Just as I was about to turn hostile with that guy, suddenly, a girl in white appeared before me—it was Zhang Zhiyuan's secretary, Fang Xinyi.
"Manager Zhao, President Zhang wants to see you," Fang Xinyi said at that moment.
I thought for a while and said to Xiang Qiufeng, "Look, President Zhang is calling me now, so I don't have time to deal with you."
With that, I ignored Xiang Qiufeng and turned to leave.
As I reached the door, Fu Xin came out of the restroom.
Seeing Fu Xin, an idea struck me. I quietly pulled him aside and said, "Fu Xin, I'm entrusting you with a task."
Since finding out about my relationship with Shen Minhong, Fu Xin regarded me as his biggest patron. He said, "Manager Zhao, rest assured. Whatever the task is, I will definitely complete it."
I said, "Go and kick that Xiang Qiufeng out for me."
The moment Fu Xin heard this, he immediately started hesitating.
I asked, "What's the trouble?"
Fu Xin said, "Xiang Qiufeng is a veteran employee in our department. I usually go easy on him. It wouldn't be appropriate to kick him out without reason."
Apparently, he still didn't respect me as the manager. I sneered coldly and said, "Xiang Qiufeng is no longer an employee of our company. Let me say it again — I have terminated him. I don't care what methods you use; as long as you get him to leave, that's fine."
Only then did Fu Xin realize the seriousness of what I said. He said, "Okay, got it, Manager Zhao. You can count on me!"
I pondered that, no matter what, Fu Xin was a young and hot-blooded guy, and now that he was acting on my orders, driving Xiang Qiufeng out shouldn't be difficult.
With that thought settled, I confidently followed Fang Xinyi to the General Manager's office.
Speaking of Fang Xinyi, she had a very gentle personality—there wasn't even a trace of sharpness about her. It made me quite curious; she really was a special kind of girl.
Most importantly, Zhang Zhiyuan had never criticized her.
From the current situation, I couldn't see any particular relation between Fang Xinyi and Zhang Zhiyuan; she seemed like a very ordinary girl.
But her entrance was anything but ordinary. I remember very clearly, that day I even went to the airport to pick someone up.
More significantly, Fang Xinyi ousted Liu Jing from the position of General Manager's secretary. Bear in mind, Liu Jing was currently Zhang Zhiyuan's most favored lover.
And that day, I saw Fang Xinyi openly confront Gu Xiaofei, showing no less momentum than her.
So, I suspected that Fang Xinyi's background was definitely extraordinary.
When we arrived at the General Manager's office door, Zhang Zhiyuan looked at me as if I were his own father.
"Xiao Zhao, you're here!"
I frowned and asked Zhang Zhiyuan, "President Zhang, what do you need from me?"
Zhang Zhiyuan poured me a cup of tea and said, "How's the Yuxing Group report going? Is it going smoothly?"
I picked up the cup; as soon as I smelled the tea, I knew it was top-notch.
I realized this tea was meant just for Zhang Zhiyuan himself. He definitely wouldn't brew such fine tea if someone else came into his office.
Unfortunately, for someone like me, a struggling nobody in the city, just living a comfortable life was already the greatest happiness—I had no knowledge of tea culture.
I nodded slightly and said to Zhang Zhiyuan, "It's going fairly well, but there's one point I don't quite understand. The other side's purchasing manager raised some doubts and hopes you can give me an explanation."
Hearing my harsh tone, Zhang Zhiyuan said, "Xiao Zhao, we're close, so just speak freely. I'll fully support you."
I thought for a moment and said, "The purchasing manager, Zhu Tongbiao, questioned our product. He wants us to provide corrosion resistance test reports."
In truth, I knew very well that Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't provide such a report. I just wanted to see how he'd explain whether our new product had any problems.
Zhang Zhiyuan was a cunning fox; he didn't answer me directly but instead asked, "What did the Yuxing Group say?"
I answered truthfully: "They didn't say much. Because of this, their purchasing department refused to buy from our company. In the end, it was Shen Minhong who forced it through."
Zhang Zhiyuan was delighted hearing this. He patted my shoulder and said, "Xiao Zhao, I knew you're a handsome guy who knows how to charm women. I bet Shen Minhong is completely under your spell!"
Even Zhang Zhiyuan knew about my relationship with Shen Minhong. This must have spread wildly in Xingchang.
I could only smile bitterly, unable to answer directly.
I continued, "President Zhang, actually, today I want to clarify one thing: how is our product's corrosion resistance?"
The most important factor for wall paint is corrosion resistance. On the surface, our product is undoubtedly up to standard.
But houses are meant to last for decades. If there truly were quality problems, they would eventually show.
At that point, Xingchang's company would surely be ruined.
So, for the long-term interests of Xingchang's company, we can't operate this way. No matter how difficult the company's situation, we can't.
To be fair, the company still had some business that kept it running.
Seeing my suspicion, Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly said to me, "Xiao Zhao, you know the current state of the company. If the new product doesn't sell, the company will definitely go under. Are you just going to sit by and watch all my hard work go to waste?"
His words made me even more worried, so I said, "If this batch has problems, I will terminate the contract with Yuxing Group."
Zhang Zhiyuan understood this was his last lifeline; of course, he couldn't allow me to do that.
"Xiao Zhao, listen to me carefully. Let me be honest with you: our company has limited funds and can't afford corrosion resistance tests. But rest assured, this batch's corrosion resistance is absolutely fine. We know well the raw materials we use." Seeing I was about to break things off, Zhang Zhiyuan hurriedly responded.
Under these circumstances, I was actually more willing to believe what he said. After thinking, I said, "If the product really has no problem, I'll work wholeheartedly for you, President Zhang."
Zhang Zhiyuan finally smiled. He patted my shoulder and asked, "Did Yuxing Group say when they want the shipment?"
I shook my head and said, "Their purchasing manager, Mr. Zhu, told me they just hope we can keep up with the supply."
This was like a reassuring pill to Zhang Zhiyuan, and he said, "Xiao Zhao, you've worked hard. This time, I'll definitely reward you handsomely."
I understood he was promising first and paying later. After all, Xingchang didn't have much cash on hand; he was having a hard time too.
Just as I was about to turn and leave, I suddenly heard shouting outside.
Distantly, I felt the noise came from Xiang Qiufeng.
Recalling what I said to Fu Xin before coming here, my heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that something went wrong?
Without saying goodbye to Zhang Zhiyuan, I immediately ran out.
At that moment, I saw Xiang Qiufeng had already been driven to the gate, his face bruised and swollen—as if he'd just been hit.
The gate was already surrounded by a crowd. I saw Liu Jing among them, though her face was extremely dark. No one could tell what she was really thinking.
Since Fu Xin was just out of school, he was a bit ruthless. I guessed most of the bruises on Xiang Qiufeng's face were from him.
The trouble was caused by me; I had to solve it. I ran up and asked, "What happened here?"
As soon as Fu Xin saw me, he stood his ground and said, "This guy stubbornly refused to leave, so I beat him up."
According to company rules, fighting meant dismissal, but Fu Xin, relying on my backing, was fearless.
At this point, Xiang Qiufeng grimaced and said to me, "Manager Zhao, you promised me one more chance."
Damn it, this guy really liked to lie. When did I ever promise him that?
I thought to myself, this job must be pretty lucrative—otherwise, this guy wouldn't be so stubborn and refuse to leave.
I silently blamed him for choosing the wrong person to lean on and not knowing how to read people.
I was unsure how to respond when Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly came running out.
Xiang Qiufeng said to Zhang Zhiyuan, "President Zhang, I've been with you for seven years.
"Over all these years, even if you don't owe me any merits, at least I've put in the effort. How can you just fire me like that?"
The businessman valued only interests. Given Zhang Zhiyuan's shrewdness, he knew exactly what was going on. He told Xiang Qiufeng, "Get lost. The further, the better."
The security guard at the gate was just a lapdog. Upon hearing his master's order, he quickly moved to push Xiang Qiufeng out as far as possible.
Today, I finally saw the fate of a drowning dog.