Chapter Sixty-Three: Gentleness Follows the Rod

"First of all," Chu Dong stood up, hands clasped behind his back, pacing around the room. As soon as he uttered those words, he noticed the bespectacled woman jotting down the phrase "first of all" on her paper. He chuckled, "No need to write those two words. Hmm, the first question is: Why do we work?"

He paused, observing that a few people were already beginning to scribble down their answers after recording the question. He quickly intervened, "Write down all my questions before answering them. We have plenty of time—what's the rush? It's not like any of you are racing home to embrace your wives."

A few members suppressed laughter, sensing that the new supervisor might be rather easy to get along with. Perhaps following him wouldn't be so dull after all. Yet, no one spoke, all waiting for Chu Dong to continue.

"Ahem," Chu Dong cleared his throat. "Second question: Who are we selling our houses to? Third question: What should we leave behind? That’s enough for today—I won’t make things too difficult for everyone."

Having finished, Chu Dong returned to his own chair, sat down with legs crossed, and produced a cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it, his secretary, standing behind him, tugged at him. Not sure what was happening, he glanced back to see her discreetly pointing to the banner on the wall, which proclaimed, "No Smoking!"

"What kind of damn rule is this?" Chu Dong ignored the sign, strode over, and tore it down. "People need a little distraction while working. With so many rules, how is anyone supposed to live?"

Initially, everyone in the marketing department kept their heads down, but when Chu Dong ripped the banner, they were stunned. That sign had been personally posted by Tan Xue. Before she arrived, the office was often filled with smoke, but on her second day, she pinned up that notice, and since then, the department had been smoke-free—no one dared light up anymore. Chu Dong was supposed to be one of Tan Xue's people, yet here he was, blatantly disregarding her authority.

Chu Dong paid no attention to the others. He tore the banner to shreds, crumpled it up, and threw it in the trash. With a snap of his lighter, he lit his cigarette, and pale blue smoke curled up in the room.

That single act won the approval of the office’s smokers, but it would be too obvious to pledge allegiance to Chu Dong so quickly. Instead, they focused earnestly on answering the questions before them.

Apart from the scratch of pens on paper, the room was so quiet that the drop of a pin would be audible. In contrast to the others' nervous concentration, the examiner, Chu Dong, sat in a most unprofessional, relaxed manner, exhaling smoke in large clouds. His secretary dared not speak, glancing anxiously at the door, afraid Tan Xue might arrive unexpectedly and trigger some catastrophic scene.

The time passed quickly—barely ten minutes. Chu Dong finished his cigarette just as everyone stopped writing. No one dared to speak, uncertain of Chu Dong’s temperament, and waited silently for his instructions.

Stretching lazily, Chu Dong stood up. "All finished? Remarkable. No wonder they say the marketing department is full of exceptional talents—nothing could be truer. Please collect the answers for me," he directed his secretary, who went around gathering the papers. Chu Dong read through them one by one. At first, his face bore a smile, which gradually faded, eventually twisting into a full-blown scowl.

"Are these the answers you’re giving me?" he barked, waving the papers in his hand.

Everyone was at a loss, unsure who had provoked his displeasure. Not a single person dared utter a word.

"All of you work for the company, the houses are to be sold to the wealthy, and nearly every answer claims you’re leaving behind the greatest value for the firm. These are your answers? I spit on them—hollow platitudes, just like the essays written a decade ago, not a shred of originality." The papers in Chu Dong's hand rustled as he shook them, his presence overwhelming. A few people seemed about to protest, but his glare froze them in their tracks.

"You must understand, everyone works, but not all work is the same. In truth, you are all working for yourselves—do you get that? The company is merely your platform. Do well, you earn more; perform poorly, you earn less, maybe even fail and get dismissed. If you regard your job as merely a passive means of survival, you’ll only ever earn enough for a bowl of rice. It’s not that I look down on you, but if anyone dares say aloud, 'I work for myself, and one day I’ll strike out alone and conquer the world,' then I’ll truly respect you." Chu Dong grew more impassioned, turning to his secretary, "Pour me a glass of water—I had too much salt at lunch."

No one below dared laugh; this brash, outspoken man had completely subdued them.

"Houses sold to the wealthy? I spit again. What, the poor don’t buy homes? Do they sleep on the streets? I think your brains must be scrambled. Buying a house is a national aspiration. Since private land ownership was abolished, buying land became buying houses. Having a place to settle and build a life is the dream of most people. Oh, you only sell homes to the rich—do you see any rich person buying hundreds or thousands of homes? That’s speculation! The rest are average folks. If a house seller hasn’t set their conscience straight, how can you expect ordinary people to buy from you? Ridiculous!"

This was the very epitome of righteous indignation. Chu Dong’s gestures were as if he were some high-ranking official, while everyone else seemed like humble listeners.

"And leaving the greatest wealth for the company? I spit, spit, spit," Chu Dong, hand on his hip, lit another cigarette. "I think you’re all just used to saying nice things. You talk well, but aren’t you all busy lining your own pockets behind the scenes? How many can claim never to have faked invoices or taken kickbacks? How many haven’t been lazy or neglectful? Leaving the greatest wealth—if you don’t leave behind a bad reputation, I’d call that fortunate!"

Chu Dong’s tirade left everyone speechless. Even those who had initially wanted to argue shrank back, heads bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Alright, it’s almost time to clock out. Today, I’m giving you all a chance to treat me to a meal—Fisherman’s Harbor, my treat. Anyone who dares skip out, I’ll make their life difficult every day!" As Wang Dongliang had said, Chu Dong’s mood shifted faster than the weather in June. Moments ago, it was a storm; now, the clouds had parted and a rainbow gleamed overhead.

PS: First update, fresh from the oven! OO~