Chapter 4825 — Picking Up a Bargain
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"It's not as simple as just impressive numbers, is it? Steward Chai, I'd very much like to know how you actually got transferred here—why don't you explain it properly?" Wei Zhao said, his expression darkening.
The moment Chai Laoshi saw that something was off in Wei Zhao's expression, his heart gave a jolt and he understood at once. For all his honest, timid nature, he was a businessman through and through, and his shrewdness was beyond doubt—as was plain from the fact that he had once dared to secretly record Wei Zhaotong's illicit accounts.
"Vice President, please don't get the wrong idea. The impressive numbers are just a cover on the surface—there are indeed twists and turns behind this matter. Allow me to explain it to you slowly," Chai Laoshi hastened to confess.
"Go on. I'm listening," Wei Zhao said, betraying nothing.
"Actually, at the very beginning it wasn't about my impressive performance in the South Continent seas at all. Quite the opposite—it was because they saw that I'd built the Waihu Branch's business up big and strong that some high-up at headquarters wanted to come and reap the rewards. Using the pretext that my local promotion violated the rules, they were preparing to push me out and then send one of their own trusted men to take over the Waihu Branch," Chai Laoshi said with a bitter smile.
Wei Zhao nodded slightly. He had never been to the Hong Clan Merchant Association's headquarters, but judging by what had happened to Hong Zhong before, that lot at headquarters really did have that same shitty nature.
Because the branch had hitched a ride on the Qingtian Escort Agency's favorable wind, the Waihu Branch—which everyone had once turned their noses up at—had suddenly been found to be a rich, juicy prize. And Chai Laoshi, the current steward, was not only short on seniority but had risen by way of an exceptional promotion. It would have been truly strange if no one had entertained such ideas.
"And after that?" Wei Zhao asked.
"You know as well as I do that apart from you and Vice President Hong, I don't know a single person at headquarters. At first this matter was already set in stone, with no one to speak up for me. Then Vice President Hong got wind of it and rushed back to the Central Island headquarters overnight, intending to speak up for me out of a sense of justice," Chai Laoshi said, somewhat moved.
"Given Elder Hong's character, that's hardly surprising," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile. Hong Zhong was a seasoned, prudent businessman, but from all his dealings with him, Wei Zhao had found that deep down the man still possessed a chivalrous spirit; when it came to standing up for a friend through thick and thin, Hong Zhong was not necessarily incapable of such a thing.
They say no merchant is without guile, and if one really thought about it, Hong Zhong's temperament did not suit his position. In many cases only the unscrupulous could climb the ladder faster, while men of his sort tended to be pushed aside. And yet Hong Zhong was ideally suited to be an ally—a reliable ally to whom one could confidently turn one's back.
"Indeed. But the situation at the meeting at the time was full of twists and turns. Though Vice President Hong gave it his all, he still couldn't preserve my position as steward of the Waihu Branch. There was no help for it—they insisted stubbornly that my local promotion violated the rules. True, the circumstances at the time had been special, but those special times were long over, so naturally things had to be 'set right.'" Chai Laoshi smiled bitterly.
"Hmph. Killing the donkey once the grinding is done," Wei Zhao said. He could picture the scene at the time; no doubt Hong Zhong had felt utterly powerless and dejected. There was nothing to be done about it—although he was a vice president, he had no real say, and speaking up for Chai Laoshi on the spot would only have ended in defeat. That outcome had been inevitable from the start.