Chapter 2 The Morning After
Early the next morning, Luo Hao Cheng returned to his familiar office. A small mountain of documents sat on his desk.
Flipping through them one by one, he saw only two characters densely written on each: "Remit Money." Enraged, Luo Hao Cheng smashed the computer on his desk to the ground.
He called for his assistant for a long time, but no one came in. His temper flared even more. He rushed out of the office in his wheelchair and began to roar.
"Song Li Huai, where the hell are you? Do I have to come and fetch you personally? You'd better explain this to me clearly, what is going on?"
The entire floor instantly fell silent.
"Are you all mute? Where has everyone gone?"
Luo Hao Cheng looked at the empty seats and felt his anger intensify. It was one thing for them to be later than him, but they even dared to be late.
"Have HR fire all these people. Our company can't afford such big stars. They really think they're something special, not taking the company seriously and being openly late."
The HR supervisor silently stood up. The man adjusted his black-rimmed glasses.
"President, could you possibly fire me too?"
His legs trembled as he stood. He felt a chill wind blowing through the building, as if something unclean lurked within. He had submitted his resignation several times, but the former president had always suppressed it.
Now, looking at the president's empty leg, the bloody scene replayed in his mind again and again. Damn it, whoever wants this job can have it.
"What do you mean by that? Does the company somehow owe you?"
"Boss, I have elders above and children below. I want to live a few more years."
Several employees also stood up one after another. Luo Hao Cheng felt as if his face was being thrown on the ground and trampled.
"Just because I had a minor accident, you all are this terrified."
Everyone thought to themselves, the building is about to collapse, you idiotic president. Those who resigned have certainly secured their next moves.
Everyone sitting on this floor was a top performer in their industry. Those who hadn't stood up simply hadn't found their next employers yet.
"Fine, very fine. You ungrateful wretches, have you forgotten who gave you a meal in the first place? Anyone who wants to leave, get out. If you ever want to come back, there will be no opportunity."
Several people briskly packed their belongings and walked out. One person suddenly turned back, about to say something.
Luo Hao Cheng spoke first, "Hmph, regretting it now? It's too late to beg me."
"That's not it, Boss Luo Hao Cheng. I just wanted to ask if this month's salary will still be paid?"
Luo Hao Cheng's veins bulged with anger. "With such a large company as mine, can it really short you your meager wages?"
"Alright, thank you. I've recorded this. I hope you keep your promise and don't become a deadbeat." After saying that, he fled as if on wings.
Luo Hao Cheng suppressed his anger and asked, "Their ungrateful behavior, even if they change jobs elsewhere, their bosses will look down on them."
Everyone thought to themselves: "Who works just to be looked up to by their boss? We only recognize..."
"Why did he betray me too?" Luo Hao Cheng gripped the armrests of his wheelchair fiercely, his face contorted with rage.
"We don't know that either. Rumors are spreading fiercely outside lately. Offline products aren't selling, and the factory has a lot of accumulated inventory. The stores are losing money every day and can't hold on any longer."
"If they can't hold on, close them. What's the point of keeping such useless stores? They just keep asking the company for money, all of them are waste. Haven't you clarified it? Why is the impact so severe?"
Luo Hao Cheng had paid attention to the online sentiment at first, but looking at those videos and comments made him feel nauseous.
He thought they were just minor issues, and his father would surely resolve them, so he focused his attention on Zhao Yan Ran.
"The trending topics can't be removed, and the paid internet trolls are useless. Our official clarifications are not believed by the public at all."
Despite his anger, Luo Hao Cheng still needed to find a solution. The company now had no liquid funds, and the projects under development were heavily indebted to the bank.
Now, they either had to ask for investment to keep going, or find a way to sell off those things. With Luo Hao Cheng's pride, the first option was naturally out.
Selling houses was impossible, but various appliances, food, and daily necessities under his company could still be considered.
"Go and contact a few reliable influencer companies, change the names of the products, and try to sell them with new packaging."
"The former president already tried this. Those people all said we were deceiving consumers and returned everything. It was a waste of money, with no profit at all."
"Go and contact other companies. I don't believe no one will want them when our quality is evident."
Xu Xiang Zhi lowered her head, unsure what to say.
"Go quickly, what are you waiting for? Does the company feed you for nothing? Don't expect me to solve every problem."
Just then, Xu Xiang Zhi received a message. She politely greeted Luo Hao Cheng. After reading it, she felt her back straighten instantly and let out a long sigh of relief.
"President, I want to resign too."
"Are you crazy? Isn't the treatment at our company good?"
"President, let me tell you the truth, you are f***ing an idiot. The former president has tried all the methods that can be tried. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a cerebral hemorrhage and be lying in the hospital, unable to wake up."
"The longer we delay like this, the more debt you will incur in the future. It's better to quickly declare bankruptcy, let the court handle the auction, liquidate the assets, and pay off the wages and material costs that are due."
Xu Zhi Xiang patted his shoulder, "I'm not serving you anymore, you screaming chicken. This is my last piece of advice to you. If my salary doesn't arrive in my account by then, I'll become the plaintiff."
"You... you're rebelling against heaven?"
"Do you really think you're the king of the gods, you idiot."
After saying that, Xu Xiang Zhi walked away swaggeringly. Luo Hao Cheng was so angry that he swept everything around him to the ground. The remaining employees didn't dare to breathe.
He controlled his wheelchair and returned to his office, unable to comprehend why everything had turned out this way overnight.
Looking at the resignation letters on the desk, he numbly signed his approval. His pride would not allow him to be like a madman, breaking his word, and threatening a woman with the fact that she hadn't completed 30 days.