I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Zheng Zijing was taken aback by his words, and her eyebrows furrowed: "How can you talk like that? Even if you're praising your CEO Shi, you still need to have basic manners, right?"

Manager Zhang shrugged: "Either you go up on stage and remind General Manager Shi yourself, and see what your governor will say."

Zheng Zijin paused for a moment.

What would the prefect say? Most likely, he would slap her twice.

As Manager Zhang said, the main character today is Ishikawa Toru. Unrelated people who go over to lecture him are just looking for trouble and will definitely get a scolding. Even if they are not scolded on the spot, they will be scolded afterward.

Zheng Zijin has been cunning in the workplace for so many years that she has developed a habit of standing up for her boss if the rival doesn't value him. Even if the boss doesn't say anything, her subordinates will definitely stand up and attack the other side. This is called protecting the boss's interests.

As is customary, the other party will certainly also try to protect their leader's interests, but they cannot be too sharp or high-profile.

What he should have done was to save face for his boss while also admitting his own inferiority, and then toast himself at the dinner table in front of his boss, thus defusing the minor incident.

Who knew that the opponent wouldn't play by the rules!

He directly told me to report this to Ishikawa Takashi, wouldn't that make things worse? If I were really confused and listened to him and went to remind Ishikawa Takashi, I would definitely be in trouble with the prefect!

Do you even want a future?

It was precisely because she had considered this consequence that she was so angry. Her shoulders trembled with rage.

Having worked in the industry for ten years, she had never seen a company with such a strong personality, such a direct way of speaking, and such a lack of consideration for others.

Just as she was pondering how to avoid escalating the situation while still demonstrating her protective attitude towards the furnace to her superiors, her phone suddenly rang.

He is the station director.

Zheng Zijin strode out the door in her high heels. As soon as she answered the phone, she changed her expression and tone, saying warmly, "Director, what's wrong?"

"How did you manage things on-site during the live broadcast?" the station manager demanded aggressively, clearly angry. "Didn't you see that General Manager Shi was busy working on the sidelines?"

This question hit the nail on the head, and Zheng Zijin's tone immediately became serious as he said in a low voice:

"Director, I'm currently negotiating with people from Beichen. I wanted them to pass on a message to General Manager Shi, but guess what they said? They actually told me to go and say it myself if I had any objections. That's outrageous!"

"Do you know that's outrageous?" the station director said irritably. "Are you an idiot? It's obvious that General Manager Shi has more important work to do. Why don't you point the camera at the Prefect and give him a close-up? Wouldn't that be better than watching him play on his computer right in the center of the screen?"

Zheng Zijing's expression froze; she really hadn't expected this.

The station manager combed his hair and muttered, "Zheng Zijin, everyone has seen your work attitude, but your ability is really... never mind, we'll talk about it when you get back. Go and deal with the situation."

Zheng Zijin stammered, "Yes, yes..."

“Wait a minute,” the station director suddenly called out to him, “No need. Have the host insert a voice-over on the outside, saying something like this: Just as the governor said, Ishikawa Toru, this leader, possesses a pioneering and enterprising spirit. He is wholeheartedly devoted to his work, and even on such a festive occasion, he is still worried about his work…”

Zheng Zijing suddenly felt that her entire way of thinking had been opened up.

"Director, you're the one who has the best solution."

"Go, go, go, hurry up and carry it out. Don't bother with the flattery." The station director urged repeatedly.

Zheng Zijin hurriedly went back to relay the station director's message to the host, and only after she finished did she belatedly realize:

Is our station director... protecting the furnace for General Shi of Beichen?

After the voice-over was played during the live stream, the chat in the live stream chat changed completely, with everyone spamming "666".

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm working while the boss is giving a speech. I'm definitely a workaholic."

"Is this the boss of Beichen? How come he's so young?"

"The person in front isn't the boss of Beichen; this is just one of his underlings."

"Hilarious. The fact that he's still busy with work shows that he's not a big shot. Real big shots aren't this busy; they delegate things to their subordinates. Forgive my bluntness, but he shouldn't be sitting in the center."

Just then, a very long comment appeared in everyone's view:

"The guy in the front, the one in the middle, this 'fat otaku' is named Ishikawa Tsutomu. He's one of the three heroes of Beichen, one of the founding team members of Beichen, and the current CTO of Beichen. He was in charge of building the supercomputing lab in Jiangcheng. This celebration party is for him. If he doesn't sit in the center, who will?"

After this last comment was posted, the live stream, which had been filled with condemnation, suddenly fell silent.

On the stage, the prefect finally finished his speech. Amidst sparse applause, the prefect turned to Ishikawa Takashi beside him and asked:

"Mr. Shi, are you still busy?"

Ishikawa Takashi stared intently at the computer screen, typing a message to Chen Ya in the chat box, nodding as he said, "Yes, I can't free up my hands right now."

"But the next step requires you to speak," the prefect said, somewhat amused and exasperated.

That's why they say a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger; this young man in front of me doesn't even give me any face.

Ishikawa Takashi said, "I'm sorry, boss, I really can't talk right now. Our boss, Chen Ya, is personally assigning me work."

Upon hearing this, the prefectural governor's body trembled: "President Chen is back?"

"No, he arranged it for me via WeChat."

The prefect nodded and said, "I have long heard of your company's General Manager Chen's reputation and have always wanted to meet him but have not been able to. Since he has important work to do, you go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of things."

After finishing speaking, he cleared his throat into the microphone and said, "Uh, well, it's like this, our CEO Shi is currently dealing with important work, which was personally arranged by President Chen of Beichen. He needs to handle this urgently and cannot speak at the moment, so I will speak for him for a couple more minutes."

The reporters present were visibly disheartened.

Everyone is eager to come and hear Ishikawa Toru share some industry news; who wants to listen to the governor's long and tedious speech?

And we have to listen to another part!

Ishikawa Takashi stared at the resume on the computer screen; Wei Mingzhe in the photo had a simple, honest smile.

Looking at the thick stack of work records at the back, he suddenly understood why Chen Ya was so eager to show him this.

This person may not have a great academic background, but his work ability is...

That's really impressive.

It's exactly what I need.

I just don't know how Chen Ya plans to use this person.

He tentatively sent Chen Ya a WeChat message: "Brother Ya, this guy... is really amazing. He's incredibly versatile and can be used anywhere. What position do you plan to give him?"

A while later, Chen Ya replied with a WeChat message: "Just give me the position according to the normal procedure."

Ishikawa Dong was sweating profusely. It was already unusual that Chen Ya personally recommended someone.

Perhaps sensing Ishikawa Dong's predicament, Chen Ya sent a message: "Actually, he's a relative of mine, we're somewhat related, but you should still follow the normal procedures and not break Beichen's rules and regulations."

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa Takashi suddenly felt confident.

He is exceptionally capable and is also a relative of Chen Ya.

It would be unreasonable not to promote him to a middle-level management position and let him take charge of a region independently!

……

……

Wei Mingzhe sat at a stone table in the park, holding a large backpack in his arms, lost in thought.

It was the last day of December. The weather was cold, the park was cold, and the stone benches in the park were even colder, so cold that his bottom was itchy. But he didn't know where else he could sit.

After finishing the call with Chen Ya, he slapped himself twice.

At your age, why do you still have such a strong urge to confide in someone? You just have to find someone to talk to!

Why did he have to talk to Chen Chi's nephew of all people?

If Chen Ya accidentally let it slip and told his aunt about it, wouldn't that ruin everything?

He didn't know what expression to wear when facing Chen Chi.

At the age of 35, sitting in this small park in Beijing, he suddenly felt that this place did not belong to him.

Looking back on my life, it's all failure.

Perhaps when he called Chen Ya, he subconsciously wanted Chen Ya to tell Chen Chi the truth.

Because he really didn't know how to be honest with Chen Chi.

"Chen Chi, I have some good news for you, I lost my job! But I lost it like a real man!"

"Chen Chi, let me tell you, I'm not going back to that company. I'm not putting up with those guys anymore! Let whoever wants to go go!"

"What about the money? Yes, what about the money?"

"I do not know either."

"..."

Wei Mingzhe repeatedly reenacted the scene of his confrontation with Chen Chi, and finally sighed.

I simply couldn't bring myself to say it.

Just then, his phone rang.

Upon checking the caller ID, I saw it was my former company's CTO.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

Could it be that the company, mindful of his hard work and contributions, has had a change of heart and wants to retain him?

Chapter 254 You're a CTO too?

Wei Mingzhe had spoken so nonchalantly to Chen Ya, but now that he was actually facing unemployment, he felt a little regretful.

After all, he had worked at that company for eight years, and his work experience outside of that company was not extensive. Suddenly being thrown into a vast sea of ​​people, he felt a little lost.

When he saw the CTO calling, he still held onto a sliver of hope—if the other party was trying to win him back, was there even the slightest possibility that he could return to the company and get a promotion and a raise?

Holding onto this somewhat unrealistic idea, he answered the phone, only to be met with a cold, harsh voice:

"Hey? Wei Mingzhe, you're really just going to walk away like that?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Mingzhe's mood plummeted: "What's wrong?"

"I heard you're getting married soon, right?" the voice on the other end of the phone said. "You're quitting your job at this crucial moment? How dare you?"

Wei Mingzhe said sullenly, "I won't trouble you with that. I'll figure something out myself."

"So you've already found a new job?" The CTO's tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Wei Mingzhe was actually a few points short: "No."

"If you don't have one, why do you say you'll find a way? What kind of way are you going to find?" The CTO sounded almost gloating. "Forget it, how about this? The company won't cut your salary, you'll still get your original benefits, and you can come back to work. We'll let bygones be bygones. What do you think?"

Wei Mingzhe felt a surge of anger rising within him, but he maintained his composure and said very calmly:

"I think I'd better not bother. Thank you for your concern, but I can find a new job on my own."

"Heh, what kind of job do you think you can find?" The CTO on the other end of the line spoke in a very rude tone. "In our company, you're one of the worst performers. I've spoken with some of our competitors, and with your skill level, 80% of the companies in the industry wouldn't hire you."

Wei Mingzhe said in a slightly weaker voice, "Things will work themselves out. I think I should be able to find a job I like eventually."

The CTO's expression turned completely cold. He said, "Are you really that confident?"

"It's not a matter of confidence or lack thereof, the main issue is..."

“Alright then, don’t say the company didn’t give you a chance,” the CTO interrupted him, clearly not wanting to know what Wei Mingzhe was thinking. “When you want to come back, things might not be the same as they are now. I’m letting you know in advance.”

After hanging up the phone, Wei Mingzhe remained in a daze for a long time.

"Damn it! After all that talk, he just mocked me and gave me a bunch of bullshit!"

He slammed his hand on the stone table, and felt his hand go numb from the impact.

A young mother with a child nearby hurriedly led her child away, as if avoiding a plague, with a hint of fear in her eyes.

Wei Mingzhe gave a wry smile.

Yes, in this day and age, people without jobs are seen as monsters, just like homeless people and the mentally ill, in the eyes of "normal" people.

Throughout history, there has been much contempt for those without assets, and in this era, that contempt is twice as great.

The ancients said that those with stable property have stable minds. Nowadays, people would rather write "those without stable property have no stable minds, no perseverance, and no personal dignity or moral standards" on big-character posters and hang them in the streets and alleys.

The thought of having to explain his unemployment to Chen Chi weighed heavily on his mind, and he suddenly realized how tiring it was for a man to live.

His father used to tell him how he won over his mother when he was earning only 250 yuan a month. He didn't think much of it when he was a child, but now he seems to see that seemingly ordinary father also has a heavy burden on his shoulders.

He made a phone call to his father.

After the call connected, a slightly weary voice came from the other end:

"Son, what made you think of calling your dad? It's still working hours."