Chapter 212: Personnel Changes

After leaving the matter of Niu Meng to Hu Wanlin, Li Dong waited for the aftermath. However, for several days, the political scene in Pingchuan remained calm.

Li Dong understood that these old foxes were cautious and would only act when they were certain. It seemed that waiting for the drama might take a long time.

Since there was no immediate drama to observe, Li Dong lost interest in the matter.

The three convenience stores that were vandalized had resumed operations, and the incident was temporarily resolved.

Li Dong, however, did not rest.

After finishing with the store issues, Liu Qi informed him that the headhunter had recommended candidates for the vice president position.

This time, the headhunter had recommended four candidates, all younger than those from the previous batch, including Shen Qian.

Despite their youth, these four were seasoned professionals in the retail industry. The youngest among them had over ten years of experience in retail.

The vice president role was not only of interest to Li Dong but also to Sun Tao. He was not afraid of delegating authority but felt somewhat overwhelmed. Although Li Dong had been spending more time at the company recently, he generally did not involve himself in everyday matters.

Currently, Sun Tao was the only one managing the entire company, and it was becoming too much for him to handle alone.

Moreover, considering the previous discussion about shares, Sun Tao had concerns, and hiring a vice president was something he eagerly anticipated.

After discussions, Li Dong met with the four candidates over the next two days.

After careful selection and interviews, Li Dong chose a woman named Wang Yue.

Wang Yue, 38 years old, had 12 years of experience in the retail industry and had previously served as a regional vice president at a large retail chain. Her previous role held more prestige than the vice president position at Yuanfang.

Yuanfang was still developing compared to Wang Yue's previous employer, which had operations across the East China region.

Wang Yue's decision to join Yuanfang was partly due to Li Dong's fame from the Baidu incident. His youth, wealth, and drive were significant factors in her decision.

Despite her relatively young age, Wang Yue was ambitious. Her previous employer was conservative and had multiple layers of management, which made her feel constrained.

In contrast, Yuanfang was expanding and needed a dynamic and ambitious leader. Wang Yue also appreciated that at Yuanfang, she would report directly to Li Dong and not be subject to the management of others, including Sun Tao.

With various factors at play, Wang Yue chose Yuanfang.

Li Dong and Sun Tao, both familiar with her reputation, were pleased with the choice. Wang Yue was appointed as the vice president.

Li Dong offered her an annual salary of 500,000 with a car and housing benefits. Although this was a top-tier package, Wang Yue's previous job had similar benefits.

To accommodate Wang Yue's new role, Li Dong held a meeting with the mid-level managers. He announced that Wang Yue would be in charge of the crucial departments of Merchandise and Marketing.

The room fell silent as everyone processed the news. It was unexpected for a new vice president to oversee such important departments.

For Yuanfang, controlling the Merchandise and Marketing departments meant controlling its external channels. This effectively meant Sun Tao would handle internal matters while Wang Yue would focus on external expansion, which some might interpret as undermining Sun Tao's authority.

Sun Tao remained calm, knowing this decision was actually in his favor. While outsiders might think he was being sidelined, he understood that the true core of Yuanfang was the Finance and Human Resources departments.

The Finance department was under Li Dong's direct control, and Sun Tao managed Human Resources and Logistics. With these two departments under his control, Sun Tao was secure in his position.

Seeing that Sun Tao had no objections, the others remained silent as well.

After the announcement regarding Wang Yue, Li Dong made another significant decision: the establishment of a Security Department.

Previously, Yuanfang had no dedicated Security Department. Each store had its own security managed by the Administration Department. Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long had held titles related to security at the Longhua branch.

Li Dong had not considered creating a separate Security Department before. However, the recent vandalism made him realize the need for a dedicated security force. As Yuanfang expanded, it required robust security measures beyond relying on store-level guards.

The Security Department would be led by Zhou Haidong, who would be the department manager. However, Zhou Haidong's role was more symbolic, and the department's actual operations would be managed by an experienced internal staff member as the deputy manager.

Zheng Long and Cao Hongbing were assigned titles as Training Supervisors. Their role was simple: to train new security personnel.

These three were long-time associates of Li Dong, and their new roles were more about providing reassurance rather than actual operational duties. They would primarily serve as Li Dong's personal security, with their positions and salaries seeing an increase.

After announcing these changes, the meeting concluded.

Li Dong left the meeting room, letting Wang Yue familiarize herself with the team.

As he exited, Shen Qian chased after him, visibly upset.

"Mr. Li!"

Li Dong continued walking, not turning around. "Is something wrong?"

Shen Qian followed, frustrated. "Didn't you say the vice president position was reserved for me? Why is it Wang Yue instead?"

Li Dong was prepared for Shen Qian's reaction. He smiled and said, "The company doesn't specify that there can only be one vice president, does it?"

"Do your best, and when the time is right, you'll be the company's second vice president."

Shen Qian retorted, "I don't believe you anymore. You're just deceiving me!"

Li Dong had heard this before. Shen Qian used to be skeptical, but now she was completely disbelieving. She felt that Li Dong had no intention of making her the vice president.

Li Dong reassured her, "This time I'm serious. As long as you perform well, I'll definitely promote you."

In truth, Li Dong didn't mind whether Shen Qian was promoted or not. He still wanted to keep her motivated and not let her leave prematurely. As long as she remained with Yuanfang, her presence was a form of deterrence.

Seeing Li Dong's assurance, Shen Qian reluctantly agreed. "I'll trust you one more time, but I have a request."

"Speak."

"Can the Public Relations Department report directly to you?"

"Sure!"

Li Dong agreed without hesitation. In reality, whether directly managed or not made little difference. The Public Relations Department was small, and both Sun Tao and Wang Yue would not be concerned about it.

Sun Tao also knew Shen Qian had connections and would prefer if Shen Qian did not bother him.

Satisfied with Li Dong's response, Shen Qian finally managed a smile.