How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 503: Not Afraid of Threats
Monday, another busy week begins.

On the fifth floor of Jiahua Art Examination Training Center, Zhu Zhengyan, the director of teaching, hurriedly arrived at the principal's office.

"Principal, I have investigated the matter of several teachers in the performance class resigning and have a clear understanding of it," Zhu Zhengting said with a serious expression.

After hearing this, Zhou Maoquan unconsciously put down the document in his hand, looked up at Director Zhu opposite him, and waited for the other party to continue.

"According to the investigation, all six of them, including Chen Xiwen and Wang Xiyue, have joined Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center," Zhu Zhengyan said.

"What?" Zhou Maoquan jumped up, his eyes filled with disbelief. Finally, he stared intently at Zhu Zhengyan and asked, "Is what you said true? All six of them went to Xingxiang?"

“Absolutely true!” Zhu Zhengyan said with certainty, “The people I sent out saw Chen Xiwen and the others enter Xingxiang’s gate with their own eyes. Later, they asked the front desk of Xingxiang and confirmed that Chen Xiwen and the others are indeed teachers at Xingxiang now. Also, our front desk staff member Liu Qing has gone to Xingxiang.”

Zhou Maoquan's face instantly darkened.

Although he comforted himself that these were 'insignificant' people when Chen Xiwen and the others left, and that their resignation would not have any impact on Jia Hua, he was still very unhappy after hearing that they had gone to their arch-enemy.

He suddenly remembered seeing that guy surnamed Zhang outside the school last Friday. What did he say? He wanted to see Han Wanling and Zhou Min about something…

It now seems that the other party wasn't looking for people, but rather trying to poach them.

Zhou Maoquan clenched his fists tightly. He wasn't a hypocrite; he allowed that Zhang guy to poach Jia Hua's teachers, but to come directly to their door to poach them was just too arrogant.
"Principal, should I go talk to Chen Xiwen and the others and ask them to come back?" Zhu Zhengyan asked in a low voice.

"No need!" Zhou Maoquan immediately said, "Even if those six are combined, they're not as good as Han Wanling. Does that guy surnamed Zhang think he can fill the vacancies by throwing money at them and poaching a few ordinary teachers? He's naive!"

Zhu Zhengyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the principal had calmed down, but he still couldn't help but remind him: "Principal, although those six teachers are not as good as Teacher Han, they have been teaching for many years. With them here, Xingxiang has stabilized this time."

"Hmph, so what if he can stay calm?" Zhou Maoquan said with a sneer. "Art exams are about scores, about the number of people admitted to key art colleges like Peking Opera, Beijing Film Academy, and Shanghai Opera. Even if he can stay calm now, he won't be able to stay calm by this time next year."

Upon being reminded, Zhu Zhengting immediately showed an expression of sudden realization.

Yes, art exam training institutions rely on results. Although that Zhang guy temporarily poached a few acting teachers to make up the numbers, when the art exam results are released next year, won't everything be exposed?

"Principal, you're right. Once the art exam results come out tomorrow, let's see if that Zhang guy can still be so arrogant," Zhu Zhengyan said with a smile, while also flattering him.

"Did you ask a few people to hand out flyers at the entrance of Xingxiang? Did they all go?" Zhou Maoquan asked.

"I just went there today, and we should be at the entrance of Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center by now," Zhu Zhengyan said.

"Hmm, print another five thousand copies and have all the remaining teachers in the performance class distribute the brochures, especially at all the intersections leading to Xingxiang. Whenever they see parents with children, they must stuff a brochure into their hands. I don't believe that parents will choose to continue taking classes there after they find out that Xingxiang's original star teacher has switched to us," Zhou Maoquan said with a sneer.

Zhu Zhengyan quickly agreed, grinning as he said, "Principal, I'll arrange it right away. I'll make sure the road to Xingxiang is completely blocked. I'd rather send a thousand by mistake than let one slip through."

"Wait!" Zhou Maoquan called out to Director Zhu again, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Have Teacher Han and Teacher Zhou go to the first floor to greet the parents who come for consultation. I want everyone to know that I have poached Xingxiang's ace."

"Principal, Teacher Han and Teacher Zhou are not here today," Zhu Zhengyan said softly.

"Didn't come? Why didn't you come?" Zhou Maoquan frowned.

“Principal, you forgot? Teacher Han and Teacher Zhou are still employees of Tianxi Media. You said they don’t have to come here when they don’t have classes,” Zhu Zhengyan reminded them.

Zhou Maoquan was stunned for a moment before he remembered this matter, and it was something he had said himself.

No way! Recently, major art colleges have successively announced the list of those who passed the final exams, and major art exam institutions in Beijing have also posted their good news to compete for students. How can we not have Han Wanling and Zhou Min here at such an important moment?

How many students the performance training class can recruit this year depends on the performance of these two teachers.

He took out his phone, intending to call teachers Han Wanling and Zhou Min, but after dialing a few numbers, he suddenly remembered something.

"I have something to do right now and need to go out for a bit. You need to finish what I just asked you to do as soon as possible. Remember, make sure every parent knows that the teacher from Xingxiang Performing Arts Training Center has switched to Jiahua, understand?" Zhou Maoquan instructed as he hurriedly left the office, as if he had something urgent to attend to.

"Yes, principal."

"..."

Twenty minutes later, Zhou Maoquan appeared at Tianxi Media.

He didn't go to Han Wanling and Zhou Min, but went directly to the general manager's office.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

"Enter!"

Hearing the sounds coming from inside, Zhou Maoquan pushed open the door and went in.

"What's the matter?" Li Lehua asked, looking at the person who had come.

"Mr. Li, this is the entrance exam result for Xingxiang's music and dance training classes this year. Although the results are not as good as those of the performance training class, they are definitely top-notch in the industry." Zhou Maoquan said, handing over a printed copy of the results.

Li Lehua took the report card and looked at it. The more she looked, the more her brows furrowed. How come even the art exam scores of the music class and the dance class were better than Jia Hua's?

She could barely accept that Jia Hua had one better grade than her, but she couldn't accept that Jia Hua had better grades in everything.

It's worth noting that Jia Hua Art Exam Training Center has been established for over twenty years and is a well-known name in Beijing's art exam training industry. However, it's now being thoroughly humiliated by a newly established art exam training institution, which drives her extremely crazy.

Is it that this guy surnamed Zhang is too extraordinary, or that Zhou Maoquan's abilities are too poor?

After thinking it over, she felt that the former was more likely. If it really was Zhou Maoquan's problem, Jiahua would not have developed into its current scale.

"Mr. Li," Zhou Maoquan said in a low voice, "As far as I know, the teachers in these music and dance classes also come from Tianxi Media's training department. Do you think it's possible for them all to work part-time at Jiahua?"

I hadn't paid attention to the results of Xingxiang Art Examination's music and dance classes before, but now that I know, they're better than Jiahua's, so naturally I can't let those teachers off the hook.

Upon hearing this, Li Lehua's furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

Yes, why not just assign these teachers to Jiahua? Just like Han Wanling and Zhou Min.

Thinking of this, she immediately picked up the office phone on the table and said, "Have Sun Chengcheng, Jiang Yijing, Xu Guanchao, and Li Yuetong from the training department come to my office right now."

She went to Xingxiang more than once, so she knew very well who worked part-time there.

She used to be able to turn a blind eye, but now she wants to open that closed eye.

Less than ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and then the secretary led four teachers in.

"Mr. Li, you wanted to see us?" Xu Guanchao asked.

Li Lehua didn't speak immediately. He deliberately kept a straight face and looked at the four people to put pressure on them.

As instructors in the training department, Xu Guanchao and others usually only had contact with the department director, Xu Qingyu. They rarely saw the general manager, let alone were called to his office. So when they saw General Manager Li's serious expression, they immediately felt uneasy, wondering where they had offended him.

Seeing the four people's uneasy expressions, a hint of smugness flashed in Li Lehua's eyes before he slowly said, "I heard you're working part-time at Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center?"

Xu Guanchao and the others were slightly taken aback and looked at President Li with a puzzled expression.

It is said that?

Haven't you seen it all with your own eyes?
"Yes." The four nodded, puzzled.

"Do you know that there's a rule in the company's regulations that prohibits training instructors from engaging in training-related work outside the company?" Li Lehua asked again.

Xu Guanchao and the others were completely bewildered. They were naturally aware of the rules and regulations, but in general, the authorities would not investigate such matters unless the public reported them. In other words, as long as no one reported it, the company would turn a blind eye.

Did someone report them?

Even if someone reports it, does President Li really need to personally talk to them? Isn't this going too far? "Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Li Lehua asked coldly.

Xu Guanchao, Li Yuetong, Sun Chengcheng, and Jiang Yijing looked at each other and all felt that President Li was acting a bit strange today.

You've already said we violated the rules, so what are you expecting us to say in our defense? Just punish us directly, why all this fuss?
"Since you have nothing to say in your defense, I will now announce the punishment for you." Li Lehua said in a pretentious manner, "Due to your serious violation of company regulations, which has lasted for a year, the company will terminate your employment contracts effective today."

The four men's expressions changed upon hearing this. Although they knew they would be punished, they were still surprised when they heard it with their own ears.

Termination of employment contract? Isn't that the same as being fired? This punishment is too severe!
I'm just doing part-time work outside, and I haven't harmed the company's interests, so why terminate my employment contract?

But then I thought, if we don't fire them and let them continue to work at the company, will they still take on part-time jobs outside?
Going there would mean continuing to violate company rules; not going would mean earning more through part-time work outside than working at Jia Hua. In the end, I still had to choose between Tianxi Media and Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center.

Originally, they should have been the ones to make the choice, but now it's just that Mr. Li has made the choice for them in advance.

Having figured these things out, the four of them quickly felt relieved.

Xu Guanchao said nothing and turned to walk outside.

Seeing that Xu Guanchao had left, the other three stopped worrying about being fired and followed him out.

"???"

Li Lehua was stunned by the sight.

gone?

Leaving now?

Why didn't I humbly beg for her forgiveness? Why is it different from what she imagined? Shouldn't I have pleaded for another chance?

Are people these days so indifferent to their jobs?

Li Lehua was still in a daze, but Zhou Maoquan, who was standing next to him, couldn't keep up the act any longer and shouted to the four people who were about to leave, "Wait a minute!"

Xu Guanchao and the others stopped and turned around to look at the speaker with a puzzled expression. If they remembered correctly, this person should be the principal of Jia Hua Art Examination Center.

"cough!"

Zhou Maoquan coughed lightly and then said, "Originally, you should have been fired, but President Li is a man of great vision and wants to give you a chance to stay. It's up to you whether you can seize it."

"What opportunity?" Li Yuetong asked curiously.

The other three also turned around.

If I can stay with Tianxi Media, that would certainly be a good thing.

“That’s how it is,” Zhou Maoquan explained. “Jiahua Art Exam and Tianxi Media have a cooperative relationship. If you can work part-time at Jiahua, you can avoid being expelled. But don’t worry, it’s not like you’re working for free. The hourly rate is 800.”

After Zhou Maoquan finished speaking, he felt a little distressed. The fees for dance and music training classes were much lower than those for performance training classes. Although the hourly rate of 800 yuan was not as high as the 1,000 yuan charged by Han Wanling and Zhou Min, it was still considered quite high among dance and music teachers.

However, the thought of being able to poach all of Xingxiang Art Examination's top teachers made me feel that the 800 yuan was well spent.

Xu Guanchao and the others' expressions changed. At this moment, they finally understood why President Li had only fired them now, even though he clearly knew they were working part-time at Xingxiang.

It turns out they were targeting Zhang Wen.

The new year's art exam admissions have begun, and various art exam training classes are about to start. At this time, poaching them from Xingxiang will inevitably have a significant impact on Xingxiang's subsequent training courses.

As Zhang Wen's trusted associates in the company, Xu Guanchao, Li Yuetong, and Sun Chengcheng were naturally very aware of the past conflicts between Deputy Director Zhang, General Manager Li, and Xingxiangyu Jiahua.

The fact that General Manager Li and Principal Zhou threatened them at this time was tantamount to cutting off Deputy Director Zhang's right-hand man.

Seeing that the four remained silent, Zhou Maoquan patiently said, "You should think carefully. If you stay, you can continue working at Tianxi Media and also work part-time at Jiahua Art Examination Center. If you leave, you can only go to Xingxiang. As the old saying goes, 'A wise man submits to circumstances.' Whether you earn double the salary or only one salary, the choice is yours."

He paused deliberately, then pretended to suddenly remember something and continued, "By the way, Han Wanling and Zhou Min have decided to leave Xingxiang and go to Jiahua for classes. He Yang has also been poached by other art exam preparation institutions and resigned from Tianxi Media."

Xu Guanchao and the others were shocked. No wonder they didn't see He Yang today; he had already resigned. Han Wanling and Zhou Min were also not as warm towards them as usual.

and many more!

Since He Yang, Han Wanling, and Zhou Min have already left Xingxiang, if they also leave Xingxiang, wouldn't Principal Zhang be left all alone?

What a ruthless means.

Jiang Yijing was smitten.

Having gotten used to receiving two salaries, asking her to go back to receiving only one salary would be torture for her; it would feel like she was losing money every day.

Moreover, Jia Hua's hourly rate is 100 yuan higher than Xing Xiang's.

After thinking it over, she was about to answer when Sun Chengcheng spoke first.

"I accept the termination of my employment contract."

"Hmm, good that you accept..." Zhou Maoquan nodded in satisfaction, completely basking in the glory of his successful poaching of Jia Hua's talent. However, his smile vanished in an instant, and he looked at Sun Chengcheng in disbelief, asking, "Teacher Sun, what... what did you just say?"

"I accept Mr. Li's punishment. I will go back and hand over my work now." Sun Chengcheng's tone was calm, but her words were unusually firm.

"Wait!" Zhou Maoquan immediately stopped Sun Chengcheng, who was about to leave, and asked suspiciously, "Why are you leaving? Is it because you think the hourly rate is too low? Did Zhang Wen offer you a higher price? Whatever he offers, I will definitely offer more."

Jiang Yijing also looked at Sun Chengcheng, not understanding why the other party would refuse the opportunity given by President Li. This was not only an opportunity to stay, but also an opportunity to make money.

Did Principal Zhang make some promise to Teacher Sun in private?
“My hourly rate at Xingxiang isn’t as high as what you, Principal Zhou, have given me. I just feel that Xingxiang needs me more than a large institution like Jiahua,” Sun Chengcheng said.

"Huh?" Zhou Maoquan blinked, not understanding what the other person meant.

They don't even want the money? Did they get their head squeezed in a door?
Besides, isn't a bigger company better? How did that become a disadvantage?
“I also accept the punishment,” Li Yuetong said at this moment.

"Why?" Li Lehua asked in a deep voice, his face dark with anger.

“I used to be ostracized by the senior employees in the training department. It was Zhang Wen who valued me and gave me important responsibilities. If I were to leave now for a little money, wouldn’t that be ungrateful?” Li Yuetong said righteously.

Then he began to analyze seriously: "Although Xingxiang's hourly rate is not as high as yours, if I were to teach full-time, Principal Zhang could guarantee me at least 60 classes per month, which would make the income quite considerable. On the other hand, although Jiahua's hourly rate is high, you also have many teachers, and correspondingly, each person will have very few class hours."

"Count me in," Xu Guanchao said.

As Zhang's close associates, Li Yuetong and Sun Chengcheng have both decided to leave. If he stays, wouldn't he be ungrateful?
As a man, you should never be inferior to a woman when it comes to the concept of 'righteousness'.

Jiang Yijing became anxious upon seeing this situation.

There are four people in total, and three of them are leaving Tianxi Media. If she accepts Principal Zhou's suggestion at this time, won't Principal Zhang hate her to death in the future?

Moreover, Li Yuetong's analysis just now makes sense. Large organizations have their difficulties, while small organizations have their advantages, at least they don't have to deal with complicated interpersonal relationships.

If she goes to Jiahua now, she will inevitably be ostracized, but if she stays in Xingxiang, she will be a founding father and no one will dare to bully her.
“I’m leaving too,” Jiang Yijing said.

Li Lehua and Zhou Maoquan stared at the four men in disbelief. They had money to be made but didn't want to. They were crazy, truly crazy.

……

(End of this chapter)