Chapter 162: Chapter 34 Xiang Yunsheng: Sun Dasheng Has His Eyes on My Other Daughter?
"Ah!" Qian Qian exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "Isn’t the general manager the most senior person in the company? How can there be a boss above them?"
She was young and inexperienced, unfamiliar with the intricate workings of the corporate world.
"Our company was acquired by an investment firm. The big boss of that firm is *that* man, which makes him our big boss, too. Understand now?"
A surge of superiority swelled in Xiao Xiao’s chest. What an unsophisticated country bumpkin. Little did she know, she had been just the same when she first started her job.
「Late February.」
You You was the top streamer, the so-called "number one sister," of Xiaoju Technology’s live-streaming department. When she didn’t renew her contract and was poached by a rival company, word quickly spread.
The company headquarters, upon learning the news, were livid. They demanded an explanation from the live-streaming department.
An explanation?
"Headquarters wants an explanation from me, but before that, you’re all going to give me one," Xiang Yunsheng roared in the department meeting room, where all the managers were present. "Anyone who isn’t here can pack their things and get lost after this meeting is over!"
Facing the manager’s fury, his subordinates played dumb.
Xiang Yunsheng looked at the many empty seats, noticing the absence of many familiar faces, and a wave of powerlessness washed over him. His earlier outburst had just been an attempt to hide his own helplessness.
He truly had no solution for this. The competition has more money. They just wave wads of cash to poach your people, and you can’t offer raises to keep them. Of course, you’re helpless. Rely on empty promises? Who buys that anymore?
"Well? Has everyone lost their tongues?"
With no other choice, Xiang Yunsheng started calling on people by name.
"Guan Shan, you’re the deputy manager. You go first. Tell us what you think."
Guan Shan cursed inwardly, but he just smiled sheepishly. "Since Manager Xiang has asked me to speak, I’ll say a few words."
As soon as he started with that line, everyone below understood what was coming and promptly zoned out. As expected, he finished a long-winded speech full of the usual meaningless drivel, which was met with a round of enthusiastic applause.
Someone kept shouting "Well said!" though it was doubtful they even knew what was so good about it.
Xiang Yunsheng was speechless, yet he couldn’t say anything. After all, he often peddled the same kind of empty platitudes. Criticizing him would be like criticizing myself, wouldn’t it? I can’t do that.
He then called on a few others, but they had learned all the wrong lessons. Their speeches were even more hollow than the last, filled with politically correct nonsense.
Xiang Yunsheng finally couldn’t take it anymore. He rapped his knuckles on the table, silencing them.
With a pained expression, he said, "Everyone, our department is at a life-or-death crossroads. Can’t any of you offer a single constructive suggestion?"
Seeing the crowd remain unmoved, he continued, "Don’t think I’m being an alarmist. Let me give you some numbers. Departmental staff turnover has reached thirty percent, and these are all from key positions."
He nearly blurted out that the people who remained were the useless dregs that other companies hadn’t bothered to poach.
"Our biggest star, our main pillar, was poached. Viewership has plunged to less than twenty percent of what it was. That’s worse than being cut in half—it’s like we’ve been cut off at the knees! Wake up, everyone! If we can’t turn this situation around, our entire department is going to be ’reoptimized’ by the company."
The word ’reoptimized’ finally struck a nerve.
"Manager Xiang, this isn’t our fault! Why should we be the ones getting ’optimized’?" someone protested indignantly.
Another added calmly, "This is all because of inaction from upper management; it’s not our department’s fault. Manager Xiang, didn’t you already file a report? When other companies come poaching, our department doesn’t have the authority to grant raises. That decision has to come from the top. Now that our talent has been poached, they still haven’t come up with a single countermeasure. How is that our fault?"
These words resonated perfectly with Xiang Yunsheng. That’s exactly right.
He desperately wanted to applaud. But I can’t. There are spies from upper management in this room.So he could only put on a show and say, "That’s an extreme way of looking at it. The higher-ups have their reasons. They have to consider the entire company, not just one department."
A hush fell over the room. Since you’ve put it that way, what’s left for us to say?
Just then, a cell phone rang.
He cast a disapproving glance over the room. "Who didn’t silence their phone for the meeting?"
Let’s see who dared to ignore my instructions. I’ll make an example of them. At a critical time like this, I have to keep the team in line.
Unexpectedly, all eyes turned toward him.
"Manager, it’s your phone," his assistant reminded him.
Without a trace of embarrassment, he walked to the front row where his briefcase was, took out his phone, and his expression immediately changed to a smile when he saw the caller ID. He nodded and bowed slightly, deferentially saying "yes" several times into the phone. After hanging up, he put it back in his briefcase.
Leaving behind a curt "Meeting dismissed," he grabbed his briefcase and left.
The meeting room instantly erupted into chatter, the solemn atmosphere from moments before completely gone.
"Can you believe him? This is clearly his mess, but he wants us all to take the fall."
"Exactly! He was the one who proposed ’optimizing’ that batch of employees who were nearing the 35-year Big Barrier."
"Now that those people are successful elsewhere, they’re coming back for revenge, and he just hides in his shell like a coward. Zero sense of responsibility."
"Well, what do you expect? He got his position by riding his wife’s coattails."
"I always knew he was useless and only got here through connections. All show and no substance."
...
"I think our department could still be saved if the company fires him and makes Manager Guan the new general manager," someone suggested.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Guan Shan said. "I’m not cut out for the manager’s job. Being a deputy and helping out is the most I can do."