Chapter 19: Tell me, does she have what it takes?

"That’s enough, you may disperse. As long as I am in this company for a single day, all forms of formalism must vanish."

Jiang Shi did not see any issue with wearing suits to work—at the very least, it reflected an employee's professional attitude—so he had merely brushed off Jiang Man’s comment. It was not until they turned to head upstairs that he noticed the inappropriate attire of the women in the office. By then, Jiang Man had already turned her head away, making it clear she had no intention of engaging with him.

"Man, I apologize. I hadn't noticed them."

The moment Jiang Shi arrived, he had been busy purging the office culture and had not yet had the chance to observe what everyone was wearing. Now that he had regained his composure and looked, the signs were obvious. Furthermore, it was clear that none of them were doing so voluntarily; their faces were etched with impatience and resentment, likely assuming he was cut from the same cloth as Jiang Cheng.

"Send out a notice: from now on, office attire should prioritize comfort."

He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "You’ve likely arrived at the office by now; you can relay this to them."

"I truly thought you had the same disgusting hobbies as your predecessor, Uncle." Realizing she had misunderstood Jiang Shi, Jiang Man felt embarrassed to keep up her tantrum, secretly feeling relieved that the person she had favored all these years was not a scoundrel.

"Shall we go up then?"

"Yes, Uncle."

When they reached the floor, a man was standing with his back to them, announcing something to the office staff. The Executive Assistant’s expression was clearly grim, and those around him were holding him back to prevent a confrontation.

"On what grounds! I’ve held the position of Executive Assistant ever since President Jiang was in charge. Why should I be replaced by some greenhorn just because he’s a newcomer?"

The assistant’s furious voice echoed through the office, and Jiang Shi heard it all as he walked in. It was unclear whether the "greenhorn" referred to Jiang Shi himself or Zhao Qi, who had come to replace the assistant.

"On what grounds? On the grounds of your incompetence." Jiang Shi scanned the office with an expressionless gaze. "This is no longer the era of Jiang Cheng. Those who wish to follow their old master may request to be transferred to a branch office."

The salaries at branch offices were incomparable to those at headquarters; no one with a brain would choose that. During Jiang Cheng’s tenure, this assistant had used his proximity to power to act like a tyrant, bullying newcomers and engaging in workplace harassment. Moreover, his capabilities were lacking; he couldn't even understand simple contracts and only knew how to use underhanded tactics to curry favor with his superiors.

"Aren't you always 'President Jiang' this and 'President Jiang' that? Then go to the branch office and continue following your President Jiang."

With a single sentence, Jiang Shi decided his fate. No one in the office spoke up for him. The man was widely disliked; he had spent his time abusing his association with Jiang Cheng to order male colleagues around or find opportunities to grope the women. He had become a pariah.

"No, President Jiang, that’s not what I meant. I was just too angry. Please, sir, be the bigger man and forgive me this once."

Upon hearing that Jiang Shi was going to send him away, he panicked completely. His initial arrogance vanished, replaced by desperate sycophancy.

"Then go to the logistics department. Talent will shine wherever it is placed." Jiang Shi had work to do and did not want to waste his breath. "Otherwise, go to the branch office and follow your true President Jiang."

"No, no need! Logistics is fine, logistics is great." No one was foolish enough to choose the branch office, which was essentially an empty shell—its bankruptcy was only a matter of time.

Once the unnecessary personnel had left, Jiang Shi allowed Zhao Qi to introduce himself.

"Hello, everyone. I am Zhao Qi. I will be serving as your new Executive Assistant. I hope we can work well together."

Having finally seen the person they detested removed, the staff were in high spirits. Even the women, who had previously been uncomfortable, joined in the applause.

"I have one more thing to say: from now on, dress however you feel most comfortable. There is no need to do things you don't want to do, as was the case before."

Before Zhao Qi could speak, Jiang Shi had stepped in to address them directly. "I apologize for my behavior downstairs earlier. I failed to notice the distress of the women here. It was only thanks to Jiang Man’s reminder that I realized the truth. You’ve had a hard time in the past, but from now on, the 55th floor will only care about work results. Everything else is up to you."

The entire 55th floor was the executive office area; it was no wonder Jiang Cheng had valued this location so highly.

"Alright, let’s hold a brief meeting. I need to understand the current state of the company."

After Jiang Shi finished speaking, he headed toward the conference room. Everyone in the office looked as though they had been reborn, their faces radiant with happy smiles.

Meanwhile, at the Xie Group headquarters, a meeting was also underway. However, the situation there was much worse. Xie Yan and Jiang Ming had been waiting in the conference room for half an hour, but there were still fewer than ten people present. Moreover, those who had arrived were not core department heads, but merely assistants or random staff pulled from offices.

It was as if they had colluded: despite the meeting notice sent to all department heads and shareholders, not a single one had shown up after all this time.

"Send out a notice. For anyone not here within two minutes, starting with the Procurement Department, one department head will be fired every two minutes. If they aren't here within ten minutes, everyone will be dismissed."

Xie Yan knew this was a test of his authority, but he didn't care. The old man had handed the company over to him completely, and he had the power to decide who stayed and who went. It was high time to root out the parasites within the Xie Group.

As expected, once the message went out, the company’s Vice President—Xie Zheng, the son of the old Mr. Xie’s brother—rushed into the conference room, panting for breath.

"Oh my, so it’s Xie Yan! Why didn't anyone inform me? Look at you, you’ve been waiting a long time, right? And who is this young beauty? A hot-blooded young man, indeed, bringing his girlfriend to the office. But this isn't a game of house..."

"Have you said enough? If so, shut up."

Jiang Ming had already been losing her patience. Hearing such patronizing, "fatherly" drivel made her sick. She put down her phone and retorted sharply.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Is that a brick you're holding, or a phone? Are you too old to hear your notification alerts? Whose rumors are you spreading? Can you not read? Do you not understand what 'Assisting in Management' means on the notice?"

Xie Yan made no move to stop her, instead letting Jiang Ming continue. His face remained devoid of emotion, clearly showing his own impatience.

"How can such a young girl have such a sharp tongue? Don't think you're something special just because the old man is backing you. At the very least, I am an elder of the Xie family! Who gave you the right to speak to me like that?"

Xie Zheng was furious. No one had ever dared to speak to him this way; everyone he met was always respectful. He had never suffered such an indignity.

"She is the granddaughter of the Jiang family, invited here by the old man himself. Do you think she has the right to speak?"