Tit For Tat (Beloved Enemy) - Chap 5
Yuan Yang looked down at Gu Qing Pei’s clothes and then at his face crossly.
Gu Qing Pei smiled and said, “I’ll call you that indiscriminately.” He pulled his shirt out of Yuan Yang’s hands while speaking slowly and made sure no more buttons fell off. He simply opened his eyes and said, “You don’t want to be an assistant or a driver. What do you think you can do? Do you want me to make you the boss. Can you manage people? Can you manage a company?”
“I don’t want to be anything, I’m here to pretend to work, not actually work. I will pick a sofa and I’ll settle down there while you pretend I don’t exist.”
Gu Qing Pei shook his head. “Xiao Yuan….son, I promised Yuan Director to help you get on the right track. I’m a very responsible person. I won’t let you have nothing to do in the company. I will teach you as much as I can teach. If you do not want to learn, please follow it up with Yuan Director. I can’t do the Lord’s work.” After Gu finished, he simply ignored Yuan Yang and turned around and walked into the bathroom.
He took a five-minute shower and changed clothes. When he came out, he found that Yuan Yang was sitting on the sofa with his head back and eyes closed. Even though the pose looked lazy, he still held himself stiffly and sat with his back straight. His two long legs casually overlapped making him look rather pleasant and beautiful to look at.
Gu Qing blinked, admired Yuan Yang for two more seconds, then looked at his watch and said, “Let’s go to the meeting.”
Yuan Yang opened one eye and looked at him provocatively before he slowly stood up. Reluctantly, they walked together.
When the two entered the conference room, they noticed more than two dozen employees waiting patiently for them. Gu Qing Pei entered the room with a smiled and said, “Hello, everyone.” The room immediately broke out with a warm applause.
Yuan Yang frowned, he did not like such a formal occasion. Whenever his father took him out in the past, he was able to hide. He did not expect to escape publicity till the ends.
Gu Qing Pei went for the president chair and no one cared what Yuan Yang did. However, since he was brought in by the boss, they did not dare ignore him completely even when he was impetuous. A female manager in her thirties planned to get up and offer her seat to Yuan Yang. Gu Qing Pei raised his hand. “No need for that. Yuan Yang, you go look for an empty seat.”
Yuan Yang didn’t really care where he sat as long as it was far away from Gu Qing Pei. He took a particularly distant position and sat down. However, because he was tall, Gu Qing Pei looked away after he sat down and he was still the most prominent.
Gu Qing Pei looked around the room and revealed an easy-going smile, “Hello everyone, I’ll introduce myself first. My name is Gu, Gu Qing Pei and I’m a new comer. From today, I’m like everyone else. As a member of the group, I will work hard with you to make the best contribution to Zhuo Ye Group and get its listing on the Main Board.”
The crowd began to applaud again, and the female employees’ caressing eyes always glowing with admiration.
Gu Qing Pei cleared his throat and began to make his inaugural speech. “This is the first day at Zhuo Ye and I am very pleased with everyone’s warm and enthusiastic welcome to me. Even though I still haven’t learnt everyone’s names, I’m sure that with all of our joint efforts, we will make the company a united and solid power that will be cohesive and centripetal, and will eventually develop into a representative model as an outstanding Chinese enterprise. For this goal, Yuan Director personally brought me in. The company requires me to drastically rectify loopholes in the company’s management, lack of talents, and the confusion on debt management. Now there are a series of obstacles that stands in front of us and prevents us from resuming to the listing board, but these obstacles are, in my opinion, paper tigers. They make you scared and does not allow you to break through, they’re just an illusion of fierceness. In fact, as long as you have the courage to clear these obstacles, you will find that its fangs and its claws are nothing but an illusion in front of such a collective wisdom. Two or three years ago, Yuan Director sent an invitation to me and I promise to use all my knowledge for this company in the same way I’ve used it, so the prospects of Yuan Director’s company will become better. With full investigation and understanding, I think this is a company that is full of promise and will have explosive development in the future. So I gave up the work from a stable and idle state-owned enterprise that I had been working on for ten years and came here to renew my vigour. I would like to tell you that there is nothing that anyone in this business can do to stop Zhuo Ye from moving forward. As long as we are united, we will make every effort to succeed!”
The applause broke out again in the conference room. Gu Qing’s face remained hanging with a good-looking smile, watching each person’s reaction quietly.
“Of course, if we want to achieve such a goal, it will be impossible for us to remain in our present state. Before I came here, I understand the company’s situation through the old employees of several companies that Mr. Dong had introduced me to. In terms of conditions, it is not enough to have good assets and main business, but these only satisfy the capital environment, and besides, what we have to satisfy is the conditions for management. The current management of our company is disorderly. Here, from today, from this moment onward, I would like to work with you to establish the Zhuo Ye Group’s culture and system. I, and everyone here, will become the founders of the Zhuo Yi Group’s legalization and standardization. This is for us. Restoring the Board listing is crucial, and if you are scooping stocks, you should know how a listed company needs to be standardized in terms of management, and these are simply the rules and regulations for the company that the Securities Regulatory Commission requires. The company where I used to work in, I believe we are no strangers to that and divided up the oil and gas market in China from three to one quarter, when we were simply a controlling one. Diligent management rules and regulations can be as long as 30-40 pages. If it involves a system of production and operation or financial authorization, it can be hundreds of pages long. This is what a standardized operation of a listed company should have. Zhuo Ye Group, in one day, should reach there, and till that time, I believe that all of you, in the near future, will be ready for that.
Gu Qing Pei’s years of experience and achievements helped him put together an inspirational speech that showcased his speaking skills. Basically, after he finished a speech, the morale of the people below him had been upped immensely. What’s more, all he said then was from the heart. If he had not seen the brilliant prospects of this group, he would not have come. After he said that he has strong funding and projects to support, he was more confident about the future.
He continued, “What do we think is the most urgent thing for us now? Is it financing? Is it a project development? Is it the main business? I told you not to be worried. Yuan Director was ready to invest money to support Zhuo Ye’s resumption to the listing board. More than 10 billion yuan of funds, would not only restore the main business of trade, but also will help expand into the real estate sector and energy sector, to do oil refining, mineral exploration, which was my old line of work. I had learnt this in the university, so I was able to get in touch with Yuan Director. I am confident about Zhuo Ye’s prospects because I was familiar with everything in the industry and I knew where the money was to be made and where the money came from. At present, Yuan Director wanted Zhuo Ye company to meet the conditions for the listing and the Director was ready to incorporate the two companies he controlled. Both companies are in good operating condition and have stable cash flow income. They can inject Zhuo Ye with excellent assets of up to 4 billion yuan. This solved a large part of Zhuo Ye’s debt and losses, and to sort out those remaining debts of Zhuo Ye. And only within one year’s time, Zhuo Ye will soon be able to abandon its debts and install them lightly. It will take no more than three years to get a seat in the capital market, but comrades, do you think that you and the company are ready? You want to be listed, accepted by your competitors and overcome the challenges of the capital market, accept the regulator and the stockholders in all aspects without any dead ends? Our cultural and institutional system is basically equal to zero efficient. Can we become a qualified listed company? Obviously not, so, what we urgently need is not financing, not to do projects, not to recruit new employees but to establish culture, establish systems, and open the door to Zhuo Ye Group’s transformation from the rule of man to the rule of law. Now Zhuo Ye is in the most irregular stage of corporate management, so management is chaotic and the division of labor is not authorized. Strictly, many people are able to take advantages of the loopholes and seek private gain at our downfall, this is absolutely not allowed. What we need to do now is to depersonalize enterprises, to not be emotional, to replace people’s rule by the rule of law, to regulate our management, and ensure the company healthy and efficient operations are running smoothly.”
When Qing Gu Pei finished the speech, the conference room was silent, no one even dared to breathe. Because Gu Qing’s face has been changed from smiling to serious expressions, it looked quite majestic, and the words were powerful and strong. No one dared to interrupt such a speech.
Gu Qing Pei used his fingers to point at the table. “Then, do you know what we are going to start with now?” He gazed at the table and several people dared to look at him. Most of them looked away.
Gu Qing Pei shot them a gratified smile, “The first step we have to take is to establish the rules and regulations of the company. In the future we must also have our own corporate culture and a complete organizational structure. Now, I will give you the layout. One task you have is to develop a complete attendance management system within three days. I don’t want to see anyone go to the punching machine to pick up a card casually. Most people go to work between 8:30 and 9:00. I think, our company’s regulations for locking in the working hours began at 8.30 and we must be punished for being late. We can no longer use such a lazy, careless attitude towards our work and treat our company and your personal future as the same thing. Afterwards, each Monday morning will be extended for half-hours, weekly meetings will be held then, and the heads of departments will report their weekly work. I ask everyone to abandon that lazy, over-the-counter self. From this moment to meet the challenges, we need to use a new method to operation in the company.”
After the meeting, everyone rushed out. In the end, only Gu Qing Pei and Yuan Yang were left inside
GuQing Pei had a drink of tea and looked at him. “Although what you are seeing is still a small company with hardly 20 management employees sitting at a conference table, the company’s future development is absolutely limitless.Don’t you think it’s a good sense of accomplishment to train such a small company and watch it grow up? If it comes to peace, if you change your peace of mind and stay meditating here, you will not be uncomfortable. Won’t be so anxious, this is good for everyone, don’t you think it over so much?”
Yuan Yang’s ruthless face did not make a disdain expression, but calmly said, “I have no interest in these things. I was forced to promise before my grandmother died. I left the army, but even if I’m not in the army anymore, I have other things to do. Doing business like my dad is the last thing I want to do. You don’t have to persuade me. If you don’t take any action on this matter, we will not fight anymore.”
Gu Qing Pei shook his head, feeling disappointed. “You’re a stubborn child.”
Yuan Yang looked at his watch. “The speech was very moving. Unfortunately,these people are not so easy to manage. You’re going to be busy. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Where are you going?” Gu Qing Pei stood up and followed him.
“Going home to sleep.” Yuan Yang walked out the door.
Gu Qing Pei trailed after him. “No, you can’t leave during office hours. Any rules of the company, if you don’t obey, no one else will. But as long as you observe it, everyone must obey it. You can’t leave work without a good reason.”
Yuan Yang’s face turned red and he shot Gu an angry look, “What did I just say? I want nothing more to do with this place.”
Gu Qing Pei lifted his chin slightly. “Yuan Yang, you don’t know how to manage the company. But I’ll teach you. The core of the management company is the manager. You are also a member of the company and you’ve been given a position. If you don’t take care of your responsibilities, you will end up being lazy.”
“Then let me go.”
“I can’t do it. If you want to go…go and talk with Yuan Director yourself. You can’t walk away until you make things clear with him.”
Yuan Yang clenched his fist. “Gu, what you mean by these words is that you want to control me?”
“Yes,I’m the president, you’re the assistant, and of course I’m the one who controls you. I repeat, if you are a member of the company, you must be bound by the system and receive my permission to leave the company and I haven’t said you can. So you don’t have the permission to leave now….obviously.”
Yuan Yang kicked randomly and his foot landed on the chair nearby, which turned over with great force. Even when the carpet muffled the sound, the act was still great. He took a few steps to stand before Gu Qing Pei and yanked him by his collar. He gritted his teeth and said, “GU…..don’t take the power of my dad to pressure me. You go any further and you will regret it.”
“Do you want to beat me? You have to use a lighter hand, or I can’t explain it to the Director.”
Yuan Yang’s anger was so great his forehead throbbed with it and he clenched his fists in Gu’s collar. He badly wanted to strike that face but some how controlled himself.
If this had happened before he made that damn promise, he didn’t know how many times he would have thrashed Gu, but he must endure this man now. Once he really moved his hand, the force will make Gu fall into his hands, and he might not turn around forever.
Whether it was Yuan Yang or Gu Qing Pei, they all hoped that the other side will take the initiative to withdraw from this contest, so that they will not have to bear the blame from Yuan Lijiang. Unfortunately, they were both bad at giving up….. they will not lose to anyone.
Yuan Yang took a hard shot and pushed Gu Qing Pei awkwardly. He pointed to Gu Qing’s cold nose, “If you dare to challenge me, you must be really prepared. You have a good look at what you have and be really strong.”
Gu Qing smiled slightly, “At any time …..I’m waiting.”
