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The Ideal City

This is a work of fiction.

Ep38

Zhao Peng said

that you can reduce the burden on Yinghai.

How?

Five subsidiaries merged into one.

Downsizing talent is a must.

Nowadays,

there are strict labor contract regulations.

Layoffs are costly.

I have a way

to make people leave on their own.

What is it?

Mr. Wong,

it's not that I don't want to tell you.

It's that this method

cannot be explained clearly; it has to be done.

I get it.

If you're able to successfully lighten up the burden,

you'll be promoted as the general manager

after the merger is done.

Thank you, Mr. Wong.

Have you talked to anyone else?

There's no one else in Yinghai Group

more openhanded than Mr. Wong.

Sounds good.

Please keep pegging away.

If you do the job well,

you'll be rewarded well.

Thank you, Mr. Wong. I'll do my best,

and you can be assured.

Go for it.

Please excuse me.

I'll get going.

Take care.

Mr. Wong.

If he can lighten up Yinghai Group,

you'll have all the credit.

Su Xiao will be left out.

I understand.

But,

are you sure of endorsing him

as general manager?

Are you okay?

You don't look well-rested.

I'm fine.

I'm just wondering

about divesting TK.

I have no experience

doing divestiture,

so

I am in the dark.

Don't worry. We'll help you.

I suggest

having a trade sale

through a third party.

Do we place any restrictions

on the buyers?

What do you mean by restrictions?

I'm not following.

For example,

creditor acquisition

or management-led buyout.

If Huang Lilin is willing to buy TK out,

under equal terms and conditions,

he has priority over others.

He has done a lot

for TK Construction.

Though TK has a high debt ratio,

fundamentally it's still a solid business entity.

If they could find funding

to resolve the current financial crisis,

it will recover

in a year or two.

I understand.

Mr. Zhao,

have you done divestiture

in the past?

I have.

Could you go over the process with me?

Probably not today.

I'm going to TH.

Maybe another day.

Let's find another time, okay?

TH, again?

I talked to him.

The reason he quit is like everyone else.

He said that Mr. He is always scolding people,

not respecting others.

Maria,

do we intervene?

You don't get it.

How is that I don't understand?

Isn't this forcing people to leave on purpose?

Keep your mouth shut,

and don't comment at will.

If no one supported him,

Mr. He would never act this way.

Find an excuse

to bring this up to Helen.

Got it.

Hi, Tina. What's up?

I never see you in Yinghai these days.

Where have you been?

Are you auditing at TH?

I'm at TZ now. Why?

I thought you are at TH.

Lately, I've been receiving

many resignation letters from TH.

So, I'm wondering if you know anything.

I don't know about it.

I've been at TZ.

Got it.

Let's grab food

when you come back.

Okay.

I'll give you a call.

Time to wake up.

Please leave

next Monday morning free.

Why?

We made an appointment

at 10 a.m. next Monday

for our wedding portrait.

Get up now.

Time to eat.

Are those new clothes?

Does it look nice?

It looks expensive. How much?

It was on sale.

Less than 1000 yuan.

1000 yuan?

You know how to indulge.

I got a raise.

If you spend the extra money you earned,

we won't able to pay off the mortgage.

It's early in the morning.

Can you not say that?

I hate to bring it up.

When I don't say anything,

you spend money freely.

You know very well how much

we put on the loan

for the house.

We owe Su Xiao

300 thousand yuan.

Xiao is not in a rush

to get repayments.

Not being in a rush

doesn't mean that

we don't need to pay back.

We'll need to

spend a lot of money.

Remodeling the house,

having a wedding,

and much more.

Everything costs money!

We'll need to save up for a car.

What if you're pregnant

in the future?

We'll spend money

during the pregnancy.

After the baby is born,

the cost for formula,

funds for

future education,

and schools to attend,

all cost money.

Okay. Stop it already.

Mr. Cui, please don't be mad.

We can discuss everything.

It's been three days.

With Yinghai's efficiency,

have you come up with a conclusion yet?

Su Xiao, didn't you inform Mr. Cui

Yinghai has decided to divest TK,

and as the creditor,

he has priority to buy it out?

I haven't had a chance to.

What is creditor acquisition priority?

I'm a small-business guy.

I'm not interested in buying out

a company.

I understand.

But, at the moment,

Yinghai doesn't have enough funds.

The only choice is to sell TK.

Please give us a few more days.

Once we secure an interested buyer,

we will resolve the debt of $80 million.

Good.

Since you lowered your position,

I agree to give you a few more days for your sake.

Appreciate it, Mr. Cui.

Sit down, please.

Thank you.

Many thanks.

Thanks.

What's going on?

Why didn't you inform the creditor of

TK's divestiture?

I haven't figured out

the divestiture process.

You always work swiftly.

Why did you procrastinate on this matter?

Mr. Xu,

what requirements

are there for buyers?

Are you interested in the buyout?

That's great!

TK is your uncle's

dedication and hard work

for many years.

It's not me.

All-Stars Group may be interested.

Mr. Shen mentioned once

that they want to

acquire a construction company.

But it was last year.

I don't know

if they're still interested.

Please ask them.

Sure.

I'll wait to hear from you.

You are really something.

How dare you use me as a weapon?

Am I qualified

to talk to you now?

More than qualified.

Let's grab a drink together.

Sure. I'll get my car.

Boss,

that guy used you.

Why are you drinking with him?

This guy has guts, brain,

and tactics.

A person like him is rare.

I've only met two in my life.

One of them

is him,

and the other

is my former boss.

I attribute my successes

to

having met a great boss.

Remember this.

Never let go of a person like him

when you encounter one.

Do you mean

that you're following his lead?

I'm following your lead.

Can I?

Did you mention it to Helen?

I did.

I'm sure Helen understood what I meant.

It's either that

Helen didn't tell Su Xiao about it,

or Su Xiao doesn't want to be involved.

Fine. You may leave.

Hello.

Su Xiao, it's Maria.

Well,

I understand that the T-subsidiaries

are merging and laying off employees.

Could you take it slower

on the pace,

and more gentle

on the approach?

I have no idea about the layoffs.

Didn't Helen tell you?

Isn't she at TH?

From what I see,

people are resigning every day.

I don't think it's appropriate.

Helen is not at TH.

Is that so?

I must be mistaken.

Regardless,

I hope you can tone it down a bit.

The recent events give the HR department

a lot of

stress.

I see, Maria.

Hi, Ms. Su.

Ms. Su, what brought you here?

I heard

many employees resigned lately.

I came for this.

Do you have any idea what's going on?

What's the use of having you all

work in TH?

You're all useless.

When it comes to getting a paycheck,

everyone is aggressive.

You fail at everything

but always ask for more.

Does Mr. Zhao know?

Tell me.

Can you try harder?

Say something.

Aren't you all very capable?

Why are you

becoming deaf?

Who is it?

It's me, Su Xiao.

Ms. Su, you're in for a surprise.

Alright. I'm done here.

Go back to work.

Wait up.

I was in the room next door

and overheard your criticism

against them.

Did they do anything wrong?

Just little mistakes.

I'm wondering

what kind of little mistakes

upset you this much.

Actually, it's nothing major.

I'm impatient,

not being able to bear having grit in my eyes.

The president knows that

and reprimanded me,

but I can't seem to change it.

Ah, that makes sense.

I was worried and thought

that everyone has concerns about being laid off

because the reform team members are investigating.

So people are unsettled

and not able to focus.

Please be assured and focus on your work.

Yinghai will make good arrangements for your new assignments.

After the merger,

there'll be a whole new work environment.

You may get going.

Ms. Su,

I'm helping Yinghai Group

lighten up the burden.

What are you doing?

Mr. He, perhaps you forget

that I did not agree to your way of

tackling the problem.

But Mr. Wong agrees to this.

Mr. He's approach

is ruthless and straightforward,

but he meant to help Yinghai.

To me,

his approach isn't simply ruthless and straightforward.

It's despicable.

Su Xiao, I know you're warm-hearted.

But enterprises

are not charity organizations.

The ultimate aim

is for profits.

When you should be cruel, you have to be cruel.

When you need to sacrifice, you must not hesitate.

After the T-subsidiaries' merger,

as businesses overlap,

we'll have to make tough decisions on talent.

If layoffs take place after the merger,

the cost will be burdensome.

Given that,

Mr. He's idea makes sense.

Of course, his approach is improper.

I will talk to him.

Taking such an approach may

reduce costs in the short run.

In the long run,

there are severe consequences.

Employees are not fools.

They may not see it clearly

in the beginning,

but eventually, they'll figure out.

Since Yinghai doesn't want to compensate them properly,

they are forced to quit.

This will be detrimental to Yinghai's corporate image and reputation.

Employees will not have a sense of belonging.

A single stick breaks easily.

How could we gain an advantage

in the fierce competition?

I understand where you're coming from, Su Xiao.

You've climbed the corporate ladder.

Seeing the employees'

receiving unfair treatment upsets you,

so you speak up for them.

You have a strong sense of justice. It's all good.

But now

you are a senior manager,

you can no longer

consider problems

from the employees' perspectives.

You should view problems from a higher ground.

When you are higher up,

you'll understand

that employees are like waves.

A wave recedes.

Another wave will rise soon.

I don't know

where the higher ground is at.

But I know clearly

how much a month of salary means

to an employee.

It can help in many ways:

paying the monthly mortgage,

kids' crammed school tuitions,

and older families' medical expenses.

Perhaps to you, Mr. Xu,

having an extra month of salary,

or having a month less of it

doesn't affect you.

But to them,

when they're laid off,

receiving severance pay of N+1 months of salary

can be a big relief.

Even if they don't

find their next job in the short run,

they won't face immediate difficulties.

That's enough.

Let's move on.

How did it go with

the divestiture of TK?

Have you gotten in touch with

Mr. Shen in All-Stars Group?

Not yet.

This is an important matter,

but you left it unattended.

Instead, you get yourself involved with

these trivial things!

Leave TH's problem to

Zhao Peng.

Hongmei.

Xiao.

Please stay and have a chat with me.

What's going on?

I'm upset and frustrated.

What happened?

Mr. He in TH

scolded people away

and forced them to resign.

He used lightening up Yinghai as an excuse

and claimed that he has Mr. Wong's support.

I went to Mr. Xu,

hoping that he could persuade Mr. Wong.

But guess what Mr. Xu said to me?

He said Mr. He's intention is

for the greater good.

His approach is just a bit

simple and ruthless.

It's not merely ruthless,

but despicable!

Maybe Xia Ming is right.

Such a corporation

is not trustworthy.

Xiao,

any enterprise

has its own

operational ways.

You cannot control everything.

We can just

turn a blind eye,

can't we?

What's the matter?

Did you know this?

Not really.

Two days ago,

Tina rang me up,

and then she brought this up.

Why didn't you

tell me right away?

I didn't mean to not tell you.

Since I know you,

I knew if I told you,

you would have gotten involved.

But it's beyond your control.

I don't want to see you

waste your energy on this. Okay?

No matter what,

you should tell me.

If Maria didn't tell me,

I would have been in the dark till now.

As my best friend

and your worry about me,

I understand why you didn't tell me.

But I'm your supervisor now.

You should not make decisions

for me.

I'm sorry.

I

I didn't think it through.

It won't happen again.

I'm sorry, Hongmei.

I shouldn't talk to you like that.

Too many things happened these days.

My brain is

in total chaos.

I don't know what to do.

I'm so sorry.

No worries.

I get it.

Mr. Zhao.

It's late. Aren't you leaving?

I'm getting ready to go,

but I saw the light's still on,

so I just stopped by.

Are you still busy working?

We were discussing some issues.

What is it?

Just some rough ideas.

I'll present the idea to you when it's more mature.

Then leave it for tomorrow.

I admire your attitude and dedication

very much,

but I don't encourage it.

Work-life balance!

We know.

We just

lost track of time.

We'll get going.

It's late.

How are you going home?

I live in the Putuo district, so I'll take a cab.

How about you, Helen?

In the direction of People's Square.

That's on my way. Come with me.

Congrong, you give Su Xiao a ride.

Sure.

Let's go.

I don't want to go home now.

Just leave.

The president said to have a work-life balance.

If you really don't want to go, it's fine.

I passed the 600th level in my game.

Let's celebrate together.

Have fun with your game.

I'll go home on my own.

What were you and Su Xiao arguing about?

Did you hear us, Mr. Zhao?

I guessed.

The vibe seemed off.

Both of you looked uneasy.

Why did you argue?

Xiao is someone

with many ideas.

She has a bigger scale,

but mine is

smaller.

I only hoped that

my best friend won't

suffer too much.

It's my fault.

I didn't keep up with her.

You two have different personalities.

It's normal not being able to keep up.

To be honest,

I envy Xiao.

She is always

confident, and she shines.

Your personality is nice.

You don't have to be envious.

So here's where you live.

Yes. Thank you very much.

You're welcome. Goodbye.

A bit further back.

A bit further back.

Skull. Receive the skull.

Go back. Go back.

Pull backward.

They'll drop.

Why are you home so late?

You didn't pick up my calls, either.

Come. Pull a bit further back.

Pull backward.

Feed me, please.

Your promotion

is only a $2000 raise,

but you work overtime daily.

It's not better than before.

Who pulled? I was startled.

Bei.

Zhang Xiaobei.

I'm leaving.

Where are you going at this late hour?

Business trip?

Goodbye.

Mei.

Mei.

Wu Hongmei, stop.

What's this about?

What are you doing?

Bei, I'm scared.

Life with you,

I can see how it's like when we're 80.

It's scary.

Let's divorce.

Take care.

Duer. Duer.

I'm here.

What's the consequence of walking a tightrope

at the edge of a cliff?

Walking a tightrope by a cliff,

if it were in the Web-novel website,

you have a 100% chance

of falling off the cliff,

gaining magical power, discovering a new realm,

receiving a personalized magical genie,

encountering a fair, wealthy, and attractive girl,

capturing and killing powerful villains in the universe,

and reaching a new peak of your life.

If it were in the real life,

you'd have a 50% chance

of falling off the cliff,

keep falling

and falling, and "Bang". Game over.

What if the price I have to pay to succeed

is making another person

stay on the tightrope forever?

Hold on to your life and stay away from the cliff.

Good luck.

I thought

if I climbed higher,

the road would be wider.

But it never happened.

I'm still like a tiny, weak, and powerless ant,

helpless and incapable of making any changes.

I cannot help but wonder about

the meaning of my persistence.

What is it?

The people and the things

are just chaotic.

Yinghai is like a mud puddle.

I understand

why Xia Ming did what he did,

but I disagree with

how he did it.

I don't know what to do anymore.

Xiao,

I, your father,

only worked in a small business unit,

and what I've experienced is limited.

You walked way farther

and further ahead,

so I don't have any great truth in life

to share with you.

But I do know this.

If there's a piece of trash on the ground,

the first thing to do

is pick it up,

and then make a post to deliver the message

that it's everyone's responsibility to protect the environment.

I will never follow suit

and throw trash on the ground like others.

Many people are lost.

When they see trash on the ground,

they copy the bad act and do the same.

Xiao,

I know you are not.

I got it.

Thank you, Dad.

Duer. Duer.

Yes, I'm here.