Chapter 23: The Lazy Pig Gets Up

Shengxin, Meeting Room 2.

Zhang Long gazed at the circle of faces before him. Among them was Jiang Hao, someone with whom he shared a closer rapport. These were all employees whose performance in September had ranked lowest; originally, they were slated for dismissal. Two team managers, two trading supervisors, and fourteen regular staff members sat together.

Anxiety, unease, and a glimmer of hope mingled in their eyes—their fates hung in the balance.

Director Liang Xue and the others remained silent and composed.

...

"Many of you are my seniors," Zhang Long exhaled softly. "Poor results are only temporary. I myself struggled for a long time before, but I believe if you find the right method, anyone can succeed."

"After the holiday, I’ll take charge of trading for the three teams. To be honest, it’s come as a surprise."

"I wasn’t prepared at all."

Director Liang Xue and the others listened quietly. No one made a commotion—after all, those with the worst performance were on the chopping block. Who would feel cheerful or act out? That would only worsen the leadership’s impression.

Jubilating without achievements—really, what face would they have left?

"Let’s all work hard together," Zhang Long said, sweeping his gaze around. "Whether it’s making new deals or maintaining existing trades, in the end, it depends on your own efforts. I can only assist from the sidelines, offering ideas and suggestions."

"We’re all here to make money. Before the year’s end, we should try to earn a bit more—no one wants to leave empty-handed."

"Alright then, let’s do our best."

As he finished, applause broke out at once.

Though Zhang Long’s words were simple, lacking in fiery passion, the company had given them a second chance—a precious opportunity they could not squander.

How much worse could it get? After all, they had once outperformed even the Blizzard Team.

With Zhang Long leading, they were sure they could rise again.

Of course, whether this would truly come to pass would only become clear after work officially resumed following the holiday. For now, it was enough to be relieved of the threat of dismissal; it hardly mattered who led them.

"Take some time off and adjust over the holiday," Liang Xue advised as the meeting dispersed and they returned to their teams. She patted Zhang Long on the shoulder. "I know you dislike trouble and prefer peace, but managing trading isn’t much more of a burden. Your position has been promoted, your salary increased—work hard after the break."

"Earn a bit more before the year’s out."

Zhang Long’s mouth twitched, but he was too weary to reply. If making more money had been his only goal, he wouldn’t have lingered here—working for others was the lowest return.

So, sorry, but when the time came, he would still leave.

...

"Brother Long, thank you."

As work wrapped up for the holiday—the team would regroup in nine days—most would stay behind except for a few returning home. The rest would follow their team leaders for some food, drinks, and fun.

A year-end celebration was in order.

The Blizzard Team and the two newly reorganized teams made their way together to the restaurant they had reserved.

"Just do your best," Zhang Long sighed. He’d already said all he needed to in the meeting room. What else could he do? All he could do was temporarily accept the company’s "gift"—a promotion and a raise.

Even if it wasn’t what he truly wanted.

In truth, nothing much had changed. The two new teams each had their own manager and trading supervisor; regular staff closed deals and handed them to the supervisor for maintenance, while the manager oversaw the team’s efforts to develop new clients.

The only difference was that Zhang Long, now promoted out of the Blizzard Team, would manage trading and client maintenance for all three teams. He didn’t need to micromanage how deals were made.

Whatever approach worked to get existing clients to invest more would also work for attracting new ones.

The division of labor was clear and interconnected.

As for compensation, Zhang Long would first take half of the commission earned by the two new teams’ trading supervisors, with the remainder split between the supervisor and the staff who brought in the deals. There was nothing to dispute—it was better than being laid off. With this opportunity for a comeback, who would refuse?

Besides, if under Zhang Long’s leadership their performance rose as it once had with the Blizzard Team, their ultimate earnings would only increase—no loss, in effect.

It was all good. Tonight, they would drink without restraint.

...

"Come on, cheers!"

In the bustling restaurant hall, the three teams filled two tables, eating and drinking in high spirits. After a while, Zhang Long slipped out to the side entrance for some fresh air. The atmosphere inside was too lively for his liking; he had never been fond of such uproar.

Later, there would be another round—KTV.

Honestly, if it had just been a Blizzard Team dinner, he would have left after the meal and gone home to sleep.

"You can’t keep doing this..."

Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded beside him. Liang Xue had approached quietly. "You’ve been promoted to manager now. There’ll be plenty of these gatherings—you’ll have to get used to it."

"Since the start of the year, when the team first assigned trading supervisors, there was already the intention to separate things out."

"It’s just that poor results delayed the timing. Now the company has faith in you—do your best!"

"Maybe," Zhang Long replied gloomily, still struggling to adjust to his sudden change in position. "In a bear market, nothing is predictable. The next bull market is a long way off. Who knows when the company might just shut its doors for good? We’ll see what happens."

"Oh, I give up!" Liang Xue rolled her eyes. "You’re promoted, you got a raise, and you’re still so downbeat. The company’s paying for the food and singing, you don’t need to spend a cent—what’s there to be upset about? Come on, cheer up..."

"Let’s get back to the table, quickly."

She called him, and Zhang Long shrugged and returned to the dining hall. The Blizzard Team, being first in the monthly rankings, had their team-building expenses reimbursed by the company—up to five thousand yuan.

The same applied to his side; the two new teams needed to bond, so their team-building expenses were covered as well.

All three teams had a total budget of ten thousand yuan.

For over twenty people, ten thousand was more than enough for a good meal and a lively night at KTV, so long as they didn’t splurge on expensive drinks. So, they made the most of it.

...

After the singing ended, there were no further plans—the company only covered the first leg of this "all-inclusive" outing.

Yes: a proper company, a proper team-building event.

...

Bzzz, bzzz—

The sound of his phone vibrating with an incoming call roused Zhang Long from his sleep. He blinked groggily at the bright daylight. It was nearly midnight when they finished at the KTV the night before; his head throbbed.

He shook his aching, hungover head, fumbled for his phone without looking at the screen, and answered the call.

"Lazy pig, still not up yet?"

A familiar teasing voice came through the receiver, snapping Zhang Long halfway out of his stupor. He glanced at the caller ID—yes, it was her.

"Uh, no," he mumbled, his head aching.

The drinks at dinner had been fine, but at KTV they must have had fake alcohol. On top of that, everyone kept toasting him, almost causing him to black out completely.

"Alright, time to get up," Luo Man said, laughing sweetly. "It’s already two in the afternoon—you’ll go moldy if you sleep any longer! Also, send me your address or your location on WeChat. I’ll come find you when I’m done here."

"I’m hanging up now, hurry up."

Zhang Long was stunned—what?

A little later, as he washed up in the bathroom, he hesitated. Luo Man wanted to come over, and while it wasn’t out of the question, something about it felt off. Should he send her his address? He still hadn’t made up his mind by the time he finished getting ready.

Until Luo Man sent another WeChat message: hurry up, stop dawdling, you’re six feet tall but act like a little girl.

Damn it!

He couldn’t let that go.

Irritated, he impulsively sent her his address—fine, let her come; he wasn’t afraid of anything!

"Okay, see you in an hour..."

Soon, Luo Man replied, but instead of coming straight over, she proposed meeting at a mall near his apartment in an hour, and then went silent.

Zhang Long scratched his head, unable to guess what she was up to, but he’d find out soon enough.

So, with an hour to kill before their meeting, Zhang Long—who had barely cleaned since moving in—launched into a whirlwind of housework: the living room, balcony, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, all tidied up in quick succession.

Just in case she did come over.

The place was a mess—how embarrassing would that be?