My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 144 - 119: Vision

Chapter 144: Chapter 119: Vision

"Mr. Tang, how many years have you been with the company?"

"Seven years, Chairman Gao, I’ve been with the company right from the start, working in human resources."

Sitting opposite, Tang Yun’s heart was somewhat apprehensive.

Although Gao Yuan’s smile seemed amiable, anyone who had seen Gao Yuan’s tactics wouldn’t think of her as a harmless housewife anymore.

"Seven years, many people’s marriages don’t even last that long. Mr. Tang, being both a company veteran and having deeply cultivated one area for many years, is truly rare."

Tang Yun’s heart stirred.

Rare? What was she hinting at?

"I heard Mr. Tang got divorced and is raising a child alone?"

Tang Yun was stunned for a moment.

The other party even knew about this?

Originally, she had thought that the chairman would be completely ignorant about the company, but it now seemed that she had come well-prepared...

"I’ve been too busy with work, and after starting a family, I devoted myself entirely to my job, which must be amusing to you, Chairman Gao, haha!" Tang Yun said with a bitter smile.

"I actually envy you. I wanted to become someone like Mr. Tang, but fate had other plans, and I never managed to become what I wanted to be... Haha! I guess we share a camaraderie in that respect."

These heartfelt words resonated with Tang Yun, also being a woman.

"Is it hard for Mr. Tang to raise a child alone?"

"It’s okay, the child has grown up now, and there are nannies at home. The most difficult time has passed."

"That’s not easy..."

In the conversation that followed, Gao Yuan did not mention Tang Yun’s work at all, nor did she ask Tang Yun to choose sides and show loyalty as Tang had guessed. Instead, they chatted casually like old friends about various household trivialities.

After the conversation, Tang Yun felt that the new chairman was not only shrewd but also sincere, and she felt a renewed sense of closeness between them.

When Tang Yun left the conference room, Gao Yuan watched her back and smiled faintly.

In the Six Ministries system of the Qing Dynasty, ranked by importance, it was always the Ministry of Revenue first, followed by the Ministry of Personnel.

Because one managed money, the other managed people.

Similarly, in modern corporate management, the role of HR director is considered the third most important in many companies, right after the general manager and the finance director.

The current situation was clear: Jiang Wenmin and the finance team were in cahoots, but Tang Yun wasn’t part of their group, or at least not deeply entangled.

This aligned with Gao Yuan’s initial assessment.

Even a poor board of directors wouldn’t have let Jiang Wenmin gather all three heavyweights under his wing; doing so could easily sideline the board, and there must have been a balance of power.

If they were to suppress Jiang Wenmin’s faction, it was natural to appease or even support another faction.

Being from HR, Tang Yun’s insight into people and affairs wouldn’t be too off the mark, so Gao Yuan didn’t play any tricks but instead played the emotional card directly.

As long as Tang Yun wasn’t foolish, she wouldn’t fail to recognize the olive branch being extended to her.

The next one to enter was the finance director, Liu Ye, who was also one of the executives who had submitted his resignation.

When this finance director with a somewhat stiff expression and a beer belly took his seat, Gao Yuan’s first words threw him for a loop.

"I’ve heard that Manager Liu changes secretaries quite frequently, haven’t you?"

"This..."

She hadn’t just joined the company, so how could she know about his affairs in the company? Had he been targeted from the start?

Or was it... Tang Yun?!

"Ah! I... I have high expectations for my subordinates," Liu Ye said, feeling more puzzled by Gao Yuan.

In fact, Gao Yuan’s tactics weren’t anything too sophisticated; she had a female bodyguard pretend to be a company employee and gather some office gossip from the company’s break room.

These minor rumors were inconsequential and wouldn’t have any real impact on the other party.

But starting from small incidents could easily give someone the impression, "don’t pretend, I know you very well."

"Is that so? What does Director Liu think about his current salary? Are you satisfied with the company’s benefits? Feel free to speak openly, we have plenty of time..." Gao Yuan said with a meaningful smile.

...

As soon as Tang Yun returned to the doorway of the large conference room, she saw Jiang Wenmin and a few others whispering and smoking in the hallway.

Upon seeing Tang Yun return, Jiang Wenmin looked at her.

"Mr. Tang, what did Chairman Gao talk to you about?"

"Oh, just some household small talk," Tang Yun said indifferently.

Household small talk? Was that all?

Their expressions were skeptical.

Tang Yun could see what they were thinking but couldn’t be bothered to explain. She had come to understand that Jiang Wenmin was probably like a grasshopper after autumn, unable to leap for much longer.

This new chairman was astute, and they were just not on the same level.

Twenty minutes later, Liu Ye came back with a somewhat odd expression.

The others immediately gathered around him.

"Elder Liu, you didn’t confess, did you?"

"Confess what? What kind of person do you think I am!"

"What did she ask you?"

"She asked me if I was satisfied with my current salary..."

"Hm..."

Seeing the suspicious glances of the others sweep back and forth over him, Liu Ye naturally understood what they were thinking and immediately waved his hands in denial.

"Can’t you see? The other party is trying to sow discord. You must not fall for it!"

"Elder Liu is right. Let’s not panic everyone. As long as we don’t have any issues ourselves, Gao Yuan won’t be able to do anything to us!" Jiang Wenmin saw that the situation was somewhat ominous and quickly stepped forward to say.

About ten more minutes passed, and the third person returned with an ugly expression.

"How was it? Did Gao Yuan still ask you about your salary?"

"No, she asked me why I wanted to resign. Was it because I was dissatisfied with the company, or if someone was instructing me. She also asked if there was anything I needed to confess, and in the end, that lawyer read me a bunch of legal provisions regarding potential harm to the company’s interests...

In the end, she gave me an email address, saying I could contact her at any time and that the opportunity was only once."

emm...

All eyes once again turned to Liu Ye.

How come the two of you are giving different accounts?

"Hey, hey! Why are you all looking at me like this? Can’t you see that she is clearly trying to frame me!" Liu Ye glared at the others angrily.

"Don’t start imagining things! I believe in Elder Liu. This is absolutely a psychological trick! Gao Yuan thinks she can break us one by one with these tactics, but she’s too naïve!" Jiang Wenmin could only once again step up to steady people’s hearts.

He seemed certain, but in fact, he was becoming more and more anxious inside.

The resignation group of six who could be executives were naturally smart enough to see the trick Gao Yuan was playing.

They understood the principle, but... the other side was playing a completely open game!

The so-called prisoner’s dilemma.

Two suspects are caught by the police after committing a crime. The police know they are guilty but lack sufficient evidence.

The police tell each person that if both suspects deny their guilt, they’ll serve one-year sentences each.

If both admit their guilt, they’ll get five years each.

If one confesses and the other denies, the confessor goes free, while the denier gets ten years.

Thus, each prisoner faces two choices: to confess or to deny.

For an individual, regardless of the accomplice’s choice, the best option for each prisoner is to confess.

If the accomplice denies and one confesses, they go free; if they both deny, it’s a one-year sentence, so confessing is better.

If the accomplice confesses and one confesses as well, it’s five years versus ten for denying—confessing is still the better option.

For the group, however, if both suspects confess, they both get five-year sentences.

If both deny, they each get one year, which is clearly the better outcome for the group.

The profound issue that the prisoner’s dilemma reflects is that human individual rationality can sometimes lead to collective irrationality.

Faced with personal versus collective interests, most people will choose personal gain; however, this is often not the optimal solution for the group. That is the prisoner’s dilemma.

So... facing this choice where confessing could mean exoneration, while denying could mean incarceration, what would Jiang Wenmin and the other five choose?

The group observed and mistrusted each other in secret.

Distrust gradually fermented in this slightly lengthy wait...

Jiang Wenmin knew the problem they faced, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

From the moment Gao Yuan was unaffected by their resignations, their small group had already been at an absolute disadvantage; the initiative had shifted into Gao Yuan’s hands.

Chanting slogans and talking about unity couldn’t change anything, it just exposed their insecurities.

His face was a mix of light and shadow, indicating that these people, who had come together for mutual benefit, were unlikely to trust each other greatly—ghosts probably wouldn’t believe it either.

If someone spilled everything, he feared that not even the chance to take up a post with the Xu family would remain...

...

Jiang Wenmin was the general manager, but for some reason, he was the last of the six to enter the small conference room, and the time each person spent inside seemed to get longer and longer.

As he entered, he saw Gao Yuan’s seemingly mocking gaze.

Under that look, all the suspicion and pressure Jiang Wenmin had accumulated over this period suddenly erupted.

"Chairman Gao! I... I confess!"

Lin Haitang was stunned for a moment.

Had the... leader surrendered?

Having witnessed the entire process, she was deeply shaken inside.

She turned her head toward the woman who looked ordinary, who just yesterday was still a housewife...

This was a born CEO!

Could this be the real reason why Meng Lang chose to collaborate with her?

The mysterious organization, not only remarkable in intelligence but also keen in headhunting?!