Offer To The CEO

Tuesday, continued …

Hou Yi settled back down, going through the work he still had to complete and lost himself in it until he was interrupted by Ji Feng, "Yi, what in the world are you doing?"

Stunned at the interruption, Hou Yi looked up from his desk and responded, "Uncle Feng, you know there is much to be done before I go."

"Actually, I have another reason I am here, I am hearing rumours about you and Anna …"

"I thought my parents would have already told you. Anna is pregnant. We are starting to announce it to people now, and we are telling Anna's family this weekend. Plus, that means that with the six senior executives that we were considering for promotion we need to decide sooner rather than later for who will be promoted to a Deputy Vice-CEO role. You know I want at least another four and am looking for two additional Vice-CEO's to appoint, one to head the European Division and the other the America's division."

"True, and that can take some of the load off us, and the current deputy Vice-CEO's and heads of those divisions. So, I am guessing Anna's pregnancy is part of the reason that you are trying to speed up plans for determining who is suitable?"

"It is. I have thrown a challenge at them. We will know that they are capable, but none of them have any semblance of a work-life balance. Yes, we all know that you need to work hard at this level, but the problem they all have is that work is it for them. I know the stories of how many get to the level we are looking at, and simply burn out within two of three years given all the pressure put on them."

"Uncle Feng, I suspect that there is only going to be one of two that get the point, and even worth considering. The European and Americas divisions already have the same challenge going on, and they have indicated that there is a possibility of three of four in each worth considering."

Ji Feng pondered and thought about things for a moment, before continuing "Yi, I know. You were almost as guilty of the same thing when you started. Partly because you knew you had to live up to the standard that your father set, and your own expectations. At least you have had CEO Yao who has had your back, and made you see the importance of that balance."

"Uncle Feng, I would not know what to have done without him and the children. He has been a great friend, as he made me realise that work is not everything, family at the end of the day is the important thing. Despite saying that I was somewhat sceptical about that idea but with Anna I realised that it is the most important thing."

"If I had no wealth tomorrow, as long as I had her everything would be alright. We would be able to get through things. And Tan, for all that he has achieved has done it the hard way, despite the family wealth he had basically nothing when the children were born, give the payoff he made to their mother, but has built not only a career, but his own fortune. Alecia, is taking right after him."

"I heard. Madam Mei is a friend of my wife and the two of them were talking about her, and what she did to her father…" Ji Feng drifter off. "Damn it Yi, you have me taking the conversation where it does not need to go. I've already been working with the finance department and looking at the various projects to see what our exposure is to Lu Corporation's issues currently."

"Your decision to get us out of the various projects with them a few weeks ago, has saved us. There will be some issues because some of the smaller companies that we do business with will have problems due to their exposure, but it should be limited. The only concern that I have is what your father told me, between you and Anna, CEO Yao and that bunch of his friends that run that property business, what is it … That's right Seven Shades you have twenty percent of Lu Corporation. Why?"

"Let me just say, it is about control. We had forty percent and the other week twenty percent on market and had CEO Yang of the Yang group with us to get rid of Lu Jingho as CEO."

"Damn it Yi, that is …"

"Do not worry Uncle Feng, Hou Corporation is protected."

"There is no way that you can protect the company from that manipulation."

"There is. Anna and I have Get out of Jail free cards."