Chapter 40
The next day at 1:30 pm, Zhou Chao and Lin Wu left the house together. Lin Wu drove the Rolls-Royce Phantom and headed straight to Radiant International located in Huangpu District.
As he entered Radiant International’s gate, the receptionist stopped them, “Hello, may I ask whom you are looking for?”
“Mr. Yang, we made an appointment yesterday. My surname is Zhou.”
“Alright, please have a seat for a moment,” the receptionist said and served them two glasses of water.
Shortly after, Zhou Chao saw Mr. Yang walking out from the office area. He stood up and walked towards Mr. Yang.
“Hello, Mr. Zhou. You came without giving me a call. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s me who arrived early. Mr. Yang, I apologize for interrupting your work.”
They shook hands and then proceeded to the meeting room. Mr. Yang’s subordinates brought in the prepared documents.
Once seated, Mr. Yang handed the documents to Zhou Chao. Zhou Chao went through the profiles of various candidates. Despite having acquired a lot of related knowledge, he still trusted Mr. Yang’s experience and judgment more.
“Interviews will start at 2:30 pm, and some candidates have already arrived. Would you like to join me then?” Mr. Yang asked Zhou Chao.
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Chao replied, “Let’s do it together. I need to have a clear understanding as well.”
The two then discussed the situation of the interviewees. The candidates were all above thirty years old, both men and women, and many had held high positions in Fortune 500 companies. They all met the basic requirements.
Formal interviews began at 2:30 pm. Zhou Chao listened on the sidelines while Mr. Yang conducted the interviews, focusing on asset management and financial investment. Thanks to the knowledge he gained from the check-ins, Zhou Chao could follow the conversations without feeling lost.
With Mr. Yang and his professional team of headhunters, they quickly filtered out a group of promising candidates. Zhou Chao also asked a few questions to those candidates whom he found particularly interesting, mostly about their family backgrounds.
After the interviews, they gathered in Mr. Yang’s office, and Zhou Chao carefully reviewed the remaining resumes to make the final decisions.
“Zhou Chao, what do you think about these three candidates?”
Zhou Chao held the resumes of the three candidates, recalling their performance during the interviews, and pondered for a moment before replying, “They are acceptable, but they still fall a bit short of my ideal standard. I don’t feel completely at ease entrusting the future of the company to them, but they are essential talents for building the company.”
“Please, Mr. Yang, try to find more suitable candidates for me. Also, you can ask these three if they are interested in working at my company.”
“Sure, I’ll go and inquire about their thoughts.” Yang Zong left the room.
After a short while, Yang Zong returned and shook his head, saying, “None of these three are willing to become the cornerstone of the company.”
Zhou Chao contemplated for a moment and then looked up at Yang Zong, asking, “Do you have anyone suitable from the investment banking sector?”
“Investment banking? There is one person I can recommend to you. He’s highly capable and used to be the Executive Director of GS in Greater China. However, for some reason, he resigned and left the company. He was extremely capable, and during his tenure, the Greater China division ranked first.”
Zhou Chao showed curiosity and asked, “What’s his name?”
“Ling Chen.”
Zhou Chao raised an eyebrow and thought for a while, “The candidates we interviewed earlier were mainly focused on asset management, lacking the drive and spirit of competition with capital that those from investment banking usually possess. Although the interviewees held high positions, they didn’t give me that feeling. I’m very interested in this Ling Chen you mentioned, Mr. Yang. When can we arrange a meeting?”
Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s interest in Ling Chen, Yang Zong immediately had Ling Chen’s information brought up.
“Zhou Chao, this is Ling Chen’s information,” Yang Zong said, passing the digital copy to Zhou Chao for him to review.
“From this profile, it seems that Ling Chen’s career and personal life have been quite eventful. When he was the Executive Director of GS in Greater China, many of the projects he managed brought substantial returns. He is a typical workaholic, and his actions are decisive. But for some unknown reason, he resigned and was held accountable by the company, resulting in a 50 million settlement. After his resignation, there was a divorce scandal in his family, but the specific reasons are unclear. Currently, he is in Modu with his 7-year-old son, residing in Minhang District.”
“Mr. Yang, could you please help me arrange a dinner with him tonight?”
“I’ll do my best,” Mr. Yang replied uncertainly.
“Mr. Yang, then I’ll leave now. I’ll be waiting for your call tonight. Thank you for your help.” After saying that, Zhou Chao left Radiant International with Lin Wu and headed to a tea house on the Bund, waiting for Mr. Yang’s call.
Zhou Chao and Lin Wu chatted over tea until nearly 6 o’clock in the evening when Mr. Yang finally called. “Hello, Mr. Yang, did Ling Chen agree?”
“He agreed, Zhou Chao. I’ll bring him to the Bund to meet you.”
“Alright, I’ll be at the Cantonese restaurant on the 5th floor of No. 18 Bund. See you there.” After the call, Zhou Chao and Lin Wu headed to the Cantonese restaurant on the Bund, where they reserved a private room.
In less than half an hour, Yang Zong walked in with a middle-aged man who looked weary and dejected. Zhou Chao stood up to greet them, “Thank you for your trouble, Yang Zong.” Then he turned to Ling Chen, who was standing beside Yang Zong, and extended his right hand, “Hello, I’m Zhou Chao.”
Seeing this, Ling Chen quickly extended his right hand and shook Zhou Chao’s hand, “Come, let’s all sit down and have a meal, let’s eat first.” After saying that, Zhou Chao pulled Ling Chen to sit down, and the others also took their seats.
As they chatted and laughed, Mr. Yang, the headhunter, enlivened the atmosphere from time to time. Laughter filled the private room.
When everyone had finished eating and the time felt right, Zhou Chao engaged in a conversation with Ling Chen. They talked about many things, and Zhou Chao could sense Ling Chen’s discontent. He looked at this man, not even 35 years old yet, with hair already graying silently.
“Are you willing? If you’re not content, then join me. I’ll hand over the company I’m building to you entirely, and you will be in charge. You’ll receive 5% of the net profit as your bonus each year.” Zhou Chao didn’t say much, as sometimes it’s not good to say too much when everyone is already aware of the situation.
Ling Chen clenched his fist under the table, lowered his head, and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up, and his eyes seemed to emit a gleam of determination. He said firmly, “I’m grateful for Zhou Chao’s trust. From now on, I’ll follow Zhou Chao.”
Zhou Chao burst into laughter, stood up, filled everyone’s wine glasses, and raised his own, saying, “Cheers!”
“Cheers!”