Chapter 258: Visiting the Sick

As soon as Sun Tao left, Shen Qian hurried over.

These days, Shen Qian had been so busy with the annual meeting that she was dizzy. If she hadn't known Li Dong was back, she would still be out contacting people.

Upon entering the office, Shen Qian complained, "You're living so carefree, leaving everything behind and walking out of the company. I still have a whole bunch of things waiting for you to handle."

Li Dong smiled and said, "It's just an annual meeting. You're a talented person and a rising star, aiming to become a vice president. You don't need me to interfere with such minor matters."

Shen Qian was momentarily at a loss for words and, feeling a bit frustrated, said, "Of course, I don't need your help. I can handle it myself!"

Li Dong shook his head, seeing her stubbornness.

Not wanting to tease her further, he asked, "So, what else do I need to handle?"

Shen Qian grumbled and then got down to business, saying, "Three things. First, the guest list."

"Originally, I only planned to invite company employees, but later the news got out, and some suppliers called to say they also want to attend. Should we invite them?"

Li Dong thought for a moment and nodded, "Sure. Send out invitations to everyone, big or small. It's time for them to see our strength."

Shen Qian continued, "Also, we initially planned to invite only the leadership from each store, but recently, many employees from the stores have expressed high enthusiasm about attending the annual meeting. Should we open up some more slots for them?"

Li Dong frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to invite employees.

The problem was that there were quite a lot of employees from afar, nearly five thousand people, which was too many.

Even if some stayed behind at the supermarkets, the remaining number would still exceed a thousand. With such a large group, Yuanfang did not have the capacity to accommodate them.

Li Dong thought for a moment and said, "Select a portion through a lottery, and set some limits. After all, it's a busy time at the end of the year. Keep it within five hundred people."

Shen Qian nodded and continued, "The second matter is about inviting a few small celebrities to attend the annual meeting to liven up the atmosphere."

"Handle it within the budget," Li Dong replied.

"It's not just about that. I did some preliminary research on which celebrities people most want to invite, and Li Xi is among them."

Li Dong glanced at her and after a moment said, "Do whatever you like. I have no objections."

To Li Dong now, Li Xi and any stranger were no different.

As the company's owner, even if Li Xi came, she might not get a chance to talk to him, and whether she came or not was uncertain. Li Dong didn't really care.

Seeing that Li Dong agreed, Shen Qian let out a slight sigh of relief.

She had heard some rumors about Li Dong and Li Xi having conflicts in the past, even causing the previous market manager of Yuanfang to step down.

Originally, Shen Qian had planned to ignore the issue after seeing the final statistics.

But then, for some reason, when she saw Li Xi's name, Shen Qian felt a kind of fate in their shared name. Plus, she had heard Li Xi sing and liked her music, so she brought it up with Li Dong.

Li Dong didn't want to dwell on the matter, so he asked, "What's the third thing? Speak quickly, I'm busy."

"Uh, the third thing is…"

Shen Qian hesitated for a moment and then said, "I consulted everyone's opinion, and everyone wants you to perform at the annual meeting. What do you think?"

Li Dong frowned, initially wanting to refuse, but after some thought said, "Alright, I'll prepare something and decide later."

He had originally wanted to decline, but then thought about it. At major company annual meetings, it was quite common for the boss to perform. There was no need to appear so aloof.

Moreover, this annual meeting was intended to boost morale, so it would also help to set an example for the employees.

Seeing Li Dong agree, Shen Qian's face brightened.

Apart from anything else, the fact that Li Dong was willing to perform was a big highlight.

Usually, Li Dong was very mysterious. Apart from those at headquarters, very few employees had seen Li Dong. The mysterious boss performing on stage was sure to be a big spectacle.

After Shen Qian finished, Li Dong stood up and said, "Handle the other matters yourself. I have something else to attend to, so I'll leave first."

"Just got back and you're leaving already?"

"Qi Yunna is sick. I'm going to visit her."

"Oh!"

Shen Qian had heard about Qi Yunna being hospitalized and considered for a moment before saying, "How about I also visit Manager Qi?"

Li Dong glanced at her and frowned, "Aren't you busy?"

Shen Qian rolled her eyes and said, "Understanding the balance between work and rest, you know?"

Li Dong shrugged and said, "Fine, you can come along too!"

...

When going downstairs, Li Dong naturally got into his own car.

Shen Qian also brought out her car from the garage, a red Beetle.

Li Dong had promised to get Shen Qian a car, but after that, he hadn't paid much attention. He had thought Shen Qian would choose something more expensive, but she ended up selecting a Beetle.

Li Dong smiled and said nothing, allowing Zhou Haidong to lead the way.

...

At the Fourth People's Hospital.

After sending off the two visiting colleagues, Qi Yunna lay silently on her hospital bed.

Today, on her day off, Xiao Xu, an employee from the store who had come to accompany her, whispered, "Manager, what's wrong?"

Qi Yunna sighed and said with a nasal tone, "Nothing."

Xiao Xu, curious, asked, "Were the two people who just left also from our company?"

Qi Yunna nodded without speaking.

Xiao Xu continued, "They seemed so authoritative. Are they leaders from our company?"

Qi Yunna looked at her with a hint of irritation and said, "You little girl, do you even know what authority means? If they're leaders, then am I not?"

Xiao Xu stuck out her tongue and laughed, "Manager, don't be angry. I'm just joking. Besides, they do look more authoritative than you. You're kind and approachable."

Qi Yunna felt a bit depressed and after a long pause said, "Do they really seem more authoritative than me?"

Xiao Xu nodded seriously.

Qi Yunna was truly frustrated and said, "Do they look more like leaders than I do?"

Xiao Xu covered her mouth and laughed, "Manager, they're older. When you're as old as them, you'll surely be a big leader too."

Qi Yunna felt like crying. Who said age alone determined leadership?

Just two months ago, Guo Mingzhi was still working under her!

But now, things had changed so much. Guo Mingzhi had become the city manager, promoted several levels above her, and it was really disheartening.

And then there was Xie Hong, who had also risen up to become the store manager of the Guan Hai branch.

Although he was a second-tier store manager, his position was not inferior to a first-tier store manager and was even comparable to Guo Mingzhi.

These two guys, though they were visiting her while she was sick, their air of self-satisfaction was unmistakable.

Qi Yunna was feeling frustrated. These two were clearly here to watch the show. What was there to be so proud of just because they got promoted?

As she was thinking, Xiao Xu asked again, "By the way, Manager, why did they call you 'Manager Qi'? Is it that all store managers in our company are called 'Manager' externally?"

Qi Yunna, feeling annoyed, said, "A manager is a manager, a store manager is a store manager. Who told you that store managers are the same as managers?"

"But they clearly called you 'Manager Qi'?" Xiao Xu couldn't help but point out.

Qi Yunna was exasperated. Was this adding salt to her wounds?

In the store, she never mentioned her past. Since the new employees didn't know she had been a city manager before, she kept it low-key.

Now, being questioned by Xiao Xu, Qi Yunna felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Just as she was about to change the topic, someone outside the door suddenly said, "It's simple. Your store manager used to be a manager at the company, but later she was removed."

Hearing the voice, Qi Yunna quickly got out of bed.

But after listening to Li Dong's words, Qi Yunna's face turned dark. How humiliating! First a slap in the face, and now another one. There's no sense of propriety from the boss!

Xiao Xu, who didn't recognize Li Dong, looked at him curiously. Seeing that he was only a little older than herself, she asked, "Our store manager used to be a manager at the company?"

"Yes, the city manager. Do you know what that means?"

Xiao Xu was stunned, "City manager?"

She had at least trained at Yuanfang for a while and naturally knew the position of a city manager.

She was currently a regular employee, with positions above her including assistant managers, fifth-level store managers, and up to first-level store managers.

A city manager came after the first-level store

 managers, and if including the assistant managers, a city manager was more than ten levels above her.

And in her eyes, Qi Yunna was only a fifth-level store manager. When did she become a city manager?

Li Dong smiled and said, "Yes, Yuanfang's first city manager. Back then, your store manager was quite the star. She had cars, houses, and stacks of money. It was so much that counting the money made her hands ache. It's not like now, where she's sick and only a few people come to visit. Back then, when your store manager was sick, dozens of people would wait in the hospital to visit her."

"Pfft!"

Shen Qian, who was following him, couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

Qi Yunna could not laugh and looked very bitter. "Mr. Li, what are you doing here?"

"Hehe, just came to check on our Manager Qi and to ask how she feels now. Does she have that feeling of coldness after falling from grace?"

Qi Yunna wanted to cry. What do you want?

If Li Dong weren't the boss, she would have really wanted to scold him. What a boring guy!

Seeing Qi Yunna's reaction, Li Dong laughed and said, "Rest up. I have eight words for you about your illness."

Qi Yunna looked puzzled. What eight words?

"Courage is commendable, but the person is quite foolish!"

"Cough cough cough…"

Shen Qian couldn't help but laugh and said to Qi Yunna, "Manager Qi, I really didn't mean it. He's just joking with us."

Li Dong gave her a sidelong glance and said gruffly, "How do you speak? Who's this guy?"

Shen Qian forced herself to stop laughing and sat properly without saying another word.

Li Dong snorted and continued, "Saying you're courageous is a bit of praise. But being foolish is indeed true."

Qi Yunna felt a bit aggrieved but dared not argue.

However, Xiao Xu, who had just come back from her shock, said indignantly, "Who says the manager is foolish? Our manager is very nice!"