Chapter 17: The HR Meeting
He Runqi was squatting by the roadside, eyes red, still brooding over the first bitter setback of his working life.
"Still crying?" Li Tang teased with a smile.
"Who's crying? Don't talk nonsense!"
"I just swung by the HR office and picked up my meal card. There's a nice monthly allowance on it. Let's go—I'm buying you lunch in the company cafeteria."
"First and last meal in the company cafeteria, huh? I swear I'll eat until the company collapses!" He Runqi stood up, full of indignation.
Li Tang threw his arm around He Runqi's shoulders, and as they passed a trash can, he casually tossed the Zhenkuang Exploration Company contract into it.
"Hey! I haven't even decided whether I'm rejecting it or not!"
He Runqi spun around, trying to retrieve it, but Li Tang grabbed him back. "If I end up unemployed, I'll just freeload off you!"
Li Tang smirked mysteriously. "Come on, call me Dad."
"Huh?"
"Say 'Dad' and I'll bring you into Wukuang Group."
"Get lost!"
Li Tang laughed, not pressing any further. "I checked with HR—your contract was a mistake. You're officially on staff."
"Impossible!" He Runqi looked both surprised and skeptical.
"Ask them yourself this afternoon."
He Runqi stood frozen for a long moment, then finally released all the bottled-up frustration with a loud curse, "Holy—!"
After lunch, he spent the entire break trembling with nerves.
About half an hour into the afternoon shift, the HR office door finally opened.
He entered cautiously once more and came out strutting like a proud rooster, waving a formal contract in hand.
When he saw Li Tang, his cocky attitude hit full force. "I knew I was a talent!"
That afternoon, the two of them went to the logistics department to finalize onboarding, then followed a senior employee to find their dorms. Bedding, cookware, dishes, and even office supplies had all been prearranged.
New employee dorms were two-person rooms. Since Li Tang had signed his contract earlier, his dorm had already been assigned, so he didn't end up rooming with He Runqi.
Still, the two finally had a place to sleep in Yanjing.
…
"Today, we're holding a brief HR meeting," announced Zhou Tianqi, sitting at the head of the table with reading glasses perched on his nose.
Besides him, the meeting was attended by Yang Xueping, Qin Jianshe, and HR Director Li Liqun. Each had a personnel list in front of them.
"The company is expanding quickly. This year, we recruited 30 new employees—16 on official contracts, 14 under Zhenkuang Exploration. You all have the list. Let's discuss their departmental placements."
Zhou wasn't one for unnecessary talk. He was concise and direct. "Any suggestions or objections about department assignments?"
The room fell silent for a moment before Yang Xueping spoke up. "I have a proposal. Li Tang, a graduate from Yanjing Geology University, has proven himself to be thoughtful, forward-looking, and technically strong in mineral exploration. To put it in martial arts terms—he's a genius. I don't think we should bury his talents."
Though she didn't say it outright, it was clear: she wanted to move Li Tang to her department, the Mineral Exploration Division.
Zhou Tianqi seemed to have anticipated this and turned to Qin Jianshe. "Jianshe, your thoughts? Do you agree with Director Yang?"
"I don't object," Qin replied calmly.
Yang was a little surprised and smiled. "So, Director Qin agrees?"
"My agreement isn't the issue—it depends on whether Li Tang is willing. You know as well as I do that he not only proposed a new exploration strategy at Guanling but also showed brilliant insight during the Qianshan project evaluation."
"I already asked him—he said he's willing to follow any assignment."
"Well, even so, we should follow proper HR procedures. A verbal agreement isn't enough," Qin added.
"Director Li, draft a transfer document. Move Li Tang to the Mineral Exploration Department," Yang instructed the HR director.
Li Liqun, caught between two senior leaders, didn't know what to do.
Why were these two even fighting over a fresh university graduate?
Zhou helped ease the tension. "Let's ask Li Tang first and decide after."
Li Liqun breathed a sigh of relief—at least she wouldn't have to choose sides today.
"There's another item," Zhou said, flipping to a new form. "To improve management efficiency, both the Mineral Exploration and Resource Evaluation Departments will get a new team. Each has a candidate list for team leader. For the Resource Department, the nominees are: Hu Yangyu, Wei Shixing, and Li Tang."
Everyone already knew the nominees, but formal voting was required.
"All in favor of Hu Yangyu as team leader?"
Hu Yangyu was a veteran—formerly with the Mining and Metallurgy Co.—and by seniority alone, he was due for a promotion.
Li Liqun waited to see who else would raise their hand.
No one did.
"All in favor of Wei Shixing?"
Tap!
Li Liqun's elbow hit the table, making a small noise as she lifted her hand.
She figured if not Hu, it had to be Wei.
But the moment she raised her hand, she remembered the earlier tug-of-war between Yang and Qin over Li Tang.
Realizing she'd jumped too soon, she quickly lowered her hand again.
"Director Li, why'd you put your hand down?" Zhou asked with a grin.
"Sorry! I bumped the table—a reflex. Not an actual vote."
She laughed awkwardly, knowing her vote didn't matter much.
In normal situations, the votes of Zhou, Yang, and Qin were what really counted. Her vote only mattered in a tie.
"All in favor of Li Tang as team leader?"
Yang raised her hand immediately.
So did Zhou.
Li Liqun, sure she was safe now, also raised her hand.
Even Qin hesitated for a second—then lifted his hand too.
He hadn't expected Zhou and Yang to back Li Tang so decisively. His earlier worries were clearly unnecessary.
In big enterprises like Wukuang, interpersonal politics mattered, but raw talent still had power.
"Unanimous. Li Tang is now the new team leader of the Resource Evaluation Department's Sixth Group," Zhou declared. He flipped to another page. "Now, let's vote on the Mineral Department's new group leader…"
"Director Zhou," Yang interrupted, "let's hold off on that vote."
"Oh?"
"If Li Tang transfers to my department, he'll be the group leader."
"That's reasonable." Zhou nodded, glancing at the others. "Any objections?"
No one spoke.
As Zhou gathered the paperwork, he said, "Meeting adjourned."
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