I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 14

As one of China’s major corporations, CHI’s office facilities far surpassed those of ordinary companies.

Yan Zhao, timidly trailing behind the composed Gong Muyu, rode the elevator straight to the 23rd floor. After registering at the reception desk, they were escorted directly to a conference room.

The CHI conference room, roughly 100 square meters in size, stood completely empty. Gong Muyu glanced around, then instructed Yan Zhao to find a chair while she checked the company brochures left in the room.

Having eaten her fill and had a good cry, Yan Zhao sat listlessly in the chair, quickly growing drowsy. Yet, fearing the negative impact of falling asleep in a client’s conference room, she forced herself to stay awake.

Noticing Gong Muyu standing motionless by the wall, Yan Zhao stifled a yawn and checked her phone, realizing twenty minutes had passed. She stood and approached Gong Muyu.

“Twenty minutes have gone by,” she said, poking Gong Muyu’s arm. “Did they forget we’re here?”

“It doesn’t matter. If they have the guts, they can just keep us waiting.”

Yan Zhao observed Gong Muyu’s composed demeanor, and her own anxiety gradually eased. Seeing Gong Muyu engrossed in reading the company’s profile, Yan Zhao couldn’t help but share some of the frustrations she’d experienced since taking over at CHI.

“This company offers great benefits, but the internal politics are cutthroat. Everyone walks on eggshells. I had an alumna who worked there for almost a year and developed depression. She finally couldn’t take it anymore and quit.”

The word “alumna” caught Gong Muyu’s attention. She turned to Yan Zhao and asked, “Which alumna? Didn’t you graduate from Huaying?”

“How did you know I graduated from Huaying?” Yan Zhao asked, startled.

Gong Muyu was about to answer when footsteps echoed in the hallway. Yan Zhao, ignoring her question, quickly moved to stand behind Gong Muyu, positioning herself to the right.

The person who came to meet them was Song Yang, the Supervisor of CHI’s Customer Service Department, who looked to be in his early forties. He paused momentarily, taken aback by the sight of two young women.

After the introductions, Song Yang was even more surprised.

He had heard that Qiongyang’s newly appointed General Manager was forceful, but he hadn’t expected her to be a woman. Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, Song Yang realized he was dealing with someone formidable and steeled himself to greet Gong Muyu.

The company had recently experienced frequent personnel changes due to the General Manager’s “iron-fisted” approach. Her influence stretched far, extending beyond overseeing department operations to even investigating partner companies.

A subordinate supplier, unable to accept reduced freight rates in certain regions, had immediately quit. This forced CHI to push the orders onto Qiongyang.

In the past, when General Manager Wang was in charge at Qiongyang, such situations would have been reluctantly accepted. But this new General Manager boldly rejected the orders outright.

With so many orders that CHI couldn’t quickly find anyone else to take on, they had planned to summon Qiongyang’s representatives to pressure them into taking the tough assignment. But to their surprise, the person who came was the newly appointed General Manager herself.

Song Yang’s initial strategy was to let Qiongyang’s representatives stew in uncertainty for a while, hoping that once they started to feel uneasy, the negotiations would go more smoothly. However, he soon realized that the female leader before him remained remarkably composed, her brow betraying no trace of anxiety. Clearly, she was no ordinary opponent. The fact that Qiongyang’s chairman had managed to recruit such a young and capable leader must have required significant investment.

Realizing he was dealing with someone formidable, Song Yang abandoned his indirect approach and directly confronted her about Qiongyang’s order rejection. Seeing her maintain her calm smile without a hint of urgency, he quickly shifted tactics, adopting a more conciliatory approach.

“I understand everyone is struggling before the holiday,” he said. “But your company’s blanket rejection of orders will impact our KPI scoring. If your KPI falls below eighty points, we’ll have to reevaluate your partnership. And if you fail that assessment, our company reserves the right to unilaterally terminate all business with you.”

Gong Muyu remained unfazed by this carrot-and-stick approach, maintaining her smile as she let Song Yang finish speaking.

“We appreciate Mr. Song’s understanding of our challenges,” she replied. “However, the rejection of orders was unavoidable. As you know, business is tough for everyone during this pre-holiday period. Still, that’s no excuse.”

As she spoke, Gong Muyu nodded slightly in agreement with some of Song Yang’s earlier points.

“When your company’s operations team sent over the orders, our operations team consulted with colleagues in the Shipping Department. The sudden surge in urgent orders from your company is already ten times our capacity.”

“After working with your company for so long, Mr. Song should know that we handle more than just single-point operations. We manage both import and export business. If the volume exceeds what we previously agreed upon, we have the right to refuse the orders.”

After finishing, Gong Muyu turned to Yan Zhao beside her and said, “Yan Zhao, please bring me the contract and details of past orders.”

Song Yang understood the implications of the contract well enough. This batch of orders was already forcing the company beyond its capacity. Now that Gong Muyu had brought up the contract and past order volumes, his attitude began to shift.

“General Manager Gong, you’re quite well-prepared. But surely, for something as simple as refusing an order, there’s no need to consult the contract.”

“Of course. If Mr. Song were to ask, and I couldn’t answer, that would be disrespectful to you, wouldn’t it?”

Yan Zhao had never imagined General Manager Mu’s presence could be so commanding. Even in front of the seasoned Song Yang, she remained utterly composed, while Song Yang found himself on the defensive under Gong Muyu’s steady gaze.

Yan Zhao handed Gong Muyu the prepared materials she had brought, along with a printed copy of an email.

Gong Muyu found it peculiar that Yan Zhao would produce a physical copy of an email. Checking the timestamp, she realized it had been sent before she arrived.

Not understanding the significance, Gong Muyu tilted her head, gesturing for Yan Zhao to explain.

Perhaps influenced by Gong Muyu’s calm demeanor, Yan Zhao composed herself. She stood up and placed the email on the table between Song Yang and Gong Muyu.

“Half a month ago, we sent your company a deadline for order submissions and a notice about rejecting new points. Your company acknowledged the email at the time. Now, MIKAI is suddenly demanding a massive increase in volume, all involving new points our company has never handled before. According to the previous email, we have the right to refuse these orders.”

After speaking, Yan Zhao took a step toward Gong Muyu, clasping her hands behind her back like a schoolgirl standing behind her teacher. Meeting Gong Muyu’s gaze, Yan Zhao pursed her lips and averted her eyes.

Yan Zhao had never imagined they’d one day be able to stand up to CHI. Now that they’d finally won this rare victory, she was so elated she felt like she might burst.

“Feeling that good?” Gong Muyu asked, glancing sideways at Yan Zhao while driving. Perhaps influenced by Yan Zhao’s infectious mood, Gong Muyu couldn’t help but smile.

“Absolutely! You have no idea how much that Song guy has bullied our company. When Lao Wang was in charge, we didn’t dare offend them, so we had to do whatever they said. It’s rare to see them get their comeuppance, so of course I’m thrilled!”

The mere thought of Song Yang’s smug, fox-like grin made Yan Zhao grind her teeth.

“Speaking of which, for such a massive company, they didn’t even offer us a drink—let alone a sip of water—when we visited. How such a stingy company has even survived this long is a mystery!”

Gong Muyu chuckled at Yan Zhao’s grumbling.

“Alright, I’ve put you through a tough day. I’ll treat you to a drink later.”

Yan Zhao hastily waved her off.

“General Manager Mu treated me to lunch this morning, so I’ll treat you to drinks this time. Let’s celebrate our first victory against the client!”

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