Chapter 137: Super Employee (Bonus Chapter for 40 Monthly Votes!)

That evening, Yang Tian went to ask for leave from Bao Yuehong. Initially, she was reluctant, but once she heard that Yang Tian was determined to apply for Binhai University, she agreed; after all, with his academic performance, gaining admission to Binhai University was a certainty.

Furthermore, Yang Tian’s situation was unique. Even if he were to turn the world upside down outside of school, it would never affect his grades—a fact that not only Bao Yuehong but all of his teachers had witnessed firsthand.

The next day, Yang Tian reported to the Shengda Investment Group. He arrived at nine o’clock, by which time the staff had already begun their workday.

The reception desk directed Yang Tian straight to the Personnel Department, which in turn sent him to the Business Department—the foundational division of Shengda.

His new colleagues in the Business Department were surprised by this sudden addition of a young clerk. Consequently, they assigned him to the team with the lowest status, the Fifth Group, led by Li Haiyan. Because she was a veteran of the Zhang family, everyone addressed her as Director Li, though her team members preferred to call her Sister Li.

"Sister Li, we have a new colleague in the Business Department, and he’s been assigned to our group!" The young man who brought Yang Tian to the Fifth Group was named Zhou Xing. Although he was young, everyone called him Brother Xing. When Brother Xing led Yang Tian into the group, he wore a look of utter bewilderment. Calling him a "colleague" felt unreliable; whether judged by age or appearance, the guy still looked like a high school student. Shengda was a formal investment group—how could they hire someone so young?

"What’s your name?" Sister Li was startled. She had only received a call from Personnel stating a new hire was coming. She had expected some big shot who might change the fate of the Fifth Group, not a young kid. Her tone held a hint of disappointment.

"Yang Tian," Yang Tian replied respectfully. Since he was here to learn, he would maintain a humble attitude.

"Yang Tian? Late on your first day? I haven't seen your resume. Are you a university graduate or a postgraduate?" Sister Li snapped. Her outburst scared Brother Xing into scurrying away, though he couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude as he left. Sister Li was at it again; this was her management style. She always gave newcomers a hard time to ensure they would be obedient later on.

"High school... I haven't graduated yet," Yang Tian said with an apologetic smile.

"Not even finished high school? Then how did you get into Shengda? Did you pull strings?" Sister Li was truly shocked. The baseline for hiring at Shengda this year was a university degree, yet here was someone who hadn't even finished middle school. She knew one thing for certain: this kid must have significant connections.

"No. I just asked someone to let me intern for a few months to gain some experience," Yang Tian said with a smile. To avoid drawing too much attention, he had specifically asked Zhang Xiuxiu not to reveal their relationship to anyone, allowing him to navigate Shengda on his own and learn as much as he could.

"An intern? Fine then. Go find Zhou Xing and have him take you under his wing," Sister Li felt relieved. She had feared some "princeling" had arrived, but if he was just an intern, she could have someone look after him for a few months and then send him on his way.

As she dismissed Yang Tian, Sister Li grumbled to herself. The department heads were truly infuriating, dumping this unknown kid into her group just to create more headaches for her.

By the time Yang Tian found Zhou Xing, the Fifth Group was preparing to head out to negotiate a business deal. Yang Tian arrived just in time, so Zhou Xing took him along.

Shengda Investment Group’s operations were comprehensive. The First Group handled trade, the Second handled services, the Third handled manufacturing, and the Fourth handled technology. These were the mainstream investment sectors. The Fifth Group, however, was currently the "chicken rib"—unappetizing but hard to discard—as it was responsible for startups.

Despite the turn of the century making entrepreneurship a trend, most investment firms were still afraid to touch this sector, as startup ventures often resulted in more losses than gains.

Yang Tian boarded a van with Zhou Xing and his team, heading east along Huangshan Road.

"So, tired of school and want to try your hand at business?" Seeing that Yang Tian had been reprimanded by Sister Li earlier, Zhou Xing struck up a conversation out of a sense of shared misery.

"Yes. I want to learn something," Yang Tian said with a squinted smile. What he learned in the Business Department wouldn't help him much in the stock market, but he believed that working at the grassroots level would give him insight into market conditions and the psychology of rank-and-file employees, which would be useful for human resource management in the future.

"Heh, what can you learn from this? To put it bluntly, we’re just pimps. We do whatever it takes to hook a client so we can get our commission," Zhou Xing was a straightforward person and spoke his mind.

"I wouldn't say that. Starting from the bottom and working hard is quite necessary," Yang Tian replied, accepting the cigarette Zhou Xing offered. He lit it, not out of a habit of constant smoking, but to blend in with the group.

"Three years ago, when I started, I felt the same way. But now... heh, little brother, as an old hand, I have to teach you something: working hard at the grassroots is nonsense. Finding ways to boost business volume and get money into your own pocket is what matters. Otherwise, even if you’re the most diligent person in the company, you won’t have a chance to advance. Take me, for example—I didn't realize this early on, so I’ve been a salesman for three years," Zhou Xing spoke with a mix of cynicism and self-mockery.

"Brother Xing, don't teach the kid bad habits! This is what they call a newborn calf not fearing the tiger. Let him explore and learn for himself!" the others chimed in, laughing like seasoned veterans.

Yang Tian just smiled. He understood what Zhou Xing was saying. Life for front-line sales staff was difficult and competitive, and the brutal performance metrics forced them to become shrewd and cunning.

Soon, the van arrived at a business teahouse called "Binhai Beauty." The team got out and went straight to a rustic private room on the second floor; they were clearly regulars.

They were met by a middle-aged man who was quite overweight, making his Seven Brand business suit look rather ill-fitting.

"Find a seat, eat and drink whatever you want—it’s on their tab anyway," Zhou Xing advised Yang Tian with the wisdom of experience. After sitting down, he whispered, "When we start negotiating, it’s best you don't say anything. Just watch us hoodwink him."

Yang Tian smiled and nodded, then began to sip his tea, watching Zhou Xing and his team negotiate with the fat boss.

The man, Gao Xinhua, wanted to start a company producing energy-saving lamps. Shengda had already completed the preliminary audit of his project, and the firm’s senior investment consultants had assessed and discussed the risks.

Energy-saving lamps had great market potential, so Shengda was willing to invest, tasking the Fifth Group with handling the specific negotiations for this creative project.

"Mr. Gao, you mentioned in your application that your energy-saving lamps are innovative and have significant market potential. Could you tell us more about your production features and primary marketing strategy?" Zhou Xing, the leader of the negotiation team, pulled out a stack of documents after some small talk.

"Yes, our lamps use European energy-saving technology. Even though the price is a bit higher than other manufacturers, they save two to three times more electricity than similar products. Furthermore, their lifespan is five thousand hours longer. Our main target is the Binhai Development Zone; those high-tech enterprises there will certainly be interested in our products," Gao Xinhua said confidently.

"Very well. We will soon arrange for a team to visit your company to conduct a preliminary audit of your technology, market potential, scale, and management. Then we can proceed to the next round of talks," Zhou Xing said with an air of professional gravity. Investment firms, as providers of capital to startups, naturally carried a sense of superiority as creditors, and Zhou Xing was enjoying that power.

"That's good, but please hurry—I want to get started as soon as possible!" Gao Xinhua felt a bit deflated. Although he knew that obtaining funding from an investment firm involved a complex process that could take months, he, like every entrepreneur, hoped to secure the funds quickly to realize his dream.

"Yes, it will be quick. Shengda’s efficiency is several times faster than other investment firms," Zhou Xing said with a straight face, before turning his attention to the lavish meal Gao Xinhua had ordered.

Seeing this, Yang Tian shook his head with a smile. Was this what they called "business negotiation"? It was more like coming here for a free meal! While investment firms did need to be cautious to minimize risk, failing to be flexible with such mechanisms could cause many creative enterprises to miss their window of opportunity.

The Binhai Development Zone was currently under massive construction. If they could secure orders for these lamps from the enterprises there, they could make a significant profit. But if they missed the timing and other manufacturers snatched the business, Gao Xinhua’s deal would likely fall through.

"Boss Gao, the construction in the Development Zone is mostly controlled by the Construction Bureau. Are you sure your lamps can be sold there?" Yang Tian, who hadn't touched the food, asked after a moment of thought.

He had read Gao Xinhua’s application; the lamps were indeed modern, and the technology was European-based. But to successfully open up the market in the Development Zone, quality alone wouldn't be enough—you needed connections within the Construction Bureau.

"Well, of course! Guo Tao, a key technical staff member in the Planning Department of the Construction Bureau, is a relative of my distant cousin. He says it will work!" Gao Xinhua understood the subtext of Yang Tian’s question, but since he saw the boy as just a kid, he didn't feel it was necessary to explain further.

"The basic construction of the Development Zone should be finished by the end of October, and the streetlights and decorative lights will be needed immediately. If we provide the first round of startup capital now, can you guarantee that you can produce this batch of lamps by the end of October?" Yang Tian continued to ask with a smile.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Our production line can be fully operational within a week of receiving the funds!" Gao Xinhua knew Yang Tian was a newcomer and perhaps impatient, so he didn't put much effort into his answer, but since Yang Tian was with Shengda, he couldn't ignore him.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing and his team stared at Yang Tian in disbelief, wondering what this newcomer was trying to do. Zhou Xing had kicked Yang Tian under the table several times to stop him from meddling, but Yang Tian seemed oblivious, leaving the team both annoyed and helpless.