121: Chapter 121 School Leaders' Visit

Upon hearing Counselor Shen Na's words, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Chen Fan's eyes.

He hadn't expected that a visit from school leaders would have such benefits.

"Then do I need to prepare anything? I've never hosted any leaders before."

"No need, just host them normally. The leaders mainly want to see the current development of your company and check if you have any difficulties."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher Shen. I'll treat you to a meal when you come."

"Oh, give it a rest. Last time when processing the off-campus housing, you said you'd treat me to a meal, and I still haven't had that meal from you yet."

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but complain internally: He had offered to treat her to a meal back then, but it was Counselor Shen Na herself who refused. Now she was shifting the blame onto him.

However, he only dared to complain internally. Out loud, he still said with a smile, "Don't worry, Teacher Shen, next time for sure."

"That's a deal then. Alright, I'm hanging up now."

"Wait, don't hang up yet! You haven't told me when the leaders are coming."

"Oh, I almost forgot. They will go to your company around 10:00 AM tomorrow. Just be prepared by then."

"Understood."

Hanging up the phone, Chen Fan placed his phone on the desk and leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment.

The Dean of the School of Management coming to inspect was a novel event.

He had originally thought that entrepreneurship was just about burying one's head and working alone; he hadn't expected the school to attach such importance to it.

He thought for a moment, then picked up the internal phone on his desk and dialed.

"Come to my office for a moment."

Less than a minute later, Qiao Linlin pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing Chen Fan sitting behind the desk with a serious expression, her heart skipped a beat.

She quickly recalled what she had done recently. Did she sneak out early? No. Was she late? Only ten minutes late last Friday, but that was due to traffic.

Could it be because she had slacked off? But she only ever slacked off after finishing her work.

"Sit down," Chen Fan said, pointing to the chair in front of his desk.

"Okay." Qiao Linlin sat down cautiously, placing her hands on her knees, looking obedient and well-behaved.

Seeing her nervous demeanor, Chen Fan found it somewhat amusing. "Relax, why are you so nervous?"

Qiao Linlin breathed a sigh of relief, but her face still carried a hint of probe. "Boss, you called me here because..."

"Leaders from our school will be coming to inspect the company tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Linlin's tense body instantly relaxed, and the expression on her face shifted from nervousness to ease, even carrying a hint of a smile.

"Boss, your school, Chang'an Jiaotong University?"

"Yes, it's the leaders from Jiao Tong University. So, before you leave today, look into what is typically needed for this kind of situation and get everything ready."

"Alright, Boss. I have experience with this sort of thing."

Qiao Linlin agreed immediately, her tone carrying a hint of confidence.

"You have experience?" Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.

"Mhm," Qiao Linlin said with a smile. "Didn't I work in the Student Union when I was at school? Things like hosting leaders and setting up venues are second nature to me."

Chen Fan nodded and instructed, "That's good. Keep it simple, don't make it too ostentatious. After all, this is a company, not a school."

"Don't worry, Boss, I know how to handle it."

"Hm."

After Qiao Linlin left, Chen Fan leaned back in his chair and began to think about what he needed to prepare for the leaders' visit tomorrow.

After thinking it over, it seemed there wasn't much that needed preparing.

They were coming to inspect his company, so they definitely wanted to know about its development. He would just tell them the truth when the time came.

As far as he knew, the school could provide assistance for college student entrepreneurship.

Although his company was slowly getting on the right track, were there ways to get the school to provide some help?

He began to think about what the company needed right now.

Office space? Already had it.

Funding, he wasn't lacking that at the time.

After thinking it over, an idea popped into Chen Fan's mind: could he ask the school to provide him with talent?

Not just the talent needed for normal projects, but the management talent that Chen Fan needed most.

After all, Chen Fan was a first-time boss and was still lacking in management, so he had been thinking about whether to recruit a professional management talent to help him.

This way, the company could get on the right track faster, and he could be a bit more relaxed.

When they came tomorrow, he would see if he could bring up this request in front of the leaders.

He recalled what Counselor Shen Na had just said about the "Dean of the School of Management." He had actually heard of this Dean's status—the Dean of the School of Management at Chang'an Jiaotong University was not a dedicated position but was concurrently held by the school's Vice President.

This level corresponded to a deputy department-level position; in local terms, it was equivalent to the Vice Mayor of a prefecture-level city.

For a deputy department-level leader to make a special trip to inspect his fledgling small company, it seemed they really did attach great importance to it.

The next morning, Chen Fan arrived at the company at nine o'clock.

Just as he arrived at the entrance, he saw that two potted plants had appeared in the previously empty doorway. Their leaves were glossy and vibrant, adding a touch of liveliness to the somewhat desolate office building corridor.

Pushing the door open and entering, the front desk area was spotless, with two small, thriving pothos plants placed on the counter.

Chen Fan walked inside, and the office area had also changed. The previously somewhat cluttered desks were organized neatly, with messy data cables bundled up with zip ties and routed along the edges of the desks.

Several computer screens were wiped until they shone, and the keyboards were all placed in uniform positions.

He pushed open the conference room door and took a look; the long table was wiped spotless, and the chairs were arranged in straight lines, as if standing in formation.

On the table were four or five bottles of mineral water and a small plate of fruit, with a stack of printed company materials placed to the side.

Chen Fan walked around and nodded with satisfaction.

Although there were no banners, no flower baskets, and no big red slogans like "Warmly Welcome the Leaders' Inspection," the overall look was simple and neat, which was very pleasing to the eye.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He opened it to see a message from Counselor Shen Na: "We'll be there in a few minutes, get ready."

Chen Fan tucked his phone into his pocket and called out to Qiao Linlin, "Come on, follow me to the entrance."

The two of them had just stood still at the elevator entrance when the number above the elevator jumped to "15."

With a "ding," the elevator door slowly opened.

The first person to walk out was a middle-aged man around fifty years old. His hair was combed neatly, there were a few strands of gray at his temples, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses.

He was wearing a dark blue administrative jacket, his back was straight, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that he was a leader.

Following closely behind him was a slightly plump middle-aged man with a round face, his hair also combed neatly, wearing a light gray jacket.

He was carrying a slightly worn briefcase in his hand and looked much more amiable.

Walking at the very back was his counselor, Counselor Shen Na.

She was wearing a white shirt with dark trousers today, looking much more formal than she did at school.

Before coming, Counselor Shen Na had already told Chen Fan the list—Dean of the School of Management Zhou Mingyuan, and Director of the Student Affairs Office Wang Yuhong.

Chen Fan guessed that the one wearing glasses should be Zhou Mingyuan, and the slightly plump one was Wang Yuhong.