"Ah!" Qian Qian exclaid, covering her mouth in surprise. "Isn’t the general manager the most senior person in the company? How can there be a boss above them?"
She was young and inexperienced, unfamiliar with the intricate workings of the corporate world.
"Our company was acquired by an investnt firm. The big boss of that firm is *that* man, which makes him our big boss, too. Understand now?"
A surge of superiority swelled in Xiao Xiao’s chest. What an unsophisticated country bumpkin. Little did she know, she had been just the sa when she first started her job.
「Late February.」
You You was the top strear, the so-called "number one sister," of Xiaoju Technology’s live-streaming departnt. When she didn’t renew her contract and was poached by a rival company, word quickly spread.
The company headquarters, upon learning the news, were livid. They demanded an explanation from the live-streaming departnt.
An explanation?
"Headquarters wants an explanation from , but before that, you’re all going to give one," Xiang Yunsheng roared in the departnt eting room, where all the managers were present. "Anyone who isn’t here can pack their things and get lost after this eting is over!"
Facing the manager’s fury, his subordinates played dumb.
Xiang Yunsheng looked at the many empty seats, noticing the absence of many familiar faces, and a wave of powerlessness washed over him. His earlier outburst had just been an attempt to hide his own helplessness.
He truly had no solution for this. The competition has more money. They just wave wads of cash to poach your people, and you can’t offer raises to keep them. Of course, you’re helpless. Rely on empty promises? Who buys that anymore?
"Well? Has everyone lost their tongues?"
With no other choice, Xiang Yunsheng started calling on people by na.
"Guan Shan, you’re the deputy manager. You go first. Tell us what you think."
Guan Shan cursed inwardly, but he just smiled sheepishly. "Since Manager Xiang has asked to speak, I’ll say a few words."
As soon as he started with that line, everyone below understood what was coming and promptly zoned out. As expected, he finished a long-winded speech full of the usual aningless drivel, which was t with a round of enthusiastic applause.
Soone kept shouting "Well said!" though it was doubtful they even knew what was so good about it.
Xiang Yunsheng was speechless, yet he couldn’t say anything. After all, he often peddled the sa kind of empty platitudes. Criticizing him would be like criticizing myself, wouldn’t it? I can’t do that.
He then called on a few others, but they had learned all the wrong lessons. Their speeches were even more hollow than the last, filled with politically correct nonsense.
Xiang Yunsheng finally couldn’t take it anymore. He rapped his knuckles on the table, silencing them.
With a pained expression, he said, "Everyone, our departnt is at a life-or-death crossroads. Can’t any of you offer a single constructive suggestion?"
Seeing the crowd remain unmoved, he continued, "Don’t think I’m being an alarmist. Let give you so numbers. Departntal staff turnover has reached thirty percent, and these are all from key positions."
He nearly blurted out that the people who remained were the useless dregs that other companies hadn’t bothered to poach.
"Our biggest star, our main pillar, was poached. Viewership has plunged to less than twenty percent of what it was. That’s worse than being cut in half—it’s like we’ve been cut off at the knees! Wake up, everyone! If we can’t turn this situation around, our entire departnt is going to be ’reoptimized’ by the company."
The word ’reoptimized’ finally struck a nerve.
"Manager Xiang, this isn’t our fault! Why should we be the ones getting ’optimized’?" soone protested indignantly.
Another added calmly, "This is all because of inaction from upper managent; it’s not our departnt’s fault. Manager Xiang, didn’t you already file a report? When other companies co poaching, our departnt doesn’t have the authority to grant raises. That decision has to co from the top. Now that our talent has been poached, they still haven’t co up with a single counterasure. How is that our fault?"
These words resonated perfectly with Xiang Yunsheng. That’s exactly right. He desperately wanted to applaud. But I can’t. There are spies from upper managent in this room.
So he could only put on a show and say, "That’s an extre way of looking at it. The higher-ups have their reasons. They have to consider the entire company, not just one departnt."
A hush fell over the room. Since you’ve put it that way, what’s left for us to say?
Just then, a cell phone rang.
He cast a disapproving glance over the room. "Who didn’t silence their phone for the eting?"
Let’s see who dared to ignore my instructions. I’ll make an example of them. At a critical ti like this, I have to keep the team in line.
Unexpectedly, all eyes turned toward him.
"Manager, it’s your phone," his assistant reminded him.
Without a trace of embarrassnt, he walked to the front row where his briefcase was, took out his phone, and his expression imdiately changed to a smile when he saw the caller ID. He nodded and bowed slightly, deferentially saying "yes" several tis into the phone. After hanging up, he put it back in his briefcase.
Leaving behind a curt "eting dismissed," he grabbed his briefcase and left.
The eting room instantly erupted into chatter, the solemn atmosphere from monts before completely gone.
"Can you believe him? This is clearly his ss, but he wants us all to take the fall."
"Exactly! He was the one who proposed ’optimizing’ that batch of employees who were nearing the 35-year Big Barrier."
"Now that those people are successful elsewhere, they’re coming back for revenge, and he just hides in his shell like a coward. Zero sense of responsibility."
"Well, what do you expect? He got his position by riding his wife’s coattails."
"I always knew he was useless and only got here through connections. All show and no substance."
...
"I think our departnt could still be saved if the company fires him and makes Manager Guan the new general manager," soone suggested.
"Why are you all looking at ?" Guan Shan said. "I’m not cut out for the manager’s job. Being a deputy and helping out is the most I can do."
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