The seat next to Chu Shichen had been empty last week. He thought it was a deliberate arrangement by the company to give him some "alone" time, so he didn't take it to heart.
When he came out of Xiang Mingzhang's office, he suddenly noticed a backpack on the empty desk.
A boy came back from the tea room. He was quite tall, with a denim shirt open over his white T-shirt and a pair of canvas shoes that he had never seen in the sales department.
The boy saw Chu Shichen, who was dressed in a striking contrast, with a snow-white shirt, a neat lapel, and trousers that perfectly covered his long legs. He was stunned for a moment: "... Are you a new colleague?"
Chu Shichen said: "Hello, I'm Chu Shichen, I came here last week."
The boy said: "My name is Ling Qi."
Ling Qi had just finished his probationary period. He took a leave last week to go back to school to handle some formalities and invited his tutor to dinner. He applied for a staff apartment and was busy moving. He officially started work today.
Ling Qi had no idea about Chu Shichen's identity and situation, so he started chatting with him in a friendly manner: "Are you adapting to the sales department?"
Chu Shichen looked at Ling Qi's clothes and realized that he had not yet integrated into this department. He asked him if he had adapted as soon as he arrived, subconsciously looking for a companion with whom he could comfort each other.
"It's OK." Chu Shichen asked with concern, "How about you?"
Ling Qi scratched his head. He majored in computer science for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, and his career plan was to be an application architect. Unfortunately, Xiang Yue’s technical positions were not recruiting graduates this year.
He considered trying another company, but his mentor said that Xiang Yue attached great importance to R&D upgrades, and that large companies had good benefits. He thought that being close to the water would get you first, so he decided to join Xiang Yue first.
Chu Shichen pointed out the window and asked, "Do you want to enter the R&D center?"
Ling Qi nodded: "I came to the sales department without knowing what was going on."
The R&D center and the office building are separated by a landscape lake and do not interfere with each other. The employees there are very different from the elites on these two floors in terms of their dress, temperament, and working style.
Chu Shichen guessed that the boy's school and grades must be good, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed, and explained: "Xiang Yue attaches great importance to research and development. The primary reason is that his sales force is strong enough. Technology and business complement each other. If the technology is not good enough, the business will not improve. If the business is good enough, the technology must keep up. You can't go wrong in the sales department."
Ling Qi suddenly became motivated. He felt that Chu Shichen was not only superior in appearance but also well-spoken, so he took the initiative to add him as a WeChat friend.
This was the first colleague who took the initiative to make friends with him, and Chu Shichen was happy to do so.
Their seats were next to each other, making it convenient for the two to communicate. Whenever Chu Shichen encountered technical problems, he would consult Ling Qi, who was professional and always answered their questions enthusiastically.
Yisi's project progressed smoothly and the promotion meeting was held as scheduled.
The project team was well prepared and confident. The person in charge of explaining the plan was Zhai Feng, who was usually low-key but full of energy and professionalism when giving a speech. He was a veteran in the Party A podium.
Before the meeting started, Zhai Feng asked, "Shichen, have you checked everything?"
Chu Shichen is in charge of document management. He said, "The final plan template was given to Party A for record, and the detailed information was distributed to the decision-making team. Each person had two copies, one for the comprehensive technical and business plan, and one for the integrated example study."
During this period of time together, Zhai Feng felt that Chu Shichen was competent. The files were updated at any time, and there were dozens of versions classified into different categories. It was easy to get confused and make mistakes, and it was not enough to be cautious.
Zhai Feng said: "You seem to have experience."
Chu Shichen did have experience. He had handled contracts worth billions and had kept treaties involving human lives. When he was an assistant manager at a bank, there was a witty motto posted on the wall of his office: "No matter how small the problem is, it is better than a copper key to a safe."
But Chu Shichen did not dare to boast. He believed that strict preservation was more important than human effort. He said, "Just do your best and don't mess things up."
The project team went all out and the communication effect of the briefing session exceeded expectations. The demands put forward by Party A were clearer than expected, making follow-up work easier to carry out.
After the initial victory, everyone had a drink in a nearby cafe to celebrate and review the game.
It has been very busy these past few days. After drinking coffee, the director decided to give us half a day off in the afternoon.
Chu Shichen went home and took a hot bath. The sun was shining brightly, and he sat in the garden reading a book about the customs of the Bannermen. It was serialized in newspapers back then, but now he could read the ending directly.
The cell phone rang and the caller ID showed "Xiang Mingzhang".
Chu Shichen answered: "Mr. Xiang?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Be at the meeting room (1) in five minutes."
Chu Shichen said: "I'm at home."
"You're home during work hours?"
"The briefing is over, and the director said we'll take a break in the afternoon."
"Which director?" Xiang Mingzhang asked, "Don't forget, you are an employee of Xiang Yue's sales department, not Yisi's sales department. Taking a break without permission is equivalent to absenteeism."
Chu Shichen fell silent.
Assistant Guan was too busy, so the others were doing their own job. Peng Xin said Chu Shichen's report was well done, so Xiang Mingzhang asked him to take minutes of the meeting.
Since the person was not there, Xiang Mingzhang didn't have time to waste any more words and hung up the phone.
Chu Shichen listened to the busy tone and forgot which page he was on. At this time, the door opened and Chu Shihui came back with a big bouquet of flowers.
As the car drove away, Chu Shichen thought of something and asked, "Did you go out to play with Li Heng?"
Chu Shihui said "hmm", walked over and put the flowers on the table. A card was shaking between the petals, and it read "In commemoration of the promised arrival of spring".
Chu Shichen smiled and said, "Sending flowers in all seasons, it's so romantic."
Chu Shihui didn't act very sweetly. She was a senior in college and had a heavy workload, so she hurried upstairs to read some papers.
Chu Shichen looked at the large bouquet of pink roses left on the table and had an idea in his mind.
Among the competitors this time, the foreign company's main customers are small and medium-sized companies. It is a bit reluctant to do this order and its competitiveness is relatively weak.
Du Heng, who has been in the limelight in recent years, held a promotional meeting in the afternoon, but the boss was busy with his love life. It seemed that in order to help Li Cangqiu keep this order, Li Heng basically gave up.
Chu Shichen relaxed a little when he thought about it. Fighting between enemies is certainly fun, but if the other party gives in and he is not happy, it would seem pretentious.
That night, news leaked out from Party A that Duheng's plan was too conservative and that if they did not make progress they would be regressing, and they had already fallen behind.
Yisi took advantage of the victory and prepared to bid.
Zhai Feng was in charge of writing the bid, and he revised it four times in total.
Chu Shichen deeply understands that Zhai Feng's role is indispensable, otherwise he would not be responsible for core tasks under the manager and director. But he doesn't understand why such an important and qualified person is only a team leader
Zhai Feng also discovered Chu Shichen's abilities, and patiently taught him a lot, allowing him to take charge of more work content.
Chu Shichen became more and more adept at his job and wanted to complete this project more and more. He wanted to live up to Zhai Feng's guidance and trust, and also hoped to help him move to the next level.
Everything was ready the night before the bid opening.
Chu Shichen confirmed that the bidding documents were foolproof, sealed them, put them in the password box, and said, "Team Leader Zhai, are you not leaving get off work yet?"
"Let me review the PPT again." Zhai Feng was in charge of the presentation materials. "Tomorrow is crucial. I can't let you down."
Chu Shichen said: "Go home and go to bed early to get enough rest."
Zhai Feng said: "Yeah, you too."
Although Xiang Mingzhang warned Chu Shichen that day, he did not dare to leave casually. When he returned to the ninth floor after finishing his work, it was already past the working time.
Ling Qi simply turned off his phone and went home to fight again. The apartment was finally cleaned up, and he couldn't help showing off: "I bought a pot online that can be used for grilling and hot pot. Do you want to come to my house and warm up?"
Chu Shichen doesn't like food with a lot of oily smoke, but he can't bear to offend Ling Qi, so he promises to go after he's done with his work.
As the night deepened, the lights in the office area gradually decreased to only two, one above Chu Shichen's head and one in the president's office.
Xiang Mingzhang would become impatient when he was tired. He estimated that there was no one outside, so he came out with an obviously cold face, and in a flash, he met Chu Shichen's clear gaze.
We hadn't run into each other for a few days, and his tone was slightly cold: "What a coincidence."
Chu Shichen said: "I was absent from work that day, so I'll work overtime today to make up for it."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "The company does not have any policy of offsetting each other."
Chu Shichen didn't receive any notice of salary deduction, probably because Xiang Mingzhang let him off the hook. He put away his things, walked over and said, "Then just think of me waiting for you."
Xiang Mingzhang sneered: "What are you waiting for me for?"
The two of them left the department side by side and reached the elevator. Chu Shichen was the first to reach out and said, "I'll help you press the elevator button, okay?"
Xiang Mingzhang frowned, entered the elevator and leaned against the wall.
Above the floor buttons was a map of the park. Chu Shichen found the location of the staff apartment, which was nearby, and asked, "Mr. Xiang, what are the specifications of the staff apartment for one person?"
Xiang Mingzhang replied: "One-bedroom apartment."
Chu Shichen said: "That shouldn't be very big."
Xiang Mingzhang: "It's naturally a little smaller than your villa."
"I don't mean anything else." Chu Shichen said, "My colleague invited me to stay at his house, and I wanted to give him some flowers, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to put away too many."
Xiang Mingzhang guessed who it was: "The one with the surname Ling?"
Chu Shichen: "Well, Ling Qi, he's a nice person."
Xiang Mingzhang thought, how can you tell that he is a nice person after knowing him for just a few days? He did not comment: "No matter how nice he is, he is still a young boy, how can he grow flowers? Don't add burden to others."
Chu Shichen asked: "What should I give you?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "A sweeping robot."
Chu Shichen turned around, his pupils shining like hidden lights, and a hint of unconscious innocence appeared on his face, which was always smiling and talking, and he asked curiously, "Is there such a thing?"
Xiang Mingzhang couldn't help but look at them, wanting to laugh at them and say "ignorance", but he couldn't say it out loud.
After a while, he asked, "Will the bids be opened tomorrow?"
This was the first time Xiang Mingzhang asked about the project, and Chu Shichen nodded.
Just then the elevator landed on the first floor and the door slowly opened. Xiang Mingzhang drooped his eyelashes and strode out without asking any other questions.
Chu Shichen had a feeling that Xiang Mingzhang did not attach much importance to this project. Perhaps Xiang Yue had always taken big projects and was used to it.
The next day, the bid opening meeting was held at the pharmaceutical company.
Three teams from three companies all arrived early and waited in several adjacent lounges.
Li Heng came over to say hello to Chu Shichen, and they were as close as a family, almost explicitly saying "no competition". Not long after, Li Zangqiu called the sales director and gave him some encouragement.
The bidding meeting had many procedures and took a long time, so everyone went to the bathroom to take care of their physiological problems and tidy up their appearance.
Chu Shichen stood by the window and saw Zhai Feng pacing back and forth. He said, "Team Leader Zhai, don't be nervous."
Zhai Feng was still the main technical speaker today. He paused awkwardly and said, "Mr. Li attaches so much importance to this project. I feel a little stressed."
Chu Shichen comforted him: "You are a veteran, just keep a normal mind."
Zhai Feng asked: "Have the bid documents and bid deposit been submitted?"
"I have handed it in." Chu Shichen said, "You forgot that the director opened the box himself."
A quarter of an hour later, representatives of the three parties gathered in the conference hall. Party A read the rules and quotations and announced the official bidding.
Yisi drew the first one.
Chu Shichen sat upright, holding a pen, his eyes following the stage.
The projection showed Yisi's plan. Zhai Feng held the remote control in his hand. His anxiety completely disappeared and he performed his every move with ease.
After briefly introducing the main points listed in the table of contents, Zhai Feng went into the topic in more detail, polishing the content of the PPT thousands of times.
Just when everything was going smoothly, suddenly, the screen went blank.
Zhai Feng was stunned for a moment, then returned to the previous page and cut it again, but it was still blank. He cut to the next page, which was also blank. Every page after the PPT became a blank page.
The director whispered, “What’s going on?!”
Chu Shichen didn't know either and stared at the screen.
Zhai Feng said "wait a moment" to everyone, and went to check the computer, only to find that the file was damaged and the backup had been deleted.
There was a commotion in the audience, and Chu Shichen immediately called his colleagues at the company and asked them to send the backup files over as soon as possible.
Zhai Feng tried to calm the situation by bowing and apologizing to the representative of the pharmaceutical company. At the same time, he continued speaking from memory, speaking slowly and trying to delay the conversation as much as possible.
However, the pharmaceutical company representative raised his hand and called a halt, saying: "Your bid does not meet the specifications of the bidding documents."
There was an uproar in the audience and the director stood up and said that the bid must be prepared according to the requirements of the bidding documents, otherwise there would be major problems!
The project manager couldn't believe it: "This is impossible!"
"The data is too different." Party A said with dissatisfaction, "The three quotations are over a million, and the functions don't match our needs. Are you kidding me?"
The director was sweating profusely as he rushed over to confirm the bid. The content turned out to be the first version that had been rejected long ago, and the data had been modified beyond recognition.
An error in the bid is an irreparable mistake.
Chu Shichen's palms felt cold and his pen slipped and fell to the carpet with a thud. First it was the presentation materials, then the tender documents. Someone must have replaced the original with another one.
Amidst the myriad of complications, everything has become a foregone conclusion.
In accordance with the rules, the pharmaceutical company announced on the spot that Yisi was disqualified from bidding.
This project is finished.
(End of this chapter)