On February 17, Friday was getting off work in the afternoon.
There was a knock on Chairman's Office's door, and Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi walked in. They each held a heavy document in their hands, their faces were solemn, and there was unconcealable fatigue in their steps.
Almost at the same time they stepped into the office, there were slightly chaotic footsteps and whispers outside the door.
"Several other persons in charge of Chairman Zhao, Director Lin and Special Task Force also came together and said they needed to report together."
Chen Xi said quickly in a low voice, frowning slightly.
Zhao Chen raised his head from the document with a calm expression. "Invite them in."
The door opened again, and five or six members of Special Task Force, headed by Lin Wanqing, filed in. The originally spacious office suddenly seemed a bit crowded.
Lin Wanqing is walking in the front. She is wearing a dark gray professional skirt today. Her makeup is exquisite and her expression is always decent, but deep in her eyes there is a calmness that guarantees victory.
Behind her were all her capable people in Finance and Funding Lines, as well as one or two Business Departments leaders who were obviously leaning toward her.
Two groups of people stood in the center of the office, clearly distinguishable.
On one side are Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi, who look heavy as if they are carrying the burden of failure;
On the other side is "Victor's Alliance" with Lin Wanqing as the core, with different expressions but more or less with a certain kind of scrutiny and even a slight sense of superiority.
"Chairman Zhao." Lin Wanqing spoke first, with a steady voice.
"Special Task Force After three days of intense work and multiple internal discussions, the final plan has been formed.
Considering that the topic is important and involves the fundamentals of the company's survival, we believe it is necessary for the core members of the team to report to you together so that you can fully understand the opinions and difficulties from all aspects."
The words are high-sounding, but in essence they are to expose Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi's "frustrated" state of "the minority obeys the majority", as well as the "Pragmatist Faction" viewpoint represented by her Lin Wanqing, in front of Zhao Chen, forming invisible pressure.
She wanted Zhao Chen to see with his own eyes how his right-hand man ran into trouble in the face of "reality" and how unpopular the strategy he relied on was.
"Okay." Zhao Chen nodded and motioned for them to sit down.
There were not enough sofas and chairs, so some people stood, which added to the tension of the confrontation.
The report is mainly conducted by Zhang Qingxue.
She opened the folder, her voice clear but fast, as if she wanted to end this unpleasant statement as quickly as possible.
She briefly reviewed the difficult process of communicating with various organizations over the past three days - the other parties were firm, demanding, and generally pessimistic about the company's strategic transformation.
She recounted the fierce debate within the group, focusing on the huge differences between the two paths "Expansion Compromise" and "Persistent Contraction".
"... Based on the above situation, the group went through multiple rounds of debate and evaluation and finally formed Two Tentative Plans."
Zhang Qingxue turned to the conclusion page. Her fingers paused slightly on the paper before continuing to read,
"The core difference lies in the priority of ensuring short-term Liquidity Safety, and temporarily adjusting the strategy in exchange for Bank Support;
It's better to stick to Strategic Resolve and bear the possible Short-term Pain and even risks in exchange for long-term Structural Health."
Every time she read a sentence, someone on the Lin Wanqing side nodded slightly, or exchanged a "Sure enough" look.
And when Zhang Qingxue thought that "Path B (Persistent Contraction) may cause Capital Chain to be extremely nervous in the short term, and even cause technical default risks",
One Lin Faction executive even sighed softly, shook his head, and showed his body language of "this road is blocked".
Chen Xi added some data and details on the side, her tone even lower than Zhang Qingxue.
Especially when describing the various obstacles encountered in trying to find Alternative Financing Channels and the "disapproval" of industry insiders, his voice was almost inaudible, and he sounded completely frustrated.
After the report, the office fell into a brief silence.
There is a heavy atmosphere of "Facts Speak Louder Than Words" in the air.
Lin Wanqing cleared his throat gently and broke the silence.
She did not take the initiative to attack Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi. Instead, she said in a slightly regretful and heavy tone:
"Chairman Zhao, Director Zhang, Assistant Chen have tried their best, and everyone has seen it these days.
But the reality is that the bank's concerns are not groundless, and Market Confidence is also very fragile.
Although there are differences within our team, our starting point is for the good of the company.
Although the current plan seems to provide options, the risks involved... especially path B, I believe you can also understand."
She paused and looked at Zhao Chen earnestly:
"The top priority is how to stabilize the situation and tide over the current difficulties. Some decisions may really need to be more... prudent and pragmatic."
Her words not only demonstrated her "Overall Situation" attitude, but also confirmed Zhang Qingxue Chen Xi's "hard work but failure".
This move put the label of "prudent and pragmatic" on Zhao Chen, forcing him to make a "wise" choice in full view of the public.