Reversing Heavenly Gang: Starting with a Slap in the Face at Work

At 8:30 a.m., Wang Lang entered the company right at the clock-in point.

In the elevator, Wang Lang was still thinking about what Xiao Pang had said last night—"Brother Lang, if you were the team leader, I wouldn't quit my job."

Shortly after deciding to take advantage of the spring performance review to become the team leader, Wang Lang discovered a problem:

I don't know how to select a group leader.

If you were to ask Lai Ge Bao: "Team leader, how can I replace you as the new team leader?"

That definitely won't work...

"Call Zhu Zhu, call Zhu Zhu." Seeking help from Zhu Ge, the company's know-it-all and best friend, became Wang Lang's best option.

However, before Zhu Ge could reply, Wang Lang heard the last thing he wanted to hear:

"Wang Lang, come here for a moment."

Sister Zhou took off one earphone and winked at Wang Lang—meaning: he had something to do today.

The atmosphere in Group 4 today is a bit off.

Lai Gebao's office door was closed, and the blinds were drawn tightly, leaving only a crack at the bottom through which cold white light shone through.

I wonder what kind of scheme they're plotting.

huh~~

Wang Lang noticed that he often sighed or let out a long breath recently, which reminded him of a news story: a worker suffered respiratory poisoning because he exhaled too much carbon dioxide due to sighing for days.

"I hope I'm not poisoned." Wang Lang reluctantly moved his chair and walked towards Lai Gebao's office.

Ding ding—

The door was open, but Lai Ge Bao didn't leave anyone hanging today. Instead, he cleaned the table spotlessly, propped one hand on the table and the other on his chin, as if he was waiting for Wang Lang.

"Come in quickly." As soon as the door opened, Lai Ge Bao was very enthusiastic.

This attitude made Wang Lang a little wary. Could it be that Lai Ge Bao found out about his advice to Xiao Pang not to merge?

To everyone's surprise, Lai Ge Bao didn't mention Little Fatty at all, but instead kept describing a big cake:

"I got this company's order from Manager Gou; it's not easy to find."

"Look at this, short cycle, high commission, fast payout, it's like making money while lying down!"

"With this one order, you can get the full spring bonus, and you might even get double it."

Lai Gebao spoke with a beaming smile, his face crinkling with laughter, his fingers pounding the table with a loud thud, as if he wished he could sign, affix his seal, and leave his fingerprint on Wang Lang's behalf.

"Team leader, this order must be pretty tough, right?"

"No..." Lai Ge Bao shifted his position, changing his posture: "Even if it's difficult, I will do everything in my team's power to help you succeed."

Lai Ge Bao slapped his thigh, looking like a straightforward person.

Wang Lang didn't reply, but instead looked down at the documents in his hand.

Lai Gebao leaned forward and adopted a more candid tone: "Wang Lang, Xiao Pang is gone, and now you're the only one in the team who can handle things. You know Sister Zhou, we can't count on her. I secured this deal only after I vouched for it with Manager Gou."

Wang Lang raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

Seeing a response, Lai Ge Bao immediately pressed his advantage: "If you close this deal, I'll give you the highest score in the spring evaluation."

Wang Lang closed the document, crossed his legs, and tapped the cover twice leisurely: "Team leader, such a good order, why don't you do it yourself?"

Lai Gebao's smile faltered: "Wang Lang, I won't lie to you. The trouble with Xiao Pang has put a lot of pressure on Manager Gou. He's been asking me these past few days if Group Four's performance can be stabilized."

Wang Lang thought Lai Gebao was finally about to reveal everything, but to his surprise, Lai Gebao changed the subject: "If you close this deal, we'll both be in a better position. If you don't—"

Lai Ge Bao's voice seeped in like the cold air from the office: "If you can't get it, Little Fatty's debt will be settled along with yours."

"Haha," Lai Ge Bao quickly tried to make amends, seemingly realizing he had been too harsh. "Of course, I'll definitely support you wholeheartedly. I'll provide manpower and resources if you need them—and if all else fails, I'll step in myself to help you."

Oh--

There's definitely something wrong with this order, but if I refuse it now, it's like handing over a "non-cooperative" deduction in my performance review, which will definitely affect my chances of being elected team leader.

"Team leader, I'll take the data back and study it first." Wang Lang tucked the data under his arm and got up to leave without giving Lai Ge Bao a chance to stop him.

"Okay, take a good look and give me an answer this afternoon." Lai Ge Bao said gently, but still gave a deadline.

Wang Lang closed the door to the team leader's office and saw someone standing next to his workstation, waving at him.

It is Zhu Ge.

"Old thief, I haven't bothered you, have I?" Zhu Ge rested his chin on his hand and pointed towards the team leader's office.

Wang Lang shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Let's go to the tea room to talk."

"Don't go to the break room, it's crowded there," Zhu Ge whispered to Wang Lang. "Let's find a meeting room; there aren't many people there this morning."

Wang Lang understood immediately.

"What's all the mystery about?" Zhu Ge asked curiously as soon as the conference room door closed.

Wang Lang hesitated for two seconds, unsure of what to say. In his mind, wanting to become an official, even a minor one like a team leader, was a topic he was ashamed to discuss.

It's like when your elementary school teacher asks about your future dreams, and everyone else says they want to be a scientist or an astronaut, and you stand up and say your dream is to be rich and live in a big villa... It's shameful.

Cough cough--

Wang Lang cleared his throat: "I wanted to ask..."

Halfway through his sentence, Wang Lang scratched his nose again: "So... for the selection of team leaders, does the current team leader have to be involved?"

Zhu Ge leaned against the wall, startled for a moment: "You want to sign up?"

"You go first."

Zhu Ge glanced at him for two seconds, gleaned something from Wang Lang's face, and without pressing further, immediately switched into know-it-all mode:

For team leaders, the spring performance review process involves three aspects: team member scores, supervisor evaluation, and performance indicators. Only those who pass all three can be reappointed. As for becoming a team leader, there are only two possibilities: one is to expand and create a new team, with the team leader directly appointed by the department manager; the other is to replace a team leader with poor performance and an unstable position.

"You want to replace Lai Ge Bao?" Zhu Ge asked, then switched into gossip mode.

That's what a know-it-all is like. They love to hear all kinds of gossip and ask about all kinds of secrets, then they gather it all up in their minds to form their own unique intelligence.

Wang Lang didn't know whether to nod or shake his head; it was still just an intention at the moment.

Zhu Ge said to himself, "Your group's Little Fatty really embarrassed Lai Ge Bao yesterday. Take this opportunity to become the group leader. Speaking of which, he joined the company a year later than you."

"So...can I only register through my direct supervisor?"

If Wang Lang were to say to Lai Gebao, "I'm going to replace you, so you'd better sign up," it would actually be a bit...

"You can talk to Manager Gou, since his opinion plays a major role in the final decision anyway."

Wang Lang nodded and then unfolded the documents in his hand.

"The second thing—can you take a look at this for me?"

"What's the rush? I still need to interview you." Zhu Ge was about to continue gossiping when he was interrupted by Wang Lang's second matter.

Zhu Ge took the documents, flipped through a couple of pages, and frowned. He took out his phone, scrolled through the chat history, found a group chat, swiped up a few pages, and then handed the phone to Wang Lang.

In the chat log, a colleague from Group 3 posted a complaint, roughly saying that the order had been circulated among other groups, but neither the Group 2 leader nor the Group 3 leader took it.

This is an order from a company that sells health products and needs Wang Lang's company to handle its operations.

As the planner, Wang Lang first communicated with the other party's boss to confirm the expected sales volume, and then cooperated with colleagues in the e-commerce department to achieve the other party's boss's expectations through different sales methods.

To put it bluntly, it's about selling health products online.

The order's cycle, commission, and payment speed are indeed very attractive, just as Laigebao described.

"Why didn't the other teams take such a good order, letting Lai Ge Bao get a huge bargain in the end?"

Zhu Ge shook his head: "I guess their requirements are just too high?"

"Impossible," Wang Lang disagreed. "If there were no problem with this kind of order, it wouldn't be the fourth group's turn to pick it up."

Zhu Ge continued searching for relevant information, and Wang Lang said to him, "There's definitely something fishy about this deal. Maybe it's because of Xiao Pang's resignation that Lai Ge Bao lost a lot of points on Manager Gou's evaluation form, so he panicked and took on a big deal just to protect his position."

"So you're not planning to take this order?" Zhu Ge asked, curious about Wang Lang's next move.

"I need to meet this client in person." Wang Lang rolled the documents back into a tube. "Before that, I need to find someone to ask around."

Upon hearing that he wanted to inquire about something, Zhu Ge patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me."

Wang Lang shook his head: "It wasn't you. The list circulated in Group Two. I'm going to find Shen Tingyun from Group Two."

Hmph—you value romance over friendship.

Zhu Ge thought to himself.

"We'll definitely need Zhu Zhu's help a lot," Wang Lang quickly added.

"However... if there's no problem with this order, I'll take it; if there are problems, I'll still take it even more."

"Huh?" Zhu Ge scratched his head, a little confused.

This deal, if there's no problem, it'll be my stepping stone. If there's a problem, then it'll be Lai Ge Bao's noose.

Wang Lang thought to himself.