Chapter Sixty-Two: The Meeting

The internet had been down all morning, so the update was a bit late; the second chapter will be posted at eight thirty tonight!

When Zhang Wei returned to the Zhongtong storefront, he was surprised to find the place empty. Just as he was about to ask someone, Wang Jianfa emerged from the meeting room and gestured for him to follow. Zhang Wei nodded and stepped inside, discovering that all the staff were gathered there. Xu Ming sat solemnly at the head of the table, with Li Lin, Wang Min, and Wen Fang seated to his left, Wang Jianfa to his right, and Guo Bin at the far end.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Wei felt as though he'd walked into a television drama, a court of judgment. Fortunately, he wasn't the one awaiting verdict—Guo Bin was. Zhang Wei couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: “Pitiful people often have themselves to blame. How true!”

Guo Bin had brought this upon himself. Murong Xuan had been Zhang Wei’s long-time client. Even if Murong Xuan had requested to rent, Guo Bin, knowing this, should have reminded Zhang Wei, not poached the client for himself.

Although the client resources at Zhongtong weren’t shared, colleagues working under the same roof were familiar with each other’s customers. If everyone acted like Guo Bin, there’d be no order in the company; not only would teamwork be impossible, but endless infighting would ensue.

So Guo Bin had violated two cardinal rules: poaching a colleague’s client and using company resources for personal deals. Either offense was grounds for immediate dismissal, and the company could even dock last month’s salary and commission.

“Brother Xu, sorry, I was held up by something just now,” Zhang Wei said apologetically, taking a seat at Xu Ming’s right.

“No problem, sit,” Xu Ming replied casually, pointing to a chair beside him.

“Everyone’s here. You all know what’s happened. Let’s hear your thoughts—how should we handle this?” Xu Ming’s face was calm, betraying no hint of joy or anger. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, increasing the pressure in the room.

As the saying goes, “The county official is no match for the manager at hand.” Xu Ming was just a store manager, but the authority he’d built over time made the staff wary of him. Guo Bin, as the culprit, kept his head low, almost buried in his lap.

After Xu Ming spoke, everyone glanced at each other, but no one dared to break the silence. The atmosphere grew more oppressive, like the calm before a storm.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

After a moment with no response, Xu Ming grew impatient, rapping the table loudly. “Li Lin, you’ve been here the longest. What’s your opinion?”

“Brother Xu, I may have been here a while, but I’ve never encountered something like this. How should I know what to do?” Li Lin deflected.

Before the situation was clearly defined, whoever spoke first risked steering the outcome or being contradicted. As the saying goes, “The bird that sticks its head out gets shot.” This wasn’t a pleasant matter, and Li Lin had no desire to take the lead.

Hearing Li Lin’s evasive response, Xu Ming snorted coldly, realizing further questioning would yield nothing useful. His gaze shifted to Wang Min, Wen Fang, and Wang Jianfa.

The three deliberately avoided his eyes, unwilling to offer their opinions. The reason was clear: no matter what stance they took, someone would be offended. Guo Bin had poached Zhang Wei’s client; if they advised against firing Guo Bin, Zhang Wei as the victim would resent them. If they suggested dismissal, and Guo Bin managed to stay, future relations would be strained.

The brokerage business seemed straightforward, but it was fraught with subtlety. Most who worked in the field were shrewd, adept at reading others.

Seeing Wang Min, Wen Fang, and Wang Jianfa dodging his gaze, Xu Ming realized they, like Li Lin, intended to protect themselves. Helpless, he turned to Zhang Wei, who met his eyes directly, evidently ready to offer a suggestion.

Xu Ming had left Zhang Wei for last, fearing that Zhang Wei, aggrieved by Guo Bin’s poaching, would demand his dismissal—an outcome Xu Ming preferred to avoid.

After all, if an agent at the store conducted personal deals, it reflected poorly on him as manager, potentially marking him as incompetent and jeopardizing his chances for promotion.

“Zhang Wei, let’s hear your thoughts,” Xu Ming said, unable to ignore Zhang Wei, who was looking at him intently.

Since his return, Guo Bin had been on edge, terrified that Xu Ming would fire him. That would mean not only losing a month’s pay and commission, but perhaps being unable to find work in the industry again.

Hearing that Xu Ming was consulting with the staff rather than dismissing him outright, Guo Bin felt a glimmer of hope, wishing someone would speak on his behalf, perhaps softening Xu Ming’s heart.

Yet, to Guo Bin’s dismay, neither Li Lin, Wang Min, Wang Jianfa, nor Wen Fang offered a word in his defense. His hopes sank.

Now that Xu Ming had asked Zhang Wei’s opinion, Guo Bin abandoned hope altogether. In his mind, since he’d stolen Zhang Wei’s client and often opposed him, Zhang Wei would surely want him gone and push for his dismissal.

“Brother Xu, no one is without fault. We’ve all been colleagues for some time; if nothing else, let’s show a little mercy. I think if Guo Bin acknowledges his mistake and is willing to change, perhaps we can forgive him just this once,” Zhang Wei said, upright and magnanimous.

His words stunned everyone in the meeting room. No one expected Zhang Wei to speak up for Guo Bin. A brief silence fell, so quiet the sound of swallowing could be heard.

In fact, from the moment Zhang Wei entered, he’d been studying Xu Ming’s eyes, trying to gauge his thoughts. He sensed that Xu Ming didn’t want to fire Guo Bin; such an action wouldn’t only shame Guo Bin, but make the Zhongtong store the talk of the brokerage industry.

But as store manager and final decision-maker, Xu Ming couldn’t make that suggestion himself. He had hoped one of the others would plead for Guo Bin, allowing him to gracefully keep Guo Bin on.

Unexpectedly, the four, unwilling to offend Zhang Wei, remained aloof, leaving Zhang Wei to propose a solution. Xu Ming had assumed Zhang Wei would seize the opportunity to cast Guo Bin out, but instead, Zhang Wei advocated for mercy.

“Brother Xu, I think Zhang Wei makes sense. Let’s forgive Guo Bin this time; I believe he won’t repeat the mistake,” Wen Fang said, surprised yet supportive.

Wen Fang knew Guo Bin had always liked her. By rights, she should speak for him, but given his violation of company rules, and her own responsibilities as store assistant, she couldn’t be the first to plead.

“I agree, Brother Xu. Guo Bin is still young; mistakes are inevitable. Rather than firing him outright, why not let him redeem himself?” Wang Min suggested.

“That’s a good idea! Let him clean the store for a month—contribute something to us,” Li Lin said slyly.

“Yes, if he isn’t taught a lesson, he’ll make the same mistake again. I think this is a good proposal,” Wang Jianfa nodded in agreement.

Since Zhang Wei had let it go, Wang Jianfa saw no reason to oppose him. Besides, getting someone to clean for free was a good deal.

“All right, I asked for your opinions earlier and you were silent. Now that Zhang Wei has spoken, you’re all chiming in after the fact,” Xu Ming said, feigning annoyance as he slapped the table.

“Guo Bin, what do you think of their proposal? You won’t be fired, nor will this be reported to headquarters, but you must clean the store for a month without pay,” Xu Ming asked.

“Brother Xu… I… thank you so much. I agree, absolutely,” Guo Bin said, fists clenched, sitting upright with excitement. His old stutter returned in the heat of the moment.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Xu Ming waved him off. “You should thank Zhang Wei. If not for his generosity and willingness to forgive, this would not have been resolved so easily.”

Hearing Xu Ming’s words, Guo Bin felt a flood of emotions—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy all at once. He’d always been at odds with Zhang Wei, and now, after stealing his client, Zhang Wei had interceded on his behalf, leaving Guo Bin with a profound sense of defeat and shame.

The author has launched a poll regarding the heroine. If interested, feel free to cast your vote!