From Wage Slave to Tycoon

It was just like that movie Deng Chao directed and starred in. Although the online reception was mediocre, it was still his first attempt at becoming a director.

It’s said that a soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is not a good soldier.

An actor who doesn’t want to be a boss is not a good actor.

..........

Soon, the elevator arrived at the fifty-eighth floor, which was where Yunmengze was holding its annual meeting. Pei Rang had booked the entire floor.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they heard a lively commotion.

Quite a few people were in the hallway, chatting in small groups. Every one of them wore a festive smile.

When they saw Su Chen and his group exit the elevator, they all called out enthusiastically, "Hello, Boss!"

Su Chen gave a slight nod, but inwardly he was ecstatic. ’A scene like this is truly thrilling!’

The banquet hall spanned a full two thousand square meters, taking up two-thirds of the floor. It was the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s public banquet hall.

After Su Chen and his group went inside, the murmuring in the hallway grew louder.

"The boss is so young and handsome!"

"Did you see the guy next to the boss? That’s Sicong! The ’National Husband’! I can’t believe he’s at our company’s annual meeting. Don’t tell me our boss is some third-generation heir, too!"

"Did you see those three foreigners? They’re the heads of the Huaxia divisions for three of the world’s top luxury brands! I can’t believe they came. Is our boss part of the luxury brand circle?"

"For real? Big shots like that came to our company’s annual meeting?"

"And Deng Chao and his wife, plus Chen He, are right behind them! I can’t believe we’re seeing actual celebrities in the flesh," some of the young women said excitedly. "I wonder if we can get photos and autographs with them after the meeting!"

The chatter grew more and more animated until a manager from the logistics department came out of the banquet hall. He scanned the crowd, clapped his hands, and said, "What are you all still doing standing around out here? Don’t you know the meeting is about to start?"

As soon as he spoke, the once-buzzing hallway fell silent. Everyone hurried into the banquet hall.

..................

The banquet hall was set up with thirty tables, and nearly all of them were full.

Led by Pei Rang, Su Chen took his seat at the head table. Next to him were Emma and her two companions, Sicong, Deng Chao and his wife, Chen He, and Pei Rang himself. With Su Chen, there were exactly nine of them. The company’s other senior executives sat at an adjacent table.

"Old Pei, why are there so many people?" Su Chen asked, confused. "I thought the company had less than a hundred employees. I just glanced around, and it looks like there are two or three hundred people here!"

Pei Rang quickly explained, "Boss, the extra people are from our subsidiaries. Each one sent ten people!"

Su Chen knew the subsidiaries Pei Rang mentioned were the companies they wholly owned, of which there were a dozen or two.

It was also the perfect opportunity for the executives of Yunmengze Capital to get acquainted with the mid-to-senior level managers of these subsidiaries. This would help strengthen company cohesion and prevent unnecessary problems down the road.

「At two o’clock,」 the annual meeting officially began.

Who knows where Pei Rang found the two young hosts, but their opening remarks alone dragged on for five minutes, not including the time spent introducing the guests. Su Chen couldn’t help but shoot Pei Rang a glare as he listened.

"Keep the opening remarks simpler at future meetings. By the time they finish their spiel and management goes up for another round of speeches, everyone will be asleep!"

Pei Rang nodded sheepishly. It was his first time organizing an event like this, and he had aimed for perfection, not realizing his boss disliked such elaborate formalities.

The words had barely left his mouth when one of the hosts shouted excitedly, "And now... please give a warm round of applause to welcome the boss of Yunmengze Capital... Mr. Su Chen, to the stage!"

Instantly, thunderous applause erupted throughout the banquet hall, lasting for over ten seconds before it finally subsided.

Holding a wine glass in his left hand, Su Chen strode onto the stage and took the microphone from the host. As he looked down at the several hundred people seated before him, his heart began to beat much faster.

It wasn’t fear—it was excitement. He had never imagined that Yunmengze, the company he had founded with his own two hands, would have already grown to such a massive scale.

"To all my colleagues at Yunmengze, good afternoon!"

Another wave of applause swept through the hall.

Su Chen raised his right hand in a downward gesture, and the banquet hall immediately fell silent.

"I can feel all of your enthusiasm. I know everyone is excited for Yunmengze’s first-ever annual meeting, and you’re all looking forward to the performances and prize drawings, so I won’t take up too much of your time!"

With that, Su Chen raised his wine glass and said, "Let’s all raise our glasses together. To the continued and growing success of Yunmengze!"

WHOOSH! Several hundred people rose to their feet, raised their glasses, and declared in unison, "To the continued and growing success of Yunmengze!"

Su Chen drained his glass and returned the stage to the two hosts.

Following the example set by Su Chen, Pei Rang, who took the stage next, also kept his remarks to a few words of encouragement before getting off.

When the performances began, Su Chen discovered just how multi-talented his employees were. He had expected simple singing and dancing, but they came up with all sorts of creative acts. The show was spectacular.

The act that left the deepest impression on Su Chen came from a subsidiary in Peng City that specialized in automotive paint. They put on a magic show that left the audience completely stunned. Even after discussing it for a long time, Su Chen and the others at his table couldn’t figure out the secret behind the trick.