A Challenge from Above

A newly appointed executive will inevitably face challenges from his subordinates.

What If...? it's within the industry, seasoned veterans who have proven their abilities have little to say. At most, you might encounter some uncooperative senior employees, and both sides will need to work together to find a compromise.

But if someone is a complete novice in the eyes of others, there's no need to question whether they're qualified for the position; just pile a bunch of work on their desk and wait for the results.

As long as the other party shows weakness in their abilities, other senior executives can openly divide the power held by them and sideline the new CEO.

Therefore, wealthy young men who come to the film company to gain prestige or to pick up girls will usually bring one or two experienced people familiar with the industry to help handle internal matters, or they may simply delegate authority.

For these kinds of people, a prestigious title is more important than actual power within the company. They're just there to gain prestige, not to be slaves.

However, the fact that the new CEO didn't bring anyone with him when he took office left everyone puzzled, leaving them with no choice but to let things unfold and test the waters.

The guide was a female colleague from the administration department. This unlucky woman, who had lost a game of rock-paper-scissors before Henry entered, was responsible for leading the new CEO on a tour of the company.

This was a chubby Black girl who had only recently joined the company and hadn't shown any outstanding performance; she was steady and reliable in her work. For a stagnant old company like Stark Studios, her performance was just right.

Aggressiveness and risk-taking are precisely the traits that companies least need.

The company building, like its atmosphere, is an old building constructed after World War II. Despite using the latest building technology and the best designers at the time, it still cannot hide its age after half a century.

It's not as extreme as having exposed rebar or broken water pipes. But the mottled marks you can see unnoticed in the corners of the walls all speak volumes about its history.

Walking through each department of the company, all the employees, as if by prior arrangement, were all silently going about their own business. No one stood up to welcome the new CEO.

Even if we skip the pointless welcoming ceremony, it's still a bit much that not even one person stepped forward to introduce the department's functions.

It was that Black girl who managed to squeeze out some information from her head to explain on behalf of the entire department, who were pretending to be dead. This prevented the situation from becoming too awkward.

When Henry entered the CEO's office, which had been cleaned in advance and was spotless, he wasn't greeted by a European or minimalist design. Instead, he was met with a mountain of documents piled on the desk, immediately catching his eye.

The sheer force of their presence—they practically wanted to bury the person sitting behind their desk—made Henry think it must have been incredibly difficult for the employees who brought the files over. Even with a trolley, it would have taken several trips to pull them.

The Black girl lowered her head nervously, her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her stomach. "Mr. Brown, this is a document requested by the department head. Because there wasn't a CEO before, these things were all made by themselves."

"But now that you've taken over as CEO, according to regulations, these documents must be approved by you before they can be implemented or rejected. And these are matters that cannot be delayed; if the approval is delayed even by one day, the company's operations may be disrupted tomorrow."

"Oh," Henry said with amusement, though the tone was almost a threat.

Of course, he knew these weren't the words the girl in front of him wanted to say. She was just being forced to speak for someone else; otherwise, she wouldn't be looking like she wanted to find a place to hide.

"Julianne, right? That's your name."

"Yes, Mr. Brown."

"Julianne, I remember the place we just visited didn't have a company archive or database. It was just a place where past meeting documents and company data were stored. Which department manages that? Could you take me there?"

"The archives are managed by the administration department. They're usually locked; the key is in our office. I can take you there. Shall we go now?"

"Okay, let's go. I need to look through some old files and see how things worked before."

"Okay, please follow me."

The chubby Black woman was leading the way.

Based on his attitude before dating Charlize, Henry would probably be chatting away with all sorts of witty banter, showing off his humorous and gentlemanly demeanor.

But now that he has a girlfriend and holds a higher position, his flirtatious remarks could easily be misinterpreted as power-hungry or sexual harassment. To avoid trouble, it's necessary to keep his mouth shut.

Besides... Black girls aren't really my type.

In United States companies, the administrative departments are similar to the general affairs departments of some companies or the secretarial offices of public sector organizations; they are units specifically responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks, including cleaning, maintenance and replacement of basic equipment, and procurement of office supplies.

Such departments may not wield much power, but their importance is considerable. In particular, when someone learns to use office supplies such as paper, staples, and pens to control others, they can effectively elevate their position in the company's power hierarchy.

This fosters a habit among those in positions of authority to be arrogant and disdainful of others.

Even as the new CEO, Henry, entered the room, the head of administration remained seated in his seat, legs propped up on his desk, leaning back in his chair, whistling contentedly, pretending not to see him.

The chubby, dark-skinned woman cautiously stepped forward. "Director, Mr. Brown needs to go into the archives room; he wants to get the key from you."

"The archives contain Stark Studios' records from over the years, including the film master tapes—very important. Is it a place where just anyone can go in?"

The administrative director put his feet down, sat up straight, and scolded the chubby black woman before pretending to have just seen Henry.

He stood up and said in a pretentious manner, "Oh, isn't this the new CEO? I thought you'd be partying with Mr. Stark for days and nights, but I didn't expect you to be at the company today."

"It's just a pity, the company's archives are of great importance. Someone like you who knows nothing about them shouldn't go in and cause trouble, lest you add to our problems. It wouldn't be good if something were lost."

Henry asked with a smile, "So, I'm not qualified to go in? Is that what you mean?"

"Of course not, how could I think that? You're the CEO appointed by Mr. Stark. It's just that you have a lot of documents on your desk to process. Instead of bothering our administration department, you're disrupting the company's operations."

"That's why I need to look at the old documents and meeting minutes to see how the company operates and makes decisions. I've come this far, and no one has ever told me how to cooperate. What, can't I even learn on my own?"