Chapter 40
Ban Jiande, the head of the Central Support Department, privately known as "Old Ban" by all the employees on the 15th floor of Haosikai, but addressed as "Boss" to their faces, was born with a sickly appearance. Even more absurdly, this grown man was as delicate as a delicate flower, unable to withstand even the slightest breeze. Therefore, his office was always kept tightly closed and airtight, and even in the summer, they dared not turn on the air conditioning, fearing that a slightly lower indoor temperature would cause him to catch a cold or fever. Everyone on the 15th floor privately gossiped that Old Ban was a disgrace to Haosikai, a company that started by selling health supplements—if taking health supplements made him like this, who would buy them? Therefore, based on Old Ban's complexion and physique, he should resign.
After all, many people coveted Lao Ban's position as "Minister of the Central Support Department," but he remained firmly in that position. Even after making a huge mistake, he was still able to hold onto his chair, which shows that he was truly capable.
Yes, it was this perpetually pale-faced boss who really made a huge mistake within Haoskai! Back when Cheng Shi first joined Haoskai, his team had a director, a stunningly beautiful woman, almost like a socialite, named Jennifer. People on the 15th floor privately called her "Jennifer Flower" or "Big Flower." This "Big Flower" was supposedly a reporter for an industry media outlet in her early years. She and the boss hit it off after interviewing the boss. Then, the boss recruited her into Haoskai through "talent introduction," parachuting her in as the Director of External Publicity for the Central Support Department. Rumors circulated that her annual salary far exceeded her rank, a figure she could only dream of as a junior reporter—a special approval from the boss. However, this "Big Flower's" actual work ability was clearly disproportionate to her salary. Her intelligence and emotional intelligence were also lacking. Her daily work seemed to consist of "communicating" with the boss and ordering the people on the 15th floor around, causing widespread resentment. Several years passed like this. Then one day, the old teacher's wife, who had a face full of fat and was about twice as big as the old teacher, suddenly came knocking on the door. So Da Hua was kicked out, but her position and her private office have been vacant ever since. So many years have passed, and it is unknown whether the old teacher is commemorating his beloved or looking for an opportunity to bring Da Hua back.
However, ever since Da Hua left, the old teacher's complexion has become even worse. If one had to describe his complexion with a color, it would be a sallow yellow. But surprisingly, his complexion actually complements the Maillard-colored suits he always wears.
The old teacher wasn't into fashion; he started wearing only Maillard colors more than 20 years ago, perhaps to match his complexion.
So, besides a series of Maillard-colored suits, it seemed like Lao Ban (Old Ban) had no other clothes. One year, the entire staff of Haoskai Central Support Department went to the Gold Coast, Australia for team building. To ensure uniformity, the activities team under the Central Support Department provided each employee with several sets of uniform clothing, including T-shirts, skirts, shorts, trousers, and hats with the Haoskai logo, as well as small items like backpacks, towels, and water bottles. Haoskai China hosts four or five large-scale events with thousands of participants every year, and the activities team specializing in supporting such events is naturally experienced in clothing arrangements; besides, this was one of Lao Ban's main responsibilities. But who knew that once they arrived in Australia, it was Lao Ban who completely disregarded the dress code!
As a high-ranking leader, it's understandable that he might not dress according to requirements or participate in team building activities, since leaders are entitled to a certain amount of privilege. However, it's a bit unreasonable for even the highest-ranking leader to stand out from everyone else in a group photo for external publicity purposes. In that beach photo, hundreds of people, regardless of their appearance, were wearing swimsuits and trunks with the Haoskai logo, while the old leader stood in the center of a group of semi-barbarians like a civilized person who had been enlightened, smiling uncomfortably. Anyone who didn't know better would think the old leader was an explorer who had discovered a new continent.
Later, whether it was because the teacher didn't have time to review the group photo or because he was powerless to do anything about it, the photo was eventually posted on Haoskai's internal publication and website. It was ridiculed by everyone in Haoskai for a long time, and everyone thought that the photo should stay at the top of the "Haoskai Embarrassing Moments List" for years to come.
At this moment, the old teacher's smile was exactly the same as his expression in that photo, conveying a sense of unbearable burden. At first, Chengshi thought it was because the old teacher's office was too stuffy and hot, making him feel uncomfortable. But it wasn't until he walked around the screen in the old teacher's office that Chengshi was surprised to find that the old teacher's unnatural expression was because a distinguished guest had come to his office.
"Frankie, come, greet President An." The old man stood up and, with a slightly uneasy nod, introduced the two men. "President An, this is Frankie Cheng, our Deputy Director of External Publicity for the Central Support Department. His team is mainly responsible for external publicity work across the entire China region, including developing publicity plans, planning publicity activities, organizing media liaison, writing press releases, monitoring public opinion, promoting company products, and so on. There are also some auxiliary tasks, such as providing written materials for company products, including internal publications and websites..."
A massive figure in a well-tailored black suit rose up before Narumi, a square face lowering slightly to smile at him. Then Narumi's right hand was firmly grasped in a soft, warm palm.
A man with soft, supple hands has plenty of spare cash—holding that hand, Chengshi couldn't help but recall a proverb.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the square-faced man said in a deep, melodious, and magnetic voice. “Frankie, just call me Forrest.”
The tall, square-faced man was An Zheyuan, the vice president of Haosikai China, responsible for sales across the entire China region. Cheng Shi hadn't had much contact with him because Mr. An had his own media manager, and his affairs were never "supported" by the central support department. So, Cheng Shi had at most exchanged nods with him when they bumped into each other in the elevator, but even that rarely happened, because Mr. An had his own private elevator.
To be honest, Cheng Shi has never had a good impression of people like An Zheyuan, who are big salespeople. He always felt that salespeople were all big talkers and charlatans with no real skills. Speaking of no real skills, Cheng Shi, a top student, felt that the threshold for becoming a salesperson was too low. Otherwise, how could his father have become the top salesperson at Haosikai in a certain year?
Therefore, the fact that An Zheyuan could reach such a high position can only be described as a complete fraud.
“That conman is perfect for running a cult.” Once, Cheng Shi and Huang Ruoyu saw An Zheyuan talking animatedly on the news, and he explained to her, “He’s the kind of person who’s trying to cultivate a benevolent father image, but I can tell he’s an old liar at first glance. He’s the kind of person who always looks all smiles and amiable, but is secretly a profit-driven conman. And you know what, his face is really suited for TV. I don’t know what he was thinking, having his own PR team; it’s a complete waste of resources.”
However, now, standing close to An Zheyuan, Chengshi found himself wearing an extremely respectful expression, and he could feel a bead of sweat uncontrollably sliding down his temple. To make up for this uncontrollable cowardice, Chengshi began to plan how to describe this scene to Huang Ruoyu when he got home that night.
"I suddenly realized I was melting in front of him, is that a joke? I know he's an old liar, and I know he doesn't care about our Central Support Department at all. He looks down on us and is too lazy to care, but I just can't help getting nervous in front of him. Damn it! I don't even know why!" Cheng was silently rehearsing his conversation with Huang Ruoyu that night.
"Frankie, have a seat. Mr. An and I have reviewed the first-half work reports from several branch offices, and that's why we called you here..."
As the old teacher spoke, he casually smoothed his Mediterranean-style hair. When he sat down again, his buttocks swayed from side to side as if they were nailed to the ground, looking exactly like someone suffering from hemorrhoids. What Cheng Shi found even more unbearable was that the old teacher's office still had no windows or air conditioning, and the bright sunlight shone directly in from opposite directions, making him sweat profusely.
Sung-shi, dazed by the sun, only caught the beginning of his teacher's speech before losing all focus. To avoid the glare, he directed all his attention to An Zhe-yuan, who was lounging comfortably in the relatively cool shade of the sofa. When his teacher finally finished his rambling, An Zhe-yuan, who had been leaning back on the sofa and nodding at his phone, casually tapped his phone and held up a screen in front of Sung-shi—it was the "Talking about 'Rejuvenation'" mini-program that Sung-shi had created recently.
Then, Cheng Shi heard An Zheyuan say to him in his magnetic voice, full of joy, "Frankie, this mini-program is really well done! It's both environmentally friendly and practical, perfectly matching our philosophy and positioning. Our theme this year is digitalization and green environmental protection. I heard it was not only very popular at the Southwest China Direct Selling Conference, but also received high praise. We must continue to do this well!"
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