Secretary Fan maintained a stern expression, seemingly detached from the mundane world, but a rare smile touched her lips upon seeing Xiao Xun. "Mr. Wang asked me to show you our company's cafeteria and have a meal," she said.
Xiao Xun had been contemplating where to buy some provisions for a quick meal, never expecting the company to have its own cafeteria.
Secretary Fan led Xiao Xun to the elevators. While waiting, she turned to him and explained, "Here, both employees and supervisors can use their employee ID cards to swipe for meals. Our cafeteria serves three meals a day. Ordinary employees have a daily meal allowance of fifty yuan. As long as you don't exceed that amount, you can eat whatever you want, but any leftover allowance doesn't carry over. For your level, there's no meal allowance; as long as you don't waste food, you can eat as much as you like."
At that moment, the elevator arrived, and they entered. Secretary Fan pressed the button for the second floor.
Upon reaching the second floor, they found the entire level transformed into a vast dining area. Most employees had already finished their meals and left, with only a small number still eating.
Among them were the senior and junior team leaders from the technical department, along with a few other technical staff. They glanced at Secretary Fan and Xiao Xun before quickly lowering their heads, engrossed in their food.
Secretary Fan gestured to the various food stalls. "Doesn't it feel like returning to a university cafeteria? Since this is a business office building, eating out is inconvenient and affects work efficiency. Therefore, the General Manager specifically approved turning the entire second floor into a cafeteria. We have cuisines from both the north and the south, and the prices are calculated at cost. So, for a normal appetite, ordinary employees won't even be able to finish their daily allowance."
As she spoke, she guided Xiao Xun to pick up a tray.
Xiao Xun surveyed the food stalls, each offering dishes that looked distinctive and delicious.
He thought to himself, "Back in my university days, we never had such a good cafeteria."
The next stall's offerings seemed even better than the previous one. It was like browsing through a market; he looked at all the stalls but hadn't picked any food.
Secretary Fan, mindful of her figure, ordered only a fruit salad and a bowl of cream of mushroom soup.
Xiao Xun deliberated for a long time, thinking, "Since I'll be working here from now on, I'll just try one of these today!"
Seeing that Xiao Xun hadn't selected any food, Secretary Fan assumed he didn't find anything he liked and explained, "This is just to make it convenient for employees to eat, so the food options are a bit simple."
Xiao Xun found it awkward to admit he was overwhelmed by the choices. Noticing that only Secretary Fan and himself remained in the cafeteria, and wanting not to delay the restaurant staff's departure, he ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup and two fried chicken drumsticks. The bowl for the beef noodles was as small as a side dish bowl, and as he could only use one hand, he wasn't holding his tray very steadily.
Seeing this, Secretary Fan quickly got up and helped Xiao Xun place his tray on the table opposite her.
Xiao Xun sat down and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome; it was my oversight."
The aroma of the beef noodles was irresistible to Xiao Xun. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily. He couldn't stop after the first bite; the noodles were even more fragrant than those sold outside, the beef generous, and the broth perfectly seasoned.
Secretary Fan couldn't help but chuckle at Xiao Xun's enthusiastic eating.
Xiao Xun's face flushed. He swallowed the noodles and looked at Secretary Fan sheepishly, "I didn't have breakfast this morning, so I was a bit rushed."
Secretary Fan took a tissue and gently placed it beside Xiao Xun. "It's alright. However, you're the most ungentlemanly eater I've seen in this cafeteria."
As she spoke, she delicately brought the cream of mushroom soup to her lips with a spoon no bigger than an ear pick, then touched up her makeup with a cushion.
Seeing that they were alone, Secretary Fan lowered her voice and asked, "Director Xiao, please don't take this as meddling, but why haven't you signed a contract with the company? Without a contract, you're not an official employee, and many of your rights can't be guaranteed."
Xiao Xun took a bite of a chicken drumstick and licked the breadcrumbs from the corner of his mouth. "It's fine, as long as I get paid on time."
Watching Xiao Xun eat, Secretary Fan felt somewhat full. She had previously thought he didn't like the food here, but now she felt those were mere illusions.
"Director Xiao, if you don't sign a contract, aren't you afraid the company won't pay you?"
Xiao Xun put down the chicken drumstick. "For a large conglomerate like yours, an ordinary team leader, with thirteen months' salary plus bonuses, earns at least 400,000 yuan annually. As for section chiefs and department heads, their annual salaries start from over a million. The General Manager offered me the position of Technical Director with a monthly salary of 30,000 yuan. What else can I say about signing a contract? That would be foolish. Firstly, he likely values my abilities. Secondly, and more likely, he's using me as a 'tool' to 'get rid of' the current Technical Director. Frankly, we're both serving our own interests. I'll work as long as I can. If they don't want me anymore, once I'm paid, I'll leave immediately."
Secretary Fan looked at the young man before her, so much younger but with such a mature mindset, and couldn't help but marvel at his understanding of workplace dynamics. He wasn't an ordinary person.
Although Secretary Fan wasn't entirely sure if he was right, her feeling was that General Manager Wang thought exactly that.
Seeing that Secretary Fan had nothing more to say, Xiao Xun sped up his eating. After clearing his tray, he patted his stomach with satisfaction.
"Is there any work this afternoon?"
Secretary Fan looked slightly exasperated. "Excuse me, you're the Director. You're supposed to assign tasks to others. I'm just an administrative secretary, my rank is even lower than a department manager."
Xiao Xun waved his hand. "Please don't say that. I'm a newcomer, like a blade of grass without roots. Although I'm nominally the Director, as an 'airdrop' recruit, I'll find it difficult to win everyone over. So, please, feel free to give me any instructions."
Secretary Fan found this 'little adult' very interesting and said with a smile, "Then why don't you return to your office, settle in, and then get acquainted with your new colleagues? What do you think of my suggestion?"
Xiao Xun stood up. "Okay."
Secretary Fan bid Xiao Xun farewell and returned to the General Manager's office, relaying everything Xiao Xun had said to General Manager Wang Sucheng.
Wang Sucheng's expression was one of surprise. "Did he really say that?"
Upon receiving Secretary Fan's affirmative reply, Wang Sucheng clasped his hands under his chin. "I truly underestimated him. But he's thinking too much! That 30,000 yuan was just a casual remark, and who knew he'd actually agree."
He then shook his head and leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment. "Alright, when you have time, interact with him more. Find out about his hobbies. Most importantly, find out the real reason why he's unwilling to sign a contract."
He then looked at Secretary Fan. "I'm growing to like this young man more and more. Initially, I only thought he was technically brilliant, but I didn't expect him to be so calculating in his interpersonal dealings and so adept at workplace strategy. If this person is cultivated properly, perhaps even my position, or even the President's position, could be his. His future is limitless. You must understand, for a company to develop and thrive long-term, it needs to choose the right successor. Otherwise, once we old folks retire, the company will come to an end."
Hearing Wang Sucheng's words, Secretary Fan recalled Xiao Xun's mature-for-his-age eyes that seemed to see through everything and instinctively nodded.