In March, the southern country had sunny weather and a pleasant climate. With the expectations of the other two people, Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping went to Hong Kong again.
When they were carrying their luggage, Feng Yiping saw Bao Zhuoyuan at the exit, smiling and waving at them. He looked in good spirits, not the sad and worried person he had sounded like on the phone.
The driver pushed the luggage trolley, and Bao Zhuoyuan, who was looking after Huang Jingping, said in broken Mandarin, 'Yiping, after the third issue was released, these past few days, it has finally caused quite a response,'
'That's good, just wait, the response will definitely be even greater after the middle of the month,' Feng Yiping said confidently.
Bao Zhuoyuan didn't respond, he really didn't know where Feng Yiping got all this confidence.
'Should we go to the hotel first or the company first?'
Seeing his eagerness, Feng Yiping smiled and said, 'Let's go to the company first,'
Compared with the offices of other domestic companies, although the morale of the employees was not bad, the overall atmosphere of the magazine company was not ideal, a bit depressing and not very active.
After the company was established, the boss finally made a rare visit. In fact, the employees of the magazine company had mixed feelings. Everyone knew the results of the past three issues very well: they were burning money. In private, there was never a stop to the discussions about layoffs or business closures.
So when Bao Zhuoyuan was in the office area, introducing the young man surrounded by the first group of employees as the boss of the magazine to the employees who had never met Feng Yiping before, the applause was sparse, and some female employees looked around in panic, is it finally here? Are there going to be massive layoffs or is the business going to close down?
Feng Yiping could guess what these people were thinking. When Bao Zhuoyuan asked him to say a few words, he walked to the centre of the office area and decided to say a few words. 'Although we don't see each other much, we are a collective, a family. So I don't bother with pleasantries and will just make a few points.
First of all, everyone's work from last year to the present has been highly effective, and both I personally and the group company recognise and appreciate everyone's hard work over the past few months.'
In the ears of the employees, who were already suspicious, these words were a prelude to layoffs or closure.
Fortunately, Feng Yiping did not give them time to speculate, and immediately gave them a reassurance: 'Our magazine is a very capable team, and all of you are high-quality assets of the group. So please rest assured, we will not let go of a single employee.'
'Finally, everyone knows that the current three issues have received average responses, but the progress is also obvious, with each issue being more optimistic than the last. So, I hope that everyone will shake up their spirits, make persistent efforts, and strive to make each issue better than the last.
Alright, are you all relieved? Then let's get back to work!' After giving his reassuring encouragement, Feng Yiping looked at the smiling employees and followed Bao Zhuoyuan to his office.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the office area immediately became livelier. From the pantry came the giggles and laughter of the girls. Bao Zhuoyuan stood in front of the blinds, looking out at a scene that had been rare in recent months, and sighed, 'Yiping's words still carry weight.'
Isn't that right? He is the boss, and everyone gets their salary from him, so of course his words carry weight.
'Mr. Feng, please take a look,' Gao Yiming showed him some newspapers, mainly foreign language ones, 'This is the coverage of our magazine in the past few days.'
Bao Zhuoyuan also happily opened a number of websites, 'There are also reports about our magazine on these.'
Feng Yiping briefly read the comments in the newspaper. The vast majority were critical, believing that they were a magazine that used sensationalist headlines to attract attention. They also said that if it weren't for the serialised Blue Ocean Strategy articles in each issue, the magazine could really be described as worthless.
'Is the content on the website similar?' Feng Yiping asked.
He guessed that the online version would probably be even more critical. Behind these well-known websites, there is an Internet company, some of which are burning through money like crazy. How dare a little-known magazine like yours pour cold water like this? It's obvious that you don't want to get along, so why be polite?
Huang Jingping read a critical article in a traditional Chinese newspaper in the Lion City. She looked at Feng Yiping and the other two, who seemed to be quite happy, and didn't quite understand. 'Aren't these all words criticising us? Why are you so happy?'
'Of course we're happy. Criticism means people are paying attention to us, and the more people criticise, the more attention we're getting,' Feng Yiping explained.
It's actually similar to the entertainment industry. For newcomers who have just debuted and only have a small number of works released, even if they receive only bad reviews and the reports are all about their scandals, as long as people pay attention, they are better than other actors who have not left a lasting impression.
'I think the companies behind these websites may have realised their problems at this point, so they are lashing out like this. Is there an element of guilt in their accusations?' Gao Yiming said.
'Haha, you're right, I'm afraid that many people have already felt this crisis. They are afraid, and the more afraid they are, the more correct our direction is.' Bao Zhuoyuan said.
Under Feng Yiping's influence, they have now also accepted Feng Yiping's point of view. They believe that this big beautiful bubble, which has been praised by so many experts and professors and which represents our future to a certain extent, is going to burst. Although the time of the explosion is still open to debate, the result is certain. Naturally, they do not accept those critical articles.
'The biggest reaction has actually been to you, everyone has been asking me for the contact details of the author Feng Yiping. Some other magazines want to commission articles from you, and there have been many invitations for you to give interviews and speeches. Do you have any plans in this regard?' Bao Zhuoyuan said.
Everyone knows the pulling effect of Feng Yiping's articles on the magazine. The future of the magazine is uncertain. Bao Zhuoyuan also believes that Feng Yiping should no longer be held back by the magazine, and that the Blue Ocean Strategy should be published as a collection.
'I have no plans to do so for the time being. Good things should of course be reserved for family,' Feng Yiping said. 'And, get ready, all of you. Our conclusion will be announced in the next few days, and when that happens, you really should prepare for your phones to be ringing off the hook!'
He had said something similar at the first preparatory meeting, except that not many of those who had attended the meeting at the time remained because they were not optimistic about the future of the magazine.
Feng Yiping shook hands with each of those who had stayed on, and asked after their well-being. Everyone was a little surprised. This young boss was so aggressive at work, but in private, he was a very gentle person.
When he left for the hotel at noon, the staff members who were still in the office stood up automatically and applauded Feng Yiping, who had given them a sense of reassurance.
To be honest, Feng Yiping was a bit repelled by such activities, whether they were spontaneous or organised, because they shouldn't happen in a modern enterprise. However, when he was actually in the middle of it, he realised that he actually quite enjoyed the feeling of being the centre of attention.