RNP Chapter 16 Don't you two know each other?
Chapter 16 Don't you two know each other?
When the board of directors becomes an oppressive cog in the machine, they can only gnaw at the rules under the mask of "enemies," yet the warmth of love is revealed in a cup of humiliating milk tea.
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The atmosphere at the Tianyi Group board meeting on Monday was as stiff as a frozen sauerkraut jar. Although Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen had witnessed a fierce battle once before, they still nervously huddled behind their respective bosses, their hearts pounding faster than usual.
The dark gray curtains sealed the meeting room tightly, preventing any light from getting in. The two groups of directors, "Emei" and "Southern Shaolin," sat facing each other like fighting cocks, with piles of documents in front of them. Their eyes were focused on their respective teams' presentation slides. The smell of ink from the papers mixed with the bitterness of the cold coffee, making everyone's throats dry.
Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li sat on either side of the main seats, embracing an atmosphere so tense it was as if a sneeze could set the place on fire. The team presentation had barely finished when they launched into a full-blown confrontation.
"See that? My down project is a sure-fire money-making machine!" Zhang Zhishan slammed the project proposal onto the table with a loud thud, the paper scraps rattling everywhere. "Autumn and winter are peak seasons for essential goods, and with the logistics subsidy reduced by 0.25%, the profit margin is so high you could scrape off a layer of oil. It's way better than all your fancy stuff; you can hear the profit as soon as it hits the ground!"
Yu Li's lips curled up, and she tapped her pen slowly on the table. "Mr. Zhang, you're underestimating the bigger picture. The premium potential of the high-end luxury market is something your down jacket can't compare to. Once ULUL's door-to-door promotion is launched, the top-tier influence will bring a continuous stream of fresh capital and brand upgrades to the platform! This is a long-term strategy, not your one-off deal."
"Long-term? I think that's just being overly ambitious!"
"You just put up a sign and triple the price, you're just ripping off people's intelligence tax!"
The two engaged in a heated argument, spittle flying everywhere, arguing about everything from market research to sales strategies, and from team configuration to process loopholes.
The board members present were either engrossed in reading documents or taking a sip of their now-cold coffee. Anyway, there were still five months until the six-month period ended, and both sides had already made some moves; arguing all they wanted now wouldn't yield a clear winner.
But Zhang Zhishan couldn't swallow his pride. He changed the subject, "To be honest, your eye for talent development is far inferior to mine! Take Zeng Jia, for example. She was just a junior HR specialist, but I had the foresight to pull her out of the mud and train her into a senior secretary. And look at the results after only a month?! She fell into a pit, got covered in chicken droppings, and still wiped her face to negotiate contracts. That kind of ruthlessness is hard to find even with a lantern. She's much better than your people!"
Zeng Jia, sitting in the corner, jumped in fright. Why did she have to bring up such a terrible thing? Did she have to broadcast her embarrassing moments so publicly? Would making a fool of herself somehow enhance the project's prestige? Besides, there wasn't even chicken droppings in that pit!
Zeng Jia forced a standard fake smile, glancing at Wang Haowen diagonally across from her. He was pretending to flip through plans, but his shoulders were shaking like a seizure. It was obvious he was overjoyed at the mention of "chicken shit," practically bursting with suppressed laughter.
Yu Li picked up her coffee and took a sip, her words dripping with sharp retorts: "Mr. Zhang's secretary is hardworking, and mine is no less so." Her gaze swept across the room, a hint of smugness in her eyes, "Assistant Wang went to secondhand stores in Shanghai and Hangzhou, sleeping less than ten hours a night for three days straight, and still managed to slam the investigation report on my desk overnight. The reason ULUL was able to secure this deal is because President Su valued his execution ability; she even wanted to compete with me for him at three times the salary."
Wang Haowen touched his nose, feeling incredibly weak. Su Manli was now glaring at him like she wanted to stab him eight hundred times. If he hadn't coaxed and coaxed her into helping him come up with the new AI home solution, she might have held this grudge for centuries.
"Wow, your assistants are quite formidable!" The director in the middle laughed, trying to smooth things over. "How about we collaborate and exchange ideas more often in the future? We can learn from each other and complement each other's strengths."
These words struck Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen like a thunderbolt, freezing them both in place. Their clandestine affair was barely concealed; how could they possibly dare to cooperate? A single glance could expose them to their own boss, who might mistake them for traitors. Working side-by-side every day, being caught was a matter of minutes.
Zhang Zhishan immediately waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. "Cooperate? My secretary is too busy to teach others."
Yu Li persisted, elegantly twirling her coffee cup with her fingers: "Mr. Zhang, you're being too polite. Young people need more experience." She glanced at Wang Haowen, her tone leaving no room for negotiation, "Little Wang, later you should compare the door-to-door sales plan with Secretary Zeng's. Logistics and promotion can be done simultaneously, saving time and effort."
Wang Haowen was inwardly groaning, but outwardly he had to respond respectfully, "Okay, President Yu, I'll contact Secretary Zeng later." He usually called her "baby" so fluently, but when he suddenly blurted out "Secretary Zeng," he almost bit his tongue off.
Zhang Zhishan snorted coldly and didn't say anything. Anyway, it would be a fool not to take advantage of a good deal.
At this critical moment, the HR director suddenly spoke up, "Hey, by the way, aren't Secretary Zeng and Assistant Wang both graduates of the Capital University of Economics and Business? They were even in the same year. Don't you two know each other?"
Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen looked up abruptly, their eyes meeting. They panicked as if they had been caught red-handed thieves.
Zeng Jia dug her fingertips into her palm: Damn it! Why is that old fox going through files for no reason?!
Wang Haowen's back was drenched in sweat: "My God! Quick, make up a story! How do I make this up?"
The two locked eyes, deliberately exchanging sharp glances.
Zeng Jia was quicker, forcing a fake smile and raising her voice, "We're from the same university. I've also heard of Assistant Wang's name, but unfortunately we don't know each other." She then added sarcastically, "Assistant Wang was a star player on our school's basketball team back in the day. The girls in our HR department were completely infatuated with him."
Wang Haowen raised an eyebrow and shrugged smugly. "What can I do? Being too outstanding makes it easy for people to have designs on you. What can I do?" He glanced at Zeng Jia with a deliberately provocative look. "Unlike some people, who are always covered in dirt and grime, it's hard for anyone to have designs on them." The tension was palpable.
The two glared at each other fiercely, their performance of "disliking each other" was masterful.
The doubts in Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li's eyes dissipated, and they simply assumed they were ordinary alumni from different departments at the same university, and didn't think much of it.
As the event ended, Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen followed behind their respective bosses as they moved out, secretly sweating. Zeng Jia felt her calves were still weak, even more tired than running three thousand meters.
Wang Haowen quickened his pace, moved closer to Yu Li, and tentatively asked in a low voice, "President Yu, do you really want to coordinate the logistics plan with Secretary Zeng?" A direct refusal would seem guilty, so he could only beat around the bush.
Yu Li sneered, her tone full of contempt, "What does someone in HR know about high-end luxury marketing? She probably can't even recognize all the lipstick shades."
Wang Haowen nodded and bowed in agreement, but in his heart he was thinking that even if Zeng Jia had no money, she still had a lot of lipsticks. When a woman says she doesn't have any, she doesn't really mean she doesn't have any; she just doesn't have the latest styles.
"President Su's assistant sent a message, wanting to discuss the details of the Double Eleven event." Wang Haowen changed the subject.
Yu Li nodded and told him to go first. "I'll talk to the shareholders some more. You go and follow along, and report back to me tonight."
Wang Haowen felt like he'd been granted a pardon and slipped into the break room. He was sweating profusely in the meeting room and desperately needed something cold to calm his nerves.
But as soon as I entered, I saw Zeng Jia with her brows furrowed and gulping down lemonade. She was clearly half-dead from the "alumni interrogation" she had just endured.
Wang Haowen glanced quickly towards the door, making sure no one was there, but didn't dare to speak directly. He pretended to be making business calls, casually taking a cup of coffee and shrinking into a corner, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he sent a WeChat message to Zeng Jia: "Am I that famous in your department? I had no idea. A prominent figure? How insulting!"
Zeng Jia saw the message and replied with a mischievous grin: "Have you forgotten that time you played basketball with the Business Administration Department in your junior year?"
Wang Haowen replied instantly: Holy crap.
That basketball game was incredibly intense, and he was sabotaged by students from the Economics and Management Department. They pulled down his sports pants, exposing his bare buttocks to the entire school. This incident directly ruined his chances of running for student council president—exposing his buttocks was too indecent; everyone could imagine the image of him standing on the stage afterward.
He was about to ask: "Hey, you female hooligan, did you see that?"
Zeng Jia's message popped up again: From now on, we can't just pretend to be strangers, we have to be enemies. That mutual loathing act we did earlier was pretty good, keep it up!
Wang Haowen rubbed his nose helplessly, watching Zeng Jia walk away without looking back. He was both angry and amused: An enemy, huh? Fine, let's see who can hold back first.
He opened the food delivery app and ordered a hot milk tea for Zeng Jia. Zeng Jia had barely returned to her workstation when a notification popped up at the front desk to pick up her order.
Under the watchful, gossipy gazes of her colleagues, she opened the order notes and nearly choked on her own saliva: "This is for the female hooligan who peeked at my butt."
Zeng Jia was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth, yet she couldn't help but laugh. She cursed inwardly: "Wang Haowen! You son of a bitch!"