Chapter 6 — My Nameless Occupation

“During the past week since you left, the company has run into nineteen different problems, seven of which I didn't even realize were being handled by someone until now. Today, the technical department reported that a project management system you created in Excel—while admittedly rudimentary—is incredibly efficient. Now that no one is maintaining it, the entire workflow has descended into complete chaos.”

“Director Ha, these are not matters you should be coming to me to resolve. You should be hiring someone, or perhaps bringing in an external team.”

“I came here precisely to ask you that—can you recommend a firm?”

I looked at him. His gaze was entirely sincere. This man was not a bad person. It was just that for the last twelve years, he had grown accustomed to the idea that everything automatically resolved itself, without ever sparing a thought for who was actually doing the work.

“Director Ha, I would suggest a management consulting firm.”

“Which one?”

“Shui He Consulting.”

He nodded.

“Very well. I will have someone reach out to them.”

He stood up, preparing to leave.

“Wait, Director Ha.”

“Yes?”

“Han is trying to pressure me using a non-compete agreement.”

Ha Jian Guo’s expression shifted.

“He is invoking a non-compete clause against you? For an administrative position?”

“He sent me a text message. I have already replied. I simply wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation.”

Ha Jian Guo set his cup down on the table with a firm thud.

“Wan Su, leave this to me.”

He departed. I closed the door and glanced at my computer screen, where a proposal sat half-finished. Niem Su poked her head out from the bedroom.

“Mom, who was that uncle just now?”

“A former boss of mine.”

“He seemed very apologetic.”

“He should be.”

Chapter Eight. I arrived at Shui He to start my new position on the Monday of the second week. My workspace had been prepared: an independent desk near a window. It was ten times better than the cramped corner that Heng Yuan had shoved me into for the past twelve years. Yi Shen led me around to meet the team. There were over forty people, with an average age of around thirty. When they saw me, their expressions varied. Some were curious, others offered polite smiles, and some eyes were filled with undisguised scrutiny—a new managing partner arriving at the age of forty-three? A young woman with a ponytail stepped forward.

“Hello, Ms. Su. I am Project Manager Man Yu. Director Shen told me to assist you with the rollout of the new business sector.”

“Man Yu, have you ever worked on operational consulting projects before?”

“Yes, I have worked on two, though they were quite small in scale.”

“Understood. We have a meeting at three this afternoon. Be sure to bring the review documents from those previous projects.”

Man Yu looked momentarily stunned.

“We are starting today?”

“We are starting today.”

At three in the afternoon, I met with the five members of the new business team in the conference room. In addition to Man Yu, there were two analysts, a UI designer, and a sales representative. I spent fifteen minutes laying out the business philosophy.

“What we are doing is not traditional consulting. Traditional consulting involves the client presenting a problem and us delivering a report. What we do is directly assist the client in building an operational system—processes, templates, software, and documentation. What we deliver are tools that can be implemented immediately.”

Li, from the sales team, raised a hand.

“Ms. Su, is there a market for this? When I sold consulting packages in the past, the clients’ biggest fear was that the report would be written, but they would be unable to apply it to reality.”

“That is exactly why we do not sell reports; we sell practical implementation. At my previous firm, I worked for twelve years, carrying the workload of eight different departments. Every process, every tool, and every standard operating procedure was built by my own hands. What we must do now is standardize those experiences and turn them into products.”

Man Yu was taking notes quickly.

“Ms. Su, where will our first client come from?”

“I have already secured one. The Heng Yuan Group. They should be contacting us sometime next week.”