Poaching Employees?

Zhang Xing walked into the room, tossed his briefcase onto the sofa, and collapsed onto it.

The company had been plagued with trouble lately. It was being smeared online, and its servers were frequently under attack.

Although the company had escaped one smear campaign by offering a two-million reward, rumors had begun circulating among the staff that major capital was suppressing the company. This little ant probably would not be able to hold on much longer.

He had thought he had found a good company, only to run into this sort of trouble not long after starting work.

Some of the newly hired employees were already considering whether they should find a backup plan. After all, if the company were acquired and restructured, they might be laid off, and finding another job would be troublesome.

Zhang Xing was thinking about it too.

He had been here for less than a month and did not feel much attachment or sense of belonging toward Ant Army Company. The rumors worried him somewhat as well. After all, there was no smoke without fire.

Just as he was wondering whether to resign, his phone began to vibrate.

"Hello, Old Zhou. What is it?"

"I joined a new company. We're short on people here. Want to come help out? It's a sales position. We're just starting out, so the pay is a little low—just over four thousand—but the prospects are good. Your salary will definitely go up, and there's plenty of room for promotion in the future."

"Is that so?" Zhang Xing hesitated, his eyes flickering. "Then I'll contact you at ten tomorrow morning."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

After hanging up, Zhang Xing sat up from the sofa, searched through the cabinet, and took out an envelope and some paper. He thought for a moment before putting pen to paper.

The next day.

A gloomy atmosphere hung over Ant Army Company, and even the air seemed heavy with oppression. Many people could not bring themselves to smile, because one colleague after another had already submitted resignation letters and left the company.

"Brother Zhang, are you really resigning?" Lu Hongyi looked at Zhang Xing, who was packing his things, hesitation in his eyes.

"The company has caught the attention of major capital. Before long, it'll be acquired and restructured. As someone who's been through this before, I advise you to start looking for a way out early. Don't wait until you can't find a job."

Zhang Xing leaned close to Lu Hongyi's ear and spoke in a low voice. After packing up, he took his resignation letter and walked into the office. Lu Hongyi watched his retreating back with uncertainty in his eyes, then finally shook his head and lowered his head to continue working.

Li Lingfeng's expression was rather grim. Over the past two days, he had received ten resignation letters.

Those people had not been with the company long. He had not expected that just two days after someone attacked the company, an employee exodus would begin.

If this continued, the rest of the staff would certainly panic.

What angered him even more was that two mid-level managers he had brought into the company had also resigned to jump ship. It was a betrayal.

Someone was definitely poaching their people on purpose.

After thinking it over, Li Lingfeng picked up the resignation letters that had been submitted and headed toward Zhao Min's office.

"President Zhao, my boyfriend and I are preparing to get married. I need a stable job to pay for the house and car, so I..."

Inside Zhao Min's office, her female assistant, Xiao Li, stood stiffly before her with an apologetic expression.

"Have you found another job?" Zhao Min's expression remained calm.

"Yes. A friend introduced me to one. It's at a listed company, as a manager's assistant."

"I understand. You may go." Zhao Min rubbed her temples as she spoke to the assistant standing before her.

"I'm sorry, President Zhao. I'm sorry, Minister Li." After receiving Zhao Min's permission, the assistant apologized again and left the office.

"President Zhao, I've received ten resignation letters." Li Lingfeng placed the letters in his hand on the desk, his expression unpleasant.

"Julie came by earlier too. The marketing department has five as well, all mid-level managers in relatively important positions. Lao Luo's R&D department has also had quite a few technical staff resign. Two accountants in Zhang Yi's finance department have resigned too."

Zhao Min's voice was calm as she turned to look out the window. "Before one wave has settled, another rises. Someone approached you too, didn't they?"

"They did. After work last night, an old friend invited me to join his company. They offered double what I make here," Li Lingfeng said.

"And then? Did you accept?"

"No. I refused."

"Why didn't you go?" Zhao Min asked.

"I was only able to develop the skills I have today because President Zhao promoted and trained me. Besides, I think this company is good, with a promising future. I believe President Zhao can lead us through this."

"This is not a crisis. The company has never been in a crisis. We are not short of money, nor are we in debt. This is only a hurdle. Some people simply cannot withstand a test."

Zhao Min turned to look out the window, her expression calm.

"Go back and work as usual. Approve every resignation. Fill the vacant management positions by selecting capable employees. As long as the core management staff remains, let those people do as they please. Employees who cannot endure hardship with the company are better off leaving early. It is good for the company too. Prepare for recruitment."

"Understood."

Seeing Zhao Min's composed manner, Li Lingfeng felt relieved. Zhao Min was their backbone. As long as she remained steady, he felt somewhat reassured as well.

After Li Lingfeng left, Zhao Min picked up her phone and dialed Chen Mo's number.

"Chairman, someone is poaching your company's employees."

At the shop, Chen Mo stopped designing characters and smiled lightly. "Did they poach you?"

"They can't afford my price."

"Then it's fine. As long as you're still there, they can poach anyone else they want."

"Do you take me for someone who fills in your holes?"

Zhao Min was so irritated by Chen Mo's words that she laughed. So she was supposed to fill every hole left behind by the people who got poached. This chairman was something else.

"What are you planning to do next?" Chen Mo asked.

"Fill in your holes. Our company's reputation has risen, but both the quantity and quality of our talent can't keep up. To put it bluntly, we look strong on the outside but are weak within. The company can't rely on you alone. I'm planning to go to your school and recruit some interns."

"Fine, do as you wish," Chen Mo said. "Keep a close eye on phone quality. As for the quantity of Butterfly Eye, handle it as you see fit. Stop production when the timing is right."

Someone was watching the company now, and it was already being smeared. If anyone tampered with the phones, they would be in serious trouble. This little ant could not withstand too much turmoil, so they could only quit while they were ahead.

After getting a full picture of the company's situation, Chen Mo hung up and returned to studying the Chinese Character Programming Language. The keywords, characters, and data types had left his mind somewhat exhausted.

The good news, however, was that his research had made progress. Over the past two months, to speed things up, after finishing his four-hundredth book, Chen Mo had borrowed another book from the Sci-Tech Library about creating computer programming languages.

After researching for so long, he had now created quite a few keywords and made tremendous progress. He believed that before long, he would be able to complete the foundations of the Chinese Character Programming Language.

Once he became absorbed in his work, he was not interrupted until evening by Xiao Yu's weary voice.

"Chen Mo."

Chen Mo stopped writing and looked at Xiao Yu as she approached. Her exhausted appearance made his heart ache slightly. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"

"I had insomnia last night, and I couldn't sleep at noon either. Hurry up and eat. Tonight, you're coming out with me."

Chen Mo did not know whether to laugh or cry at Xiao Yu's answer. What kind of logic was that? She was exhausted enough to look like a panda, yet she still wanted to go out. Still, Chen Mo did not refuse. He gave Xiao Yu his computer chair, picked up the lunchbox she had brought, and began eating.

"Does this happen often?"

"Occasionally. It's worse during those few days every month," Xiao Yu said, leaning back in the chair.

"And you still want to go out? Go to bed early tonight."

"I still won't be able to sleep. Anyway, you're going out with me tonight. Are you coming or not?" Xiao Yu asked with a stern expression.

"I'm coming. Wait a moment, I'll finish eating first."