Climbing the Career Ladder - -

Liu Yun was sent back to Beijing alone. Although the young girl was reluctant, Li Mengze managed to convince her with a mix of cajoling and promises of benefits, emphasizing the importance of this trip, which eventually persuaded her to return.

Li Mengze could not afford any delay and headed straight to Li Yudong’s residence. Li Yudong was very straightforward and did not even ask how much money was involved. It seemed to him they might be going into partnership. Once he heard the phrase “a substantial amount,” he agreed immediately.

Li Yudong also wanted to leave Uchida Company. Although the incident was not severe enough to drastically affect his job, after working there for four years, he was ready for a change. The two agreed to resign simultaneously once the company stabilized and to recruit a few capable colleagues from there.

Xu Peng was mentally prepared for Li Mengze’s second visit but was still surprised by what he heard. He looked at Li Mengze incredulously, unable to imagine him making a move so swiftly.

“So, you knew about Haisheng starting a company too? Did Teacher Jiang tell you?” Xu Peng asked, sure that Li Mengze was not just making things up, and knowing well that Teacher Jiang was someone who would tell everything as it is.

“I can calculate exactly how much money Chen Haisheng has,” Li Mengze said dismissively of Chen Haisheng, especially in front of his friend Xu Peng, who also had no fondness for Chen.

“Really? How could you possibly know that?” Xu Peng was genuinely surprised, curious about how Li Mengze had come by this information.

“You know, our class was not wealthy back then, hardly anyone’s family had money. Chen Haisheng’s family was relatively well-off, but that doesn’t mean they could just pull out a large sum on a whim. If he was really rich, he would have started his own business long ago instead of working for others. The fact that he’s waited until now just shows that he couldn’t secure that much money initially. Now, I guess he could gather around 10 million yuan, maybe up to 30 million yuan at most. Don’t ask me where I got this information.”

Li Mengze confidently stated, having learned from Shi Jun that Chen Xiaochong was incredibly supportive of Chen Haisheng, even more so than his own daughter, and it was absolutely possible for him to help his nephew with tens of millions, although the amount wouldn’t be huge since Chen Haisheng was still in the entrepreneurial phase, especially lacking experience.

“Damn, 10 million yuan is still not enough! Are you blinded by jealousy?” Xu Peng was taken aback.

“10 million yuan is nothing; it’s actually a gift from me. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have been able to get even 1 million yuan,” Li Mengze spoke without restraint, needing to bolster Xu Peng’s courage. Money is a person’s courage, and with it, one dares to forge ahead.

As Li Mengze spoke, he gave no thought to the disastrous losses he had caused others by dumping Wansheng company’s stocks-a fact he would never admit in his lifetime.

“So, you’re saying you’re rich, even richer than Chen Haisheng?” Xu Peng asked, his tone somewhat excited.

“I have money, but that doesn’t mean you do, or that I can spend it freely. What I need now is someone who can make use of money for me, to take on the heavy lifting!” Li Mengze stated, without giving too much of an explanation.

“I believe you, and I’ll work for you. You won’t let me down. But what can I actually do for you?” Xu Peng inquired.

“We don’t have a strong foundation, and going into industry won’t work. Let’s find something easier to handle. There are plenty of unfinished buildings in the city. We could take them over, fix them up, and I reckon we could make some money. Most importantly, we need to establish a good team to prepare for future development,” Li Mengze had long had plans, having spent the past few years in Tianjin, witnessing and contemplating many things, it seemed as if his ideas from years ago were still vivid on paper.

“You’ll need to find some people for me, though!” Xu Peng listened to him seriously and figured that was the plan.

“Let’s invite my girlfriend to have dinner with us-she’s in management and knows much more than the two of us,” Xu Peng gladly agreed, seeing it as a great opportunity.

The three of them had dinner together, which was, of course, hosted by Li Mengze. They chatted while they ate.

Xu Peng’s girlfriend, Li Lin, was somewhat shy but knew far more than the two of them. It seemed that she was challenging Li Mengze, perhaps to prevent Xu Peng from getting stuck in a quagmire, especially since these days you can’t always rely on friends. With her myriad of peculiar questions, Li Mengze slowly laid out all he could offer and eventually managed to pass her test.

On Monday, Li Mengze drove Zhang Xiaoqing to the company. She had been staying at his place since the day before. He was going to the HR department to submit his resignation letter. Since he hadn’t been with the company for long, he hadn’t made any significant contributions and frequently took time off. Especially in recent months, he either took two days off one day, three days off the next, or showed up late on Monday and left early on Friday. As a result, the management had long been dissatisfied with him. Fortunately, he had Li Yudong covering for him; otherwise, he would have been fired a long time ago. Now that he was resigning voluntarily, the person in charge was relieved that this troublesome guy was finally leaving.

If Li Mengze had known the company felt this way, he would not have resigned. However, he wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway, since the section chief had received Li Yudong’s resignation.

The section chief, puzzled by receiving Li Yudong’s resignation, thought it was good that Li Mengze was resigning but couldn’t bear to lose Li Yudong as well. It was essential to try and retain him, as employees like Li Yudong are not easily replaced.

Li Mengze stood next to the two section chiefs, watching them with a smile, until finally the HR section chief said, “The company sincerely requests that both of you continue working with us.”

“Alright, as long as you fire the director, we’ll stay; if the director stays, we go,” Li Mengze said.

Xu Peng and Li Lin also submitted their resignations to the school. Of course, their departure from the school was much smoother and friendlier, the only downside being the loss of free housing.

Li Mengze couldn’t afford to delay. He quit his job at Uchida Company and rushed back to Beijing that very morning. He needed to persuade Wang Zhaoyun. Although Xu Peng had already given her a heads-up, some things just couldn’t be clarified over the phone. This required his personal involvement, showing how much he valued the matter. After all, it was about supporting his two friends-one does not just look at the monk’s face, but also at the Buddha’s.

Li Mengze didn’t care whether Wang Zhaoyun was still at work; he barged into her office, only to understand why she dared to refuse the offer from Guangzhou.

Li Mengze wasn’t sure what position Wang Zhaoyun currently held, but he could guess why she wouldn’t move to Guangzhou.

In Wang Zhaoyun’s office, there was only her, a comfortable desk and chair, and complete office facilities-a testament to the office of a successful person!

Wang Zhaoyun wasn’t surprised by Li Mengze’s visit, as Xu Peng had already informed her. She was curious to see how Li Mengze planned to persuade her, wanting to know what kind of leverage he had. She was very interested in what had happened to him recently. Of course, friends are friends, but without sufficient capabilities, negotiations would falter.

“Zhaoyun, seeing you sit there so comfortably, it looks like I’ll have to put on quite a show,” Li Mengze said with a smile.

“Look, you’ve never been one to make reckless comments. But you also know that it hasn’t been easy for me to get to where I am today, and not many people can achieve this position. Asking me to resign all of a sudden isn’t that simple. We have our friendship, but we need to lay everything out on the table when it comes to business.”

Wang Zhaoyun’s face was tense; she had already turned down Chen Haisheng’s offer, and she wasn’t afraid to reject Li Mengze either!

“Let’s start with why you refused Haisheng’s invitation. Were you tempted?” Li Mengze asked.

“There’s no need to hide anything here. I was tempted, but I decided not to go,” Wang Zhaoyun admitted honestly.

“I’ll explain the reasons. First, I wasn’t confident about Haisheng’s backing. Second, I didn’t want to leave Beijing,” Li Mengze explained, sharing the conclusion he and Xu Peng had reached.

“That’s right, those are the reasons. Also, my girlfriend doesn’t want me to go to Guangzhou; it’s too far from Beijing,” Wang Zhaoyun added.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a young woman entering. She glanced at Li Mengze, walked over to the desk, placed a stack of reports, said, “These are last week’s records,” and then left. The two continued their previous conversation.

“How strong is your company financially?” Li Mengze asked casually.

“As far as I know, it’s about 20 to 30 billion yuan; this is just a branch,” Wang Zhaoyun responded.

“Alright, let me give you the lowdown. First, the new company has access to over 3 billion yuan in funds, and you’ll decide how to utilize it. Second, the new company’s office will be in Tianjin, which is closer to Beijing,” Li Mengze revealed his hand.

“Are you saying you won’t interfere with the company’s operations? Why not start the new company in Beijing? And do you really have that much money?” Wang Zhaoyun asked in quick succession, her tone urgent.

“As long as your plans are reasonable, I will provide the funding. I don’t care about the other details, but they must align with the long-term development goals of the company. The reason the headquarters is in Tianjin is precisely because it’s not suitable for it to be there.

First, the company’s foundation is weak, and we are short-staffed;

Second, the competition in Tianjin is not as fierce as in Beijing;

Third, most of the talent we can find is already in Tianjin, and they are familiar with the city, just like you;

Fourth, once the company gains strength, we will naturally expand towards Beijing.”

Li Mengze knew he had touched the other party’s heart, but he couldn’t let his guard down yet. “As for the positions and compensation, you guys can figure that out amongst yourselves.”

“I’m inclined to agree, but I need to discuss it with Lu Jing,” Wang Zhaoyun stated, essentially giving her preliminary consent.

“Good, let’s not delay. Give me an update tomorrow, and it would be best if you bring Lu Jing along,” Li Mengze said with a smile.

After saying goodbye to Wang Zhaoyun, Li Mengze hurried to the hospital to seek his father’s advice. By the time he arrived at the hospital, it was already noon, and his father had just finished his morning treatment, so he bought some food from outside the hospital.

Li Runjun was somewhat surprised to see his son. Although he was bored staying in the hospital and wanted company, he hadn’t expected his son to visit him on a Monday noon, and by the looks of it, to have lunch there.

Li Mengze hadn’t thought too much about it. He didn’t notice the change in his father’s expression, nor did he anticipate his father’s thoughts. He was preoccupied with how to get his father’s support for his idea. As for the food, he was never too concerned. His father always believed, “Having enough money is good; there’s no need to make too much, as more money can lead to trouble.” In fact, it was now much easier for his father to accept his idea.

“Father, I’m thinking of quitting my job to start a business with some classmates,” Li Mengze said as he sat by his father’s bedside, after taking a few bites of his meal.

“You just started working, and now you want to quit? Starting a business requires capital; do you have that much?” Li Runjun quickly grasped the situation.

“I’ve saved some money now, and of course, I’m only investing a small part. If I lose it, it won’t be a big problem; some classmates are partnering on this, you know, I’m not doing well at the company either,” Li Mengze added, knowing that these words would move his father the most.

“What are you planning to do then? Business is tough these days,” his father asked, actually expressing his own concerns.

“It’s just software stuff that my classmates can handle, and it’s still feasible in the market,” Li Mengze lied, unaware that this would later be cited by his father as an example during lectures and criticisms.

“Are they reliable? Don’t fall for someone else’s trap,” the elder, having been deceived before, was naturally cautious.

“No worries, we all know each other well.”

Li Runjun eventually agreed, and after offering many suggestions that would never actually be needed, he saw his son off.

Li Runjun knew that his son, like him, was determined and had likely planned everything carefully before speaking up, just waiting for his nod of approval; this was also a way of respecting his opinion. Both father and son were cautious, sincere, and always acted before they spoke, never looking back once a decision was made.

Li Runjun didn’t want to interfere anymore. His health had declined significantly over the past year due to illness, and he wasn’t as energetic as before. Despite treatment, he was not what he used to be. Moreover, his son was grown up and beyond his control. He had no great expectations for his life, desiring only the safety of his family and a bit of respect from others; everything else, he could let go.

Li Runjun chatted about family matters and also talked about things happening in the village, speaking in his hometown dialect, which lightened the mood considerably. During this time, Jing Wen visited once; she had already been there in the morning, but Li Runjun was undergoing an infusion and hadn’t seen Li Mengze. Seeing him in the afternoon made her quite happy.

Li Runjun was very polite to Jing Wen. He didn’t know the specifics of their relationship, but he knew that Doctor Jing had been exceptionally kind to him.

Li Mengze couldn’t help but laugh. His father was always cautious, but lacked imagination. None of the other doctors came to visit him, so why would Doctor Jing visit him exclusively?

Others might think Jing Wen was a relative of theirs, but his father should know they had never met before. If it weren’t for your beloved son having an affair with Doctor Jing, would she come to visit you? Would Doctor Jing be so kind to you?

Yet Li Runjun never suspected it was about him. After Jing Wen left, he complained about his son not escorting her out, “Doctor Jing has been so kind to us. We should find an opportunity to properly thank her, not just take it lightly and joke around without even seeing her off.” Only then did Li Mengze realize he was caught and quickly slipped away.

Li Mengze was waiting for several phone calls, anxiously anticipating any possible announcements from the Securities Regulatory Commission, fearing bad news. As the calls came in one by one, his mood gradually improved.

In the morning, Li Mengze would drop women off at work, then spend time chatting with his father. In the afternoon, he returned home to cook dinner for the family and, at night, tirelessly tended to his four women, still finding time to make calls to his residence in Tianjin.

When his initial “workers” began their jobs, under his father’s prodding, he flew with Sima Xiaoyu to Guangzhou.

The responsibility for setting up the new company was handed over to Xu Peng, while Li Yudong and Wang Zhaoyun discussed and managed the operations, all of them too busy to breathe, each one openly complaining about how cunning and ruthless Li Mengze was, yet they all enjoyed the challenge tirelessly.

Li Mengze intended for Xu Peng to take charge, but after a few days together, everyone unanimously supported the exceptionally experienced and capable Li Yudong for the position of general manager. Wang Zhaoyun took charge of foreign affairs, handling business and public relations with two capable assistants brought over from Beijing.

Meanwhile, Xu Peng, with the help of Li Lin and her classmates, managed the work of the Management Department. Li Yudong also managed to recruit two supervisory engineers through friends and quickly connected with the municipal government with the help of the school.