Company Annual Meeting (I)

With ten days left until the Spring Festival, Future Technology held its annual meeting at the only three-star hotel in the county town.

Choosing a three-star hotel for the annual meeting was not because Future Technology was being stingy.

It was simply because, in a small county like Huoxian, this was the highest-rated hotel available.

Though the hotel itself was not much to speak of, Li Zhou was quite satisfied after Future Technology's employees finished decorating it.

At noon, since everyone had been notified in advance, the employees gathered in small groups to chat after lunch as they waited for the 1 p.m. shuttle buses.

According to the company's administrative department, chartered buses would pick everyone up at 1 p.m. and take them to the county town, where the annual meeting would begin promptly at 3 p.m.

"Hey, have you heard? They say this year's year-end bonuses are pretty generous."

"Who knows? Even if they are generous, how much could new employees like us, who have been here for less than two months, possibly get?"

"Not necessarily. There are hundreds of people in our company. If you really think about it, everyone is a new employee. The only ones who can barely count as veteran employees are the hundred or so who came with Boss Xiong."

"I'll tell you something, but don't go spreading it around. I don't know whether the year-end bonuses are big, but the prizes at the annual meeting are supposedly amazing. My boyfriend works in the purchasing department!"

For a moment, everyone in the small office began looking forward to that night's annual meeting.

Before long, they noticed more and more buses pulling into the company courtyard.

When it was time to board, they counted them and discovered there were a full twenty buses.

After the heads of each department led their people aboard, Wang Fei jogged over to the boss's office.

"Chairman, everyone is on the buses. We're just waiting for you."

Li Zhou glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was already 12:55.

"Zhou Song, have you arranged things for the brothers staying behind in the security department?"

That was right. In just half a year, Zhou Song had become the head of the newly established security department.

The security department now had over twenty people, all retired special forces soldiers. Most of them were comrades of Zhou Song and the other three.

"Boss, the brothers staying behind have already been assigned, and their on-duty allowances were transferred this morning."

"Good."

With everything arranged, Li Zhou got up and headed outside.

Future Technology's temporary headquarters now housed plenty of expensive laboratory equipment, as well as the company servers, which stored a great deal of data.

Unlike before, Future Technology might have appeared to be sailing smoothly and peacefully on the surface.

But over the past half year, they had caught quite a few people sneaking around in the middle of the night, trying to slip into the building's server room.

Tempted by money, there would always be people who treated the military warning signs at the entrance as though they were nothing.

After the first incident, the number of security personnel gradually increased, eventually leading to the security department they had today.

As the chairman with one hundred percent control of Future Technology, Li Zhou had not yet boarded, so everyone was waiting for him.

Xiong Kexuan checked her watch and frowned.

It was already one o'clock. Why was Wang Fei taking so long just to call someone?

When Xiong Kexuan looked up, she saw Li Zhou coming out with Zhou Song, Wang Fei, and the others.

As Li Zhou approached, Xiong Kexuan rolled her eyes at him.

"My big boss, couldn't you have come out two minutes earlier? Everyone's waiting for you!"

Li Zhou shrugged.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

After saying that, Li Zhou made a face at Nuonuo in Xiong Kexuan's car before getting into his own Hongqi.

When Xiao Nuonuo, who was leaning by the window of the red sedan, saw Li Zhou trying to scare her, she immediately said, "Bad man~~"

After that, she kept her bottle in her mouth and stopped looking out the window.

Seeing her mischievous daughter, Xiong Kexuan shot her a fierce glare.

"Wang Fei, get in. We'll follow the boss's car."

"Okay, Sister Xuan."

After seeing Wang Fei and CEO Xiong Kexuan get in the car, Zhou Song looked at his boss through the rearview mirror.

"Boss, shall we set off?"

"Let's go."

As Li Zhou's Hongqi drove out of the courtyard, one car after another followed behind it, with the twenty buses bringing up the rear.

All the way from the streets of the small town to the road outside the hotel, Future Technology's long convoy drew countless looks.

Those whose children were in Future Technology's convoy showed off to the people beside them.

"Look, that's my son's daughter's company. Isn't it impressive?"

The people outside were watching the cars, while the people inside were watching the sights outside.

Li Zhou noticed that construction was underway in many places along the way.

In the county town alone, as far as he knew, two five-star hotels were being built.

Future Technology certainly had some influence in bringing two five-star hotels to such a small county, but the county leadership had put in tremendous effort as well.

When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Li Zhou got out and walked straight toward Xiong Kexuan's red sedan.

As soon as Li Zhou reached it, Xiong Kexuan and Wang Fei pushed open the doors and got out, while Wang Fei in the back seat was still holding a little one.

Seeing the beautifully dressed Xiao Nuonuo, Li Zhou smiled and clapped his hands twice.

"Nuonuo, come on, let Uncle hold you."

Nuonuo, in Wang Fei's arms, looked at Li Zhou, thought for a moment, then shook her little head and turned away.

Li Zhou narrowed his eyes at Nuonuo's refusal to acknowledge him. Come on, I can't even handle a one-year-old?

"Come on, let Uncle hold you. Uncle will buy you something tasty."

Xiong Kexuan, who had just locked the car, walked right past Li Zhou, picked Nuonuo up, and looked at him helplessly.

"My big boss, you've pinched her little cheeks until they got chubby, and you still won't leave her alone."

Li Zhou was unhappy to hear that. The little girl ate all day long, so how could she blame him? At most... at most, he could only be considered an accomplice.

After all, Li Zhou had fed her quite a lot too.

By the time Li Zhou finished teasing Xiao Nuonuo, most of the employees had already gotten off the buses.

Seeing that everyone was still standing outside, and that there happened to be a chilly wind that day, Li Zhou dusted himself off and took the lead into the hotel.

As soon as Li Zhou reached the hotel entrance, a group of people greeted him with smiling faces.

"Director Li, your visit to my humble hotel truly honors us!"

Seeing the other man smile and extend his hand, Li Zhou smiled as well and shook it.

Walking behind Li Zhou, Xiong Kexuan said, "This is the hotel owner, Mr. Xu."

Li Zhou nodded with a smile.

"Boss Xu, shall we go in first?"

"Please, please!"

Because they had taken it slow for the employees who might get carsick, it was already three o'clock by the time Li Zhou and the company employees arrived at the hotel.

By the time all the employees found their assigned seats, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon.

Once everyone had taken their seats in the enormous banquet hall, the lights gradually dimmed.

Very soon, the banquet hall, which had been extremely noisy because of the crowd, fell silent.