Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 030

Chapter 30 ☆, The Biggest Taboo in the Workplace: Offending Bad People.

Before she was twenty-five, Xin Xin wouldn’t have minded a fraught, fruitless relationship.

But now, at thirty, facing sudden heartbreak and disappointment, she felt more fear and unease than enthusiastic acceptance.

Xin Xin trusted Zheng Zaochuan on every level except emotionally, where she was unimpressed by his notorious past.

When Zheng Zaochuan raised the question, Xin Xin flatly refused to pursue it, severing his inappropriate flirtation: “Zheng Zaochuan, everyone grows up. You will, and so will I. We can’t all just play house our whole lives.”

Zheng Zaochuan seemed confused.

Xin Xin struggled to explain, “Zheng Zaochuan, you’re a valuable client of mine and a long-time friend. We used to be able to help each other and be very close, but you have to understand that one day I’ll have a boyfriend and get married. No matter how innocent our relationship may be, we can’t maintain our current relationship.”

Zheng Zaochuan completely missed the point of Xin Xin’s words and angrily said, “Are you breaking up with me over that fat kid?”

Xin Xin was at a loss for words. “It has nothing to do with Gao Ling. What I mean is that, whether you or me, one day we’ll have someone closer than we are. Much closer. We can’t rely on each other as if we’re always there, like we do now.”

Zheng Zaochuan stood there, stunned, like a confused child.

He felt a little angry. For him, no matter who was around him, he had never concealed the existence of Xin Xin. In his world, Xin Xin was like an eternal and unchanging coordinate. After all the ups and downs, Xin Xin still remained.

He had never defined his relationship with Xin Xin, but he took it for granted, even needing no explanation.

But now, Xin Xin told him bluntly that she would not be the unchanging person in his world.

“No matter who I was with, I never considered distancing myself from you. “

Xin Xin understood Zheng Zaochuan. Men like him had so many choices that they never took women seriously. He was gentle and kind to you, but he always cared only about himself. When any woman began to demand more of his affection and attention, he would tell her, “So long, I won’t say goodbye.”

Xin Xin felt she could be his friend, but Zheng Zaochuan clearly didn’t want her to be just an ordinary friend.

But she needed a normal relationship. And that normal relationship was something Zheng Zaochuan couldn’t give her.

They couldn’t be open friends, nor could they be close lovers.

This was probably the outcome of all adult friendships.

Xin Xin patiently explained, “I need more than just someone by my side, someone to help me when I’m in trouble. I need someone who belongs only to me, and to whom I only belong. I can make demands on them without restraint, I can be jealous without restraint, and I can tell them that they can only be with me. Zheng Zaochuan, if I need someone like that, I must give them the same attention.”

Zheng Zaochuan instantly conjured up a multitude of scenarios. He imagined Xin Xin’s unbridled and capricious behavior in front of another person, revealing her irrationality and unreasonable behavior, acting like a spoiled child, kissing, and hugging.

Then, when Zheng Zaochuan went to see her, she would politely but distantly tell him, “I’m busy. See you later.”

Zheng Zaochuan shuddered. He didn’t want his relationship with Xin Xin to become like this.

But what if it went any further? He was terrified. He feared Xin Xin would become the woman who would get up in the dark of night to peek at his phone and then, with resentment and hatred, ask him who the new friends in his address book were.

Xin Xin had long anticipated Zheng Zaochuan’s reaction; it had always been the same. True, Zheng Zaochuan was a brilliant entrepreneur, full of ideas and ideals, ambitious, and thoughtful.

But emotionally, he was childish and irresponsible. Zheng Zaochuan was a jerk.

Zheng Zaochuan didn’t react to Xin Xin’s argument, and Xin Xin wasn’t affected by him either. She left the living room to Zheng Zaochuan and went to sleep.

Zheng Zaochuan could rest and not work, but she couldn’t.

And soon, she was in big trouble, so big that she had no time to care about the minor annoyances Zheng Zaochuan caused.

Ever since Yang Rui started to crack down on discipline, everyone in the company, young and old, men and women, had to follow his standards for exercise during breaks.

If your posture wasn’t correct, you’d be penalized unnecessarily.

If you were late for the exercise, you’d lose points.

If you were two minutes late for the exercise, you’d lose points.

Most outrageously, his method of deducting points was a collective punishment system. If anyone in a department disobeyed the rule, everyone else would be fined, and the department head would be deducted 1.5 times the amount.

Rose asked Xin Xin for leave, saying she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t complete the exercise.

Xin Xin pressed her, but Rose wouldn’t say. Seeing her pale face, Xin Xin saw she was truly in distress. She suspected it might be a gynecological issue that was making it difficult for her to speak, so she decided to bear the pressure herself. Yang Rui tried to ask for leave from Yang Rui.

Yang Rui used a variety of soft and hard tactics, achieving some success. Some department heads would offer him benefits, overtly or covertly, but Xin Xin remained businesslike.

He suspected Xin Xin of secretly looking down on him and therefore was particularly strict with the people in her department.

Xin Xin had originally intended to use a more gentle approach to request leave for Rose, but after a few words, the two of them erupted in an argument.

“Xin Xin, don’t disobey company regulations. If you refuse to allow your staff to complete the formalities, I will count her as absent.”

Xin Xin was so angry that she lost all her sanity. “Rose has never been late for work in years, and she’s done her daily work well. Why should someone else be counted as absent because of a break? Show me the company rules, or I’ll report this to General Manager Chen. “

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Rui’s face turned green. Without a word, he went to General Manager Chen to report Xin Xin.

Although General Manager Chen wasn’t particularly kind to Yang Rui, he was her deputy after all, and he still had to maintain the team’s authority.

The matter ended with Xin Xin and Rose each having their performance deductions for half a month.

Xin Xin was fine, mainly due to her depression. But for Rose, besides the emotional damage, there was also financial loss. According to Rose, both her mother and mother-in-law had long-term chronic illnesses, requiring care for the children at home and substantial medical expenses for the family. Life was tight, and every penny counted.

Previously, Xin Xin’s tolerance for Rose stemmed from empathy for her difficult life.

But because she had lost the confrontation with Yang Rui, not only did Xin Xin follow suit, but Rose herself also found it difficult to bear the consequences.

Xin Xin had no choice but to explain the whole story to Rose. “Ms. Rose, how about going to the hospital to get a certificate? Let’s go through the sick leave procedures and not use this as an excuse.”

Rose’s face paled, and after a moment, she gritted her teeth and said to Xin Xin, “Ms. Xin, I’m telling you this because I trust you. You’ve heard that headquarters is rolling out a plan recently: on the one hand, there will be a collective salary cut across the financial industry, and on the other hand, some employees will be laid off.”

Xin Xin was stunned. She had heard these rumors, but they were, after all, just rumors, and the source of the controversy stemmed from employees at other financial companies posting their salaries, sparking public outcry. Various companies were implementing rectification measures.

She optimistically believed it was just a formality, so she didn’t believe it. “These are just rumors. Don’t worry about them. You still have to take sick leave.”

Rose gave a wry smile. “Even if I ask for a long leave, the company won’t approve it. Even if it does, I’ll probably be fired.” As she spoke, as if to comfort Xin Xin and herself, she feigned a casual air: “Since Yang Rui wants this, I’ll just do the exercises during the break. He’s now using a feather as a token of authority, enjoying his role as Grand Chamberlain. I wonder how long he’ll be so proud.”

Xin Xin felt uneasy, but there was really nothing she could do. She could only leave it alone for now.

The first thing she did when she got home was to tell Zheng Zaochuan everything. Zheng Zaochuan had been staying at Xin Xin’s house for several days, not really going to work, strolling around the company before returning home to play games.

“You shouldn’t have offended a villain like Yang Rui.”

Xin Xin regretted her decision, feeling unlucky to have met Yang Rui.

Suspecting Rose was the victim of a plot against her by her own men, Xin Xin felt a little guilty. “Right? I knew Yang Rui was a villain, but why couldn’t I just hold back? Why did we end up arguing?”

Zheng Zaochuan put down his game, looked at Xin Xin, and smiled. “It’s not your fault, either. I’m the same way. I had a huge argument with the board of directors, and I might be kicked out of the company in a couple of days.”

Xin Xin was shocked. “Your 45% stake will be gone too?”

Zheng Zaochuan sighed. “I was careless. I got set up. Su Chengjie had been secretly acquiring shares from small shareholders and retail investors. He persuaded Mr. Chen, and he might sell his shares to him.”

Xin Xin had long known that Hanhai Group’s shares were dispersed. Su Chengjie was Zheng Zaochuan’s earliest strategic investor. He had admired Zheng Zaochuan greatly in his early years, and that was a given; otherwise, who would invest so much money in a small company that couldn’t even get listed on the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM)?

But over the years, due to their differing business philosophies, the conflict between the two had intensified. Xin Xin knew that Zheng Zaochuan was a very courageous man. It was precisely because of his ability and charisma, which heavily influenced his market control and product development, that Hanhai achieved its current success.

But Su Chengjie’s personality was different. He was a very cautious person, yet also quite cunning.

Xin Xin had studied several of Su Chengjie’s acquisitions, and almost all of them bordered on the gray area of ​​hostile takeovers, and this one was no exception. He had done it so covertly that even Zheng Zaochuan didn’t notice.

She had only one feeling about Su Chengjie: he possessed a kind of quiet evil. Compared to him, Yang Rui could only be considered a superficial villain.

But Xin Xin didn’t understand what benefit he would gain by kicking Zheng Zaochuan out.

Zheng Zaochuan sighed. “Hanhai has already grown strong. The founder’s presence or absence won’t affect its continued growth. He can replace me with an obedient CEO, kick me out, and consolidate his power, killing two birds with one stone.”

Xin Xin sighed, feeling as if she and Zheng Zaochuan were in the same boat. But then she thought, even if he wasn’t CEO, Zheng Zaochuan was still a damned bourgeois.

Xin Xin’s sympathy for his suffering faded slightly. “Then go back to your home of several hundred square meters and fight it out on your own. I’ll regroup and deal with my big problem.”

Zheng Zaochuan refused. “No, I can’t afford to lose face. I’m about to lose my job. What if someone from the company comes to my house just to see me down? I’ll hide here with you, where no one can find me. I won’t make a fool of myself. If I have to cry, I’ll only cry in front of you.”

He put on a puppy-like expression of grievance, then spoke very positively. “Don’t worry, I’ve been free lately anyway. I’ll clean your room and cook for you every day. You keep fighting your office battles, and I’ll do the housework for you. Perfect, right?”

Xin Xin was amused by his words and decided not to expel him for now. “Okay, let’s see what three dishes and one soup you can come up with.”

Zheng Zaochuan obeyed. From that day on, he served three dishes and one soup every day.