My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

He relayed Zhao Fang's terms to Lin Shumei in detail. Lin Shumei listened, then smiled—a meaningful smile, as if she had expected it. Sitting behind her desk, she twirled a pen in her hand, her tone a mixture of admiration and helplessness: "Zhao Fang, that woman, certainly didn't disappoint me. She's shrewd and calculating, leaving no room for error. She doesn't want a one-time benefit; she wants a long-term, mutually beneficial arrangement: five percent of the canteen's profits, a cut of scrap materials, and supplier referral rights. These three combined are like planting three nails in your future warehouse business map. You can't shake them off even if you want to."

She stopped twirling her pen, placed it on the table, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a serious and focused tone: "However, Su Ming, listen to me... Agreeing to her conditions, while costly, also brings real benefits. Zhao Fang manages human resources, so you'll get her cooperation on hiring, job transfers, and salary increases in the warehouse. Next year, you need to hire several warehouse managers; salary grading and performance evaluation schemes all require approval from HR. With her backing, things will go much smoother. More importantly, Zhao Fang has deep roots in the factory; she has good relationships with the heads of several departments, including production, quality, and finance. With her support, your future in the factory will be much easier. So my suggestion is to agree to her conditions, but reduce the canteen profit share from 5% to 3%. Reduce the scrap commission to 50 yuan per ton, and only grant supplier recommendation rights once a year at most. This way, costs are controllable, but the benefits are just as significant."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Su Ming, waiting for his decision. However, Su Ming smiled and shook his head, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying the cafeteria food was too salty today: "No. I plan to leave her hanging. I'll never give her an answer."

Lin Shumei's face suddenly darkened. She put down her pen and looked at Su Ming with disbelief, her voice filled with undisguised anxiety and worry: "If you do this, won't you offend Zhao Fang? She's the HR manager. Although we have enough votes now, if you offend her, you'll have to deal with her a lot more often in the factory. If she's determined to make things difficult for you, just stalling you in the HR process can give you a headache for a long time. You don't need to make enemies with her just for the sake of this."

Su Ming didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stood up from his chair, walked around the table, and leaned against the armrest of Lin Shumei's chair. He looked down at Lin Shumei, a calm and confident smile on his lips. His voice was low, but every word carried an undeniable air of authority: "Now, Factory Director Gu and Deputy General Manager Liang are both my men. One is the deputy factory director, and the other is the deputy general manager. With their combined influence in the factory, do you think it's necessary to care about a mere personnel manager?"

Lin Shumei looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She subconsciously re-examined Su Ming, from his hair to his collar, and then to his confident eyes. She suddenly realized that the man before her was no longer the Su Ming who needed her constant guidance and help. In just a few months, he had transformed from someone she was helping into someone who could control everything. A complex mix of emotions welled up inside her—admiration, relief, but mostly a vague sense of estrangement. The young man who had once silently moved goods in the warehouse was now sitting before her, casually stating, "Factory Director Gu and Vice President Liang are both my men." This dramatic change left her momentarily disoriented.

After a long silence, she sighed softly, her tone weary and helpless after a compromise: "So how do you plan to end this? If you keep delaying giving Zhao Fang an answer, she'll definitely think you're standing her up. Zhao Fang hates being played. Ask around in the factory; last year, a supplier promised her a kickback but didn't deliver. She removed that supplier from the factory's supplier list in less than a month. She'll definitely target you at every meeting. Even if you have Director Gu and Vice President Liang, with five votes in your hands, she can't stop you from getting the canteen contract, but what about after that? She's in charge of personnel; if she really wants to make things difficult for you, it won't be hard. I think what you're doing is a losing proposition."

Su Ming smiled after hearing this. He moved closer to Lin Shumei, put one hand around her waist, and gently pinched the fabric of her skirt at the side of her waist with his fingers. The pressure was light, but it carried a sense of intimacy and certainty.

He leaned close to her ear, his voice low but each word clear and firm, a smile playing on his lips, yet his tone leaving no room for doubt: "I will give her a warning at the appropriate time, to make her understand her place, and also, I will let her know who the real boss is in our company."

Lin Shumei trembled slightly from the pinch on her waist, and her heart raced at the breath so close to her ear. She turned her body slightly away, pushed him away a little, and composed herself, but her tone still betrayed her growing curiosity: "So what are you planning to do? Be specific, don't keep me in suspense."

Su Ming released her waist, straightened up, walked to the window, reached out and pulled back the curtains. Looking at the workers unloading goods outside, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, his tone carrying a hint of confident mystery: "We'll see. Let's see what this woman's next move is. If she's smart, she'll quietly sit in her HR manager's seat and honestly cast her vote for me, and I won't make things difficult for her. If she's arrogant and insists on playing some tricks on me…"

He lowered the curtains, turned around, looked at Lin Shumei, a cold glint in his eyes, "Then I'll play along with her and let her know that there are some people she shouldn't mess with. She'll regret it for the rest of her life if she does."

Su Ming and Lin Shumei were chatting when a knock came at the door. Three knocks, neither too loud nor too soft, with a steady rhythm, sounding neither hurried nor drawn-out, reflecting the decorum of an office setting. Lin Shumei glanced at the door, quickly stopped talking, stood up from her chair, and said to Su Ming in a low voice, "Never mind, I'll go back to my office. Be careful."

After saying that, she straightened the hem of her dress, picked up the folder on the table, and turned to walk towards the door.

Boom boom boom!

There was another knock on the office door.

Su Ming called out from the doorway, "Come in!"