CHAPTER 281: CHAPTER 281: RECRUIT AGAIN

"How many people need to be recruited?" the assistant took out his notebook and asked.

"Twenty."

"Alright, twen—wait, Mr. Xu, if we recruit twenty people, the office space isn’t big enough. Do we need to replan the area for the game team?" Seeing Xu Ke’s increasingly furrowed brow, the assistant inexplicably felt guilty, and his voice grew softer.

Xu Ke glanced disdainfully at the assistant and said coldly, "Why replan? Can’t we just fire them to make room?"

The people who had been standing there obediently listening to Xu Ke now looked at him with shock, surprise, and disbelief, as if he had done something wrong.

"Understood, I’ll notify them immediately." The assistant adjusted his glasses and spoke in a flat voice.

Just as the two were about to leave, someone from the game team called after Xu Ke, "Wait, why are you firing us? We’ve signed labor contracts with the company." The person’s tone was defiant.

"Why? You actually ask me why?" Xu Ke looked as if he had heard a funny joke, his smile widened, but his eyes carried a chill. Under such a gaze, the leader of the defiant group hesitated, but remembering Xu Corp’s good work environment, easy job, high salary, and the prestige it brought, he stopped hesitating and regained his arrogance.

"You turned the office into a trash heap, wearing flip-flops and home clothes, with hair like a bird’s nest, the smell in the air can’t be covered even with ten pounds of fragrance. On top of that, you blatantly watch TV, eat snacks, sleep, and play games during work hours. What, do you think Xu Corp spends heaps of money every month to let you retire here?" Xu Ke’s mocking gaze and tone were like sharp knives scraping across their faces, causing them to hang their heads in shame.

"I didn’t say anything just now to save face for you, but since you insist on making me say it, you all must move out by the end of today; Xu Corp will never employ you again." Xu Ke dropped this final bombshell, ignoring how devastated those hoping to reapply felt upon hearing it.

Xu Ke walked away nonchalantly, feeling that even one more second with them was a waste of time.

The assistant acted quickly, and within just an hour, Xu Ke had fired the entire game team. Everyone in the company knew about it, and they were all intimidated by Xu Ke’s decisive action. After learning why Xu Ke fired them, everyone was extra cautious, and there was a complete overhaul in the company’s morale.

"He actually fired the entire game team, now there’s no one who knows this game best. How will he handle this project?" In Chairman Miao’s office sat another company director, Chairman Lan.

Chairman Miao carefully wiped his beloved pocket watch with a handkerchief and said slowly, "Don’t underestimate our new CEO; he’s young, but not simple."

Hearing Chairman Miao, Chairman Lan paused his smoking action, "What news have you received?" Lan asked curiously.

Chairman Miao glanced at Lan, his lips curled in a faint, inscrutable smile, but he did not answer.

Seeing his friend just glance at him before lowering his head to polish his already shiny pocket watch, Lan stomped his foot anxiously, "We’ve been like brothers since childhood, we might even become in-laws someday. What can’t you tell me?" Lan said with a reproachful look.

"It’s not news, it’s intuition." Chairman Miao, having teased his friend enough, returned the pocket watch to its place and said seriously.

"Intuition?" Chairman Lan raised an eyebrow, his expression turned serious. Miao’s intuition had never been wrong.

"Yes, I can vaguely see a shadow of his father in him; if that man hadn’t died so young, Xu Corp’s future would have been limitless." Chairman Miao’s expression was nostalgic.

"His father was such a figure, no one who met him wasn’t impressed. But him? A snot-nosed brat, how can he compare to his father?" Lan’s expression showed a trace of disdain, "Moreover, such a figure in the Xu Family is a once-in-a-century occurrence. What, is their family grave producing talents out of thin air, another one pops out?" Lan said defiantly.

"Want to bet on it?" Miao asked with a smile.

Seeing Miao’s smile, Lan was silent for a moment. The next instant, he suddenly stood up from the sofa, without a word, and dashed out as if something were chasing him. It was only at the door that he spoke again, "You’ve swindled me out of countless treasures since we were kids, I’m not falling for it this time, give it up." With that, Lan slammed the door, effectively wiping Miao’s face from his view.

In the office, watching his friend’s childish behavior, Miao’s smile turned genuinely warm, "How old is he, acting like a kid?" Miao shook his head with a smile.

Meanwhile, the focal point of their discussion, Xu Ke, was in his office, seriously reviewing various documents on his desk, showing no signs of urgency.

The assistant watched as Xu Ke set down the papers and rubbed his forehead, hesitating whether to speak.

Just as the assistant was caught in his dilemma, Xu Ke glanced at him and said coldly, "Speak up."

Xu Ke’s sudden voice startled the assistant. Realizing Xu Ke was addressing him, the assistant nervously swallowed and said softly, "Mr. Xu, after firing so many people today, what will we do about the game project? HR definitely won’t be able to find so many people at once. If the project gets delayed because of this, the board will be dissatisfied, and you’ll be at risk. Shouldn’t we give those people another chance?" Under Xu Ke’s gaze, the assistant’s voice was almost as feeble as a mosquito.

No one knew why, even though Xu Ke hadn’t said anything harsh to him, just looking into Xu Ke’s eyes made him feel guilty and scared, his heart racing uncontrollably.

"It’s not a question of possibly not finding people, it’s definitely can’t find people." Looking at his timid assistant, Xu Ke mercifully said something unrelated to job instructions.

"Huh? Can’t be, our Xu Corp has such good work benefits, if we put effort into poaching people, we can definitely find them." The assistant adjusted his glasses and said dumbly.

"Someone won’t let me find people." Xu Ke looked down again, a faint, icy smile on his lips.