CHAPTER 437: CHAPTER 437: LET’S HAVE A MEAL TOGETHER

"Mr. Xu, please give us one more chance, we promise we will never look down on people again..." The female store manager still wanted to struggle in desperation, because losing this job was not a small matter for her—it was her livelihood! If it took swallowing her pride and begging, forgetting about dignity, self-respect, and face, she would do it without hesitation to salvage the situation.

"No need, your mistake is one of character, not work attitude, so I cannot give you a chance to rectify your errors. I hope that after leaving Soup City, you will learn from this experience and fix this habit of judging others by their appearance." Xu Xiuxiu did not intend to entertain her pleas. With a cold snort, she interrupted the store manager’s begging. She knew well that principles should not be compromised because of pleading. There are many people in the world who need jobs, but she was not a philanthropist who could take care of everyone. With thousands of employees at Soup City, if she sympathized with everyone, how could she manage?

Besides, if it were not a matter of principle, there might be room for discussion. Since it was a matter of principle, she should not be soft-hearted. Once she finished speaking, Xu Xiuxiu’s sharp gaze turned to the manager of Soup City who had spoken out earlier.

In her past life, Xu Xiuxiu was a senior HR in a top 500 global company. She wouldn’t claim to have seen countless people, or that her discerning eyes could penetrate all the twists and turns of corporate companies, but she was quite experienced. She knew that people in Hua Country always believed in the notion that "having connections makes things easier," and that in every company, there were bound to be relationships of favoritism, significant or not. The manager who had just spoken up in support of the female store manager evidently had a special relationship with her. She didn’t intend to further investigate or hold collective punishment for this, but if it happened again, Xu Xiuxiu would not hesitate to showcase her severe methods.

The solitary look that Xu Xiuxiu gave was enough to make the manager feel terrified, and Lu Zhenglin followed suit, his throat seemingly smoking out of sheer urgency, purely out of irritation. At this moment, he truly wished he could turn around and fiercely scold the fool who had spoken out, failing to grasp the reality of the situation. Regardless of his urgency, he had to forcefully restrain himself, which resulted in a profuse cold sweat on his forehead.

After walking out of the first luxury store, Xu Xiuxiu visited several more stores and fired a number of sales associates, which shocked everyone. Those who had not been made examples of by Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved. After all, as luxury store sales associates, these employees often felt somewhat superior and occasionally faced picky customers; they were not saints, and no one could maintain a good mood at all times, treating every customer like they were serving God.

Xu Xiuxiu’s requirements for them were not high—just to fulfill their duties and show customers the minimum respect.

As for those she had ferociously fired today, their behavior was simply too outrageous. Today, she had dressed simply when she entered the store, and they had treated her with that attitude, which indicated that their usual attitude towards customers might not have been any better. It was as if the customers owed them a huge debt, so there was absolutely no way to forgive such behavior.

After promptly firing those ’bad apples’ of Soup City, Xu Xiuxiu then returned to the executive office first.

Since the opening of Soup City, Xu Xiuxiu had treated talent management very seriously, so the people standing before her were all experienced and capable individuals. Although Xu Xiuxiu really wanted to give them a piece of her mind, she was not foolish enough to choose the wrong setting. Once she returned to the executives’ office, wrapping her arms across her chest, she turned to look at the line of executives who had walked into the office behind her and stood silently, her lips slightly parted.

"Everyone present is older than me and has extensive experience. I don’t want to say things that are too harsh to embarrass you, but..." Xu Xiuxiu spoke chillingly, her gaze momentarily resting on the executive who had earlier spoken up, "you better not take me, Xu Xiuxiu, for a fool. Just because I play dumb does not mean I am actually dumb. Your little tricks are child’s play to me. If you wish to play tricks, I am a hundred times more professional than you. So, I will spare you the harsh words, but remember this—if such low-level mistakes are caught by me again, you might as well pack your bags and leave, because Soup City does not keep pests and useless people!" Her tone, stern and imposing, was intentionally forceful to discipline these wavering executives.

"Rest assured, Mr. Xu! Today’s issues indeed reflect our failure in management. I promise I will strengthen our management systems to prevent such incidents from happening again," Lu Zhenglin was the first to express his clear stance.

"That’s enough, I’ve heard enough of such grand-sounding statements. I don’t need your promises; I just need to see results. I hope you won’t disappoint me again, or make me feel that the high salaries you receive are a joke," Xu Xiuxiu seriously countered.

"Of course, rest assured, Mr. Xu!" Hearing this, a group of executives also chorused in response.

Xu Xiuxiu nodded at this and then decided to go home to rest. However, by noon, the news of the firings had already spread across Soup City, with many demonizing Xu Xiuxiu. As one of the shareholders, Ye Hua was naturally aware of this and expressed his agreement; after all, he had no doubts about Xu Xiuxiu’s capabilities.

Moreover, Xu Xiuxiu was not a person to act arbitrarily on her own. As a collaborator, she was always careful and not overly autocratic with her actions. Although these matters were trivial, she knew Ye Hua would not mind, but she still made a point to call him.

"If it needs to be done, go ahead and shake things up!" Ye Hua had collaborated with Xu Xiuxiu on developing Soup City, from initially mortgaging properties and cars in a dire financial situation to now turning Soup City into a resort village with the largest amusement facilities and the most complete range of luxury items in the country, the two had long established a solid trust and understanding. Even though Ye Hua was well aware of Xu Xiuxiu’s mindset, being a self-controlled and measured man, he kept his feelings unwarped, harboring simple thoughts and filled with blessings. Their cooperation was also built on trust.

"Since you’re back in City Z, let’s have dinner together tonight!" Ye Hua invited Xu Xiuxiu to dinner.