Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 511 - 512: Offending Little Gu means you’re on duty!
Gu Anxi frowned and turned her head. "Secretary Tang, notify the HR department to settle Mr. Ma’s salary. Follow the proper procedures."
After speaking, she walked out of the conference room, completely calm.
Manager Ma panicked. "VP Gu, firing a manager-level employee..."
"Am I not qualified to do so?" Gu Anxi turned her head back. "Don’t tell me the Cloud He Group would stop running without you. In reality, whether you’re here or not doesn’t seem to make any difference."
She glanced at Secretary Tang, who understood that her decision was final and wouldn’t be changed.
The conference room fell into utter silence; no one dared to make a sound.
Everyone had seen what just happened. Manager Ma had merely been relying on his twenty years of service at the Cloud He Group and a certain status, which even allowed him to have a say in front of CEO Bo, so he had presumed too much on his seniority. Little did he know, Little Gu didn’t buy it at all and fired him on the spot.
This is really difficult! Old Ma’s face flushed crimson, and he felt trapped with no way out of his predicament.
Manager Wang suggested, "Old Ma, why don’t you ask the Family Head to put in a good word for you?"
Old Ma lit a cigarette, his hand trembling as he dialed a number. Bo Nianyao answered and listened to his request. Then, he chuckled softly, stating that he no longer involved himself in the Cloud He Group’s affairs. If there was truly an issue, Old Ma would have to discuss it with Little Gu.
Old Ma was on the verge of tears. It was Little Gu who fired me, how can I possibly go and beg her? I’m over fifty, and she’s just a young slip of a girl. How could I have the gall to beg her?
Bo Nianyao probably guessed his thoughts. "I have some understanding of your Little Gu. If you beg her, she’ll agree, but your days won’t be as comfortable as before."
Old Ma smiled bitterly, knowing it was useless to plead with Bo Nianyao any further. Clearly, Little Gu called the shots at the Cloud He Group now.
However, deep down, he still felt indignant. Little Gu just holds a meeting, makes a few pronouncements... this Vice President job is too easy, isn’t it? 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Though indignant, he still went to the top floor.
Seeing him, Secretary Tang was both surprised and not surprised. She said softly, "I’ll go ask for you."
Old Ma smiled bitterly again. "Alright."
Secretary Tang smiled, pushed open the office door, and said softly, "VP Gu, Manager Ma would like to see you."
Gu Anxi was engrossed in a game on her phone, slaughtering enemies. Without looking up, she said nonchalantly, "Hasn’t he been dismissed? Why still call him Manager Ma?"
The door hadn’t been closed, and Old Ma, standing outside, heard everything. His old face flushed crimson; the humiliation was almost unbearable.
But then he thought about being able to retire in another ten years or so. He didn’t want to leave Yunxi at this critical juncture. As the Manager of the Marketing Department at the Cloud He Group, his annual income was easily in the tens of millions. It was comfortable; only a fool would want to leave.
But this newly appointed Little Gu was quite difficult to deal with.
Old Ma felt hopeless. He didn’t want to lose all face and become a laughingstock. So, he coughed lightly. "Secretary Tang, never mind."
He turned to leave.
Gu Anxi called out, "Wait a minute."
Old Ma’s voice was quite dejected. "VP Gu, rest assured, I won’t take a single penny I’m not entitled to. I’ll ensure a clear handover."
Seeing that he had been "stewed" enough, Gu Anxi smiled. "I can give you another chance."
Old Ma’s heart skipped a beat; he could hardly believe his ears. He immediately bounded over, looking at Gu Anxi with eager eyes.
Gu Anxi put down her phone and said calmly, "Manager Ma, you’ve been in this position for quite a few years now."
Old Ma’s heart gave another lurch. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what Little Gu meant by that. Is she looking down on me? Planning to demote me?
Gu Anxi stood up, walked over to him, and smilingly patted his shoulder. "I looked at your file. I think you have potential."
A chill ran down Old Ma’s spine. To have climbed to this position in a large company like Yunxi, he naturally had a few tricks up his sleeve. Hearing Little Gu’s words, he knew something bad was coming.
Sure enough, Gu Anxi smiled. "Not only will I not demote you, I’ll promote you. The Marketing Department’s new Development Division will be your responsibility. The two matters I mentioned earlier will also be entirely under your charge."
Old Ma forced a bitter smile. This was truly a case of having to swallow a bitter pill. What promotion? This is clearly dumping all the dirty work onto me alone! Perform poorly, and get out! That’s what it means!
This Little Gu, so young, yet so ruthless!
He wanted to refuse, but thinking about his future, he gritted his teeth and accepted.
Gu Anxi beamed. "Very good. Do well, and I’ll give you a raise."
Old Ma felt like he was about to cough up blood. As he reached the door, a sudden thought struck him: Could it be that Little Gu never intended to fire me at all? Was everything just a setup for this moment? To make me toil like an ox for the Cloud He Group!
The moment this idea surfaced, Old Ma felt as if he’d been struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky, and a cold sweat broke out all over his back.
This Little Gu is truly too devious!
In the Vice President’s office, Secretary Tang smiled. "VP Gu, you’ve been quite merciful to Manager Ma. He should be grateful."
Gu Anxi, sitting in her office chair and continuing her game, said casually, "He won’t be grateful to me."
Secretary Tang chuckled, still speaking up for Old Ma. "How could that be? He’s a man who understands the score."
Gu Anxi continued languidly, "By now, he’s probably composed himself. Who knows, he might be cursing me behind my back right now!"
She paused, then added, "I never planned on firing him."
Secretary Tang’s smile froze. Never planned on it? She quickly understood. Heavens, poor Old Ma!
After Gu Anxi finished a round of her game, she looked at Secretary Tang. "If my subordinates don’t do their jobs, wouldn’t I, the Vice President, be worked to death? Work should be enjoyable. Otherwise, what’s the point of being a Vice President?"
Secretary Tang was dumbfounded. Could it be that Little Gu plans to just play games during work hours?
"Or what? Should I, the Vice President, do their work for them?" Gu Anxi walked over and patted Secretary Tang’s shoulder. "To be a qualified capitalist, you have to be ruthless."
Secretary Tang managed a polite smile. She had already gotten a taste of this Little Gu’s formidable nature. Her methods were indeed quite potent.
While they were talking, Old Ma returned to his department, dejected.
Several managers of similar rank saw his crestfallen demeanor and assumed he would have to leave Yunxi. They all came over to console him, generally saying things like he was still young and would have other opportunities in the future.
After listening to a round of consolation, Old Ma looked up. "You’ve all misunderstood! Little Gu agreed to let me stay. Not only was I not demoted, I was promoted."
He cupped his hands. "My dear colleagues, I’ll need your full support in the future. These two departments will temporarily be under my management. If I can’t meet the KPIs Little Gu requires, I’ll be forced to resign. So, if I fall short in any areas, I earnestly hope you’ll all be understanding, for old times’ sake."
His words left the other senior managers stunned. What? Not only is he not leaving, but he’s now going to be managing them?
