Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

Pengcheng, Sanxing Electronics Building.

The air seemed to freeze in the general manager's office on the 28th floor.

The two company executives, Park Young-shin and Park Pu-dong, stood in front of their desks with their heads bowed in fear, cold sweat constantly dripping from their foreheads, and large dark sweat stains soaking the backs of their shirts.

Sitting in a large executive chair, Li Mingzhe held a document in his hand, his face growing increasingly gloomy as he read it.

Finally, he slammed the document onto the table and then slammed it down with a heavy thud, making Park Young-shin and Park Bo-dong tremble.

"Useless! You two are absolutely fucking useless!"

Li Mingzhe's voice was filled with rage, "Don't you all know how important the electronics industry cluster is? You can even mess up something as certain as signing a contract, what's the difference between you and useless trash?!"

The two of them didn't dare to even breathe, and could only bury their heads even lower.

Seeing that they remained silent, Li Mingzhe's anger intensified. He grabbed the documents and threw them at their faces, yelling, "Open your dog eyes and look carefully!"

"Xiaxin International has only been in the electronics industry cluster for less than two weeks, and our market share in Pengcheng and the surrounding areas has plummeted by 20%! And it's still declining! And you haven't taken any countermeasures at all. Are you just going to watch Xiaxin International swallow up the group's market share bit by bit?!"

Park Young-shin hurriedly squatted down, picked up the scattered documents one by one, and carefully placed them back on his desk. Then he explained in a trembling voice, "Young Master Mingzhe, Xiaxin International is coming on too strong this time. Their 10nm chips have almost swept the market. Our main 12nm chips are no match for them at all."

"Moreover, they got their lithography machines from somewhere, and their production efficiency is ridiculously high. Even if we wanted to use 12nm chips to wage a price war, we wouldn't gain any advantage."

At this point, he glanced almost imperceptibly at Park Bo-dong beside him, a hint of "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" flashing in his eyes, before he said seriously, "As for the signing of the electronics industry cluster agreement, it was Vice President Park who was in charge at the time."

"I really didn't expect that such a simple matter would be botched by him. As the person in charge of the company, I am also responsible. Please punish me, Young Master Mingzhe!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he completely ignored the fiery glare from Park Pu-dong beside him, lowered his head deeply, and adopted an attitude of accepting punishment and sincerely admitting his mistake.

The office fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint whirring of the central air conditioning unit, which only made the silence feel even more oppressive and suffocating.

Lee Myung-cheol did not react immediately. His cold gaze slowly swept between Park Young-shin and the ashen-faced Park Pu-dong, as if he were scrutinizing two pawns about to be discarded.

However, Li Mingzhe also understood in his heart that Park Pudong was just a scapegoat pushed out to take the blame.

The real culprit behind this incident is his good-for-nothing younger brother, Li Mingrui. If it weren't for his unauthorized actions and his desire to avenge the humiliation Su Chen inflicted on him in Europe, Sanxing Electronics wouldn't have been forced into such a passive situation.
But it's too late to say anything now. The matter is already settled. Yao Di has lost the strategic area of ​​the electronics industry cluster. With its policy advantages and more advanced technology, Xiamen Chip International has driven a nail into the heart of Sanxing.

Someone has to take responsibility for this, so that we can give headquarters an explanation! And that person absolutely cannot be Li Mingrui!

“Punishment?” Li Ming finally spoke, his voice low and calm, yet carrying an undeniable authority. “Park Young-shin, as the head of the company, do you think you can just brush this off with a simple ‘I’m not entirely blamed’? How will you compensate for the group’s market share and future growth potential?”

Li Mingzhe's gloomy gaze slowly shifted to Park Pudong, whose face was deathly pale: "And you, Vice President Park! Fully responsible? I think you're the one who messed it all up!"

"For such an important project, even with external interference, don't you have any contingency plans or remedial measures? I'm starting to seriously doubt how you, as vice president, even climbed up to this position!"

Park Pu-dong opened his mouth, wanting to explain that it was because Young Master Lee Myung-rye's orders had made him hesitant, but when he met Lee Myung-cheol's all-seeing yet coldly warning gaze, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and could only admit defeat and lower his head.

Li Ming stopped looking at them, slowly sat back in his large executive chair, and gazed at the towering buildings of Shenzhen outside the window. After a moment of silence, he had made his decision, and his voice spoke without question:
"Pu Pudong, effective immediately, you are relieved of your position as deputy general manager and transferred to the post-production department as deputy supervisor. Reflect deeply on your actions!"

This punishment was tantamount to plunging Park Pu-dong directly into the mud from afar! His body swayed slightly, his face drained of color, but he dared not voice any objection, and could only manage to squeeze out a few words from his throat: "Understood, Young Master Mingzhe."

"Park Young-shin!" Lee Myung-chul's voice rang out again, making Park Young-shin, who had been keeping his head down, shiver and struggle to raise his head, awaiting Lee Myung-chul's punishment.

"I'm deducting all of your bonuses, performance-based pay, and profit sharing, and placing you on probation. Within a week, I want to see an effective counterattack against Xiaxin International. If your market share continues to decline like this, you can submit your resignation!"

Park Young-shin felt a jolt of relief; his previously anxious heart briefly settled back down. Regardless of what happened next, he had at least secured his position. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly bowed, replying, "Yes! I understand. I will do my utmost!"

“Vice President Park… no, I should say Deputy Supervisor Park, you can go now. What follows is not for you to hear!” Li Mingzhe waved his hand at Park Pudong as if shooing away a fly.

"Yes!" Park Pu-dong replied with his head down, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

He devoted half his life to the company, working diligently for over twenty years to reach his current position as vice president. Now, however, he has to pay the price for that spoiled brat's stupidity, being internally transferred to the logistics department and relegated to a dead-end job.

"Don't let me catch you, Lee Myung-cheol, Lee Myung-rye. Since you're so heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless too!" Despite his thoughts, Park Pu-dong turned around and dragged his helpless body toward the door. Lee Myung-cheol and Park Young-shin didn't even glance at him and continued talking to themselves.

"How's the matter I assigned you to handle going? Any new progress?" Li Mingzhe's tone had returned to its usual calm and decisiveness, as if his previous thunderous rage was just an illusion.

Park Young-shin's spirits lifted, knowing that this was his chance to save himself. He quickly stepped forward and reported in a low voice, "Young Master Mingzhe, we have successfully established a relationship with a team leader in the production department of Xiaxin International through the head of a department in the park that we had previously bribed."

"However, their demands are quite high, asking for this much!" Park Young-shin carefully gestured the number three. "Moreover, they are very cautious and are not agreeing to meet with us for the time being!"

"Hmph!" A sharp glint flashed in Li Mingzhe's eyes. He naturally knew that Park Yong-shin was definitely not referring to the small number of 300,000. A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "It's not that we're afraid of his big appetite, it's that we're afraid of him having no desire! As long as he dares to accept it, we can turn him into a nail driven into the heart of Xia Xin International!"

"Tell him that money is not a problem, as long as he can get the information we want, especially the lithography machine they use. If he can get the classified information, we can give him even more money. In addition, if he can bribe higher-level management, he will also receive a huge bonus!"

“Even if he is exposed later, we can guarantee his safety and send him abroad. Whether it’s the United States or another country, we will make proper arrangements for him!” “Young Master Mingzhe.” A hint of hesitation flashed across Park Young-shin’s face. “Isn’t this too much of a benefit? Especially after being exposed, we still have to send him abroad.”

"Hehe~ Is it a lot? I don't think so!" Li Mingzhe chuckled and tapped the table with a playful expression. "What value do you think an exposed production team leader has?" He then looked out the window and murmured, "The pie... isn't it better to draw it as big as possible?"

Upon hearing this, Park Young-shin felt a chill run down his spine. He understood that if he were no longer of any use, he might be discarded just like Park Young-shin.

The two were completely unaware that when Park Pu-dong, who had left earlier, slowed down his pace while they were talking about Xiaxin International, he deliberately left a crack in the door when he closed it, and only after listening to what the two had to say did he carefully close the door.

Back in his office, Park Pu-dong sat expressionlessly in his chair for about seven or eight minutes. Outside the window was the unchanging bustling scene of Shenzhen, but his heart was in turmoil.

More than 20 years of loyalty and dedication have been rewarded with such a heartless kick away!

Deputy head of the logistics department? To him, that was an utter disgrace!
What will his former subordinates think of him now? Will he be able to hold his head high in the company in the future?
The last trace of hesitation in his eyes was finally replaced by ruthlessness. Since Li Mingzhe was heartless, he wouldn't be surprised if he found another way out!
Park Pu-dong took a deep breath, took out an old-fashioned button-type mobile phone from his locked drawer, skillfully turned it on, his fingers lingered on the buttons for a moment, and finally made up his mind, quickly composing a short and clear message: "8 PM, see you at Wanghai Restaurant!"

He carefully verified an encrypted contact method before sending the text message.

After doing all this, he quickly turned off his phone, put it away again, and leaned back in his chair as if he were completely exhausted, with a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

For Park Bo-dong, this was a huge gamble. If he won, he might be able to use this "pledge of allegiance" to secure a chance for survival with his future employer, or even turn against them. But if he lost, he would be doomed!
He was very familiar with the Li Group's style, but he had no other choice!

After sitting in the office for an unknown amount of time, Park Pu-dong began packing his things. He hadn't forgotten that he was no longer the vice president.

It's better to pack up your things and move them to the logistics department now than to be forcibly moved out by Park Young-shin's people later!

News of Park Pu-dong's incident quickly spread throughout the company. When he finished packing his things and came out of the office carrying a small cardboard box, his subordinates who saw him lowered their heads or avoided his gaze, without even offering a simple greeting.

In stark contrast to the past when he was surrounded by sycophants and flatterers, all that remains is the cold reality of human nature.

Park Bo-dong remained expressionless, but inwardly he sneered. This was the place he had served for over twenty years; the human relationships here were truly as thin as paper!

The logistics department is located in the annex of the building, and the environment there is incomparable to that of the upper floors of the main building.

The office was not only small and cramped, but also piled with all sorts of clutter, and the air was filled with the smell of old paper.

When he arrived, the employees in the department looked at him with different expressions: some were curious, some were sympathetic, but most of all, they felt a sense of alienation towards the "fallen phoenix," and they could even vaguely see a hint of pleasure!
A middle-aged man who looked like a department head greeted him indifferently, casually pointed to an empty corner seat for him, and then ignored him.

Park Pu-dong didn't argue or make a fuss. He just silently put down the cardboard box and started tidying up his workstation, his face expressionless.

Only the message that was sent, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, kept creating ripples in his heart.

Time passed slowly in agony.

At 7 p.m., in a private room of a seaside restaurant in Shenzhen that is built on the coast but is inconspicuous.

Park Pu-dong arrived early and chose a private room with a window overlooking the sea, which would also prevent others from seeing what was happening inside.

His fingers tapped the table unconsciously. As the time drew closer to eight o'clock, the tapping became faster, clearly indicating that he was extremely agitated.

At exactly eight o'clock, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and a man dressed in ordinary casual clothes, who would easily be mistaken for an ordinary passerby in a crowd, strode in.

Just as Park Bo-dong stood up to greet him, he noticed that there was another man wearing a hat and mask behind the man. He instinctively covered his face with his hand and asked, "Didn't you come alone? Who is this person?"

"Don't worry, our Ye Group won't harm you!" The man's cold voice rang out in the private room.

That's right, it's the Yip Group!
The man in front of me, whose appearance was not particularly outstanding, was Ye Yun, the intelligence chief of the Ye Group in Pengcheng. After learning about Sanxing Technology's activities in the electronics industry cluster, the intelligence department immediately arranged for someone to contact Pu Pudong.

He was thinking about whether he could take this opportunity to plant a mole in the upper echelons of Sanxing Electronics, or even the Li Group.

The two sides were mutually attracted and quickly made contact. However, Park Bo-dong still held a glimmer of hope for the Lee Group and did not completely switch sides to the Ye Group.

After receiving Park Pu-dong's message to meet in the afternoon, Ye Yun immediately investigated the situation and was quite sorry to learn that Park Pu-dong had been used as a scapegoat.

After all, this means that Park Bo-dong's value has been greatly reduced.

"As for who this is," Ye Yun's face flashed a teasing smile, but it vanished in an instant, though his tone remained playful: "You're very familiar with him. Don't be surprised later!"

Upon hearing Ye Yun's words, Park Pu-dong frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he lowered his hand from his face and stared intently at the masked man.

The masked man chuckled softly, slowly removing his hat and mask to reveal a shrewd and capable, yet slightly aged, face.

Park Bo-dong stared blankly at the slightly familiar face before him, wondering where he had seen it before.

A name quickly flashed into Park Pu-dong's mind. His pupils constricted sharply, and he pointed at the masked man in shock, exclaiming, "It's you!" (End of Chapter)