Chapter 54: Longwen Ying's Suggestion

Long Wenying had already been sizing up Lin Chen the moment he stepped through the door.

As the general manager of Honey Technology, she prided herself on a keen eye for judging character that far surpassed ordinary people. Yet, as she looked at Lin Chen right now, she was utterly baffled.

The young man didn't look old, as if he had just graduated from university. Though tall and strikingly handsome, his eyes still retained the clear innocence characteristic of college students—along with a distinct touch of foolishness.

She had, of course, reviewed Lin Chen's background file. He was an ordinary person from a small city; his parents had a modest amount of social standing, but not enough to make even a ripple in the small pond of Chengyang, let alone here in Binhai. Although Lin Chen was a high-achieving graduate from a Project 985 university and had even pursued a master's degree, fresh graduates were the absolute least scarce commodity in today's society. When companies hired nowadays, they started their search at the doctoral and master's levels.

Long Wenying had racked her brains until her head ached, yet she still couldn't figure out on earth what had earned Lin Chen the chairman's favor. Surely not just this handsome face of his?

As she scrutinized him, she suddenly felt her face growing slightly warm...

She had to admit, the young man was genuinely good-looking—his facial features possessed a handsome yet refined quality, complemented by sword-like brows and star-like eyes. Furthermore, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist; beneath his white shirt, the distinct traces of physical training were immediately apparent. Judging by Long Wenying's experience, a set of eight-pack abs was definitely a given.

"Still, the chairman isn't into that sort of thing; she's never touched romance in her life, so he shouldn't be the chairman's lover..." Long Wenying muttered inwardly.

Lin Chen finally finished looking over the office and sensed the gaze fixed upon him. He raised his head and happened to meet Long Wenying's eyes directly.

"He's genuinely handsome!" Lin Chen gave an internal thumbs-up.

From his perspective, though, while Long Wenying was certainly pretty and possessed the unmistakable aura of an aloof, capable career woman, she still couldn't hold a candle to Xu Mi. His precious wife's delicate and soft temperament, her fragrant and tender body, and her habit of blushing and getting shy at the drop of a hat—she was simply the absolute pinnacle of perfection in this world!

Lin Chen's thoughts drifted back to leaving work. Clocking out early to go home, share a meal with his wife, give her a foot massage, and hold her as they slept—now that was the ultimate enjoyment in life!

Long Wenying quickly adjusted her facial expression and said calmly, "You must be Lin Chen?"

"Yes."

"You've been with the company for a while now. How are things going? Are you adapting well in the Marketing Department?"

"Thank you for your concern, General Manager. I think everything is going quite well."

As Lin Chen answered Long Wenying, he began to wonder inwardly. What on earth is this about? Surely the general manager isn't just sitting around with nothing to do, calling him up here just to shoot the breeze? That would be too absurd!

Fortunately, Long Wenying quickly cut to the chase.

"Here's the thing," Long Wenying said with a serious expression. "As you know, the current economy is sluggish. Recently, the company's performance has dropped, and every department is under immense pressure."

Lin Chen felt a sinking sensation in his chest. *Oh crap, are they going to fire me?!* How long had he even been working here, and he was about to get fired for the second time? Besides, if they wanted to fire him, wasn't that the kind of thing the HR department could handle with a single phone call? Why would the general manager get involved personally?

Feeling a bit apprehensive, Lin Chen asked, "Um... General Manager, telling me all this... are you going to fire me?"

Whether you stretch your neck or pull it back, the blade falls either way—he might as well get a clear answer!

Long Wenying shook her head hastily. "There's a misunderstanding. Actually, I called you here today because the company recently wants to expand into new media."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, the products manufactured by the company were previously supplied exclusively to distributors. However, after discussions by the board of directors, we are preparing to establish a new department."

Lin Chen understood in a flash: "Livestream e-commerce?"

"Exactly." Long Wenying nodded, praising him, "You're very perceptive!"

Lin Chen chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far."

Mainly, talking about heavy pressure and new media—what else could it be if not livestream e-commerce?

Still... "General Manager, what do you mean by telling me this?" Lin Chen frowned. "You surely don't want *me* to run it, do you?"

Long Wenying nodded. "That's right!"

"What?!" Lin Chen was dumbfounded. "I... I've never even touched this stuff before! Besides, if we're doing livestream e-commerce, shouldn't we be looking for top-tier streamers from the industry to handle it?"

Even as an outsider, he knew that if you wanted to do livestream e-commerce, you had to find internet celebrities—not just any internet celebrities, but famous ones with massive fanbases. Otherwise, if you brought in a complete novice with zero followers, who would be willing to buy anything? Besides, even if the macro environment was terrible, Honey Technology couldn't possibly be that short on cash!

Long Wenying explained, "You misunderstood. We aren't asking you to be a streamer; we want you to be the head of the department and manage the entire division. In other words, the entire livestream e-commerce venture will be placed entirely in your hands. As for whether we sign influencers or novices later on, you will have the final say on all of it."

"What?!" Lin Chen practically leaped out of his seat. "General Manager... are you serious?! You're not pulling my leg?"

Leaving aside the fact that he was a newcomer who had just joined the company, given that he was a fresh graduate with zero work experience, this matter had already reached an absurdly bizarre level. Jumping straight from an intern to the head of an entire department—who would dare believe it if they hadn't experienced it firsthand?

Long Wenying leaned back in her chair, her expression serene. "Since I've said it, of course it's true. The board of directors has already discussed it."

Actually, this whole idea had originally been proposed by Yu Feng.

Regarding the two newcomers, Lin Chen and Jiang Yao, they hadn't drawn any attention within the company at first. At most, a few people in the HR department had muttered about how their salaries exceeded the standard newcomer rates, and how even their private offices violated protocol to some extent. However, personnel relationships in large companies were intricate and complex; assuming they were just connected hires slipped in by some higher-up, very few people paid them any mind.

It wasn't until Yu Lingyan provoked Lin Chen, and Yu Feng stepped in to shield her niece—staging a drama over the course of a mere three days where she fired Lin Chen only to personally bring him back—that the matter gained a shred of gossip value. Nosy gossips had dug around and learned that Lin Chen was planted there by the old matriarch herself, prompting even more discussion.

As for Yu Feng, being the most senior person by the chairman's side, when she announced a board meeting, naturally no one objected. And once that meeting commenced, everyone understood the subtext.

This Lin Chen was not to be underestimated!

Although his specific identity remained unknown, with both the old matriarch and the ailing chairman stepping in personally, Lin Chen's weight was self-evident. It was clearly inappropriate to leave someone with such formidable backing lingering in the Marketing Department as a nobody—just in case some blind fool offended him again.

Consequently, the members of the board brainstromed and came up with a brilliant idea: establish a brand-new department and hand it over to Lin Chen to manage. On one hand, this would elevate Lin Chen's status and standing within the company; on the other hand, it would show the chairman that they were taking good care of him.

It was a win-win solution.

Long Wenying's gaze fell back onto Lin Chen. "Well then, have you thought it through?"