Chapter 56: First Steps in Business

Regarding last night’s drunkenness, Su Ziceng had a blurry impression, only remembering that when she woke up, her whole body felt soft and her stomach empty. She was the last one to wake up, and Sister Mu was already busy in "Admiration." It seemed like her own complaints were still lingering in her ears. Having not returned home all night, there were dozens of messages on her pager now. Su Ziceng thought about the inevitable scolding she would face upon returning, which gave her a throbbing pain at her temples. "Good morning," Su Ziceng greeted with a smile, addressing Sister Mu. Sister Mu looked even more spirited than her, truly a woman soaked in alcohol over the years. "Tsk, tsk," Seeing her pale face but spirited eyes, Sister Mu couldn’t help but marvel at the vitality of the young. She sobered up early and managed to watch Pello clean up the aftermath, then sat down with a complex expression. She rarely saw Pello with such an expression, which was very similar to Su Ziceng’s when she first entered "Admiration"—"a mix of confusion and struggle." When he got up to leave, his expression had returned to normal, like Su Ziceng’s post-alcohol, showing no signs of emotional disturbances. "Really similar," mused Sister Mu to herself. When she returned home, Su Ziceng unexpectedly saw an angry Su Qingzhang sitting in the living room. "Look at yourself; from now on you’re not allowed to hang out with those bad influences." Su Qingzhang habitually blamed Su Ziceng’s overnight absence on her unwise friendships. "Learn from Xiao Chi, who went straight to the construction site yesterday after coming home, without even changing her clothes, to check on the progress of the company’s new building." "That would need someone to tip her off in advance." Realizing that being unaware of a new layer built for the Su family, how could one pretend to be diligent? "With such a big enterprise as the Su Family, do you always need someone to inform you of everything?" Chang Chi came in, thinking of yesterday’s incident with Wang Ziqian, and immediately, the two clashed as if ready with bows drawn. "Last time, when the construction began, Xiao Chi heard they lacked alcohol, and she volunteered to help," Chang Mei said meaningfully as she came forward. Su Qingzhang looked approvingly at Chang Chi, who had been frequently helping out at the company these days, with all departments praising her capability. It seemed necessary to move her from a basic position to a mid-level leadership role; the deputy manager position in finance was still vacant. Looking again at Su Ziceng, Su Qingzhang’s face darkened. "Ziceng, if you keep this up, how can I trust you to take over the Su Family in the future?" Su Ziceng glanced at Chang Mei and Chang Chi, thinking about how she might volunteer to learn at the Su Family. "No need to say more; take some time to visit the company. Otherwise, I might have to leave everything to Yishao to manage," Su Qingzhang, seemingly catching Su Ziceng’s intention, said, "If there’s anything unclear, ask your Aunt Chang or Secretary Wang." Upon hearing Hang Yishao’s name, Chang Chi’s eyes dimmed further. Chang Mei saw all this but said nothing, instead taking over Su Qingzhang’s words, "It just so happens today Xiao Chi and I mentioned looking into the Su Family’s profit for the second quarter. Ziceng, you should come along." Su Ziceng thought about spending a day with this cunning mother and daughter duo and felt uncomfortable, but thinking about the building she saw yesterday and the concerns she had after drinking, she remained quiet, which was taken as her agreeing. The Su family is a newly risen enterprise within the last twenty years, primarily focusing on the mining extraction industry. In recent years, it has expanded into real estate, a burgeoning business emerging alongside the rapid growth of Z country. The reputation of the Su family in Mo City isn’t very good; they are consistently perceived as a pollutant-heavy, aggressive large corporate entity. However, due to high profits and being a labor-intensive enterprise, it’s always been a key support target of the government. The newly constructed building project named "Shengshi Huasha" is located in the heart of Zone 3 of Mo City, standing over seventy meters tall, its shape resembling a blade slicing through the firmament, demonstrating Su Qingzhang’s ambition to control Mo City with a dominating and aggressive approach. The old administrative building of the Su family is located at the northern end of Zone 3. As soon as Su Ziceng and Chang’s mother and daughter stepped through the door, they saw a row of employees standing in formation at the entrance. Led by the managers of various departments along with their subordinates, they greeted, "Secretary Chang, Miss, good morning." Their voices were uniformly respectful, a pleasant sound to the ears of Chang Mei and her daughter. "Good morning, Miss," distinctly, Secretary Wang’s voice abruptly entered everyone’s ears. Su Ziceng nodded slightly and then glanced over the managers who nearly rushed forward to cling to Chang’s mother and daughter, memorizing each sycophantic face. The financial report for the second quarter had already been issued. Su Qingzhang devoted great effort to the newly invested "Shengshi Huasha." During the construction of the new project, he was fully committed, delegating company affairs to department managers and Chang Mei to oversee. Su Ziceng followed Chang Mei into the conference room. Chang Mei, understanding the need to set the scene properly, first verbally introduced Su Ziceng, introducing each department head before leaving the main seat for Su Ziceng. The chairman’s exclusive throne, once occupied by Su Qingzhang, made Su Ziceng feel somewhat uneasy when he first sat down. From Su Ziceng’s perspective, the submissive Chang Mei and the gleeful Chang Chi seemed to possess an ominous aura. "Manager Dong, pass the financial report to Miss for her review," Chang Mei signaled the finance department manager with her eyes to hand over the report. A quarterly report, compounded with each department’s report, stacked together, was enough of a headache just to flip through. Secretary Wang hesitated for a moment before handing over the substantial report to Su Ziceng. Knowing the temperament of the Miss, reading was a headache for her; the detailed fifty-page report would be impressive if she even patiently read beyond the first ten pages. "Hmm," Su Ziceng glanced at the pages full of data and decisively flipped to the last page, comparing data between the first and second quarters fleetingly, much like customers checking price tags while shopping, letting the data speak for itself when possible. After reviewing, Su Ziceng showed a satisfied smile. "The Su Family's recent operations have been excellent. Everyone has worked hard; the income for the second quarter has increased by five percent compared to the first quarter." The finance department manager and other managers all smiled along; none voiced anything. Secretary Wang reminded softly, "Miss, you should look at the cash flow and cost accounting." He barely finished speaking when he noticed Su Ziceng’s eyebrows furrowing, quickly choosing more straightforward wording, "You should see how much was spent, how much was earned, and then how much was retained; the rest... we can study another day." Data can be deceiving, and Su Ziceng had to revise her review, finally catching onto the main topic, "A loss of ninety million?" She tossed the report aside with rage in her phoenix eyes. "How do you handle affairs?" "Indeed, like father, like daughter." Secretary Wang quietly retrieved the report, reminiscent of the Chairman’s carefree days before understanding financial data, with the same expressions and tone, hoping the Miss would advance like the Chairman did someday. "Truly a second-generation heir," lamented the managers of various departments, seeking a glance from Chang Mei. Chang Mei always proved particularly useful during such times, always managing to keep Su Qingzhang well in line with her presence, her authority also established in this manner. "Xiao Chi, you have a talk with Ziceng." Chang Mei tossed the metaphorical "embroidered ball" to Chang Chi, deliberately intending to make Su Ziceng’s ignorance even more apparent to everyone.