Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1558 Cow, Horse, and Chicken?

That day, as soon as Zhao Mei arrived at the company, she was called to the high-level office upstairs.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a dark carpeted corridor with promotional posters for Ghost's products hanging on the walls. Zhao Mei took a deep breath, straightened her collar, and walked towards White's office. The secretary saw her, nodded, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Rhett Butler sat behind his large desk, several documents spread out in front of him. He wore a dark blue suit, his tie was impeccably tied, and his blond hair was neatly combed. When he saw Zhao Mei enter, he looked up, his expression calm and unreadable.

"Zhao Mei, sit down." He gestured to the chair opposite him.

Zhao Mei sat down, placed her hands on her knees, and straightened her back.

Although Bai Ruide reinstated Zhao Mei, he remained dissatisfied with this unruly woman. That press conference had caused Guster's stock price to plummet, and the head of headquarters had berated him mercilessly over the phone. If it weren't for Qin Hao's sake, he would have sued this woman until she was bankrupt.

However, since he needed her help, he still praised Zhao Mei for her efforts in salvaging the company's image.

“Zhao Mei, the PR videos you made after you came back have been quite effective.” Bai Ruide leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on the table. “Negative comments on social media are decreasing, and positive public opinion has improved considerably. This is a very good start.”

Zhao Mei was secretly delighted, mistakenly believing that she had gained Bai Ruide's approval through her own abilities. She puffed out her chest and smiled confidently.

“Boss, thank you for recognizing my work.” Her voice was tinged with excitement. “I feel that if I could be in a higher position, I could definitely make a greater contribution to Gust.”

Rhett Butler nearly lost control of his expression. His hand holding the coffee cup paused slightly, a barely perceptible flash of annoyance crossing his eyes. He couldn't understand where this woman got the confidence to seek the position of sales director. She had absolutely no sales experience, virtually no sales channels or resources, and her management skills had been utterly exposed at that press conference. How could someone who couldn't even control her own emotions manage a department?

“Uh… Zhao Mei, it’s good that you have such confidence.” White suppressed the urge to kick Zhao Mei out, took a sip of coffee, and tried to make his tone sound calm: “But things have to be done step by step. In your Chinese saying: you can’t rush things.”

Zhao Mei opened her mouth as if to say something, but Bai Ruide raised his hand to interrupt her.

"The company is planning a tasting event next week." Bai Ruide put down his coffee cup, his expression turning serious. "We intend to invite some major clients and distributors. However, both General Manager Shen and General Manager Qin have indicated they are unavailable..."

Zhao Mei immediately understood her boss's meaning. Shen Mo and Qin Hao were Guster's two biggest channels, one offline and one online. If they didn't come, the tasting event would lose most of its significance. She couldn't help but hesitate.

“But I don’t usually interact with Shen Mo.” She frowned and thought for a moment, “Dong Yue, on the other hand, has always been closer to Shen Mo.”

Bai Ruide waved his hand. "Dong Yue has already broken up with Shen Mo's daughter."

Zhao Mei was shocked upon hearing this. Dong Yue and Shen Xing had broken up? Dong Yue's rapid rise from a regular sales manager to deputy sales director was all thanks to his status as Shen Mo's "prospective son-in-law." People in the industry only supported Dong Yue out of respect for Shen Mo. Now that they'd broken up, it meant she'd lost a powerful competitor.

With a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before her, Zhao Mei instantly forgot her words from the previous night that she "didn't need Qin Hao's help." She sat up straight, her expression becoming eager.

"Okay, I'll try to invite him. But Qin Hao is indeed quite busy and may not have time to attend."

“I believe that with your relationship with President Qin, you can definitely do it.” Bai Ruide stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Zhao Mei, patting her on the shoulder: “As long as President Qin comes, President Shen will definitely give him face as well. Zhao Mei, whether this tasting event can achieve its goal smoothly depends entirely on you.”

His tone was sincere, his eyes expectant, as if he placed all his hopes on Zhao Mei. Zhao Mei was overwhelmed by this sense of importance, and felt lightheaded.

"I will do my best to invite you." She stood up and nodded vigorously.

Rhett Butler's continued tenure as president of the China branch wasn't for nothing. He hadn't made any promises, yet he'd given Zhao Mei the illusion that "getting things done would get you promoted." He knew that for someone like Zhao Mei, whose ambition outweighed her ability, the best incentive was a tangible, intangible reward.

Emerging from Bai Ruide's office, Zhao Mei felt a breezy air about her. She shuffled down the corridor in her high heels and entered the elevator. As the doors closed, she glanced at herself in the elevator mirror, a wide smile playing on her lips.

Wang Hao, one of her subordinates, happened to come out of the conference room next door. Seeing her beaming face, he asked her curiously.

"Boss, what's got you so happy?"

Zhao Mei rolled her eyes at him: "What makes you think I'm happy?"

Wang Hao smiled ingratiatingly, "You practically have 'good news' written all over your face, isn't that obvious?"

"I think you're just bored and have nothing better to do." Zhao Mei glared at him. "Why don't you get back to work?"

"Alright." Wang Hao shrank his neck and quickly walked away.

After Wang Hao left, Zhao Mei's smile gradually faded. She went back to her office, closed the door, sat down, picked up her phone and put it down again, repeating this several times before finally gathering her mental composure and dialing Qin Hao's number.

The phone rang more than a dozen times before being answered. Zhao Mei took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and tried her best to make her voice sound natural.

"Hey Qin Hao, our company is hosting a tasting event next week, come over and relax a bit."

Qin Hao's noncommittal voice came from the other end of the phone: "Bai Ruide has already invited me. I promised to take my girlfriend on a trip next week, maybe next time."

Just as she was about to hang up, Zhao Mei quickly raised her voice: "Our company's product tasting event is being held in a seaside tourist resort. The scenery is quite nice, and the hotel is a five-star standard. Why don't you bring your girlfriend over for a visit? All expenses will be covered by our company."

Qin Hao chuckled inwardly. It made him seem like he was short of money: "Let's do it next time, the plane tickets are already booked."

"Hello—" Zhao Mei listened to the busy tone on the phone, feeling anxious and restless. She held her phone, considering calling back, but afraid of annoying Qin Hao. After much thought, a sudden inspiration struck her. Qin Hao had said he was going on a trip with his girlfriend; she could use a roundabout approach. If Qiao Hailun could subtly persuade him, wouldn't he be able to refuse?

She quickly took out her phone and made a video call to her husband, Li Dongming.

The video call rang more than a dozen times without being answered. Zhao Mei frowned. A business trip and a meeting? Just as she was about to hang up, the phone connected. Li Dongming's face appeared on the screen, against the backdrop of a dimly lit hotel room with its white walls.

"Hey, Zhao Mei, what's up?" Li Dongming's voice sounded a little hurried, and his breathing was uneven.

"Why did it take you so long to answer? Are you in a hotel room?" Zhao Mei asked suspiciously, her gaze sweeping over Li Dongming's face.

Li Dongming forced himself to remain calm, holding his phone in one hand and hiding the other under the blanket: "Yes, I drank too much with clients last night, and went straight to bed without even showering when I got back. I just went to take a shower and didn't hear your call."

Zhao Mei sensed something was off about her husband's expression; he seemed to be suppressing something. His lips were slightly swollen, and his hair was disheveled. However, she was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't dwell on it.

"Honey, there's something I need your help with."

Li Dongming took a deep breath and tried to answer in the calmest tone possible: "Tell me what it is, as long as your husband can do it."

So Zhao Mei recounted what had happened, then said in a coquettish tone, "Honey, only you can help me now. Talk to Qiao Hailun and ask her to attend our company's product tasting event. It's crucial for my promotion to sales director."

Li Dongming fell silent.

Perhaps out of fear of revealing his secret, or perhaps out of guilt, Li Dongming inexplicably agreed: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. What annoyed him most right now was Qiao Hailun—she slacked off at work, left on time, didn't want to stay a minute longer, and was always taking leave to go on trips; she'd corrupted the entire department's atmosphere. And now Zhao Mei actually wanted him to beg Qiao Hailun?

"I knew you were the best to me, thank you, husband." Zhao Mei was afraid that Li Dongming would change his mind, so she quickly hung up the video call.

Little did she know that the moment she hung up the phone, Li Dongming vented all his frustration on Sasha, who was kneeling in front of him.

"Cough cough—" Sasha ran into the bathroom in a disheveled state, and the faucet started running.

When she came out of the shower, her hair was still wet and she was wrapped in a bath towel. She thought she would receive Li Dongming's gentle comfort, but Li Dongming coldly said something instead.

"Remember to submit the report to me before the start of the workday tomorrow."

Sasha froze. She stood at the bathroom door, her towel nearly slipping off, completely dumbfounded. This was nothing like what she had imagined being a mistress to be. What happened to the promised life of luxury and comfort? Turns out, she had to write a report after sleeping with someone?

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Li Dongming had already turned his head away, picked up his phone and started scrolling through the news, not even glancing at her.

Sasha bit her lip, silently put on her clothes, packed her things, and left the hotel room. The moment the door closed, she stood in the corridor, leaning against the wall, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths.

"Let's see," she said to herself. "Maybe he's testing whether I'm obedient enough."

Now, this is all Sasha can do to comfort herself.

……

Two days later, Ruijing Consulting.

"Mr. Li."

Good morning, Mr. Li.

As his subordinates greeted him one after another, Li Dongming nodded slightly, but his face darkened when his gaze swept over Qiao Hailun, who was leisurely making coffee. She was wearing a light pink dress, her hair was loose, and she was wearing flat shoes. She looked like she was on vacation, not at work.

He quickened his pace, went into his office, and closed the door.

Sitting in his chair, Li Dongming felt terrible at the thought of the matter Zhao Mei had entrusted to him. He was supposed to go and beg Qiao Hailun?

But out of guilt—guilt towards Zhao Mei—he could only steel himself and call Qiao Hailun to his office. He picked up the phone on the table and dialed the internal line.

"Helen Joe, come to my office."

A few minutes later, Qiao Hailun pushed open the door and came in. She was still holding the cup of coffee in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. She walked to the desk and handed the paper directly to Li Dongming.

Li Dongming glanced down—it was another leave request. The reason was still the same: "The world is so big, I want to go see it."

He took a deep breath: "Going on vacation again?"

"Hmm," Qiao Hailun replied casually, taking a sip of coffee. Her gaze swept around the office, finally settling on the nearly withered potted plant on the windowsill. Ever since learning that Li Dongming had sexually harassed Sasha, her opinion of him had worsened.

Li Dongming was furious at Qiao Hailun's "mind your own business" attitude. But since he needed her help, he could only force a smile and tap his finger on the leave slip.

"Ahem, it's like this." He cleared his throat. "My wife's company is holding a tasting event next week. The accommodation is five-star, and it's right by the sea with a beautiful view. All expenses will be covered by her company. If you'd like to go, I can help you get in touch."

Qiao Hailun looked at Li Dongming suspiciously: "Is there really such a good thing?"

Li Dongming was a little embarrassed and looked away: "My wife invited President Qin, but he said he wanted to go on a trip with you..."

Qiao Hailun immediately understood what was going on. So they were using her as a pawn? Bai Ruide wanted to ask Qin Hao to go and make an appearance, but Qin Hao wouldn't go, so he took a roundabout approach and used her to persuade Qin Hao? She put down her coffee cup, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs.

Do you think he's short of that little bit of money?

Li Dongming knew he wouldn't be able to persuade Qiao Hailun without spending some money. He gritted his teeth and humbled himself: "This matter is very important to my wife. What would it take for you to help?"

Qiao Hailun thought for a moment, then glanced around the office. Li Dongming's office wasn't large, but it was tastefully furnished—a solid wood desk, a leather sofa, an abstract painting on the wall, and several potted plants on the windowsill. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room bright and spacious.

“I need a private office,” she said. “It can’t be too small, so I can catch up on my sleep.”

Li Dongming nearly jumped up on the spot. A regular employee wants a private office? What will the other employees think? How can company rules be enforced? He opened his mouth, his voice trembling.

"I'm afraid that—"

"Then I'm afraid I can't help with what you're talking about." Qiao Hailun stood up, picked up the leave slip on the table, and turned to leave.

Li Dongming was both angry and anxious, and could only grit his teeth and call out to her, "Wait for me, I'll think of a way."

Qiao Hailun stopped and turned around to look at him: "Then you'd better hurry, we're leaving tomorrow."

After saying that, she pushed open the door and left, leaving Li Dongming alone in the office, his face ashen.

After Qiao Hailun left, Li Dongming nearly smashed the office. He jumped up, his chair sliding backward and hitting the wall with a screeching sound. He picked up a folder on the table, wanting to smash it, but restrained himself. He gripped the folder tightly, his knuckles white, his chest heaving violently.

"You bastard!" he muttered under his breath. "Let's see how long you can keep up this smugness!"

After venting his anger, he sat back down in his chair, panting heavily. A while later, he picked up the internal phone on the table and dialed Xiao Yang's number.

"Xiao Yang, come to my office."

A few minutes later, Xiao Yang pushed open the door and came in. Seeing Li Dongming's ashen face, he knew something was terribly wrong. He cautiously sat down opposite him and tentatively asked.

"Brother, what's wrong? Who upset you?"

Li Dongming took a deep breath and recounted the events.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang's vision went black, and he almost slipped off his chair. He gripped the desk, his eyes wide.

"Has Qiao Hailun gone mad?" His voice rose several octaves: "With her performance, she wants a private office? I've only got one private office all this time!"

Seeing his pretentious attitude, Li Dongming immediately picked up the phone.

Xiao Yang quickly smiled apologetically and grabbed him. "Brother, you're my own brother!" He was sweating profusely. "Although Qiao Hailun's request is indeed a bit excessive, it's still feasible if we promote her to senior consultant and assign her an office."

"Senior Consultant?" Li Dongming turned around, staring at him as if he were a madman: "Xiao Yang, are you out of your mind or am I? If Qiao Hailun had that ability, would she always be at the bottom of the performance rankings?"

Xiao Yang pleaded desperately, clasping his hands together: "Brother, we absolutely have to keep this relationship with Qiao Hailun. I really can't afford to offend President Qin. I'm relying on his connections to get business right now; otherwise, how could I have consistently been in the top three these past few months?"

He paused, as if making a huge decision: "How about this, I'll transfer Qiao Hailun to my team, and I'll promote her to a higher level of consultant and apply for an office for her. What do you think?"

Li Dongming was secretly delighted. He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was calculating—this way, he not only got rid of a freeloader, but also made Xiao Yang owe him a huge favor, and even solved his wife's problem. It was truly killing three birds with one stone.

He pretended to hesitate for a moment, then sighed, "Alright, since you've said so, let's do it your way."

As Li Dongming emerged from the office, a smile he could hardly suppress, even more so than AK's. He strode quickly to Qiao Hailun's workstation.

Helen was looking at her phone; the screen showed photos of Dubai. She looked up and saw Li Dongming's somewhat stiff smile, and raised an eyebrow.

Li Dongming explained the plan.

Qiao Hailun didn't think much of it; as long as she achieved her goal, that was all that mattered. Whom she worked for was completely irrelevant to her. She nodded and continued looking at her phone.

"Let me make it clear beforehand, I can't guarantee I can do it," she said without looking up.

Li Dongming almost broke down on the spot. He had gone to so much trouble, only to be met with "no guarantee"?

But in the end, Li Dongming suppressed his anger and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Just do your best, just do your best." (End of Chapter)