Chapter 198 New Project

Li Ming sat down in the front seat and looked sideways towards the front.

Chi Qi was seen sitting calmly on a chair, playing with a USB drive in her hand, while Shi Nian'an was sitting beside her with a melancholy look in his eyes.

He smiled crookedly, with undisguised contempt in his eyes.

One is a housewife who dreams of getting ahead by relying on her husband, and the other is just a young girl who knows nothing. If this company falls into their hands, how can it be revived without going bankrupt?

While it was sympathetic that they were forced into enormous debt, they certainly had spent a lot of the money Shisong earned during his lifetime, right? Since they enjoyed the benefits, they naturally had to bear the risks. He wasn't so low as to sympathize with these capitalists.

Now all he cared about was whether they could pay him a severance package that would satisfy him enough.

Therefore, before Chi Lan could say anything, he spoke first, "Mrs. Zhou, we all know without you having to tell us that the company is now burdened with a huge debt and unable to repay it. I'm afraid bankruptcy and liquidation are the only option. As a long-time employee, I'm truly heartbroken about this."

"It's just business. We understand the company's difficulties, and they should also be considerate of us long-time employees. So, should we receive severance pay based on the n+3 standard?"

Shi Nian'an widened her eyes in anger. Even if she had no common sense, she knew that the normal compensation standard was n+1. This person was simply taking advantage of the situation!

She simply couldn't imagine how embarrassed they would be if her stepmother hadn't just solved the loan sharking issue.

The other employees remained silent, not daring to look directly at Chi Lan and the others. They simply supported Li Ming with their silent support. After all, Li Ming was fighting for their interests.

As long as they can get the money, they don't care whether the company survives or not, or whether the widowed girl or not lives or not.

Chi Li looked at Li Ming, her eyes icy. "Bankruptcy liquidation? Where did Director Li hear that rumor? The company just received a 50 million yuan investment, so it's still a long way from bankruptcy."

Everyone was stunned. Who would inject capital into the company at this time? Wouldn't it be a waste of time?

Could it be that Mrs. Zhou was driven crazy by the debt collectors and imagined it?

Li Ming thought so too.

He slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Mrs. Zhou, stop making empty promises here. It's simply ridiculous. How much money is left in the company's account? Which of us managers doesn't know? If you don't even want to give this little severance pay, don't blame us for breaking up with the company!"

Shi Nian'an was so angry that he was shaking all over. What a lie! His stepmother was clearly telling the truth.

She stood up suddenly and was about to refute, but Chi Yan glanced at her and choked her instantly.

"Director Li is in such a hurry to leave, it seems he's already found a new job," Chi Yan tapped the table with her fingers, a cold smile on her lips. "Then let's show everyone what Director Li has contributed to the company. Nian An, show this to everyone."

She handed over the USB flash drive in her hand. Shi Nian'an took it doubtfully and inserted it into the computer.

After a series of operations, the large screen in front of the conference room lit up and the picture switched. What was displayed on it was a screenshot of Li Ming's computer operation records, as well as information such as emails between him and the personnel of Huangtian Company.

Li Ming's expression changed immediately. How could she, who had just taken over the company, find out about such private things?

"Director Li downloaded the company's client data and used it as leverage to secure an offer from Huangtian Company. Come to think of it, the last smart person who did that probably spent several years in jail."

Chi Li leaned forward, her hands crossed under her chin, her sharp eyes fixed on Li Ming. "If you have time to ask me for severance pay, you might as well go and wait for the court summons first."

Everyone in the conference room was stunned. It turned out that the good job that Li Ming mentioned was obtained by selling company secrets. No wonder those previous clients all cancelled their cooperation and returned their orders.

And Zhou Fanyi made them look sideways. Such swift and decisive measures were definitely not something a housewife could use.

Li Ming's body went limp and he almost fell off the chair.

If Chi Li sued him for violating trade secrets, he would definitely be sentenced and even have to compensate the company for economic losses. He would probably lose all his money and be back to the days before liberation. His new job would be a bubble.

He looked at Chi Lan, his voice trembling, "No, Madam Zhou, I was wrong..."

Chi Li said coldly, "Mr. Zhou."

Li Ming hurriedly changed his words, no longer as aggressive as before, his voice choked with sobs, "Mr. Zhou, I was wrong. I was just confused for a moment. Please have mercy on me and let me go."

"My wife is pregnant with our third child, we have two children to raise, and we haven't even paid off our mortgage yet. If you call the police, our family will be ruined!"

Chi Li's face was icy, and she didn't even look at him. "I have a meeting to attend. Those who are not involved, can you please leave?"

Li Ming turned and pounced on Shi Nian'an, scaring her so much that she stepped back repeatedly.

Li Ming burst into tears, "Boss Xiao, please ask Boss Zhou for mercy on my behalf. You know how close I am to your father, so please forgive me this time."

Shi Nian'an looked embarrassed, "But this is not a matter of forgiveness at all. You have committed a crime."

Seeing that playing the victim was useless, Li Ming's expression changed instantly. He wiped away his tears and said in a vicious voice: "Since you are unwilling to give me a way to live, don't blame me for risking my life with you!"

He raised his hand and grabbed the chair behind him. Just as he was about to do it, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open from the outside and two policemen rushed in, "Put down the stool!"

With a clang, Li Ming's hands dropped weakly and the chair fell to the ground.

"Are you Li Ming? You are suspected of violating trade secrets. Please cooperate with the investigation and come with us!"

Then there were two clicks, and the cold shackles locked Li Ming's hands.

When being taken away by the police, Li Ming was still shouting, "Mr. Zhou, please forgive me, I was wrong, I really know it was wrong..."

The conference room was completely silent.

Everyone's gaze towards Chi Lu completely changed. The previous contempt was gone, and only awe remained. The subordinates who had just been flattering Li Ming now didn't even dare to breathe.

Before today, those people who only wanted to get a high severance pay could never have imagined that Chi Li would send Li Ming away in just a few words in front of them.

Compared with them, Shi Nian'an seemed much calmer. After all, he had witnessed Chi Lan beating up the loan shark thugs, so this scene was a small matter.

Chi Li took in everyone's expressions and chuckled, "Why? You seem very afraid of me. Could it be that someone, like Li Ming, is taking advantage of the company's chaos to fish in troubled waters, steal company equipment, and sell out the company's interests?"

Shi Nian'an was stunned.

No way! Her father just died, and these people are busy draining the company and running away. Are they still human?

For the past twenty-two years, she has been living in the ivory tower of the campus. Apart from the embarrassment caused by her stepmother, she has not really seen much of the ugliness of human nature.

Unexpectedly, she saw everything today.

Qiao Yanzhi's cold-bloodedness in treating ordinary people as non-human beings, the cruelty of loan sharks who would do anything bad for money, and Li Ming's shamelessness in selling out the company for a job opportunity...each one of them made her feel terrified.

She simply couldn't imagine how she would have escaped from these jackals in human skin if she hadn't had her stepmother.

I'm afraid they have already eaten it until there is nothing left.

Thinking of this, Shi Nian'an's feelings towards Chi Lan changed again, and gratitude completely overwhelmed resentment.

Strangely, Zhou Fanyi seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look at her.

Shi Nian'an: ???

Fortunately, the other party immediately looked away. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling inexplicably guilty.

At this time, nearly half of the people in the conference room lowered their heads and dared not say a word.

Chi Li leaned back in her chair and said slowly, "I think you all know what you did, so I won't explain it one by one. I'm in a good mood now, so I'll give you a decent answer."

"If you want to leave, sign your resignation now. I won't pursue the previous matters. If you want to stay, please consider whether your hands are clean enough."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the conference room raised their heads and breathed a sigh of relief. However, when they looked at each other, their eyes still couldn't help but reveal guilt and uneasiness.

In the end, a total of twenty people asked the human resources director Huang Yan to resign, and they did not dare to ask for any compensation. After completing the process, they left with their belongings.

Chi Li looked at the ten people still in the conference room, among whom only Huang Yan and Duan Mingzhu were female senior executives.

She curled her lips into a smile and said, "Very good, now let's talk about recruiting new employees and developing new projects."

The meeting ended quickly. Duan Mingzhu was responsible for the development of new projects, Huang Yan was responsible for recruiting new employees, Shi Nian'an was her assistant, and the rest of the people performed their duties.

As everyone left the meeting room, Chi Li added, "Also, don't let me smell cigarette smoke in the company again. If you can't do that, pack up and leave as soon as possible."

The male employee was stunned and wanted to argue, but when he met Chi Qi's cold and sharp gaze, he swallowed his words back.

Everyone smiled and agreed, "Okay, Mr. Zhou."

As they left the meeting room, the smiles on their faces immediately disappeared, and their eyes were filled with hatred.

He's just the CEO of a lousy company, why is he showing off his power?

And that new project doesn't sound reliable. They expect employees to build rockets by just giving them a screw. All bosses in the world are the same. It's really crazy.

They'd better find a new buyer as soon as possible, otherwise even if the company doesn't go bankrupt now, it will be ruined by Zhou Fanyi sooner or later.

Huang Yan, who remained in the meeting room, also looked troubled. "Mr. Zhou, given the company's current situation, it's difficult to find suitable industry talent even if we offer high salaries."

Chi Li lowered her eyes. She didn't understand the manufacturing process, but didn't she have the system as a plug-in? She only needed to complete the core part of the new project, and the people below only needed to execute it.

She can guarantee that once this project succeeds, it will definitely shock the world. By then, will she still be worried about the lack of top talents?

Thinking of this, she said without hesitation, "Then we can recruit graduates. It's graduation season now, and there are a lot of unemployed college graduates. Once we recruit them, let Director Duan be in charge of their training. The newcomers are smart, so they will be able to get started quickly."

Huang Yan was silent for a moment before she spoke, "Okay."

Then he cast a sympathetic look towards Duan Mingzhu. He had finally become the director, but he actually had to train new people. Why didn't he say that he was getting worse and worse?

Duan Mingzhu looked calm. Huang Yan didn't understand technology, but she did. She had a hunch that if this new project could really be successful, she would definitely be able to make a fortune.

The opportunity is rare, even if the hope is slim, she is willing to take a chance!

————

In S City, a joint job fair between universities was crowded with people.

Two young girls, holding their resumes, struggled to make their way through the crowded crowd.

One of them looked tired, with red and swollen eyes full of bloodshot, as if he had not slept all night.

Suddenly, she stopped, looked at the other person, and whispered, "Lin An, there are so few good jobs in physics. I'm really discouraged and can't hold on any longer... Maybe I'm not good enough. If I had known this would happen, I should have listened to the advice and switched to coding when I took the postgraduate entrance exam."

Lin An hurriedly said, "Gu Lan, don't think like that. It's not your fault that you were rejected by Huang Tian. You got the highest score on the written test. During the interview, didn't you say that the technical director admired you? You are really good enough."

Gu Lan gritted his teeth. "But didn't they still not hire me? Instead, they hired Song Xiaojun, who couldn't even answer technical questions?"

Lin An was slightly startled, then angrily said, "Isn't this sex discrimination?"

Gu Lan sighed, "Yeah, but what can we do? Those big factories are all like this, not to mention the leading enterprise Huangtian."

Seeing her dejected expression, Lin An didn't have the heart to discourage her any further. He raised his hand and patted her shoulder, comforting her: "Don't be too discouraged. Even if the heavens don't want you, don't you still have Hegemony and other research institutes?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a teasing laugh echoed from the front, "Isn't this the talented lady Gu from our group? What's wrong? Haven't you received an offer yet?"

The two looked up and found that it was Song Xiaojun.

He walked over and said proudly, "You don't know yet, right? I've already received an offer from Huangtian Technology for a research and development position, with an annual salary of this amount—" He raised three fingers.

When Gu Lan saw his face, he was so angry that his chest heaved and his hand holding the resume clenched suddenly, and the knuckles turned white.

Song Xiaojun liked to see her face turn red with anger, so his smile became even brighter. "How about you be my girlfriend? I can help you get an internal referral."

"You know, it's hard to find a job these days, and good jobs are even harder to find. No matter how talented you girls are, it's useless. Even if you get a PhD, companies will still give priority to boys. Just accept reality!"

Gu Lan glared at him coldly, "No need, I have a better place to go!" He grabbed Lin An's wrist and turned away.

At this moment, a clear voice interrupted from the side, "Classmate, do you want to take a look at our Tianqiong Company?"