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The Ideal City

This is a work of fiction

Ep34

To what do I owe the pleasure

for you to come here in person?

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Zhao has decided

to merge all the T-subsidiaries.

Why?

Because

you've all been restless.

You made a scene after Huang's stroke

and after we rushed you to pay the late payment.

You, especially.

You were...

Why couldn't you just pay the money?

You just had to tell others

about the usury.

What did you mean?

You just wanted to tell people

that the Group is like a ruthless,

blood-sucking vampire, right?

So, Mr. Zhao got furious.

This morning,

he held a meeting

and made this decision.

How could I have told others about the usury?

Am I that stupid?

Other than you,

who knows that the money

came from a usurer?

Su Xiao

knows everything

about our cash flow.

She figured it out when Lu

sent her the money the other day.

So, she got the word out.

I don't know.

But no one in my company

would say a word about it.

I've told them already.

So, it must be her.

It makes sense.

After Huang got a stroke,

you created chaos

and almost got her demoted.

She must've resented you for that.

It's like

you've raised a viper.

Whatever.

I don't care.

Anyway, my conscience is clear.

It wasn't my business

before I knew about this.

Now that I do,

I'm on your side.

I won't watch you

becoming the scapegoat.

What are you gonna do?

I'll help you become

the general manager

of the merged company.

I will also get you

on the Board of Directors of the Group.

Are you joking?

I didn't come all the way here

to make a joke.

We come from the Wang family.

We're real brothers.

Why are you out here?

What's the emergency?

Lin Xiaomin came to me today.

He said that

he wanted to partner with us.

So, I think we can do it.

What do you think?

Say something.

You're doing it again.

You're not saying a word.

You know very well

what the Group is like now.

Wang Mingyu is up there.

So, Lin Xiaomin is still

not on the Board of Directors.

Wang Mingyu holds

more than 15% of the Group share.

Even Mr. Zhao doesn't dare

to mess with him.

Forming a partnership

with Lin Xiaomin

is meaningless for us.

Mr. Huang.

Mr. Huang.

There...

Your water.

What are you doing?

Over there.

It's because Lin Xiaomin

doesn't have supporters

that he can offer

such a large amount of money

to partner with us.

It was an empty promise.

He can offer as much money as he wants.

The Group is like a quagmire now.

Everyone who approaches it will get sucked in.

So, we just do nothing

and watch Mr. Zhao

take back TK?

What about my hard work in the past ten years?

Am I a nanny?

Why can't you think of it this way?

This merger

is the best chance for us to be independent.

Truth be told,

I am worried.

Isn't it too risky?

If it didn't work,

we wouldn't even have a Plan B.

Don't you worry about it!

I've set everything up.

I know

you're smart.

But Zhao Xiankun...

I've told you many times...

Uncle.

Just focus on your recovery.

When you fully recover,

TK will be ours, and ours only.

I'll go see Lin Xiaomin.

For what it's worth,

we need to be grateful

for his olive branch.

Yes.

We can't burn all the bridges.

Water.

Where is my water?

Article 41.

If the company restructures pursuant or introduces a major technological innovation,

changes its production or methods of business operation,

and after amending the labor contracts,

still needs to lay off the employees...

So, this means

an internal transfer is possible.

Technically, yes.

But it's a big deal.

If you propose it to Maria,

she'll be mad for sure.

She'll think you're overreaching.

I'll go talk to her.

Mr. Hu.

You're absolutely right.

Mr. Hu. Mr. Zhao.

Come.

Let's go to my office.

I admire that you want a fair competition.

But I need you

to win it.

You want to

win this position fair and square.

Have you thought about

what is waiting for you?

Try to talk nicely

when you see Maria.

I know you hate these things.

But Maria has a vote.

Look at Mr. Zhao.

It takes more than a good proposal

to win this thing.

I am confident.

Come in.

Maria.

Su Xiao.

Hope I didn't intrude.

Not at all.

Have a seat.

Coffee or tea?

It's alright.

I was working on the merger proposal.

And I want to consult you

on some HR questions.

No problem.

Go ahead.

I want to keep

the layoff rate under 5%

and offer others internal transfers. Is it feasible?

Internal transfer can be

very complicated.

We need consent from both parties

to proceed legally.

After the transfer,

they need to be retrained.

It would cost a lot.

Besides, the thing is that

there aren't that many

job positions in the Group.

Actually, in these overlapping

and large-scale mergers,

even a layoff rate between 20%

and 30% is normal.

There are many veterans

in these five subsidiaries.

They've been doing the same job for decades.

If they were laid off,

they wouldn't find a new job immediately.

We're laying them off legally.

We offer an "N+1" compensation package.

As for new jobs,

that depends on

their competence.

To be honest,

a lot of them are just

idling around at work

without making progress.

You can't expect

the entire Group

to develop with these dead weights.

I've worked at TC.

Many entry-level employees

might not be insightful

or have clear career plans.

But

with some training and guidance,

we can avoid that.

The Group is not their parent.

HR is not omnipotent.

Right?

But isn't it the HR's job

to redevelop

human resources?

Maria.

Are you satisfied with the current

HR development of the Group?

Su Xiao.

You just started to work in the Group.

You'll understand

a lot of things after learning

for a while.

First of all.

Make sure that Su Xiao becomes

the Chief Director of the reform team.

If Zhao Peng

got that position,

we could still make it work.

But it'd be troublesome.

I disagree with you.

Su Xiao is determined

and unimpressionable.

But Zhao Peng

will see which way the wind blows.

Once you give him enough profits,

he'll be on your side.

Zhao Peng is not a decent man.

I get angry every time I see him.

The current circumstance

is not in Su Xiao's favor.

But I can campaign for her.

You just work on bringing her back here.

Me? Bring her back?

Give me a break.

You two were together, right?

Just go charm her.

I'm telling you.

It's easy to cheer a lady up.

Get her some flowers, a bag,

and sweet-talk to her.

Tell her that you miss her and love her.

She'll be happy.

If she knew how to negotiate,

we wouldn't

be like this.

It was because

she was still too young.

She just got promoted.

Once she gets a taste

of power,

she'll never get enough of it.

I am listening. Go on.

Here's the thing.

Mr. Song

at my office...

You know him, right?

His daughter is three years older than you.

Yesterday,

his daughter had a child.

It was scary.

She went through hell

having the baby.

So, what I mean is that

you should get married to Xia Ming

and have a child as soon as possible.

Alright, I get it.

Mom.

I bought you some clothes.

Did you receive them?

Yes.

I forgot to open it.

Yeah.

That color

is just wonderful. Seriously.

Well...You...

Don't spend money on us!

Those are expensive.

Your dad and I

have more than

enough clothes already.

Don't buy clothes for us anymore.

They're not expensive.

Don't worry!

Do they fit?

Yes.

Of course.

You got them for me. They must fit!

They look great.

The color is special.

Sweetheart,

is everything alright with you and Xia Ming?

Yes, of course.

Don't worry!

Well. I need to work.

I gotta go.

Bye.

Wait. Sweetheart!

He's sleeping.

It's late.

You should go home to rest.

I'll give you a ride.

Are you alright?

Why?

Your uncle told me that

you and Ms. Su broke up.

Yeah.

It's fine. It's all in the past.

You don't look fine, though.

You can talk to me.

It'll make you feel better.

We are friends, aren't we?

Yeah.

There's nothing to talk about.

I hurt her.

Do you still love her?

If you do,

get her back.

It's too late.

I wasn't there

when she needed me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to

talk to you about it.

It's fine.

Thank you.

Go get some rest.

Okay.

If you wanna talk,

call me anytime.

I gotta go. Bye.

Bye.

Hello. Maria.

Morning, Mr. Lin.

Morning.

Your husband is so careless.

He's not worried

about you staying here alone.

If I had a wife

as pretty as you,

I'd lock you up in my house

and not let anyone see you.

I'll keep you to myself.

Great.

I'll dump him.

Will you marry me?

Of course!

I sure will!

Maria.

What do you say we find a place

and talk about this in depth?

Welcome. Here's your coffee.

Here.

Rose-flavored oat milk latte.

Romantic and delicate.

You will like it.

Go ahead.

What do you need from me?

Nothing.

I just think you're gorgeous today.

So, I want to take you out and show you off.

It's been four years,

and you just noticed how pretty I am?

I noticed your beauty long ago.

Maria.

When you first joined the Group,

I thought you were admirable.

You were always talking about

"People-oriented."

I was too scared to talk to you.

You spoke English half of the time.

I couldn't understand a word.

Back then, I thought,

"She is extraordinary.

Maybe she can help

bring something new

to our Group."

Now look at you!

You're one of them.

So, our Group doesn't really

have any remarkable powers,

except for its strong ability

to assimilate people.

However much of a character you are,

once you join the Group,

you'll become dull,

like all the others.

Mr. Lin.

You've been beating around the bush.

What do you want to say?

Then, I'll cut to the chase.

Maria.

Do you want to join me

and make some trouble?

Mr. Lin.

You're so eloquent.

If I were still

the young lady who just joined the Group,

I'd be fooled by your words.

Yeah.

I am assimilated.

But the best thing of being assimilated

is that I can see through

all of these

big talks and petty tricks.

You said all those things

just to get me

to vote for Su Xiao, right?

Well. A man will send a girl flowers

if he wants to pursue her.

Mr. Lin. You want to make trouble with me.

But you didn't bring me anything.

Maria.

If you want anything, just ask.

I will make it happen.

Really?

Of course.

Then, I need to think about it.

Okay.

You don't really

have anything I want.

Maria.

Think about it.

Mr. Xu, Mr. Wang,

Mr. Hu and Mr. Gao.

They helped Mr. Zhao

to build the Group.

They've forged a camaraderie.

And you?

Though you're Mr. Yu's wife,

you're still an outsider.

Do you think Mr. Zhao

is a kitty cat?

If you back the wrong horse,

there will be consequences.

The coffee is good.

This is for you.

This Anti-Blue-Light foundation

is all the rage lately.

You sit behind the computer every day.

This is the best for you.

Thank you.

The foundation

does look nice.

What would you like to order?

Let's wait for Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhao.

Who?

Wang Mingyu and Zhao Peng.

Why should I have a meal

with those two idiots?

Enjoy your meal.

I'll leave.

Hear me out, will you?

Your dad worked so hard

to get himself on the Board of Directors.

Who did he do that for?

For himself.

Who else? Me?

He stopped caring about me long ago.

Listen to me.

The Group going IPO

means there will be

an IPO Department.

You can

talk to Wang Mingyu today

and ask him to recommend you.

Then, in exchange,

you'll vote for Zhao Peng?

I've worked here for 6 months.

I know these tricks.

But to be honest,

these tricks

are so basic.

Tell you what.

Yu has specifically asked me

to get on well with

Wang Mingyu.

He is now

the second-largest shareholder of the Group.

Behave yourself

when he's here.

No insults!

You hear me?

I'll try my best.

They're here.

Hi, Mr. Wang.

You've been waiting?

No, we just arrived.

Sit.

Have a seat.

Have you ordered?

No. We were waiting for you.

The menu, please.

Mr, Zhou.

How much do you get paid per day?

3-400 yuan.

3-400 yuan?

We're only paid 160 yuan.

But our work is harder.

Did you sign a project contract with them

or an annual labor contract?

That depends.

A skilled worker

can sign an annual labor contract.

Will you be rewarded if you finish early?

We're just hoping we're not fined for late delivery.

Thank you.

No problem.

If we finish early,

we can go to the next site.

Then, we can make more money.

Will skilled workers be rewarded?

Skilled workers

get paid more than

others.

We just hope

the executives can discuss it.

The more rewards, the merrier.

Are you paid on time?

This construction site

is good.

Occasionally, it'll be 2-3 days late.

But in general,

they'll pay us on time.

Yinghai Group The Proposal of the T-Subsidiaries Merger

Okay.

Not bad.

Thanks, Mr. Wang

for your guidance.

Maria, Mr. Hu,

Mr. Xu and me.

You've got

four out of seven votes.

Even if Gao Jin, Lin Xiaomin,

and Mr. Zhao

all voted for Su Xiao,

it'd be useless.

But later,

you need to bring your A-game

so that their votes seem justified.

Rest assured.

Su Xiao.

Mr. Lin.

Do you need anything?

No.

I'm just here to boost your morale.

Thank you, Mr. Lin.

If... And I mean if...

If you lose,

don't be upset.

I'll propose

to make you the Deputy Chief

of the reform team.

Join the reform team first,

and then

I will help you

to replace the chief director.

Understood?

Why are you helping me, Mr. Lin?

For a simple reason.

I don't like those people.

Go get them!

It should be today.

Who do you think will win?

It's all the same to us.

The teams of the two biggest shareholders are having

a duel.

Aren't you curious at all?

Su Xiao.

What?

Impossible.

Zhao Peng will win.

I'll bet you 1,000 yuan.

Don't you think I dare?

All T-subsidiaries have

the same structure.

And the Group holds

the HR management control.

So, the merger is relatively easy.

Next,

I will focus on

the merger on the executive level.

After the merger,

the shareholder structure will remain the same.

The founder and the general managers

will hold the same amount of shares.

Two years ago,

when I first walked into TC, a subsidiary of

Yinghai Group,

my first impression was that

it was made of grassroots.

When I was sitting behind my desk

next to the toilet at TC,

I didn't think

I'd stay there for a long time there.

I couldn't have imagined

that I'll stand here today

and have a chance to compete with you

for the Chief Director of the reform team

in the Group.

I was once brought down by the hurdles.

But at last,

they helped me grow.

So,

opportunities and hurdles

are always coexisting.

I am truly grateful

that I can get on board

Yinghai Group

to brave the waves

and face the challenges

with all of the leaders and colleagues here.

What is the core issue of our Group?

At the first glimpse,

it's the issue of the late payment.

But in fact,

it's our profit model.

This issue

is not just an issue of the subsidiaries,

but an issue of the Group.

We need to find a solution

together.

Therefore, I think

this is not a simple merger,

but an asset restructuring.

The merger

shouldn't just involve

the restructuring

of money, labor, and property

of the five subsidiaries.

It should involve the restructuring

of the money we invest in the market.

It shouldn't just be

the restructuring

of the principal assets.

We should also consider

the restructuring of earning assets.

I have a question

for the two of you.

How soon can you

close the merger?

And what will the completion rate be?

It'll take about one year.

The completion rate...

Should be around 80%.

How did you get the number?

It's... It's based on...

Well...

Although they are

all subsidiaries,

these companies have different

managerial principles.

If I lead the merger,

I'll spend one year

on the merger of the main bodies.

Then, I'll spend half a year

on the merger of corporate cultures.

The merged company

will become the second EPC company of the Group.

I've got a question, too.

How many ongoing projects

does TH have?

And how are they doing?

There are three ongoing projects.

One residential,

one commercial piazza,

and one government project.

The commercial piazza

is the most loss-making.

I want to add something.

All the industrial analysts don't think

commercial projects have a future.

They think that residential is now more profitable.

But the commercial piazza of TH

doesn't have to worry about funding.

I'd done research and analysis

when I handed over

my work to Zhao Peng.

Any more questions?

Then, let's vote.

I vote for Su Xiao.

Me, too.

No wonder

you value Su Xiao so much.

She is indeed

an invaluable talent.

Su Xiao's proposal is great.

But it's more demanding.

So, it's harder to implement.

On contrary,

Zhao Peng's proposal is simple

but practical. And it's less risky.

I'll vote for Zhao Peng.

Who won?

Who won?

Who do you hope?

Su Xiao.

The way she talks to

Mr. Zhao

is so cool.

Who do you think will win?

Zhao Peng?

Our Group is hopeless.

That's true.

But you guessed wrong.

Su Xiao won?

Really?

Yeah.

You're not lying to me, are you?

No.

Great.

The Board of Directors appointed Su Xiao as the Chief Director of the reform team

How did you win?

I just told you.

I...

I'm still not getting it.

What are you not getting?

After the merger,

the GM

will become the VP of the Group, right?

After the merger, the new T-company

will be 60% of the scale

of our EPC company.

The GM will be VP of the Group for sure.

And he will most likely

get on the Board of Directors.

Well...

That's it then.

T-subsidiaries were in the charge of Mr. Wang.

Won't the merger

harm

his interest

to a great extent?

It's like

one more person

sharing the cake.

It won't affect Mr. Lin that much.

But still, there's one more person

sharing the cake.

Why didn't they object to this?

On the contrary,

they seemed quite on board.

There are seven people on the Board.

Mr. Gao is on Mr. Zhao's side.

Maria blows hot and cold.

We'll count her out.

The other three...

Mr. Hu is on Mr. Wang's side.

Mr. Xu

is on Mr. Wang's side

at critical times.

After all, those three

started a business together before.

But Mr. Lin

doesn't have any allies.

If the GM

of the merged company

is someone Mr. Lin backed,

and if that guy gets on the Board,

then Mr. Lin will always

have two votes.

What does it mean to have two votes

on the Board?

Think.

So, Mr. Wang thought the same?

Yeah.

If, after the merger,

the GM is someone

on Mr. Wang's side,

then he will always have

three votes,

enough for him to challenge Mr. Zhao.

They're not after

these temporary profits.

They're after the power to make decisions.

Once they have the power,

profits will follow.

I did underestimate her.

She's such a talent.

A talent

that's out of our control.

It's alright.

It's just the start.

Xu.

Do something.

Make Zhao Peng the Deputy Chief of the reform team.

I gotta go.

See you later.

Pan, morning!

Morning, Ms. Su.

Su Xiao.

Mr. Xu, morning!

Morning.

Have you decided on the list

of the reform team members?

Not yet.

Come in.

Mr. Xu.

Any suggestions?

I read it one more time.

It is great.

I should've

voted for you yesterday.

But I voted for Zhao Peng.

As to why...

I think you know.

I do.

I know you can see the bigger picture.

So, I recommend you to make Zhao Peng

the Deputy Chief of the reform team.

You should know why I am doing this.

I do.

But...

We need to

close the merger in a year.

Too much work, too little time.

I don't want too many

different voices in my team.

I understand your concerns.

But if there's only

one voice in a team...

Once you're off track,

it can be dangerous.

At the end of the day,

the reform team will report

to the Board of Directors.

More voices,

more support.

Well...

If Zhao Peng

is the Deputy Chief,

can I decide

on the other members?

You're the Chief Director.

You decide

who will be on your team.

I am merely suggesting

that Zhao Peng be the Deputy Chief.

You have the final say.

Okay.

No problem.

I'll do it.

These are from accounting.

These are from auditing.

Have a look.

Ask me if you have any questions.

I'll just take a browse

to get myself familiarized.

Didn't he say

you've got the final say?

Don't you know them?

They talk about democracy all the time

but their actions

suggest the opposite.

I just need to

make sure that

you and Xu Feng

are on the team.

Me?

Oh, right!

I haven't talked to you yet.

Do you wanna?

Of course!

But, am I capable?

Of course!

But Maria

won't agree to this.

She's been suspecting that

I was badmouthing her before Mr. Zhao.

She's got a problem with me now.

I'll work on her.

But meanwhile,

be more careful.

Don't let others

get the goods on you.

Tina.

Where's Helen?

I don't know.

You don't know?

Why is there no one knowing

where she is?

I think she's on the 20th floor.

She goes there all the time.

Maria, did you ask for me?

Why are you never at your desk?

I was sending the HR files to Ms. Su.

I'll go back.

Okay.

Su Xiao?

What brings you here?

I came here to see you.

May I help you?

Let's go to my office.

Okay.

I saw from the corporate BBS

that you were appointed

as the Chief Director of the reform team.

What does

the team do?

We're in charge of the merger of T-subsidiaries.

Mr. Zhao has finally decided

to do that.

I came here

to invite you

to join my team.