Chapter 142: Recruiting

"Installments? Installment payments?"

Jiang Ying's voice spiked sharply at Zhao Fan's mention of installments. "We never discussed installments before."

Zhao Fan sighed and pulled up a file on his computer. "It's not that I want to pay in installments intentionally, but my accounts really leave me no choice. Look for yourself—this is last month's ledger."

Jiang Ying, half-skeptical, scanned the document. He froze. The ledger showed only expenses and zero income; the losses were absolute and undeniable.

"Mr. Zhao, these accounts..."

"They are real." Zhao Fan put on a distressed expression. "To be honest, I wish they were fake more than you do, but you know the situation Feiteng Company has been facing lately. I’m truly at my wit's end."

Jiang Ying: "..."

He had calculated everything, but he had failed to account for the recent troubles plaguing Feiteng.

"Mr. Zhao, does the machine manufacturing not interest you at all?"

Zhao Fan looked back with an innocent expression. "My interest doesn't help when I'm broke, Mr. Jiang. I’d love to pour my heart and soul into this, but I simply don't have the funds."

No matter what was said, Zhao Fan insisted on adding that he had no money. Eventually, Jiang Ying clutched his aching head. "Fine, fine, say no more. I know you're broke."

He figured he might as well leave. "You... forget it. I'm leaving."

Jiang Ying turned and bolted. With a loud "bang," the office door slammed shut. Zhao Fan glanced at his computer and sighed, "Young people, no patience at all. A pity, a real pity."

He scrolled down with his mouse, revealing the income section. Indeed, what Jiang Ying had seen was merely the expenses, isolated from the rest.

"Oh my, this really is quite embarrassing."

Despite saying that, Zhao Fan didn't pay Jiang Ying any extra; he simply transferred the three million previously agreed upon. As for whatever Jiang Ying thought upon receiving the money, Zhao Fan decided that if he didn't see it, he didn't know about it.

As the issues were resolved, Feiteng Company's revenue slowly climbed, and the situation steadily improved. Another matter was brought to the table: recruitment.

Previously, when the company was in turmoil, many had chosen to resign. Now that things had settled, it was time to hire again. Feiteng posted recruitment notices directly on the Feiteng Search homepage, and soon, people were contacting the HR department. After consulting with Zhao Fan, the HR manager scheduled the interviews for 8:00 AM on Saturday.

When Saturday arrived, candidates began arriving before 8:00 AM. Zhao Fan and Han Chen arrived right on time to conduct the interviews. Naturally, the bulk of the interviewing was handled by Han Chen and the various department heads, while Zhao Fan only chimed in at appropriate moments, remaining silent for the rest of the time.

Midway through, Zhao Fan stepped out. By the end of the morning, Feiteng had selected 23 candidates. The HR manager handed the list to Zhao Fan. Zhao Fan looked it over and instructed the manager to sort them by department.

"By the way, recruit more technical talent, such as those in computer science, fashion design, and so on."

The HR manager was surprised. "I understand the computer science part, but what use is fashion design?"

"The gaming division needs it."

The HR manager nodded as if he understood and left with the list. Seeing the company's situation stabilizing, those who had previously resigned began to panic. They had left because the company was in turmoil and appeared to be on the brink of collapse. Now that the situation had not only stabilized but was seemingly improving, hadn't they resigned for nothing?

One after another, some started regretting their decision, pushing each other to try and take back their resignation letters. Zhao Fan soon learned of this trend and just smiled.

"They want to run when the company is in trouble, and come back when it's not? Are they suggesting the company should bear all the losses? Enough, no more nonsense. Tell them to prepare to leave by the end of the month. We aren't keeping a single one of them."

Zhao Fan's stance spread quickly. Realizing there was no chance of staying, many grew angry.

"We know we were wrong, how can he be so harsh?"

"The company wouldn't be where it is today without our contributions."

"We can't let this go! It's not over!"

The murmurs reached Zhao Fan's ears, leaving him feeling helpless. What is "thick-skinned"? This was it. Claiming credit for the company's success was something even those with a shred of decency wouldn't dare do.

The HR manager approached Zhao Fan again. "Mr. Zhao, given the current situation, if we don't come up with a solution, I'm afraid..."

Zhao Fan rubbed his temples, knowing the manager's concerns, which was exactly why he had nothing more to say.

"Mr. Zhao, what do you think?"

"I don't think anything. They were the ones who handed in their resignations. My company will follow the rules, and they shouldn't even think about coming back. It’s useless."

Zhao Fan didn't want a group of fickle employees. "Tell them, if they want to leave, they can leave now. Their salaries will be paid in full for the month."

Keeping these people around would only cause trouble; it was better to just see them off.

"Understood."

The HR manager relayed the message, causing another uproar.

"Why should we be forced to leave? Previously, it was..."

"Previously what? Mr. Zhao just doesn't want to waste your time. That's enough—don't keep pestering us. New employees will be arriving in two days. If you keep causing trouble, you'll only be embarrassing yourselves."

The HR manager looked cold. Did they really think Mr. Zhao was a pushover just because he had a good temper? Had they forgotten that he was the one who went up against the Bai family and didn't lose his footing?

"Let's part on good terms. I hope you won't push your luck."

The door to the conference room, which had been left ajar, clicked shut. Han Yuerou turned around, her face pale as she looked at the person behind her.

"Xinwen, you heard the HR manager, didn't you?"

He Xinwen's expression was just as grim. "I heard."

"What do you think?" Han Yuerou pursed her lips. Given Feiteng's current growth rate, she was starting to regret her decision. Perhaps they shouldn't have been so quick to resign.

He Xinwen saw right through her. He scoffed, "Regretting it?"

Han Yuerou lowered her eyes. "No."

He Xinwen sneered, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "If you regret it, go find Han Chen. As his girlfriend, you might still have a chance to change your mind."

Han Yuerou's lips tightened into a thin line. "Xinwen, what are you saying? We’ve already broken up."

"Good to know you remember. Let's go. We’ll leave early."

"Fine."

When Zhao Fan received the list of those leaving early and saw the names of He Xinwen and Han Yuerou, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. After a moment of contemplation, he passed the list to Han Chen.

"These two are leaving."

Han Chen looked at the names of Han Yuerou and He Xinwen on the list and remained silent for a long time.