Chapter 28: Playing games with snakes, you must catch them at their weakest point

Mid-morning, Lin Yao rolled over in bed, trying to remember. Her memory only reached the point where she'd texted Lin Yuxun for a drink. After that, she completely blacked out. Her phone's status startled her. It had been ringing off the hook the previous night. She checked WeChat and saw Long Weihe had sent "Porridge in the kitchen" that morning. Half an hour earlier, Lin Yuxun had sent "Are you sober?" She quickly typed to Lin Yuxun: "Did you drink with me last night? How did I get home?" He replied instantly: "Didn't the person who took you home tell you? She mistook me for a thug and slapped me in the face at the bar entrance with her child. How do I settle this?" She considered calling Long Weihe to confirm, but then remembered their argument from yesterday. She pulled out a handful of her hair and didn't dial. She returned it and texted: "It must have been a misunderstanding. Sorry." He replied: "You said you'd treat me to dinner tonight. What time? Where?" She couldn't remember anything she'd said. She lay back, blushing at the fuzziness of her mind and her impulsiveness. Why had she texted him to come to the bar? They had dinner at the Padi River bank, a western-style bar with outdoor seating. He arrived first and saw her coming from afar. She was wearing a black polo-neck sports slim-fit knee-length dress, looking light and energetic, a completely different person from last night. Guilty, a scene from last night appeared in his mind, and he kept thinking about her decadent state. He waved to her and stood up. "Hi!" She pretended to be generous and took a seat to hide her embarrassment. It was June, hot during the day, and cool with wind by the river in the evening. The night lights on both sides of the Pearl River had just lit up, and the soothing jazz music was as lazy as the wind, a perfect environment for relaxation. She thought about the place. "It's comfortable here, and the night view is nice." She had nothing to talk about, looking at the bank of the Pearl River, saying what most people would say when they came here. "You know how to choose a place." He handed her the menu. Each ordered their own dish, simple. She ordered a diced beef salad and seafood pasta. He ordered a steak and asked, "Would you like some wine?" She smiled and waved her hands, "No, drinking will ruin things." Her face flushed slightly, and she took the opportunity to ask, "Well, what did we talk about last night? I have no memory of it." He handed the menu back to the waiter and smiled, "We talked about a lot." "I'm drunk, what can I talk about? I'm just talking nonsense," she tested. "I can talk quite a bit. Let me review," he said, pretending to think seriously. "Exams, first of all, you were so proud of them. You said you were a top student and got first place, and the college would give you a scholarship. You also said you'd treat me to a few more meals. You've already made plans for tonight. How much scholarship? So generous." "Just enough for a few meals." She smiled, lowering her head to eat. She believed half of it, half the truth, drunkenness and drifting, but the other half was probably true. …

In the middle of the morning, Lin Yao turned over and lay on the bed, trying hard to think. Her memory could only go back to the time when she sent a message to Lin Yuxun asking him to come for a drink, and she completely lost track of the rest of the memory.

She was shocked by the status of her phone. It had been ringing off the hook last night. She checked WeChat and saw that Long Weihe had sent a message that morning saying, "There's porridge in the kitchen." Half an hour earlier, Lin Yuxun had sent a message asking, "Are you sober yet?"

She quickly typed to Lin Yuxun: [You drank with me last night? How did I get home?]

He replied immediately: [Didn't the person who took you home tell you? She mistook me for a hooligan and slapped me in the face with her child at the bar entrance. How do I settle this?]

She was about to call Long Weihe to confirm, but then she remembered yesterday's argument, pulled out a handful of her hair, and didn't call. She returned and sent a message: "It must be a misunderstanding. Sorry."

He replied: [You said last night that you would treat me to dinner tonight. What time and where?]

She had no recollection of what she had said. She lay on her back, hating her dizziness and her naughty hands for sending him a message asking him to come to the bar.

We had dinner at the Padi Riverside, at a Western-style bar with outdoor seating.

He arrived first and saw her approaching from a distance. She was wearing a black polo-neck, sporty, fitted, knee-length dress. She looked light and energetic, a completely different person from the night before. Guiltily, a scene from last night flashed through his mind, and he couldn't stop ruminating on her dejected state.

He waved to her and stood up.

"Hi!" She pretended to be generous and sat down to hide her embarrassment.

The weather in June was hot during the day, but cool and windy by the river in the evening. The night lights on both sides of the Pearl River had just come on, and the soothing jazz music was as lazy as the wind, creating a perfect environment for relaxation. She thought about the place.

"It's quite comfortable here, and the night view is nice." She had nothing to talk about, so she looked at the bank of the Pearl River and said what most people would say when they came here.

"You know how to choose a place." He handed her the menu.

They each ordered something simple. She ordered a beef salad and seafood pasta, and he ordered a steak. "Would you like some wine?" he asked.

She smiled and waved her hands, "No, drinking will ruin everything." Her face flushed slightly, and she took the opportunity to ask, "Well, what did we talk about last night? I have no memory of it at all."

He handed the menu back to the waiter and smiled, "That's a lot of chatting."

"I'm drunk, what can I talk about? Just nonsense." She tested.

"You're quite talkative. Let me review," he said, pretending to think seriously. "Exams. First, let's talk about the exams. You were quite proud of yourself, saying you were a top student and got first place. The college will give you a scholarship. You even said you'd treat me to a few more meals. You've already made plans for tonight. How much scholarship money is there? You're so generous."

"It's enough for a few meals." She smiled and lowered her head to eat.

She believed this, half of it was true, she was drunk and got carried away, and the other half she probably really said.

"You kept staring at me last night, praising my handsomeness. You're quite obsessed with looks. You said I was the most handsome guy you've ever seen. Is that true?"

"I'm not that crazy, am I? Yes, yes, you're the most handsome, handsome guy." She covered her mouth and laughed, wondering what she might have said.

He sat opposite her and admired her in the dark as she revealed her inner thoughts last night and disguised her face today.

"Later, I was going to take you home. You told me where you lived, and I wrote down your house number for nothing. As soon as I left the house, I got slapped. Who was that woman? She was with the kid from last time."

"My partner."

"Ruthless man."

"It's a misunderstanding. I'm sorry, classmate Lin. I apologize." She raised her water glass.

"If you were really picked up by the bar thugs, she would have protected you."

The foreign girl singing JAZZ started a new tune. She changed the subject and asked, "What's your major?"

"automation."

It had nothing to do with the industry she was in, so she was powerless to help him keep an eye on the work and said nothing more.

"Do you take orders personally?"

He asked suddenly, his expression and tone becoming serious.

"What?"

"I take orders individually and keep it confidential. No one else is involved."

"Private orders? I don't do that. My partners and I have transparent information and are tied together."

"Why not make money?"

"Who doesn't want to make money? I don't make money outside the rules of the game."

He laughed, "Have you and your partner gone far?"

She was stunned when she heard this, "How can we not go far? We have been good friends for many years."

"It's very dangerous when your interests are tied together. You won't go far."

"That depends on what the bundle is. There are always some things that make you want to protect them more when it comes to interests. Besides, our profit distribution rules are very clear."

"Even the closest relationships can be strained by interests, so don't be too absolute."

"Do you have an introduction?"

She could tell that he was testing her, trying to sow discord between the partners and encourage her to go it alone. What a bad guy, she thought.

"I have a friend who wants to work privately with a reliable headhunter. He requires extremely high confidentiality regarding his company's talent development. Are you interested?"

"Why isn't the company managing its talent allocation internally, but privately seeking collaboration outside?" She found this unreliable. "That requires the reliance of a professional organization and team. How can a headhunter possibly solve that problem? Impossible."

"It involves highly confidential information, so how can he find an agency? He doesn't need a team, he just needs a capable external headhunter to work with him."

She understood that the headhunter was doing shady work.

"How is your friend now?"

“He’s not in the business right now.”

"outsider?"

"For now, yes, but sooner or later I will have to take over."

"Successor, the second generation of the company?"

As soon as she heard it, she knew what was going on. When the second generation of a business takes over a problem, the core issue is always a people problem.

"yes."

"How does he want the headhunters to cooperate with him?"

"Help him remove some people and replace them with people he can use."

Recruiting people was fine, she'd be more than happy to do so, but deliberately removing them wasn't a good idea. She understood removal as helping him get rid of some people, using headhunters to poach them. This wasn't talent planning; it was a shady personnel struggle. No wonder he kept it a secret, she thought.

After a quick mental evaluation, she decided the feasibility was too low and asked, "What industry?"

"It mainly covers the entire medical beauty industry chain, and there are also some miscellaneous ones, such as hotels."

She is interested in the medical beauty industry chain.

"What does your friend do now?"

"He has his own things to do."

She guessed that his so-called friend was himself. He wanted to use her, but he didn't trust her completely and was still testing her.

It was completely dark, the riverside was bright, and the lights outside were a little dim. He was facing the light, his eyes shining brightly.

She looked at him calmly again. He was dressed in ordinary but sophisticated clothes. He couldn't tell what brand his watch was. His outfit didn't show that he was from a wealthy family, but he did have a noble aura.

Most second- and third-generation graduates follow international training paths. Even if they choose to study business administration in China, they'll likely choose a program like CEIBS or the Cheung Kong EMBA. Who would bother to study so hard for such a strict admissions and graduation MBA program at a university? She figured if he were truly second-generation, his company wouldn't be very big.

"Your friend is a little childish." She deliberately provoked him and asked a trick.

"How childish?"

"The current second-generation succession problem isn't as simple as a change of legal person or equity. With the market environment like this, even the old man is struggling. He just hopes his children and grandchildren don't mess around. Few second-generation successors succeed, so why get involved? Disrupting the old man's plans is just disrupting your own comfort zone. It's better to just sit back and enjoy the good food, drink, and fun."

"What's the point of eating, drinking and having fun?" He folded the napkin in his hand and threw it aside.

"But carrying the weight of a business is truly grueling. Just thinking about the pressure is terrifying. Look at those listed companies; many see their stock prices plummet as soon as the second generation takes over. The market reaction is clear. The image of the second generation taking over with ease is a figment of imagination. Many young men, unseasoned, don't have the tenacity of a founder, and many are crushed by the pressure."

He smiled, "I believe in exceptions."

She saw the blindness of youth and asked, "Isn't your friend able to get into the business now?"

"You can get in, but you have to fight with others and fight among yourself. Choosing the right time to enter the game is very important."

"When?"

"Wait for others to make mistakes." He revealed a hint of cunning, counteracting her childishness. "Without checks and balances, there are no constraints. Without constraints, mistakes are bound to happen. Waiting for the other party to make a mistake is the only way to clear the obstacles. Of course, you have to arrange your own people in advance. There's no point in entering the field and wasting time. You have to make a move to have a chance of winning."

"Your friend plays a shady game."

“When playing games with snakes, you have to grab them at their seven-inch mark.”

Very poisonous, more poisonous than snake venom.

She smiled and took a sip of water, confirming that he was talking about himself. She thought to herself, she didn't know who the snake he was talking about was. This was not a brainless person, but a person with a lot of imagination.