Chapter 9

When the official bidding documents were released, Zhuang Haiming looked at them again and again in disbelief, saying it was impossible and rubbing his eyes hard. He even considered going to the Shen Group to ask if there had been a mistake.

"How could it be Xingcheng?"

Even though Xingcheng was very capable, he always firmly believed that Shen Yiheng would give the project to the Zhuang family out of consideration for Zhuang Yazhi.

Not only Zhuang Haiming, but everyone in the Zhuang family was stunned, since the two of them were still trending on social media.

The prize they were about to have vanished, and everyone at the shareholders' meeting looked extremely grim. Cai Xincheng, in particular, was now seriously doubting whether he had misjudged the situation and couldn't tell if the two were actually having an affair.

Cai Xincheng asked cautiously, "Could it be because Ya Zhi was fired that President Shen is angry?"

What seemed like a casual remark was enough to cause an uproar among the attendees, given that news of Shen Yiheng's protectiveness of his own had already spread during the project meeting a couple of days prior.

The shareholders looked at each other, each with their own thoughts. They just wanted to suppress the trending topic and never expected things to turn out this way.

"Mr. Zhuang, this..."

They panicked now. Zhuang Haiming remained silent, his face ashen, and they were frightened by his appearance.

Zhuang Haiming has always been known for his virtue and composure, remaining calm and collected no matter what happens. He is gentle and patient, but this time he was clearly unable to sit still, and his emotions were very obvious on his face.

Before returning to the company in the morning, he received congratulations from several colleagues who wished him success in the bid. However, less than half an hour later, those colleagues turned against Xingcheng and stabbed him in the back, which made it hard for him not to be angry.

Back home, Zhuang Haiming still carried a gloomy mood. No matter how hard he tried to force a smile, there was still a hint of hostility in his eyes.

Before he got home, he received a very important piece of information: someone saw Zhuang Yazhi entering and leaving the tallest building in Haicheng last night, which was Shen Yiheng's territory.

Zhuang Haiming was observing Zhuang Yazhi. After being home for so long, he realized that his daughter seemed different from before. She always seemed to have a subtle, unspoken distance from him and looked very unfamiliar.

In contrast, Zhuang Yazhi seemed completely unaffected, eating her meal earnestly, and visibly in a good mood. Since the winning bid was announced, her rumors with Shen Yiheng had quickly dissipated, and the connection had automatically dissolved; she was very satisfied with this, even drinking a couple more bowls of soup.

As for Zhuang Haiming, he had been sizing her up ever since he got home, probably feeling frustrated and annoyed because he had nowhere to vent his anger.

"Will Dad think that I'm the reason the sinking project was lost?" Zhuang Yazhi asked directly, without any hesitation.

Zhuang Haiming, finding the food tasteless, forced a smile: "How could that be? If this project doesn't work out, we'll just move on to the next one."

"The important thing is Ya Ya, who no longer has to be bothered by those boring gossip stories."

Su Sinan agreed with this statement: "Nothing is more important than my daughter's reputation."

“Yes,” Zhuang Haiming replied listlessly. Su Sinan smiled, and he smiled back in agreement.

Su Sinan now has a new plan: "Now that the storm has passed, Ya Ya can return to the company openly and without fear of criticism."

Zhuang Haiming hesitated for a moment. He hadn't made up his mind yet. When he looked up and met their gazes, both of them were waiting for him to speak. So he could only say tactfully, "Ya Ya has indeed suffered some injustice during this time. She has silently shouldered the pressure for the sake of the company."

Although he said words of heartache, the expression on his face was completely numb.

"I don't think the position of public relations manager is very good. Ya Ya is so outstanding, she should be the general manager."

"What do you think, honey?"

Su Sinan had not discussed this matter with Zhuang Haiming beforehand, so Zhuang Haiming was stunned and speechless.

Zhuang Yazhi thought it sounded good, and with an innocent smile, she calmly pressed him, taking in all of Zhuang Haiming's embarrassment.

She likes the position of general manager and is willing to use it as a foundation to climb the ranks step by step.

On the day the sinking project was signed, almost everyone in Haicheng went to join the fun, hoping to snag a piece of meat along the way.

Zhuang Haiming hasn't gone out much these past few days; he's been feeling down.

Zhuang Yazhi didn't have time to deal with him. These two days happened to be the audition for the city park promotional video, so she took Li Si out for a trip.

Although the film was shot for free, the audition day was particularly eye-catching because the investors were the Haicheng Construction Office. The park was packed with candidates, and the park was full of handsome men and beautiful women.

The most dazzling of all is John, with his curly hair and a smile sweeter than a doll's.

"Sister," John said, sounding instantly familiar with her after just one meeting, his address of "sister" adding to the intimacy.

Just an hour later, the number of auditionees had visibly decreased. John's assistant found out that the executive director was very strict, not only valuing appearance but also personal character, and even the first impression upon entering the room would determine whether someone stayed or left.

John got nervous just before going on stage, and his assistant carefully helped him get dressed.

"This is just a simple audition, it's so easy for you, relax."

John silently breathed a sigh of relief, but when he turned around and met Zhuang Yazhi's indifferent gaze, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Just as they were about to go in, the assistant director rushed out: "Time is tight, the task is urgent. The director said the rest of you should come in for the audition."

The remaining dozens of people, including Zhuang Yazhi and John, were all present at once.

The makeshift audition room was very rudimentary, especially since dozens of people were crammed inside, with constant complaints and grumbling.

The director, wearing small glasses and holding a small glass of sweet water, swept his gaze over everyone, and instantly everyone fell silent.

He walked around throwing away signs as he went, and in just a short while, the contestants with the corresponding signs were asked to leave by the assistant director, leaving only seven or eight candidates.

Those who remained entered the second round, which was followed by a photo shoot, with women in white and men in black standing in rows on either side.

The director looked around the entire scene, finally fixing his gaze on the middle of the line, seemingly lost in thought.

The audition results weren't available immediately, and I left early after the audition.

Just as Zhuang Yazhi stepped out of the park, he ran into Ye Ran. He took the initiative to come up and greet him, saying, "I wish you success in your interview." He was as polite and humble as ever.

“Thank you,” Zhuang Yazhi replied in a friendly manner.

He had also seen the recent trending topics and, before leaving, specifically assured Zhuang Yazhi: "This director can distinguish right from wrong and won't be misled by those gossip stories."

"Oh~~" Zhuang Yazhi raised an eyebrow. It seems she has indeed become quite famous recently, and everyone knows about her now.

The night before the audition results were announced, Zhuang Yazhi received another notification.

Zhuang Haiming, on behalf of the entire shareholders' meeting and in his capacity as chairman, invited her to serve as the general manager of Zhuang's Group, effective immediately.

It took almost a week of deliberation to make a decision, which shows that he was under a lot of pressure.

Good morning, General Manager.

Good morning, General Manager.

From the first floor of the company to the general manager's office on the thirteenth floor, hundreds of people walked towards him. As soon as the greeting "General Manager, hello" rang in his ears, Zhuang Yazhi raised his head slightly and strode forward with his head held high and chest out.

Being a general manager is definitely more prestigious than being a public relations manager.

On his first day in office, a department-wide meeting was held.

Public relations manager Cai Siyue sat trembling in the conference room, clearly feeling a cold gaze sweeping over her.

She had a bad feeling that she might lose her position as public relations manager.

"Does the public relations department have anything to say?" Zhuang Yazhi asked specifically.

When Cai Siyue was called upon to ask a question, she jumped, timidly raising her head. Was it already time for her final statement? She hadn't even had a chance to warm up her newly bought leather chair.

She hesitated for a long time, unsure how to answer.

Just as she was about to say something tactfully, Zhuang Ya dismissed the office with a single sentence, leaving her sitting there dumbfounded.

“Dad…” Cai Siyue felt very wronged and urgently needed help.

On his first day in office, the general manager launched a major overhaul of the department. Areas previously beyond his reach due to his limited authority were now ordered to be improved in one fell swoop, and his actions and handling methods became more decisive and ruthless.

Having already clashed with these old foxes in her previous life, she knew their true nature well. Now, striking at their vital spot, she hit them right on the head. The shareholders didn't dare utter a sound and could only silently endure it.

No matter how much they cried out for help, even Zhuang Haiming turned a blind eye and didn't intend to interfere.

During the lunch break, Zhuang Haiming made a special trip to the general manager's office: "You must be exhausted. Come on, have something to eat."

"Thank you, Dad," Zhuang Yazhi replied politely.

After a busy day, Zhuang Yazhi was tired and had no appetite.

The more this was the case, the more earnestly Zhuang Haiming taught, word by word: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their will and strengthen their body; the position of general manager is not easy to hold. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and the greater the challenges one will face."

Zhuang Yazhi was tired of hearing these words. If Zhuang Haiming really cared, he could simply pass the chairmanship to her. Reaching the pinnacle of power would give her an even more tenacious fighting spirit.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Dad."

Zhuang Haiming was very satisfied with his teaching and then began to issue tasks.

“At the beginning of last year, we signed a project with the Haicheng Construction Office to renovate the old city in the northern suburbs. This project should have started at the beginning of this year, but the Construction Office delayed the start date due to insufficient funds. Not only that, several of Zhuang’s projects this year have been delayed without reason. Without work, there is no income, which is not good for Zhuang’s.”

Zhuang Haiming patted Zhuang Yazhi on the shoulder, trying to place his hopes on his daughter: "You are the general manager of Zhuang's, so you have to plan and strategize for Zhuang's. After all, tens of thousands of people in Zhuang's are waiting for us to feed them."

Zhuang Yazhi was pondering. Since she had already decided to take the position of general manager, she naturally understood the responsibilities that came with it.

However, Zhuang Haiming is quite cunning, deliberately choosing these unfinished projects for her to do, which are arduous and thankless.

Zhuang Haiming hadn't finished speaking.

"Although we didn't manage to secure the sinking project a while ago, we still have various collaborations with the Shen family, and we need someone to mediate between them. Ya Zhi, are you up to the task?"

He wouldn't give Zhuang Yazhi a chance to refuse at all; there was no room for choice. He just shoved everything at her.

"Of course," Zhuang Yazhi replied without the slightest hesitation.

In the morning, she went through all the existing engineering projects. Fortunately, these projects were of a general scale, so she could talk to the project managers directly.

Without having to meet with Shen Yiheng, Zhuang Yazhi naturally had nothing to fear.

Over three days, Zhuang Yazhi read through all the project documents, categorized and summarized them, working day and night. Fortunately, she had experience with such matters in her previous life, making this process significantly easier and faster.

"Mr. Chen from Tongyi, please arrange a meeting for me at 3 PM on Monday; Mr. Deng from Hexi, at 10 AM on Tuesday; Mr. Lu from Zhenfa, at 12 PM on Wednesday."

Zhuang Yazhi should not try to retain projects that are not open to cooperation. Developing new projects at the right time is the only way to solve the current predicament.

“Understood,” Li Si replied, making all the necessary preparations.

"What about the Shen family?"

“The Shen family…” This made Zhuang Yazhi feel quite troubled.

In her memory, Zhou Hai, the project manager of Shen's, was quite difficult to deal with, but this person had a particularly magical quality: as long as he handled a project, it was guaranteed to make money, and he was even known in the industry as a money-making machine.

Zhuang Yazhi glanced at the table for a moment and then focused on Thursday evening at 7 pm: "President Zhou, the meeting and dinner should be kept to half an hour on Thursday evening at 7 pm."

We'll leave immediately when it's 7:30.

This week is destined to be very difficult.

From east to west, and then from south to north, Zhuang Yazhi led Li Si to five cities in four days; "Fortunately, this trip was not in vain, and we won them all."

"Luckily you're here." Zhuang Yazhi always felt that Li Si was a gift from heaven. The two of them worked together so well that the journey was so smooth. Even though she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, Zhuang Yazhi felt very gratified because Li Si was by her side. She was tired but happy.

Li Si was busy organizing documents and files. There were still twenty minutes before the next meeting started. "There's enough time. You can take a break and recharge before continuing the negotiations."

"Okay." Zhuang Yazhi breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I'll give you a raise when we get back, three times your salary."

Twenty minutes of deep sleep is enough to recharge and restore your energy.

The last meeting was with Zhou Hai of the Shen family.

This person has a habit of discussing business over the dinner table. His standard for judging a good business partner is whether they can have a pleasant meal together.

"This dish is very famous in Haicheng, Manager Zhuang, please try it." Zhou Hai first invited Zhuang Yazhi to start eating.

Zhuang Yazhi first thanked him, then picked up a piece of meat and chewed it slowly, savoring it carefully.

"Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet but not greasy, with the addition of dried tangerine peel for freshness, it has a sweet aftertaste and leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth after chewing for a long time. It is definitely Haiyan's signature dish."

Having been traveling back and forth for several days, Zhuang Yazhi hadn't had a proper meal, so she was indeed hungry. The delicious food whetted her appetite, and Zhou Hai, sitting opposite her, became happier and happier as he watched.

"Try this steamed fish."

"And this dish of five delicacies."

Compared to the aroma of the food, Zhou Hai found the food even more delicious when everyone at the table was enjoying it, so he quickly picked up his chopsticks and started devouring the food.

After a hearty meal, Zhuang Yazhi was in high spirits and took a small sip of wine: "Satisfied! Cheers!"

Zhou Ying quickly raised her glass: "Cheers! I really enjoyed this meal."

Zhuang Yazhi chuckled, her wicked scheme had succeeded. Luckily, she had memorized some words before eating.

"In that case, it's a pleasure to work together." She then handed over the contract documents.

Zhou Hai agreed very readily: "Okay!"

He turned around and rummaged through his bag, searching back and forth several times, getting a little anxious as he searched.

"I was in a bit of a rush when I left for dinner and forgot to bring the contract seal."

Zhuang Yazhi glanced at the time, then suddenly felt a headache coming on. How could such an important matter be left unfinished?

But perhaps it's not too late.

"Li Si," Zhuang Yazhi called out as he arrived at the door, and Li Si quickly appeared.

"President Zhou forgot to bring his seal. Could you take him back to the company? Remember, be quick."

Li Si gave a firm look and said, "Understood."

Zhuang Yazhi stood by the window, gazing at the congested traffic. A white supercar sped off towards the Shen's Building.

Fortunately, the hotel is relatively close to Shen's, so we should be able to make it in time if nothing unexpected happens.

Every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 7:30, Shen Yiheng would go swimming without fail, rain or shine. This is why Zhuang Yazhi insisted on having dinner with Zhou Hai at this time to discuss cooperation.

Zhou Hai holds a special position within the Shen family. Shen Yiheng will give him face and extra decision-making power as long as Zhou Hai approves of a project. As long as he follows one rule—not losing money—he can do whatever he wants with the rest.

Therefore, as long as Zhuang Yazhi can win over Zhou Hai, these projects will not be a problem.

The watch was ticking away rapidly, and with each rotation, Zhuang Yazhi's heart rate doubled. With five minutes left until 7:30, she inexplicably began to panic.

With four minutes remaining, Zhuang Yazhi finished the wine in her glass.

In three minutes, the food on the table got cold.

Two minutes later, the traffic lights came on, and the vehicles stopped to let the pedestrians pass.

One minute left.

"Knock knock".

A knock came at the door.

Zhuang Yazhi quickly turned around.

Li Si pushed open the door and jogged over quickly, holding the documents tightly in his hands and protecting them to his chest.

"The contract has been stamped and is effective immediately."

Zhuang Yazhi leaped up, and the anxiety that had been hanging in the air finally subsided the moment he picked up Li Si and spun him around.

"Li Si, well done!" She was always proud of Li Si and extremely grateful to him throughout their journey.

Li Si's face flushed with excitement. She ran upstairs and could finally catch her breath.

"Fortunately, we made it."

This week's work was not in vain; all the efforts were rewarded.

Outside the private room, the hallway lights cast shadows of dark figures hiding in the corner.

He finished swimming five minutes early and started driving aimlessly until a white supercar sped past him, changing his route and silently following behind.

He had heard about Zhuang Yazhi's promotion to general manager. The Shen family and the Zhuang family were only one building apart. Every night, he could see from afar that the manager's office on the 13th floor of the Zhuang family was open all night until dawn, and then all night again until dawn.

That's how I remember her—she'd work herself to the bone until she achieved her goal.

"Zhuang Yazhi, well done."

She is equally outstanding and deserves praise.