Chapter 129 The Difficult General Manager (Revised)...
Irbuyat Petroleum Company was very different from what He Changyi had imagined.
As a company that recently experienced a major corruption scandal that led to personnel turmoil, this oil company seems a little too calm and too orderly.
When He Changyi first arrived at the Yierbuyate oil field, she was greeted not by angry protesters, nor by anxious, silent workers; the scene was so calm that she was momentarily unaccustomed to it.
It's as if this oil company was never put up for auction, and the people here never experienced the dramatic upheavals following the collapse of the alliance. Everything continues to live the same routine as it did ten or twenty years ago.
He Changyi stepped out of the car, surrounded by bodyguards who warily watched everyone passing by.
It was during working hours, and occasionally a few oilfield workers would pass by, glancing over curiously. Although their faces bore the marks of years of heavy physical labor, their expressions were relaxed, tinged with a hint of unease and worry.
He Changyi noticed that although the work clothes worn by the oil field workers were stained with oil, they did not have the wear and tear of years or the patches of discolored fabric, which was completely different from the workers she had seen in Vladimir.
"It seems that oil company employees enjoy pretty good benefits."
He Changyi said to the middle-aged woman beside him, "This is indeed a bit surprising, especially since you just said that the company is currently operating at a loss."
The middle-aged woman was dressed in a formal and conservative pantsuit, with short, curly brown hair and tortoiseshell glasses. She was serious and rarely smiled, and her speaking style was as meticulous and precise as her attire.
"Ms. He, the oil company is indeed currently operating at a loss. One reason for this is that the former general manager embezzled public funds, resold oil, and stole state assets, causing the company's profits to remain far below the market average for a long period."
He Changyi said with a smile, "But low profits and losses are two different things, right, General Manager Alexandra?"
General Manager Alexandra said without batting an eye, "Another reason is that the company recently paid back wages owed to employees and carried out a comprehensive renovation and upgrade of the oil field's safety and environmental protection equipment."
"So before I arrived, you couldn't wait to use up all the cash on hand."
He Changyi narrowed his eyes and stared at the newly appointed general manager.
Is this an unfortunate coincidence, or a deliberate warning?
General Manager Alexandra met her gaze without flinching, her voice remaining steady.
“Miss He, this is not a rebellion against you, and we do not want to be your enemy.”
He Changyi said with a half-smile, "Is that so, General Manager Alexandra? But what you say seems to contradict what you've done. Or is this your welcoming ceremony?"
General Manager Alexandra calmly said, “I’m sorry to have upset you, but I was just doing what I was supposed to do. Whether it’s paying back wages or upgrading old equipment, it’s what an oil company is supposed to do, regardless of whether the company’s shareholders are state or private. I think even you would have done the same thing after taking over the company, but I just chose to finish it ahead of schedule.”
He Changyi said, "Yes, you guessed right, I will indeed do that. But—"
She changed the subject gently, saying, "Doing something voluntarily and being forced to accept a predetermined fact are two different things. What you're doing looks like you're guarding against a greedy and short-sighted nouveau riche."
General Manager Alexandra remained silent, standing as straight as a birch tree, displaying an untimely stubbornness and perseverance.
He Changyi stopped smiling and met the gaze of this rare female general manager from Eros.
"You've already positioned me as an enemy before we even truly know each other."
During the subsequent inspection tour, General Manager Alexandra gradually fell to the back of the group. A young deputy general manager, all smiles, quickly accompanied He Changyi, actively introducing her to various aspects of the oil company.
Meanwhile, another, older deputy general manager kept glancing worriedly at General Manager Alexandra. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he quietly slowed his pace, walked to her side, and whispered:
"Shura, you're being too reckless. I told you long ago that whatever you want to do, you have to wait for the new boss to arrive."
General Manager Alexandra looked down at the ground and said softly, "Agatana, I know you mean well, but I can't gamble with the new boss's character. What if he's a greedy scoundrel? What if he just wants to drain the oil company and leave behind a mess?"
Deputy General Manager Agatana was about to say something when General Manager Alexandra raised her hand to stop her and shook her head.
“I have to think about the workers. The previous bastard was finally thrown into prison. Do you expect Mosk’s investigation team to do it again? Everyone knows that the higher-ups don’t really care about our oilfield workers. They only care about whether we can produce barrels of oil… If I don’t do it, who will?”
Deputy General Manager Agatana was silent for a long time before whispering, "Shura, you're a good person... If you weren't so good, you might have been promoted to general manager long ago and gone to a better place, instead of wasting most of your life in the wasteland."
General Manager Alexandra looked up at the giant oil extraction equipment not far away, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"I have no regrets, nor do I have any remorse."
Meanwhile, at the front of the crowd, the young deputy general manager was enthusiastically introducing the personnel changes at the oil company to He Changyi.
"After the previous general manager was arrested for corruption, Ms. Alexandra became the new general manager. She was an exceptionally good person. She served as the deputy general manager for ten years without taking a single penny from the company. Mosk's investigation team found it unbelievable, but she really did not find any problems. So the higher-ups had no choice but to appoint her as general manager. After all, they couldn't find anyone who knew the oil company better than her."
He Changyi glanced at him, smiled slightly, and asked, "And then?"
Encouraged, the young deputy general manager, Paulshak, said even more enthusiastically, "The first thing Ms. Alexandra did after taking office was to pay all the back wages to the employees. It sounds like a good thing, and all the workers are praising her virtue. But the cost is that the company's working capital was almost depleted. We almost couldn't even afford to maintain the equipment, and the oil field almost stopped operating."
He sighed dramatically: “But the workers don’t care. They’re all busy praising Ms. Alexandra and even saying they hope the general manager is the one who will buy the company, not some other random guy—of course, I’m not talking about you, but that’s exactly what the workers are saying.”
He Changyi's expression was unreadable. Deputy General Manager Paulshak gave her a special look before continuing, "In short, in the current oil company, Ms. Alexandra is the only dictator."
Just then, the group arrived near the oil well and encountered the workers changing shifts.
A worker covered in oil shouted, "General Manager Alexandra, all members of the Fifth Team of the Second Oil Production Area send their greetings! We wish you good health!"
Wishing you continued good health!
The others followed suit, greeting the general manager in a cacophony of voices, with a few interspersed with greetings to Deputy General Manager Agatana.
General Manager Alexandra nodded in acknowledgment and, as was her habit, inquired about their work progress and any difficulties they had encountered. Deputy General Manager Agatana, quick-witted as ever, immediately tugged at the General Manager's sleeve and simultaneously reminded the workers:
"This is our company's new shareholder and new boss, Ms. He Changyi. Please get to know her and don't forget to say hello to her in the future."
"New shareholders? New owners?"
One of the workers spat rudely on the ground and said contemptuously, "What kind of boss? They're all damned capitalists. We're extracting oil for Russia, we don't need a piece of shit foreign boss!"
Deputy General Manager Paulshak immediately stepped forward and said sternly, "You are extremely rude! You should apologize to Miss He right now!"
Several workers, unconcerned, jokingly asked in a rough voice, "Where did your eggs go? Did the Chinese guy take them to cook?"
Deputy General Manager Bauershak was so angry that his face turned red, and he looked like he was about to have a stroke.
"I'm firing you all! I'm kicking your whole family out of the oil field! Go eat sawdust porridge and don't expect to get another penny of wages!"
The workers were furious, rolled up their sleeves, and surrounded them.
"I'll say it again, you testicleless pretty boy, I'll throw you into an oil well so you'll never see the sun rise again!"
The scene became chaotic, and several bodyguards hesitated whether to step forward to resolve the situation, but seeing that He Changyi had not given any instructions, they did not take any action.
In the end, it was General Manager Alexandra who separated the two groups.
"Stop!"
She glanced around, and the workers awkwardly stopped what they were doing. The crowd dispersed, revealing Deputy General Manager Paul Shak sprawled on the ground in a disheveled state.
His meticulously styled hair was ruined, his custom-made suit had several tears, and even one of his imported leather shoes was missing.
Deputy General Manager Agatana suppressed a laugh and reached out to pull him, but he shook her hand off.
“Ms. He, look at this! This is the company managed by Alexandra! There is no respect, no order. She is destroying your assets! You can't let her continue like this!”
The worker retorted, "Hey, what are you saying? Do you want to get beaten up again?!"
Deputy General Manager Agatana quickly stopped her, saying, "Shut up!"
She forced a smile and cautiously said to her boss, whose expression was ambiguous, "It was just a misunderstanding... Shura, no, Alexandra, she's very responsible..."
He Changyi interrupted her, saying only one sentence:
"I will make the judgment."
Despite still lying on the ground, Deputy General Manager Balshak wore a victorious expression.
After He Changyi and his group left, Deputy General Manager Agatana said dejectedly to General Manager Alexandra, "Today was really terrible. I don't think Miss He will have a very positive opinion of you..."
Before General Manager Alexandra could speak, Deputy General Manager Paulshak spoke first:
“Ms. Alexandra, it’s unfortunate, but it looks like you’ll have to find yourself a new job.”
He picked up his leather shoes from the ground, put them on, combed his hair, straightened his disheveled clothes, and said to General Manager Alexandra with a forced smile:
“I will take over your job, but as a qualified professional manager, my job objective is to seek the greatest benefit for shareholders. Unfortunately, we have never been able to reach an agreement on this point.”
General Manager Alexandra glanced at him and said calmly, "Then I wish you good luck."
Deputy General Manager Balshak turned and left triumphantly, leaving a clear shoe print on his back.
"Shura, we have to think of something, you can't just leave like this!"
Deputy General Manager Agatana said urgently, "We need you, the oil company needs you!"
In front of this old friend, General Manager Alexandra finally revealed some of her true emotions, saying somewhat dejectedly:
"I don't think Miss He will allow me to stay here any longer."
Deputy General Manager Agatana said urgently, "That's because she doesn't know how outstanding you are! If she knew you could double annual oil production, she would beg you to stay!"
General Manager Alexandra raised her hand to stop the other person from speaking, and said with a wry smile, "No, this has nothing to do with production volume."
She appeared extremely clear-headed and calm, without a trace of evasion, facing the inevitable failure of the future with equanimity.
“If I stay, she will doubt that she will ever be able to truly control the oil company.”
Deputy General Manager Agatana paused, then sighed after a long while, saying, "Shura..."
After a while, she rallied and exclaimed, "There must be a way! Shura, I'll find a way to keep you here no matter what!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the road, in the car leaving the oilfield, Mikhail asked He Changyi cryptically:
"Do you need to resolve the issue with that female general manager?"
"Solve what?"
He Changyi looked at the retired Cheka man in surprise and asked sincerely, "Dear Misha, I don't mean to offend you with your past education and work experience, but I am really curious about you. What kind of long-term training can cultivate this way of thinking?"
Mikhail's eyes widened, and he said somewhat aggrievedly, "That's prejudice! I just wanted to offer some constructive and reasonable suggestions."
Lermontov, sitting in the front row, couldn't help but interject: "Hey, Misha, you really don't look right. Who would want to 'take care of' an innocent lady?"
He then sought approval from Xie Xuejun, who was standing next to him: "Right?"
Xie Xuejun's Emei dialect has improved a lot. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "I can't understand it either. It sounds too..." He searched the dictionary and said, "It's too inhuman."
Mikhail complained, “Hey, I know you’re all veterans, but we’re colleagues now. You can’t try to exclude me because of my profession. Don’t bring your bullying tactics from the military here. I’m not going to shine shoes for anyone!”
The bodyguards in the car started protesting all at once, and He Changyi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Upon seeing this, Mikhail immediately shouted, "Shut up! You're all too noisy. Don't you see that Her Majesty the Empress needs quiet?"
Xie Xuejun: ...
He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help himself and whispered to Lermontov, "Do your Tsars also keep eunuchs?"
Lermontov: "What? What are you talking about, 'taijian'?"
Nikolai's voice came through the walkie-talkie, and he explained enthusiastically, "I know! It's castrated men! The emperors of the Kingdom of Zhong are really strange. They have the same hobby as the Ottoman tyrants, always studying the lower half of men."
He said with relief, "Fortunately, our queen does not share the same hobby."
Mikhail volunteered, "If needed, I can help. I got full marks in interrogation and battlefield first aid!"
He Changyi: ...
For the first time, she regretted installing the vehicle-mounted walkie-talkies; now, the entire convoy was arguing remotely via them.
"Never mind, let's talk about Ms. Alexandra instead."
Mikhail, that cunning fellow, immediately stopped the others and asked cooperatively, "I do have a question. That lady with glasses is controlling too much. Even if she's a good person, her presence will still be an obstacle for you."
He Changyi was extremely pleased, finally able to discuss more respectable topics instead of arguing about eggs.
"Ms. Alexandra is indeed a special case for oil companies. She may be a good person, or she may just be trying to cause me some trouble."
As Deputy General Manager Paulshak stated, the first thing General Manager Alexandra did after taking office was to squander all the money in the company's accounts. Apart from the minimum funds necessary to maintain production and operation, she left the new boss with not a single penny.
Although the oil field continues to produce oil, it will take a considerable amount of time to convert oil into cash. If any changes occur, the new owner will have to foot the bill out of his own pocket.
This certainly made He Changyi unhappy.
It wasn't because of what General Manager Alexandra did, but because she didn't leave the new boss any room for independent decision-making.
Whether the new boss who comes today is He Changyi or anyone else, they can only be forced to accept this reality, unless they intend to offend all the employees and forcibly take back the wages that have already been paid. However, the upgraded equipment cannot be turned back into the old equipment.
"General Manager Alexandra may just want to do some good deeds and doesn't care about the consequences, but..."
He Changyi shook her head and said calmly, "Now she has turned herself into a thorny problem."
Whether to keep General Manager Alexandra or replace her, each has its own troubles to deal with.
Keep her? Then He Changyi might be sidelined, becoming a mere figurehead controlling shareholder who wouldn't even know how much money the oil company could make, and would only be able to follow the manager's orders.
Replacing her? Then He Changyi would have to face the wrath of the oilfield workers. Perhaps they couldn't get past the heavy guards and cause her any real harm, but if they slacked off, delayed, or "accidentally" damaged a few expensive oil extraction equipment parts, it would cause considerable losses.
He Changyi sighed; it was truly a difficult choice.
Sometimes, good people who do good deeds are more troublesome than evil people who do bad deeds, at least when facing the latter, she can stand on the moral high ground.
Now, He Changyi has been forced to stand at the moral low point from the very beginning, looking up to this respectable yet despicable bespectacled lady.
Mikhail understood, his eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice, whispering to He Changyi, "I have another idea..."
His voice grew softer and softer, almost to the point of being breathless.
Lermontov, sitting in the front row, couldn't hear clearly. He tried to adjust his seat back as far as he could, and even with his ears sticking out, he only caught a few words: "address," "gold bars," "newspaper," and "insider."
He was completely confused, wondering what this had to do with oil companies.
The boss in the back row, expressionless, suddenly raised his hand and shoved Mikhail's little face aside.
"You really are a KGB agent."
Mikhail's face was distorted by He Changyi's push, but he still said with tenderness, "I am willing to serve you, by any means necessary..."
He Changyi finally lost his temper and roared:
"Can you think of a way to solve this huge problem of General Manager Alexandra by smearing her?"
It must be said that she sometimes overestimated Mr. Cheka's moral standards.
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