America: My Time

Chapter 1219 The Reorganization of Phoenix Group

Chapter 1209 The Reorganization of Phoenix Group

John was well aware that his every move was being watched, and he also knew that the bigwigs in Hong Kong were not fools. They understood that Soros's departure was only temporary, and that Hong Kong was not as stable as it seemed. They would do everything in their power to raise funds to deal with the crisis, and under such circumstances, Standard Chartered Bank was one of their targets.

John could refuse, silencing them, but some might try to use the "wife" route to get close to Cherie Chung. John didn't want to deal with those people, so this arrangement served as a reminder to them not to have such thoughts. In this environment, those who had previously had no dealings with Standard Chartered Bank, no matter how many ideas they had, were powerless to get help from them!

John had to prepare for all of this in advance, and also to avoid putting Chung Chor-hung in a difficult position. Social obligations would put a lot of pressure on her, and by taking responsibility himself, the problem could be solved. John wasn't a heartless man; he couldn't bear to let his woman shoulder all the pressure!
However, John wouldn't say any of this. Smart people would see it, and those who didn't wouldn't bother to explain. As long as he had a clear conscience, that was enough. John's targets weren't ordinary people, but rather the bigwigs of Hong Kong, those 'interested individuals'. As for what the Taiwanese thought or how they viewed it, John didn't care; those guys weren't worth his attention!
Just as John had predicted, when Cherie Chung left Hong Kong, those who had been watching John all sighed. They naturally understood the meaning behind it. Similarly, Wong Sik-chiu also sighed. He knew very well what this meant. If he had still harbored a sliver of hope before, that hope was shattered at this moment. Cherie Chung's departure meant that he needed to complete a restructuring of the Phoenix Group.

Before Huang Xizhao could even act, Yang Gongru quickly followed suit, bringing several beauties into ATV. This sudden turn of events instantly increased the pressure on him. If Zhong Chuhong's departure had already made him realize the seriousness of the situation, now he had to act quickly, or he wouldn't be able to explain himself to his boss. John's absence was already a concession; if he didn't act and punish those fools, it would be too late when his boss came knocking, and he himself would be implicated!

"These good-for-nothing bastards, who know what they're thinking? They clearly know the current situation of Phoenix Group and the company's rules and regulations, yet they still insist on making such foolish moves. Which is more important, personal relationships or their own future? They can't even tell the difference. If they don't suffer, who will?"

Although he felt immense hatred for these foolish individuals, Huang Xizhao still had to take action. Were these guys important to Phoenix Group? Not really. While they had some ability, their vision was far too narrow. They even dared to break company rules and regulations. If they weren't punished, there would be no way to explain it to the boss.

If his boss were unaware of all this, he could at least cover it up. But now that things have reached his boss's ears, if he hasn't taken action, he'll be affected. Huang Xizhao doesn't want to take the blame for these guys, doesn't want to bear the responsibility for them, and certainly doesn't want to be implicated. The Phoenix Group is no longer what it used to be, and it can function without anyone. Even if some of these film industry figures are eliminated, it won't have much of an impact, since the Phoenix Group's investment in films is decreasing.

Of course, if they were talented people from the TV station, Huang Xizhao might explain it to them. But TV station staff wouldn't be so stupid. Foolish guys would have been eliminated long ago. After all, the competition in TV stations is much more brutal than in the film industry. Such a serious problem would have been reported long ago.

"Notify those guys that they're fired. Company rules and regulations aren't just for show. Since they dared to disregard company rules and challenge company regulations, they should be prepared to be laid off!" Huang Xizhao quickly instructed his secretary to handle the matter without any room for negotiation; they were fired directly!
"Manager, isn't this too serious? This will demoralize the staff and cause considerable trouble, which will be very detrimental to you!" The secretary was taken aback upon hearing this, and then spoke up to advise him. If someone were to cause trouble, with the big boss in Hong Kong, it could affect Huang Xizhao, so as his secretary, she naturally needed to offer a reminder!
"Don't worry, the big boss knows about this. This decision is also to give the big boss an explanation. Those guys have no sense at all. They even dare to ignore the big boss's arrangements. If they don't suffer, who will? In the past, we could let it go because of our past relationship, but not this time. They will pay the price for their stupidity. Go, don't hesitate. The sooner this matter is resolved, the better!"

At this point, Huang Xizhao wouldn't care about past relationships; personal interests were far more important than sentiment. He knew about the underhanded tactics of those guys in the film industry, that they were violating company rules and regulations. However, these guys always had some acceptable 'reasons,' and if nothing went wrong, Huang Xizhao wouldn't investigate; he would simply tacitly approve. But now things were different. The big boss was angry, and someone had to pay the price and take responsibility!

Reasons like "meeting the requirements of the script" cannot be discussed openly right now. The company's rules and regulations are there, and no matter how many reasons you have, it won't matter. Breaking the rules will be punished, and you need to give the big boss an explanation. Even if the big boss hasn't said anything, things still need to have a result!
The punishment quickly caused a significant impact within Phoenix Group, causing concern among many, especially those in the film industry. They were all facing a headache, as they too had similar concerns. After all, social obligations were often difficult to refuse, and now, with this punishment, they were starting to worry about their own interests. No one wanted to leave Phoenix Group, given its excellent benefits and numerous advantages.

"What do we do now? Those guys have been punished, and fired outright. We're in the same danger. Why don't we go and ask them together? If they follow the company's rules and regulations, our creative work will face a lot of obstacles." "Heh, Old Chen, don't use that excuse anymore. If things hadn't been blown out of proportion, it wouldn't be a big deal, and you could cover it up with that excuse. But if the company is determined, that reason is ridiculous. I advise you to stop thinking like that, or you'll only hurt yourself."

"Do you know something? What time is it now? You still have the nerve to play tricks on us!"

"I don't know anything. All I know is that the company's rules and regulations are not just for show. The reason we have so much 'freedom' is simply because we are a film company. That's why we have this little bit of 'freedom,' but this 'freedom' cannot be made public. If you use such a reason to explain it, you will only cause trouble for yourself!"

"But there's nothing we can do about it. The company's artists may not be able to meet our requirements. We're also considering the quality of the film. If we could, we wouldn't leave our company's artists unused and look for other people!"

"Alright, stop explaining. It's no use talking to me. This is the general manager's decision. If you have any ideas, go talk to him. Aren't you very confident? I won't do such a thing. I don't want to be punished."

“Old Chen, you’re too cunning. You don’t treat us like brothers. I’ve heard that those guys were punished because they were too stupid and ignored the boss’s arrangements. It’s no wonder they were fired. They only have themselves to blame. Now these bastards have gone too far and dragged us down with them. The company has already warned us not to violate the rules and regulations again.”

"So that's how it is. Have these guys gone mad? Do they really think they're so great that they dare to ignore the big boss's orders? It's fine if they want to die, but don't drag us down with them!"

"What's the use of saying all this now? The company's disciplinary decision has already been issued, and we can only comply. Otherwise, you try and see what happens if you violate the company's rules and regulations! Don't complain for those guys; they brought it on themselves. It's not just that those bastards are ignorant; we've been tricked by them too. Who can we complain to?"

"Alright, everyone understands what's going on. Keep your thoughts to yourselves and don't cause trouble at this time, or you'll all be dealt with. Because of those guys' issues, the company has decided to cut investment in movies. We don't have the same resources as before."

“I told you long ago not to do those things, but you just wouldn’t listen. Now that things have gotten out of hand, your excuse that the company didn’t have suitable candidates doesn’t hold water. Didn’t Hong Kong have them? Didn’t Taiwan have them? Didn’t South Korea or Japan have them? To put it bluntly, it was just a matter of personal favors. Now that the company is going to punish them severely, this matter will naturally blow up, not to mention that these guys ignored the big boss’s arrangements!”

(End of this chapter)