The next morning, Chu Shichen washed, changed his clothes and went downstairs. Xiang Mingzhang and Zhou Kesen were already sitting at the dining table discussing something.
Zhou Kesen said, "The breakfast we ordered has just been delivered. Come sit down and eat it while it's hot."
"Okay." Chu Shichen pulled out a chair. He woke up and there was nothing beside him. He didn't notice when Xiang Mingzhang got up. He pretended to ask casually, "Mr. Xiang, what time did you get up?"
Xiang Mingzhang got up and went out for a morning run, and threw away the "trash" he had collected last night. He was now dressed in a suit and tie, looking like a self-disciplined elite. He replied, "An hour earlier than you."
Chu Shichen said: "I slept for a long time."
"It's not too late." Xiang Mingzhang said seriously, "If you are tired, just take a good rest. It's okay."
Zhou Kesen listened to their conversation, not understanding the hidden meaning behind it. He put down his soy milk and interrupted: "Did you feel noisy when you were sleeping last night?"
Chu Shichen suddenly felt guilty and asked cautiously: "Uncle Sen, did you not sleep well?"
Xiang Mingzhang made a bold assumption: "Is there any movement upstairs?"
"That's not the case." Zhou Kesen said, "My bedroom faces the garden, and there are several trees outside the window. I can only hear birds singing most of the night."
Xiang Mingzhang joked, "It's OK as long as there are no wild cats calling."
Chu Shichen remained silent and drank his porridge quietly. After he got up, he immediately went to check the cloakroom, put the fallen diffuser stones back in place, wiped the wet marks on the center island, laid the flannel carpet, and took away all the used garbage.
The room was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant as the wind blew through it. Chu Shichen couldn't help but imagine Xiang Mingzhang cleaning the room, and couldn't help but chuckle at Bai Zhou.
Under the table, Xiang Mingzhang hit Chu Shichen's leg with his knee as if giving a warning.
After breakfast, Zhai Feng came to pick us up on time and we set off from the villa to the Science and Technology Park.
They will have a meeting with management this morning to summarize the contents of the Southeast Region's annual report.
Chu Shichen looked through internal documents on the way, remembering the names and position levels of each leader. When he arrived at the branch, he first exchanged routine greetings, and then everyone surrounded them and entered the meeting room.
Because of the large amount of content, it was considered a large-scale meeting, chaired by Xiang Mingzhang, and lasted uninterruptedly until the afternoon.
Chu Shichen sat in the president's deputy seat, responsible for taking notes. Occasionally, he would be distracted. When he stopped being the secretary, another person would be appointed to sit next to Xiang Mingzhang.
When Xiang Mingzhang passed by the secretary's office, it was not him that he caught a glimpse of. When he stayed to work overtime, it was not him that accompanied him. When his pen ran out of ink or he had a stomachache, it was not him that walked around the desk and opened the drawer.
"Tap", the tip of the pen hit the paper, leaving a needle-sized hole, just like Chu Shichen's mind at the moment.
He suddenly thought that he was being petty for worrying about something that didn't even happen.
I used to think that the infatuated men and women in the world were blinded by love because they were not well-educated. Now Chu Shichen realizes that most ordinary people cannot escape the test.
Xiang Mingzhang has no future, so he may not have much.
Chu Shichen turned to a blank page, put aside all distracting thoughts, and took notes. After the meeting, he took a short break and went to give a training lecture with Zhou Ke.
In the multi-functional hall No. 1, Chu Shichen drank a cup of hot coffee and went on stage. Looking around, the curved walls prevented echoes, and the rows of seats gradually rose higher. The business departments were concentrated in the first few rows, and the employees from other departments who came spontaneously were in the back.
After the sound equipment was debugged, Chu Shichen officially started holding the microphone. This training was based on the cultural tourism project, and he had a very thorough grasp of it. Ten minutes later, he closed his notebook and started speaking without a script.
To promote a project, Chu Shichen talked about micro-sales thinking, competitiveness factors, and dilemma solving. He divided the work of several months into segments, and then linked them together to complete the presentation of the entire project.
During the interactive session, the pre-sales staff were more active in asking questions because the mistakes at the presentation were the responsibility of the pre-sales consulting department.
Chu Shichen answered the questions from the regional director, supervisor, and team leader one by one. There were a large number of grassroots employees, so he collected questions and tried his best to resolve everyone's doubts.
Someone in the back row raised his hand, and a team leader from the marketing department asked, "I have some feelings about solving dilemmas. Sometimes I propose a solution, but the company doesn't adopt it, which is quite frustrating."
Chu Shichen said: "Do you not adopt your A, but adopt another B, or do you not adopt either?"
The team leader replied: "I would rather accept the loss than adopt any of them."
Chu Shichen thought for a moment and said two words: "Cost."
Employees are concerned about whether they can get the project, sign the contract, and achieve good performance, but the company must weigh multiple factors and comprehensive costs. Chu Shichen said simply: "In business, if the cost is greater than the benefit, then no matter how brilliant the plan is, it can only be regarded as a bad strategy."
Someone raised his hand: "But for some plans, we can only know the results after they are implemented."
"Then we need to estimate the risks." Chu Shichen moved on to the next topic, "The cultural tourism project has taught us a lesson. Risks exist in every link. Once they are out of control, they will turn from a hidden state into a real accident."
The business training lasted thirty minutes longer than expected, and the auditorium was full, so Chu Shichen had to step down from the stage and interact with everyone on the steps in the aisle.
He was a little excited, which was a stress reflex caused by high-intensity output. He turned around by chance and saw Xiang Mingzhang who had come in at some point and was sitting in a corner in a low-key manner.
Just like on the day of the bidding, Xiang Mingzhang was looking at him from the audience, and he was like a ship looking at a lighthouse, unconsciously trying to catch Xiang Mingzhang's gaze.
The lecture ended with thunderous applause, and Chu Shichen returned to the stage and bowed.
Without waiting for everyone to leave, Chu Shichen walked along the wall to Xiang Mingzhang's seat, knelt on one knee, and asked for credit: "Mr. Xiang, is the effect okay?"
Xiang Mingzhang held a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap and said, "Moisten your throat."
Chu Shichen took it and noticed the curious eyes around him. He supported Xiang Mingzhang's knees, stood up, went out of the side door of the exhibition hall, and drank water in big gulps in the corridor.
Xiang Mingzhang followed him out, closed the door, and said, "Drink slowly."
Chu Shichen used cold water to suppress his enthusiasm and asked, "What's your evaluation?"
"Very exciting." Xiang Mingzhang is not good at complimenting people, but is good at finding faults. "The guy in front of me was whispering to someone, praising your handsome appearance."
Chu Shichen learned from the barbarians and said, "I am here, why are you paying attention to other guys?"
The overhead surveillance camera was on, and Chu Shichen whispered, "I'm not pretending."
Xiang Mingzhang wanted to confirm: "Really?"
Chu Shichen was flamboyant and cool in front of everyone, but now he felt embarrassed facing Xiang Mingzhang alone. He tried to be honest and said, "I eat more sweet things, so my feelings for you are not so sour, but not less at all."
Xiang Mingzhang was completely speechless, his chest felt heavy, and he calmed down after drinking the remaining half bottle of water.
The side door of the multi-purpose hall opened, and the general manager came out with an assistant holding a camera, saying, "Mr. Xiang, Secretary Chu, take a picture."
This was a more formal inspection by senior management of the headquarters, and they would usually take photos and leave them in the branch as a souvenir. The corridor was brightly lit, and Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen each took two photos.
The last photo is a group photo, with Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen standing together. Outside the background window are the tall buildings in the science and technology park and a corner of the clear blue sky.
After taking the photo, Chu Shichen asked, "Can you give me a photo then?"
The general manager agreed: "No problem, we will speed up the development and leave a copy for you when the time comes."
A dinner was arranged in the evening, and several regional directors were present to discuss matters that were not discussed in detail at the meeting. Chu Shichen talked a lot during the day, and his throat was hoarse, so he remained silent and did not speak much.
Sitting in on the discussion actually made his mind clearer. After returning to the villa, Chu Shichen made a cup of hot tea and stayed in Xiang Mingzhang's bedroom. After a day's inspection, he found that there was some confusion in the personnel affairs of the branch.
Xiang Mingzhang leaned against the headboard and said, "I feel the same way, because the business in the Southeast Region is in the expansion period, it's inevitable."
Chu Shichen said: "Take SDR and MDR for example, one is sales development and the other is market development, but when I look at the work records, their daily functions are not clear enough."
Xiang Mingzhang nodded in thought. It is the "people" who manage the company. If people are in chaos, various problems will arise and hidden dangers will be formed, which will sooner or later be reflected in all aspects.
He said: "The earlier you find it, the earlier you can deal with it."
Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen discussed it and asked Zhou Kesen to go back first. They stayed and studied the problems of the branch company carefully.
The two people stayed in Shenzhen for a total of six days, added several meetings, and compared with the headquarters, investigated and standardized the personnel situation of each department.
The battle finally ended on the seventh day, and Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen could go back.
Having come all the way here, and since his return date would be delayed anyway, Xiang Mingzhang simply booked a flight in the evening and took Chu Shichen to visit Guangzhou during the day.
As the New Year approaches, the streets and alleys of Guangzhou are lined with kumquats and filled with people. They don’t care where to go. They visit one or two attractions and then wander aimlessly on the streets.
Walking through an old street selling seafood, customers and the boss were bargaining in Cantonese. Chu Shichen didn't understand, so he learned as he walked, which made Xiang Mingzhang laugh.
Turning a corner at the end of the street, a motorcycle passed by Chu Shichen. He glanced in the rearview mirror and then looked back at the corner.
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "What's wrong?"
There was nothing special about the people coming and going, so Chu Shichen retracted his gaze and said, "It's okay, I was just shaken by the mirror."
The street was very narrow, with shops on both sides. A group of sunset tour groups were blocking the road to shoot a short video. Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen couldn't get through, so they had to wait and went into the video store next door.
Not many people buy CDs these days, so business in the store is slow. Many of the discs are defective second-hand, and they are mainly sold to CD enthusiasts for collection.
Chu Shichen had never seen it before. He simply thought the colorful albums looked nice. The shelf by the window was full of old Cantonese albums. He said confidently, "The Four Heavenly Kings."
Xiang Mingzhang asked in surprise: "You also know the Four Heavenly Kings?"
Chu Shichen said: "Aunt Tang likes Jacky Cheung and often talks about him at home, so I remembered it."
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "Then do you want to pick a few and give them to her?"
Chu Shichen was overwhelmed by the choices, so he took a video of the shelf with his mobile phone and sent it to Aunt Tang to ask her which one she liked.
Just then, the tour group outside the window dispersed, and passers-by were passing by, all framed in the background. Aunt Tang sent a voice message: "You took dazzling photos, all are good, I like all Jacky Cheung's songs."
Chu Shichen made his selection and went to check out. There was a machine on the counter and the owner put the CD in it to make sure the album was not damaged and could be played normally.
The prelude is a love song, Jacky Cheung sings softly: "Last century, it seemed like we had prepared, and then we share the fun in this life. Changing roles, changing venues, all waiting for you."
Chu Shichen took out his card holder, which usually contained his ID and credit cards and was the most important thing in his bag. Today, there was an extra photo in it.
Before leaving Shenzhen, the general manager of the branch gave him a photo of him and Xiang Mingzhang.
The two people stood side by side with an upright manner and a relaxed smile. At the moment the picture froze, Xiang Mingzhang put his arm around Chu Shichen's shoulders.
The song just happened to be: "If one day, we can still take a photo together."
Xiang Mingzhang pulled out the photo and said, "Is this our first group photo?"
"Yes." Chu Shichen said, "I will keep it."
Xiang Mingzhang carefully preserved the old photos of Young Master Shen. In the past, people seldom took photos, and usually wrote a few words on the back, such as "Today is my birthday, Lingtuaner and I."
Not knowing whether Shen Ruozhen still had that habit, Xiang Mingzhang turned the photo over.
As expected, he wrote something, and he read: "The trip to Shenzhen..."
Shen Ruozhen answered, his classical Chinese had become vernacular, but it sounded more beautiful than a love song: "Ming Zhang and I."
(End of this chapter)