"Manager Li, you can't just make baseless accusations. Our company has strict rules, and no employee would dare violate them. Precisely because the penalties are so severe, we must be careful. While we can't let a single wrongdoer off the hook, we absolutely cannot wrongly accuse an innocent person.
They're inspecting stores together, not engaging in an inappropriate relationship. I can confirm that."
Li Lei looked at him. "I think this kind of behavior will affect their work. There's a reason your company's operational management standards are in free fall, and it's definitely because of people like Yang Hui."
Dan Biao said nothing. 'If the company had a few more people like Yang Hui,' he thought, 'our performance would probably double. Li Lei just doesn't get it.'
He had intended to badmouth Yang Hui, but seeing that Dan Biao showed no reaction, he feigned anger. "If your company is full of people like this, we won't dare to give you any more of our promotional resources. It would just be a waste. We might as well save them for other companies that actually need them."
Dan Biao could see what was happening now. This Li Lei must have a grudge against Yang Hui. He gave Li Lei a long, meaningful look.
'What a moron. You're trying to survive in the business world, yet you're picking a fight with President Tian's protégé? You want to take him down? You really have no idea what you're getting into.'
Seeing that Dan Biao wasn't taking the bait, Li Lei pressed on. "I think President Shan should consider this seriously. When I report back to our President Jia, I'll be sure to mention this. It's the main reason your operational standards are slipping. Later, if your boss meets with President Jia and they happen to discuss it, the consequences could be even greater."
His meaning was clear: If you don't deal with this and report it to your company, I'll keep telling my general manager that your operational management is a mess, and the main issue is supervisors having inappropriate relationships with their subordinates. If your boss and my general manager ever discuss this, it won't just be Yang Hui in hot water. You'll be implicated for covering for him.
Dan Biao pretended not to understand, but he was laughing on the inside.
'Go ahead and tell him. Let your GM say it. Li Yang will find out and react the exact same way I am: deny, deny, deny. How could Yang Hui possibly be having an inappropriate relationship? That's just him caring for his subordinate. It's the spring-like warmth between comrades.'
"Hey, isn't that President Jia?"
Dan Biao turned back again and saw President Jia of Wanlong Square striding purposefully toward Yang Hui with a broad smile on his face. He glanced over at Li Lei and noticed the man was surprisingly nervous.
'He always boasts about how much pull he has with President Jia, but his legs start shaking the moment he sees his boss. Looks like he's just another piece of trash.'
Dan Biao knew that Li Lei's direct superior was a Vice President of Business. But Li Lei always bragged about how much President Jia trusted him, acting as if his word carried more weight with the big boss than the VP's. Dan Biao had actually believed him, which was why he always came to Li Lei to discuss any collaborations with Wanlong Square.
Seeing him today, however, it seemed the reality was quite different from his boasts.
By now, President Jia had reached Yang Hui and proactively extended a hand for a handshake. They were too far away for Dan Biao to hear what they were saying, but he could tell they were chatting happily, like old friends.
The color drained from Li Lei's face. "He... How does he know President Jia?"
Dan Biao gave a wry smile. He understood what Li Lei was thinking: 'Dan Biao, you always come to me for things, so how does your subordinate know my big boss?'
President Jia and Yang Hui had, of course, met at one of President Tian's dinner parties. At those events, President Jia was relegated to a minor role; after all, there were far too many tycoons in Qingzhou more powerful than him.
Wanlong Square was a local project, and President Jia was not yet forty. If he wanted to advance his career, joining Xinyue Group would be his best bet, and President Tian was the key to that. Consequently, he made a deliberate effort to befriend Yang Hui, the young man President Tian clearly valued so highly at their dinners together.
"A Hui, you came to the mall! Why didn't you stop by my office? If I hadn't run into you by chance, I never would've known you were here."
Yang Hui smiled. "President Jia, I'm just here to inspect the store. I was about to leave, actually. I have to get back to the office for something."
After Yang Hui explained his current situation, President Jia realized he had moved to Futong Commerce. "Does Futong Commerce have many brands that partner with us?" he asked quickly. "Are you facing any difficulties? Is there anything I can help with?"
It was a shame Dan Biao wasn't there. If he had been, he would have definitely hoped Yang Hui could help him with his own problems. Unfortunately, Yang Hui was unaware, and even if he had been, he wasn't one to take on responsibilities that fell outside his job description.
"Well, things are okay," Yang Hui said. "Actually, regarding the Airex brand, would it be possible to get some '100 off 1000' consumer subsidy coupons? It would help drive sales. The performance pressure on my store here is pretty intense."
Hearing this, President Jia immediately agreed. "No problem. How about 100 coupons for this month? To be honest, during holiday promotions, our entire mall only gives out 1,000 coupons in total. We don't have any in the budget right now, but I'll pull some from the allocation for our next event and give them to you early.
And from now on, I'll set aside 100 for you every month. Will that be enough?"
It was a masterfully granted favor. He had highlighted his limited resources while still being incredibly generous. President Jia had really shown him respect. Overjoyed, Yang Hui thanked him profusely.
"Next time you come, you have to let me know in advance. We can grab a meal together."
"Yes, next time for sure."
President Jia clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, I have a meeting to get to, so I have to head up. I'll take care of arranging those subsidy coupons."
Once he was gone, Zhu Jing leaned in and whispered, "Sir, you're amazing."
A pleasant, fragrant scent wafted from her. "Amazing?" Yang Hui joked out of habit. "In what way?"
He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He had subconsciously flirted with his female subordinate again. Ever since she'd seen that text message from Liu Shasha, that image of him was already deeply ingrained in her mind. Zhu Jing clearly thought he was making such jokes on purpose.
"Sir, you're terrible," she said.
Just as he was awkwardly rubbing his chin, Zhu Jing added unexpectedly, "Sir, you're amazing in every way."
Feeling a bit guilty, he avoided her gaze. 'How does she know I'm amazing in every way? Could it be from that time she sat down... and had a deep... impression?'
"Let's go. To Uniqlo." She probably wanted to buy a few things. 'Didn't realize she was so frugal,' he thought.
Watching the familiar way President Jia treated Yang Hui, Li Lei couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
'Is he going to badmouth me? Did he just complain about me to President Jia? What if he did? I can't lose this job! It took me forever to finally make manager.'
Then, after President Jia left, he saw Yang Hui and Zhu Jing lean in close to talk. He saw the coy, bashful look on Zhu Jing's face. They were clearly flirting.
When Dan Biao saw this, he immediately turned his head and cleared his throat twice, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.
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