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

Chapter 519: Stimulated

in the afternoon.

Xingxiang Art Examination Headquarters.

The meeting room was now packed with people, all looking around with excitement and surprise on their faces.

I'm excited because I'm about to join Xingxiang and be able to work back in my hometown; I'm surprised because I see many familiar faces here.

"Teacher He, you've come to Xingxiang too!"

"Well, I mainly want to go back to my hometown to work so I can be with my parents. What about you?"

"Me too. Look over there, Teacher Liu and Teacher Xu are here too."

"The pressure in Beijing is too great. It's better to work back in my hometown. Look, my hair is thinning."

"..."

The teachers who resigned from Jiahua chatted quietly. At first, it was a little awkward, as no one expected to meet again after changing jobs. But then they thought, people strive for better opportunities, and changing jobs is not shameful, so they quickly accepted the reality.

All I can say is: life is full of unexpected encounters!
Besides Jia Hua's art exam teachers, there were also training teachers from various entertainment companies present. Since they all worked in the same field of training trainees, they were already familiar with each other, but they never expected to become colleagues one day.

"Crack!"

As the conference room door opened, Zhang Wen walked in from outside.

Upon seeing this, everyone stood up from their seats.

Zhang Wen walked to the front, scanned the room, and after confirming there were 42 people, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

That's right, no one stood us up.

Money power is money power.

"On behalf of Xingxiang, I welcome everyone." After Zhang Wen finished speaking, he winked at Xu Zining behind him.

Xu Zining immediately understood and distributed the documents in his hand to everyone present.

Everyone took the document and looked at it. It turned out to be a labor contract. When they turned to the salary and benefits section, it was indeed the same as agreed last night. It was 50% higher than before, plus five social insurances and 15 days of annual leave.

Such treatment is exceptionally generous, not only in their hometown but also in the capital.

"This is the contract I'm providing for you. Please take a close look. If you're satisfied, please sign it on the last page. If you have any questions, feel free to ask now. Let's be open and honest with each other," Zhang Wen said with a smile.

At that moment, a female teacher immediately raised her hand.

"Please speak," Zhang Wen said, looking at the other person.

"Principal, after we return to work in our hometown, will the company transfer us to other cities due to business needs?" the female teacher asked.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Principal Zhang, who was sitting at the very front.

This is indeed a problem.

If they return to work in Beijing and are transferred to other cities after only two years, it's better for them to stay and work in Beijing.

"No," Zhang Wen said with certainty.

"Principal, the branch campus hasn't been established yet. What if we don't have enough students? Will we be laid off again?" the female teacher asked.

Although this is a bit ominous, it concerns our future, so we must get to the bottom of it.

Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the eventuality.

"This is stated on page 7 of the contract: if a branch cannot continue operating due to insufficient enrollment, the company will transfer you back to headquarters, with your salary and benefits remaining unchanged," Zhang Wen explained.

The female teacher quickly flipped to page 7 of the contract. After finding the clause, she shrank back sheepishly and hurriedly started reading from the first page.

The others were also surprised by the detailed content of the contract and began to read it from the beginning.

For a moment, the entire conference room fell silent, with only the rustling sound of pages turning.

After more than ten minutes, someone finally finished reading the contract, then picked up the pen on the table and quickly wrote their name on the back.

Compared to previous labor contracts, the labor contract provided by Xingxiang is truly conscientious. Not only are the wages and benefits better than those of its peers, but the solutions for various situations that may arise in the future are also written in great detail. Hesitating for even a second after reading it is a disrespect to the contract.

Some people don't understand contracts and don't know if there are any traps in them, but when they see the people around them signing them, they also write their own names.

Even if we get scammed, we'll both get scammed.

Zhang Wen got up to collect the contracts, shaking hands with the recipient of each one and saying, "Welcome to Xingxiang."

Not only is it full of sincerity, but it also provides a lot of emotional value.

You see, he could have easily ordered Xu Zining to go down and collect the contracts... Doing it this way can both show his welcome and show that he values ​​it.

Soon, he had 42 labor contracts in his hands.

"From today onwards, we are one family. As family, we don't need to speak like outsiders. I hope we can all work together to build a better family," Zhang Wen said sincerely.

"Clap clap clap!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the meeting room, and everyone's face beamed with genuine smiles.

For them, the applause was not only for Principal Zhang, but also for themselves... Life had finally taken off, and they had to give themselves a round of applause.

After the applause subsided, Zhang Wen continued, "Starting next Wednesday, I will travel to six cities: Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Sichuan, Wuhan, and Hangzhou. I will stay in each city for two days and complete the registration of all branches within half a month. Then, I will spend another month on renovations and other work, striving to put them into operation in September."

Two days is a tight schedule, but he has already spoken with Zhou Siyi on the phone. The issue of the branch's teaching building has been resolved. Once he arrives, he only needs to complete the transfer procedures and other formalities related to the training institution. As for the subsequent renovations, the local branch of Baosheng Group will be responsible for them.

That’s the benefit of having connections.

As for why he didn't leave tomorrow... it's because tomorrow is Monday, the first day of classes, and he needs to stay at headquarters to see what needs to be improved.

"!!!"

Everyone who heard this was surprised.

Is this speed too fast?

However, considering that Xingxiang's headquarters was completed and put into use in just one month, I wasn't so surprised.

Principal Zhang is very efficient!
Zhang Wen paused for a moment, looked at everyone present and said, "Your main task for the next month and a half is to promote and recruit students, spreading Xingxiang's reputation throughout your cities. During this period, Xingxiang will also start live broadcasts to answer questions for art students and promote the establishment of the branch. I hope you will also be prepared to receive them."

Everyone nodded in agreement, looking forward to the work ahead.

They believe that as soon as the "Xingxiang Art Exam" signboard is displayed, all art exam candidates will choose Xingxiang.

How could they know?
Because they were all Xingxiang's rivals in the past, they knew best how terrifying Xingxiang was.

"Alright, that's all. You can wander around Beijing these next couple of days and see all the places you haven't been before. But remember to get back to your hometown by next Wednesday. I don't want to be unable to find you when I get there," Zhang Wen said.

"Yes." Everyone got up and left. Some had already started buying train or plane tickets on their phones, preferring to go home early and wait for Principal Zhang rather than make Principal Zhang wait for them.

visit?
Having worked in Beijing for so many years, I've been to all the places I wanted to go, and even taken my parents there. There's nothing left to see. I should hurry back to my hometown and familiarize myself with the changes, lest I lead Principal Zhang astray.

So, those who could buy tickets for today went home today, and those who couldn't buy tickets for today bought tickets for tomorrow. After buying them, they posted them on their WeChat Moments. Although the captions were different, they all meant the same thing.

"Go home!"

……

evening.

Jiahua Art Examination Training Center.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Zhou Maoquan was about to leave the office when he heard a knock on the door.

The familiar sound made him frown. He couldn't stand the knocking now; it gave him a splitting headache, as if his head was about to explode.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, then reached out and pulled open the door. Upon seeing who it was, his brow furrowed even deeper, and he said sternly, "Director Zhu, you're not here to resign too, are you? I remember you being from Beijing?"

“Principal, I’m not here to resign.” Zhu Zhengting said, picking up his phone. “Look, these are the teachers who resigned today. They really have all gone back to their hometowns.”

Zhou Maoquan was taken aback, his gaze falling on the phone screen, which displayed the other party's WeChat Moments, showing the posts of the teachers who had resigned that morning.

Some people are showing off their tickets, some are showing off train stations and airports, and others are showing off the scenery along the way. You can feel their joy at going home from their words and pictures.

Zhou Maoquan was completely stunned.

Have they all really gone back to their hometowns?
Although these teachers all cited returning to their hometowns as their reason for resigning, he didn't believe it at the time and always felt that someone was instigating them behind the scenes.

But now it seems... he was overthinking it; these teachers just wanted to go home.

"Is the pressure of life in Beijing really that great?" Zhou Maoquan looked at Zhu Zhengyan in front of him. Now that there were pictures and evidence, he had no choice but to believe it.

"Well, everyone has their own ambitions," Zhu Zhengyan finally managed to say after a long pause, unsure how to answer the question.

People say that life in Beijing is stressful, so people from all over the country flock to the city; yet, they also say that life in Beijing isn't stressful, so many people leave the city.

There's no definitive answer to this.

"Is it because the salaries at our school are too low? Do you know how much other computer-based testing organizations pay these days?" Zhou Maoquan thought for a moment and then asked.

He felt that since it wasn't an external cause, it must be an internal one.

If it's a matter of salary, then it should be increased, otherwise we won't be able to retain the remaining teachers.

“Principal, the salaries here have always been above average in the industry, not low at all,” Zhu Zhengyan said.

Zhou Maoquan scratched his head hard with his hand. He was almost driven crazy by this problem. If he couldn't solve it, the remaining teachers would leave sooner or later.

"Director Zhu."

"Principal, please speak," Zhu Zhengyan listened attentively.

“Let’s post a job ad and hire a few more teachers specializing in performance, dance, and music. We can raise the salaries a little. If we really can’t find any, we’ll poach from other organizations. If Xingxiang can poach our staff, we can poach other people’s staff too,” Zhou Maoquan said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, Principal." Zhu Zhengyan nodded, then turned and left.

Zhou Maoquan walked out of the office, intending to go home, but unknowingly ended up in the acting teacher's office.

The teachers hadn't left work yet and were still preparing for tomorrow's performance class. However, the once crowded office now seemed unusually quiet.

Several teachers left last time, and half of them left this time, leaving only five acting teachers.

Although the performance class did not recruit many students this year, it is ridiculous that one of the top five art exam training institutions in Beijing only has five teachers in the performance major.

"headmaster!"

Upon seeing the principal standing outside the office, Zhang Zhancheng, the head of the performing arts department, immediately stood up, though his smile appeared somewhat forced.

When the other four teachers saw this, they assumed the principal had some important instructions and stood up to greet him.

"It's alright, please sit down. I just came to take a look around," Zhou Maoquan said, managing to force a stiff smile after some effort.

Upon hearing this, the five teachers sat back down and continued with their work.

Zhou Maoquan walked up to Han Wanling and said solemnly, "Teacher Han, the results of our Jiahua Performance Training Class this year depend on you and Teacher Zhou Min. I know you didn't want to come here, but as the old saying goes, 'Since you're here, make the best of it.' Rather than passively resisting, we should actively respond. I promise you, if one of you passes the final exams for Huaxi and Jingying, the school will reward you with 30,000 yuan; if two pass, you'll be rewarded with 60,000 yuan. In short, I will absolutely not treat you unfairly."

Han Wanling and Zhou Min did not buy it.

Although the prize money is considerable, the final auditions for Huaxi and Jingying are not so easy to pass.
Last year at Xingxiang, I taught more than 100 people, but only three passed the final exams for Huaxi and Elite.

Moreover, all the promising talents this year have gone to Xingxiang, so it will be even harder to train three more than to make trainees famous.

But while we may think this way, we can't say it like that. Anyone who doesn't know better might think they're passively resisting.

"Principal, we will definitely teach the students everything we know without reservation. As for how much they can master, that depends on their own destiny," Han Wanling said.

The implication is: I will definitely teach well, but don't blame me if you don't achieve good results.

Actually, she didn't dare not teach properly. If the students in her class did poorly in next year's art exams, President Li would definitely not let them off the hook.

"Hmm." Zhou Maoquan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the office.

The other three teachers secretly glanced at Principal Zhou as he left, feeling as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a fly.

What did the principal mean by what he just said?
The performance class's results depend entirely on Han Wanling and Zhou Min? Isn't this blatant disrespect for them, and a lack of expectation that their students will pass the final exams for the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy?
Although these two new teachers had outstanding teaching results last year, they are not bad either, are they? Over the years, they have taught at least 30 to 40 students who have passed the final exam.

Now, all their past work and achievements have been negated with just one sentence.

How can you forget the old people just because you have new ones?
The three men, their faces grim, slammed the lesson plans on the table shut.

I'm not preparing lessons anymore!

Since the principal doesn't think much of them, why should they bother putting in the effort here?

Come back home!

The three of them stood up, picked up their bags, and left the office.

If I had known the principal would be like this, I should have accepted Principal Zhang's invitation to teach at Xingxiang earlier.

I don't know if it's too late to switch jobs now!

……

(End of this chapter)