Broad Strokes

Twenty minutes later, even the directors of the furthest production workshops had arrived.

As for why the ministers and vice-ministers weren't here, it was because they had either been fired by Luo Baofeng or by Xu Shiqin.

Zhou Qi surveyed the conference room. Fourteen departments, and eleven people had shown up.

The ministers and vice-ministers of Production, Packaging, and Quality Control had all left, so only a workshop director named Mo Jiakang had come. He was a middle-aged man of 40, with a square face and bright eyes, looking like someone capable of getting things done.

The Minister of Finance had left, and there was no vice-minister, so a young accountant named Jiang Mingran had come. She was also a beauty.

The Minister of Transportation was a 55-year-old man with a head of graying hair and stubble, his face looking resolute. His name was Wang Huade. It was unclear what his relationship was with the driver Wang Xingde.

The Minister of Operations had left, and there was no vice-minister, so a young man wearing glasses, who looked a bit ugly and had his t-shirt on inside out, named Sun Kangle, had come.

The Minister of Design had also left, and similarly, there was no vice-minister. A young man who was a full 1.85 meters tall but very thin, wearing glasses, and somewhat resembling Bai Jingting, named Zhang Zeyu, had come.

Media Department, Lu Xiaowan.

Sales Department, Cai Xiaodong, head of Sales Team 1.

Human Resources Department, Xu Shiqin.

Audit Department, Vice-Minister Liu Fangping.

Security Department, Captain Zhu Baoran.

P3 Biology Laboratory, Professor Zhao Fangquan.

This was the entire executive team of the Baofeng Pharmaceutical factory. Perhaps they were also the only ones in the entire factory who were truly doing practical work. Through them, one could control the entire factory.

"I believe everyone already knows what happened at the factory, right? If anyone doesn't know, turn to your neighbor and ask. I won't introduce myself!" Zhou Qi knocked on the table, giving everyone a moment.

He had expected everyone to know, but to his surprise, there were indeed some who didn't.

Sun Kangle curiously turned his head, "Brother, what's going on?"

Zhang Zeyu, sitting next to him, instinctively held his breath and said, "Our pharmaceutical factory was sold off by the old factory director. This is our new factory director, surnamed Zhou."

"Oh, oh..." Sun Kangle nodded, looking enlightened. "No wonder there were two unfamiliar people sitting in the main seats..."

"It seems everyone understands the current situation!" Zhou Qi felt a bit speechless. What was up with this guy!

However, considering how disheveled he looked and he was still not fired, and even pushed to attend this meeting, he probably wasn't incompetent.

He'd use him for now. It wasn't like they'd be in the same office anyway.

"Let me introduce myself first. From now on, your factory director won't be me, but this gentleman, Zhou Yibing. Everyone, please welcome Factory Director Bing!"

"Holy crap, Bing!" Sun Kangle blurted out.

The entire conference room fell silent for a moment, then quickly erupted into applause.

"Alright, next, let's have our new factory director introduce the future development direction of our pharmaceutical factory!"

"Wow..." Another round of applause broke out.

"Cough, cough..." Brother Bing rolled his eyes. Honestly, these reforms were too drastic, and he was afraid of incurring hatred. However, as the factory director, this was his responsibility, and he couldn't avoid it.

This was probably what they meant by "If you want to be the factory director, you must bear its weight!"

"First, our pharmaceutical factory will be renamed. From now on, we will be called Morning Star Pharmaceutical. Design Department, please design the company's LOGO as soon as possible, then apply for the trademark, and proceed with manufacturing and replacing the signage..."

"Um..." Zhang Zeyu raised his hand. "Factory Director."

"What, is there a problem? I checked, and the name Nanan hasn't been registered yet, so it can be used!" Zhou Yibing asked.

"Well, our design department is for designing new products. What you're talking about is the operations department's job..." Zhang Zeyu pointed to Sun Kangle next to him.

"Is that so?" Zhou Yibing was speechless. Then this isn't the design department either, shouldn't it be called the Product Development Department?

"Then it's Sun Kangle, you do it then..." Zhou Yibing asked, "Are there any difficulties?"

"Factory Director, are there any time requirements for this?" Sun Kangle asked.

"Designing a LOGO shouldn't be that difficult, can it be done in a week?" Zhou Yibing asked.

"No!" Sun Kangle shook his head. "It's not just changing a LOGO. Everything that includes Baofeng needs to be changed. New packaging needs to be redesigned, and the corporate culture needs to be restructured around this new name. Also, on our online store, there are tens of thousands of product photos with the Baofeng LOGO, and detail pages related to Baofeng. If the name changes, all of these need to be modified..."

"This is a huge amount of work, but I'm the only one left in the operations department..."

So that's why only you showed up for the meeting. I thought you were the most outstanding person in your department.

"During the LOGO replacement period, since the design department and new media department can't work anyway, let them help you. That way, you'll have five people!" Zhou Yibing said.

"Them?" Sun Kangle shook his head. "Let's forget it. They don't even know how to use Photoshop. I've been editing the videos for the new media department."

"Ah?" The two surnamed Zhou immediately looked at Lu Xiaowan from the new media department.

Lu Xiaowan looked a bit embarrassed but didn't refute.

"This, this isn't right..." Zhou Qi knocked on the table. "Is PS that difficult? You're from a university of media, how could you not know how?"

"We all majored in broadcasting and hosting, we didn't learn that!" Lu Xiaowan quickly said.

Zhou Qi was speechless. "You didn't learn it, can't you teach yourselves?"

"But this software is very difficult, it's a different field..." Lu Xiaowan said. "We've been applying to HR to hire an editor, but HR has never been able to find one."

"You only post four videos a month, and they're the kind you can edit on your phone. You're hiring an editor for that?" Xu Shiqin asked directly. "Do you know how expensive editors are on the market? Four to five thousand a month!"

"That much?" Zhou Qi was shocked. I know how to edit too. I didn't know this skill was so valuable?

"That's because you haven't hired anyone. We only post four videos. If you hired an editor, we'd post forty a month!" Lu Xiaowan immediately retorted, then turned to Zhou Qi. "Boss, I'm reporting Xu Shiqin. She's got something going on with that Luo Ming. She's deliberately not hiring anyone because she sees Luo Ming always trying to please us, so she wants to make us work overtime every day to torture us..."

"You're spouting nonsense! I have nothing to do with him!" Xu Shiqin was instantly furious. "Zhang Zeyu, Luo Ming is your department head. Say something fair, do I have anything to do with him?"

"Uh, this..." Zhang Zeyu was speechless. What does their argument have to do with me?

Also, my name is Zhang Zeyu.

"Um..." He looked at Zhou Qi. The 1.85m tall man had a face full of grievance.

Zhou Qi was also a bit speechless and quickly knocked on the table. "Stop arguing. From now on, Sun Kangle will be the head of the Operations Department. The Media Department is dissolved. The three of you will be merged into the Operations Department. Sun Kangle, you will teach them PS and PR. You have two weeks. If they don't learn, they're fired!"

Sun Kangle was stunned and looked at Zhou Qi with burning eyes.

He even knows PR! He's in the same field!

Outsiders usually only know about video editing software.

"Huh?" Lu Xiaowan's eyes widened on the other side. "No, how can this be..."

"If you're not willing, then you can resign. Anyway, our company won't need this department in the future. We don't need exposure, and we don't need fans. Do you understand what I mean?" Zhou Qi said calmly.

He bought a book back then and learned PS in half a day. He doesn't believe anyone can't learn it.

It's just laziness and not wanting to learn. It's a good thing Sun Kangle is a shut-in who can be exploited. Isn't that just asking for laziness?

Back then, as the honest person being bullied and exploited in the office, he understood perfectly!

Only four videos a month. Who is that for? When I was writing novels, I posted four chapters a day!

I wanted to keep this department because the girl was pretty, but screw that!

"Wuwu..." Lu Xiaowan actually started crying. "You're bullying me!"

Then she got up and ran out.

The others looked at each other. This...

"Chairman Zhou, should we..." Zhang Zeyu asked. "Go after her?"

"Go after her for what? She's here to work, not to date!" Zhou Qi snorted. "Xu Shiqin, tell her, either leave or transfer departments. She's a college student, not illiterate. What's so hard about learning PS?"

"Yes!" Xu Shiqin's face was full of excitement. Hmph, can you beat me?

"Brother Bing, continue!!" Zhou Qi said.

Brother Bing gave a thumbs-up. You're amazing. You can just scold such a pretty girl. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend yet.

"Now your department has four people!" Zhou Yibing said. "Can you get it done in two months?"

"If they cooperate, two months should be enough," Sun Kangle said, then asked, "By the way, General Manager Zhou, I've been promoted to department head, will my salary increase?"

"We'll talk about that later!" Brother Bing waved his hand. "Next, let's discuss the second item. The factory's canteen, supermarket, and internet cafe will be taken back and operated by the factory. Internet access and meals will be free from now on. However, the internet cafe's operating hours will be from 6 PM to 11 PM, the canteen will be open from 7 AM to 8:30 AM, 12 PM to 1 PM, and 5 PM to 7 PM. The supermarket will be open 24 hours a day!"

"Free internet cafe?" Sun Kangle immediately sobered up. "Really?"

"Aren't you in operations? Doesn't the operations department have computers?" Zhou Qi asked.

"But we're not allowed to play games on those computers!" Sun Kangle said.

"This rule will be changed from now on!" Zhou Qi said. "As long as it's not during work hours, you can play whatever you want. But if you download any viruses that affect your work, I'll deduct your pay!"

"No problem!" Sun Kangle immediately got excited. "Trust me, I'm an old hand!"

Zhou Qi chuckled and looked at Brother Bing again.

"Next is the third item, salary reform!"

Everyone perked up. This was a major issue concerning their future income, and no one would be indifferent.

"From now on, everyone's basic salary will be increased. The basic salary for frontline workers will be raised from the original 1850 to 4500. Management salaries will also be increased appropriately, with an increase of 60% to 80%. Financial officer Jiang, please stay behind later, and we'll discuss it in detail."

"Really?" As soon as he finished speaking, the entire conference room erupted.

"4500? Factory Manager, you're not joking, are you? Such a high basic salary, their monthly pay will be over ten thousand!" said workshop director Mo Jiakang.

"What's wrong? Isn't it good to have a high salary?" Zhou Qi asked.

"No, with such high salaries, can the factory survive?" Mo Jiakang said anxiously. "Rather than dying of an excess, everyone prefers to work for a long, long time!"

"Don't worry!" Brother Bing waved his hand. "You'll understand when I get to the fourth item!"

"There are also supporting measures?" Mo Jiakang was somewhat relieved. Zhou Yibing continued, "From now on, our company will strictly implement the Labor Law. Work starts at 9 AM and ends at 5 PM. Lunch break is from 12 PM to 1 PM."

"Ah?" Everyone was stunned.

"No..." Mo Jiakang didn't know what to say anymore.

"Boss, how can this work? Without overtime, the work simply won't get done..." Sun Kangle also said. "How can we finish by 5 PM?"

"You're the department head. Can't you just assign less work?" Zhou Qi said.

"This..." Sun Kangle was speechless. I'm working for you, and you're afraid I'll work too hard?

"It's decided. With no more overtime, the monthly salary will always be the basic 4500. It's impossible to reach ten thousand!" Zhou Yibing said. "So Director Mo, you shouldn't be worried anymore!"

"How could I not be worried!" Mo Jiakang was even more speechless. "Working only eight hours a day, how can we meet customer demand? If we can't supply the goods, we won't have any more orders in the future! We're a manufacturing company, not a service industry!"

"You don't need to worry about that. We won't take their orders anymore; we'll only produce for ourselves!" Brother Bing waved his hand. "It's settled then. Jiang Mingran, do you have anything else?"

"Well, the average wage for our workers over the past eight months was around 6500 yuan. Although that was with overtime, a reduction of 2000 yuan at once, I'm afraid the workers won't be happy about it..." said the young accountant Jiang Mingran.

Zhou Yibing rolled his eyes. "Did you not listen carefully when I was speaking? Meals in the cafeteria will be free from now on! Internet access will be free too! Can't you save 2000 yuan a month with that?"

"That... probably not," Jiang Mingran continued to argue. "Over the past eight months, the average worker's monthly food expenses were only 700 yuan. Most of them only ate two meals a day, and many spent only 500 yuan a month."

"This..." Zhou Yibing was shocked. "Five hundred yuan? What can you eat with that?"

"The cafeteria sells braised noodles for five yuan a large bowl, and you can have unlimited refills. Add some sour soup, and two meals a day only cost 10 yuan..." Jiang Mingran adjusted his glasses. "And those who use the internet are mostly young workers. Those in their thirties and forties and older don't use the internet at all. They don't even buy cigarettes; the best-selling cigarettes in the supermarket are eight yuan a pack, enough to roll two hundred cigarettes!"

"..." Zhou Yibing fell silent.

Zhou Qi was also a bit speechless. Who are the most beloved people? These must be the most beloved people.

He had inquired beforehand; there were no casinos in Nanan City, and the illegal gambling dens had been repeatedly raided and cleared out.

Why were the workers saving money like this?

"What should we do, raise their wages?" Brother Bing turned and asked.

"No raise!" Zhou Qi shook his head, then said loudly, "I noticed we have six dormitory buildings, but we're only using one, and only four floors of that. Each room houses eight people..."

"Later, we'll clear out four more dormitory buildings. Young workers will have two people per room, and married couples will have one person per room. They can bring their wives and children over. The entire family can eat at the factory for free. We'll build a kindergarten in the factory later. As for primary and secondary school issues, we'll discuss them with the city, and the government will arrange for the workers' families to enroll..."

"With free accommodation and free schooling, there should be no problem now!"

"Boss, are you doing charity work?" Mo Jiakang earnestly advised, "Even with money, you can't spend it like this. We're not a state-owned enterprise; there's no need to do this..."

"My mind is made up!" Zhou Qi shook his head. "There's one last thing, read it out!"

"Production Department, clear out 30 production lines to specifically produce various penicillin series antibiotics, such as ampicillin, amoxicillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, oxacillin, mecillinam, sulbenicillin, piperacillin, etc..."

"Boss, you're crazy!" Mo Jiakang was about to slam the table. "These drugs have no profit margin at all! Why would we do these instead of the profitable ones?"

"Whether they make a profit or not is my business!" Zhou Yibing said calmly. "I just want to ask you, can you make the change?"

"If you do this, you'll bankrupt the factory! It won't be sustainable!"

"Can I make the change!"

Mo Jiakang gritted his teeth. Thinking of his wife and children at home, and his own age, it would be difficult to find a job at this age if he left the factory...

"Yes!"

"Then it's settled!" Zhou Yibing nodded. "How long will it take to make the changes?"

"Very quickly, the production lines just need a slight adjustment to start producing!" Mo Jiakang spoke weakly, as if he had lost his soul. "It's just the packaging that will need Manager Sun's efforts."

The two of them weren't bothered to comfort him; time would prove everything anyway.

"By the way, why don't we have a procurement department in our factory?" Zhou Yibing suddenly asked.

"Oh, because the procurement department used to take kickbacks, so the general manager abolished it. Anyway, the procurement channels are already stable; he can just call directly if he needs anything!" Liu Fangping said.

"Do you know where to buy the raw materials to produce these drugs?" Zhou Yibing asked.

"I know. As long as you have money, they're available everywhere!"

"Then find a reliable channel and arrange production as soon as possible. The operations department should create the LOGO quickly. We need to produce drugs with the Morning Star LOGO as soon as possible; the customers are waiting urgently!"

"There are actually customers?" Mo Jiakang was a bit surprised. He had really thought these two young people were joking earlier.

"Of course, we're not fools; why would we do business at a loss?" Zhou Qi smiled.

"But if the customers are in such a hurry, shouldn't we be working overtime?" Mo Jiakang asked.

"Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is we abide by laws and regulations!" Zhou Qi waved his hand. "Alright, that's all for today. Meeting adjourned!"

"..." The attendees left the office one by one with expressions of doubt, confusion, and disbelief.

Except for Cai Xiaodong from the sales department and Jiang Mingran from finance.

And an old man.

Zhao Fangquan.

"Professor Zhao, do you need something?" Zhou Qi asked.

Although this old man had the highest academic qualifications in the entire office, Zhou Qi didn't have a good impression of him. After all, Yan Yun had already provided him with some information about this professor. How to evaluate him?

Just a third-rate professor from a third-rate university. He was over sixty years old and hadn't published a single decent paper. The papers he published domestically, according to professional evaluation, were either reviews, pure filler, or repetitions of previous experiments.

It was only because the requirements were low in the past and it was easy to become a professor at a third-rate university that he achieved this title.

This person was also hired by Luo Baofeng to add prestige. He only took a salary and did no work. He probably didn't even know which way the laboratory door opened. He didn't have the ability to research Chinese herbal medicine and develop new drugs.

"It's like this, I'm planning to start a research project in the laboratory to study some Chinese herbal medicines and see if I can extract some compounds from them. If I make a discovery, I can apply for a patent, and that would be a golden goose..."

"What Chinese herbal medicine are you researching?" Zhou Qi asked with a smile.

"Uh, Malabar spinach, sand ginger, and so on."

"Is it Malabar spinach or sand ginger? Professor Zhao is so old, yet still so energetic. Can he research two at the same time?"

"Malabar spinach, Malabar spinach!" Professor Zhao quickly said.

"Malabar spinach nourishes yin and tonifies the kidney, consolidating the foundation and cultivating the source. Are you trying to extract a compound with similar effects to sildenafil from it?" Zhou Qi asked again.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! Think about it, sildenafil has such a huge market. If we can discover a compound that's more effective and cheaper to replace it, and we own the patent, how much money do you think we'd make?"

"I'll make your mother's head!" Zhou Qi threw a document onto his bald head.

"Ouch! What are you doing!"

"Damn it, you're trying to trick me? Consolidating the foundation and cultivating the source? Malabar spinach is a medicinal herb that promotes bowel movements, urination, and detoxification. You're trying to use it for aphrodisiac purposes? Shouldn't you memorize the pharmacopoeia before trying to scam me?"

"You, you, how dare you speak to me like that?" Zhao Fangquan was shocked. He didn't think there was anything wrong with scamming a little funding; Luo Baofeng had always given it before!

Besides, he wasn't asking for much, only two to three hundred thousand a year.

Instead, this young man was being rude and even hit him!

"I, I'm calling the police to arrest you!" Zhao Fangquan pulled out his phone and was about to dial 110.

"Go ahead and call. I recorded the meeting. We'll see who's in the right when the police get here!" Zhou Qi chuckled. "Also, I'm telling you, you're fired!"

He then shouted, "Xu Shiqin!"

"Coming, coming!" Xu Shiqin, on the same floor, hurried over.

"Get this old man out of here, quickly. Finish the procedures today. He disgusts me..."

"You, you..." Zhao Fangquan glared. He probably lacked the literary sophistication to say something like: "How dare this junior bully me!"

"Yes!" Xu Shiqin didn't care if he was a professor or not. She had enjoyed firing people today, and it was just another accomplishment to add to her record.

On the contrary, this new factory director, although he looked ordinary, had an impressive demeanor when he got things done!

She just wondered if he was married yet