Chapter 258 - 215: Group General Meeting

Chapter 258: Chapter 215: Group General Meeting

It was the end of the year, and a bitter cold had set in.

At the Zhen Cui Group headquarters, Xu Liang, the General Manager of Sushi Yun Omakase, stepped out of an elevator dressed in a business suit.

After a three-month probationary period with the group, he had finally shed the "acting" from his title half a month ago, becoming the official General Manager of Sushi Yun Omakase and formally joining the ranks of the group’s senior executives.

"President Xu, that tuna cutting ceremony you guys at Sushi Yun held a while back—I saw it got a great response online."

The man who had walked out of the elevator with Xu Liang was Guo Jia Hui, the General Manager of the Original Grilled Steakhouse’s Satellite Square Store. His tone held a hint of admiration. "A whole 440-pound bluefin tuna. For you to snatch it from under the noses of Zhenhai and Banquet Fusion... President Xu, you really have your ways."

"Normally, all the group’s rare ingredients are given to Zhenhai and Banquet Fusion first. It was high time Sushi Yun got a turn," Xu Liang snorted, his tone righteous. "Besides, neither Zhenhai nor Banquet Fusion have the open-plan dining space for a show. Giving that bluefin tuna to them would have been a complete waste."

Wherever you have people, you have politics, and wherever you have politics, you have competition.

Every high-end restaurant brand craves rare ingredients, which by their very nature are scarce. Even for a giant like the Zhen Cui Group, acquiring them wasn’t always easy.

Take this bluefin tuna, for instance. Zhenhai, Banquet Fusion, and Sushi Yun all wanted it. But with only one fish, competition was inevitable.

You have to fight for your own corner.

Although they were all high-end restaurant brands under the same corporate umbrella, as general managers, Xu Liang and his peers each had their own interests at heart. Naturally, they all wanted the restaurants under their management to prosper.

Under these circumstances, a little friction between them was perfectly normal.

As Xu Liang and Guo Jia Hui entered the Zhen Cui Group headquarters, the young women at the front desk saw the two "Governors" of the group and immediately stood up, greeting them with warm smiles.

The two men gave the receptionists a slight wave, their pace never faltering as they continued deeper into the headquarters.

"President Xu, headquarters has called a meeting for all senior executives today. Have you heard anything?"

Guo Jia Hui suddenly lowered his voice, probing Xu Liang. "I heard that Chairman Gu has been at headquarters every day for the past few days. It seems he and President Qi are hashing something out, here from morning till night every single day."

"I don’t know."

Xu Liang shook his head. "This is the first I’m hearing about it."

Compared to a veteran executive like Guo Jia Hui, Xu Liang was still a little green. His network and sources of information were nowhere near as extensive.

"Really?"

Guo Jia Hui was skeptical. "You and Assistant Fan are so close. He didn’t give you any kind of heads-up?"

"President Guo, it’s true that Assistant Fan and I are on good terms personally."

Xu Liang said earnestly, "But business is business, and personal is personal. It’s precisely because we’re friends that I would never do anything to put Assistant Fan in an awkward position."

"True, it’s best not to cross those lines."

Seeing Xu Liang’s serious expression, Guo Jia Hui laughed it off. He tactfully dropped the subject and started chatting with Xu Liang about something else.

The two chatted as they walked, soon arriving at the group’s main conference room.

They pushed open the door and saw that the room was already nearly full.

Their eyes swept across the room. They recognized many of the faces sitting toward the front, but there were a good number of strangers as well.

"Whoa, wasn’t President Zhang sent to Australia on business just the other day?"

Guo Jia Hui couldn’t help but whisper. "Did he really fly back just for this meeting?"

"President Guo, look at the very front."

Xu Liang nudged Guo Jia Hui with his elbow. "Our parent companies, Zhao De Inheritance Capital and Dingdun Capital Group, sent people too. And they’re not low-level, either."

"Holy cow."

"What a turnout today."

Guo Jia Hui stared at the assembly of executives, clicking his tongue in silent astonishment.

Normally, he and Xu Liang were considered the group’s "Governors." Even among the many senior executives, they ranked near the top. In previous group-wide meetings, if they weren’t in the front rows, they were at least in the forward-middle section.

But today?

Forget the forward-middle section; they were seated toward the rear of the back rows.

"President Guo, President Xu, we’ll need to ask for your phones, please."

As the two stood there in silent astonishment, a staff member from the President’s Office approached and politely reminded them.

"Oh, right. Of course."

The two men were taken aback for a second before quickly fishing their phones from their pockets and handing them over as requested.

"Please take your seats..."

After taking their phones, the staff member gestured respectfully for them to be seated and then turned to continue his duties. Guo Jia Hui and Xu Liang exchanged a look, not daring to say another word, and hurried to their assigned seats.

The vast conference room was now remarkably quiet. The "high and mighty" executives at the front sat with perfect composure, either because they were already in on the secret or because their self-control was simply impeccable.

Meanwhile, lower-ranking executives like Xu Liang and Guo Jia Hui let their eyes wander, their expressions betraying a slight anxiety about the unknown.

More people trickled in. By five minutes to nine, every seat in the conference room was filled, save for the three at the very front.

The five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

At precisely nine o’clock, the doors to the conference room opened once more.

CLACK... CLACK... CLACK...

It was the mixed sound of leather shoes and high heels striking the marble floor. Hearing it, the executives all turned to look at the entrance. Gu Heng was the first to walk in, dressed in a light gray, custom-tailored suit.

Flanking him were two women. On his right was Qi Min, the current Executive President of Zhen Cui Group. She wore a white pantsuit, its double-breasted jacket paired with matching trousers. Her hair was still cut in a chic, short style, and an intense air of authority radiated from her.

On Gu Heng’s left was Zhuang Hanyu, the Executive President of Dingdun Capital Group. In contrast to Qi Min’s somewhat sharp aura, her presence was gentler. She wore a tailor-made, light blue suit paired with a silk tie-neck blouse.

She also had short hair, though hers was slightly longer than Qi Min’s, the ends brushing her collarbones in a natural curl. A faint, almost imperceptible smile always graced her well-defined, oval-shaped face.

Zhuang Hanyu, thirty-nine years old, was a top-tier management professional.

She held a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Fudan University and a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management. She had previously worked as an analyst and vice president at the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division, and just before being headhunted by Gu Heng for a handsome sum, she was the Director of Strategy for the Greater China Region at Starwood Hotels Group.

The moment Gu Heng appeared in the conference room with Qi Min and Zhuang Hanyu, every executive inside shot to their feet.

"Chairman Gu!"

"President Qi!"

"President Zhuang!"

A chorus of respectful greetings filled the air.

The three of them remained impassive in the face of the welcome.

They walked straight to the front of the room. Gu Heng took the head seat, with Zhuang Hanyu on his left and Qi Min on his right.

"Be seated."

Gu Heng raised a hand, his voice calm.

Only then did the crowd of executives take their seats again.

Once everyone was settled, Gu Heng glanced at Qi Min, who took the cue immediately. In a clear voice, she announced, "The meeting will now begin..."