April 17, 2023, Monday, partly cloudy, 12~23℃.
Three significant events occurred at Jinxiu Commerce today.
The first event was the organizational restructuring by the HR department, which added several new branches, including: HR Planning and Development Department, Training Department, Employee Relations Department, and Compensation and Benefits Department.
The second event was the formal promotion of HR specialist Tian Jing to Compensation Supervisor, and a notice was sent to all internal members of the company.
The third event was Tang Song taking leave to buy a car, and it was a Wuling Hongguang, no less.
Of course, the third event was only considered significant within the "Technical Support Department" circle.
"Song really marches to the beat of his own drum, even buying a car is so unconventional! This guy must have been stimulated by someone, hahaha!" Du Shaokai laughed until he cried.
"Wuling Hongguang? Isn't that a minivan? What was Tang Song thinking?"
"Could Brother Song be planning to do a side job? Like delivery?"
"You girls don't get it, that's an MPV! Driving out in that car, we'd look dead handsome!"
"I think it's quite good, it can carry people and haul stuff, very practical!"
"Indeed, I feel like all seventeen of us from the tech department could stuff ourselves into it, and that's all we would need for a team-building trip."
"If it rolls over, though, we'd all be wiped out."
…
It's still working hours after all, so everyone's discussion was somewhat restrained.
But the WeChat group was already buzzing with all sorts of stale jokes and memes flying around.
Gradually, someone started the topic, and the group began discussing the HR department's restructuring again.
A well-informed person leaked news that the company was about to receive financing, bluntly saying that this restructuring might just be the beginning.
Next, the Finance Department, Sales Department, Channel Department, and even their Technical Support Department were going to be adjusted.
Hearing such news, everyone became excited.
Restructuring meant that more management positions would be created.
Isn't working hard in the company all about getting promoted and receiving a raise?
Sitting in a corner, Zhao Yue seemed very gloomy, her mind still fixated on Tian Jing's promotion.
After receiving that message in the morning, she even lost the desire to drink her already purchased coffee.
In her view, she and Tian Jing were competitors, hired in the same batch and both popular beauties within the company.
Tian Jing was younger than her, only 22, and had graduated from university less than a year ago.
Yet now the latter had already become the Compensation Supervisor, two levels higher than her in the hierarchy.
From now on, Tian Jing would control her salary and benefits, agreeing to pay raises, signing off on birthday gifts, and reviewing expense reimbursements.
To a certain extent, she had become her boss.
This blow was a bit too much for her to accept, making her chest ache with anger.
Grinding her teeth, Zhao Yue directly sent a message to the department's girls-only group: "HR's Jing is so impressive, not even a year into the job and she's already skipped two levels to become a supervisor! She's truly a role model and goal for all of us girls to strive for!"
Although the Technical Department was relatively new, there were several women who had been working there for about three years without a promotion.
Hearing this, they felt somewhat uneasy.
They started making sarcastic remarks in the group.
"Maybe she has some extraordinary qualities that we don't understand."
"She's so pretty and knows how to act cute and coquettish, haha, a raise and promotion are only natural."
After making a few sarcastic comments in the group, Zhao Yue finally felt a little better.
Then she thought of Tang Song's second-hand car and couldn't help but curl her lips.
She lived not far from Tang Song and had originally planned to hitch a ride to and from work with him. She hadn't expected him to bluntly shut that down.
Imagining herself getting out of Tang Song's Wuling minivan in the underground parking lot, just as Tian Jing drove up in her Audi A5, Zhao Yue shivered all over.
That scene would just be too much—who would understand?
...
The Vehicle Administration Office was bustling with people on Monday.
The demand for vehicle transfers accumulated over the weekend was mostly concentrated on this day.
Tang Song and Li Mingjun arrived early in the morning to queue up for vehicle inspection, embossing the license number, removing the old plates, filling out application forms, choosing a new number, and registering the transfer...
By the time they got the new license plate in hand, it was nearly noon.
Li Mingjun shook the license plate in his hand and laughed, "It's like this now, pure numbers are too scarce. Yours is okay though, one letter plus four digits."
"Yeah, I understand," Tang Song nodded in agreement.
Next, Li Mingjun took a toolbox out of the car and began to install the license plate.
His movements were very skilled, "clang clang clang," and it was done in three to five minutes.
After dusting off his hands and putting away the tools, Li Mingjun laughed, "You can rest assured about the insurance transfer. I'll head to the insurance company this afternoon and call you after it's done. Also, the remaining payment, Gao Mengting has been texting me all morning, asking about the progress. She seems to be quite anxious for the money."
"Okay, I'll transfer it to her right now," Tang Song hurriedly pulled out his phone, almost forgetting about this matter.
Since all his cash was stored in the "VAM Agreement," he had borrowed this money from a microloan service.
He could have borrowed from friends with good relationships, but such matters, if not handled well, could affect both parties' relationship, so it was better not to ask casually.
After Tang Song had transferred the remaining 22,500 yuan, Li Mingjun made another call to Gao Mengting to confirm everything was correct, and with that, the transaction was completely settled.
"If there's anything with the car, just contact me directly, I'm off, see you," Li Mingjun waved to him and got into his assistant's car.
"Goodbye," Tang Song retracted his gaze and looked towards the Wuling Hongguang sitting in the parking space, waiting for him.
From now on, this car was entirely his.
The smooth and fresh body lines, the hexagonal grille, the simple tail lights, the rugged luggage rack.
It was just so likable from every angle.
He couldn't help taking out his phone and snapping a few photos.
At this moment, Tang Song deeply understood the feelings Brother Guo had back then.
Putting away his phone, he opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat.
No sooner had his hands gripped the steering wheel than the system light screen suddenly unfolded before him, and lines of text leaped out.
[April 17, 2023, you now own your first car, with your vehicle upgraded from "Yadea Electric Vehicle" to "Wuling Hongguang S"]
[You now have your own mobile private space, where you can go wherever you want, unafraid of sun or rain. You will be more appropriate in social situations, and you can confidently take girls you like out to dinner...]
[Your Charm has reached 30, successfully unlocking the assets and privileges of this stage.]
Subsequently, a dazzling progress bar appeared in front of him.
[24' (starting Charm)... 30º... 40º... 50º... 60º... 70º... 80º... 90º... 100º]
Right above node 30, a little treasure chest was spewing red light, indicating it was ready to be claimed.
Tang Song gripped the steering wheel tightly, his body involuntarily leaning forward, his eyes erupting with boundless surprise.
As his weight returned to the normal range, his Charm had been stuck at 29 for a few days, but now, with the upgrade of the vehicle, it had finally broken through to 30.
This was quite logical, after all. Residence, car, partner, career—they all form parts of one's personal Charm.
Tang Song took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.
The excellent function of his lungs allowed him to calm down quickly.
He touched the treasure chest with his mind and claimed it right away.
His vision blurred momentarily, then snapped back to normal, accompanied by a series of crisp system notification sounds.
"Ding! You've received a [Skill Upgrade Card (LV1)]."
"Ding! You've received [One Million Yuan in Entrepreneurship Funding]."
"Ding! You've received [Corporate Office Space]."
"Ding! You've unlocked the new function module [Dressing Center]."
"Ding! You've received [Outfit - Cool Night]."
"Ding! [Growth Plan Tasks] have been initiated, please proceed to the [Task Center] to view."