National Tide 1980.

That's how the world is; some people are happy while others are crying. There has never been fairness.

Despite the Nikkei index still trending downwards, every day stock traders are forced to sell at a loss, suffering immense pain.

Even in such a terrible market, there are still stocks like EIE International that have transformed from a shrew to a sweetheart, rising steadily every day.

The massive layoffs at Pierre Cardin Ltd. in Japan were similar.

When Ning Weimin issued the layoff order through the company's senior management, the employees who were eagerly waiting for the company to send someone to negotiate were all dumbfounded upon hearing the news.

They never expected that the newly appointed president of Huaxia Society would act so unpredictably.

They didn't even get a chance to negotiate with the company's senior management; instead, they were laid off and retired early.

The key issue is that they can't even sue, since the company operates in accordance with the law and guarantees sufficient compensation.

Amidst the cries and wailing of those who had been blaming others, some of the strikers began to regret their actions.

After all, not everyone is a long-term employee of a startup, who can simply collect two years' worth of salary and leave.

If someone in their fifties is laid off, it might not be too bad; they might even make a little money.

The worst off are people in their thirties and forties. Each employee in this age group has a large family to support.

Although leaving the company would allow them to take a considerable amount of money with them, it wouldn't be enough to cover their family's future living expenses.

Moreover, Japanese corporate culture values ​​employee loyalty.

Therefore, almost all companies now select talent from recent college graduates, and they don't expect them to be useful immediately after hiring them. They prefer to spend time training them.

In addition, Japanese society is currently in turmoil due to the stock market crash, making life difficult for both businesses and individuals, and the employment situation is becoming increasingly severe.

As a result, there are no decent job opportunities in society.

Even the practice of companies spending heavily to poach recent college graduates has abruptly stopped this year.

Therefore, no company is willing to hire middle-aged people like them who have switched careers halfway through their lives.

I can't possibly work in the catering and service industries at this age, can I?
In all likelihood, once they leave Pierre Cardin, they won't find a better job than here.

Unless they are exceptionally skilled technical personnel in their industry.

Even so, if someone does find a job, they are unlikely to be trusted or given important responsibilities.

At this point, they remembered the benefits of working for the company: stable income, guaranteed regardless of drought or flood.

Moreover, foreign companies have relatively loose management systems, and their salaries are higher than those of their Japanese counterparts. In addition to statutory holidays, employees can enjoy seven days of paid annual leave, and almost everyone who has been with the company for more than five years has the opportunity to go to the French headquarters for training.

All of this made them increasingly regretful, and they finally realized their true nature as beasts of burden.

As a result, some people began to change their stance and turn their anger towards the ringleader.

They blamed each other and even punched each other.

Some even started looking for ways to plead with the company, hoping to get a pardon and return to work.

Unfortunately, they soon discovered that President Ning Weimin was a man of his word, and there was no room for negotiation.

Everyone who went on strike was fired without hesitation; not a single person was retained, not even the most experienced employees.

It was only at this point that they truly understood what it meant to feel "too late to regret" and realized how foolish it was to fight against the very means that sustained them.

However, if we look at it from another angle, the massive layoffs were a very wise choice for Pierre Cardin Ltd. of Japan.

For the company, in addition to significantly reducing future human resource costs, it actually has a calming effect on the remaining employees.

As the saying goes, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

Seeing the stark contrast between the completely different attitudes of those who lost their jobs can make those who remain realize the true nature of their situation, feel a sense of happiness, and become more docile.

Moreover, with so many people laid off, many positions in the company have become vacant, including some management positions, which has provided opportunities for advancement for many people.

This is what all working people consider the most important thing.

Especially in the minds of Japanese people who are used to seniority-based ranking, how could they not be happy when they suddenly get a position that would normally take many more years to achieve?

For a lucky few, although a raise is unlikely this year, a promotion will bring a greater increase in personal benefits.

They naturally became Ning Weimin's loyal subordinates.

This outcome was probably something none of the company's top executives had anticipated when they initially reluctantly carried out Ning Weimin's layoff order.

Of all these lucky ones, who is the one who reaped the greatest reward?

It's not hard to guess at all; it's the same person who's just drifted into the mundane routine of the office, the one who was once considered to have no chance of ever getting promoted, Director Taniguchi.

Even disregarding other factors, his good personal relationship with Ning Weimin alone gave him a significant advantage in terms of promotion.

Everyone says that nepotism is bad, but no boss can possibly appoint people based on personal connections, right?
In fact, Ning Weimin also had to take into account Director Gu Gu's opinion when selecting the list of those to be promoted.

This alone is enough to prove Ning Weimin's trust in him.

Therefore, his promotion was a foregone conclusion, and many senior executives in the company had already anticipated it.

However, Director Taniguchi himself lacked sensitivity in this regard.

You could say he's the kind of honest guy who's content to be a screwdriver.

For a period of time, I even faced rejection and isolation from my colleagues because I stopped drinking after get off work.

He had long since given up on the idea of ​​promotion and had almost no hope of advancement; he just wanted to retire peacefully from the company.

Even though Ning Weimin replaced Hasegawa as president, he never thought he would gain any benefits or extra advantages.

Therefore, on April 13, 1990, when the promotion order was announced in public and he was suddenly promoted and given an important position, Director Taniguchi felt so abrupt, surprised, and incredulous.

His sense of surprise was no less than that of Fan Jin, who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, when he finally succeeded, to the point that he completely lost his composure.

He didn't even think to call home to let his family know about his promotion and the company celebration he was going to attend that evening. He was too busy smiling and responding to his colleagues' congratulations.

Needless to say, Mrs. Taniguchi, who had been waiting for her husband to return home that night, couldn't help but worry.

By 11 p.m. that night, she had lost count of how many times she had looked at the clock.

By this time, the two children in the Taniguchi family were already asleep, and Mrs. Taniguchi had finished watching her daily drama without fail. In the not-so-spacious living room, she was the only one awake, sitting silently on the sofa, anxiously wondering what might have happened to Director Taniguchi.

To be honest, she was aware of some of the recent turmoil at Pierre Cardin Japan.

Moreover, as a Japanese housewife, she didn't really approve of Ning Weimin's decision to lay off hundreds of people at once.

One reason is the sorrow of the fox mourning the death of the rabbit.

She knew better than anyone how many difficulties these families who had lost their jobs would face in the future.

Thinking of myself, I can't help but feel sympathy.

Secondly, like most people, she felt that losing nearly half of the employees at once could shake the company's foundation.

She was certain that Director Taniguchi's workload would increase as a result.

So how could she not be worried, or even happy?

The reason she didn't, like most employees' family members, criticize Ning Weimin, this Chinese man, behind his back as a perverse and reckless fellow.

It's just that their family is different from others; they've always been taken care of by Ning Weimin and received too many benefits, so they're too embarrassed to complain behind his back.

But this doesn't mean her worries can completely disappear.

After all, the most unsettling thing is not being able to grasp or see the future clearly.

Mrs. Taniguchi is starting to have some trouble understanding Ning Weimin.

Based on her understanding of Ning Weimin, he was clearly a kind and polite person, so how could he do something so extreme?

The more you can't figure something out, the more you tend to overthink.

It's said that rich people are calculating. Given the vast difference in their social status, could it be that Ning Weimin's continued contact with the Gu family was also for ulterior motives, perhaps to frequently gather information about Pierre Cardin Japan?
This sudden idea startled Mrs. Taniguchi. She turned pale and stood there stunned for a long time before patting her chest.

"They wouldn't turn their backs on us and fire our child's father after achieving their goal, would they? We've never treated him rudely..."

Just as I was thinking this, the doorbell rang.

She rushed to open the door and finally saw Director Taniguchi back home.

I'm finally relieved, but some complaints are inevitable.

Mrs. Taniguchi didn't give her husband a pleasant look, saying, "Where have you been all this time?" as she took the briefcase from Director Taniguchi's hand.

Unexpectedly, Director Taniguchi was unusually bold today, and with a grin, he actually put his arm around her shoulders in the entryway.

Mrs. Taniguchi was startled and tried to break free from her husband's hand, but then she smelled the stench of alcohol on him.

This made her even angrier. Staring at her husband's face, she couldn't help but scold him.

"Have you been drinking today? What's wrong with you? Let me go!"

Little did they know, Director Taniguchi was behaving very strangely today; the angrier Mrs. Taniguchi became, the happier he seemed.

If you hadn't said he was drunk and acting crazy, it would have been fine. But once you mentioned it, he actually burst into laughter, and then forcibly pulled Mrs. Taniguchi into his arms and kissed her with his smelly, smoky mouth.

Mrs. Taniguchi was so angry at his antics that she was about to grab the shoehorn by the door and give him a good whack to see if he would still act up when he was drunk.

Unexpectedly, Director Taniguchi's words made her feel dizzy and disoriented, as if she were drunk.

"Honey, I got a promotion today!"

"What did you say?" Mrs. Taniguchi's eyes widened instantly.

“I said I got promoted!” Director Taniguchi’s voice rose eight octaves.

"Really?" Mrs. Taniguchi covered her mouth, unable to contain her joy.

"Since President Ning announced it in public, it must be true."

Director Taniguchi was beaming with pride, practically gesturing wildly as he showed off.

"That's why I didn't come home on time today. After get off work, I went to a celebration party the company held for all the promoted managers. Afterwards, we newly promoted people went to several different places to drink, which is why I came back late."

Director Taniguchi was overjoyed, but the excuse he gave failed to satisfy his wife.

After all, once he got home, he was so busy showing off that he didn't apologize for not calling home that day.

Although Mrs. Taniguchi was delighted, she was also a little annoyed by his disgraceful appearance and couldn't help but want to pour cold water on him.

"Hmph, a promotion is fine, but there's no need to keep drinking and feasting like this. Look how happy you are, President Ning gave you such a high position. He wouldn't skip the deputy section chief and directly make you section chief, would he? Looking at you drinking like this, you're risking your life..."

However, what she thought was sarcasm turned into an even more exaggerated and ecstatic reaction from Director Taniguchi.

"Haha, I knew you'd say that. If it's really as you say, then of course it's fine. I know my limits; I'll definitely go home after this party. But the problem is, President Ning appointed me as the company's executive director. Executive director, that's fourth in the company's ranking. Of all the newly promoted managers today, I've received the highest position. Everyone's surrounding me to congratulate me and inviting me to continue at another venue. Considering future work needs, I really can't refuse their kind invitations. So I really can't decline and spoil everyone's fun..."

"What? Executive Director? Fourth in the company rankings? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Mrs. Taniguchi was truly shocked; how could it be such a high position?

So, without realizing it, she blurted out her disdain for her husband.

"Has President Ning lost his mind? I can understand a section chief, but an executive director... isn't he worried that you won't be able to handle the job?"

Fortunately, Director Taniguchi has always been good-tempered in front of his wife and is very self-aware.

He was not offended at all by this, but instead frankly admitted his shortcomings.

"That's right. That's what I thought at first too. I was content with just a deputy section chief position. Not only would it give you and the child some peace of mind, but I'm also quite familiar with the work of a deputy section chief, so I shouldn't make any mistakes. But the executive director is a real high-level executive in the company. That kind of work should involve researching major issues concerning the company's development, right? How could I just casually offer my opinions? Although President Ning thinks highly of me, which is an honor for me, I really don't want to cause him any trouble. But unexpectedly, President Ning wouldn't let me refuse. He said that the company's development path is all in his head, and from now on, he doesn't need anyone to offer advice; he just needs the company to execute his instructions. And I'm the only person he can truly trust in the company, and I'm familiar with all the departments. So he needs me to keep an eye on things in the company for him. That's the most important thing for him. He promised he wouldn't assign me any difficult work..."

"So this is ah."

After hearing what Director Taniguchi said, Mrs. Taniguchi understood.

Her husband might not be good at anything else, but as a long-time employee, he was very familiar with all the departments in the company, so he was qualified to be Ning Weimin's housekeeper.

Moreover, if you look at it this way, Ning Weimin is very loyal to his friends and truly treats them as his own people.

Even now, despite the growing disparity in their positions, they haven't forgotten to support Director Taniguchi, and they still think of them when there are benefits to be had.

For this reason alone, it's worthwhile that they've been constantly thinking about him, genuinely worried about him, and concerned for him. (End of Chapter)