CH 109

Chapter 109 – Business Magazine

Li Chu spent two hours of his lunch break in Wei Chen’s office. During these two hours, the door of Wei Chen’s office was never closed. At first, Li Chu had some reservations, but after talking with Wei Chen, Li Chu’s reservations disappeared, and the rest of the time was spent attentively listening and asking questions.

Although Wei Chen was not an HR professional, his views on personnel management were novel and useful to Li Chu. In the end, Li Chu even started recording the conversation on her phone because she felt it would be a shame to forget the discussion.

The employees outside the office initially had the mindset of listening to gossip. However, as they listened, they became engrossed and started taking notes on Wei Chen’s words. They didn’t care whether Wei Chen’s words were relevant to their profession; they knew they would benefit from it in the future.

As the lunch break was coming to an end, Li Chu finally left. By this time, she had given up on the idea of pursuing Wei Chen. She knew her personality well. She liked to have control over everything, but through her interaction with Wei Chen today, Li Chu realized that she couldn’t control a man like him.

Li Chu had always been a rational person. Although Wei Chen appeared to be exceptional, his excellence was beyond her grasp. It was better for her to take charge of her own marital life than to hand it over to someone else. Clearly, Wei Chen was not someone she could control. What a pity. Li Chu sighed inwardly.

However, even though Li Chu gave up on pursuing Wei Chen and them becoming a couple, she thought it would be nice to befriend someone like Wei Chen. After all, he was exceptionally talented. With this in mind, Li Chu picked up her phone and dialed a number.

Soon, the call was answered, and Li Chu smiled as she said, “I heard that your magazine is currently looking for a cover personality, I have someone to recommend.”

The person who answered the call was the editor-in-chief of a well-known domestic business magazine. The deadline for the next issue was approaching, and they were lacking a qualified interviewee for the cover story. So when they heard that Li Chu had a candidate, the editor-in-chief became somewhat excited. After all, Li Chu was an experienced HR professional and knew many people.

“Who does Manager Li want to recommend?” Although there was excitement in their heart, their voice remained calm and even, giving no hint of their inner feelings.

“Wei Chen, the Marketing Department Director of Changfeng Group,” Li Chu said, smirking.

“Wei Chen?” After hearing this name, the editor-in-chief tried to recall any impressions they had of this person. It wasn’t very clear, but there was a faint impression, as if he was a talented graduate from Q University.

“Manager Li, you should be aware of the nature of our magazine. Although Wei Chen is the Marketing Department Director of Changfeng Group, as far as I know, he has only been in that position for a few months. It would be acceptable to have an interview in the magazine, but being the cover personality might be a bit inadequate, don’t you think?” The editor-in-chief spoke somewhat impolitely, after all, it was his own magazine, and he didn’t want Li Chu to act recklessly.

Li Chu remained unfazed and continued to smile, saying, “Editor-in-chief, do you know how old Wei Chen is this year?”

“Around thirty?” the editor-in-chief guessed. To hold the position of Marketing Department Director at Changfeng Group, he couldn’t be in his early twenties.

“Editor-in-chief, you’re mistaken,” Li Chu said with a touch of mystery. “He’s only twenty-four this year. He’s in the prime of his youth.”

“Twenty-four? That’s impossible!” The editor-in-chief found it hard to believe. “Most people have just graduated from university at that age, right?”

“If the editor-in-chief doesn’t believe me, you can ask the previous cover personalities of your magazine, especially those in the automotive industry or maybe other industries. In a city like the capital, Wei Chen’s reputation is probably not limited to the automotive industry alone.” These were all Li Chu’s speculations, but they were based on solid grounds. Wei Chen had achieved a thirty percent growth in performance and had plenty of interactions with influential figures.

After being told this by Li Chu, the magazine’s editor-in-chief was actually intrigued. After ending the call with Li Chu, he immediately called a few influential figures he was on good terms with and had a chat. He also instructed his subordinates to gather information about Wei Chen.

To the editor-in-chief’s surprise, half of the business tycoons he contacted were acquainted with Wei Chen, especially those in the automotive industry. They spoke highly of Wei Chen and enthusiastically suggested that they should feature an interview with him. Some even promised full support if Wei Chen’s interview was included in the magazine.

After finishing the calls with the influential figures, the editor-in-chief received Wei Chen’s information from his subordinates. Ignoring his ordinary academic background, his achievements in the past year were remarkable. Although the editor-in-chief didn’t know how he had performed after joining Changfeng Group, it was definitely extraordinary for someone of his age to become a Director of Changfeng.

Finally, the editor-in-chief paid attention to Wei Chen’s appearance. Without hesitation, he made the decision that Wei Chen would be the cover personality for this issue of the magazine. Good looks and talent, who else could it be?

“You immediately go to Changfeng Group and contact Director Wei. Ask him if he has any availability in the coming days to receive our visit. Also, please request him to spare some time to have a photoshoot for our magazine cover,” the editor-in-chief said. With one problem solved, he felt much more relaxed.

“Okay,” the subordinate replied and promptly went to Changfeng Group.

When the office was left with only the editor-in-chief, he tapped his fingers on the desk. A barely controllable smile formed on his lips. He had a feeling that this issue of the magazine would be a hit!

The sound of a message notification interrupted the editor-in-chief’s thoughts. It was from Li Chu, and the message contained only three words, “How is it?”

The editor-in-chief didn’t directly answer but replied, “Are you free tonight? Let me treat you to dinner.”

Upon seeing this text, Li Chu understood the editor’s intention. Her lips curled up slightly as she retrieved her phone. Ever since she informed the editor about Wei Chen, she was certain that Wei Chen would catch the attention of this magazine. She had no reason, she just believed it.

*

At noon, the heavy snow finally stopped, and the sanitation workers had worked hard to clear a path. The sun emerged, casting its rays, and the white snow sparkled in the sunlight, brightening the entire world.

Wei Chen had just finished dealing with a document when an internal phone call came in. It was from the front desk, informing him that a journalist from Business Magazine wanted to see him.

Although Wei Chen didn’t know why a journalist from Business Magazine wanted to meet him, he still allowed the journalist to come up.

Business Magazine was the largest business magazine in the country and belonged to the People’s Daily, a state-owned enterprise. Of course, compared to the People’s Daily, Business Magazine was relatively less well-known, but it held significant influence in the business community.

Anyone featured in Business Magazine was undoubtedly a big shot in multinational corporations. Some even said that whether one could appear in Business Magazine was a standard to measure their career success.

While this statement might be somewhat exaggerated, it did to some extent reflect the position of Business Magazine in the business world of China.

Therefore, when Wei Chen heard that a journalist from Business Magazine wanted to interview him, he was somewhat surprised and puzzled. After all, according to Wei Chen’s own thoughts, Business Magazine was still beyond his reach.

During Wei Chen’s moment of confusion, the assistant led the journalist from Business Magazine to the office door, and the knock on the door awakened Wei Chen.

Wei Chen pinched his nose to make himself look more energetic and then said, “Come in.”

The door handle turned, and the assistant brought the journalist from Business Magazine into the office.

Wei Chen stood up to greet them. “Hello, I’m Wei Chen,” he said confidently.

“Hello, hello, I’m Jack from Business Magazine. You can call me Ajie, Director Wei,” Jack replied.

After the introductions, Jack immediately explained the purpose of their visit. “Director Wei, here’s the thing. Our magazine intends to do a feature interview with you. May I know when you’ll be available?”

Wei Chen wasn’t surprised. He had already guessed the purpose of Business Magazine’s journalist when he found out they were looking for him from the front desk.

Upon learning that Business Magazine wanted to do a feature interview with him, Wei Chen didn’t immediately agree. Instead, despite the opportunity to be featured in the magazine, Wei Chen preferred to quietly focus on his work.

Jack noticed Wei Chen’s dilemma and smiled as he handed over his business card. “Director Wei, there’s no need to feel pressured. Take your time to consider and give me a call when you’ve made up your mind. I’ll accommodate your schedule.”

“Thank you,” Wei Chen accepted the business card with both hands.

“Director Wei, you can go ahead with your work. I won’t disturb you. I’ll be waiting for your call anytime,” Jack said before exiting the office.

Wei Chen instructed his assistant to see Jack off and then stared blankly at the business card in his hand for a while before placing it in the pocket of his suit.

This matter was merely an episode for Wei Chen, and he didn’t pay much attention to it.

Near the end of the workday, Sheng Jiaqi strolled over to Wei Chen’s Marketing Department.

When the employees in the department saw the big boss coming down personally, they were somewhat surprised and stood up, greeting the chairman with a unified “Good afternoon, Chairman.”

Sheng Jiaqi smiled and said, “Carry on with your work, go home when it’s time to leave. Don’t mind me.” With a smile, he walked into Wei Chen’s office.

Sheng Jiaqi knocked on the door and, upon receiving a response from inside, opened the door and entered.

Upon seeing Sheng Jiaqi, Wei Chen stood up from his seat and went to greet him.

“I heard that a journalist from Business Magazine came looking for you,” Sheng Jiaqi said, sitting on the sofa, getting straight to the point.

Wei Chen nodded. “Yes.”

“Did you agree?” Sheng Jiaqi asked.

“Not yet,” Wei Chen replied.

Sheng Jiaqi said, “Why haven’t you agreed? You know the influence of Business Magazine.”

Wei Chen spoke frankly, “I’m not fond of appearing in the public eye.”

Sheng Jiaqi chuckled and said, “It’s not a matter of liking or disliking. I am even in awe of the connections that Business Magazine has. Since they proactively approached you, you should seize this opportunity. If you want to climb higher, you can’t expand your network without stepping into the public sphere.”

Naturally, Wei Chen understood this logic, but he simply didn’t like being a public figure. Sheng Jiaqi knew what Wei Chen was thinking and said, “Actually, you don’t need to think too much about it. Just treat Business Magazine as a stage to showcase yourself. I’m not worried that after you appear in the magazine, other companies will try to poach you. What are you concerned about?”

Wei Chen replied, “Chairman, you’re joking.” Although he said that, Wei Chen had already made up his mind. He would go ahead with the interview. After all, it’s not like he was unattractive.

“By the way, I asked you to bring your little husband over to my house for dinner. Why haven’t you brought him yet?”

Sheng Jiaqi swiftly changed the topic, leaving Wei Chen a bit overwhelmed.