Chapter 267 - 191: Vying for Favor

Chapter 267: Chapter 191: Vying for Favor

This was a stark contrast to Lin Ya’s situation!

Liu Nan was in an incredibly awkward position. The man interviewing him was Zhao Hui, the very same person he had once competed against for the deputy general manager role at Junxiao Square.

Back then, he had even joined Peng Yu in mocking Zhao Hui. He knew about their feud and had chosen to side with Peng Yu.

’Clearly, I chose the wrong side!’

It wasn’t just him. Many of the general managers were on edge, especially those from the heavy-asset projects that had been singled out for acquisition.

Back in the Wansheng Region, their positions had been secure. But now that they’d been acquired by Junxiao Business Management, who knew what would happen?

Those who hadn’t been particularly close to Xu Jun in the past had recently started trying desperately to leverage their connections with him.

Unfortunately, Xu Jun had been too busy lately to even grant them a meeting. Now, these general managers couldn’t even sleep well at night.

"President Zhao."

He nodded. An old acquaintance.

"President Liu, please have a seat."

Zhao Hui had grown more composed. He knew personal grudges couldn’t be placed above the company’s interests.

Despite Liu Nan’s shortcomings and their minor history, the information Zhao Hui had reviewed still pointed to one conclusion: he was the most suitable candidate for general manager of Qingyun Junxiao Square.

So, Zhao Hui had already decided to set aside his personal feelings. Besides, his history with Liu Nan wasn’t so bad that they were irreconcilable.

If it were Peng Yu, on the other hand, he would have rejected him without a moment’s hesitation, not giving him a single chance.

Seeing Zhao Hui’s calm demeanor, Liu Nan didn’t dare let his guard down. He muttered to himself, ’This young man... he’s already learned how to keep a perfect poker face!’

Zhao Hui didn’t give him a formal, by-the-book interview. Since he had already decided to hire him, and Liu Nan was, after all, a veteran in the business, Zhao Hui knew he deserved a certain level of respect.

Putting aside his title, he was just a 28-year-old. There was no need to be overbearing.

He made small talk with Liu Nan for a bit, getting an update on the current situation at Qingyun Wansheng Square.

For the most part, Liu Nan did all the talking, while Zhao Hui played the part of a good listener, taking it all in attentively.

Finally, Liu Nan brought something up himself. He mentioned that he had given Feichi Auto a final ultimatum and would definitely have them cleared out in the next day or two. At the same time, he had already arranged for Liu Lei to review the contract with Junxing Auto’s business development team.

Zhao Hui smiled. ’Nicely done. He’s certainly sharp.’

Some things went without saying. If the general managers of these plazas—including those at the plazas about to be acquired—didn’t even understand the bad blood between Junxing Auto and Feichi Auto and failed to pick a side in advance, then they really weren’t cut out for the job.

Someone in their position shouldn’t have such poor instincts.

They chatted a little more about the local culture of Qingyun, and Liu Nan happened to mention, "President Xu is from Qingyun County, you know."

Of course, Zhao Hui didn’t know about Xu Wu’s previous trip to Qingyun County or her encounter with Liu Nan at Qingyun Wansheng Square, so he was only slightly surprised to hear it.

Glancing at the time, Zhao Hui said, "President Liu, I know you have a lot to manage back at the plaza, so I won’t keep you any longer. When you get back, please continue to manage things well."

"As for the upcoming salary standard adjustments and the increase to the plaza’s budget, I’ll email you the new guidelines. You can get a head start on implementing them."

Liu Nan was overjoyed. ’I passed!’ He couldn’t believe Zhao Hui hadn’t given him a hard time.

A wave of emotions washed over him. He stood up, his voice filled with excitement, "President Zhao... President Zhao!"

Zhao Hui smiled and stood as well. "We’re colleagues now. Next time you’re at the Group headquarters for a meeting, we should sit down and talk."

"Thank you, thank you!" Liu Nan thanked him profusely.

Winning hearts is better than just filling a position. Zhao Hui was already learning the art of workplace survival.

The next interview, for the deputy general manager position, went by quickly.

Liu Lei. Zhao Hui had already reviewed his file. Moreover, Xu Wu had specifically told him to pay close attention to this candidate.

They briefly discussed the future tenant mix strategy for Qingyun Junxiao Square, which happened to be Zhao Hui’s area of expertise. It turned out Liu Lei had some very insightful ideas.

Zhao Hui, projecting his own qualities onto the other man, saw that Liu Lei was young, bold, and a go-getter—a perfect fit for the deputy general manager of Qingyun Junxiao Square.

As a sign of respect for Liu Nan, after telling Liu Lei to go home and await news, Zhao Hui made a point of messaging Liu Nan to ask for his opinion.

Liu Nan, of course, recommended Liu Lei. Setting all else aside, the simple fact that Liu Lei was President Xu’s high school classmate was enough for Liu Nan to believe he absolutely had to be hired.

It was just in his nature. He had done the same thing when he hired President Fu, all because Fu had a relative at Wansheng Group Headquarters.

With the new business management company established, Xu Wu was finally off the hook. She no longer had to personally interview the general managers for the plazas.

Now, her direct reports were limited to the chairmen and GMs of a few subsidiary companies, along with the Group’s vice presidents.

If everyone reported directly to her, she’d have to work herself to death.

The boss’s job is to manage the big picture.

Today, she was going to attend the annual meeting for Dr. Feng’s Robot and take the opportunity to corner President Chen.

If Chen Xiao weren’t at that company, given her current status, she would have likely declined the invitation. Sending one of her vice presidents would have been more than enough to show respect to Dr. Feng’s Robot.

After all, Junxiao Investment Group was now a behemoth in Jiangzhou City.

Today, Dr. Feng’s Robot Industrial Park was packed with distinguished guests. The chairmen and CEOs of major corporations were all in attendance.

The company was already a legend in the industry. Just a few months ago, it was completely unknown, and now it was planning a development spanning hundreds of acres.

Furthermore, it had directly taken on a project from Junxiao Group worth tens of billions. All of these accomplishments shrouded the company in an aura of mystery.

Many business tycoons were eager to visit Feng Feifei and get to the bottom of things.

Feng Feifei was no longer the person she once was. Although she wasn’t managing an enterprise as large as Xu Wu’s, she was every bit as busy.