Chapter 303 - 243: Carrot and Stick

Chapter 303: Chapter 243: Carrot and Stick

"How noisy."

Gu Heng looked up at Zhang Juewen, his gaze indifferent.

"President Zhang, what good does getting them drunk do for the Group?"

"If they can’t recover by tomorrow, are you going to take their place on the livestream tomorrow night?"

Gu Heng fired off two questions in succession, then added in a cool voice, "No matter how much money, connections, or resources I have, I can’t afford for you to squander them like this."

"Get out!"

"You’re a disgrace!"

As soon as Gu Heng finished speaking, Chu Zhengxiong slammed his hand on the table and roared at Zhang Juewen, "Did you just let everything I said at the last Group meeting go in one ear and out the other?"

"I’ll emphasize this to all of you one more time. I can turn a blind eye to how you mess around at the Xiyue Club and the Platinum Association, as long as you don’t go too far. But here at Xingchuan Entertainment, if any of you dares to overstep or get any funny ideas, don’t blame me for not considering our old ties."

In an instant, the atmosphere in the private room turned icy.

"I’m sorry."

"I had a little too much to drink."

"I’ll get out now and sober up."

Zhang Juewen, who had just been ordering the seven girls around imperiously, now looked terrified. The drunkenness that had gone to his head vanished in an instant.

However, just as a profusely sweating Zhang Juewen was about to lower his head and walk out, Gu Heng’s somewhat indifferent voice rang out once more.

"Hold on..."

Hearing his voice, Zhang Juewen’s steps faltered slightly.

"Chair... Chairman Gu, what are your instructions...?"

Zhang Juewen kept his head down, a nervous expression on his face.

"The drinks have been poured. We can’t let them go to waste, can we?"

Gu Heng smiled at Zhang Juewen, but to everyone watching, that smile sent an abrupt chill down their spines.

After all, to get the girls drunk, Zhang Juewen had just poured an entire bottle of hard liquor into those three glasses.

Even if Zhang Juewen could hold his liquor well, he wouldn’t be able to handle drinking it like this.

"Well?"

"Do I need to help President Zhang with a glass?"

Seeing that Zhang Juewen hadn’t moved, Gu Heng calmly watched him and posed the question in a low voice.

Since joining Xingchuan International Group, Gu Heng had always maintained a certain poise, giving off a relatively gentle impression. This was the first time he had shown his sharp edge in front of the group’s executives.

Zhang Juewen was a vice president of Xingchuan International Group.

He oversaw business areas like finance and procurement for the group and was one of Chu Zhengxiong’s most trusted confidants.

Chu Zhengxiong’s seemingly harsh scolding just now was, in reality, a light slap on the wrist with no real punishment.

But Gu Heng couldn’t let him get away so easily. Otherwise, what would that make the words he had just said?

The art of managing subordinates was all about using both the carrot and the stick.

He had offered enough of the carrot today; it was time to show the stick.

Unfortunately, Zhang Juewen had walked right into the line of fire.

As for whether using Zhang Juewen to assert his authority would affect his relationship with Chu Zhengxiong, Gu Heng wasn’t the least bit worried.

Who was Chu Zhengxiong?

He was the Wolf King!

He was an overlord!

It was in his nature to respect the strong and prey on the weak.

A sheep and a wolf can never be friends.

Just as Gu Heng expected, Chu Zhengxiong was completely indifferent to this display of power.

Watching Gu Heng’s eyes narrow, Zhang Juewen couldn’t help but shudder. Without another word, he grabbed a glass in front of him and started pouring it down his throat.

One glass, two glasses, three...

CLANG!

In truth, his stomach was already churning by the second glass. The fact that he managed to down all three and keep from throwing up was purely an act of willpower.

"Get lost."

Gu Heng averted his gaze and ordered coolly.

Hearing Gu Heng’s voice was like receiving a royal pardon for Zhang Juewen. He clamped his left hand tightly over his mouth, lowered his head, and quickly ran out of the private room.

After Zhang Juewen left, Gu Heng turned to look at Lin Qingge.

"Chairman Gu, a toast to you..."

Lin Qingge subconsciously held out her glass, her tone respectful.

As for Meng Peishan and Fan Yingying behind Lin Qingge, if they had stars in their eyes looking at Gu Heng before, then after he had so commandingly come to their rescue, they now only had eyes for him.

"Alright."

In this business setting, Gu Heng didn’t say much to Lin Qingge. He simply raised his glass, clinked it with each of the three girls’ in turn, and then sent them back to their seats.

"Chairman Gu, please don’t be angry."

"That Zhang Juewen is just like that."

"He’s fine most of the time, but he has trouble keeping it in his pants after he’s had a few drinks."

"You’re a magnanimous man, so please don’t hold it against him."

After the girls had offered their toast, Chu Zhengxiong immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

"Consider today a warning. From now on, if I see or hear about any workplace harassment like what happened today, I won’t let it slide, regardless of their status or position."

Gu Heng said this with a serious expression, only letting his tone soften afterward. "Since the Group wants to expand into internet media, we have to cultivate a professional and respectful work environment. As for how to manage that, you can all visit Wuyou Media in a while to see how they do it."

"Sigh..."

"I’m sorry you had to see that embarrassing display, Chairman Gu."

Chu Zhengxiong sighed lightly. "Many of the Group’s executives came up through unconventional means, myself included. We got our start in the early years running music lounges for businessmen, so to be honest, we can be pretty disrespectful toward young women."