met free Chapter 5 The Tension at the Board of Directors
Chapter 5 The Tension at the Board of Directors
Zhang Zhishan squinted at her, "You seem to know him quite well. Did you two know each other before?"
"Back when I was in charge of recruiting a secretary for you in the HR department, his resume definitely had to go through me," Zeng Jia quickly came up with an excuse, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
"Resume? You'd better boast about it to the heavens!" Zhang Zhishan scoffed, his face full of disdain. "If I hire such a pretty face as a lackey, outsiders will think I'm not serious."
Zeng Jia pursed her lips, not daring to respond; any response would be offensive. She didn't dare to be distracted any longer, quickly picked up the meeting equipment, and cautiously followed behind Zhang Zhishan.
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Love can only survive in the cracks of the battlefield of interests: one couple secretly cherishes each other by the French windows, while another couple shatters their dignity on the conference table.
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In the top-floor conference room of Tianyi Group, the long mahogany table gleamed, but felt icy to the touch. Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li's men sat on either side, like the Chu-Han border. Zeng Jia huddled in the secretary's seat behind Zhang Zhishan, her back already damp with a thin layer of sweat. Who would have thought that on her very first day after being transferred, she would stumble upon a power struggle among the upper echelons? Her luck was incredible!
Across from them, Yu Li led a group of women, while Zhang Zhishan led a group of men, making it look like a battle between the Emei Sect and the Southern Shaolin. She was just a lowly henchman behind the abbot, and she had to be careful with her breath. But the air in the room was as thick as cold lard, and every breath she took was suffocating.
Zeng Jia secretly glanced across the room. Wang Haowen sat behind Yu Li, flipping through his notebook with a serious expression. His face was so tense it looked like a frozen donkey, and the veins on his fingers gripping the pen were bulging. Wang Haowen noticed her gaze, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Had he stumbled upon this trap on his first day at work? He should have taken ten nitroglycerin pills.
Before they could exchange another glance, Yu Li, her fingertips tracing the diamond ring on her ring finger, spoke first, "Today we have only one topic—after the strategic tightening, which direction should the company take?" She was concise and to the point, her gaze piercing Zhang Zhishan like an icicle, showing absolutely no affection between husband and wife.
Zhang Zhishan tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, his voice heavy as if a stone were pressing down on it. "This matter really can't be delayed any longer; if we drag it out any longer, all our users will leave. I've made the decision today: stop recruiting for high-end luxury goods for now, and shift all resources to small commodities. In the current economic climate, necessities are the real currency; they bring in repeat customers and quick returns."
Director Li, to his left, immediately chimed in, "Mr. Zhang is right. Last year, the repurchase rate in the lower-tier market increased by 12%, and the commission can be recovered in two months. High-end luxury brands invested nearly 2000 million yuan and only recruited twelve brands. The money spent on recruiting people is enough to buy an apartment."
"I object." Yu Li's tone was low but sharp. "Tightening your belt is like cutting off your own lifeline! The rich people's wallets aren't empty, and they're more brand-conscious. High-end luxury brands can take a 15% cut, which is five times that of small commodities. The money earned from each order can sustain the entire turnover. That's the right way."
Director Su nodded. "I agree with President Yu. The current market in lower-tier cities is already as volatile as Tianjin fried dough twists, with major platforms slashing prices so fiercely that profits are as thin as paper."
Yu Li pressed her advantage, "Therefore, high-end luxury is the only golden brand! Once you establish that brand, why worry about not being able to sell those tiny, low-priced commodities? You have to escape the quagmire of low-price competition!"
"What a load of rubbish!" Zhang Zhishan's voice exploded instantly. "Don't you know how difficult it is for high-end luxury brands to choose platforms like they're choosing a prince consort? Last time, they were so eager to get an authorization, spending half a year reviewing their qualifications, and in the end, they even complained that our platform's users were unsophisticated! If you keep messing around for another half a year, the platform's cash flow will dry up, and the company will go bankrupt!"
"Whose fault is this failure? It's all your fault for trying to do too much at once!" Yu Li's fingers clenched so tightly they turned white as she slammed her fist into the ground. "You put on over twenty miscellaneous categories all at once, and the inventory sitting in the warehouse is worth nearly ten million yuan. We even have to pay for the return shipping! And then, for Singles' Day, you insisted on offering the lowest prices, losing over three million yuan in the process. You were clinging to these cheap, low-quality goods that only made two yuan profit on fifty-yuan items. How could your cash flow not collapse?"
"Junk?" Zhang Zhishan's voice was grating. "Small commodities contribute 78% of our revenue and 90% of our profits—it's real money coming in. Your high-end after-sales service alone lost 150 million yuan; it's a bottomless pit. Yu Li, don't forget, we started with small commodities!"
"Starting a business doesn't mean you have to stick with a mess!"
Yu Li suddenly stood up, pointing her finger directly at Zhang Zhishan's nose. "Zhang Zhishan, the good old days of e-commerce are long gone. Staying stuck in this stagnant water will only drag the company down and into a fire. The company needs to make a big move; no one will stay here and cower like a turtle!"
The entire room fell into a sudden, deathly silence.
Zeng Jia's hand holding the pen trembled, her fingertips were icy cold.
She could clearly see Zhang Zhishan's chest heaving violently like a red-hot anvil, as if the Yellowstone volcano were about to erupt at any moment. Although she had heard that the two bosses were at odds, she never expected them to be at this level. It was like ice cones colliding with lava; if they didn't crush each other, they would burn on the spot!
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Zhishan had already grabbed a teacup and smashed it hard on the ground!
"Bang—!"
The porcelain shards crackled and popped. Zeng Jia felt a chill on her trouser leg and looked down to see that the hem of her trousers had been torn by the porcelain shards. Scalding hot tea had splashed all over Yu Li's trouser leg, and the dark brown tea stains had seeped into her crisp trousers, looking like a layer of ink had been poured on them.
"Grandma—Grandma—!" Zhang Zhishan's eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he poked Yu Li's nose with his blood-stained finger.
A look of surprise flashed across Yu Li's eyes. Wang Haowen quickly took a tissue to wipe her face, but she snatched it and wiped it herself.
Yu Li smoothed her hair, her voice icy cold: "Zhang Zhishan, what do you want? To fight me?"
"I want to bring you to your senses!" Zhang Zhishan's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, his suppressed anger churning in his throat. "This company doesn't belong to you alone; we both built it up together! We can't let you mess things up and throw everyone's livelihoods into the fire!"
"You're the one throwing yourself into the fire!" Yu Li's roar pierced the air. "You're the one clinging to outdated, broken models, watching helplessly as the platform falls behind the competition, destroying everyone's livelihoods! Zhang Zhishan, you're afraid of change, afraid of failure, you're a coward! Let me tell you, this company isn't just yours, it's mine too. If you want to destroy it, I'll be the first to object!!"
"Alright, since we've come this far, there's nothing more to discuss." Zhang Zhishan took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly turning resolute. "Empty talk is useless; let the results speak for themselves. Six months. Small businesses and high-end luxury goods will operate separately, with separate accounting for traffic and revenue. After six months, we'll compare how much our revenue has increased, how much we've earned, and how many customers we've retained. Whoever loses packs and gets out!"
The meeting room erupted in chaos.
Director Li hurriedly spoke up: "President Zhang, President Yu, isn't this too aggressive? Small commodities emphasize cost-effectiveness and efficiency, while high-end luxury goods emphasize brand and service. Separating them will only increase costs and be counterproductive!"
"Yes, let's discuss it again."
"Stop talking. How can we break this deadlock without being radical?" Zhang Zhishan waved his hand sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "What we need most right now is a clear direction. Instead of wasting time arguing here, let's use results to determine who's better and put them to the test."
Yu Li whispered to the female directors around her for a moment, then looked up and said, "I'm happy to oblige. I've already set up the operational framework for the high-end luxury line, and I'll personally oversee the subsequent business development and live streaming. I want to see if your cheap products can last for six months."
Zhang Zhishan glanced at Zeng Jia out of the corner of his eye, his meaning clear: Get it done quickly.
Almost simultaneously, Yu Li also looked at Wang Haowen, her tone calm yet domineering and authoritative.
Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen understood each other perfectly. When they stood up and looked at each other, they both saw the words "utterly hopeless" in each other's eyes.
These two are clearly going to sign a pledge, a do-or-die situation. With a boss like that, down payment? Marriage? Even keeping your job is uncertain.
Zeng Jia was only glad that she hadn't told the company about her relationship with Wang Haowen, otherwise she would definitely be the one packing her bags and leaving right now.