The savior has arrived!
The entire R&D department rejoiced, with Su Fei'ang excitedly exclaiming, "Vice President Ang, you're finally here! If you hadn't come, we would have been devoured by this mad dog. Vice President Ang, you must uphold justice for us."
The others also cried out, begging Su Fei'ang to resolve their grievances.
These were all Su Fei'ang's trusted subordinates. Without them, his position in the company would only decline further.
They must be protected!
Su Fei'ang glared at Lu Ming and said sarcastically, "Well, Lu Ming, on your first day at the company, you want to shut down the most crucial R&D department? Do you know how important the R&D department is to the company?"
Lu Ming calmly replied, "I am not shutting down the R&D department; I am merely firing these parasites. I have already recruited a group of excellent new R&D personnel. Give them some time to adapt, and they can completely replace the work of these individuals."
Su Fei'ang's face darkened, and he retorted, "These are all old employees of the company. You can just fire them as you please?"
Lu Ming waved a thick stack of A4 papers. "I have all their compromising information here. Vice President Ang, would you like to see it? Furthermore, Wang Zhongcheng embezzled nearly twenty million from the company. Vice President Ang, do you still intend to protect him?"
Su Fei'ang looked embarrassed but made one last stand. "Fine, you're ruthless. A new official comes with three fires, and you're aiming to eradicate them all! Alright, alright, alright! I will go to the Old Madam and let her pass judgment!"
He was truly desperate and could only hope that the Old Madam could save at least one or two of his own people.
However...
Lu Ming gave a ghostly smile and said, "You want to seek judgment from the Old Madam? What a coincidence, I also have a detailed account of your finances over the years, Vice President Ang. Some of the expenditures are truly difficult to understand. Vice President Ang, these unclear amounts could be shown to the Old Madam for her guidance."
Su Fei'ang instantly deflated.
Over the years, Su Fei'ang had siphoned a considerable amount of money from the company, far exceeding Wang Zhongcheng's illicit gains.
If this were investigated, Su Fei'ang feared he would be directly expelled from the Su family!
With incriminating evidence in someone else's hands, how could he remain defiant?
Su Fei'ang lowered his head and snorted, "Lu Ming, you win. I will not interfere in this matter. Do as you please."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Wang Zhongcheng and the others in a state of disarray.
It was over.
Even their biggest backer had withdrawn his support; they could no longer be protected.
What else did they have to rely on?
Just then, the police arrived. Lu Ming directly identified Wang Zhongcheng, allowing the police to take him away.
Finally.
Lu Ming addressed the sixteen members of the R&D department, "You all should pack up and leave quickly to make space for the new employees."
With that, Lu Ming departed.
The R&D staff exchanged bewildered glances, sighing with regret.
An hour later, Lu Ming returned to the chairman's office precisely on time.
He saw Su Wanran glaring at him with anger, while Jiang Mengxin looked dejected, as if both of them were dissatisfied with Lu Ming's performance.
Lu Ming, however, remained unfazed.
He smiled and said, "Chairman Su, the remnants have been cleaned up."
Su Wanran rolled her eyes and said indignantly, "Firing all sixteen people from the entire department and having the police take away Wang Zhongcheng is your idea of cleaning up? Emptying the entire department, who will handle R&D from now on? With such simplistic methods, do I even need you? Can't I do it myself? Lu Ming, are you helping me or undermining me?"
Worse was yet to come.
The chairman's secretary entered, her face etched with worry. "Chairman, something has happened."
Su Wanran asked, "What else has happened?"
The secretary replied, "Because the R&D department was wiped out, everyone in the company is now living in fear. People are saying that you, Chairman Su, are purging your rivals, and anyone who ever worked with Vice President Ang will be held accountable! Consequently, many old employees are submitting their resignation letters. If this continues, the company will collapse."
Su Wanran was utterly speechless.
She was already troubled enough, and now these employees were engaging in wild speculation, completely escalating the situation.
What should be done?
Su Wanran looked at Lu Ming. "Because you acted so crudely and brutally, you've made the situation unmanageable! Tell me, what should we do now?"
Lu Ming smiled slightly. "This is a normal human reaction. Managing subordinates is like educating children. They should be disciplined for their mistakes and rewarded for their good deeds. As long as children understand your principles, they will naturally not be afraid."
It sounded somewhat reasonable.
But, how to implement it?
Lu Ming extended another finger. "Give me another hour, and I will bring you another surprise."
Su Wanran was exasperated. "You had an hour before, and you fired the entire R&D department; now you need another hour. Are you going to fire everyone in the company? On my first day as chairman, I'll be left with an empty office?"
Lu Ming said calmly, "Don't worry, I'll handle everything."
With that, he turned and left the office.
...
Ten minutes later, all employees were gathered in the company's first-floor lobby.
From top to bottom, no one was absent. Even Su Wanran and Su Fei'ang were present, silently watching Lu Ming stand before everyone, unsure of what he intended to do.
Lu Ming produced another thick stack of A4 papers.
Everyone felt a sense of dread.
"See? That A4 paper must contain our wrongdoings. Lu Ming used various blackmails to fire the entire R&D department before; now, he's going to repeat the same trick on others."
"Lu Ming is Su Wanran's dog. Now, anyone who has had any dealings with Su Fei'ang will probably be eliminated."
"Factionalism, purging rivals, alas."
"Hmph, fire us, fire all of us. Let Lu Ming, this dog, do all the work in the company!"
Murmurs of discontent and apprehension spread through the crowd.
Everyone looked at Lu Ming with hostility, wishing they could take off their shoes and slap him.
Once everyone was present, Lu Ming coughed, glanced at the A4 papers in his hand, and said, "Chang Xing, who is Chang Xing? Please step forward."
All eyes simultaneously turned to a thin, middle-aged man, their expressions filled with pity.
"Chang Xing, he was recruited by Su Fei'ang, so he'll definitely be fired."
"Poor fellow, his wife has a serious illness and requires a lot of money every month. If he's fired, he might not even be able to afford the medical expenses, and his wife might die because of it."
"There's nothing we can do. Who made him Su Fei'ang's man? Those among us who were close to Su Fei'ang should also prepare themselves psychologically."
Under everyone's gaze, Chang Xing, with a sorrowful expression, approached Lu Ming. Before Lu Ming could speak, he suddenly knelt down!
Chang Xing kowtowed, saying, "Vice President Lu, I have a critically ill wife at home who needs a lot of surgery fees every month. I cannot lose this job. I beg you, please don't fire me. I promise not to cause trouble or violate any rules. I will honestly serve the company and the Su family, just begging for a bite to eat. Please, please."
He was weeping and sniveling, looking pitiful.
Even Su Wanran felt a pang of compassion and said softly, "Although Chang Xing was recruited by Su Fei'ang, he is diligent and responsible in his work. Is it really right to fire him?"
All eyes turned to Lu Ming once again.
Resentment, resentment, and more resentment!
But to everyone's surprise, Lu Ming looked at Chang Xing with confusion and said, "Uh... Chang Xing, I didn't say I was firing you. Why are you kneeling and apologizing like this?"
Huh?
Not firing him?
Chang Xing looked at Lu Ming with bewilderment and asked, "If you're not firing me, then why did you call me out?"
Lu Ming pointed to the A4 papers in his hand and said, "According to my investigation and feedback, Chang Xing, you have demonstrated excellent performance and sincerity in your work over the years. You are a rare and outstanding talent. However, your salary has not increased for several years, and you've remained in the lowest-level position. This is a major oversight by the company."
He paused.
Amidst the confused and expectant gazes, Lu Ming raised his voice and said, "Therefore, I have decided to promote you to department head and triple your salary!"
Instantly, everyone looked at Chang Xing with envy.
This was not the end.
Lu Ming continued, "You just mentioned that your wife is critically ill, and the company has never shown any concern. This is a significant failure. Therefore, I will find an excellent doctor for your wife and guarantee her recovery! As for the medical expenses, the company will cover everything."
In an instant, Chang Xing's face lit up with excitement.
He could hardly believe his ears and even slapped himself, unsure if he was dreaming.
Chang Xing quickly kowtowed repeatedly, continuously saying, "Thank you, Vice President Lu, thank you, Vice President Lu! I will serve you with all my might to repay your great kindness!"
Su Wanran, standing nearby, pressed her hand to her forehead, torn between tears and laughter.
Jiang Mengxin whispered in her ear, "Lu Ming's move is brilliant. First, he punishes the disobedient and establishes authority; then, he rewards the diligent, bringing peace of mind to everyone. I must say, Lu Ming does possess some management talent."
Su Wanran sighed. "He does have some management talent. But first, he fired the entire R&D department, and now he's giving Chang Xing a huge reward. All of this is company money! Lu Ming, Lu Ming, he's using borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha, spending other people's money!"
Jiang Mengxin chuckled. "If spending a little money can help you purge rivals, establish authority, and promote the company's healthy development, then this money is well spent."
Su Wanran nodded and looked at Lu Ming again. "Lu Ming is truly an unusual person, always making me jump between extreme joy and sorrow."
Jiang Mengxin heartily agreed.
Lu Ming was precisely like that.
When you have high hopes for him, he slaps you in the face; when you're completely disappointed in him, he brings you immense surprises.
In conclusion, this man cannot be judged by ordinary standards.
He is extremely cunning.