Dawn of Life

There's definitely a sense of insecurity within the team lately. Just the other day, someone asked Lin Yue, "Will the HRBPs all be fired?"

Qin Lan had reminded Lin Yue before leaving that she had also considered talking to Sheng Xing, but hadn't yet figured out a strategy. If Sheng Xing really intended to do this, she didn't know how to fight for her and her team's rights. So she wanted to finish the project first, at least during the project period, so Sheng Xing wouldn't touch them. Moreover, once Sheng Xing saw their value, he would have more room to negotiate.

Therefore, when someone asks, she always earnestly advises everyone: "Don't spread rumors without official information. Focus on your work, and your bosses will see your value."

In retrospect, such rhetoric is far from sufficient to soothe everyone's anxieties. The market is too sluggish; this sounds more like saying, "Focus on your current efforts and don't worry too much about the future."

It's likely that the team members are becoming increasingly insecure, and it can't be ruled out that some individuals have harbored malicious intentions.

In these turbulent times, surrounded by enemies on all sides, we must first secure our internal stability before we can fight off external threats.

She planned to find an opportunity to sound out Shengxing's stance first, so that she could have a better understanding of the situation and better devise countermeasures to reassure the team. With the team united, the project could be completed successfully, and she could also gain Shengxing's trust more quickly.

With that in mind, she sent a message to Shengxing, arranging a time to report on the first phase of the project.

During the report, she didn't mention the obstacles Yin Jie was facing, but instead focused on the parts of the project that were progressing smoothly, and what the plans were for the next phase. After the report, Sheng Xing was clearly in a good mood.

Seeing that the time was right, Lin Yue said very sincerely, "President Sheng, besides this project, my work is progressing normally with some HRBP tasks, and my team members are doing very well lately. Do you have any specific requirements for our team's work? I've been emphasizing them to them in my daily work."

Shengxing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said earnestly, "HRBP is an important tool for me to understand the business team. Please keep me informed of any feedback from within the team."

Seeing that Sheng Xing's expression was serious and his tone was firm, Lin Yue felt more confident and replied, "Understood."

As she stepped out of Shengxing's office, her steps suddenly became lighter.

In previous years, Shengxing and Liu Zheng had the same division of labor: Shengxing was responsible for merchant resources, while Liu Zheng was responsible for internal management and online operations. This was because Shengxing came from the cultural circle and had abundant resources of artisans, while Liu Zheng came from a major internet company and was more skilled in internal management and online operations.

It now appears that Shengxing wants to penetrate deeper into the team, but the trust of many managers cannot be established so quickly. However, HRBPs can help him achieve this goal.

The hints Qin Lan made when she left and the current rumors circulating within the company are both deliberate actions by Liu Zheng's camp. Without the HRBP team, the information flow between Shengxing and the business departments can be severed to some extent. Even if there are other sources of information, none can provide the same level of detail and neutrality as an HRBP who attends meetings and spends every day with the business team.

Therefore, there are no permanent friends or enemies in the workplace. There is a saying: "Your position determines your perspective." People only have different opinions and behaviors because of their different positions.

Sitting at her workstation, Lin Yue was feeling frustrated and conflicted about how to find another opportunity to talk to Yin Jie when she suddenly received a message from Liu Zheng on Feishu: "Come to my office."

Lin Yue was startled, realizing that news of her conflict with Yin Jie had already reached Liu Zheng.

She sighed and reluctantly dragged her weary steps toward Liu Zheng's office. Previously, when Liu Zheng was in charge of Lin Yue, she often went to his office to report on her work. But Qin Lan always accompanied her; she only needed to listen in, take notes, and occasionally add details at Qin Lan's prompting. This was the first time she had gone to see Liu Zheng alone, especially after just having an argument with his trusted subordinate.

Lin Yue couldn't help but worry: would Liu Zheng, like Yin Jie, think that she was deliberately making things difficult for his subordinates because of Shengxing's influence?

She quickly arrived at Liu Zheng's office and saw him engrossed in reading documents. He glanced up at Lin Yue, nodded gently to her, and gestured for her to sit down. Lin Yue quietly closed the door and sat opposite him.

The calmer and more indifferent his eyes were, the more uneasy Lin Yue became. She had had too many unlucky things happen to her lately, and she was really afraid that this was just the calm before the storm.

Liu Zheng slowly said, "Yin Jie is too impulsive. I've already talked to him about it. You're just an executor in this matter; how can you take your anger out on him?"

Lin Yue was taken aback at first, then smiled apologetically and said, "It's my fault. I didn't handle the departmental coordination well, which caused trouble for General Manager Liu."

Liu Zheng shook his head, looked at Lin Yue, and asked softly with concern, "You've always been steady and have a strong ability to manage your emotions. Why did you argue with Yin Jie in the conference room yesterday? I heard you even threw a chair?"

Upon hearing the words "chair knocked over," Lin Yue instinctively moved her lips, wanting to defend herself, claiming the chair had only been accidentally knocked over. She looked up to meet Liu Zheng's gaze, as if he didn't care about the chair at all, but was more concerned about her feelings.

Then Liu Zheng's concerned voice rang out again: "Has President Sheng been putting too much pressure on you lately? President Sheng doesn't understand human resources. If you have any problems later, you can come to me directly. After all, I hired Qin Lan back then, and Qin Lan hired you later. This is enough to show that the three of us have the same management philosophy."

Hearing this, Lin Yue understood Liu Zheng's intention. At the same time, she thought of how he and Qin Lan had deliberately spread the news that "Shengxing was going to fire all HRBPs." Suddenly, she felt a little more wary.

Her mind raced, trying to come up with a response. Soon, Lin Yue humbly began, "President Sheng is very responsible and attentive to detail. Of course, this is because, like you, he cares deeply about the company's development; his primary goal is for the company to thrive. Furthermore, although President Sheng has no prior experience managing a human resources team, he is very humble and seeks the team's advice on professional matters."

Liu Zheng stared intently at Lin Yue, his expression one of complete understanding. He thought Qin Lan was right; Lin Yue possessed a high degree of sensitivity to human nature. He gleaned three layers of meaning from Lin Yue's words: Shengxing was keeping a close eye on her; she only had advisory power with Shengxing; and she was also advising them all to step back and consider the company's interests.

Afterwards, Liu Zheng said some innocuous and encouraging words to Lin Yue, and then told her to get back to work. As soon as Lin Yue stood up, Liu Zheng added, "The 'Competency Model' project is the first project you've been independently responsible for since Qin Lan left. This project concerns the interests of all levels of the team, so you need to be more thorough in your considerations when pushing it forward within the department."

Lin Yue quickly replied, "Understood, thank you for your guidance, Mr. Liu."

After saying that, she left the office. She certainly understood Liu Zheng's attempt to curry favor and win her over. That last sentence seemed to carry a hint of warning. If she didn't respond, did he mean he would make things difficult for her on the project later? She had been with the company for seven years, including three years as an HRBP manager. She was very familiar with the team's personnel changes and interpersonal relationships, and currently held a project that affected the employees' interests.

Therefore, it is not surprising at all that Liu Zheng wanted to win her over.

Liu Zheng's initial motivation for founding Dasheng was simple: to make money. Based on his experience, his first choice would undoubtedly be e-commerce, but the e-commerce platform was almost entirely monopolized by giants like Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo. Just then, the country called for cultural revival, and he keenly sensed a business opportunity, choosing the "artisan" track. Strictly speaking, he is the founder of Dasheng and also its first employee.

In order to break into the circle of "craftsmen", he found Shengxing through a roundabout connection.

Shengxing came from a well-off family and had a dream of reviving traditional culture. So the two hit it off and Shengxing joined the company as employee number 002. In the early years, the two worked together quite well, focusing on their respective areas of expertise and pushing the company forward.

However, as the company developed, their different backgrounds and initial entrepreneurial aspirations led to significant differences in their strategic philosophies. Liu Zheng prioritized commercial value, aiming to leverage the "craftsman" label to create a fast-growing e-commerce platform, while Sheng Xing, with the pride of a cultured individual, insisted on pursuing a high-end, boutique approach. Liu Zheng believed the company needed to survive first, while Sheng Xing felt that doing so would lower its image, damage the brand, and hasten its demise. Moreover, he was very concerned about his reputation within cultural circles.

And so, the two have been locked in a power struggle for years, but Lin Yue always felt that this time was different from any of the previous ones; they were making many of their moves public. More and more people within the team were also beginning to show their intention to take sides.

Lin Yue had also thought about this issue, and even discussed it with Su Ling. Lin Yue didn't quite understand business models, so she could only consider it from the perspective of the two people's management styles.

Liu Zheng's management style is pragmatic, results-oriented, and focuses on the issue, not the person. Overall, her management style is more compatible with his. Shengxing, on the other hand, gives her the opposite impression. His management is somewhat formalistic, such as encouraging ineffective overtime. He is also cautious, conservative, and a little suspicious. If you sow seeds of doubt from the beginning, no matter how well you do things later, it will all be in vain.

This is why Qin Lan, with her strong professional skills, was still fired. It's said that when Qin Lan was reporting to Liu Zheng, she had several disagreements with Sheng Xing regarding their viewpoints. Therefore, Sheng Xing was wary of Qin Lan's relationship with Liu Zheng and didn't trust her.

Later, Shengxing also probed the relationship between Lin Yue and Qin Lan, and even tried to guide Lin Yue to evaluate Qin Lan. Lin Yue always tried to avoid the topic, but if she couldn't avoid it, she would return to the specific scene and objectively talk about what Qin Lan did, but never comment on the person.

After a few times, Shengxing finally understood that Lin Yue cherished her current job and wouldn't easily judge others. This reassured him, because he realized that Lin Yue wouldn't casually comment on Qin Lan in front of him, nor would she casually comment on him in front of others.

For Lin Yue, Sheng Xing was her direct superior when it came to choosing sides. She didn't really have a choice, because Sheng Xing held the power of life and death over her. Judging from the current situation, if Sheng Xing wanted to take action against her, she couldn't expect Liu Zheng to protect her, after all, he couldn't even protect Qin Lan.

Of course, she couldn't afford to offend Liu Zheng, as he still oversaw half of the company's team. The progress of various HR matters still depended on his support. Meanwhile, Liu Zheng and Shengxing had been like two people on a seesaw, constantly going up and down, giving the impression of taking turns in power.

Regarding this, Lin Yue checked the shareholdings of the two individuals on "Qichacha". Shengxing had more shares than Liu Zheng, but there were several other shareholders, making the shareholding structure quite complex. Lin Yue guessed that there were probably various interests involved within the board of directors, which led to the current situation.

Therefore, for her, the best course of action right now is to remain neutral and play the role of a hardworking, reliable, and selfless "loyal subject" who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the company's interests. No matter how the company's situation changes in the future, she must protect herself in the present. Because for her, nothing is more important than stability.

The one-month "cooling-off period" for divorce passed quickly, and I don't know who came up with the idea of ​​a "cooling-off period." What's even more annoying is that both the first and second registrations had to be done on weekdays.

She'll have to take another day off tomorrow to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with Gao Ming to finalize their divorce. Hopefully, nothing unexpected will happen.