Chapter 23 Another tragedy, and one person bears the burden alone! ...
So the two young men cautiously retreated again, and at the same time pushed Jiang Zhengye forward, putting on a show of "better to die than the father."
Jiang Zhengye's heart sank instantly.
"Look at the two of you! What kind of men are you? Timid, cowardly, and hypocritical! You've disgraced the Jiang family! Like father, like son! You've ruined Old Jiang's reputation! You're not like Old Jiang's children at all!"
Jiang Miaomiao gave Jiang Zhengye a sweet treat, and then took the opportunity to hurl a torrent of abuse at him.
Although Jiang Zhengye favored his son, he found these words quite pleasing. Moreover, Jiang Miaomiao had just seized 2.5% of the shares from her second son's family to strengthen her control over the Jiang Group, and for a moment she forgot about standing up for her son.
He shook off his two unfilial sons' arms, strode over to Jiang Miaomiao, sat down beside her, and snorted twice through his nostrils: "Your sister is right, you two are indeed becoming more and more outrageous. So what if you got kicked? So what if you stepped on a nail?"
Jiang Bainian and Jiang Zhongming clutched their chests in anguish: "Dad!"
Why.
Even if it's outrageous, these two faces still bear a resemblance to his own when he was young, about six or seven points. Jiang Zhengye felt he should show some fatherly pity, so he said, "Alright, alright, hurry back to your room to take a shower and go to sleep. Learn from your elder sister in the future."
The two nearly coughed up blood: "Dad! You've betrayed us!"
Jiang Zhengye sneered, "Calling your ancestors won't do any good now. If you don't want to die, go back to your room."
The two men gritted their teeth and exchanged glances, the kind of look that said, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."
Only after the agreement was reached did he angrily go upstairs.
Jiang Zhengye muttered subconsciously, "Two brats who haven't even grown up yet, am I going to have no one to carry on my legacy?"
Jiang Miaomiao's expression darkened slightly.
She is not yet on Jiang Zhengye's radar.
She casually handed over a profit and loss statement. "This is the profit and loss statement of the Jiang Group's traditional industries for the past two years. I took a look, and the income is not high while the expenses are very high, especially employee salaries and advertising endorsements. You clearly know this, so why didn't you take any measures?"
Jiang Zhengye shrugged, unconcerned: "Employee salaries are a fixed expense, and we can't and shouldn't cut back on them. Otherwise, if word gets out, people will think our Jiang Group is going to go bankrupt! As for advertising endorsements, we can't skimp on those either. How can we gain fame without spending enough on advertising?"
Jiang Miaomiao said, "But the revenue is 1.2 billion, the expenditure is 800 million, and advertising endorsements account for 400 million. Haven't you thought about optimizing this expenditure ratio?"
"This is a decision made by operations and promotion. I don't care about the process, as long as the final result is that I can make money."
"If I can guarantee that the final profit will exceed 500 million, but there might be some minor setbacks in the process, would you allow that?"
Jiang Zhengye became wary: "What do you want?"
Jiang Miaomiao said simply, "To say goodbye to the old and welcome the new."
"That's it?" Jiang Zhengye asked doubtfully.
Jiang Miaomiao nodded: "That's settled."
"Fine." Jiang Zhengye shrugged. Which company doesn't lay off employees? Besides, "I'm only giving you two months to have some fun. Do you really think you can pull off something amazing?"
Jiang Miaomiao smiled without saying a word.
She knew that Jiang Bainian and Jiang Zhongming were being discharged from the hospital today, and that intimidation required resources...
***
After Jiang Miaomiao took over as acting director, she finally issued her first notice: replace all employees' computers.
Each employee was given a brand-new computer, and naturally no employee objected; everyone accepted it gladly.
Knowing the inside story, Liu Hongkai could only sigh inwardly that everyone had been used as guinea pigs without realizing it.
But he dared not make a fuss, because the technical department under his jurisdiction had been split into two groups by Jiang Miaomiao:
A small group of tight-lipped and capable people were secretly working with her to build an employee computer monitoring system.
The remaining majority of people, under the coordination of Liu Hongkai and the technical experts hired by Jiang Miaomiao at high salaries, worked to create a real online shopping system.
Of course, many more adjustments are being made quietly, but many people don't feel them strongly.
Until Jiang Miaomiao issued a second notice: the probationary period for employees was extended from three months to six months, and those who did not have a medical examination report upon joining the company would be considered to have automatically given up their offer.
At this point, some people began to realize that something was wrong.
Just as payday was approaching at the end of the month, they were surprised to find that their salaries, which hadn't changed in ages, had actually increased? And the increase was quite substantial? But some people not only didn't get a salary change, but also unexpectedly received a layoff notice with the reason for the layoff: incompetence!
The treatment changed drastically in a single day.
Some are happy, some are sad.
People who are extremely sad and angry will naturally demand an explanation. How can they accept being laid off suddenly after working at the company for a long time?
Ignoring the HR's attempts to calm them down, these people rushed to the top floor of the group building in an attempt to cause trouble. Fortunately, Jiang Miaomiao had arranged for security guards to be stationed at various passageways in advance.
Unable to find Jiang Miaomiao, they turned to Jiang Zhengye and Jiang Yaowu.
Jiang Yaowu was naturally overjoyed to see Jiang Miaomiao cause such a big mess. He would pretend to stand on the side of the employees and condemn her, but he would also imply that it was inconvenient for him to show up, after all, she was the daughter of the acting chairman and the big boss!
The laid-off employees, encouraged by him, naturally turned to Jiang Zhengye. Although Jiang Zhengye's whereabouts were constantly exposed by the media, the places he frequented were all high-end and classy, not places that ordinary people could enter, so they could only block the entrance and cause trouble.
However, when he learned everything, he was so frightened that he canceled the rare date with the movie queen and rushed to the company to settle accounts with Jiang Miaomiao.
After being discharged from the hospital, Jiang Bainian and Jiang Zhongming returned to the company and discovered that Jiang Miaomiao was attempting to establish a dictatorship under the guise of "acting chairman." They wanted to resist but lacked the power, so they resorted to underhanded tactics.
Now that Jiang Zhengye has appeared in a rage, it's clear he's there to settle scores with Jiang Miaomiao.
They quickly and swaggered after them.
Jiang Zhengye was stunned as soon as he entered his office, which had been completely transformed:
This office, which was once considered the most impressive in the city, with its indoor golf course, foosball table, and leather sofas—all exuding high-end sophistication—is now completely gone!
Instead, there are cheap internet cafe booths with shared tables, filled with a group of tech-savvy guys in T-shirts and flip-flops.
"Is this still my territory? Where is my 3.5-meter-long genuine leather sofa? Where is the most expensive golf club I bought at the auction?" Jiang Zhengye spun around in circles, and with a loud bang, it felt like a volcano erupted in his mind, causing the sky to collapse and the earth to crack. He fell backward on the spot.
His two sons quickly reached out to support him and pushed him back to his feet.
Jiang Zhengye snapped out of his daze, stomped his foot, and let out a hysterical roar: "Jiang Miaomiao!"
"Here."
A slender, delicate hand is raised amidst the pile of booths.
Jiang Miaomiao was wearing blue light blocking glasses and a black hoodie, blending in with the tech geeks, so she wasn't noticed for a while.
Jiang Zhengye was even angrier when he saw her shabby outfit.
He strode in, cursing, "You've caused so much trouble in just a few days? You not only laid off the entire operations department, but you also laid off a bunch of pregnant women? Don't you know that laying off pregnant women is a big no-no for companies! They've gone to labor arbitration, and we're guaranteed to lose. You, you, you're really trying to drive me crazy!"
"Old Jiang, do you think I'm breaking the law?"
Jiang Miaomiao responded absentmindedly, continuing to focus on the computer: "I have ample reasons for making this decision. It's too late for you to object now; the policy has been issued. If it's withdrawn, will the Jiang family still have any credibility?"
Jiang Zhengye's heart skipped a beat: "Then let me make this clear first, you're the one who caused all this trouble. If you can't clean it up, you'll have to take responsibility yourself!"
"Old Jiang, what you said really chills my heart." Jiang Miaomiao shook her head and chuckled, taking a sip of tea. "But it's fine, I'll take it."
Jiang Zhengye was still agitated, "But you absolutely cannot bear that responsibility!"
At this moment, Secretary Sui suddenly walked in. He was a little surprised to see the Jiang family all there, but he immediately said seriously, "Boss, Miss, those laid-off employees brought a large number of reporters here. They are now blocking the company building with banners and shouting, demanding that you come forward and explain."
Jiang Miaomiao nodded, "Then Secretary Sui, please arrange a place for them to sit. I'll change my clothes and then go downstairs to hold a press conference."
Secretary Sui nodded and made the arrangements immediately.
"Old Jiang, how about I handle things, and you just have a cup of tea here and wait for me?" Jiang Miaomiao said. Seeing Jiang Zhengye nod vigorously, she immediately grabbed the bag of clothes from under the table and went to the restroom.
She changed back into a sharp, fitted white suit, carefully styled her waist-length hair in front of the mirror, and her expression became slightly serious.
What a tragedy, and yet I have to shoulder the burden alone again!
.
A group of about a hundred people sat noisily in the conference room, waving a white banner with red lettering that read "Illegal layoffs, give us justice."
Several groups of media personnel carrying long lenses and short microphones walked around, handing microphones to crying pregnant women, swearing men, and restless people, and so on.
The live stream was conducted simultaneously, exposing the chaos here without any attempt to conceal it.
The layoffs at Dajiang Group have sparked even more discussion among outsiders.
Jiang Miaomiao knew very well that the layoff notice had just been issued yesterday, and the riots that broke out today were hard to imagine without someone instigating them.
As soon as she appeared with three colleagues from the legal department and two tech geeks, some people tried to break through the blockade and rush forward, but were forcibly held back by security guards.
They walked to the stage and sat down, each adjusting their microphones. Jiang Miaomiao spoke first: "Please be quiet for a moment. Please speak, and I will try my best to give a satisfactory answer."
"Pah! If you could give a satisfactory answer, why would you lay us off?" a pregnant woman shouted, sobbing. "I've poured my heart and soul into the company for years, and now I'm being fired the moment I get pregnant. We're all women, don't you have any humanity?"
The technician to Jiang Miaomiao's left glanced at the pregnant woman and immediately began typing on the keyboard.
“Okay, let’s summarize the questions one by one.” Jiang Miaomiao asked with a smile, glancing at the others: “Besides her, does anyone else have anything to say?”
A group of pregnant women were the first to chime in, "Yes! I was laid off as soon as I got pregnant, just like her." "I was laid off during my probationary period because I got pregnant? What company lays people off during their probationary period?"...
Jiang Miaomiao concluded, "This is still the same type of question. What about the others?"
Taking advantage of the presence of reporters, the remaining people quickly and angrily claimed that they had risked their lives for the company and that the company's layoffs were inhumane!
Some people also said they were not pregnant but were still laid off during their probation period!
Some even said the entire operations department was laid off, an unprecedented move!
After a while, a reporter interjected, "Ms. Jiang, may I ask why you made this decision?"
"The layoff rate is as high as 35%, which is unheard of in the port city's industry."
Is the Jiang Group facing a crisis recently? Is that why it's resorting to layoffs and cost-cutting measures?
"I heard that you issued these layoff policies. And you made these changes as soon as you returned to Hong Kong. Were they authorized by Boss Jiang and the others?"
Long guns and short cannons were all aimed at Jiang Miaomiao, and the questions were more and more sharp and incisive than the last.
Jiang Miaomiao listened calmly, while the five people around her kept their heads down, typing on their keyboards.
Only after they all nodded and said "okay" did she begin to smile: "Alright, everyone's finished speaking? Now it's my turn to speak on behalf of the Jiang Group. But I need to ask a question first. Those of you who were laid off should have received a layoff email from the group, which clearly stated the reasons for your layoff. So you think the reasons are invalid? That it's just an excuse the company is using to maliciously lay off employees?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cacophony of voices immediately erupted, agreeing with him.
Jiang Miaomiao gestured for silence. "Alright, I have a survey of employee office data here. Please take a look. During this time, I hope everyone will refrain from making noise!" She emphasized the last sentence.
The two technical staff sitting to her right had already identified her face and pulled up all the computer surveillance data of the laid-off person who was causing trouble, and then projected it onto the big screen on site.
The employees featured on the first page were specifically chosen from the pregnant woman who spoke first, using her recent 22 working days as a sample:
The company's chat tool can output 5,000 characters.
They spend an average of four hours a day browsing the external internet, mainly on videos, forums, and online communities.
21 days late, 21 days early, and less than six hours of work time per day;
Page 2: Employee attendance data:
The company's chat tool output 6,000 characters of text;
They spend an average of five hours a day browsing the external internet, mainly on videos, forums, and online communities.
20 days late, 3 hours of overtime per day (1.5 overtime pay);
Uploaded company data to unfamiliar websites 15 times;
Page 3: Employee attendance data:
The company's chat tool outputs 3,000 characters.
They spend an average of four hours a day browsing the external internet, mainly on videos, forums, and online communities.
15 days late, 21 days early departures, and less than six hours of work time per day;
Uploaded company data to unfamiliar websites 12 times;
...
Data for over a hundred employees is displayed one by one.
Those present could more or less see the problem: if 3,000 words are produced in 22 working days, doesn't that mean that only a little over 100 words are communicated with the company each day?
What kind of work can be explained in just over a hundred words?
Then watching videos, browsing forums, and playing on Baidu Tieba on the internet takes up half of my daily work time!
Spreading encrypted company data is strictly prohibited by every company! It constitutes illegal disclosure of confidential information!!
Jiang Miaomiao coldly said, "A month ago, Dajiang Group replaced the computers for its employees with the latest models and set up monitoring windows on each computer in accordance with corporate management requirements. All the above data comes from employees' daily operations and is absolutely true! Dajiang Group has never delayed salary payments or deducted salaries, so you should ask yourselves if the extent of your shirking responsibility is too much. However, Dajiang Group is people-oriented and is giving you the highest severance pay in the industry, 2N, plus a one-month grace period. It is very fair in terms of both reason and emotion..."
She glanced at the pregnant women, "...Dajiang Group has already increased its facilities such as mother and baby rooms and parent-child activity rooms, and has also specially approved a half-hour leave policy for breastfeeding mothers every day. All of this is to give the women in the company enough care. The reason you are being laid off is really not because you are pregnant!"
Then he looked at the people who were dismissed during their probation period: "...The law does not stipulate that people cannot be dismissed during their probation period! Especially those who falsified their medical examinations upon joining the company, bribed HR to get in through the back door, and started taking maternity leave or shirking their responsibilities as soon as they joined the company."
Her voice was icy, like a sharp knife grinding over the guilty operations department: "...Hiring pretty but empty-faced young idols for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars as spokespeople has proven once or twice that it has no impact on the company's profits, but time and again you show no remorse and even use company funds as bargaining chips for your own idol-chasing? Fire you all, and the company's operations and promotions will continue as usual!"
Jiang Miaomiao's implication was that those who were laid off had no real value to the company.
In just a few words, every sentence hit the nail on the head.
Those who were laid off had a lot to say before, but now they don't know how to refute it, and can only frown angrily, feeling quite depressed.
Jiang Miaomiao solemnly stated, "I hope everyone understands that running a company isn't charity. We pay employees, so naturally we expect them to produce results. Instead of causing trouble here, why don't you reflect on yourselves and learn from others—other pregnant women, other probationary employees—who weren't fired and even received raises? Da Jiang Group isn't short of money, but it is short of people. Therefore, those who remain have received promotions and raises at the end of this month based on their abilities and corresponding salary levels. As long as you have the ability, we won't lack good treatment. The company welcomes all kinds of talent, but we absolutely do not welcome people like you!"
The above is the statement from Dajiang Group.
I'll now give you ten minutes for a Q&A session. Please ask any questions you have. Even if I can't answer them, my colleagues can help.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
At this point, the laid-off employee feels guilty and dares not show his face again, for fear that if he is recognized, it will be difficult to find another job.
Only a few reporters questioned whether these measures complied with labor protection regulations. Jiang Miaomiao's legal colleagues were naturally able to provide the most professional answers to this question.
Finally, before the event ended, Jiang Miaomiao took the opportunity to advertise: "Originally, this was just a matter of restructuring the Dajiang Group, but I didn't expect it to cause such a stir and waste public resources. I am truly sorry! To show our sincerity, all skincare products sold at Dajiang Group counters will be on sale at an 8.8% discount for one week. You can log in to our newly developed official website, pay for the products, and then pick them up at the offline counters with the purchase code. No need to queue, and enjoy the discount."
...
Many news reports and short video pushes were playing Jiang Miaomiao's last words. Upon hearing about the limited-time 8.8% discount on department store items, many people instantly flocked to Dajiangxin's official website shopping mall to experience a smooth and comfortable online shopping experience.
At this moment, Tu Jiaojiao's small group was having fun because they were bored.
Although these people come from wealthy or powerful families, they have never been groomed as heirs by their families for various reasons. As a result, they have limited abilities and personality flaws. Their long-term habit of gathering to have fun has truly made them the second generation in the eyes of others.
Someone was playing a board game and lost. Suddenly, while scrolling through their phone, they came across Jiang Miaomiao's speech.
He recognized Jiang Miaomiao, who stood out among a group of people in black suits in the video. As if he had discovered some major secret, he quickly called out to Tu Jiaojiao: "Didn't you say she was a mistress who slept with an older man? But the news video calls her Miss Jiang!"
"Who is it?" Tu Jiaojiao didn't recognize the voice at first, but when she saw the person in the video, she snatched the phone away.
She replayed the video in disbelief, “If she really is the daughter of the Da Jiang Group, how could she have studied so hard for a few thousand yuan in scholarships back then? And even argued and broke up with Han Cuo over such a small amount of money? Xue Shaoyuan, you need to find that driver right now and make sure to call Jiang Miaomiao out tonight! I just don’t believe that her timid and poor appearance could possibly be that of a rich heiress.”
Xue Shaoyuan really wanted to say that he had routinely asked the driver every day before, and the answer was always no. Now... But Tu Jiaojiao was obsessed, so he had no choice but to ask again. But this time, the driver unexpectedly said: "Miss said she's free tonight."
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