My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Emotions
“Don’t you think something’s off with little Ci-Ci today?” Xiao Zhu finished filing her nails at her desk, pulled Cheng Wen over, and whispered in his ear.
Cheng Wen took off his headphones. “Huh? I didn’t notice.”
Xiao Zhu lifted her chin, gesturing. “Don’t you guys have any intuition at all?”
“Look at him. He’s been sitting at his desk for a full five minutes since 9 a.m. and hasn’t even looked at one page of a PPT. Yesterday, he was smiling like he won the lottery, but today he’s like this. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
Cheng Wen glanced over, his eyes lingering on Fang Ci for ten seconds. “You’re right. I’m looking right at him, and he’s not reacting at all.”
Xiao Zhu did a quick mental calculation and slapped her thigh. “Ten to one he’s in a relationship, you believe me?”
Cheng Wen: “You’re just a gossip. Who keeps a relationship a secret? That Mr. Wu from next door, he finally started dating at almost forty, and he practically took out the company loudspeaker to announce it. His face is like a sunflower every day.”
Xiao Zhu: “…” He had a point. Their department had no secrets. When someone was in a relationship, they were in the honeymoon phase, and they loved to show off.
Xiao Zhu then changed her tune. “How about you find a chance to ask him? What if it’s a project issue? Our team is about to get into a fight with Chen Yu’s team.”
Cheng Wen gave her an “okay” sign.
…
The Confrontation
Cheng Wen agreed, but didn’t get a chance to speak until lunch. Finally, as everyone was moving their computers to the conference room, he found an opening. He carried his laptop and hooked his arm around Fang Ci, asking, “Have you tested the model yet?”
After finalizing the schematic design, they had to determine the MD and operating system design. This entire process would take about a month. Production was easier, as the circuit board was already being made.
“Chen Yu’s group doesn’t recommend using the OS system,” Cheng Wen added.
Fang Ci: “What reason did they give? Is it because it’s our own production?”
Cheng Wen: “The pricing for this smartphone is very high. People may recognize domestic products now, but at this price point, they feel it should use a foreign one. Imports are expensive for a reason.”
As they talked, they pushed open the door and entered the conference room. Chen Yu’s team was already there. Chen Yu looked up at him, then continued chatting with his team members behind him.
Fang Ci gestured for Cheng Wen to speak more quietly. “Is the procurement price difference significant?”
Cheng Wen: “That’s the key issue. The price difference varies; it depends on the product.”
Fang Ci got a copy of the procurement order and the budget to compare, circling a few key points that could be negotiated.
Chen Yu’s team hadn’t finished talking yet, and Fang Ci was in no hurry. He and Cheng Wen discussed how to secure a better cost-performance ratio in R&D. Eventually, Chen Yu couldn’t sit still and cleared his throat, coughing several times.
Fang Ci pretended not to hear. When Chen Yu finally spoke to urge them to start, Fang Ci slowly stopped his conversation. “Manager Chen, shall we begin?”
The question completely stumped Chen Yu.
The two of them were always at each other’s throats. Everyone was used to it. Fang Ci had always had principles when it came to his work and wouldn’t change his mind once he had decided on something. Cheng Wen usually didn’t have to add his own opinions; Fang Ci alone could shut Chen Yu down. And today, Fang Ci was particularly aggressive, as if he were venting.
Fang Ci started with an analysis of cost-performance and market demand, and then he put everything on the table.
“The chip is from Datong, the lens is from Japan, and the operating system is from Huidun. Manager Chen, are you from the R&D department or the procurement department? If all smartphones are just a patchwork of parts, why do we even have an R&D department?”
“Manager Chen, are you looking to switch departments?”
Chen Yu was a senior employee who had helped Zhuyun in its early days. He valued his project and his position the most. This comment was very serious to him, like a snake being struck in its vital spot.
Cheng Wen really wanted to applaud him. It seemed Fang Ci had been holding back too much in the past.
After the meeting, as both teams wrote their meeting notes, Cheng Wen whispered, “What’s wrong with you today? Did you eat a bullet?”
Fang Ci also felt like his emotions were off. He had woken up and hadn’t gotten better. Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of frustration. He took a deep breath. “The project is moving too slowly. I’m a little anxious.”
That was true. If it weren’t for Chen Yu, they would have already created a complete model and wouldn’t have to rely on guesswork from the first-generation machine.
“Could you go to the afternoon report for me? Fang Ci said as he packed up and stood up.
“Oh, okay.” Cheng Wen agreed casually. Anyway, during the project, they had to go see CEO He every evening, and as long as their position wasn’t too low on the team, it didn’t matter who went.
Xiao Zhu was on the phone outside today and hadn’t been in the meeting. When she saw Cheng Wen return, she leaned in close. Cheng Wen said, “Stop guessing. Fang Ci is fine. He’s not in a relationship; he’s just very career-driven. There’s nothing wrong with our project, either. He gave Chen Yu another dressing-down in the meeting, so it’s a sure bet that the MD and OS design will be based on our team’s proposal.”
Xiao Zhu “oh’d” and mumbled, “Then why does he look so pale?”
Cheng Wen: “Zhu, why don’t you ask him directly? We can make a bet on who’s right?”
Xiao Zhu: “Hiss, forget it. You’ll just think I’m too gossipy.”
…
The Drive Home
Fang Ci washed his face in the bathroom. He hadn’t noticed this morning, but looking in the mirror now, he saw that his lower lip was red and the lip line was a little blurred.
The emotions he had finally processed and vented were starting to resurface again.
He put his finger on his lips, as if to press down on his restless, eager mind.
In his twenty-plus years of life, he had never experienced such complex emotional shifts as he had in the single month since signing the agreement with He Chi. He Chi seemed to have a special ability to send his heart flying up to the heavens one moment and crashing down to the earth the next.
This is a disaster, Fang Ci. Remember your pledge, he reminded himself.
He didn’t return to his desk until the frustration had completely dissipated.
Of course, not seeing each other was unrealistic. He and He Chi still left work together. But this time, Fang Ci felt much calmer, as if he had deliberately separated yesterday from today.
On the way, He Chi asked about what happened at the company. “I heard you and Chen Yu have different opinions on the configuration. Is the disagreement significant?”
Fang Ci was silent. He replied, “Yes. Chen Yu feels that the software and hardware don’t match the product’s price.”
He knew that He Chi was well aware of these things, so he asked, “Do you see any problems with my proposal?”
He Chi said, “Your analysis was very fair.”
Fang Ci added another point. “Actually, besides that, if other countries try to suppress our manufacturing industry, the tech sector will be the first to be hit. Even if we acquire foreign product lines, it’s no use. We need to have our own core technology.”
He Chi listened quietly, seemingly without a reaction, but Fang Ci knew that He Chi agreed with his analysis because he saw approval in his eyes.
“Mergers and acquisitions can speed up an IPO, but holding the technology in our own hands is the only way to have leverage in negotiations,” He Chi said.
His perspective as management was very similar to Fang Ci’s, but from a different angle.
Fang Ci nodded and then, after a moment, smiled, sighing with emotion, “Teacher He, you’ve thought of everything.” It was a great compliment to his boss.
He Chi glanced at him, a subtle response that hinted at an undercurrent of emotion. But Fang Ci deliberately looked away. As the tall buildings outside the window rushed past, he suddenly thought: It’s so much smoother when we talk about work. There’s no untouchable wall between us.