Ye Tiancheng never dreamed he would get into such big trouble. He really wanted to change this situation, to improve his abilities no matter what. If he had no abilities, he would achieve nothing in the future.
“So, thinking too much is useless because this world has already set limits for becoming such a person. After all, only a few people can undergo a complete transformation and leap into success. The cost of doing so is too great. Do you really want to do this?” The Great Green Snake was very worried. He was concerned about what price this fellow would pay if he forgot his original intention and broke free from his limitations. It was unimaginable.
This was a matter of no choice.
There was no other option, only one choice, and he had to do it. What he could do now was to elevate his own affairs to the realm he desired, and then accomplish the things he wanted to accomplish. These things seemed easy to do, but in reality, they were super difficult.
He was not worried about whether he could do it, or when he would do it, or what state he would become. No matter how great the risks were in the future, he had to bear and face them. Therefore, he smiled faintly at the other party, appearing completely unconcerned.
The Divine Stone said to the Great Green Snake, “Let him do whatever he wants. We just need to watch from the sidelines. Meddling too much will be of no use.” The Great Green Snake thought about it and felt it was true. Why should he bother with so many useless things? Many things were his own assumptions and wishful thinking.
After Ye Tiancheng sorted out these matters, he returned to his own space to continue building his thatched cottage.
About five days passed, and he had built an exquisite and magnificent thatched cottage villa. It looked very impressive. However, those who yearned for big cities and liked to live in high-rise buildings saw Ye Tiancheng’s thatched cottage and thought he was crazy. After all, thatched cottages were common everywhere in the countryside.
This made his mood very gloomy. But chatting with these people who didn’t understand him was meaningless, so saying nothing was the most meaningful thing. Thus, he remained silent.
“I don’t know why you’re like this, but I’m sure you must be very depressed, right?” Wang Xiaomiao suddenly appeared before him and said to Ye Tiancheng.
Seeing her appear, Ye Tiancheng asked her why she suddenly appeared before him, if there were any secrets she couldn’t tell, or anything she wanted him to know. He didn’t want to tell her these things or talk about these secrets. In the end, it was all meaningless. The only meaningful thing was to make him understand how terrible his current situation and position were.
“Saying anything now is useless. After a period of time, the only useful thing will be the workers you hired. Why is their efficiency so low?” What Ye Tiancheng wanted to ask Wang Xiaomiao was about the workers he hired. Why were they so incompetent, and why did they do things so sneakily?
The people Wang Xiaomiao hired were all elderly. Of course, they couldn’t work as well as young people. The population was becoming increasingly scarce, and there were no people willing to work. Most young people harbored the idea of getting rich overnight and doing nothing for a living. Everyone was restless and didn’t want to do jobs that paid only a few hundred or two to three hundred yuan a day. Such jobs were incredibly difficult for them because the money was not enough for their expenses.
“Of course, those who are being exploited won’t feel comfortable, because everyone wants to be superior to others and stand out in this field. This is not strange. However, they have not corrected their mindset. If they could prioritize what’s important, they wouldn’t have such thoughts, don’t you agree?”
“Saying so much is useless. This phenomenon has already occurred. Do you have any solutions?”
“Of course, there’s no solution. We can only go with the flow.” Ye Tiancheng said with a helpless expression, because he understood that many people had such ideas. What could he do? He could only operate according to the current situation, which was to dismiss any unqualified workers. This was because one person’s poor performance could cause a chain reaction and make everyone lazy. Therefore, the troublemaker had to be dealt with.
“Take me to see these unqualified workers and dismiss them. I don’t want these people loafing around here.” Ye Tiancheng clearly told Wang Xiaomiao.
Wang Xiaomiao had no choice. After all, Ye Tiancheng was the boss. As a subordinate, she had no right to stop him from doing what he wanted, so she could only let him.
When they arrived at the warehouse where the搬运工 (porters) were working, they were the people Wang Xiaomiao had hired.
Sun Dasheng was waiting for you here, directing these porters.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng arrive, this fellow ran over to greet him. After experiencing some events, he gradually understood that Ye Tiancheng was the most capable and reliable person. If he wanted to make a deal with Ye Tiancheng, it was best to please him, otherwise, he would have no place to be buried. After all, Ye Tiancheng was incredibly powerful.
Ye Tiancheng saw that the speed of these porters was that of the elderly, with some middle-aged people among them. The older ones were sixty or seventy years old. They couldn’t do this physical labor as well as strong and middle-aged men.
“Our country is a country that emphasizes efficiency. With this kind of efficiency, there is no meaning.”
“You are absolutely correct. With this, there is no efficiency at all. But if these elderly people lose their jobs, they will lose their livelihood,” Sun Dasheng said to Ye Tiancheng cautiously. He didn’t want to be a bad person. It was a very pleasant thing for a person to do good deeds for others in this world.
There is a saying: “Those who eat without commanding troops, and those who are righteous without controlling wealth.”
A boss has to live, not expect you to slack off. This is not beneficial to anyone. If his company collapses, not only will he fall into an abyss of eternal damnation, but these people will also lose their support.
“I didn’t expect it to be such a problem. This is really quite annoying.” Thinking of this, his mood became very gloomy and unpleasant.
He had already lost so much, so he didn’t care about losing more. For him, there was already a very grand plan that had appeared in his mind.
That was to immediately use artificial intelligence to solve this problem. However, the electrical wiring here was still the two-phase electricity from the 1970s and 1980s; there wasn’t even three-phase electricity.
“Let these elderly people become security guards. Those middle-aged people who are willing to be trained will be trained, and those who are not will also become security guards. We need to implement artificial intelligence.” Ye Tiancheng didn’t want to see this inefficiency, which was a death knell for the company.
Wang Xiaomiao certainly remembered Ye Tiancheng’s idea. She dared not object. Ye Tiancheng was her boss. If he was unhappy, she would have to bear the consequences. Of course, she could only meekly agree to Ye Tiancheng’s ideas.
“I didn’t expect it to end up like this. It’s really regrettable.” What was there to regret? Some things were just like that. If you understood, you would understand everything. If you didn’t understand, you wouldn’t understand at all.
“I know you have many questions about why I’m doing this. Our current era is an era of efficiency. Without consumption, there is no room for survival. Everyone is rushing to do things. You have to find ways to defeat others, otherwise, you will be defeated by others. Competition means we are fast. The ultimate martial art is speed.” Sitting there, he couldn’t help but look up at the sky, watching the clouds, his heart filled with complexity. He didn’t know if living in this era was good or bad. Many things were waiting for him to do. He was as busy as a spinning top every day and couldn’t stop. Once he stopped, it meant he couldn’t do anything. Therefore, he had to keep spinning like a top without stopping. Bosses seem to have infinite glory, but in reality, they bear immense pressure, just like ancient emperors. Although they have great power, they could easily hand over their throne to others if they are not careful.
“What can I do? If I don’t do this, I might starve to death. Do you want me to starve to death? If I don’t exist, no matter how hard you try, it will be useless. First, I have to ensure my own survival so that you can follow me and enjoy the good life. Therefore, every move requires rectification. Those who are too kind cannot be bosses. There must be clear rewards and punishments. Those who need to be dismissed must be dismissed. If you don’t want to leave here, you must work hard and transform your skills. It’s impossible for you to maintain your current state and live permanently…”
What Ye Tiancheng meant was that although he had the obligation and ability to support them, he did not have the obligation to support the lazy.
“This is truly heartless!”
“That is natural.”
Because he knew very well that if he didn’t do this, he himself would cease to exist and would be eliminated by others in fierce competition. To eliminate others, he had to be ruthless and carry out internal rectification. Although it was a bit heartless, it was extremely important for the whole. Since it was a very important matter, he had to continue without reservation.
“What can I do? Who told me I’m like this?” He smiled faintly at the other party, a helpless expression on his face. This expression made the other party feel helpless, but at the same time, they felt relieved. Because if he didn’t do this, there would definitely be greater crises in their company in the future, and they would still have to leave and find jobs elsewhere. Therefore, they were a whole; if one suffered, all suffered; if one prospered, all prospered.
“Everyone who has worked for three years will receive a share of stock, divided according to their contribution.” He felt that doing this was the right thing. If he didn’t do this, there would be no way for them to survive. All the matters were already laid out. As for how to proceed, everyone knew it clearly, and Ye Tiancheng didn’t need to say anything more.
What Ye Tiancheng definitely needed to change was the power grid. This cost would have to be borne by him. During negotiations, the other party demanded that he pay 500,000 yuan to complete the three-phase power renovation.
Ye Tiancheng felt it was too much of a rip-off. Generally, the power grid should bear the cost of supporting enterprises. However, they said that without this policy, they would not extend the power grid.
As the saying goes, the common people cannot fight against officials, so naturally, they have to choose to bow down. Because he had been too assertive recently and had done things that harmed his interests, businessmen should resolve conflicts rather than create them. Therefore, when it was time to bow down, he had to bow down. He agreed to give them 600,000 yuan, with the extra 100,000 yuan as a tip. The people who were extending the power grid agreed with this approach, as after all, “everyone is busy for profit, and everyone is bustling for profit.” As long as there was profit to be made, they would naturally not refuse such benefits. With the extra money, they worked very diligently, and the three-phase power renovation was quickly completed. Industrial electricity is a very powerful form of electricity. The two-phase electricity in rural areas is not suitable for industrial use at all. After the power grid renovation was completed, engineers would need to install artificial intelligence operating programs.
To find artificial intelligence, he naturally had to go to the provincial capital. The county town didn’t have such technology, so they wouldn’t listen to him. He headed to the provincial capital and went to Changcheng Company, where he began to inquire about large-scale mechanical artificial intelligence handling.
After searching around, he found a well-known brand, but they were not willing to meet with small clients like him because they only dealt with very well-known companies. A single project from these companies was enough for them to eat for half a year. For a small company like Ye Tiancheng’s, installing just a small program and machinery made them feel the profit was too low and they were unwilling to cooperate. After being rejected, Ye Tiancheng was very depressed. As he walked dejectedly onto the road, a white car suddenly sped towards him and crashed into him with a loud bang.
Ye Tiancheng was a cultivator, so he was not sent flying by this force. At that instant, he stood as still as an iron pillar. The car’s hood was dented. The driver, startled, quickly got out of the car and asked if he was alright. Ye Tiancheng then saw that the driver was a woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She was very delicate, not beautiful, but she gave off a different feeling. Ye Tiancheng glanced at her and said, “Why are you in such a hurry? You even drove onto the sidewalk! You are violating traffic rules, and your license will be revoked. If something had happened to me, you would be in jail.”
The woman appeared very helpless, her face filled with terror. She seemed to have something difficult to say. Seeing the expression on her face, Ye Tiancheng’s anger immediately disappeared. He then said in a gentle tone, “I’m fine. It’s good that you’re fine. If you don’t have money to repair the car, here’s 20,000 yuan. Go to the parking lot and get it repaired.”
“I’m truly sorry. I was thinking about something while driving. Our company has been in a very bad state recently due to the global economic downturn. Our company is also struggling. You know that the global economic decline is a fatal blow to small companies. Large companies naturally have their fixed orders and fixed customers and don’t have to worry. But for small companies like ours, even if the bank offers many loan facilities, if we don’t have good orders, we can only borrow from Peter to pay Paul, surviving with great difficulty…”
Ye Tiancheng found it strange. He had only just met her, and she was already talking to him like an old friend. This was not how a female boss would speak. Talking so much was nothing more than complaining. Was she so lonely that she didn’t even have anyone to complain to? This made him extremely astonished.
“I’m sorry for saying so many ridiculous things. Please bear with me.” The woman knew she had said too much, like a nagging wife. She gave an embarrassed smile. Ye Tiancheng didn’t mind because he had also experienced days of poverty, like when he was implicated by Hou Ming in the development of land in Xiaohe Village. Those were days of extreme poverty, where he had to tighten his belt. Therefore, he had some sympathy and understanding for the poor, even though his heart had turned to stone over the years. But when he saw the poor, his heart inexplicably stirred with many thoughts.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to find a way to help these people.
“What do you do? Recently, I have a project that is about intelligent warehousing and handling robots, as well as related supporting equipment. If you have anything, you can help me with it, or if you know anyone, you can introduce them to me. I can give you a commission.” The woman was stunned by Ye Tiancheng’s generosity. Seeing her silence, Ye Tiancheng quickly asked, “Judging by your expression, it seems like you might have a lead?”
“It’s like the Dragon King’s temple being flooded by the sea. I’ve been desperately looking for such a project, and unexpectedly, this project has come to my doorstep. I’m so happy!” She started to laugh, so innocent and lively, like a clear spring in the mountains. Perhaps it was difficult to find such a girl in this world, or perhaps it was her simplicity that caused her to suffer many losses in the business world. If she became a little more cunning in this world, earning money would be impossible. In this era of moral decay where people are only after profit, adhering to those old ideas would make it impossible to survive.
To survive in this wolf-like world, one must become a wolf or a tiger. If one cannot become such a person, one will eventually be devoured by these wolf-like people.
“From your face, I can tell you are a very pure girl. Living in this wolf-like jungle is very dangerous for you. That you have survived until today is truly a miracle from heaven.” Seeing the pure expression on her face, Ye Tiancheng couldn’t help but sigh with a smile.
“What can I do? From childhood, the education I received was brainwashing. So, when I grew up, it’s hard to change my nature. Meeting you and being able to survive is enough. Let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s get straight to the point.” The woman said to him with a smile.