I continued to look at Chen Jingming “calmly”, but Circle was full of shock and asked, “Manager Chen, do you mean that the top management of Zhuomei is planning to take action against their newly appointed CEO?”

Chen Jingming nodded affirmatively and said, “Yes, Zhuomei is a family business, you should have heard of it.”

Circle and I nodded at the same time. If it wasn’t a family business, how could Mi Cai, at the age of 26, possibly be the CEO of such a large shopping center? However, we didn’t know what her status was within the family.

Chen Jingming continued, “More than two years ago, the founder of Zhuomei, Mi Zhongxin, went to Shanghai to attend a business meeting. On the highway, he had a severe rear-end collision with a broken-down truck that had no warning signs set up. Unfortunately, he died. Since then, Zhuomei has been managed by his younger brother, Mi Zhongde. However, Mi Zhongxin has a daughter who has been studying in the United States for the past few years. She just returned to China a few days ago. She is the newly appointed CEO of Zhuomei, Betsy (Mi Cai)……”

Before Chen Jingming could finish his sentence, I interrupted and asked, “Manager, are you saying that the one who is planning to take action against Betsy is her uncle, Mi Zhongde?”

Chen Jingming smiled and said, “It’s obviously him. He has been the nominal chairman of Zhuomei for the past few years. Now that Mi Zhongxin’s daughter has returned to China, his position will definitely be threatened. It’s hard for someone who has been accustomed to being at the top to step down!”

I indignantly said, “This old man is too beastly. Zhuomei originally belonged to his brother. Now that his brother has died unexpectedly, leaving only this orphan, he, as an uncle, can still bear to take action!!”

Chen Jingming waved his hand and said to me seriously, “The right and wrong in these family businesses are not something we outsiders need to worry about. What we need to do now is to seize this opportunity, suppress Zhuomei, and become the leader in Suzhou’s department store industry.”

Circle nodded in agreement. I didn’t say anything, but a surge of uncontrollable anger rose in my heart.

Chen Jingming continued to tell us, “The manager of Zhuomei’s business development department, Mr. Li, met with me this morning to discuss this matter. Next month, two international first-line brands will have their lease contracts with Zhuomei expire. Mi Zhongde has already instructed Mr. Li, who is dissatisfied with the current CEO’s management style, to bring these two first-line brands to our Baoli. Then, using this as a reason, he will unite with the board of directors to put pressure on Mi Zhongxin’s daughter, forcing her to transfer her shares in Zhuomei, in order to achieve his goal of completely monopolizing Zhuomei.”

I was shocked again and exclaimed, “This is too ruthless! He would rather cut off his own arm to take over the ownership of Zhuomei!”

This indeed shocked me. If the business development manager of Zhuomei really brings two international first-line brands to our Baoli, then our Baoli will have 10 international first-line brands, while Zhuomei will only have 9 left. Everyone understands the importance of international first-line brands to top department stores. Even if Mi Zhongde obtains the ownership of Zhuomei, the price is huge!

Chen Jingming smiled and said, “In order for Mi Zhongde to completely take over the ownership of Zhuomei, he must make such a ruthless move. There are many loyal followers of Mi Zhongxin in the board of directors. They all support Mi Zhongxin’s daughter. If Mr. Li, dissatisfied with the current CEO’s management style, brings two international first-line brands to our Baoli, it will be a serious management accident caused by the CEO. This kind of management accident has already affected the foundation of the enterprise. The original supporters will also waver. At that time, the board of directors will collectively put pressure on Mi Cai, and it will be difficult for her not to hand over the management rights and ownership!”

Circle, who had been silent all this time, finally asked Chen Jingming, “Isn’t Mi Zhongde afraid that Zhuomei will be seriously injured and be surpassed by our Baoli in one fell swoop?”

I took the liberty of answering for Chen Jingming, “Even if Zhuomei is surpassed by Baoli, Mi Zhongde is still the top leader of Zhuomei. If Mi Zhongxin’s daughter stays in Zhuomei, he will be replaced sooner or later. A leader who has been in a high position for many years and is accustomed to being on top, how can he be willing to live under others?”

Chen Jingming nodded in approval of my words and continued, “Human nature is like this. So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Baoli. However, Mi Zhongde is not a simple character. I heard that a large amount of overseas funds will be injected into Zhuomei soon. Zhuomei’s stores in Nanjing and Shanghai are already preparing to open. Their strategic hinterland is not just Suzhou, but a larger market. Moreover, even if they lose two first-line brands, with Zhuomei’s popularity in Suzhou over the years, they won’t collapse easily. Mi Zhongde has a trump card in his hand, so he dares to do this. As long as he can successfully deal with Mi Zhongxin’s daughter this time, he will secure his position. It’s still worth the risk!”

Circle and I fell into silence. Even though we had been working for many years, the wars and cruelty on the business field had never been presented to us so nakedly as today. At this moment, I understood that the workplace or the business field really has rules. Those of us at the bottom want to rise to the top, relying on hard work and the ability to seize opportunities, while the high-level people play mind games. This kind of mind game makes me fear from the bottom of my heart. The ugliness of human nature is magnified several times under such mind games.

At this time, Chen Jingming finally made himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said to Circle and me, “You have been my subordinates for several years, and you are the ones I plan to focus on training, especially Circle. I see potential in you. That’s why I shared this matter, which can be regarded as the company’s top secret, with you. The purpose is to hope that you can seize this opportunity, create value for the company while also achieving your own breakthrough. You two must perform well in this promotion plan, understand?”

Circle nodded solemnly, but I was a bit dazed, immersed in some kind of emotion.

“What about you, Zhao Yang?” Chen Jingming looked at me and asked.

Circle nudged me, and I came back to my senses and said to Chen Jingming, “I understand too.”

……Upon leaving Chen Jingming’s office, Circle immediately dragged me into the staff lounge, lowering his voice to ask me, “Zhao Yang, Chen Jingming doesn’t know about your relationship with Mi Cai, does he?”

“Of course not. If he knew I knew Mi Cai, he wouldn’t have told me about this.”

Circle nodded, his face serious again as he said, “No matter what, you can’t let this slip to Mi Cai. Not just for the sake of your own career, but also out of respect for Chen Jingming’s kindness to us, you can’t reveal this to Mi Cai, understand?”

I didn’t respond to Circle, still a bit dazed.

“Zhao Yang, you need to prioritize. This isn’t a laughing matter. Even if Mi Cai really is your girlfriend, you have to keep this secret. Not a single word can leak out.”

Suddenly, I was furious, glaring at Circle and snapping, “Are you even human? Can’t you see this from Mi Cai’s perspective? She’s already lost her father, a lonely woman, and now she’s being schemed against by her own uncle, who’s trying to take her father’s property. How much more can she suffer?”

Circle quickly covered my mouth, still keeping his voice low, anxiously saying, “Keep your voice down. This is a power struggle among the higher-ups, not something we small fry can get involved in. This not only concerns the company’s interests, but also Chen Jingming’s personal future, even ours. If you blurt it out, can you live up to Chen Jingming’s trust?”

I finally fell silent. Chen Jingming had indeed shown kindness to both Circle and me. If this matter ended with the investment manager from Zhuo Mei bringing two top-tier brands into our company, Baoli, as the biggest contributor, Chen Jingming would at least be promoted to the level of deputy general manager. Circle and I, as his confidants, would also benefit. This matter was already tied to the fate of too many people…

Circle spoke to me again in my silence, “Zhao Yang, you have to promise me, pretend you didn’t hear about this today, okay?”

I remained silent for a long time, as if I was standing at the most difficult crossroads of my life…