Chapter 17 What's the matter?
As was her habit, Song Jia went to her father's company on the weekend to practice her driving.
On the way to the conference room with Liu Shang, the personnel manager, Sun, happened to pass by the chairman's office on the third floor.
And it just so happened that Song Jia, who was inside eating fruit and playing on the computer, saw them.
The moment she saw Liu Shang, Song Jia almost choked to death on the piece of orange in her mouth.
She never would have dreamed that Liu Shang, the very person Tan Feng and the others were scheming against just last night, would suddenly show up at her father's company the next day.
Later, after confirming that Liu Shang and the HR manager had entered the conference room, Song Jia tiptoed cautiously to the door, wanting to see what was going on.
And then she witnessed the entire job interview.
At first, after hearing Liu Shang's demands, Song Jia agreed with most of the people in the room: this guy was crazy.
You're a student who just took the college entrance exam and has only been in university for a few months. What real skills could you possibly have?
Do you really think oilfield technology is so easy that you can master it just by talking a good game?
She truly didn't expect that the boyfriend Jiang Ruolin had personally chosen would turn out to be such an arrogant, flashy guy.
Seriously, how could someone with Jiang Ruolin's intelligence and judgment be fascinated by a person like this? She wasn't one of those simple, naive little girls who could be fooled by a few sweet words.
But then, Song Jia was proven wrong by Liu Shang time and time again. Who would have thought that Liu Shang actually understood petroleum technology?
And from the looks of it, he really had substance.
Even though Song Jia was a terrible student—most of her admission to Fengcheng Oil University was through a special channel her father arranged with the principal's office—she still had a certain understanding of oilfield technology from growing up around it.
Most importantly, she was also very familiar with Professor Xu and Mr. Zhong. The two old experts loved to joke with the lively Song Jia whenever they had a spare moment.
Based on her understanding of the two men, the fact that they were fighting over a single person in such a manner led her to deduce that Liu Shang's technical level was far higher than she had imagined.
The potential Liu Shang possessed was definitely extraordinary.
It wasn't until Song Guangyuan announced that he was hiring Liu Shang that Song Jia snapped out of her shock, closing her eyes in great annoyance.
*Oh my God! Dad, what are you doing? You can't hire this Liu Shang!*
*He's Jiang Ruolin's boyfriend! Tan Feng's rival in love, his mortal enemy!*
*What are you thinking, letting him work at our company?!*
Just as Song Jia was having a silent panic attack at the door, Liu Shang smiled inside the conference room.
"I am truly grateful and happy to be recognized by two experts like Professor Xu and Mr. Zhong."
"But Mr. Song, I came here today simply to get a position with a salary of 4000 yuan."
"Frankly, I'm short on money."
"No matter which expert I work with, I will do my best to complete my work diligently and live up to the demands of my position."
Song Guangyuan smiled. "Hehe, Liu Shang, you're quite clever. You've managed not to offend either Professor Xu or Mr. Zhong."
"That's fine. From now on, you will follow both Professor Xu and Mr. Zhong and be their assistant. Wherever the work is, you'll be there."
Song Guangyuan's decision was met with unanimous agreement from both Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong.
Liu Shang's job application today could be considered a resounding success.
Afterward, Song Guangyuan gave instructions to the personnel manager. "Old Sun, you can take Liu Shang to handle the onboarding paperwork."
"He's still a student, so see whether he should sign a labor contract or a service agreement."
"And the probationary period with 80% salary... don't make it three months. Just two months."
Just as Manager Sun agreed and the matter was about to come to a perfect conclusion, a mid-level technical deputy manager coughed lightly.
"President Song, I have a thought, and I'm not sure if I should voice it."
Hearing his words, Song Guangyuan paused for a moment. "Chen Xu, just speak your mind. Everyone can speak freely here; there's no right or wrong."
The deputy technical manager, Chen Xu, smiled. "Hehe, Mr. Song, in that case, I'll be direct."
"Liu Shang is truly a fine young man. He's smart, quick-witted, and has strong communication skills. He obviously has a certain theoretical foundation in petroleum technology as well."
"It's no wonder Professor Xu and Mr. Zhong are fond of him. Even the rest of us are very interested in cultivating his talent."
"President Song, your decision to keep Liu Shang in our company for training is an excellent thing."
"It's just the salary that Liu Shang requested... I think that could be discussed further."
"After all, we are a petroleum technology service company, not a research institute. What's most needed here is practical experience accumulated in the oil fields."
"The reason we're all at Huahai is to use our experience to create actual profit for the company."
"Liu Shang is just a freshman. Even if he has a solid theoretical foundation, he must be lacking in hands-on, practical experience."
"And the salary for our company's current technical management positions is basically around 2500 yuan. As the deputy manager of the technology department, my own salary is only 4500 yuan."
"So to directly set Liu Shang's salary at 4000 yuan, especially when his working hours can't be guaranteed... isn't that a bit high?"
Upon hearing Chen Xu's words, both Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong obviously frowned, and even Song Guangyuan's expression revealed a hint of annoyance.
*This Chen Xu really knows how to stir up trouble.*
It was obvious today that Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong had taken a liking to this young man. It was a happy occasion that symbolized the company's vibrant growth.
But Chen Xu just had to jump out at such an inopportune time to bring this up. Wasn't he just making everyone uncomfortable?
What was the big deal about a mere 4000 yuan salary? And it's not like the money was coming out of Chen Xu's pocket. Most importantly, wasn't a 4000 yuan salary a small price to pay for the happiness of two top experts like Professor Xu and Mr. Zhong?
However, as the owner of such a large company, Song Guangyuan's expression immediately smoothed into a smile. "Well, that's a good point. If it wasn't for Chen Xu's reminder, I would have almost overlooked this matter."
"Liu Shang, although your performance today was beyond our expectations..."
"Our company's salary system is indeed as Deputy Manager Chen Xu said. Giving a part-time student a salary of 4000 yuan really wouldn't be fair to the others."
"I don't know what you think about this: I will set your salary at 2500 yuan for now. But as long as you can prove your skills and value in the coming months, I'll raise your salary to 4000 without a second thought, maybe even more."
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