Having achieved financial freedom, I reorganized my workplace.

Chapter 109 Everything is under control

The settlement statements for that batch of projects in the east of the city ultimately failed to meet the deadline and were completely overdue.

It wouldn't normally be a big deal; if it couldn't be settled in the first half of the year, it could simply be postponed to the second half. However, once the system was overdue, a yellow light would flash, indicating a data error for the company. This not only lowered the data quality but also directly affected the company's ranking across the province. Even worse, with the order unsettled, the project's cash flow immediately stalled. Without subsequent funding, the construction site was on the verge of coming to a standstill, becoming a real mess.

The next morning, Lao Zhang came to work feeling groggy from a hangover, his eyes bloodshot and his steps unsteady.

When Old Qiao saw him return, he immediately rushed over to report the overdue settlement. The next second, Old Zhang's furious scolding voice came from the office: "Old Qiao, what kind of work are you doing? You only came to tell me when it was already overdue? Where were you all this time?!"

Old Joe, already feeling aggrieved, immediately retorted, "I mentioned this to you last week, but you just didn't take it seriously! I called you nonstop yesterday, but you didn't answer at all. What does this have to do with me?"

Old Zhang was speechless for a few seconds, then forced a tough stance: "Can't you find a way? Can't Lin Chen sign on your behalf?" These words reached Lin Chen's ears next door, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips. A secret sense of pleasure surged up in his heart. Sure enough, when trouble came, Old Zhang's first thought was to shift the blame.

Old Qiao scoffed, "I've already spoken to Director Lin. He made it clear that he didn't dare sign because you didn't delegate authority, fearing he'd be held responsible for overstepping his authority." Old Zhang wanted to argue further, but the phone on his desk suddenly rang urgently. It was Song Jiehui calling, his tone icy as he ordered everyone to immediately go to the conference room for a meeting. A thunderous accountability investigation was now unavoidable.

The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy and oppressive. Song Jiehui sat in the main seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water. As soon as he sat down, he spoke in a stern voice, which was so authoritative that no one dared to utter a sound: "Some departments and some people are not focused on their work at all! They have low ideological awareness, they don't care about their jobs at all, and they are doing a terrible job."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze locked onto Lao Zhang, each word emphasizing his words with undisguised anger: "I have repeatedly stressed that each department must ensure the accuracy of its data indicators, and there must be no overdue, misreported, or unreasonable situations. The company is like a game of chess; if one place falters, everyone loses, and a year's worth of effort is wasted! To be honest, I have been lenient enough; I don't even scrutinize the actual work details, but you can't even do the bare minimum, you can't even oversee the settlement process—it's simply unacceptable."

Song Jiehui's tone wasn't exactly hysterical, but his eyes were sharp as knives, sweeping over the crowd without explicitly naming anyone. Old Zhang, however, felt as if that knife was stabbing straight into him, making him restless and uneasy. Deputy Director Lin Chunhua, a newcomer, kept his eyes narrowed, observing the situation silently. He knew perfectly well that Song Jiehui was in a fit of rage; saying anything now would only make things worse, so it was better to remain silent and observe.

Old Zhang sat there feeling extremely uncomfortable, his heart filled with resentment and indignation. He thought to himself, "It's just an overdue order, why make such a fuss? How dare they embarrass me in front of so many people? Do they really think I'm easy to bully? I've worked in the project department for so many years and have a lot of seniority. Even Zeng Huihuang treated me with great respect when he was in charge. Song Jiehui has only been here for a few years, and he dares to treat me like this?"

Unable to suppress the resentment in his heart, he unconsciously let out a muffled groan.

This soft snort completely ignited Song Jiehui's anger. He immediately called out Zhang by name, showing no mercy: "Old Zhang, you tell me! What exactly happened? Why did the order become overdue!"

Old Zhang hadn't expected Song Jiehui to actually dare to hold him accountable in public, and his temper flared up. He retorted, "Director Song, it's just an overdue order, it's not that serious, is it? Who can keep an eye on this kind of thing all day long! Don't worry about the funds, I'll transfer money from other projects to cover the shortfall, it definitely won't delay the project."

These words completely enraged Song Jiehui. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply: "Old Zhang! If this is your attitude, I'll have to give you a severe dressing-down. You have no idea how important the company's performance evaluation is right now. If you don't want to work here anymore, just say so, and I'll approve it immediately and let you go for good!"

The moment those words were spoken, the conference room fell silent, the atmosphere turning icy cold. Everyone knew that Old Zhang was arrogant and domineering, the most unruly among all the department heads. Now, after being thoroughly berated by Song Jiehui, he had lost even the confidence to refute her.

At this moment, Lin Chunhua finally spoke slowly, trying to smooth things over: "Let me say a few words. I haven't been in Suicheng for long, and I'm still getting used to the business. I'm partly responsible for not paying enough attention to the project. From now on, we will definitely carry out Director Song's requirements without fail, each of us fulfilling our duties and doing our jobs well."

These words gave both sides a way out. Old Zhang quickly gave him a grateful look, and Song Jiehui also took the opportunity to back down. He already knew that Zeng Huihuang was backing Old Zhang, and he didn't want things to get too tense, so he softened his tone: "I'm not targeting anyone today, and I believe that what happened to Old Zhang was just a coincidence. But if I want to change everyone's work style, I must take data assessment seriously. That's the bottom line."

Lin Chen, who had been observing coldly, saw that the time was ripe and stood up at the opportune moment, speaking sincerely: "Director Song, actually I also bear some responsibility for this. Yesterday afternoon around four o'clock, Old Qiao came to me with a form, saying he couldn't contact Director Zhang and wanted me to sign it on his behalf to complete the process. I didn't expect the consequences to be so serious at the time, and I was afraid of overstepping my authority and making mistakes, after all, I'm new here and don't have the corresponding authority. If I had been more decisive and firm at the time, perhaps this oversight wouldn't have happened."

His words, seemingly an attempt to take responsibility, were in fact a way of clearing himself of any blame. He also subtly pointed out the crux of Lao Zhang's autocratic and unwilling-to-relinquish-power mentality, which was true, yet every word was piercing to the heart. Everyone present understood perfectly.

Upon hearing this, Song Jiehui turned to look at Lin Chen, his expression softening considerably. He knew exactly what was going on. Lin Chen had just arrived at the project department, and Old Zhang's constant vigilance and tight control over authority was entirely unrelated to Lin Chen; it only highlighted Lin Chen's cautious and measured approach. Considering Lin Chen's outstanding performance at the Wushan water station, his ability to invite He Qin to give a lecture, and Tang Yuwei's connections, now that Old Zhang was no longer of much use, Lin Chen was the perfect successor.

He looked coldly at Lao Zhang, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Lao Zhang, you're getting old. If you can't keep up, don't try to handle it all. The project team is such a big operation, you have to learn to share the burden. Lin Chen is young and strong, so I specifically assigned him to you. If you don't use him, then I'll just transfer him away."

Old Zhang sat there, his face turning pale and then red, feeling embarrassed and resentful, but he couldn't say a word and could only hold his breath.

After the meeting, Lin Chunhua took the initiative to pull Lao Zhang into her office for a heart-to-heart talk, which was undoubtedly a reassuring remark. On the other side, Lin Chen had just stepped out of the conference room when Song Jiehui stopped him and led him straight to his office.

Song Jiehui leaned back in his chair, looking at Lin Chen with a half-smile: "Lin Chen, what's up with you going to the project department?"

Lin Chen feigned ignorance: "Director Song, what do you mean by that?"

"I sent you to the project site not so you could go on vacation and enjoy a life of leisure, but to boost the morale of the project site. But what you've done is completely absent, and you're practically nowhere to be seen," Song Jiehui said, raising an eyebrow.

Lin Chen looked helpless and took the opportunity to complain: "Director Song, you know Lao Zhang's style. He likes to take on everything himself and doesn't like others to interfere or say anything. I'm not one to argue either, and I'm afraid of causing disunity in the department and ruining the work atmosphere."

Song Jiehui scoffed and bluntly said, "Don't pretend with me. You think you can be so easily suppressed? Even Zeng Huihuang couldn't suppress you. Wasn't this all expected? To tell you the truth, I was just playing along with you today."

Lin Chen was startled, not expecting Song Jiehui to be so perceptive. He quickly waved his hand in denial, looking completely innocent: "Director Song, you've wronged me. How could I dare to do such a thing? It was just a coincidence."

"Alright, stop pretending. You've learned all that flattery stuff now." Song Jiehui waved his hand, his tone becoming more serious. "But after this incident, Lao Zhang should know what to do. From now on, you'll have to shoulder this responsibility."

Lin Chen readily agreed, his heart filled with joy. This plan had finally succeeded.

Not long after returning to the project office, Lao Zhang slowly walked in, his steps heavy, his back more hunched than usual, as if a mountain was pressing down on his back. His usual high spirits were nowhere to be seen.

He forced a smile and spoke with unusual politeness, "Director Lin, are you busy?"

The casual "Lin Chen" of the past has been replaced by the formal "Director Lin," a change in address that is quite interesting.

Lin Chen quickly stood up, his face respectful: "No rush, no rush, Director Zhang, what are your instructions?"

Old Zhang slowly sat down, looked up at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with exhaustion and dejection: "Lin Chen, you just heard what the leader said. I'm getting old, my health isn't what it used to be, and my mind isn't working as well as it used to be. From now on, you'll have to take on more of the work in the project department."

Although Lin Chen didn't know what Lin Chunhua had said to him, he immediately put on a look of panic and unease: "Director Zhang, what are you saying? The leader was just saying those things in the heat of the moment yesterday. I know my own limitations; I'm not cut out to handle things. Besides, Director Zhang, you're so busy, managing over a dozen construction sites and dealing with various construction teams every day. It's perfectly normal for you to forget a small project order. In the end, it's Director Song who's making a mountain out of a molehill."

""

Lin Chen knew that Lao Zhang was at his wit's end and that he should not pursue him too relentlessly. Appropriate appeasement would not only reduce hostility but also put him on the same side, making him willing to relinquish power.

Hearing this, Old Zhang finally felt soothed by his long-suppressed grievances and resentment, and couldn't help but complain: "You really understand me! Long live understanding! Our Director Song has absolutely no experience in grassroots work. In his eyes, we guys probably just know how to eat, drink, and have fun all day long, and exploit the construction team. He's been in Sui County for so long, does he even know how many water towers we have or how long the water supply pipelines are? He has absolutely no idea about the difficulties at the grassroots level."

Lin Chen continued, his face full of admiration: "That's why I admire Director Zhang the most. At your age, it's so rare to still be so dedicated to your work. And among all the departments in the company, our project department has the most harmonious atmosphere. Everyone respects you from the bottom of their hearts."

These words had crossed all boundaries, but Lin Chen knew that someone who had been high and mighty for so long was about to fall from grace, so they had to be given some final dignity. This was Old Zhang's last desperate struggle.

Old Zhang sighed heavily, his face full of vicissitudes, and finally looked at Lin Chen solemnly: "Lin Chen, from now on, please take good care of the project department and keep an eye on things. I've done this my whole life, and I'm really tired."

Lin Chen feigned reluctance, his face sincere: "Director Zhang, rest assured, from now on I will follow your arrangements in everything and will never dare to make decisions on my own."

Old Zhang nodded, got up and left, his steps becoming heavier and heavier. His back looked several years older than usual. Watching his back, a smile quietly bloomed on Lin Chen's lips.