Director Meng "gives directions"

Meng Yihe's two most annoying things in life are: one is that the coffee machine breaks down when he desperately needs a pick-me-up, and the other is that a certain guy surnamed Cui appears when he is in a bad mood.

He's really lucky today; two things happened at once.

He impatiently slapped the machine again and muttered a curse under his breath, but the machine still didn't respond.

"Do you need any help, Director Meng?"

A deep, smiling voice sounded from behind.

Meng Yihe's back stiffened. He didn't even need to turn around; that annoying scent, always carrying a faint cedar fragrance, had already drifted over. It was Cui Yu. He turned around and, sure enough, saw Cui Yu leaning against the doorframe of the tea room, holding an exquisite ceramic cup, looking at him with a half-smile, and at the malfunctioning coffee machine.

"No need." Meng Yihe bluntly uttered the two words, her tone as harsh as if she were shooing away flies. "Is Director Cui very free?"

“How can caring about colleagues be considered idle?” Cui Yu strolled in, seemingly oblivious to the barb in his words, and glanced at the coffee machine.

"Looks like he's in a bad mood? Well, after all, I wasn't the one who got scolded by the CEO this morning for being behind schedule on the project...?"

Meng Yihe: "!!!"

He knew this guy was here to make a fool of himself!

Seeing that Meng Yihe was about to explode like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Cui Yu suddenly reached out, bypassed him, and gently pressed a hidden button on the side of the coffee machine—the reset button. The machine screen lit up and emitted the normal preheating sound.

"..." All of Meng Yihe's curses stuck in her throat.

So there's a cover key here. How come no one has ever told him about it?

What did he mean by just standing in front of the coffee machine before?

Does that mean he's physically strong?

Cui Yu withdrew his hand, his fingertips almost brushing against Meng Yihe's arm, but he stopped in time, leaving only a faint scent of cedar on Meng Yihe's nose. He raised his cup to Meng Yihe, a polite smile on his face: "You're welcome, Director Meng. Next time before you lose your temper, you can try the basics first."

After saying that, he turned and left in a good mood.

Meng Yihe stared at the machine that had returned to normal, then at Cui Yu's disappearing figure, a lump in her throat, unable to rise or fall.

Damn it! He did it on purpose! He deliberately waited for himself to embarrass himself before playing the good guy!

And that damned smell of cedarwood, why does it always make him feel a little... suffocated whenever he gets close to it?

As for that project, as the director of the strategic development department of Xinghuan Group, he had to constantly negotiate with them because the other party wanted to maximize their profits. Not wanting his hard work to go to waste, he finally secured the project, though it was delayed beyond the expected timeline. However, being criticized by his boss left him in a bad mood, and having someone else cause trouble was truly upsetting.

Meng Yihe returned to her office with her coffee and continued working.

The next day, the CEO of Starworld Group convened a meeting with a group of senior executives.

With a grave expression, the CEO presented the company's current bottlenecks and the dynamics of its competitors, finally projecting the initial concept of the "Spark" plan onto the screen. The CEO's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Meng Yihe and Cui Yu on either side of the long table.

"Director Meng, I need the Strategy Department to produce a detailed strategic feasibility report within four weeks, including market size, technology path selection, final revenue model, and a list of potential risks. Director Cui, I need the Operations Department to get involved simultaneously and, based on the strategic framework, immediately begin planning the execution blueprint, including team building plans, a list of resource requirements, a preliminary timeline, and a budget."

Meng Yihe immediately spoke up, his eyes sharp: "Chairman, the key to this plan lies in building a technological barrier. I suggest that the initial resources must be tilted towards research and development, at least..." He quoted a figure that made the CFO gasp.

Cui Yu chuckled and tapped the table with his finger: "Director Meng's strategies are always so exciting, but before investing real money, shouldn't we first figure out if the existing technical team can support it? Can the key components in the supply chain be supplied stably? Forgive my bluntness, but the timeline you gave is too optimistic." He gently posed a series of fatal questions about the execution level.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and the air instantly thickened with tension.

The CEO slammed his fist on the table: "Enough!"

"I'm not asking for your opinions!" the CEO said, his voice full of authority.

"This project will be jointly managed by the two of you! I want you to form a joint project team, with Meng Yihe in charge of 'strategic decision-making' and Cui Yu in charge of 'execution and implementation'. I want to see your cooperation, not endless internal strife!"

Meng Yihe and Cui Yu didn't say much and accepted the task.

The CEO then gave a brief explanation of the "Spark Program," outlining how Xinghuan Group can continue to shine in the business world.

Meng Yihe listened to the irritable CEO grumbling, but the more he thought about being asked to work with Cui Yu, a man who couldn't say a few nice words, on the same task, the angrier he became.

As she pondered this, Meng Yihe glanced at Cui Yu.

As if sensing someone's gaze, Cui Yu also looked over. The instant their eyes met, Meng Yihe turned her head away again.

After the meeting, the CEO and other personnel unrelated to the project dispersed.

Meng Yihe snorted coldly, grabbed the documents, and got up to leave.

Cui Yu calmly straightened his cuffs, walked to Meng Yihe's side, and said in a low voice in an inscrutable tone, "It seems we'll be 'inseparable' for the next few months, Director Meng. Please give me your guidance."

Meng Yihe rolled her eyes at him: "Just don't hold me back."

After saying that, he left, not wanting to waste any more words with Cui Yu.

The Spark Program is implemented to enrich the company's business, but the specific planning is still up to them.

Meng Yihe eventually appeared in Cui Yu's office.

He explained some of his thoughts.

Cui Yu listened with a smile, then began to ask questions: "Director Meng's vision is excellent, but what is the budget range? How will the rental losses during the renovation period be compensated? Have the penalty costs for breach of contract for existing merchants been calculated?"

Meng Yihe was speechless for a moment when asked: "Is Director Cui someone who only knows how to stare at the ledgers and abacus?"

Cui Yu wasn't angry and replied with a smile, "If the plan isn't executed well, Director Meng's blueprint will collapse."

The pheromones of cherry brandy diffused in the air.

Cui Yu, who had been looking down at the documents, slowly raised his head and stared intently at Meng Yihe.

"What are you looking at?"

A few seconds later, Cui Yu looked away and then focused his gaze back on the documents: "Director Meng, turn off your pheromones."

“They’re all top-tier Alphas, so it doesn’t really matter.” Although Meng Yihe stopped releasing oppressive pheromones, she still couldn’t hold back her words.

Meng Yihe couldn't help but add, "You weren't intimidated by my power, were you, Cui Yu?"

"Your pheromones have no deterrent effect on me."

He then earnestly suggested, "You should use less pheromones in front of me."

"Tsk." Meng Yihe looked disgusted. "What are you pretending for?"

Cui Yu didn't dwell on the pheromone issue and steered the conversation back to work tasks.

"It's better to conduct an on-site investigation than to argue. Your suggestion may not be unreasonable. Let's determine the final implementation plan based on the actual situation." Cui Yu decided to observe the current situation first.

The two walked one after the other in the lobby of the "Xinghua Plaza" shopping mall.

A sense of emptiness permeated the air, with only a handful of customers, mostly elderly people strolling around. The lighting was dim, and several shops displayed signs saying "Clearance Sale."

Meng Yihe frowned, making no attempt to hide his disdain: "It looks worse than the numbers on the financial report, lifeless."

With his hands in his trouser pockets, Cui Yu casually glanced around, his tone still carrying his signature ease: "Otherwise, why would it be called 'Project Spark'?"

"Isn't this just waiting for your spark to ignite a prairie fire, Director Meng? Where do you plan to begin your 'commands'?"

Meng Yihe can keenly point out which areas have low customer traffic, which brands are aging and need to be phased out, and he speaks fluently about fashion trends. But Cui Yu's abilities are equally impressive; he can tell at a glance which structures can be renovated and utilized, where pipelines need repair, and which shops have the highest value.

"I didn't expect you to have some skills," Meng Yihe said.

Although this guy has a foul mouth and is indeed annoying, he is still in a similar position to me, both being directors, and his abilities are quite good.

I walked into a corridor with no extra decorations; the walls were bare except for plain white paint.

Meng Yihe: "It would be great to demolish this place and turn it into an art gallery."

Cui Yu calculated: "The cost will increase by 3 million, and the annual rent will be lost by 500,000, unless you can prove that the art gallery can bring equivalent foot traffic and brand premium."

Although Meng Yihe snorted, she began to calculate silently in her mind.

It was definitely not an easy job.

Meng Yihe took out a tablet and a pen and walked straight to the atrium: "Let's start with the flow of movement. This atrium is underutilized and empty, which is a waste of space and has no purpose."

He quickly sketched on the tablet while offering sharp critiques.

"This children's playground is old and ugly. Is it targeting people from the last century? It must be removed."

"The escalator's location is unreasonable, which has made the west side of the second floor almost a deserted area."

"The brand mix is ​​a complete mess. Fast fashion, luxury overstock, and cheap snacks are all mixed together without any sense of hierarchy, which lowers the overall quality!"

Meng Yihe pointed to a clothing store with a faded signboard, saying, "This kind of brand shouldn't be here; it seriously damages the mall's image."

His words were sharp, even harsh, but every sentence precisely hit the nail on the head. Cui Yu followed behind him, not refuting him, but thoughtfully watching his focused profile and rapidly moving fingers, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

As Meng Yihe was engrossed in her vision of the "future art gallery," Cui Yu spoke up. Instead of directly rejecting it, he walked to a load-bearing column and tapped it with his finger.

"The idea is good, but, Director Meng..."

He turned his head, his face still bearing that ambiguous smile. "This pillar can't be moved; it's a load-bearing structure. You'll have to find another way to achieve the 'openness' you want. Besides," he pointed upwards, "the fire sprinkler and air conditioning ducts here are complicated. If we were to completely renovate them, the budget would increase by at least 1.5 million, and the construction period would be extended by a month."

Meng Yihe choked, her brows furrowing even more.

"Cui Yu, are you born with an abacus?"

Cui Yu did not refute, but instead walked to a corner, squatted down and looked at the wear and tear on the ground and the electrical box.

"The power load here is already close to its limit. If you want to bring in those trendy brands that require high-power equipment, you'll have to start the renovation here first."

He didn't need to look at the blueprints; he seemed to know all the hidden problems and hardware limitations of the building.

Meng Yihe did not speak immediately this time.

He remained silent for a few seconds, watching Cui Yu point out the practical problems he had never considered, and suddenly realized that without this "calculation," his grand blueprint might really become a castle in the air.

"...Then what do you suggest?" Meng Yihe's tone was still a bit harsh, but it was no longer a pure denial; instead, it carried a hint of "asking for advice."