Grief struck with overwhelming force, yet it receded as swiftly as it arrived, almost instantaneously. Strangely, after crying alone for a while, the emotion seemed to vanish, and memories ebbed away like the tide. In any case, though a bit numb, her mind was calm.
Quan Jiu freshened up slightly and went downstairs again. She brought up the packed meals and drinks and put them in the refrigerator. The next day at work, she took them to the company and distributed them to the employees.
As it was Monday, Quan Jiu followed the usual company procedure and summoned the management team to the conference room for a meeting. Department managers presented their plans for the week's work.
From this meeting, Quan Jiu deeply understood the importance of experience. These were excellent elites from one of the three major entertainment companies. Their work and plans were thorough, requiring little of her attention. Quan Jiu thus appropriately delegated authority to the department managers, with her only needing to provide the final signature for confirmation.
By the time the meeting concluded, it was already ten-thirty.
As Quan Jiu was about to head to her office, Guo Xiao caught up with her. "President Quan, the General Manager of the former Hei Li Public Relations Department is here. She was recommended by Teacher Bai Lin and has been waiting at the front desk for quite some time."
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "Alright, please ask her to wait for a moment."
Back in her office, Quan Jiu called Bai Lin. She asked directly, "When we had the collective signing last time, the Public Relations Department Manager refused, didn't she?"
Bai Lin sounded a bit surprised. "I didn't specifically invite her then, but because she was the department manager, I mentioned it out of politeness. I knew she definitely wouldn't come. What's wrong? Did she come now?"
Quan Jiu replied with an "Mm," adding, "I was just worried it might have been your special invitation, so I'm asking you first. Actually, I really recognize Cui Ting's ability, and I don't want to find her a superior."
Bai Lin nodded. "Zhou Qi knows how to handle people but not how to do things. She's very good at charming others with her words, but in terms of ability, she's no match for Cui Ting. If you don't want to hear flattery, then don't bring her in."
Quan Jiu chuckled, understanding the situation. After hanging up, she went to the front desk.
Meanwhile, at the front desk, Zhou Qi bumped into Cui Ting. Cui Ting, who was on her way to the restroom after the meeting, never expected to be stopped by Zhou Qi.
She knew why Zhou Qi was there without asking.
"Little Cui, oh my, it's so fate that we sisters meet again! I was just thinking about how we could continue working together, and then I looked up and saw you. Oh my, you've become so much prettier after a few days, your skin is so good."
Cui Ting feigned surprise and called out, "Sister Zhou," then smiled. "There's no overtime here, so my skin has gotten much better with more sleep."
Zhou Qi grabbed Cui Ting's hand and frowned. "Oh, Hei Li was really dark before, forcing us to work overtime every day. You looked so haggard back then. Now it's great, is the new company completely free of overtime? That's too fortunate."
Cui Ting chuckled twice and made small talk. "Are you looking for our boss? We just finished a meeting."
"It's alright, no rush. Bosses are busy people, I'll just wait," Zhou Qi laughed heartily, then picked up Cui Ting's employee ID card and looked at it. "This ID card is much better looking than Hei Li's. Hei Li's was so dark and gloomy, it looked creepy, like a funeral."
However, when she saw the position of Department Manager written on Cui Ting's ID card, her expression faltered, and she subtly put the card down.
"Where are you going? Let's have lunch together. We haven't seen each other in a long time, my treat," Zhou Qi said with a smile.
Cui Ting forced a dry smile and shook her head. "No need, the boss brought a lot of food today. There's a big pile in the refrigerator, and everyone said we'd share it for lunch."
Zhou Qi exclaimed, "Your boss is so humane, bringing food for everyone! Then I must stay for a meal at noon, hahaha."
Cui Ting felt as anxious as if she had a stomachache with no available stall, her entire being in torment.
She had worked with Zhou Qi for over two years and knew her former superior very well. She was eloquent and well-liked in the company, which was why, even without much public relations ability, Zhou Qi was still favored by the boss.
Back then, Zhou Qi delegated all departmental matters to her in her capacity as department manager, from work plans to staff arrangements and even emergency handling. Zhou Qi would only give her instructions and then wait for her results, finally presenting her achievements as her own to the boss.
As a result, in the boss's eyes, Zhou Qi was capable and personable, and greatly favored.
And she, Cui Ting, was like an anonymous work machine. She couldn't report her superior's actions, because the boss disliked it and would even think she was stirring up trouble.
If Zhou Qi had even a little bit of competence and didn't act like a figurehead, Cui Ting would have liked her. But Zhou Qi was the type who would leave work precisely at six o'clock, yet demand results the next day, forcing her to work until ten. In the end, Zhou Qi would loudly proclaim how hard she worked and how exhausted she was.
The key was that Zhou Qi did nothing, yet her salary was two to three times higher than Cui Ting's.
She simply couldn't like the person everyone else adored.
"I'm going to the restroom. Sister Zhou, please have a seat. The boss should be here soon," Cui Ting pretended to be in a hurry and, without waiting for Zhou Qi's reply, quickly jogged away.
When Quan Jiu arrived at the front desk, she happened to see Cui Ting's retreating back.
"Hello, sorry to have kept you waiting," Quan Jiu said with a smile as she approached.
Zhou Qi turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. "Heavens, you're so beautiful."
Quan Jiu smiled gently. "Thank you. I just finished a meeting. Let's go, we can talk in the conference room."
Zhou Qi was even more astonished. "You're the boss? You look so young."
The two went to the conference room.
Quan Jiu began, "Bai Lin mentioned you to me before, but it was during a peak period of new hires, and I didn't have the time to attend to it."
"Haha, it was because I had some family matters to attend to a while ago, so I haven't had the time to come," Zhou Qi replied.
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "As it happens, the company is currently looking for a group manager for the Employee Care team. If you're interested, I'll have the HR department discuss the salary and job responsibilities with you. You can start tomorrow."
With such a way with words, it would be a shame not to be involved in employee care.
"Ah?" Zhou Qi looked a bit stunned. "Employee Care... I haven't done that before. I've always worked in public relations."
"Actually, the working principles are the same. The public relations department is responsible for external personnel, and the employee care team is responsible for internal personnel. Employee goodwill towards the company, employee evaluations of the company, and employee happiness index within the company are all very important to the company. Although I've only had a brief interaction with you, I believe the group manager for the Employee Care team is you. You have that ability to know how to better interact with employees."
Zhou Qi laughed heartily again. "I'm naturally good at socializing, and I enjoy socializing. However, I haven't done employee care before and don't know what it entails, so I'm afraid it might not be suitable."
Quan Jiu smiled slightly. "It's alright, you can consider it. Or I can have the HR department talk to you. You can make a decision after you understand it."
This was good. Zhou Qi nodded. "Alright, then I'll talk to the HR department. Thank you, President Quan."
Quan Jiu stood up. "Then please have a seat."
After leaving the conference room, Quan Jiu notified the HR department to have the HR manager speak with Zhou Qi.
As for Zhou Qi, after everyone left and her mind calmed down, she realized she had come today aiming for the Public Relations Department Manager position, but now it was Employee Care? But it was too late to say anything now. Oh well... she'd listen to what this Employee Care was all about first.
Cui Ting returned from the restroom and happened to meet the HR department manager. She quickly asked for more information and confirmed that the person was indeed there to interview for Employee Care. Cui Ting was a bit surprised but relieved, as long as it wasn't to compete for the Public Relations Manager position.
With that thought, she hurried back to her workstation, determined to work even harder.