I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 279 Confrontation and Awakening!
Su Cheng's answer was very well-structured. He also cleverly used the 35 newly recruited interns as an example and gave a method for training them.

Long Ruoli's attention was elsewhere; she continued to press, "What if there are fewer interns?"

"If there are relatively few interns..."

After careful consideration, Su Cheng also gave a perfect answer.

The others present nodded in agreement.

But Long Ruoli didn't stop. She asked the question she really wanted to ask: "What if we only have one intern?"

An intern?

Not only Su Cheng, but everyone else also looked troubled.

"Mr. Long, this question doesn't seem to hold water, does it?"

"Just assume it's true. We only have one intern, and we absolutely have to train him. How much do you think we should invest?"

Su Cheng understood.

She wasn't asking the intern.

This was a test of Su Cheng's attitude towards the old man's 'successor plan'.

This question is highly suggestive. If Su Cheng doesn't realize it, she might unknowingly be branded with a related mindset by Long Ruoli.

From the old man's perspective, he was doing his utmost to "sacrifice" for himself.

Su Cheng responded in response to Long Ruoli's words, saying that they would devote a lot of resources to helping this intern grow.

Long Ruoli nodded, but Su Cheng couldn't tell whether she was satisfied or not.

Su Cheng added, "President Long, I think there's a major flaw in this issue."

"What loophole?"

"Suppose we have been training this person for three, five, or even longer, but he still fails to meet our requirements. What should we do? Or what would you do?"

Everyone present turned to look.

???

What is Su Cheng doing?

Now it's Boss Long asking you a question, why are you asking Boss Long a question in return?

Long Ruoli's expression was calm: "Since we have selected this person as an intern, we should continue to train him, regardless of whether he was chosen or predetermined."

Su Cheng pressed further, "But what if he doesn't have it?"

"There's no chance of anything going wrong. We'll make him reach the level of strength and quality that Sheng Yue possesses."

The others were confused by the conversation between the two; they could only see the surface meaning.

Long Ruoli's answer made everyone feel that she was a boss who valued interns very much.

If she didn't care, she wouldn't have given that answer; she would have just followed the group's termination procedures.

Su Cheng seemed to be deep in thought.

Isn't Long Ruoli just spreading her father's ideas to herself?
Grass!
He smiled and continued to explore the issue: "President Long, we are willing to train him, but what if this intern can't take it and jumps off a building? Shouldn't our group bear the corresponding responsibility?"

After saying that, Su Cheng focused on observing Long Ruoli's expression.

Seeing that the topic was getting increasingly serious, Lin Lin stepped forward and said, "Team Leader Su, let's stop discussing this issue now..."

Long Ruoli didn't respond and quickly adjourned the meeting.

Su Cheng thought that Long Ruoli would seriously consider it from her own perspective, right?

Even if this intern hadn't jumped off the building, it would have still provoked a strong rebellious reaction from him.

How many historical figures have been photographed there?
Take Heshen from the Qing Dynasty for example. After Emperor Qianlong was gone, wouldn't Emperor Jiaqing have killed him?
The same applies now.

Which side should you, Long Ruoli, take? Should you side with the old man and help the wicked, or should you side with yourself, the soon-to-be crown prince? I don't need to say more, do I?

……

After the meeting.

Zhang Yangwen went to Su Cheng to complain.

"What? Your salary was cut too?"

"Yes... I just received an email from HR."

Su Cheng frowned: "I thought it was a case of new rules for new people and old rules for old people. Are the old people being cut too?"

Wait a moment.

Su Cheng felt something was off.

Why did Long Ruoli cut off the benefits and perks of the interns for no reason?

The original intern's salary was already low enough; by being frugal, they could barely cover their expenses in Beijing.

Su Cheng hadn't had time to do the math during the meeting, but after doing the math carefully, she realized that after Long Ruoli's cut, the new interns were essentially paying to work every month.

The old man gave new instructions?
Could she have made these dumplings just because she's jealous of Zhang Yangwen?
"What should we do? It seems you don't have enough money."

"Actually, it's not a big deal. I should have enough money to last for a while. We'll see if my dad's business can turn things around."

Su Cheng shook his head, indicating his disapproval.

Just need to turn things around a bit!
It's impossible to turn things around before Lao Zhang's 'successor plan' for Zhang Yangwen ends!
Zhang Yangwen is still completely in the dark; he's being far too naive.

Wait a moment.

Su Cheng belatedly came to her senses at this moment.

Why the hell does he have to help the old man and Lao Zhang hone their skills in the succession plan?

Su Cheng's original motive was to get Zhang Yangwen out of the job as soon as possible so he could take over.

By Lao Deng's standards, Su Cheng herself wouldn't even qualify.

It would take Zhang Yangwen at least ten years to reach Su Cheng's current level!

If Lao Zhang knew that Zhang Yangwen was making continuous progress in the 'successor plan', would he voluntarily stop it?

It's possible, but unlikely.

Old Zhang sent his son to this old man for training, so he must have made a tough decision to cultivate Zhang Yangwen.

The chances of Lao Zhang seeing Zhang Yangwen's miserable life and thus arousing his love for his son, making him abandon the succession plan, are extremely small.

Because Zhang Yangwen is constantly improving, this is a continuous positive feedback for Lao Zhang, and Lao Zhang is unlikely to give up before reaching a critical point.

What if Su Cheng were to oppose Zhang Yangwen's "successor plan"?

Old Zhang might think this plan is completely useless, and that it's just making the kids suffer for nothing.

Will he back down then and confront Xiao Zhang on his own?
Su Cheng felt that the latter possibility was greater?
Grass!
Su Cheng felt that she had made a mistake.

His motives were good, but he went astray.

A significant portion of Zhang Yang's literary knowledge came from Su Cheng, not from being raised in poverty.

Can you learn anything from the 'succession plan'?
Yes, but there is more suffering than anything else.

Why can't I learn anything new no matter what I do?

Su Cheng paused, then looked at Zhang Yangwen seriously, as if he had made up his mind.

"Xiao Zhang."

"what?"

Would you rather live a life of luxury or a life of poverty?

Zhang Yangwen was completely bewildered. He wondered what kind of question this was: "It's definitely about abundance, Brother Cheng. Who would deliberately seek out hardship when there's no hardship to be had..."

This question may seem meaningless, but Su Cheng actually had something in mind.

If given a choice, any normal person would choose a wealthy lifestyle rather than spending their days calculating every penny.

However, Su Cheng still needed to confirm that Zhang Yangwen was not one of the small group of people with masochistic tendencies.

If Xiao Zhang thinks this is a good way to hone himself, then Su Cheng won't take any further action.

“If my dad were lying to me, there would actually be no problem with the family business, but I don’t think he would do that because he has no motive for it. It’s absurd.”

"Could it be that he deliberately withheld my money to train me? That's impossible!"

No.

Will do.

Your father not only lied to you, but he did it in a very different way. Su Cheng has indirectly confirmed Zhang Yangwen's attitude, so he has no moral burden left.

They can get training in other ways; they don't necessarily have to be raised in such a frugal manner.

Furthermore, Xiao Zhang doesn't want to live a life of poverty.

Damn it, the son of the gambling king doesn't even know what early bird tickets and Frappuccinos are, but that doesn't stop him from being outstanding.

"Here's what we'll do, Xiao Zhang. I'll transfer another 20,000 to you. You can use it for now."

"Ask me for money when you're out of money."

"Huh? No, no, no, Brother Cheng, I didn't come to you to borrow money."

"It's okay, I didn't lend it to you, I gave it to you, you don't need to pay it back."

Zhang Yangwen: ???

Su Cheng not only gave him money, but he also didn't have to pay it back?

"Why, Brother Cheng? Why are you giving me money for no reason?"

"It didn't happen for no reason. Your salary was cut, and your family has no money. How are you going to live in Jingzhou? Are you going to just use credit cards to make ends meet?"

"We're buddies, no need to be so polite, just take it."

Zhang Yangwen was a little touched.

He had no idea what Su Cheng was thinking.

He thought Su Cheng was trying to encourage him not to give up, and that as long as he worked hard, he would definitely be able to become a full-time employee at the Emperor Group.

Su Cheng is affirming his abilities and also wants to invest in him.

Ok.

Zhang Yangwen accepted.

"Brother Cheng, I will definitely not let you down!"

Su Cheng: ???
do not.

You'd better try to let me down.

Su Cheng gave Zhang Yangwen money entirely to help him fight against the 'successor plan,' while at the same time doing Zhang Yangwen a favor.

Kill two birds with one stone!
Why is Zhang Yangwen acting like he's on steroids?

Do not understand.

……

……

Jingzhou.

A convoy of Maybachs slowly pulled up in front of a detached villa.

Bai Zihua got out of the car early and ran to the other side to open the car door for Su Tianyan.

When Su Tianyan got out of the car, Bai Zihua offered to help him, warmly reminding him, "President Su, please take your time."

"Don't help me, I can walk."

Su Tianyan felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.

He has a neurological problem, but his other bodily functions are fine.

Bai Zihua's act of helping him up and those words made him feel that his influence in Bai Zihua's heart had been greatly weakened.

Bai Zihua may have subconsciously viewed himself as a weak person who was already on the decline.

Su Tianyan hated this feeling.

Bai Zihua seemed to realize that his behavior was a bit too 'concerned', so he took the initiative to let go of Su Tianyan. He still followed behind Su Tianyan as usual, keeping a certain distance from him.

Enter the villa.

Su Tianyan met Long Ruoli, who had been given prior instructions to wait, as well as several experts from the team.

Upon seeing Su Tianyan, Long Ruoli immediately revealed a smile she had never shown before at Shengyue.

She stepped forward to greet Su Tianyan: "President Su, why didn't you let me pick you up at the airport?"

Su Tianyan did not answer directly, but simply replied with a faint "Mm".

It means he doesn't want to explain.

Long Ruoli wisely refrained from pressing the matter further, perhaps Su Tianyan had other plans?
Actually, there's nothing planned.

Su Tianyan didn't let Long Ruoli pick him up at the airport simply because he wasn't there; he had just been transferred from a private hospital.

He didn't go to South Africa at all, nor did he engage in any commercial war with French and English capital.

During the time he disappeared, Su Tianyan had been receiving neurological treatment.

After seated.

Su Tianyan then began to listen to the recent reports about Su Cheng.

Long Ruoli suddenly gained a clear and profound understanding of Su Cheng's important position in Su Tianyan's heart.

It's almost midnight, and they still insisted on coming over to check on Su Cheng's condition.

Whether it's right or wrong is another matter, but this behavior might show how much he loves Su Cheng.

Su Tianyan listened attentively to every word the experts said, and in summary, Su Cheng had been performing very well recently.

"Where's Xiaolong?"

"After these past few days of interaction, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Su Tianyan listened to opinions from various parties.

Whether it's him, Bai Zihua, or these experts, they've all been in the bureau for a long time.

As someone who has just entered the game, Long Ruoli may see things from a different perspective.

"President Su, let me give you a report on my interactions with Xiao Cheng over the past few days."

Long Ruoli made contact with Su Cheng as a leader who was parachuted in from outside.

She showed Su Cheng a great deal of goodwill in order to gain Su Cheng's trust.

Whether it was the annual best award or the interview, Long Ruoli conveyed a clear signal to Su Cheng: Su Cheng was being given important responsibilities by her.

As for Ye Li's application for the Forward Program, it actually has nothing to do with Su Cheng.

It was simply because Su Tianyan liked Ye Li that Long Ruoli readily approved the money.

However, her behavior will give Su Cheng a very good impression of her as a subordinate.

Simply put, since Long Ruoli helped Su Cheng's good friend Ye Li, Su Cheng will also develop feelings for her.

However, in her report here, Long Ruoli still stated her judgment truthfully: "I think Xiao Cheng needs more training."

This is a relatively negative evaluation for Su Cheng.

It's not just relatively negative, it's absolutely negative!

Long Ruoli used the Boxer Group's acquisition of "Heart Signal" as an example to explain that she felt Su Cheng was not decisive or ruthless enough in business and lacked tough methods.

In the end, Long Ruoli gave Su Cheng a very low score.

"Ok?"

Su Tianyan frowned.

He had already used Chen Suna to train the brat before, so why did he make a similar mistake again?
"What do you mean?"

"Can't even handle a company merger? A spineless coward, is he?"

"This brat, is he trying to drive me crazy?"

Bai Zihua has a broader perspective than Su Cheng.

Based on Long Ruoli's words and actions, he immediately deduced her attitude towards Su Cheng.

In the succession plan, Secretary Long is unlikely to be a moderate like him, but rather a hardliner like President Su.

Long Ruoli knew about Chen Suna's situation, but she still brought it up.

That's a bit uncomfortable.

(End of this chapter)