As soon as Wang An finished speaking, Fang Xiuying immediately looked conflicted. Frowning, she said
"A lot of those workers were recommended by officials. If we fire them all, won't we offend those people? What if they start making things difficult for our factory?"
Wang An sighed. Instead of answering her question, he asked a counter-question
"You don't actually think this factory managed to develop smoothly to this point because of you as the director, do you? What's the worst that could happen if we offend them?"
As someone with considerable experience, Fang Xiuying knew all too well that the factory didn't rely on her. If it had, she would have been limited to selling a few medicines to a handful of patients in her capacity as a doctor.
With large-scale transactions of medicinal materials and finished drugs like this, Fang Xiuying would have been sent to "tread a sewing machine" in prison long ago.
Fang Xiuying blinked her large eyes and said
"I know the factory didn't get to where it is because of me, but I still don't think there's any need to offend those officials."
To be fair, Fang Xiuying wasn't wrong. People who run businesses and trade rarely offend officials; primarily, they don't dare to.
"The people do not fight the officials"—this was an eternal, immutable truth.
But upon hearing this, Wang An burst out laughing.
Mainly, Fang Xiuying seemed to have forgotten one thing: this pharmaceutical factory was itself established by a large group of officials.
After laughing, Wang An spoke
"Sister Ying, have you become stupid from being director, or were you always this stupid? The more I chat with you, the more I feel you're completely out of touch."
"Between you, your sister, and me, the three of us only hold thirty percent of the shares. Do you not know who holds the remaining seventy percent? Aside from the ten percent held by Chen Tianyu in Bingcheng, do you not know what the other six of them do for a living?"
Fang Xiuying nodded. "I know, of course I know, it's just..."
Before she could finish, Wang An interrupted her
"Just remember this, Sister Ying: on this small patch of land in DJ County, you don't need to cater to anyone, nor do you need to fear offending anyone. Even if you truly offend them, they'll just have to suck it up."
Raising his hand to block whatever she wanted to say, Wang An frowned, sounding somewhat impatient
"Sigh, I can't be bothered to explain too much. Sister Ying, I've realized that as a director, you're really nothing. You're lacking in every single aspect; you simply don't have the capability to be a director."
Fang Xiuying knew her own limitations, so even though Wang An was being so cutting, she didn't dare say a word.
After saying this, Wang An remained silent for a while before speaking again
"From now on, do exactly what I tell you to do. Don't ask why, and you don't need to have your own ideas, because your ideas are incredibly naive. Figure it out yourself; ponder why I want you to do it this way. And if you can't do it, tell me in advance, and I'll replace you immediately."
Only then could Fang Xiuying no longer hold back. She glanced up at Wang An, then quickly lowered her head, cheering herself up as she said
"I'll listen, I'll listen to everything you say, alright? Then can you stop constantly saying 'replace' and 'replace'? I was just sharing my thoughts! I never said I wouldn't listen to you."
"Besides, wasn't it you who insisted I be the director in the first place? I told you I couldn't do it, but you said anyone could be the director. I've never done this before, and the factory developed so fast that I simply couldn't keep up. You're all so busy that you just left me here. How was I supposed to know how to be a director?"
As she spoke, tears began to fall, and she looked utterly aggrieved.
Seeing her cry, Wang An immediately realized he might have pushed her too hard.
In fact, looking at her now-gaunt face, it was clear that she had taken her role as director very seriously and had worked extremely hard.
However, as she had said, her appointment was essentially a case of "forcing a duck onto a perch." To pin all the responsibility on her was indeed unfair.
Wang An sighed, his tone immediately softening. He said gently
"Alright, you're right. It's my fault, okay? Now, wipe your tears. Stop crying."
As he spoke, Wang An acted like an older brother, helping her wipe away her tears, his previous overbearing demeanor completely gone.
After a while, Fang Xiuying stopped crying. She gave Wang An a sharp glare and muttered
"All you do is criticize me, criticize me! No one ever taught me how to do it. It's a miracle I've gotten it to this point, hmph! Replace me if you want, it's not like I'm desperate to be director. You don't have to keep threatening me with that; I'm not scared..."
Fang Xiuying grumbled a great deal in her grievance, but Wang An remained smiling and didn't refute her, simply watching her mutter.
Once she had grumbled enough—mainly because she had run out of complaints—Wang An interjected with a chuckle
"Are you finished? Once you're done, it's my turn to speak."
Fang Xiuying knew when to quit while she was ahead. She immediately straightened her attitude and said
"I'm finished. Go ahead."
Wang An nodded, making no mention of her complaints or grievances; those were things she had to digest on her own.
As the saying goes, "The sword's edge comes from grinding, and the plum blossom's fragrance comes from the bitter cold." As long as she remained director, this kind of grievance and pressure would always exist, and there was nothing Wang An could do about it.
Wang An continued
"Aside from the things I just told you to do, from now on, regardless of who is planted here by whom, tell them in advance: the pharmaceutical factory does not support idle people. Anyone who wants to do nothing and just coast along for a paycheck can get lost."
"Furthermore, from this moment on, there is no room for 'personal sentiment' in this factory. Everything will be done according to the rules and regulations. Rewards for merit, punishment for mistakes. Put away that 'do-gooder' streak of yours."
This time, Fang Xiuying understood completely and didn't dare argue. Nodding, she said
"Mm-hmm, I understand."
Wang An nodded and took two more sips of tea. After thinking for a moment, he said
"As the director, when you need to punish someone or make a decision for the healthy development of the factory, no one—aside from the shareholders—is allowed to interfere. Deputy directors, department heads, section chiefs—what the hell are they? They have no right to speak."
Fang Xiuying blinked her large eyes, asking with some difficulty
"But... but what if it turns out I was wrong?"
Wang An tapped the armrest of the sofa, looking indifferent
"So what if you're wrong? Being wrong is being wrong. Who doesn't make mistakes? Besides, until things reach the end, how can there be a right or wrong?"
"I'm telling you, even if you know for a fact that what you're doing is wrong, they still have to follow your orders. You are the director. You have to establish your authority first. Everything others say is farts—complete and utter bullshit, do you understand?"
By the end, Wang An's voice rose sharply, speaking with such passion that Fang Xiuying immediately felt invigorated.
After thinking for a long time, Fang Xiuying said
"Then if I really do make a mistake, you can't scold me again, okay?"
Wang An waved his hand, looking nonchalant
"It's fine. As long as you cast aside that do-gooder heart and your intentions are for the good of the factory, I'll take the fall for any mistakes."
It had to be said that Wang An really had a knack for manipulating people. Fang Xiuying, who had been sobbing moments ago, was now brimming with fighting spirit.
With a determined look, Fang Xiuying said
"Starting today, I'm going to carry out a major cleanup of the slackers in the pharmaceutical factory. To be honest, they annoy me too; not a single one of them is sensible."
Wang An stood up and said
"Alright then. I'll see how you perform. I'll come back and check on you when I'm less busy."
Hearing that Wang An was leaving, Fang Xiuying became unhappy again and muttered
"You big jerk!" (End of Chapter)