Rekindle 2003

Chapter 779 The Disappearing Airplane

The afternoon of September 9th.

Xingtianxia Group, in the chairman’s office.

The office is spacious and bright, with luxurious decoration.

Wu Lujun looked through the French windows at the busy factory scene outside, but his heart was inexplicably filled with uneasiness, like the calm before a storm.

Wu Lujun's fingers tapped on the desk unconsciously, and each tap seemed to vent his inner anxiety.

Before every big event, people will have psychological forebodings.

When faced with important events or decisions, some psychological reactions often occur, such as anxiety, tension, or premonition.

It can be metaphysics or science.

This psychological foreboding may stem from concerns about unknown outcomes, a review of past experiences, or a sensitive capture of changes in the current environment.

But after thinking carefully for a while, Wu Lujun still couldn't think of anything that was worth worrying about.

Maybe I'm worrying too much?
He sighed helplessly, stood up, took out a bottle of whiskey from the secret cabinet of his bookcase, put some ice cubes, and prepared to have a drink.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep well last night.

My son doesn’t sleep at night but sleeps during the day. The pediatrician said it’s because of the adults’ sleep and rest schedule.

Of course, this time refers to his time.

For a long time, he could only go back home to spend time with his children at night, which caused his son, who was willing to play with him, to spontaneously adjust his schedule.

The doctor's explanation made him very satisfied at the time.

But thinking back on it, this was really fatal.

With a wry smile, Wu Lujun took a sip of wine, rubbed his nose, and closed his eyes to rest.

It’s okay, just hold on for another year or so.

It was the same with my daughter back then, but things got much better when she turned 3.

After a while, he opened his eyes, drank the slightly dissolved wine in the glass in one gulp, and prepared to get up and enter the secret door of the bookcase.

There is a suite inside, a bedroom with a bathroom and shower room.

In the past, he often fooled around in there with his secretary and the pretty women in the office.

However, ever since his son was born, he has been like a lion after his estrus period, and all he thinks about every day is eating.

There was still an hour or so before the afternoon work start, so he prepared to go to bed and take a nap.

But before he could open the secret door, there was a knock on the door.

as well as……

Secretary's voice.

Wu Lujun sighed, put the wine glass on the table on the low side cabinet, and called out, "Come in."

Anything that disturbs him during his lunch break is no small matter.

The secretary who came in was named Yun Shen.

Sex: Male.

"Chairman, National Day is coming soon. You asked me to remind you to finalize the employee benefits at noon today." Yun Shen's voice was calm and respectful.

Wu Lujun's current wife, Fan Li, started out as a secretary.

After successfully helping Wu Lujun to have a son in his middle age to continue the family line, Fan Li naturally had a lot more say. In response to Wu Lujun's dishonesty, Fan Li sent all the young and beautiful female staff in the secretariat and office out.

Even the secretary was replaced by a man.

Wu Lujun felt helpless when he looked at the face of his male secretary Yun Shen.

At this time, Yun Shen was wearing a neat suit and his hair was combed meticulously.

As for appearance...

The secretary, like the front desk clerk, more or less represents the image of the company.

So, with Fan Li's personal intervention, the pretty boy Yun Shen became his secretary.

Normally, there are no benefits on National Day, and the same is true for Xingtianxia Group. Generally, there are only benefits on Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival.

However, a unhealthy trend has emerged in the industry this year, forcing Wu Lujun to follow suit and enjoy this benefit.

It’s all because of that little brat named Qingyun!

What's the point of feeding so much cattle and horses?
It's totally nonsense!

Aren’t benefits labor costs?

"Did you find out how the Yanhuang Group issued the information?"

Yun Shen was immediately delighted when he heard this.

Benchmarking against Yanhuang Group?
Yo hoo!

This is a stingy person being plucked out of his wits!

"They are 1000 yuan shopping cards for each person."

Yun Shen's answer made Wu Lujun gasp.

What the hell!
The average monthly salary in Pengcheng in 2002 was only 2300 yuan, which is equivalent to half a month's salary.

For Xingtianxia Group, which has 6000 employees, this is an additional expense of 600 million.

But there was no other way. He had made a promise to his employees to encourage them to work overtime to produce customized machines, and now he could only fulfill his promise.

Fortunately, employee welfare expenses are tax-exempt within 14% of total salary, otherwise he would have suffered even more.

but……

Wu Lujun pondered for a moment and said calmly, "We will follow the standard of 1200 yuan."

After hearing this, Yun Shen's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but glance at the sky outside.

The sun didn’t rise from the west today?

"The employees received a 400-yuan shopping card and 800-yuan gifts, which made their families very happy.

Buy some nuts, some rice, flour, grain, oil, and some seasonal fruits. Ask the General Affairs Department to buy them later. They know where to buy them..."

Wu Lujun's nagging words made Yun Shen feel cold in his heart.

Damn it, I knew it would be like this.

Wu Lujun's own cousin opened a food trading company outside.

The actual value of an item worth 800 yuan is estimated to be less than 300 yuan.

It’s really a good thing that the wealth is kept within the family!

In fact, at the beginning, Yun Shen didn’t understand this operation.

He felt that the company was not a state-owned enterprise. For Wu Lujun, purchasing from outside food trading companies was purely using his own money to subsidize his cousin.

There's no need.

Later, with the guidance of a married male colleague, he finally understood the essence of this operation.

I can only say that being a man is really difficult. Regardless of age, wealth, status, or region, it is the same everywhere in the country.

You can choose not to use your private money, but you cannot live without it.

He will always remember the words that male colleague said with a melancholy look in his eyes:

You boys don’t understand that the amount of private money is the confidence that a man has in his life.

but……

Yun Shen sighed in his heart, well, compared to never having it before, this miser was lucky to get some gold coins this time.

Also worth it.

While he was still sighing, Wu Lujun suddenly asked him a question.
"Yun Shen, I asked you to count how many employees have left since the company was founded?"

Yun Shen heard this and replied calmly, "Chairman, I counted and there are 1916 people in total."

The company was founded less than 10 years ago, and it's quite strange that so many people have left.

I can only say that this guy is extremely stingy.

Wu Lujun nodded and said calmly, "Well, then the benefits this time... include them as well. Give one to all the resigned employees as long as they can be contacted. It's a token of my appreciation."

Yun Shen was stunned where he was, his eyes wide open, almost unable to believe his ears, "Chairman, there is no need, they have all resigned..."

In his impression, Wu Lujun has always been known for his meticulous budgeting, and his cost control is almost harsh...

And this time, they were going to provide benefits to employees who had resigned, which he thought was unprecedented.

Yun took a deep breath, he felt his heartbeat quicken, and an indescribable feeling spread in his heart.

He began to re-examine the chairman in front of him. Perhaps Wu Lujun was not as stingy and mean as he seemed. He also had his emotions and considerations, but he did not express them easily.

Wu Lujun glanced at him and said coldly, "Why is it unnecessary? The company's world was conquered by everyone following me!
Without their efforts, there would be no company today! Although they have left, they will always be in my heart!"

After that, he sighed, was silent for a few seconds and continued, "Before, the company was poor, and I felt sorry for them. Now that the company is running on the right track, I can't forget their contributions."

Yun Shen stood there, and a warm current suddenly flowed through his heart, and he was filled with unprecedented emotion.

He never thought that Wu Lujun would have such a side - a leader who was grateful to past employees and did not forget old friendships.

In his opinion, Wu Lujun's image gradually became three-dimensional and warm. He was no longer a businessman who only cared about costs and profits, but a person with feelings, righteousness and gratitude.

"Chairman, it's worth it for them to have followed you in their lives! It's even more worth it for me to be able to follow you in my life!"

Wu Lujun smiled when he heard that, and then cursed at Yun Shen, "Why don't you go quickly? What are you doing standing here?!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Shen bowed respectfully, then walked out quickly, with a look of joy unconsciously on his face and wind in his footsteps.

Who doesn’t want to follow a good leader?

Especially a leader like this who cares about old friendships!

Yun Shen felt that he had a purpose in life.

After seeing the office door was closed, Wu Lujun quickly took out his cell phone and called his cousin.
"If we send one more person, the profit is 500, right?"

"That's fine, as long as it's not past the expiration date on the packaging."

"Well...be careful not to be discovered by your sister-in-law. If she does, she will charge the card I gave you."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Lujun leaned back in his luxurious office chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest with a smug smile on his face.

He felt that his move was a win-win: he fulfilled his promise to his employees, cleverly took care of his own business, and left himself enough room for maneuver.

In his opinion, this is not only business acumen, but also a kind of survival wisdom.

He knew in his heart that although the actual value of those physical objects was certainly not as high as the price tag, what was important was the thought and gesture.

Eating expired food won't kill you.

This is the case with many things. Expiration of the expiration date does not necessarily mean that the item is bad. You can just re-paint the date on it and be done with it.

From a business perspective, he gave his employees tangible benefits, which is considered quite generous in the industry.

As for those subtle "adjustments", in his opinion, they are clever tricks that every businessman would do.

After all, cost control is part of business operations.

Wu Lujun poured another half glass of whiskey and shook the glass gently. The ice cubes clinked in the amber liquid, and his mood relaxed.

He thought this was probably what was called a "win-win" situation.

The employees benefited, and he also protected his own interests while consolidating his image in the minds of his employees.

Nice!

He looked out the window again. The factory was still busy, but his mood was very different from before.

That feeling of uneasiness has disappeared, replaced by a sense of peace and confidence.

Wu Lujun smiled slightly and decided to use the remaining fifty minutes to have a good rest.

He still had a lot of work to do in the afternoon, and when he returned home in the evening, he would have to play the role of a loving father, but at this moment, he just wanted to enjoy this short period of peace.

However, just as he got up and was about to open the secret door to take a nap on the bed, the office door was knocked again.

And judging from the knocking sound, it was even more urgent than Yun Shen's.

Looking at the door helplessly, Wu Lujun curled his lips and called out, "Come in."

General Manager Lu Zhenyu almost stumbled into the room, his face full of panic.

His forehead was covered with sweat and his eyes were flickering with anxiety, an emotion that was extremely rare in him, who was usually calm.

After quickly closing the door, Lu Zhenyu's voice trembled a little, and his eyes were full of panic, "Chairman, something happened!"

This made Wu Lujun feel strange.

It is definitely impossible to follow this old path and remain calm even when facing a disaster, but to be able to sit in the position of general manager, that requires a good character.

Wu Lujun frowned slightly. His intuition told him that the next news might not be good.

He sensed the seriousness of the matter from Lu Zhenyu's expression. The feeling of uneasiness that had originally disappeared came back to his heart again, like a heavy stone pressing on his chest.

Wu Lujun stood up and walked to the sofa, his calm voice carrying a hint of comfort: "Lao Lu, sit down first and talk slowly."

He motioned for Lu Zhenyu to come over and sit down, and he stared at him intently, waiting for his next words.

Lu Zhenyu did not sit down immediately. His voice was obviously trembling as he reported hurriedly.

"Chairman, the chips we ordered from Intel were supposed to arrive in Hong Kong tonight.

I just contacted customs to save time, but they told me that there are no cargo flights coming from America tonight.

I checked the flight records based on the flight number provided by Yang Xu. That cargo plane is not flying to Pengcheng at all. Its destination is Huating!"

This news exploded like a thunder in Wu Lujun's mind. His face turned pale instantly and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

Lu Zhenyu's words were a little confusing, but that didn't stop him from hearing them clearly.

"How is this possible?! Did the plane change its route temporarily and make an emergency landing in Huating? Or what?!"

There was a hint of disbelief in Wu Lujun's voice. He quickly stood up, walked quickly to the computer in front of his desk, and began to look for relevant information.

Lu Zhenyu continued, his tone full of anxiety, “I checked, the original destination of this cargo flight is Huating, not Pengcheng at all!
Chairman, we may have been deceived by Yang Xu."

……

(End of this chapter)