58: Chapter 58 Head-to-Head

"Everyone, say less. If you have something to say, talk about it privately when we get back. Don't shout in public; it's embarrassing."

After Ma Botao did his best to maintain the tense standoff, he asked Sun Nana.

"What will it take for you to handle the handovers normally?"

Sun Nana gestured toward Wang Liguo with her chin.

"According to company regulations, it's fine if he deducts my bonuses and performance pay, but if I don't earn any money this month, I won't be able to eat or pay back my loans. What then?"

Chen Hao took the opportunity to suggest.

"How about we compensate you from Vice President Wang's profit dividends?"

Sun Nana immediately played along.

"Sure. President Ma, what do you think?"

"Whoever is responsible bears the loss. Wang Liguo, transfer the money to Chen Hao immediately."

The three of them worked in perfect harmony, making Wang Liguo shoot himself in the foot. He was so furious that he lost both face and dignity, yet he still had to swallow his pride and transfer money to Chen Hao, nearly grinding his teeth to dust.

"Transfer the money to him."

Lin Xiaomeng was responsible for the transfer. She gnashed her teeth as she transferred today's fees to Chen Hao.

Once the money arrived, Chen Hao took Sun Nana over to the partners he had greeted earlier and introduced them one by one.

President Ma Botao and Vice President Wang Liguo followed along, one curious and the other monitoring, each with their own hidden agenda.

"This is my apprentice, Sun Nana. She'll be your point of contact for future collaborations. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

One of the partners asked in surprise.

"It's not a big problem, but if you're no longer with the company, is there still a need for us to cooperate?"

Wang Liguo immediately chimed in.

"Chen Hao is just an ordinary employee. It doesn't matter whether he's here or not. Business is business; what does it matter who you cooperate with as long as you make money?"

"And who might you be?"

Several partner bosses looked at Wang Liguo with unfriendly expressions.

"I am the company's Vice President. My name is Wang Liguo."

Wang Liguo politely shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, saying confidently.

"Even without Chen Hao, our cooperation will remain the same. My subordinates are all elite forces; every one of them is a hundred times better than Chen Hao."

The bosses looked at Wang Liguo as if he were a fool. After exchanging glances, someone asked.

"President Wang, I suspect you don't come from a sales background?"

Wang Liguo immediately stood tall and proud, boasting about his credentials.

"I previously earned an MBA from Harvard, then spent several years as an executive in Silicon Valley. I only recently returned to the country. In the company, I'm primarily responsible for administration, corporate management, and personnel scheduling."

"Oh."

But the bosses didn't buy his act at all.

"An administrator insisting on meddling in sales operations... a company this chaotic probably doesn't have much of a future."

"I agree. President Chen, let's discuss future cooperation some other time."

They were just short of a flat-out refusal. Ma Botao couldn't sit still and hurried to mend the situation.

"Wait, everyone. Our previous cooperation was great. We're just changing the point of contact, aren't we? Why can't we keep working together?"

The bosses' attitude was very clear.

"The reason we cooperated with your company was out of respect for President Chen. Since President Chen is no longer there, naturally, there's no need to continue the cooperation."

After making their stance clear, they took their leave and stopped talking to them.

Before Ma Botao could speak, Wang Liguo went on the offensive.

"President Ma, you see now, don't you? Chen Hao must be making trouble behind our backs. He took the money but didn't do the job. He's a petty man!"

People like Wang Liguo were used to being self-righteous; every mistake was someone else's fault, and they never looked for the cause within themselves. Now, he was even judging a noble man by his own petty standards.

"Shut up!"

Ma Botao finally lost his temper. He also came from a sales background and knew Wang Liguo had just said the wrong thing. He pointed at Wang Liguo's nose and started scolding him.

"You're an administrator. You don't understand sales, and you don't understand how the world works. All you know how to do is cause trouble and act blindly."

Wang Liguo retorted with a flushed face.

"I'm causing trouble? I'm doing this for the future development of the company!"

"For the future development of the company, you should keep your mouth shut! Don't talk nonsense about things outside your area of expertise!"

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll stop talking, alright? Just let him lead you by the nose then!"

Wang Liguo walked away in a huff.

Actually, he couldn't be blamed for not knowing how the world works. After graduating from university, he was sent to America on a government scholarship. After over a decade of studying and working there, he had long grown accustomed to the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things.

After returning to China, he looked down on domestic social conventions, always feeling that his theories were the most advanced.

He felt that business should be done properly, without resorting to underhanded tactics.

Especially as a superior, one must never be led by the nose by employees. Chen Hao was one thing, but now there was Sun Nana too, daring to ignore his orders and defy his authority. It was truly an upheaval of the natural order.

He could not tolerate this kind of behavior.

Seeing Chen Hao in the distance, chatting and laughing with those bosses while leading Sun Nana around, he truly couldn't understand the logic behind it.

"The Convention and Exhibition Center is open!"

Someone shouted, and the businessmen outside the venue began walking toward the main entrance in groups, laughing and talking.

Ma Botao showed his electronic invitation and introduced them.

"These people behind me are all employees of my company."

All attendees had registered online in advance. Each boss had an electronic invitation; showing it to prove their credentials was enough.

Wang Liguo was already angry, and a sudden idea struck him.

Now that Chen Hao had been fired, he was essentially unemployed. If Wang Liguo didn't say anything, he could have brought Chen Hao in, but if he did, Chen Hao would certainly be disqualified from entering.

"Wait. Except for him, all these others are employees of our company."

Wang Liguo pointed at Chen Hao and declared in front of everyone that he was unemployed.

"This..."

Wang Liguo's action left Ma Botao at a loss.

"No one would think you're a mute if you just kept your mouth shut."

Wang Liguo said righteously.

"I'm telling the truth. An employee fired by the company is just an unemployed person. What right does he have to attend such a solemn business conference?"

The other employees were also watching the spectacle. Lin Xiaomeng, in particular, said coldly.

"Weren't you acting all tough just now? Now you can't even get through the door. What do you have to be so proud of?"

Chen Hao gave a cold smile.

"Who said I can't even get through the door?"

Lin Xiaomeng asked with her arms crossed.

"Then I'd like to see how you're going to get in."

No sooner had she spoken.

The boss who had chatted with Chen Hao earlier happened to pass by and came to his rescue.

"President Chen is with me. There shouldn't be a problem with him coming in, right?"

The staff member immediately said.

"No problem, of course no problem."

Except for Sun Nana, the faces of Wang Liguo, Lin Xiaomeng, and the other employees collectively darkened.

Little did they know, this wasn't over yet.

"President Chen!"

A woman's shout suddenly came from the back of the crowd.

This caused everyone to look over. Amidst the surging crowd, three tall and beautiful women were waving as they walked toward them.

The most eye-catching was Qian Zhaodi. She was wearing a red haute couture outfit that looked very expensive. She walked with a breeze, her long wavy hair flowing in the wind, making her stand out remarkably among the crowd of businessmen in black suits.

Zhang Menglu was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday, a dark professional women's suit. Her long legs in black stockings always drew a lot of attention.

What surprised Chen Hao was that the big-breasted factory girl, Wang Lichun, was also with the two women. She was wearing a white shirt and a hip-hugging skirt, looking very much like a female secretary.

The point was that her cleavage was prominently displayed, nearly bursting the buttons of her shirt.