Chapter 34: Taking Power
「Half an hour later.」
The moment Gu Heng and Hu Jilin put down their pens, the entire conference room erupted in enthusiastic applause.
"Chairman Gu, I’ve poured my entire life’s work into the Zhen Cui Group."
Hu Jilin grasped Gu Heng’s right hand with both of his, speaking with genuine emotion, "It’s like my own child. I sincerely hope you can treat it well, Chairman Gu."
"Chairman Hu, rest assured."
"I will certainly do everything in my power to make the Zhen Cui Group better and better."
Gu Heng replied with a solemn expression.
"Good!"
Hu Jilin nodded heavily. His gaze then swept over Qi Min and the others, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply picked up the signed equity transfer agreement and non-disclosure agreement and walked out of the conference room.
Watching Hu Jilin’s somewhat desolate figure retreat, Qi Min and the others felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Gu Heng took in their expressions. He turned to Qi Min and suggested softly, "Manager Qi, why don’t you and the others see Chairman Hu out?"
"But..."
Hearing this, Qi Min looked a bit hesitant.
"Go on."
Gu Heng knew what she was worried about. His tone was sincere. "After all, he was the one who gave you your opportunities. It’s only right to see him off."
"Thank you, Chairman Gu. We’ll be right back."
Qi Min looked at Gu Heng, a hint of gratitude showing in her eyes.
Gu Heng gave a slight nod but said nothing more.
After that, Qi Min was the first to rise. Some of the other core executives stood to follow her, while others remained seated, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
Gu Heng sat at the head of the table, silently observing everything that was happening.
Five minutes later, Qi Min and the others returned, walking briskly.
"Manager Qi and Manager Fan, please stay. Everyone else can return to your duties."
"Also, have the directors of each department gather all legal documents from the past two years related to sales and procurement funds, business partnerships, special services, and assets. Have them all delivered to the conference room shortly."
Gu Heng slowly rose from his seat and announced his first work directive since taking office. The moment the words left his mouth, the expressions on some people’s faces instantly changed.
"Lawyer Yang, I’ll leave this to you and your team shortly," Gu Heng said in a low voice, turning to Yang Wenjie on his left.
"Don’t worry, Chairman Gu. We’ll be sure to give you a satisfactory answer."
Yang Wenjie stood up from his chair, a broad smile on his face as he responded.
"I’m counting on you."
"Of course, of course."
After a brief exchange, Gu Heng turned his gaze to Qi Min.
She immediately understood and said respectfully, "Chairman Gu, the chairman’s office has already been prepared for you. Allow me to show you the way."
"Alright."
Gu Heng nodded lightly. Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he left the conference room with Qi Min and Fan Hong.
Not far away, Xia Siyao stared at Gu Heng’s back, lost in a daze.
These past few days had been rather frustrating for her.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but lately, she felt that her Brother Ang had been speaking to her in a passive-aggressive way, and his attitude toward her was hot and cold.
Xia Siyao didn’t dwell on it too much.
She just figured he was having trouble readjusting after studying abroad, and besides, she had been incredibly busy herself lately.
As a rookie who had only graduated a year ago, getting the chance to participate in the acquisition of a company like Zhen Cui Group—a leader in Ji Province’s local catering industry—was an opportunity she never would have gotten if she weren’t Xia Zhenzhong’s daughter. Even if she had searched high and low for such a chance, it wouldn’t have been her turn.
Naturally, Xia Siyao cherished such a precious opportunity.
"Stop staring."
"Time to get to work."
"Chairman Gu is long gone."
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of Xia Siyao’s face and snapped its fingers.
Xia Siyao snapped out of it and saw Yang Wenjie looking at her with a grin, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Yaoyao, Chairman Gu is a true super-bachelor. He just came of age and is already worth hundreds of millions. If you like him, you’d better act fast."
"With his qualifications, the line of young women who like him could probably stretch from here to Changbai Mountain. And I imagine your father would be more than happy to see you and Gu Heng get together."
Hearing this, Xia Siyao froze for a moment, then her face flushed slightly. "Uncle Yang, don’t be ridiculous! I don’t like him. I was just thinking about something and happened to zone out."
"Is that so?"
Yang Wenjie gave a noncommittal smile.
"Hey!"
"I really don’t!"
"I’m ignoring you now!"
"I’m going to work!"
Flustered and annoyed, Xia Siyao lowered her head, walked around Yang Wenjie, and hurried toward the others.
Seeing this, Yang Wenjie just shook his head with a smile and didn’t say anything more.
...
「Meanwhile, inside the chairman’s office of the Zhen Cui Group.」
Gu Heng sat in the soft, comfortable executive chair, with Qi Min and Fan Hong standing before him.
"Manager Qi, for years, the Zhen Cui Group has seen steady progress and has flourished under your management. Your capabilities are plain to see."
"I’ve always believed that professional matters should be handled by professionals. Therefore, your position as General Manager will remain unchanged. I’ll raise your salary by 10%. You will continue to be responsible for everything you were before. Any questions?"
’Gu Heng was only eighteen, after all. Although he’d knocked around in the real world for three years and gained some life experience, making him much more mature than his peers, if you were to compare him to Qi Min, he probably wouldn’t even register on her radar without his status as chairman. So, there was no need to beat around the bush; being direct and straightforward was the way to go.’
’Trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you can’t trust.’
’With the [Reversal Life System] in hand, Gu Heng believed he would receive many more assets like the Zhen Cui Group as rewards in the future, and they would likely be far more valuable. In that case, the greatest value the Zhen Cui Group held for Gu Heng was as a source of experience. Naturally, he hoped to develop it and make it better. But if it were to decline due to mismanagement, Gu Heng was already mentally prepared for that outcome. After all, growth always requires paying tuition, even if his tuition might be a bit expensive.’
"Thank you for your trust, Chairman Gu. I will certainly not disappoint you."
Qi Min bowed slightly to Gu Heng. Out of his sight, ripples disturbed the usual calm of her eyes.
’"A new sovereign brings his own court," as the saying goes. She had expected that even if she kept her position as General Manager under the new boss, her power would inevitably be diluted. She never imagined that Gu Heng would not only let her keep her position and full authority but even give her a 10% raise on top of it. Normally, younger bosses are the ones who like to centralize power.’
’Chairman Gu is so young, yet he’s quite decisive...’
As the thought crossed Qi Min’s mind, her heart, which had been in turmoil recently due to the change in ownership and the frequent calls from headhunters, inexplicably settled down.
"Second, we’re adjusting Manager Fan’s position. He will be reassigned to the role of Assistant to the Chairman."
Gu Heng’s gaze shifted to Fan Hong, a friendly smile in his eyes.
"Understood, Chairman Gu."
"I’ll notify the HR department immediately."
After speaking, Qi Min turned to Fan Hong with a warm smile. "Assistant Fan, let’s stay in close communication from now on."
"Of course."
Fan Hong smiled back at Qi Min, then turned to Gu Heng and bowed. "Thank you for the promotion, Chairman Gu. I will give it my all."
"Manager Qi, that’s all for now."
"Just notify all departments to resume normal operations. Also, keep an eye on things in the conference room. Fulfill any requests they have."
After giving Qi Min her instructions, he smiled at Fan Hong. "Assistant Fan, please stay for a moment."
"Understood."
Fan Hong and Qi Min responded at the same time. Qi Min then turned and quickly left the chairman’s office...