Chapter 67: The Battle of Wits Between the Chief and Deputy Managers

One manager, one vice manager. One told everyone to stay put, while the other dismissed the meeting.

This was a clear power struggle between the security department’s manager and vice manager. The outcome of this clash would determine who held the true power in the department moving forward. It was safe to say that whoever won today would establish a higher status within the company.

Lin Jian felt something was off. The day before yesterday, Zhang Qiang had personally received a call from Ye Ziqiu. As the current favorite of Ye Ziqiu, shouldn’t Lin Jian be someone Zhang Qiang couldn’t afford to offend? So why did he dare to lock horns with him so aggressively? Did he have some kind of backing?

Before he could figure it out, Zhang Qiang’s backing arrived.

A BMW 7 Series pulled into the underground parking lot. Zhang Qiang’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement, and he jogged over to personally guide the car into a spot.

Everyone sneaked a glance at Lin Jian. The person driving the BMW 7 Series was the company’s number two, Chu Feng, who was also a son-in-law of the Ye family.

Rumor had it among the employees that Chu Feng’s presence in the company was meant to keep Ye Ziqiu in check. He was there to constantly remind her of her boundaries, oversee investment directions, and monitor the flow of funds. To put it bluntly, he was the company’s discipline inspector and Chief Financial Officer rolled into one. And Zhang Qiang had obviously become Chu Feng’s lackey.

Lin Jian actually had no idea who the company’s top executives were. Right now, he only knew Ye Ziqiu and Hu Dahai—the logistics minister affectionately known as Fatty Hu. He didn’t know anyone else.

Once the BMW was parked, Zhang Qiang personally opened the door. He bowed and scraped as he spoke to the man inside, occasionally pointing in their direction.

Chu Feng was a man around forty years old, dressed in a crisp suit. He wore rimless glasses and sported a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. He glanced over a few times while listening to Zhang Qiang, then the two of them walked toward the group.

Liu Fei quickly whispered, "Lin Jian, that’s the company’s CFO. He’s the number two in command."

Lin Jian was taken aback. He didn’t know what a CFO was, but "number two" clearly meant the second-in-command. To think that bastard Zhang Qiang had actually latched onto someone with that much power!

At that moment, Chu Feng stopped in front of the security team. He looked at Lin Jian and asked, "Are you Lin Jian?"

Lin Jian nodded. "I am."

"Mhm." Chu Feng possessed a refined demeanor. He nodded and addressed the crowd. "Manager Zhang just told me that there was a disagreement among the three security managers regarding the punishment of three employees, and someone even used President Ye’s name to suppress others. So, he came to complain to me." Chu Feng maintained a smile, making it sound like a lighthearted joke.

However, no one dared to laugh. Zhang Qiang offered an awkward, sheepish grin.

"That said, since the founding of Fuxing, we have established strict rules and regulations," Chu Feng continued. "Just like a country has its laws, anyone who breaks them must be dealt with accordingly. No individual’s power can override the law.

"Therefore, Fuxing will absolutely not tolerate power trumping the rules. I believe that President Ye, who has always been disciplined and strict, wouldn’t violate our company’s regulations for the sake of any specific person or incident.

"So... let’s just follow protocol!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Qiang immediately snapped to attention.

"Mr. Boss, aren’t you being a bit biased here?" Lin Jian asked. He was never one to swallow a grievance. If he knew how to hold his tongue, he wouldn’t have been expelled from school. He had even dared to tease Ye Ziqiu; what was a mere second-in-command to him? So, he directly confronted the CFO.

"Lin Jian, don’t talk nonsense!" Liu Fei was terrified. He wondered how Lin Jian could be so bold. This was President Chu, a man even President Ye was somewhat wary of. Liu Fei quickly grabbed Lin Jian’s arm and apologized to Chu Feng, "President Chu, please don’t listen to his nonsense. This kid is just..."

"Let go of him. Let him speak!" Chu Feng’s expression turned stern. "Vice Manager Lin, how exactly am I being biased? Elaborate!"

Lin Jian shook his head. "President Chu, right? I wonder if you’ve heard a certain saying."

Chu Feng kept a straight face, waiting for Lin Jian to continue.

"No investigation, no right to speak!" Lin Jian enunciated every word clearly. "Regarding your statement just now, I have a few points of disagreement.

"First, you didn’t investigate the three employees facing punishment. You have no idea what actually happened. You merely listened to Zhang Qiang’s one-sided story. If that’s not being biased, what is it?"

Chu Feng was momentarily stunned. It was true—he didn’t know the full story of what had transpired here. He had only heard Zhang Qiang’s complaints. He genuinely hadn’t investigated.

"Second," Lin Jian continued, "I admit that Manager Zhang and I have a disagreement, and a serious one at that. Because I haven’t investigated either, how could I, as a vice manager, casually agree to dock employees’ bonuses without looking into it first?

"Furthermore, I don’t recall mentioning President Ye to Zhang Qiang. If you don’t believe me, ask them. Did I mention President Ye just now? I did not.

"So, I also hope that you, President Chu, will practice what you preach. The company has its rules, and we should just do everything strictly by the book.

"Third, it’s a fact that there is friction and a dispute between Zhang Qiang and those three employees. What if there’s a suspicion of petty retaliation? As the vice manager, am I not allowed to voice my own concerns?

"Fourth, President Ye personally stated a few days ago that due to the kidnapping incident and Manager Zhang Qiang’s dereliction of duty, he was to be temporarily transferred away from headquarters to handle property security matters for the infrastructure department and property management office. Therefore, he hasn’t been managing affairs at headquarters for the past few days. Yet, the moment he holds a meeting this morning, he wants to dock employees’ bonuses. Is that normal?

"President Chu, you are a top executive. I know it’s inappropriate of me to speak to you this way, but sometimes, the slanderous words of a petty man can make even a gentleman lose his sense of judgment!"

Chu Feng suddenly raised an eyebrow.

This vice manager of security was not simple. He was so young, yet his mind was incredibly meticulous. His arguments were watertight. Not only did he refute all of Chu Feng’s points, but he also cleverly flattered him at the end, calling him a gentleman who had been deceived by a petty man! Being a mere security guard was a waste of this kid’s talents.

"Zhang Qiang, since President Ye reassigned you to infrastructure and property management, what are you doing meddling over here? Nonsense." Furious, Chu Feng glared at Zhang Qiang before turning and striding away.

Zhang Qiang was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn’t expected Lin Jian to completely expose his actions today with just a few sentences. He too began to suspect that Lin Jian was better suited to be an executive than a security guard.

"Meeting dismissed," Zhang Qiang said through gritted teeth. He then hurried off to chase after Chu Feng.

The members of the security department exchanged bewildered glances. This clash of authority had been won by Vice Manager Lin’s silver tongue.

However, the four points Lin Jian had made earlier were indeed spot on. He disagreed with punishing Xu Xiaohui and the other two because he had no prior knowledge of the situation, and as vice manager, he was well within his rights to offer a dissenting opinion.

Zhang Qiang had really shot himself in the foot this time, even putting President Chu in an awkward position. He was going to suffer for it. Still, since Lin Jian had dared to openly confront a top executive, his future days might not be so easy either.

"Manager Lin, dinner’s on me tonight!" Xu Xiaohui was so thrilled that he eagerly offered to treat him.

Today had been incredibly satisfying. Zhang Qiang had played his trump card, only for Lin Jian to effortlessly defuse it. Xu Xiaohui wished he could take Lin Jian out for a drink right this second and become sworn brothers with him.