The executives surrounded Jiang Chen as he boarded the elevator, arriving at the executive conference room on the 97th floor of the Group building. Two security guards at the door opened it for Jiang Chen and the others, and they stepped into the conference room.
After Ji Jun guided Jiang Chen to the main seat, he sat to Jiang Chen's right, while another person, presumably a vice president, sat to his left.
The executives found their respective seats and settled down. After seeing everyone seated, Ji Jun began to introduce those present to Jiang Chen, saying, "This is..."
To the left, the first person was Vice President Xu Minghao. To Ji Jun's right was Vice President Chang Niande.
Following them were Yang Fan, the Financial Director, Wu Gezhi, the Investment Department Director, Li Ziyan (female), the Administrative Department Director, Wang Ke, the Marketing Department Director, Liu Minghui, the Logistics Department Director, and so on.
Below Vice President Xu Minghao were the general managers of the Group's wholly-owned subsidiaries:
Cheng Feiyu, General Manager of Xinghe Real Estate.
Wu Gezhi, General Manager of Xinghe Finance (concurrently held).
Lin Zhifeng, General Manager of Xinghe Technology.
Zhang Yan, General Manager of Xinghe Daily Chemicals.
Ji Weiwei (female), General Manager of Xinghe Home Appliances.
Wei Haolin, General Manager of Xinghe Logistics.
As Ji Jun called out their names, the executives of Xinghe and other companies stood up one by one to introduce themselves and their responsibilities within the company, giving Jiang Chen a preliminary understanding.
"Everyone, I don't think I need to introduce Chairman Jiang, do I?"
Everyone chuckled at his words.
Ji Jun stood up and said with an impassioned tone, "Now, please give a warm round of applause to welcome Chairman Jiang's arrival!"
He then led the applause. Hearing this, everyone in the conference room stood up and clapped, the applause lasting for a long time. Jiang Chen looked at Ji Jun beside him, and Ji Jun, with a glint in his eyes, also looked at him and quietly said,
"President Jiang, would you like to say a few words?"
Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Jiang Chen stood up, pressed his hands down to quiet the applause, and nodded at the executives who had stopped clapping, saying, "Please, everyone, take a seat."
Seeing the executives sit down, Jiang Chen paused without sitting himself. His gaze swept around the room, and everyone immediately sat up straighter. After a moment's thought, Jiang Chen spoke in an unhurried tone,
"Everyone's introductions just now have given me a preliminary understanding of you all."
After speaking, Jiang Chen looked at the executives, whose average age was around 40, and continued,
"Everyone present has made indelible contributions and achievements to Xinghe. Under the leadership of Mr. Xu Shizhong, you all achieved brilliant results."
"I believe you are also aware that, due to Mr. Xu Shizhong's departure, there have been some rumors about the Group, and unfavorable voices about the Group have been circulating externally. I'm sure many of you have heard them."
The executives all nodded in agreement.
What Jiang Chen said was based on information he had scrolled through on his phone before bed yesterday. It was then that he realized that a change in a hundred-billion-yuan Group could not be hidden in today's information-driven society.
He had searched online for news related to Xinghe, and a plethora of information appeared. It was unclear where the rumors originated that Xinghe's founder, Xu Shizhong, had left the Group and that a new person would take over. There were even conspiracy theories circulating online.
"But do I care? I can tell you clearly that I don't care, and the Group certainly doesn't care. These voices are not important to me, because I don't have to answer to anyone, nor do I have to answer to shareholders."
Jiang Chen paused, then looked around at everyone and said casually, "Oh, I forgot, there are no shareholders. Xinghe is wholly owned by me."
Jiang Chen made a joke, but the executives in the conference room didn't find it funny; they all became silent, as if in a chill.
Was Chairman Jiang planning to 'light three fires' as a new official, and was the first fire about to be lit?
Jiang Chen secretly took in the scene of the executives.
Seeing that the show of authority was sufficient, Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction and then changed the subject, saying,
"However, I must answer to the founder Mr. Xu Shizhong, and I must answer to all employees of the Group."
"I must also answer to you, and even more so to the families behind countless Xinghe people, and even more to all customers and users who trust Xinghe."
Jiang Chen's expression was serious, and his tone gradually rose as he said, "Therefore, I believe that with everyone's joint efforts, we will certainly, building upon the achievements made by Mr. Xu Shizhong, once again lead Xinghe to create brilliance and continue to usher in an era of prosperity for Xinghe."
"I, Jiang Chen, have the determination and the ability to lead everyone to achieve this goal. I hope everyone present will work with me to complete this task. I will not monopolize this glory; it belongs to everyone, to all employees of the Group!"
"So, does everyone have the confidence to achieve this goal with me?"
Hearing this, the executives in the conference room immediately responded in unison, with overwhelming momentum,
"Yes!" xN
"Good!" Jiang Chen emphasized again,
"This is my, and Xinghe's, response to the outside world!"
"Everyone, I really like something someone once said to me. Now I want to give that saying to you."
"The long road of Xinghe, the future is boundless. May you all strive together."
"Clap, clap, clap, clap!"
"Good!"
Ji Jun instantly pushed his chair back and stood up, applauding. His cheeks were slightly red. He had to admit that Jiang Chen's speech was truly inspiring; even he felt his blood boil listening to it.
If Ji Jun felt this way, there was no need to mention the other executives. Immediately, the conference room erupted in a sea of applause. The young staff member responsible for recording the meeting was so excited that his hands turned red from clapping.
Jiang Chen again pressed his hand down, and the applause stopped. He was very satisfied with the current situation; power was indeed intoxicating. Since he temporarily didn't know how the Group's work should proceed, he turned to Ji Jun beside him and said,
"Let's end it here for today, President Ji. Please arrange for them to return to work."
Ji Jun responded and took over Jiang Chen's words, saying to the executives, "Everyone, that's all for today. Please return to your respective workstations."
Everyone acknowledged and left the conference room in an orderly fashion. Ji Jun called over his secretary and asked him to arrange for someone to compile and refine the content of Jiang Chen's speech, then publish it on the Group's internal app.
"Xiao Lou, you must personally follow up on this. Make sure to capture the 'spirit' expressed by President Jiang and convey it effectively."
The secretary, upon receiving the instruction, also understood the importance of the matter and immediately went to make arrangements.
Then, Ji Jun chatted with Jiang Chen for a few more sentences before leading him to the office on the 79th floor, which had previously belonged to the former Group Chairman Xu Shizhong, and now belonged to Jiang Chen.
The office space was enormous, about 200 square meters, as Ji Jun mentioned. It featured an entire wall of bookshelves extending from the ceiling to the floor, filled with books. In front was a 3-meter-long desk, and to the right was a full-length, floor-to-ceiling window.
One could even see the special economic zone on the opposite bank. The office's overall design consisted of black, white, and brown, in a modern minimalist style. Calligraphy and paintings, along with antiques and other collectibles, were placed nearby, adding a touch of solemnity.
On the other side was a reception area, composed of a U-shaped black leather sofa. Next to it was a secret door. Pushing open the door hidden within the wall revealed a rest area of over 50 square meters, complete with a bed, sofa, and a fully equipped bathroom.
Ji Jun, fearing Jiang Chen might not like it, asked, "Chairman Jiang, are you satisfied? Do you need anything else added?"
Jiang Chen sat in his boss chair and said, "I'm very satisfied, President Ji, you've gone to a lot of trouble. This is newly renovated, isn't it?"
Jiang Chen looked at the distinctly modern minimalist style and didn't believe Xu Shizhong would prefer such a youthful decor.
Ji Jun had arranged for this office to be renovated overnight yesterday. Seeing Jiang Chen's satisfaction, he breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Yes, because we really didn't know your preferences beforehand, so I had to take the liberty of renovating it."
Jiang Chen asked Ji Jun to sit down, picked up a bottle of mineral water nearby – it was glass-bottled, he noted – and handed a bottle to Ji Jun.
Ji Jun sat down and took the water from Jiang Chen. He then pulled out the letter Xu Shizhong had given him from his pocket and said to Jiang Chen, "Chairman Jiang, there's a letter I need to give to you."
"A letter?"
Jiang Chen was puzzled and asked, looking at Ji Jun holding the envelope, "Who asked you to give it to me?"
Ji Jun placed the letter on the desk, gently pushing it towards Jiang Chen, and said, "Mr. Xu Shizhong asked me to give it to you. He said you would understand after reading it."
Jiang Chen was curious. He picked up the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out the paper inside, only to find it blank. Jiang Chen was even more puzzled. What did this mean?
However, at that very moment, the system's prompt sounded in his mind.