Chapter 1 — When I Was Forced to Quit My Job at the Age of 40, I Became the President of a Hundred Billion Company

BEFORE THE DAY THE COMPANY LISTED, THE NEW DEPUTY GENERAL CAME AND FORCED ME TO RESIGN, I TAKEN THE CORE PATENT WORTH 2 BILLION TO LEAVE

"Sign here. Reduce salary by 30%, and abolish the position of Director of Research and Development."

Deputy General Director of Operations Tien Dat Pham slammed a contract addendum onto the meeting table, without even looking at me from beginning to end. I stared at the words on the paper. Twelve years ago, I joined Hoa Thuy Biological Company. Currently, as Senior Research Director, I hold a core formula patent worth 2 billion yuan. But right before the company was about to list, I was pushed to the limit by someone who had just joined the company for less than three months. Outside the window is a prosperous and bustling high-tech area. Inside the meeting room, there was only the sound of the air conditioner operating steadily.

“What if I don't sign?”

I asked calmly.

“Then quit your job.”

Tien Dat Pham smirked and turned the pen in his hand.

“A forty-year-old woman like you, out there, what company would want to hire her?”

I said nothing. Just quietly took out the resignation letter that had been prepared in advance and put it down next to the agreement. At that time I still didn't know. This paper would quickly create a huge stir throughout the biopharmaceutical industry. The air-conditioned meeting room is very cold. The wind from the ventilation door blew straight into the back of my neck. Tien Dat Pham sat on a genuine leather chair that belonged to President Zhou, with his legs crossed, playing with a limited edition Montblanc pen in his hand. He is thirty-one years old this year, and always claims to be a master of business administration graduate from Harvard. But everyone in the world knows that he is the son-in-law of Vice President Tien Duc Minh. Thanks to this relationship, I was assigned directly to the company. In the past three months, not much serious work has been done, but staff reduction is extremely proficient.

“Old To…”

He deliberately lengthened his voice, even calling him "General Manager To" was too lazy to use.

"You know the difficult situation of your company. The current business environment is not easy, managers must lead by example."

I looked at the notice of salary structure adjustment on the table. Last month, he just approved a purchase of "laboratory equipment" worth 1.8 million yuan. As a result, what was delivered was not any research equipment, but an Italian leather sofa set and an imported coffee maker placed in his private office. Now tell me about the difficulties of the business.

“Total Money.”

I raised the glass of water that had long since cooled.

"I have no opinion on salary adjustments for the entire company. But I have seen the list. The research department has suffered the biggest reduction, an average of 25%. For me, it is 30%. While the administrative department and marketing department are almost unaffected."

I looked straight at him.

“Is that what you call setting an example?”

Tien Dat Pham threw the pen on the table.

"The research department raises too many useless, low-efficiency people. This is the general opinion of the board of directors."

He leaned forward.

“Also, To Vy, you are forty years old this year, right?”

“At this age, in the biopharmaceutical industry, you are already a burden.”

“Just go out and ask, are there any companies that hire forty-year-old female researchers?”

"I Not letting the human resources department directly negotiate compensation for quitting your job with you is already showing respect for your contributions over the years."

"Dedication?"

I put down the glass of water. The voice was not loud, but extremely calm.

"The main products of Hoa Thuy and Thanh Le, from project creation to mass production, are all implemented by my own team."

“For the research phase alone, we ate and slept in the lab for fourteen months.”

“Now the third generation formula is being upgraded. Besides me, no one can access the core parameters of the technological process.”

“And yet you say I'm a burden?”

Tien Dat Pham looked like he had just heard a funny story. His face was full of contempt.

“To Vy, don't think too highly of yourself.”

“Without anyone, the company will still operate as usual.”

“Nowadays, countless young PhDs return from studying abroad. The salary is only a third of hers, and much easier to manage.”

“What about that research formula?”

“All data is on the company's server.”

He curled his lips and smiled coldly.

"I don't believe that without To Vy alone, Hoa Thuy will have to close tomorrow."

He used his finger to tap the agreement on the table.

“Make a quick decision. If you sign it, everyone can still save some dignity. If you do not sign, the human resources department has completed the dismissal process. When it comes time to make a big deal out of it, your future career profile won't be pretty."

Blatant threats. Not at all hidden. If it were ten years ago, I probably would have thrown a glass of water right in his face. But now I am forty years old. Divorced five years. Monthly mortgage payment is 12,000 yuan. My daughter just entered a private high school, the yearly tuition is 90,000 yuan. My son is in second grade, and the tuition fee alone is 5,000 yuan a month. My mother has diabetes, and the monthly medical bill is more than 2,000 yuan. The whole family depends on my salary card. Tien Dat Pham saw through that weakness. He knows very well that a middle-aged single mother like me, above has to take care of her elderly mother, and below has to raise her small children, like a buffalo tied to a mill. No matter how painful the whip is, I don't dare turn back. The hand on my knee slowly tightened.

“Give me a day to think.”

“Half a day.”

Tien Dat Pham glanced at the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist.

"If I don't see your signature after work today, just go directly to the human resources department to complete the resignation procedure."