Marvel Salted Fish Kryptonian

It seems that this time next year will be the anniversary of Iron Man’s death.

Chapter 321 Airborne Challenge

An airborne executive will inevitably face challenges from those under him.

If you are in the industry, veterans who have proven their abilities are relatively easy to deal with. At most, you might encounter some uncooperative senior employees, and both sides need to work out a compromise.

But if someone is considered a layman by others, there is no need to question whether he is qualified for the position. Just pile a bunch of work on his desk and wait for the results.

As long as the other party shows signs of incompetence, other executives can openly split the power in the other party's hands and sideline the new CEO.

Therefore, generally, the wealthy young men who come here to gild their reputations or to pick up girls will at least bring one or two veterans who are familiar with the industry to help handle the internal affairs of the film company. Or they may simply delegate power.

Because for such people, a resounding name is more important than actual power within the company. They are just here to gild their reputation, not to be slaves.

However, the new CEO did not bring anyone with him, which made people confused and they could only give it a try.

The guide was a female colleague from the administration department. This unlucky woman, who had lost the game of rock-paper-scissors before Henry entered, was in charge of showing the new CEO around the company.

This is a fat black girl who has just joined the company. She has no outstanding performance and works steadily. For an old and stagnant company like Stark Films, her performance is just right.

Radicalism and risk-taking are exactly the qualities that a company needs the least.

The company's architecture reflects its atmosphere. Built just after World War II, despite being designed with the latest construction technology and the finest designers at the time, this old building still cannot hide its age after half a century.

It's not as exaggerated as exposed steel bars or burst water pipes, but the mottled marks you can see in the corners of the walls are a testament to its history.

Walking through every department in the company, all the employees seemed to be doing their own work as if they had agreed to do so. No one stood up to welcome the new CEO.

Even if that meaningless welcome ceremony wasn't carried out, it was a bit too much that there wasn't even a single person to introduce the department's functions.

It was the black girl who managed to squeeze some information out of her head and explain it on behalf of the entire department who were pretending to be dead. This prevented the situation from becoming too awkward.

When Henry walked into the CEO's office, which had been cleaned in advance without a speck of dust, he didn't see any European or minimalist design. Instead, he saw a mountain of documents piled on the desk that caught his eye.

The aura that seemed to want to bury the person behind the desk made Henry feel that it was difficult for the employees who moved the documents here. Even if they used a cart, it would take several rounds to pull it.

The black girl lowered her head awkwardly, her hands restlessly rubbing against her stomach. "Mr. Brown, this is a document the department head requested. Because there wasn't a CEO before, they did all this on their own."

"But now you're CEO. According to regulations, these documents must be approved by you before they can be executed or rejected. Furthermore, these matters cannot be delayed. If you delay your decision by even a day, the company's operations might be in trouble tomorrow."

"Oh," Henry made a playful sound, listening to the almost threatening language.

Of course, he knew that these words were not what the girl in front of him wanted to say. She was just being forced to say them on behalf of others, otherwise she wouldn't look like she wanted to find a place to hide.

"Yulian, right, your name."

"Yes, Mr. Brown."

"Yulian, I remember the place we just visited didn't have a company archive or database. It's just a place where documents from past meetings and company information are stored. Which department manages that? Could you take me there?"

"The archives are managed by the administration department. It's usually locked, and the key is in our office. I can take you there. Do you want to go now?"

"Well, let's go. I need to look through some old information to see how everyone used to operate."

"Okay, please follow me."

The fat black girl was leading the way.

In fact, according to his attitude before dating Charlize, Henry is now chatting all kinds of dirty talk and showing his humorous and gentlemanly attitude.

But now that I have a girlfriend and my position is above everyone else, flirtatious words can easily be misinterpreted as power-hungry or sexual harassment. To avoid trouble, I need to control my words.

Besides... Hei Nuo is really not my type.

The administrative department of an American company is similar to the general affairs department of some companies or the secretarial office of a government agency. It is a unit dedicated to handling miscellaneous tasks, including cleaning, maintenance and replacement of basic equipment, and purchasing office supplies.

Such departments may not have much power, but they are quite important. Especially when someone learns to use consumables, such as paper, staples, pens, and other office supplies, to block people, they can effectively improve their power status within the company.

This has led to people in certain positions becoming accustomed to being arrogant.

Even when Henry, the new CEO, walked in, the director of administration remained seated, legs propped up on the desk, leaning back in his chair, whistling serenely, pretending he hadn't noticed.

The fat black girl stepped forward cautiously. "Director, Mr. Brown wants to go into the archives room and get the key from you."

"The archives store Stark Films' historical records, including film masters. They're very important. Is that a place anyone can enter?"

The administrative director put his feet down, sat up straight, and after scolding the fat black girl, he pretended to have just seen Henry.

Standing up, he said pretentiously, "Oh, isn't this the new CEO? I thought you would spend days and nights partying with Mr. Stark, but I didn't expect you to come to the company today."

"I'm sorry, but the company's archives are of great importance. Someone like you who knows nothing about it shouldn't go in and cause trouble, lest you add to our troubles. It wouldn't be good if something got lost."

Henry smiled and asked, "So, I'm not eligible to go in? Is that what you mean?"

"Of course not. How could I possibly think that? You're the CEO appointed by Mr. Stark. It's just that you have a lot of paperwork on your desk. Don't bother with that and disturb the administration department instead? It's going to affect the company's operations."

"That's why I need to look through old documents and meeting minutes to see how the company operates and makes decisions. All along, no one has ever told me how to cooperate. What? Can't I even learn on my own?"

Chapter 322 Office Confrontation

"Oh, Mr. Brown, this is too troublesome. If you don't know anything, just delegate authority to each supervisor. Wouldn't that make things much easier for you? Even if I give you the key to the archives, how long will it take you to learn? One year? Two years?"

The administrative director still gave a cold shoulder and refused to give in.

In fact, from the perspective of the administrative director, Henry's excuse was completely unreasonable, so he refused.

If the original intention was to get the new CEO back to work, then such a refusal would be understandable. However, his refusal today wasn't out of goodwill; it was simply a lack of respect.

After all, office politics isn't about logic. Just give a reasonable excuse, give each other some respect, and get the job done.

But for some unknown reason, this director just wanted to test the ability of this parachuted-in CEO.

There was no way around it, because Henry's resume at the HR department was too bizarre. The education column was completely blank, and he couldn't even produce an elementary school diploma.

There are only three experiences listed in the qualifications column: fisherman on a crab boat, Hollywood actor, and assistant to a has-been star.

How could a young man in his twenties become the CEO of Stark Films? Anyone who saw that resume would have wondered. Some even wondered if he could read or spell.

No one could have imagined that Henry could really learn so much through reading so much in such a short period of time. The administrative director's obvious provocation also made him a little angry.

It seems that young Stark is not as famous as old Stark.

The administrative director had also been present at the inauguration banquet last night. Could it be that the sight of him and Tony Stark chatting so happily together was interpreted by these people as him getting to the top by selling his ass?

So, you still have to do it yourself.

Even though Tony had thrown a party to boost his confidence, he hadn't said anything about not firing anyone. It was hard to find an excuse to attack someone. If someone offered themselves up, wouldn't they just chop them off? He wasn't in a position to back down easily now.

Henry picked up the phone on his desk and called. "Hello, Finance. This is CEO Henry Brown. Please help me settle the salary of John Snipe, the administrative director, for today."

"Tsk, another John. Do you know how many Johns I know? Oh. Don't pay attention to me, I was just talking to myself. Also, how much is the severance pay for laid-off employees? Six months? Okay, please settle it all at once."

Second call. "Hello, Security. This is CEO Henry Brown. Please send someone to oversee the termination of the former Administrative Director, John Snipe, and have his personal belongings packed up and escorted out of the office. Send someone here immediately."

After the two calls, Henry looked at the dumbfounded administrative director and said to him with a smile, "You can find a box and prepare to pack your things."

"You...you want to fire me!"

"According to California law, the employer can terminate an employment relationship at any time. As the company's CEO, I naturally have the authority to manage the company's personnel. Furthermore, I'm also following your original contract and paying you an additional six months of severance pay. Is there anything wrong with that?"

“You…” The administrative director who was suddenly fired was furious. He jumped up and cursed, “You mad little brat who couldn’t even graduate from college. I might have been working hard in the company before you were even born.

"What qualifications do you have to fire me? Do you know how much resources I control in the company? Without me, do you think you can find the copyright documents for the movie? Do you know where to find the patent documents for the equipment?

"The amount of equipment in the warehouse? The rental status of the equipment? Which of these company assets is not under my control? If I don't want to take it out, believe it or not, even you, the CEO, can't take it!"

Henry was stunned by this scolding. With a helpless sigh, he made a regretful expression and picked up the phone to dial out.

"Hello, Finance. Henry Brown here. John Snipe, the Administrative Director, has his salary and severance pay settled. That's all."

"Hello, Legal. This is CEO Henry Brown. Send someone over here! There's a jerk here embezzling company assets! I need a complete audit of the company's accounts.

"If you're shorthanded, contact the group's legal team and have them send someone to back you up. I just arrived, and you've already caused this! Are you trying to make me take the blame?

"As long as there's a problem with the accounts, I need to file a lawsuit and demand compensation of every cent. Company assets belong to the company, not to any individual, and certainly not something that will disappear if someone loses it!"

After cursing into the phone, Henry, feeling relieved, hung up. If he'd known about all this, he wouldn't have had to make two calls and retract the original order. What a waste of breath.

I was puzzled. Why would someone reveal such a thing? Was he unhappy at home, or his wife was too annoying, so he wanted to go to jail to avoid the spotlight?

At this moment, the film studio's security guard came into the office anxiously and looked at the young and energetic new CEO and the frightened old administrative director.

Henry didn't stop talking. He stood at the office door, facing the entire administrative department, and blew a whistle, causing all the department staff who had long since quieted down to look up at him.

"Yulian, who is the deputy in charge of the administrative department?"

The equally frightened black girl pointed her finger at a fat black woman who was even bigger than her. "It's Wendy."

Henry looked at the fat woman whose name was called and asked seriously, "What's your full name, Madam?"

"Wendy, Wendy Ingrid. Sir."

Henry softened his voice and said, "Very good, Mrs. Ingrid. From now on, you are the head of the administrative department. I'm sure you all heard the conversation in the office just now."

A sudden promotion seemed like a good thing. But considering what had just happened and what was about to happen, it seemed a little ominous. This made the fat black woman look at him in a state of confusion, but she still nodded.

Henry continued, "You now have two immediate tasks. The first is to wait for the company's legal staff to arrive and accompany them to inventory the company assets that the former executive director should hand over. Nothing should be left behind."

"And cooperate with the legal staff to conduct a comprehensive audit of the administrative department's accounts and property. My bottom line is that the accounts must match, and that the bastard inside must return everything he has embezzled. How long will it take you to give me a result?"

"Well, three days..." the fat black woman said tentatively.

"I'll give you two days. If you can't do it, I'm sure someone else in this office will be able to do it. Then the supervisor's position will be replaced. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Second, I need the key to the archives. Please find it now and give it to me."

"Yes, sir." Although the fat black woman agreed, she still stood there stupidly.

Henry clapped his hands loudly upon seeing this. "Move! Move! This is a workplace, not a movie theater. No one can stand and watch a bunch of idiots perform on the big screen."

The claim that layoffs are affecting aortas simply means that the successor isn't being paid enough. With enough money, even arterial bypass surgery can be performed!

Only a stingy boss would send someone to the morgue over a blocked artery. But Tony Stark's target was to avoid bankruptcy. Was Henry afraid of a mere old official getting mad?

Chapter 323 Challenges Solved

The archives room, which he was able to enter only after firing one person, was unremarkable. There were no magnificent collections, nor were there any antique hardcover books that would appear in the homes of wealthy people.

On the contrary, the place was in poor condition. The place was filled with a musty smell and dust, and many fluorescent tubes flickered. Fortunately, there was no smell of rats or small animal droppings.

After putting the key away, Henry turned to look at the chubby black girl. "Yulian, you don't have to stay here. Go and notify all the department heads for me. The meeting will be in the conference room in two hours, at 10:25."

"Yes, Mr. Brown."

"Go."

Once the archives were clear, Henry immediately used his super speed to scan through the past twenty years of information. While the archives were filthy, the sorting system was still functioning properly; the documents were not randomly placed, and were stored according to year and type.

The entire process took less than ten minutes. Henry's rapid movements even stirred up all the dust in the archives. Fortunately, he was able to hold his breath, or he would have been choked to death by the stale dust.

It would be better to leave the cleaning and tidying up to someone else. Henry had no desire to take over, even if he could do it in a very short time. So after reading what he needed to know, he returned to the CEO's office.

That mountain of paperwork wasn't difficult to deal with.

Because Stark Films had gone through a long period of time without a CEO in charge of the overall situation, and the heads of each department acted independently.

Driven by autonomy and initiative, they don't need much input from their superiors. Most documents are simply given an "as proposed" response, leaving it up to the subordinates to follow suit.

Only a small portion required censorship, and even then, there were a few pitfalls. However, these pitfalls seemed hastily dug, and the problems were obvious at first glance. So, they were simply rejected outright, and Henry didn't even bother to revise them.

The film production department brought in a large number of project plans and scripts.

After Howard shifted his focus, Stark Films only reduced its production department, but did not cancel it. So every few years, the film company will still launch one or two low-budget independent films.

In addition to maintaining the operation of the production department, this move is also to maintain the distribution department. It can also support some new directors or independent films with ideas, while continuing the reputation of Stark Films.

The production department doesn't actually have a set standard for which projects or directors to support. They are limited only by the total production budget, which is a fixed amount of one million per year.

In fact, this number was not small in the early 1950s, but after more than 40 years, it has remained stagnant, and today it is difficult to even make a movie.

If the film isn't used, the funds can be carried over to the next year. If it's profitable, it's the company's; if it's unprofitable, while the employees won't lose money, the reputation of the film's creators can be imagined if they produce a film that loses money and has poor reputation.

Therefore, Stark Films' production department has always played it safe and has never produced a large-scale production with a budget of over 10 million yuan.

Now that a new CEO has taken office, they are as if they are returning to glory. They put all the projects they have collected in front of Henry, waiting for his choice.

After all, Tony Stark had promised Henry a production budget that was more than ten times what he had previously offered. Even for a multi-million dollar production, he didn't reject it outright; he simply reported it to the young master and asked for permission.

But when Henry looked at this pile of things, he felt that they didn't really want to make a movie, but were here to cause trouble for him.