CH 73

Chapter 73 – Quarterly Meeting

On that day, the sunlight had already filled the world early in the morning, welcoming people who lived in this world with its warmest embrace.

The atmosphere at Changfeng Group was somewhat peculiar that day. Wei Chen held Chen Li’s hand as they entered Changfeng, and immediately, people’s gazes were cast upon Wei Chen. There were mocking looks, sympathetic looks, and various other expressions. Some even discussed things directly in front of Wei Chen, and the faint laughter that circulated was sharp and piercing.

Wei Chen was not affected by those gazes and discussions. He stared straight ahead, his expression cold and indifferent.

Black shoes tapped on the shiny floor, steady and powerful, one step after another.

“Ding!”

The elevator arrived, and Wei Chen led Chen Li inside. The slowly closing doors isolated them from all the discussions outside.

The world became quiet.

Chen Li looked up at Wei Chen, and there was a hint of worry in his eyes. Although he didn’t know what was about to happen, his intuition told him that it was something important to Wei Chen.

Sensing Chen Li’s concern, Wei Chen squeezed his hand, and his cold gaze gradually softened. “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it.”

Chen Li still trusted Wei Chen, and the worry faded away. However, he still tiptoed and planted a kiss on Wei Chen’s forehead, meeting his gaze.

Wei Chen knew that the two words reflected in Chen Li’s eyes were “good luck.”

“Thank you.” A smile appeared between Wei Chen’s eyebrows and eyes as he returned a kiss on Chen Li’s forehead. “I will do my best.”

In the marketing department at this moment, the employees were restless.

They had heard about the 30% increase from people in other departments. It was only then that they realized the difficult task their superiors had assigned them.

Some employees in the marketing department couldn’t contain their discontent and went to ask Wei Chen why the leader would do such a thing and how it could be achieved.

Wei Chen buried himself in the documents, not even lifting his head. He simply replied coldly, “With me here, it can be done.”

Although Wei Chen’s words weren’t particularly grand, they reassured the employees in the marketing department, calming their restless hearts.

Afterward, when the employees in the marketing department requested to work overtime voluntarily in front of Wei Chen, he refused. Wei Chen asked them to focus on completing their tasks according to the schedule without wasting too much energy on unnecessary matters.

When Wei Chen spoke about it back then, it seemed as if achieving a 30% increase was a simple matter, something that could be easily accomplished.

Perhaps it was because of Wei Chen’s attitude that the employees in the marketing department started to work systematically. They were able to complete their daily tasks every day.

However, this orderly conduct appeared as surrendering to outsiders.

Now, the quarterly meeting had begun, and although they believed in their Director Wei, they couldn’t help but feel nervous.

In recent days, rumors about Director Wei had spread throughout the company. No one had confidence that Director Wei could complete the task. The people in the marketing department were more or less affected, and their moods became restless.

“Ah, the director is really something. We should face these things together!” One employee in the marketing department sighed and shook their head.

“Yeah, the director seems cold, but he’s also soft-hearted. With such a big task coming down, he didn’t even tell us and chose to shoulder the pressure alone.” Another person chimed in, wearing the same worried expression.

“Now we can only hope that the director can truly turn the tide and slap those who look down on him in the face.”

“I believe in the director. He will definitely slap those people in the face hard!”

Although the employees in the marketing department felt worried for Wei Chen, they also had full confidence in him.

Just at that moment, Wei Chen came out of his office, ready to go to the top-floor conference room for the meeting. When the employees in the marketing department saw him coming out, they all stood up simultaneously.

“Director, go for it!”

“Director, we await your triumphant return!”

“Director, kick their asses!”

One encouraging phrase after another poured from the mouths of the marketing department employees, converging into a warm stream that quietly flowed in Wei Chen’s heart.

“Mmm.” Wei Chen paused his steps, nodded, and then continued on his way.

Even though this victory was already predetermined, with people supporting him from behind, he would win in a more impressive and satisfying manner.

The quarterly summary meeting was an important event for Changfeng Group. Managers and employees above a certain level from various departments attended the meeting to review the past quarter’s shortcomings and strengths and look ahead to the next quarter. In the past, each quarterly analysis meeting attracted a lot of attention, but this time, the analysis meeting had been highly anticipated for two weeks.

On a small scale, this was an examination for the director of the marketing department. On a larger scale, it became a struggle between two factions within Changfeng Group, naturally becoming a topic of discussion among the employees.

At this moment, the meeting hadn’t started yet, but the participants had already arrived in the conference room. Compared to previous meetings, it had never been so punctual.

As the saying goes, “narrow is the path of enemies.” Zhuge Feng and Zhou Tongpeng met at the entrance of the conference room.

“General Manager Zhuge, these past few days must have been enjoyable, right?” Zhou Tongpeng asked with a smile on his face. The fat on his face trembled along with his laughter, and his eyes narrowed into slits, giving him a cunning and sly look.

“Not as enjoyable as Vice Chairman Zhou. Have your eyes been sore from staring at the sales department all month?” Zhuge Feng replied with a meaningful tone.

Zhou Tongpeng understood the implied meaning behind Zhuge Feng’s words but pretended not to understand. “General Manager Zhuge, haven’t you been keeping an eye on the sales department this month?”

Zhuge Feng smirked at Zhou Tongpeng, then walked into the conference room with a profound meaning.

“You can only pretend to be smug for now,” Zhou Tongpeng watched Zhuge Feng’s back and muttered sarcastically.

Wei Chen entered the conference room one minute before the meeting started, making everyone think that he was afraid to face the impending reality, that even one minute’s delay was a minute of fear.

When Wei Chen walked into the office, just like in the lobby on the first floor, everyone’s gaze turned towards him, subtly expressing either excitement or mockery.

Wei Chen calmly took his seat, and when his eyes met Zhuge Feng’s, Zhuge Feng nodded at him.

The chairman was the last one to enter the meeting room, and everyone could clearly sense that the chairman was in a pleasant mood. He walked lightly to his position, smiling at the people below, and then said, “Let the meeting begin.”

The meeting followed the usual process, with the chairman giving his speech, followed by the summary and analysis of the past quarter by the heads of various departments.

Normally, the speech could drag on for over an hour, but this time it only took half an hour to finish, as there was a big show to come later.

The chairman probably knew their state of mind and didn’t mind how much water was mixed into their summaries this time. He let the director of the sales department summarize this quarter’s performance.

The director of the sales department adjusted his suit and walked up with great confidence. When passing by Wei Chen, he deliberately glanced at him, with a hint of showiness in his eyes.

Wei Chen politely nodded at him, showing no trace of panic.

He Keqiang sat below Wei Chen, and at this moment, excitement appeared in his expression. His legs unconsciously trembled, and not only that, He Keqiang’s eyes were also beyond his control, repeatedly glancing in Wei Chen’s direction, waiting for Wei Chen to show a distressed look.

When He Keqiang’s gaze landed on Wei Chen again, Wei Chen turned his head, and his cold gaze met He Keqiang’s gaze. Unexpectedly, He Keqiang was startled, his legs stopped trembling, and his whole body stiffened.

When He Keqiang reacted, he felt somewhat ashamed and angry. Why should he be afraid of Wei Chen? He was just an inexperienced kid!

Zhou Tongpeng picked up a glass of water and lightly sipped from the corner of his mouth. The fat on his face trembled slightly, and his upward-curving mouth couldn’t conceal his smugness. He had to use the water glass to hide his undisguised satisfaction on his face.

His gaze fell on Zhuge Feng, filled with even more delight. He was eager to see how Zhuge Feng would fare next.

Zhuge Feng sat there calmly, his eyes slightly narrowed as if he were resting. His indifferent demeanor seemed as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

When the director of the sales department stood in front of the projector, all eyes in the meeting room converged on him.

The director of the sales department adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, preparing to make a big move.

“This has been a month of our hard work, a month of our exhausted efforts…” The director of the sales department started with the same old clichés, talking about how difficult this month had been for him and how hard he had worked. After covertly praising himself, he paused and made a big turn.

“However, the market competition is fierce now, and despite our desperate efforts, the performance remains the same. I know this is not an excuse, and I also know that there must be areas where we haven’t done well enough. I will make improvements. This is our performance report for this quarter. Unfortunately, the performance has declined by 3%. I am willing to accept the punishment from the organization for this.”

After the director of the sales department finished speaking, the meeting room erupted in commotion. Once again, everyone’s gaze fell on Wei Chen, and there were not many kind intentions, but there were plenty of spectators.

However, many people were not surprised by the result. Firstly, Wei Chen was considered too young in their eyes and unable to handle such a responsibility. Secondly, a growth rate of 30% was simply insane; no one could achieve that.

Finally, there was a reason that everyone tacitly understood. Wei Chen was going up against Zhou Tongpeng, Vice Chairman Zhou. With Vice Chairman Zhou’s obstruction, how could Wei Chen possibly save this quarter’s performance?

Sure enough, Wei Chen was helpless in turning the tide.