Chapter 1631: Completely Confused
The manager’s words left Xu Ke completely speechless. With things already spelled out like this, could they really still be lying to him?
However, Xu Ke really had no impression of this gas station at all. If it weren’t for his car suddenly being gone, he probably wouldn’t have come here in his lifetime.
Right now, he just wanted to figure out what in the world was going on, how he somehow ended up with a company out of nowhere.
"Don’t be in a rush, tell me in detail what’s going on. You say this gas station is mine, then give me a reason."
Xu Ke needed to have clarity on things that were unclear, otherwise he dared not rashly take over.
Xu Ke’s words made the manager pause for a moment, initially thinking Xu Ke was joking. But looking now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
This new president apparently didn’t know that this gas station was a property of Xu Group.
"Mr. Xu, this gas station is indeed a Xu Group property. However, we’ve always kept a low profile here, so few at Headquarters know. Besides, it was originally approved by the former chairman himself, so only a few shareholders within the company know."
Hearing the manager say this, Xu Ke finally understood.
It turns out his grandfather secretly did this back then, with only those few shareholders in the company knowing. Those shareholders are now under his control, so practically no one knew about this.
Yet, when his grandfather handed the company to him, this wasn’t mentioned at all.
If not for coincidentally coming here today, Xu Ke might have been unaware of the gas station’s existence for quite some time.
"So tell me, what’s the current situation with the gas station? What’s been happening over the years, are there any similar ones nearby?"
Now that he knew it was a Xu Group property, Xu Ke had to take full responsibility.
At the same time, he felt quite exasperated—why is it that everywhere he goes it’s his family’s business? Has the entire capital been completely bought by them already?
In Xu Ke’s mind, there was only one line from a song: how lonely it is to be invincible.
After Xu Ke finished speaking, the manager hurriedly ran back. About five minutes later, he came rushing back with a folder.
"Mr. Xu, this is the financial income situation of the gas station over the recent years," the manager said, handing the financial report to Xu Ke.
Although Xu Ke wasn’t particularly familiar with these financial reports, there were even a few items he didn’t recognize.
But it didn’t hinder his understanding of the general content, having spent enough time with Wang Cuihua, he knew some of the basics.
Overall, the gas station’s profitability had been quite good these past few years. Plus, the total income last year was more than double that of the year before.
"Mr. Xu, this shows the company’s income over the years. In this area alone, there are no less than ten gas stations owned by Xu Group. However, we rarely interact with them, so you’d have to ask the former chairman about this one."
Hearing the manager’s words, Xu Ke almost couldn’t stand steady.
Ten gas stations, is the old man trying to run them into the ground?
With so many gas stations, managing each one would be exhausting. Plus, he didn’t have the time to handle them one by one.
Nonetheless, Xu Ke had a rough idea of the situation in his mind and also a plan for what to do next.
Xu Ke was very curious about how the manager recognized him so quickly, considering he remembered never visiting this gas station before.
"How did you recognize me? I don’t recall instructing Headquarters to notify the branches."
What Xu Ke didn’t know was that recently, news about him was all over the internet.
Even those who didn’t want to pay attention to him occasionally stumbled upon news about him.
And his photos were out there, glaring for all to see, recognizable to anyone who wasn’t blind.
"Some of this information comes from Headquarters, but most we see online. Being on the fringe like us, we rarely interact with Headquarters. But we must follow their directives, so we can only rely on the official Weibo and various channels to stay informed."
The manager’s words instantly enlightened Xu Ke, realizing they must have seen information about him online and recognized him from there.
He also found himself quite puzzled about why his grandfather established these gas stations back then.
Setting up the gas stations and then ignoring them for so many years, what was the old man’s intention?
Xu Ke grew increasingly curious about what schemes his grandfather was plotting behind the scenes.
"Do you know why the former chairman established these gas stations back then?"
Xu Ke wanted to see if he could glean any clues from the manager.
His words led the manager to remember that the old man issued this order five years ago.
At that time, the old man’s health was gradually failing, and the gas station’s manager was also a deputy director of a department within Xu Group.
His job back then was to coordinate between the various departments within the company. It could be considered the easiest or the most tiring job.
Five years earlier, he had been with the company for 18 years; he could be counted as a legitimate veteran.
He had a very good relationship with the old man, and the two would often joke together in private.
But one day, for some reason, the old man suddenly became very serious. He secretly gathered a few employees with whom he had a good relationship.
"Zhang Fei! I’ve always trusted you. Now there’s a task I need you to handle. Do you have the confidence?"
In response to the old man’s words, Zhang Fei certainly had the confidence.
Forget about orders, even if it was a fiery mountain in front of him, he’d dare to march in.
Because he’s willing to die for a confidant. Had it not been for the old man’s promotion back then, he wouldn’t have achieved what he had today.
Zhang Fei was someone who understood gratitude, so he agreed without hesitation.
Seeing Zhang Fei agree so readily, the old man directly divulged the task at hand.
"Zhang Fei, you are the ones I trust the most. The company’s growth has gradually stagnated over the past few years. If this continues, one day it’ll be left behind by the times. As the chairman, I can’t stand by and watch that happen. I’ve decided to expand into the oil sector, and everything must be done secretly. You all are the key people for this operation. Each of you will be responsible for one gas station."