On the evening of the 31st, Shan City International Conference Center.
Henglong Group This year's annual meeting was held in the largest banquet hall of Shan City.
The 1,200 seats are packed.
More than 600 employees from Henglong Headquarters, plus more than 300 employees from Haoyu Construction, filled the entire hall to capacity.
The lights on the stage were so bright that it read "Henglong Group 2018 New Year's Annual Meeting" in large characters on the background board, and below it was a line of small characters - "Making progress in stability, working together for win-win results".
When Zhao Chen arrived, the banquet hall was already busy.
Administrative Director Zhou Haisheng stood at the door to greet the guests. His suit was straight and the smile on his face was three points more than usual.
Seeing Zhao Chen, he quickly came up to greet him, "Zhao Zong, everything has been arranged.
Your seat is at the main table, and Mr. Chen Xi and Mr. Su are also there. The guests you mentioned are arranged next to Mr. Chen."
Zhao Chen nodded.
The guests he was talking about were Shen Zhiyi and her three roommates.
Zhou Haisheng lowered his voice and said:
"In addition, we have invited several local celebrities to join in the fun tonight. They are all well-known, there are no big names, so the atmosphere should be good."
Zhao Chen patted his shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work."
When Zhao Chen walked into the banquet hall, he saw Shen Zhiyi at a glance.
She was sitting next to Chen Xi, wearing a light blue dress, her hair draped over her shoulders, and was talking to Chen Xi.
Zhou Xiaowen is sitting on her right side, wearing a bright red coat, which is particularly conspicuous.
Chen Shuhua and Li Jing were sitting further to the side, one was drinking tea quietly, and the other was looking down at his mobile phone.
When Zhao Chen walked over, Zhou Xiaowen was the first to spot him:
"Chairman Zhao is here!" Her voice was loud, and people at several tables around her looked over.
Shen Zhiyi raised his head and saw Zhao Chen, the corners of his mouth curved.
Chen Xi stood up and gave up his seat to Zhao Chen: "Zhao Zong, you sit here."
Zhao Chen did not refuse and sat next to Shen Zhiyi.
Chen Xi moved next to Su Wantang, and the two exchanged glances without speaking.
"When did you arrive?" Zhao Chen asked Shen Zhiyi.
"We'll be here in the afternoon. Teacher Chen asked someone to pick us up."
Shen Zhiyi whispered, "It's so big here, we almost got lost."
Zhou Xiaowen came over and said, "Chairman Zhao, your company is too awesome! How much does it cost to hold an annual meeting for more than a thousand people?"
Zhao Chen smiled, "It's only once a year, it's time to spend it."
Zhou Xiaowen was about to continue asking, but was pulled by Chen Shuhua: "Don't be so loud."
Zhou Xiaowen stuck out his tongue and retracted it.
Li Jing was sitting at the very edge, Jingjing drinking a drink quietly, occasionally glancing at the lights on the stage, his expression was very calm.
At seven o'clock sharp, the annual meeting officially begins.
The host walked onto the stage - it was a host from Shan City Television Station, specially invited by Zhou Haisheng.
The opening remarks are very standard, thank you for the past year, look forward to the new year, and then invite Zhao Chen to give a speech.
When Zhao Chen stood up, the whole place fell silent.
He wore a dark blue suit today without a tie, looking a little less serious and more casual than usual.
He walked onto the stage, stood in front of the microphone, and looked around.
"Good evening, colleagues."
The whole audience applauded.
Zhao Chen waited for the applause to subside a little and continued:
"Today is January 31st, and the first month of 2018 has just passed.
Logically speaking, the annual meeting is held before Spring Festival, so it should be called the 'Welcoming Spring Festival Gala Meeting'.
But Mr. Zhou told me that the annual meeting was not held last year and everyone had been holding back for a year. It must be held this year, and it must be bigger.
So today, we call it the 'annual meeting' - making up for last year's events and celebrating this year's events together."
Someone in the audience laughed.
Zhao Chen said, "Henglong has done a lot of things in the past year.
Sold Henglong Property, received Haoyu Construction, and cleared all Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities.
This time last year, Henglong's Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities still had 3 billion. Now, it's cleared."
He paused and his voice slowed down a bit:
"In February last year, I promised one thing - if the debt ratio drops below 50% at the end of the year, all employees will receive 20% Special Bonus.
The money was sent to your account last week."
There was a round of applause from the audience.
Some people whistled, others clapped very hard.
A middle-aged man sitting in the third row stood up and shouted "Zhao Zong mighty" and was pulled down by the person next to him, but Zhao Chen saw it and smiled in that direction.
"This is not my money," Zhao Chen said,
"It is money earned by everyone together. Without your hard work, Henglong would not be where it is today.
Therefore, you deserve this bonus."
The applause became even louder.
Zhao Chen raised his hand and pressed it, and then continued after calming down:
"In 2018, the key word for Henglong is one word - stability.
Don't seek speed, seek stability. Lay a good foundation first, and then think about running."
He looked at the audience. "I won't say more about how to stabilize it.
Today is an annual meeting, not a work meeting. Let's eat well, drink well and have fun."
There was another burst of applause from the audience.
Zhao Chen did not step down immediately, the host came up.
"Zhao Zong, stay, stay." The host said with a smile,
"It's a rare opportunity to meet you face to face. We have a few questions to ask you. It's not about work, it's just out of curiosity."
Zhao Chen glanced at the host, then looked at the expectant eyes in the audience, and smiled:
"You asked."
The host said, "The first question is, what are the recruitment criteria for Henglong?"
Zhao Chen thought for a while, "Two things. First, do things reliably. Second, be honest.
Education, experience, and background are all secondary. Reliability and authenticity are the most important."
The host asked, "Then how do you judge whether a person is reliable or not?"
Zhao Chen said, "Look at whether he is looking for excuses or solutions in the most difficult time."
Someone in the audience applauded.
The host also nodded, and then asked the second question - this question was obviously prepared in advance, but the time to ask it was just right.
"Zhao Zong, everyone is particularly curious about a question - when do you plan to get married?"
The audience immediately exploded.
Whistles, cheers, and laughter mixed together, and the atmosphere in the entire banquet hall was suddenly ignited.
Zhao Chen was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
He didn't look in the direction of Shen Zhiyi, but he could feel from the corner of his eye that there must be a red face in that corner.
"This question," Zhao Chen picked up the microphone, "Is more difficult to answer than the recruitment standards."
The audience laughed even harder.
Zhao Chen said, "Let's put it this way - when it's time to tie the knot, it will naturally be tied. I will let everyone know when the time comes."
The host did not let him go. "Can you tell me about when?"
Zhao Chen glanced at the host, then at the gossipy eyes in the audience, and said with a smile:
"You act like your parents are urging you to get married."
The whole audience burst into laughter.
The host also laughed and did not ask any further questions.
Zhao Chen took the opportunity to bring the topic back:
"The annual meeting is to make everyone happy, not to listen to me talk about personal matters. There are programs below, so I won't take up time."
He waved to the audience and prepared to leave the stage.
But the host stopped him again:
"Zhao Zong, there is another link. This year we have specially arranged an interaction with employee representatives. I would like to ask you to chat face to face with an employee."
Zhao Chen stopped and looked at the host.
This was a step that Zhou Haisheng had told him in advance, and he did not refuse.
"Okay." He said.
The host waved to the side stage.
A young girl walked out from behind the side curtain, wearing Henglong overalls and a ponytail, with a hint of nervousness on her face, but her eyes were bright.
She walked to the stage and stood next to Zhao Chen, holding a microphone in her hand.
"Zhao Zong is good." Her voice was a little shaky, but very clear.
"My name is Lin Xiaoman, I am Henglong Headquarters Finance Department. I just graduated last year and have been here less than a year."
Zhao Chen looked at her and smiled, "Don't be nervous. I only came here last year."
Someone in the audience laughed.
Lin Xiaoman took a deep breath and relaxed a little.
The host said, "Xiaoman, if you have anything you want to say to Zhao Zong, or if you want to ask, just say it."
Lin Xiaoman looked at Zhao Chen, and his voice slowly stabilized:
"Zhao Zong, I want to say something first - thank you.
Special Bonus I received it. The money is equivalent to more than two months of my salary.
For ordinary employees like me, it is really important."
She paused and her voice was a little harsh. "My family comes from a rural area, and it's not easy for my parents to support me in going to college.
I took half of the money home. My mother cried on the phone. She said, your boss is a good person."
The banquet hall became quiet. Zhao Chen looked at her and said nothing.
Lin Xiaoman continued, "So on behalf of ordinary employees, I want to say thank you."
Zhao Chen nodded and softened his voice. "You're welcome. That's what you deserve."
The host answers the call at the right time:
"Xiao Man, do you have any other questions? Or if you have any wishes, you can tell them in front of Zhao Zong."
Lin Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhao Chen and lowered his voice:
"Zhao Zong... I would like to ask on behalf of my colleagues, is there any Special Bonus in 2018?"
The audience was quiet for a second, then burst into cheers and laughter.
Someone shouted "Good question" and someone applauded.