'They're celebrating the victory in advance.'
It made sense. With only two candidates, an interview that only lasted ten minutes meant Yang Hui was destined to fail.
That meant the next regional general manager could only be Fang Zheng.
Yang Hui was in his office trying to get some work done, but he couldn't settle his mind.
'This condition for binding with the system is so damn frustrating.'
Stretching, he walked out of his office.
Outside was the open-plan office area for the operations department, where all the operations supervisors had their desks.
"Manager."
"Boss."
Yang Hui nodded, thinking it was a little strange. 'Why is there a hint of pity in their eyes when they look at me?'
"Yang Na, could you come here for a moment?"
Yang Na was one of his subordinates. At twenty-six, she was tall and slender, with looks so similar to the celebrity Zhang Bichen that she'd been nicknamed "Ruijing's Zhang Bichen."
Back in his office, Yang Na followed him inside.
He beckoned her over. "Come, have a seat over here."
Yang Na walked over with a smile. "What is it, Boss? Are you trying to proposition me?"
He shot her a glare. "There are plenty of fish in the sea; why would I fish in my own pond? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Of course not, Boss."
He nodded in satisfaction. 'At least you're a good judge of character.'
"But when you let loose, you're a real animal. Last time at the KTV, you got wasted. Things got wild... pulling down pants, lifting up skirts... you were right in the thick of it."
"Don't be ridiculous."
'It wasn't nearly as exaggerated as she was making it out to be. A whole group of people were there. Even if I had wanted to do something, I wouldn't have done it in plain sight of everyone, would I?'
Yang Na snorted. "Next time you get drunk, I'll record a video for you."
"Then there won't be a next time. I'm absolutely never drinking with you women again."
'This group of women could drink him under the table. Every time they went out, they'd ply him with alcohol until he blacked out completely, waking up the next day with no memory of the night before.'
"Yang Na, the gross profit margin for the stores you manage has slipped by two percent this month. You need to keep a closer eye on discounts and guide your staff to recommend more new and full-priced products to raise that margin back up."
After discussing the work matters, he told Yang Na she could head back.
"Boss, did you know Fang Zheng is taking everyone out to dinner tonight?"
Yang Hui looked at her, puzzled. 'He's treating people to dinner? Why would I know?'
"I heard he invited all the department heads and the entire core team. Every supervisor in our operations department got an invitation. How could you, the head of the whole department, not know?"
Yang Hui grew pensive. He and Fang Zheng had never been on good terms, but for Fang Zheng to invite practically the entire company and specifically exclude him was definitely strange.
"Boss, is it true your interview at headquarters only lasted ten minutes?"
"About that."
'He hadn't timed it, but the CEO had announced his appointment as the new regional general manager the moment he walked in the door. The subsequent ten minutes were just idle chatter, which was already plenty long. It wasn't like he planned on discussing his hopes and dreams with the man.'
"That's such a shame. I can't believe headquarters still promotes based on seniority instead of ability."
Yang Hui understood now. They, Fang Zheng included, all thought he'd been eliminated. They believed Fang Zheng becoming the general manager was a done deal, which was why he was throwing a celebration dinner.
The reason he invited employees from key departments, including Yang Hui's own subordinates from operations, was because these people would soon be working under him. He was already acting like the general manager.
"You can go now. Make sure to have a few drinks with Manager Fang tonight."
Yang Na said dejectedly, "I'm not going. They can go if they want. But a few people from our department already said they would."
He couldn't help but chuckle.
'The workplace was a microcosm of the fickle nature of people.'
'You could listen to the subordinates who swore their undying loyalty, but it was best not to take it to heart. They'd say the same thing to whoever sat in his chair.'
'There was nothing wrong with that, really. Who would want to offend the future regional general manager? That would be a death wish, wouldn't it?'
He'd still advised Yang Na to attend. As for whether she actually went, that was beyond his control.
Yang Na felt a wave of sadness. Judging by her manager's behavior, he had truly lost this round.
Her undefeated boss had really been defeated by Fang Zheng this time.
BUZZ~.
A WeChat message arrived.
[Fang Zheng: Manager Yang, dinner together tonight. You free?]
[Yang Hui: Unfortunately, I already have plans tonight. You guys have fun.]
'The invitation wasn't sincere. Otherwise, why send a message when they were both in the same office, just a short walk away?'
'Besides, he had no intention of raining on Fang Zheng's parade. With his rival present, Fang Zheng wouldn't be able to put on a proper performance.'
Besides, he had already promised Zhang Chun he would attend his dinner party tonight.
After replying to Fang Zheng, he stared at the WeChat client on his PC, and his gaze naturally fell upon a screen name: "Xiaohe Wanwan."
This was an online friend he had added as a stranger two years ago.
Yang Hui rarely added strangers, but something about this person's screen name made him instinctively accept the request.
That was because Yang Hui's hometown was called Xiahe Village, and in Xiahe Village, he had once known a little girl named Wanwan during his childhood.
From then on, "Xiaohe Wanwan" became the online friend he could talk to about anything.
He would talk to "Xiaohe Wanwan" about everything: his decision to take the job at Ruijing Commerce, his thoughts when the Operations Manager position opened up, and even the problems he encountered in his daily work.
He discovered that "Xiaohe Wanwan" had an incredibly sharp business acumen. He often only had to mention the beginning of a problem, and she could analyze the entire situation and offer several solutions.
Naturally, he had also talked to her about going to headquarters to interview for the regional general manager position.
He remembered how confident she had been, insisting he was the best candidate and that Ruijing Commerce wouldn't be blind enough to choose someone else.
She seemed to have more confidence in him than he had in himself.
Since they were just online friends, they rarely discussed their personal lives—family, age, appearance—outside of the topics Yang Hui initiated.
It was rare to find such a kindred spirit, and it seemed neither of them wanted to spoil the atmosphere. Maintaining a little distance added a certain beauty to it all.
As if by telepathy, a new message from her appeared on WeChat.
[Xiaohe Wanwan: Back in Qingzhou? Congrats on the promotion.]
Yang Hui raised an eyebrow, surprised.
[Yang Hui: How did you know my interview was a success?]
[Xiaohe Wanwan: I told you, as long as the people at Ruijing Commerce aren't blind, they were bound to appoint you as the regional general manager.]
'Right, so it was just her own unshakeable confidence. And here I was, thinking she was an insider from Ruijing Commerce's headquarters.'
[Yang Hui: But... I'm planning to resign.]
'Xiaohe Wanwan is going to be shocked,' he thought. 'Anyone would find this decision impossible to understand.'
[Xiaohe Wanwan: That's fine too. With your abilities, Ruijing was holding you back anyway. Step out into the wide world; there's so much you can achieve.]
'...What was he supposed to say to that?'
'In Xiaohe Wanwan's eyes, it seemed he could do no wrong. It had been like this ever since they'd met. No matter what he chose, she would support him. To be fair, though, his results had never been disappointing.'