The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chang Sheng is no ordinary person who has climbed to his current position.

After the initial shock and rage, a cold, manipulative calm quickly took hold of him.

He made a gesture to wipe away the glaring document from the holographic image, slowly sat back in his chair, and unconsciously tapped his fingers on the smooth tabletop, making a dull thud.

Yu Qing's open scheme was indeed brilliant, almost like playing his cards face-up. But Chang Sheng had been operating in Shengtian for over a decade, his influence deeply entrenched; how could he be easily shaken by mere money?

Young people are young after all; they are too superstitious about the power of money, but underestimate the complexity of human nature and the instinct to change course with the wind.

A clear countermeasure plan quickly took shape in his mind. He couldn't directly confront this "open-minded" initiative; that would make him appear narrow-minded and hinder the company's progress.

He had to comply, and even appear more supportive than Yu Qing, but in the process of execution, he had to subtly "process" the situation to completely change its tone.

He pressed the internal communication button, his voice regaining its usual calm and authoritative tone: "Notify all department directors and above that an emergency holographic meeting will be held in one hour. Agenda: Efficiently implement the 'Chairman's Opinion Solicitation Plan'."

An hour later, the executives from various timelines in the holographic projection sat upright. Chang Sheng's face showed no trace of gloom; instead, it wore an expression of relief and encouragement.

"The chairman's decision is visionary and a brilliant move that truly connects with employees and unlocks the company's potential!" Chang Sheng set the tone at the beginning, his tone sincere. "We must fully support it and ensure that no valuable idea is overlooked."

He then changed the subject: "However, precisely because it is so important, we must not let it become a chaotic and ineffective frenzy. Good ideas need to be guided and evaluated within the right framework; otherwise, it would be extremely irresponsible to the chairman and the company."

Next, he released his carefully crafted "implementation details":
First, a "Special Working Group for Recommendation and Selection" was established, which he personally led, with members including the heads of various core departments.

"We must be the first line of defense for the chairman, eliminating those unconstructive complaints, overly fantastical and impractical fantasies, and... potentially malicious remarks that could undermine the company's stability."

The final proposals submitted to the chairman for final review must be the cream of the crop, truly possessing high constructiveness and feasibility.

These words, in a grand and dignified manner, firmly grasped back the power of selection and interpretation in their own hands.

Second, establish a "preliminary review and coaching mechanism." He encouraged all employees to have "initial communication and refinement" with their direct supervisor or department head before submitting their suggestions through the formal process.

"We need to leverage the advantages of our organizational system, pool our wisdom, and help employees refine their immature ideas into real 'golden ideas.' This is also a great opportunity for superiors and subordinates to communicate effectively and enhance team cohesion."

This measure effectively establishes an invisible vetting barrier between all employees and Yuqing. Suggestions that are truly insightful and directly address Changsheng's management issues are likely to be distorted beyond recognition at the departmental level, or even die before they are even born.

Third, he emphasized that the award selection will adhere to the principles of "fairness, impartiality, and openness," but "the feasibility of the recommendations and their actual contribution to the company must be fully considered."

“Some suggestions may sound wonderful, but they require huge investments and will not yield results in the short term; others may touch on the company’s core secrets or strategic bottom line. These all require careful evaluation by our professional management team.”

He successfully and quietly replaced the standard of "value judgment" from the "monetary reward" in Yu Qing's hands with the "realistic feasibility" that he himself controlled.

After the meeting, Chang Sheng sat alone in his office, a cold smile finally appearing on his lips.

Yu Qing wants to use money to create a direct path to talent? Sure. But if he's greedy, he'll have to set up countless roadblocks and signposts along that path.

Ultimately, those who reach Yu Qing are either harmless "talents" who have been "certified" by him, or proposals that he can easily reject on "professional grounds."

He wanted to waste Yu Qing's money on a seemingly bustling but ultimately meaningless "false prosperity" that he had meticulously orchestrated.

He also wanted employees to feel that even with the chairman's influence, their fate and the value of their suggestions were still determined by the existing management system under his control.

This is not direct resistance, but a gentle and thorough taming. He wants to absorb Yu Qing's fierce offensive into his own vast bureaucratic system, and then use the system's immense inertia and complexity to slowly dissolve and digest it.

The game is still going on. And it's only just entered the middle game.

Yu Qing never expected that Chang Sheng could so easily neutralize his fierce attack.

He tapped his head with his knuckles and let out a very soft, cold laugh—he had underestimated his opponent; Chang Sheng's waters were far deeper than he had imagined.

But Chang Sheng probably never expected that his seemingly calm response would silently further enhance Yu Qing's prestige.

To most of the executives and employees watching, President Yu had simply issued a document, yet Chang Sheng immediately mobilized so enthusiastically to respond. This attitude made him seem like a subordinate who had no choice but to obey orders.

Yu Qing keenly sensed this subtle atmosphere. Without hesitation, he struck while the iron was hot and immediately issued a new appointment announcement in the name of the group's chairman, announcing the establishment of a "Special Working Group for Recommendation and Selection," appointing Zhong Daoqian as the group leader and Chang Sheng as the deputy group leader.

This move, seemingly ordinary, was in fact extremely ruthless. It not only reiterated in front of everyone that Chang Sheng must accept Yu Qing's leadership, but also subtly labeled all of Chang Sheng's previous actions as "overstepping his authority."

Since the team leader is Zhong Daoqian, everything should be led by the team leader. When did it become his turn as the deputy team leader to jump around and give orders?
Yu Qing's reason was perfectly plausible: "As the group's president, President Chang has countless administrative affairs to attend to. I suggest selecting such specific administrative tasks so as not to overly distract him." This perfectly shut everyone up.

His choice of Zhong Daoqian was a calculated move. It was this Zhong Daoqian who, not long ago, filed a formal complaint through the chairman's private channel, accusing Chang Sheng of embezzling company assets.

Yu Qing concluded that there was absolutely no possibility of harmony between the two, and that using Zhong Daoqian as a "knife" to restrain or even hurt Chang Sheng was the most appropriate course of action.

The situation unfolded exactly as Yu Qing had predicted.

Zhong Daoqian held the title of team leader but had no real control over any resources. Without Chang Sheng's approval, he couldn't even organize a decent meeting, effectively becoming a figurehead and an awkward figurehead.

But this "decoration" was like a sharp, cold fishbone, deeply embedded in Chang Sheng's throat.

It became a "bypass" outside of the system that was strictly controlled by Chang Sheng.

The suggestions and information that Chang Sheng suppressed and intercepted now have a potential channel to bypass him and flow directly to Yu Qing.

With Zhong Daoqian's somewhat clumsy but exceptionally firm support and encouragement, some people who were already estranged from Chang Sheng or deeply suppressed by his faction began to try to submit new suggestions to Yu Qing through this new channel.

Some even directly reported various acts of abuse of power within Chang Sheng's trusted team. Frankly speaking, even if Yu Qing possessed this information and the list at this moment, he would be powerless to completely purge them. But all of this was already a crystal-clear "power distribution map" for him, making it obvious who was on whose side and who was secretly dissatisfied.

Immediately afterwards, Yu Qing pulled off an even more astonishing and outrageous move.

From the collected suggestions, he carefully selected the ten that posed the greatest threat to Chang Sheng—for example, the suggestion that directly addressed "thoroughly investigating the income and expenditure accounts of newly established branches in the past three years" was like a poisoned dagger, precisely pressed against Chang Sheng's throat.

Yu Qing selected these ten ideas as the "Top Ten Golden Ideas of the Period," but refused to disclose their names, citing the need to "protect the privacy of the proposers and prevent retaliation."

What's even more amazing is that he generously awarded huge bonuses, and those who received the awards were all Chang Sheng's most capable and core confidants!
This move was like pouring a ladle of ice water into a pot of boiling oil, causing it to explode instantly.

Those who actually offered advice watched helplessly as their sharp and insightful suggestions became the credit and bonuses for Chang Sheng's cronies. They were so angry they almost vomited blood, and they were furious but had nowhere to vent their anger.

That anger of being robbed and humiliated was ultimately directed at Chang Sheng and the "special task force" that controlled the suggestion channel.

Meanwhile, Chang Sheng's cronies inexplicably received hefty bonuses, knowing better than anyone that the money was suspicious and dangerous. But how many could resist real money? Most of them pretended not to know, their smiles awkward, yet they still accepted the money with a genuine smile.

The atmosphere at the awards ceremony was almost frozen. Chang Sheng sat in the front row, expressionless, his fingertips silently tapping the armrest of his chair. When his confidants went on stage to accept their awards, they didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

Some forced smiles, some walked quickly with their heads down, and some had their fingers trembling slightly as they received their medals. The audience murmured amongst themselves, while the atmosphere on stage was as awkward as an execution ground.

This distorted reward, like a precisely planted bomb, has sown the seeds of suspicion, injustice, and division within Chang Sheng's long-established and solid camp.

In the days that followed, a silent caution suddenly arose between Chang Sheng and his trusted lieutenants. The previously intimate atmosphere was gone, replaced by somewhat stiff formalities and avoided eye contact.

Chang Sheng knew this might be a divisive tactic, but when he saw the people's evasive eyes and their suddenly formal way of speaking, he still couldn't shake his doubts: "Have they been bribed? What are they hiding from me?"

His confidants were secretly uneasy, fearing that Chang Sheng would reprimand them for accepting money without permission, and also muttering among themselves, "When has Chang Sheng ever been so generous to us? He always takes the lion's share of the benefits..."

Given this situation, Zhong Daoqian naturally reported it to Yu Qing. He also reported to Yu Qing the shameful act of Chang Sheng and his associates who had switched the beams and pillars.

Yu Sheng could only feign surprise and tell him to gather more compelling evidence. But then another idea popped into Yu Qing's head—to add fuel to the fire by promoting his two trusted confidants to vice president.

His assistant reminded him, "According to the rules, the appointment of a vice president must be announced on the spot during a holographic meeting to take effect."

But this didn't stump Yu Qing. He didn't really intend to promote that person; he just wanted to use them to further provoke Chang Sheng.

So he had his assistant issue another announcement:
"We plan to review and evaluate the winners of this period's 'Top Ten Golden Ideas' award, and promote two of them to vice president positions in order to strengthen the management team. All employees are welcome to participate in the evaluation..."

The announcement immediately pushed the already tense atmosphere to the brink of collapse.

This announcement of "promotion to vice president" was like a silent death knell, landing precisely on Chang Sheng and his group of trusted confidants who had just received their coveted bonuses.

It's no longer about watching from the sidelines; it's about putting them all on the grill, forcing them to take a stand.

The atmosphere in Chang Sheng's office grew increasingly thick and heavy. In the past, his trusted confidants could enter his inner room without prior notice, but now they hesitated slightly after knocking.

They still reported on their work, but their words were cautious and their logic meticulous. They never said a word that went off-topic, as if every word had been drafted in advance, for fear of being detected by any hint of dissent.

Chang Sheng sat in a large leather chair, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face like a searchlight, trying to find even the slightest evidence of betrayal from their respectful lowered eyes and tight lips.

He no longer joked casually or shared secrets as he used to; instead, he adopted a businesslike indifference and long, suffocating silences.

The main theme became probing and avoidance. After a small meeting, Chang Sheng casually mentioned, "The chairman's 'vice president selection' is quite ingenious. If any of you are interested, it could be an opportunity."

After he finished speaking, no one responded. Several of his key subordinates either abruptly lowered their heads to drink tea, pretended to flip through documents, or responded with dry laughter: "President Chang is joking. We all work for you and have no such thoughts."

The faster they denied it, the more guilty they sounded. Chang Sheng's lips curled slightly, and he didn't say anything more, but his eyes were frighteningly cold. He knew they were all afraid—afraid that he was testing them, and even more afraid that they would be the ones chosen to be "roasted" on the fire.

Suspicion festered in private. Small group gatherings ceased entirely. They were replaced by encrypted calls and messages.

"Old Li, what kind of trick is Yu Qing playing?"

"I don't know, this money is keeping me up at night."

"The way Mr. Chang looked at me today was strange. Does he think I actually made those suggestions?"

"Vice President... this position is a hot potato! Whoever gets involved will be hated by President Chang to death!"

They tested each other, fearing both that their companions might be bribed to climb the social ladder and that they themselves would be the ones isolated and distrusted. The seemingly impenetrable organization that Chang Sheng had cultivated for so many years was now riddled with invisible cracks, and everyone walked cautiously along the edge of these fissures.

Chang Sheng's response only exacerbated the collapse. He couldn't tolerate this out-of-control suspicion. On one hand, he ordered a "special task force" to rigorously "verify" the backgrounds and authenticity of all award winners' proposals—a move tantamount to publicly investigating his own subordinates, which was extremely insulting.

On the other hand, he began to quietly shift the core business to a few old subordinates whom he considered absolutely reliable but slightly less capable, gradually marginalizing those "award-winning elites".

This move completely chilled the hearts of a group of loyal followers. They had initially held onto a sliver of hope, but now they clearly saw that regardless of their loyalty, Chang Sheng no longer trusted them.

The bonus they dared not spend or return, along with the elusive allure of the vice president, became a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads, ultimately severing the last vestiges of their friendship with Chang Sheng.

The conflict is no longer hidden. Chang Sheng has lost his sharpest claws, while his henchmen await a future that may be a blessing or a curse amidst widespread anxiety.

Yu Qing didn't even need to actually promote anyone; his goal had already been achieved. (End of Chapter)