Rebirth of the Rich Second Generation's Growth Diary

Chapter 191 The Taste of Being a Leader
It was still early the next day when Li Xu arrived at the company. Huang Lingling had arrived even earlier and was already waiting in the lobby.

Li Xu greeted her, and Huang Lingling stuck out her tongue and said, "I didn't expect you to arrive so early."

Li Xu walked ahead and said, "Come with me to visit the various departments."

Generally speaking, when the company's top executive says he's going to take a look around, it must be a very serious matter. Huang Lingling hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Should we tell them first?"

Li Xu tilted his head: "Who should I tell?"

Without hesitation, Huang Lingling said, "Talk to the heads of each department so they can prepare."

Huang Lingling's concern was that if Li Xu were to visit every department, it would be incredibly awkward if others didn't recognize him. Li Xu hadn't officially met anyone yet; not only ordinary employees, but even some mid-level managers didn't know him.

Li Xu smiled and said, "Should we give them a heads-up beforehand and have them wait in the office, or should we have them go to the trouble of tidying up their work environment?"

Li Xu shook his head: "It's unnecessary. That's too formalistic, and I don't like the feeling of being surrounded by people."

Huang Lingling nodded obediently.

Li Xu walked slowly ahead, with Huang Lingling always positioned slightly behind him. At each department they visited, Huang Lingling would give a brief introduction; after all, having been with the company for so long, she was quite familiar with the various aspects of the business.

Li Xu wandered around aimlessly, stopping and looking at things in a cursory manner. He didn't let Huang Lingling introduce him at each department, simply observing like a passerby with nothing else to do.

Most of the workers just glanced at Li Xu out of curiosity. Although they didn't know who Li Xu was, most of them didn't care and continued to do their own thing.

Only a few individuals, such as certain supervisors, would proactively approach to greet him and ask what was wrong. At these times, Li Xu wouldn't speak, and Huang Lingling would pull the person who had approached him aside, whisper a few words to him, and then the person would greet Li Xu with a nervous and awkward smile. Li Xu would simply wave casually and then move on to the next place.

Li Xu wandered around aimlessly, partly to observe the company atmosphere and work environment, and partly to assess the people. Based on his own entrepreneurial experience, he believed that equipment and hardware were secondary; the core of a company was its people, and investments were made in people.

Besides company leaders, it's also important to consider the employees below. In fact, Li Xu believes that the employees are even more important than the managers above. This is why great leaders say we should always listen to the voices of those at the grassroots level. Only those who actually do the work truly understand where the crux of the problem lies. Directly listening to the voices of those at the grassroots level can reduce a lot of unnecessary formalism, and formalism is undoubtedly the biggest killer of efficiency.

When Li Xu arrived at the finance department, he didn't go in. The full name of the finance department is the planning and finance department. In addition to daily financial management, it also handles large-scale expenditures. All related planning applications need to be reviewed by the finance department for the first time. It is one of the most core departments of a company.

Li Xu only glanced inside from the doorway before preparing to leave. Just then, a young man walked out, clumsily nearly bumping into Huang Lingling.

He quickly apologized, and Huang Lingling glanced at Li Xu beside her and scolded, "Can't you not be so reckless?"

The other person stuck out their tongue and quickly walked away.

Li Xu looked at the boy and asked, "Are you two close friends?"

Huang Lingling's expression changed slightly, and she quickly said, "He and I joined the company at the same time, so we're quite familiar with each other."

Li Xu nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Huang Lingling added, "His name is Deng Gongxin. He currently has the highest academic qualifications in the finance department. He studied financial management at Donghai University for his undergraduate degree and at Capital University of Finance and Economics for his postgraduate degree."

Li Xu said with a laugh, "You seem to know him quite well."

Huang Lingling chuckled and said without hesitation, "I've always admired top students with good grades since I was little, like you, for example. Tsinghua and Peking University are the dream of so many people."

This wasn't the first time Li Xu had heard people praise him for being from Tsinghua or Peking University. As long as nothing unexpected happened, this prestigious label would stay with him for a very long time. That's how people are; as part of a group, you only have a sense of identity within that group.

Li Xu then asked, "Which university did you graduate from?"

Huang Lingling said somewhat shyly, "I have a background in music."

Li Xu smiled immediately: "You have a background in music, so how come you're working as a receptionist at our company?"

Huang Lingling sighed and said, "It's hard to find a job. So many music students graduate every year, and there aren't many options besides becoming a teacher. Not everyone can become a musician."

At this point, Huang Lingling added, "I especially admire people like you who are bright and quick-witted. Deng Gongxin truly deserves his reputation as a graduate of a prestigious university; he's already a key member of his department."

Li Xu nodded. He could tell that Huang Lingling admired Deng Gongxin a lot. Wanting to tease her, he asked, "It sounds like you really like Deng Gongxin?"

Huang Lingling knew that the company did not allow office romances. She didn't know if Li Xu meant anything by saying that, so she replied, "Deng Gongxin is handsome, highly educated, and most importantly, very capable. Many girls would admire him, right? I'm just a normal girl."

It was clear that Huang Lingling's impression of Deng Gongxin was that he was professional, handsome, and intelligent. However, judging from the way the two had interacted earlier, Li Xu certainly didn't believe they were just ordinary friends, but he didn't intend to investigate further. Around a corner, he bumped into Deng Gongxin again.

Deng Gongxin was standing in front of a person.

The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties. He had long hair with streaks of white, looking like he hadn't washed it in a long time, and it looked a bit greasy. He also had a stubble beard. If it weren't for the name tag on his chest, it would be hard to associate him with a white-collar worker.

Huang Lingling whispered, "That's President Cai."

"Oh, is he the manager of the planning and finance department?"

At this moment, Mr. Cai, holding Deng Gongxin's report, bluntly stated: "In the consolidated financial statements for Q4, there is a significant deviation in the equity method accounting for long-term equity investments. You fully recognized unrealized intercompany profits and losses, completely ignoring the elimination rules for downstream transactions, resulting in an overstatement of investment income by 230 million. Moreover, the indirect method preparation of the cash flow statement shows that the changes in operating receivables and payables are completely inconsistent with the balance sheet. Such a basic error should not have occurred."

Mr. Cai's tone was very serious: "Your understanding of Accounting Standard No. 33 is too superficial, especially the details regarding the determination of the scope of consolidation and the treatment of special transactions. In this month's internal control walkthrough test, three substantive deficiencies were found in the accounts you were responsible for, and the audit department has already issued a rectification notice."

Deng Gongxin lowered his head and said, "I'm so sorry, I'll correct it right away."

Mr. Cai snorted: "It's not just a matter of making corrections! In the comprehensive budget preparation for next quarter, you need to re-examine the capital expenditure forecasting models of the business departments, pay attention to distinguishing the boundaries between CAPEX and OPEX, and remember, the value of finance lies in risk prediction, not in post-event remediation!"

After seeing Deng Gongxin off, President Cai also noticed Li Xu.

He immediately put on a smile and said respectfully, "Mr. Li, are you here to inspect our work?"

Li Xu may not know these middle managers, but they are still employees. It would be foolish not to do his homework beforehand about what the new president looks like.

Li Xu nodded, looking at the unkempt finance manager in front of him, and suddenly a classic line from Stephen Chow's movies came to mind: "Look, this is professionalism." He had to admit, from a professional standpoint, this guy was indeed quite capable. Deng Gongxin, who had been praised to the skies by Huang Lingling, was completely silenced by this General Manager Cai's reprimand.

Li Xu smiled and said, "It's not really an inspection, I'm just taking a stroll."

Mr. Cai quickly stepped forward and said, "How about I show you around?"

Li Xu shook his head: "No need, you can continue with your work. By the way, about dinner tonight..."

Before he could finish speaking, General Manager Cai quickly said, "General Manager Xu has already made the arrangements and informed us as well."

Li Xu nodded and continued walking.

Before the official welcome dinner, Li Xu organized a general meeting for all employees to formally meet with everyone.

As for the evening banquet, there wasn't much to say. After all, this kind of purely business-related banquet was aimed at letting the invitees get to know each other, and Li Xu wasn't going to consider getting to know everyone present; that was their business.

Everyone tries to make a lasting impression on him, and the most common method is "Mr. Li, please do as you please, I'll take it."

Li Xu actually disliked this kind of social interaction, but he had to admit that because of their different positions, their perspectives on the matter differed. From the perspective of someone in a superior position, when someone holds a glass full of 53-proof liquor and tortures themselves by gulping it down, it's practically a veiled message: "Boss, I'm absolutely loyal to you. Look, I'm even willing to debase myself like this for you."

Li Xu observed that some people hadn't drunk alcohol, and when offered a toast, they only used tea. Li Xu silently noted these people down; he needed to confirm whether these people genuinely didn't drink normally, or if they simply hadn't drunk alcohol that day.

It's worth mentioning that Xu Liang, as the company's second-in-command, also did not drink alcohol.

The entire dinner proceeded in a very harmonious manner. Everyone toasted each other, chatted, and laughed, creating a peaceful scene that lasted until nearly 11 o'clock before ending.

At this point, Xu Liang suggested going to a karaoke bar and instructed Huang Lingling to make the arrangements. Li Xu refused without question, saying that he had to go to work tomorrow and was a little tired today, so maybe next time.

Before Xu Liang could say anything more, Li Xu smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, you're not going to have a drink today. You can't just sing all by yourself at a karaoke bar, can you?"

Xu Liang laughed heartily and said, "Mr. Li, you're criticizing me, aren't you? Okay, I'll definitely have a few drinks with you next time!"

And so the day came to an end.

The next day was the official start of work, and everything returned to normal.

Just as Li Xu entered his office, the administration department delivered three documents: reports from the finance, human resources, and sales departments. The approval slips on the documents bore the vice president's handwritten signature: "Presented to President Li for review."

Li Xu picked up the document and looked at it, a meaningful expression on his face.

From yesterday to today, I've officially completed the change of identity. Hehe, is this what it's like to be a leader?
(End of this chapter)