In Zhang Chun's eyes, there seemed to be only Yang Hui. He merely nodded at President Li and President Wang.
"I told you to wait for me to pick you up, but you insisted on coming yourself... Come, have a seat."
He walked up and took Yang Hui by the arm. "Sit next to me."
"Brother Chun, I should sit further down the table."
'Everyone here today is a major player. Even if we ignore their status, just going by age, it shouldn't be my turn to sit in a seat of honor.'
But Zhang Chun said, "We're all friends here. Just do as I say."
He didn't give Yang Hui a chance to refuse, pulling him down into the primary guest's seat. He then had Wang Qing and Li Yang sit on the other side, with President Tian taking the seat just below Yang Hui's.
'Sigh, it's always like this.'
Today's gathering was a small affair, attended by the heavyweights of Qingzhou's business world.
There weren't many people at the regional general manager level for shopping centers in all of Qingzhou.
As for retailers, Li Yang was the most prominent figure in Qingzhou, which was why he was invited as well.
"I've called everyone over today for nothing particularly important. It's mainly because I haven't gotten together with my little brother in a long time, so I invited you all to liven things up."
President Li and President Wang glanced at each other, and they could both see the shock in the other's eyes.
'Zhang Chun invited us here just to keep this Yang Hui company?'
'This guy must have some serious pull.'
Still, the fact that Zhang Chun invited them to dinner was an honor in itself. Usually, they'd never even get the chance to try and curry favor with him.
Yang Hui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Brother Chun always insists on putting me on a pedestal. I'm young and my professional standing is low; he's really forcing the issue.'
But it was undeniably effective. He was able to navigate the major shopping centers like a fish in water, and it was all thanks to the status Zhang Chun had built for him.
Throughout the meal, Zhang Chun primarily spoke with Yang Hui. He would occasionally say a word or two to President Li and President Wang, but it was clear he was just going through the motions.
"A Hui, come on, let's have a drink. Congratulations on reaching a new milestone in your career."
'Huh?'
Yang Hui's heart skipped a beat. 'How could Zhang Chun know?'
'I haven't told a soul that the CEO approved me after the interview.'
"Brother Chun, what have you heard?"
Seeing Yang Hui's confused expression, Zhang Chun paused. "You went for the interview, didn't you? With your skills, if they didn't pick you, wouldn't that mean Ruijing Commerce is blind?"
'That explanation felt a little flimsy. Zhang Chun shouldn't have even known I went to an interview.'
'This big brother of mine seems to know everything about my situation. But how?'
But then, Zhang Chun changed the subject. "A Hui, you should chat more with President Wang and President Li. There will be many opportunities to cooperate in the future."
President Wang immediately stood up. "I'll have a toast with A Hui. From now on, I'll definitely treat any business with Ruijing Commerce as my top priority."
He had also switched to calling him A Hui.
Zhang Chun corrected him, "It's not about Ruijing Commerce, it's about A Hui. I'm backing A Hui, not Ruijing Commerce. The company has nothing to do with me."
"Right, right. A slip of the tongue. I'll drink a penalty."
'It made sense when you thought about it. If Zhang Chun's favor was with Ruijing Commerce, the person sitting here today would be their general manager for the entire region, or at the very least, a regional director. Why would it be a minor figure like a department manager?'
Immediately after, Li Yang and President Tian also toasted with Yang Hui several times.
Li Yang also repeatedly invited him to visit his company, saying that he deals in trendy brands and business menswear, that his company has many beautiful women, and he could introduce him to a girlfriend.
He didn't notice that when he offered to introduce Yang Hui to a girlfriend, Zhang Chun shot him several dark looks.
-----------------
「At the same time, in a Hunan restaurant called Xiangyu.」
In a large private room with adjoining tables, two groups were seated.
All the department managers of Ruijing Commerce, as well as all members of the Channel Development Department and several members of the Operations Department, were celebrating for Fang Zheng.
The party was already in full swing, with several rounds of drinks having been served.
Fang Zheng was chatting enthusiastically with the supervisors at his table.
"Let me tell you, the CEO is very amiable, not arrogant at all. After I told him about the future development plans for the branch, he kept nodding.
Occasionally, he would also discuss a few things with me. Mmm, all in all, we had a very pleasant chat."
"That's because Manager Fang is on another level," the others chimed in. "If it were us, we'd have been exposed in just a few sentences."
"Exactly. We're just not cut out for it."
Someone piped up, "But then there are those who aren't cut out for it and still insist on giving it a shot."
As soon as he said this, everyone knew who he was talking about. At the other table, the expressions on the faces of the female supervisors from the Operations Department were a mixture of emotions.
Then Fang Zheng's voice cut in. "It's normal for young people to have ambition, but to be honest, he really bit off more than he could chew this time.
He's still so young. He should have taken a good look at himself. Does he really have what it takes to lead the branch to success? It's a good thing the CEO is good-natured and dismissed him in ten minutes. Anyone with less patience probably wouldn't have even met with him."
"Some people like to mistake luck for skill. Maybe things have been going too smoothly for him these past two years, and he really started to think he was that capable. But he was exposed the moment he got to headquarters. Under the CEO's discerning gaze, how could he not reveal his true colors?"
"No matter how skilled he is, he's still a far cry from Manager Fang... no, we should be calling him President Fang now."
"Right, right! We should be calling him President Fang."
"I propose we all toast President Fang together! Under President Fang's leadership, Ruijing Commerce will surely prosper, and we'll all get promotions and raises!"
Fang Zheng stood up with a smile, basking in everyone's flattery.
The staff from the Channel Development and Operations departments crowded around. This was especially true for the Operations staff. Although they felt a little sorry for their own department head, they had to bend to the circumstances. They still needed their jobs at Ruijing Commerce, and they certainly couldn't afford to get on the bad side of the future regional general manager.
He pressed his hands down in a calming gesture.
"Thank you all for your support. You all know my character. I won't mistreat my own.
After I take over as general manager, I will fight with the group headquarters for this year's promotion and raise quotas, and secure benefits for everyone."
This declaration was met with a round of applause.
After they all drank a toast, the IT department manager started egging them on. "Hey, Operations! Your boss didn't show up. You should all give President Fang a toast together. Don't tell me you're all as clueless about how the world works as he is."
The few women from the Operations Department had no choice but to walk over to the main table, glasses in hand.
Fang Zheng was relatively polite to them. He encouraged them, "Keep up the good work. There are plenty of opportunities in the company. Your department head won't be in his position forever, right? That should open up some chances for you."
'Could it be that President Fang is going to make an example of Yang Hui as soon as he takes office?' everyone wondered.
"I invited Yang Hui today, but he didn't come. He's clearly not happy with the outcome. But we all work for the company, and we all have to obey headquarters' decisions. So, even if he doesn't like it, he has to accept it."
"Tomorrow morning, give Yang Hui a message for me. Tell him to come to my office, and I'll overlook his past transgressions."
Everyone understood. Fang Zheng wanted Yang Hui to come and bow his head in person tomorrow. It looked like there was going to be a good show. Would Yang Hui go?
Yang Hui knew nothing of this. He was a little drunk as Zhang Chun's car dropped him off at the entrance of Nanhua District.