "Then take it easy and don't jump into the lake."
Chu Shichen said: "Are you afraid that I will kill a few fish?"
Xiang Mingzhang said nonchalantly: "I'm afraid that you'll be so beautiful that the fish will be jealous and want to die."
Chu Shichen looked at me with a smile: "Are you sincerely praising my handsomeness, or are you mocking me?"
Xiang Mingzhang raised his head slightly and retorted, "Get down first. It feels good to talk to the boss from a high position, doesn't it?"
Chu Shichen started to reverse: "Forget it, I won't say anything."
Xiang Mingzhang reached out his hand quickly and grabbed Chu Shichen's wrist.
Their skins touched, carrying the lingering warmth of late summer, and he suddenly felt something was wrong, and loosened his hand again.
Chu Shichen lost his balance due to the pulling, and jumped off the pedal shakily. After he stood firm, he was a little at a loss.
Xiang Mingzhang pretended nothing happened, put away his playful expression, and said, "Have fun by yourself. I'm going back to the office."
"Okay." Chu Shichen backed away in the opposite direction, still caring about being polite, "... Then take care."
(End of this chapter)