Chapter 153: Division of Authority and Stationed Posts, Zhang Long's Execution Blade

Zhu Fengchun was an honest and steadfast man.

Director You had always suspected that Lao Zhu’s sudden eruption and split from Shengxin was not just a whim; without external stimulation, he would never have taken such a step. After all, no matter what, they had worked together for many years, and their competition had never been brutally ruthless.

The moment he saw Zhang Long today, everything was explained. So that was why, the bastard.

……

"Lao Zhu, have you lost your mind?"

Ignoring Zhang Long’s greeting, Director You looked straight at Zhu Fengchun. "Do you really think a mere Zhang Long can bring Shengxin back from the dead? Having good luck before doesn't mean you'll always have good luck in the future. Be careful not to be led to your ruin."

"Doesn't matter."

Zhu Fengchun chuckled as he looked back. "No matter what, it's still better than having a drag like you hanging on relentlessly. Honestly, could things possibly get any worse than when you were in command?"

"I won't see you out. Thank you."

Those words stung even more, treating years of camaraderie like feeding it to the dogs. Director You, Director Guan, and the others turned pale with anger, their faces dark and brooding.

"Are you all going along with this madness too?"

Was Zhu Fengchun foolish, and had everyone else lost their minds as well? Director Xu, representing the neutral faction, maintained a calm expression. "Whether it's madness or not is a matter for the future. You guys should just take your money and exit the stage. Of course, if you want to go back on your word, that's fine too—just please pay the breach of contract penalty."

"It's not much, just a few tens of millions."

Zhang Long could see right through it; if Director You kept talking, he would only invite more ridicule, as no one wanted him around anyway.

"Director You, stop talking..."

Zhang Long shrugged with a sigh. "Even an outsider like me can see that you've managed to outrage both man and ghost. Save yourself a shred of dignity and stop making a fuss."

"However, relying on my youth to speak bluntly, I can offer you one piece of advice: don't be too utilitarian."

"The more utilitarian you are, in vain it will be."

With the older ones criticizing and the younger ones mocking, Director You’s face was as dark as the bottom of a wok. Yet, since the agreements were already signed, nothing could be changed. "Hmph, in that case, I certainly hope the bull market doesn't arrive this year. It's questionable whether Shengxin can even hold on until the October 1st National Day."

"Wish you all good luck, huh."

The final blessing was obviously sarcastic, but those present couldn't be bothered to argue. Director You and his associates could only vent their frustration one last time; after all these years at Shengxin, they had practically made no money, losing it all in the bear market.

Of course, since they all had other businesses, they wouldn't end up destitute. They would just have to see each other again if fate allowed.

Though presumably, they wouldn't.

……

Director You and the others departed. Next came the signing of agreements by Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, Ling Zhiqing, and the rest. However, before signing, they still needed to negotiate their incoming positions.

Lao Zhu was a man of action; his current position would remain unchanged, even after the establishment of the trading department.

By managing the market investment department and the trading department jointly, he would provide a steady anchor. As long as there were no unexpected disruptions, nothing major would go wrong.

The neutral faction did not hold too much substantive power.

Director Xu and the others either sided with Lao Zhu, the major shareholders, or Zhang Long and his group. Each of these individuals held a certain value and external network within Shengxin; they would provide funds as needed, and as long as their interests aligned, there would be no problem.

The major shareholder was the most mysterious figure, as well as the initiator and founder of Shengxin, though he had long since stepped behind the scenes. Executive Vice President Jiang served as his proxy.

Vice President Jiang was essentially a professional manager hired by Shengxin to oversee overall operations and development, while also handling daily affairs and convening board meetings.

However, now that Zhang Long, Ling Zhiqing, Qian Caiying, and the others had arrived, some real power naturally had to be distributed.

Even nominal titles would be accepted if necessary.

Administration, Finance, Operations!

The aforementioned were generally the three core pillars of any enterprise or corporation. The major shareholder's faction controlled personnel, the neutral faction managed finance, and Lao Zhu's team oversaw operations.

Today, that was going to change through a division of power.

"I don't mind," Zhang Long spoke up first. "My job is to assist the company's analyst team and improve the accuracy of the daily stock recommendation reports. I won't meddle in anything else."

"At most, I'll take on a nominal title in finance just to get a general understanding of Shengxin's revenues and expenditures."

"However, President Ling and President Qian cannot afford to be idle. They should take charge of administration and operations."

Personnel management fell under the purview of administration.

In this restructuring, Vice President Jiang would continue as Shengxin's President and CEO, but Ling Zhiqing would oversee personnel matters for both the headquarters and its branches.

Meanwhile, Qian Caiying would take over a portion of operational authority, specifically the operational and developmental rights of both headquarters and branches.

Operating independently from the market investment department while also overseeing the investment and trading departments, her authority would be quite substantial.

The demands weren't high, but they were all crucial.

……

Lao Zhu, Director Xu, and Vice President Jiang exchanged glances. In short, these newcomers wanted their fingers in all three major pies.

Administration, finance, and operations—they wanted the lot.

"Isn't that a bit too greedy?"

Jiang Zhenghui frowned slightly. Although regardless of which positions Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, and Ling Zhiqing stepped into, he as President and CEO would still have overarching authority, for new arrivals to immediately insert themselves into Shengxin's three major operational links was simply too greedy.

Their ambition was blatant and completely unmasked.

"Director Jiang is overthinking this."

This time it was Ling Zhiqing who spoke, her beautiful eyes flashing as she softly replied. "We are only managing a tiny fraction, all secondary positions—it's no big deal. Could it be that you all have some dirty secrets you're afraid we might uncover?"

"If that's the case, we'll have to reconsider whether to join at all. We don't want to step blindly into a fire pit."

Damn it, threatening to pull out at the drop of a hat.

Director Xu was utterly speechless. Qian Caiying and Ling Zhiqing constantly acted as though negotiations could happen or collapse on a whim; if not for their connections with the Qian and Ling families, he would have started cursing long ago.

Did they really think anyone could just walk into Shengxin?

"Then what do you propose we do?"

Qian Caiying spread her hands. "You don't even trust us with secondary roles, so do you expect us to just take some empty titles? No matter what, the three of us are acquiring a 35% equity stake. If you've already carved up the three core sectors among yourselves, who is willing to completely step aside?"

"At least let us control one sector."

The logic was sound. The best scenario for them would have been for Zhang Long and the two women to invest capital without getting involved in management, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. They had no choice but to haggle over the details and fight for their interests.

How they would divide management responsibilities under the three pillars of administration, finance, and operations, along with the delimitation of authority, and so on.

Half a morning later, the negotiations concluded.

Zhang Long took a nominal position in the financial department—though he planned to have Liang Xue join the financial team for training later, that was a discussion for another time. Ling Zhiqing entering administration to oversee personnel was acceptable, but the appointment and dismissal power for directors and above had to be approved by the board of directors; this was standard practice and posed no issues.

As for the operations department, the division was much more detailed.

Since the market investment department also counted as development and operations, Qian Caiying couldn't possibly take complete control over Lao Zhu.

Their authority was equal, and their positions were on the same level.

……

"Have Jiang Hao and the others all left?"

At the noon lunch hour, inside a private dining room at a restaurant near Shengxin, Zhang Long scanned the market department in his mind. The few individuals with whom he previously had friction were nowhere to be seen.

"Mhm, they were advised to resign and have all left."

Lao Zhu remained noncommittal. During the massive round of layoffs at Shengxin before the New Year, a great many heads had been chopped.

Shao Kang and Zhou Yu's revived teams had originally been slated for dismissal due to poor performance, only to be indirectly resurrected thanks to Zhang Long. Later, after Zhang Long left, Shengxin's performance plummeted repeatedly—incompetence was simply incompetence.

During the second wave of persuaded resignations, they left, which naturally included the two teams' trading supervisors, Jiang Hao and Peng Zheng.

Although Shengxin's market department still had four teams remaining, they were relatively elite. There was no need or meaning in making further cuts; they would be able to take flight when the bull market arrived.

To put it bluntly, the members of those four teams were of higher quality and more capable than the Blizzard team.

Of course, Liang Xue belonged to Zhang Long's camp. With her strong performance development at Hongze, she was able to make the transfer.

At the end of the month or the beginning of the next, she would officially switch jobs.

"Things remain, but the people are gone."

As he ate and drank, Zhang Long sighed with emotion. He never expected that after leaving Shengxin, he would one day return. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu, Shao Kang, Peng Zheng, Jiang Hao, and the others had stayed behind thanks to their resurrection, only to be bewitched by Director You into swallowing half of Zhang Long's performance commission, yet in the end, they had to leave anyway. Such was the fickleness of fate.

Twisting and turning, misfortune and fortune lie close together.

In the afternoon, Zhang Long, Ling Zhiqing, and Qian Caiying continued to inspect Shengxin to understand the company's overall situation. Although the auditing and evaluation firm they had hired earlier had already issued a report, they still needed to see things for themselves firsthand.

As for the major upheaval among Shengxin's senior management—especially the return of Zhang Long, a former investment department employee who had now returned as a shareholder and board member—it came as a tremendous shock to everyone.

Even if he had secured the backing of two wealthy heiresses, could he have fought his way back without actual ability?

Yet, regarding Zhang Long's return, the various teams in the market department were entirely supportive and extended a warm welcome.

Nonsense, how could they not be?

Following Brother Long meant making money, and that was simply too sweet.

……

"Phew, I'm exhausted."

In the evening at a casual tea restaurant, only Qian Caiying, Ling Zhiqing, and Zhang Long were present. Having just signed the agreements to join Shengxin that day, they needed to deliver the funds for subscribing to their equity shares before Friday, though none of them felt any pressure regarding that.

Whether it was Qian Caiying or Ling Zhiqing, coming up with 9 million each for a total of 18 million was well within their means.

As for Zhang Long, he felt even less pressure.

"What? Thirty million?"

Qian Caiying and Ling Zhiqing froze for a moment, but Zhang Long let out a soft breath and nodded. "An additional 6 million will be injected as working capital for Shengxin's subsequent development. Everyone will contribute proportionally according to their equity shares, so we can first salvage our reputation."

Shengxin had carried out numerous layoffs in the past, inevitably leading to irregular practices, and salary deductions were bound to have occurred.

Even though none of that had anything to do with Zhang Long.

Whether looking at the branches or the headquarters now, several labor arbitration lawsuits were currently damaging their reputation—even though operating that way was common practice in a bear market used to force people out.

As for the gains and losses of retail clients, those fell under normal investment risks and were left to themselves.

When quite a few Shengxin clients had previously come to make a scene, the most they got was a refund of commissions, an upgraded service tier, or a replacement with a gold-medal advisor; compensation for losses was out of the question.

If nothing else, someone would first have to find a law that supported retail investors suing securities firms to recover their principal investments.

If there was no such law, then the discussion was closed.

"Buzz, buzzz~"

Ling Zhiqing's phone vibrated, but she merely glanced at it and ignored it. It was a call from her second older brother, Ling Yushan. From late morning through the afternoon and now, he had called at least twenty or thirty times; clearly, his sanity was crumbling.

A simple comparison revealed that the trading operations of Zhang Long's proxy accounts had provided an absolute boost to Hongze's performance development—that was the core issue.

After Zhang Long stopped operating the proxy accounts in March, over the past half-month, Hongze had completely shown its true colors.

Ling Yushan had snatched up a bloated fraud.

"Your second brother is going to lose his mind."

Qian Caiying chuckled from the corner of her mouth. "He came to pick the peaches without even figuring out why the performance had surged in the first place. All his brains must be grown in his backside, completely failing to check which other firms besides Hongze had seen their performance steadily rising recently."

Zhang Long remained silent, letting it go however it played out.

Whether enterprise corporations or wealthy family dynasties, power struggles would forever exist.

Take Shengxin for example; as long as no harm was done to the company, Zhang Long wouldn't interfere too much. But if one day negative profitability figures were to appear above someone's head?

The guillotine would drop with a snap—every strike right on target.