Chapter 131 The So-Called Power (Revised)

The general manager's office of an oil company.

The room wasn't large, and it was piled with too many documents and crowded with too many people. It looked like if everyone took a deep breath at the same time, the air would be sucked away.

However, in such a crowded and cramped environment, you could hear a pin drop.

He Changyi placed his hands on the desk and scanned the room one by one, from the general manager Alexandra with her brows furrowed, to the anxious workers, and then to the two deputy general managers who had just arrived.

Deputy General Manager Agatana looked worried, while Deputy General Manager Balshak couldn't hide his glee. When he met the new boss's gaze, he couldn't wait to jump out.

“Miss He, your kindness should be reserved for someone more deserving, not for a hypocritical traitor!”

Deputy General Manager Agatana angrily retorted, "Borshak, you're slandering me! Shura isn't that kind of person!"

Deputy General Manager Paulshak scoffed, "What kind of person is she? Pretending to be upright while secretly having workers do bad things. I never expected that such a despicable person would appear among us."

He said to He Changyi in a righteous and stern tone, "Ms. He, on behalf of all the employees of the oil company, I request that you fire Alexandra right now! She is no longer fit to be the general manager!"

Deputy General Manager Agatana said urgently, "Ms. He, this has nothing to do with Shura. If you need someone to take responsibility for this, please fire me!"

The workers panicked and started shouting all at once, "The general manager is innocent!" "Fire me! I'm a criminal!" "Please, we just want the general manager to stay!"

The waitress was utterly astonished. Amidst the uproar, she weakly said, "I can return the 50,000 rubles... Can we just pretend this never happened...?"

Nobody paid any attention to her.

Paulshak, after a heated debate with the group of scholars, pointed at Agatana and roared, "Of course you should be expelled, you accomplice of Alexandra!"

Then he yelled at the workers, "You should all be fired! A bunch of filthy oil thieves!"

The young, hot-blooded worker rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge, but Paulshak nimbly jumped behind the bodyguard, turned to He Changyi, and gave him a pitiful look.

“Miss He, take a look! This is the quality of the workers under Alexandra’s management!”

The worker angrily shouted, "Don't think you're the next general manager just because you fired the female general manager! I'll throw you into the oil well!"

In the chaos, General Manager Alexandra lost her temper and yelled, "Shut up, all of you!"

She took off her glasses and looked ten years older.

“Ms. He, these problems are all caused by my mismanagement. They have nothing to do with Agatana or the workers.”

General Manager Alexandra said somberly, "I will resign voluntarily and cooperate in completing all handover procedures."

Paulshak immediately smiled, and Agatana couldn't help but say, "Shura..."

The workers were stunned. They never expected that their attempt to keep the general manager would backfire and ignite the fuse for her resignation.

"No...it shouldn't be like this..."

"Madam General Manager, please don't leave! We need you!"

"Miss He, please... we beg you..."

The waitress spoke up timidly again: "Perhaps I can return all 100,000 rubles... I mean, nothing happened anyway, I can waive the money... but you should at least give me my travel expenses, right?"

The worker, who was pretending to be a repairman, said in despair, "You can shut up now."

The person at the center of the vortex, who held decisive power but remained silent all along, finally spoke.

"You guys are too noisy."

He Changyi propped himself up with both hands and easily leaped onto the desk, as if sitting on a throne, looking down at everyone.

Facing the diverse expressions of the crowd, she instructed, "Send this lady away first, and don't forget to pay her travel expenses and lost wages."

After the bodyguard left with the beaming waitress, He Changyi gestured for the workers to leave as well.

The workers wanted to stay and bravely declared, "We are willing to take responsibility!"

He Changyi said bluntly, "Do you think I intend to let you off the hook?"

She looked at these audacious individuals and said coldly, "Starting today, you are all suspended from your duties."

Deputy General Manager Paulshak chimed in, "You did exactly the right thing! That's exactly how it should be done!"

General Manager Alexandra looked reluctant to speak, but forced herself to hold back, while pulling back Deputy General Manager Agatana who was about to speak.

The workers were uneasy and fearful. One of them cautiously asked, "If you're going to fire us, could you please not fire the general manager...?"

He Changyi said irritably, "Who said I was going to fire you? Starting today, you're all going to clean the toilets. You can only return to your posts when the toilets at the oil production base pass the hygiene inspection!"

Hearing this, the workers were both happy and worried.

The good thing is that they weren't fired; having a job means having income, and the whole family doesn't have to go to church for sawdust porridge anymore. The bad thing is that the toilets at the production base haven't been cleaned much since the oil field started operating. The level of filth is beyond human imagination; even flies would shout "We can't finish eating this much!" when they come.

The workers were unsure whether they were more happy or sad.

He Changyi had his bodyguards close the door. The workers stood anxiously at the doorway, whispering among themselves:

"She seems to still be a kind person..."

"If Ms. He can forgive us, could she also forgive the General Manager?"

"If I had known she was a good person, I should have used that 100,000 rubles to hire the most handsome man!"

Inside the office, only the oil company's controlling shareholder and executives remained.

He Changyi cut to the chase: "Ms. Alexandra, I cannot allow you to continue in the position of general manager."

Alexandra calmly accepted the result, while the two vice presidents standing beside her did not appear to be so calm.

Paulshak almost burst out laughing, exclaiming in a shrill voice, "That's a wise decision!"

Agatana looked like she was about to cry, her head hanging low, and she didn't say a word.

He Changyi asked, "Ms. Alexandra, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Alexandra said, "I will obey your decision and will fully cooperate with the next general manager. Please rest assured."

He Changyi nodded and said with satisfaction, "That's very good. You are indeed a respectable lady."

She then changed the subject: "As the next general manager, I would be very happy to have your cooperation."

Everyone was shocked. Balshak stopped laughing, Agatana stopped bowing her head, and even Alexandra couldn't remain calm. They all stared at their new boss in disbelief.

He Changyi asked with a smile, "Why isn't anyone saying anything? Haven't I made myself clear enough?"

Paulshak stammered, "You...you want to be the general manager?!"

"Yes, there's probably no better way to understand an oil company than by becoming its general manager."

He Changyi then asked Paulshak, "Or rather, do you have any opinion on this?"

Paulshak's smile looked like a cry, his whole face scrunched up.

"No, no... You're right, the general manager knows the company best..."

He Changyi suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, besides Ms. Alexandra, your positions will also be adjusted."

Paulshak pointed incredulously at himself, his voice trembling, "I...I'm one too...?"

Agatana seemed much calmer: "I accept whatever arrangements are made."

He Changyi said happily, "Then thank you all for your cooperation."

“Mr. Paulshak, you will be relieved of your position as deputy general manager.”

Just before Paulshak fainted, he heard the cruel boss say, "And Ms. Agatana, you too."

And so he bravely woke up again.

He Changyi made a complete reshuffle of the personnel structure of Irbuyat Petroleum Company.

Alexandra was demoted to deputy general manager, and the other newly appointed deputy general manager was Zhong Guoren, who had previously served as deputy factory director in a domestic oil company. After the reform and opening up, he followed the trend of taking a leave of absence without pay, and after failing in his business ventures, he lost his position and could not return to his original unit, so he could only stay at home idly. He Changyi used her domestic connections to get him to work in Irbuyat, to act as her eyes and ears, keeping an eye on the oil company for her.

Compared to being their own boss and building their own empire, some people are better suited to making their mark within a pre-existing framework.

This Deputy General Manager Zhong Guo is just such a person. Fortunately, he studied Emei when he was young, so he doesn't need to worry about language barriers.

For the sake of the $100,000 annual salary, Vice President Zhong packed his bags without hesitation and headed to Russia, where he was already on his way.

He Changyi has made other arrangements for the two original deputy general managers.

As a supervisor of the company, Paul Shak does not participate in the actual operation and management of the company. He has only one task: to keep an eye on the senior executives and find fault with them. He reports directly to He Changyi, and can be described as the "Nine Thousand Years Old," who is second only to the emperor.

Agatana returned to her original position, still in charge of financial management, but this time she had two more deputies—Moscow students directly recruited by He Changyi, namely Cheng Ning, the little girl who threw her blanket on the train, and Xiao Zhao, who carried a big bag.

Compared to some experienced candidates, the two young people seemed extremely inexperienced. But it was precisely because of their inexperience that they had no vested interests, were unaware of the seriousness of the situation, and carelessly exposed the unspoken rules of the workplace—which was exactly what He Changyi needed.

As for Alexandra, she was indeed honest and capable, a subordinate with equally prominent strengths and weaknesses.

He Changyi considered it for a long time and finally decided to keep her.

The benefits of keeping Alexandra at the oil company far outweigh the drawbacks. Not only can she help increase annual oil production, but she can also stabilize morale within the company and prevent excessive turmoil during the transition between the old and new leaders.

There's a saying that goes, "Without factions within a party, all sorts of strange things happen." When a new boss parachutes in, the oil company is bound to split into two parts: one is the "local faction" with the original staff, and the other is the "outsider faction" led by Ho Chang-yi.

For the local faction, it's better to continue using Alexandra and let an honest and upright person occupy the position than to replace her with a hypocritical and treacherous person, rather than letting an unknown newcomer become the leader.

Alexandra also had enough power and authority to suppress the local faction, preventing them from causing trouble within the company and forcing them to obediently dig for oil.

At the same time, as the deputy general manager, Alexandra could no longer act arbitrarily as she had when she was the general manager.

Although she still enjoys certain management authority, her power is doubly constrained by Zhong Guo, the vice general manager of equal status, and by the ever-watchful Baoershak.

Any unusual behavior by Alexandra would be stopped immediately and reported to higher authorities.

He Changyi personally assumed the role of general manager, thus gaining ultimate decision-making power.

Whatever Alexandra wants to do, even if it's for the good of the oil company, she needs He Changyi's approval first.

The power to manage people and money is concentrated in He Changyi's hands. She sits high on the throne, looking down on all living beings, and everyone can only play their role within the scope she has defined.

She is the sole owner of the oil company.

When the personnel changes at the top were announced, the oilfield workers were abuzz with discussion.

"Sigh, as expected, Ms. Alexandra is no longer the general manager..."

"At least she's still the deputy general manager. After all, who can compete with the boss for the general manager position?"

"I think this Miss He is quite good. She didn't hold Ms. Alexandra accountable. Not only did she allow her to stay, but she also made her the deputy general manager. What's even better is that Paulshak became some kind of supervisor. Haha, he must be crying under the covers!"

"Baolshak's dream is to be a general manager, but now he can't even be a deputy general manager. He deserves it!"

"Ms. Agatana isn't the deputy general manager anymore..."

"She probably won't mind; it's just that she's going back to her original position. After all, even Ms. Alexandra was demoted!"

"Let's stop talking about these high-level things. We're not going to become general managers. Let's talk about Miss He instead. I heard she's going to raise the salaries of all the frontline workers!"

Is this true?

"How much will it be? Will the increase be paid out as salary or as a bonus?"

"This Miss He is truly beautiful and generous!"

"Let us wish Miss He eternal beauty and generosity, hurrah!"

The oilfield workers' attention immediately shifted to the pay rise, and the news about the company's senior management personnel changes vanished like a gust of wind.

"Shura, I'm so glad you can stay with the company."

Agatana said from the bottom of her heart, "I was really worried that you would be fired when we were in the office."

She smiled sheepishly and lowered her voice, saying, "I'm also worried about being fired. If that happens, I'll have to work as a cleaner to pay for the children's tuition..."

Alexandra smiled and sighed, "I also thought I was going to be fired."

She shook her head and said self-deprecatingly, "After all, everything I did before was to be wary of the new boss. Even if she really fires me, I can't complain at all."

However, to everyone's surprise, Ms. He ultimately chose to forgive.

Some people forgive because they are weak and afraid of trouble, while others forgive because they are fearless.

Alexandra exclaimed, "Miss He is a very powerful person."

At this moment, the powerful Miss He was feeling depressed.

Is this all there is to cleaning toilets?

Alexei said with a half-smile, "I thought that after almost being forced by a woman, you would choose a more forceful way to retaliate."

He Changyi said listlessly, "What else can I do? I can't fire them or deduct their wages unless I'm prepared to watch their whole family starve to death; but I'm also very unwilling to let them go like this."

Alexei kindly reminded him, "I remember there's a saying in China: 'If you lose your teeth, knock out the other person's teeth; if you lose your eyes, blind the other person.'"

He Changyi: "...That's called an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

Alexei calmly ignored the Chinese lesson and said with a hint of encouragement, "Why not return what they did to you exactly as it was?"

He Changyi was shocked: "Aleushnika, what exactly have you been doing in Moscow all this time?!"

She said with great distress, "I remember Grandma Vitalie didn't teach you like that!"

Alexei glanced at her and said without changing his expression, "Like you, I learned too many things I shouldn't have learned in Moscow, this university of life."

He Changyi retorted sarcastically, "It's truly unimaginable what a pure and kind little bear would look like."

Alexei squinted at her, looking neither kind nor pure, but clearly a ferocious bear in a suit.

He Changyi raised her chin at Alexei and said flippantly, "Dance the bear dance for me once, and I promise I'll be the best audience."

Alexei smirked. "So, do you want to be the doll next to the teddy bear? I can even have a custom-made lace princess dress made for you—do you prefer pink or blue?"

Xie Xuejun, sitting in the front seat of the car, asked in a low voice, "Have they always been like this?"

Lermontov nodded with a troubled expression, and said in a low voice, "I really suspect that the reason they haven't opened fire yet is because there are already too many corpses in the Mosk River..."

Xie Xuejun muttered, "Zhong Guo is still the best. At least when we date, we either go to the movies or stroll in the park..."

Lermontov muttered, "Is that all? Here, the first meeting place for couples is usually in bed..."

The car sped along the highway, and the wild grass on both sides of the road swayed in the wind, its leaves already covered with a thin layer of white frost.

After the original oil sales company was sold off as bait at the auction, He Changyi established a new sales company, designating that all oil produced from the Irbuyat oil field be sold through the new company.

Then, she expertly dialed a number and made a call back home.

"Second brother, are you there? It's me, your dear sister!"

On the other end of the microphone, Yan Zhengchuan's voice sounded like he had just woken up.

"My dear sister, could you please check the time before you call? It's still the middle of the night back home!"

He Changyi feigned surprise and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

After a rustling sound, Yan Zhengchuan said irritably, "Alright, stop sleeping. I'm awake now. So, what's up now? Do you want to find another deputy director of a domestic oil field?"

He Changyi said with a smile, "It's a good thing, but it's also related to the oil field."

Yan Zhengchuan said, "What? You want to sell your shares in the Russian oil company to China? That won't do. It's too sensitive. The KGB will be knocking on your door. You'd better be careful. You're so far from home. Even if I wanted to reach out and help you, I couldn't."

He Changyi protested, "Do I look that stupid?"

Yan Zhengchuan pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say... You're not stupid in general, but you're just too kind-hearted sometimes. You would be more comfortable if you were a little more selfish."

He Changyi pretended to hang up the phone: "Then I'll be selfish for now."

On the other end of the microphone, Yan Zhengchuan called out repeatedly, "Hey, hey, little miss, take it easy, I admit I misspoke! So, what are the instructions this time?"

He Changyi asked, "Do you want oil?"

Although you can't see the face, you can almost see a smiling face just by listening to the voice.

"Targeted exports, with the agreed price fluctuating around 90% of the market price, and no limit on the supply volume."

Yan Zhengchuan jumped up in a flash.

"Wait a minute! This is a huge deal! Wait here, I'll find someone who's in charge! Don't hang up, don't hang up!!!"

After several days of international phone calls and a series of personnel exchanges, an oil export agreement worth hundreds of millions of dollars was officially signed before winter arrived.

By exporting oil from Irbuyat to China, He Changyi not only gains stable and substantial returns but also re-establishes a solid cooperative relationship with the domestic market.

It's no longer just occasional tanks and machine tools, nor is it just small-scale scrap metal trading; it's a longer-term and more stable partnership.

For Irbuyat Oil Company, there is no need to worry about oil sales anymore, as they have a stable long-term cash flow; and for He Changyi herself, she has firmly controlled the only sales channel, keeping the company's lifeline in her own hands.

For China, this is also a major positive development, providing another stable source of oil imports.

He Changyi only truly became the controller of the oil company when the agreement was officially signed.

From then on, neither Alexandra, the mayor, nor any other entity coveting the oil company could easily shake He Changyi's position.

After this battle, He Changyi's net worth jumped into the billion-dollar club.

But this is not the end.

Baiyang Foundation continues to raise vouchers across the country, participate in auction after auction, and acquire privatized state-owned enterprises one after another.

Sometimes they are the controlling shareholder, sometimes just a minority shareholder, and sometimes they make mistakes, only managing to acquire a single-digit percentage of shares. But regardless of their performance, their return on investment is always over 1,000%.

He Changyi is like a picky jeweler, picking and choosing among the unpolished, dusty gems. Some are sold off as soon as they are acquired, making a quick profit; others are kept and carefully polished. Once they shine with dazzling brilliance, they are presented in velvet jewelry boxes and sold at high prices.

When she was a small-time trader carrying goods on her shoulders, every ruble was hard-earned; but when her wealth exceeded one billion dollars, she seemed to become a gold magnet, with dollars growing wings and flying madly towards her.

It's like pushing a boulder on a mountaintop. The beginning is always difficult, requiring gritted teeth and profuse sweating, while the boulder seems rooted to the spot, unmoving. But once the first step is taken, the rest becomes much easier. The boulder rolls downhill with inertia, faster and faster, until finally, she doesn't even need to exert any effort; the boulder transforms into Usain Bolt, the Flash.

At that moment, He Changyi received a phone call from Eastern Europe.

"I have a new project in Central Asia recently, about tungsten ore. Are you interested?"

On the other end of the phone, Xie Xun's voice was cheerful and lighthearted as he said:

Sometimes, I also wish you could earn more money.