Chapter 54

“Ladies and gentlemen:

“I believe everyone knows who I am because I’ve just met all of you a few days ago and we’ve engaged in friendly talks.

“Today is the first time I sit here as a chairman.”

On a new Monday, Chen Chen sat in the first seat of Preston Company’s conference room. On both sides were the employees of the company.

A solemn atmosphere, for some reason, was gradually taking over the conference room.

“Oh, right, I forgot to inform everyone that our company has a new name – Blackwatch, which symbolically means ‘light that is black’.”

Chen Chen continued. “At the same time, in the distant east, we have a parent company. In the future, it may often be the parent company that relays orders to all of you.”

Chen Chen checked the time and raised his head. “Alright, I won’t blabber on. Next, I’ll organize the company’s personnel transfer.”

When Chen Chen said this, the mood in the conference room grew even more somber. Everyone pricked their ears. Even Qian Wenhuan, who believed he had a good chance of staying on, could not prevent his heart from pounding like a rabbit’s.

An emperor one day, a courtier the next. Currently, everyone’s future and fate were encompassed in a single thought of this young man.

“Mr. Wynn.”

First, Chen Chen looked to the old man beside him. “Although you’re no longer a shareholder, your ability to manage the company is evident to everyone. I wonder if you’re interested in continuing as the general manager of this company?”

“If you’re not averse to that.” Mr. Wynn was thoroughly shocked.

Initially, Mr. Wynn had been ready to resign. He thought that today was simply a formality, that his role would merely be to keep things running until a new general manager had been appointed.

However, he had never expected that this new boss would be so generous in continuing to employ him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to assist you.”

Chen Chen responded at once, “I’ll send someone from the parent company to be your assistant. He’ll work with you but he wouldn’t interfere with your decision-making. I hope you won’t mind.”

“That would be perfect. I’ll teach him all I know.”

Wynn smiled without concern. This was human nature. Even before the company was acquired, he had been surrounded by spies hired by other shareholders. How could Wynn not understand this?

Chen Chen nodded in acknowledgment and turned to the director of finance. “Mr. Kofi, I apologize, but I have other plans for your post. According to Swiss labor law, I’ll give you two options.”

The middle-aged man addressed as Kofi turned pale but still forced a hapless smile. “Please tell me.”

“The first option: you continue working for me as an ordinary employee in finance. Of course, your director-level salary would not be cut. Moreover, the focus of our company’s business will move to Africa in the future. At that point, we’ll need a large pool of elite talents. Perhaps you’ll progress further there.”

Chen Chen said sincerely, “The second option: if you’re interested in developing yourself in another company, I’m willing to compensate you a hundred thousand Swiss francs, in accordance with your previous contract.”

To someone in a high-ranking position, being bold enough to use the general manager of the previous company could be said to be an act of generosity, cultivated confidence, and so on.

However, if one did not switch out the director of finance, that was no longer generosity, but being muddleheaded.

Although Chen Chen could also use coercive methods to make this man submit, this might arouse the common hatred of the other employees. After all, there was a saying in China –”one would grieve for one’s own kind.”

This would deflate the will of the employees.

Rather than getting worked up over a bit of petty profit, it was wiser to offer generous terms to appease the other party. At this point, Chen Chen was not only reassuring one employee working in finance but the hearts of every employee in the company.

“You’re truly a gentleman, Mr. Chen.”

Kofi could not help but sigh in relief over Chen Chen’s kindness. “I’d like to choose the second option.”

“No problem.”

Chen Chen nodded with a smile, showing no signs of anger or embarrassment regarding Kofi’s decision. “As for the rest of the staff in the office, your positions remain the same.”

Everyone who heard this felt a weight lifted off their shoulders.

“However, I have new arrangements for the research department.”

Just when everyone had relaxed inwardly, Chen Chen suddenly spoke again.

“For the past few days, I’ve inspected the previous projects of the research institute and was suddenly struck by a misgiving.”

Chen Chen looked toward the end of the conference table. “Are we a technology company that focuses on tissue engineering or an aesthetic medicine company?”

Everyone sat up straighter when they heard this, turning swiftly to look at the person in charge of research, Samuel, who was sitting at the end of the table.

Unlike the rest, Samuel had always acted domineering. It was just that he held a number of patents which were the company’s main business. Therefore, even the board of directors would tolerate him silently.

To say nothing of the employees in the company.

Naturally, Chen Chen’s attack on Samuel would not result in a backlash.

Now that Chen Chen had assumed this position, if he wanted to quickly take control of the company, the first thing he had to do was appease the employees. The second thing was to put on a show of force.

Displaying both grace and authority would always be the most effective method for someone in charge.

“Biomedical cosmetics isn’t in conflict with tissue engineering technology,” even so, when put under pressure by Chen Chen, Samuel merely replied breezily.

“But the produced results are different.”

Chen Chen shook his head. “Mr. Samuel, have you considered that, if one day, stem cell treatments that completely rewrite the physiological age of humans emerge in the market, what will happen to companies like ours, which focuses only on removing scars and wrinkles?”

“That’s impossible!”

Samuel snorted coldly. “Current technology hasn’t reached that point at all!”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Chen Chen shook his head while pressing a remote control. Instantly, a screen descended behind him.

At the same time, the projector in the conference room started up automatically and displayed an image.

The image showed a paper taken from Cell, the title of which was: Rebuilding the Immune System with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Allows SD Rats to Regain Youth.

“I’ve read this paper before.”

Samuel harrumphed icily. “Killing the stem cells in the bone marrow to create the niche – an experiment like this is too crazy. I don’t know how the original author could’ve that level of assurance. Unless we can invite him here personally, this isn’t feasible in the slightest.”

“Very well, Mr. Samuel.”

Chen Chen applauded upon hearing these words and revealed the author column in the paper. “The author of this experiment is yours truly. Your wish is granted.”

“…”

Samuel was instantly speechless.

A low collective murmur could be heard in the conference room. The eyes of Wynn, Qian Wenhuan, and the rest seemed to light up as if they were getting to know this young man from Mainland China for the first time.

People who were capable would be respected no matter where they were.

Chen Chen suppressed their expression of surprise and said in an unquestionable voice, “Starting from tomorrow, all projects of the research institute will be suspended indefinitely. I’ll start new projects over the next few days.

“This will include using mesenchymal stem cells to rebuild the immune system. Besides, I’ll restart projects on induced pluripotent stem cells and cultivating human organs through induction technology…

“The funding for this new project will be provided by the parent company. The investment for the first phase is…”

Chen Chen raised two fingers. “Two hundred million Swiss francs.”