192: Chapter 192: Management Talent is Emerging

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Chen Fan drove Lin Xi to the West City Passenger Transport Station.

It wasn't Chinese New Year yet, but the station was already bustling with people.

People carrying suitcases and bags of all sizes came and went. Bus schedules played on a loop over the loudspeaker, and the noisy chatter of the crowd mixed with the sound of suitcase wheels rolling across the ground.

Chen Fan parked the car at the entrance and took the suitcase out of the trunk.

Lin Xi took it, pulled out the handle, and stood before him.

"Call me when you arrive," Chen Fan said.

"Mm."

Lin Xi looked at him, her fingers gently stroking the handle of her suitcase.

Chen Fan reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair, blown messy by the wind, behind her ear.

"Go on in."

Lin Xi nodded and pulled her suitcase toward the station entrance.

Chen Fan stood there watching the direction she disappeared in for a few seconds before turning to leave.

Just as he sat in the car, his phone rang.

Chen Fan picked up his phone and looked at it with a puzzled expression—it was actually a call from Dean Zhou.

Although surprised, he quickly answered it.

"Hello, Dean Zhou."

"Little Chen, how has your company been doing lately?" Zhou Mingyuan's voice came from the other end of the line.

"It's doing well. The two games we've launched are performing quite well right now."

"More than just 'quite well,'" Zhou Mingyuan chuckled. "I've even seen some of the teachers at our school playing your company's games. Your company must be quite famous in the gaming industry by now, right?"

Chen Fan didn't know if Zhou Mingyuan was being serious or just polite, but he knew that Zhou Mingyuan certainly hadn't called just to praise him.

"Dean Zhou, you flatter me. Our company's scale is still very small; we can't compare to those big companies in terms of reputation."

"Alright, stop being so modest." Zhou Mingyuan's tone shifted. "Regarding that interview I had Xiao Shen mention to you before—why did you refuse it?"

Chen Fan's expression froze.

He thought that matter had already been put to rest, but he hadn't expected Zhou Mingyuan to bring it up again now.

"Dean Zhou, our counselor Counselor Shen Na should have told you," Chen Fan said, choosing his words carefully. "It's indeed a bit early for exposure right now. It wouldn't be appropriate for me or my company."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"Fine, then let's leave it at that for now," Zhou Mingyuan replied, his tone revealing no particular emotion.

Chen Fan was somewhat confused. Did Zhou Mingyuan call specifically for this? After just a couple of simple sentences of explanation, he was letting it go?

Before he could think further, Zhou Mingyuan spoke again.

"There's one more thing. Regarding the person you asked me to find last time, I have a suitable candidate."

Chen Fan blanked for a moment, then immediately realized what he meant.

He was talking about the Vice President position.

He had mentioned to Zhou Mingyuan before that as the company grew, he needed to find someone who understood management and operations and had the experience to help him.

He didn't have many connections, so he could only ask Zhou Mingyuan to keep an eye out. Zhou Mingyuan had agreed at the time, saying he'd ask around, but since there had been no news for a while, Chen Fan thought the matter had fallen through.

He hadn't expected Zhou Mingyuan to remember it all this time.

"What's the person's name? What's their background?" Chen Fan asked, subconsciously sitting up straighter.

"His name is Fang Hongsheng," Zhou Mingyuan said. "He's thirty-five years old and studied Business Administration; you could consider him your senior. He previously served as a Vice President at a listed company in Shenzhen, and his abilities are quite decent. He resigned recently and returned to Chang'an. He came to the school to see me today and mentioned his situation, so I brought up the favor you asked of me. After hearing about it, he agreed to meet and talk with you."

Chen Fan was quite surprised. To reach the Vice President level by age thirty-five, his abilities were more than just 'decent'—they were exceptionally outstanding.

His company was exactly in need of such a person right now.

A flash of excitement crossed his eyes.

"Great! Did he say when or where to meet?"

"He didn't say. I'll give you his number, and you can contact him yourself."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble, Dean Zhou."

"It's no trouble at all," Zhou Mingyuan chuckled. "Take this down, his number is—"

"Wait a moment, Dean Zhou, let me find a pen."

Chen Fan hurriedly searched around for a pen and paper. Fortunately, his backpack was in the car, and it had a pen and notebook inside.

He pulled them out, wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, and flipped open the notebook quickly.

"Okay, go ahead."

Zhou Mingyuan recited a string of numbers. Chen Fan wrote them down stroke by stroke in his notebook and then double-checked them once he was finished.

"Got it. Dean Zhou, I'm really sorry to have troubled you this time."

"Don't mention it. Fang Hongsheng is a very capable man with rich experience. Have a good talk and see if you're a good fit."

"Will do. I'll contact him shortly."

After hanging up, Chen Fan sat in the driver's seat, looking down at the string of numbers in his notebook, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

...

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan didn't hesitate. He directly entered Fang Hongsheng's phone number and dialed.

The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

"Hello, who is this?" The voice on the other end was steady and unhurried.

"Hello, Senior. I'm Chen Fan, the one Dean Zhou introduced."

Before calling, Chen Fan had thought about how to address him.

Calling him 'President Fang' was too formal; nothing was set in stone yet, so calling him that would seem forced. Calling him 'Mr. Fang' was a bit strange and too distant.

After thinking it over, 'Senior' was the most appropriate.

Zhou Mingyuan had said that the other party was also a student of Xi'an Jiaotong University, so he really was his senior.

Even if he didn't know how many years earlier he had graduated.

"Oh, hello, Junior," Fang Hongsheng's voice immediately became a bit warmer. "Dean Zhou just mentioned you to me this morning. I didn't expect your call to come so quickly."

"As soon as Dean Zhou mentioned it, I felt I had to contact you immediately. I was afraid you'd be snatched away by someone else, Senior," Chen Fan said with a smile, his tone half-joking.

Fang Hongsheng laughed. "You're joking, Junior. I'm just an unemployed person; who would come to snatch me?"

After a bit of small talk, Chen Fan didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Senior, are you free in the next day or two? Could we meet and have a chat?"

"I'm free," Fang Hongsheng responded readily. "I just got back to Chang'an and have been dealing with family matters these past few days, so my schedule is quite flexible. Name a place, and I'll come find you."

Chen Fan thought for a moment. There was a coffee shop near the school with a quiet environment, suitable for discussing business.

He gave the address and time, and Fang Hongsheng agreed, saying it was no problem.

"Then Friday at 3:00 PM. I'll be waiting for you," Chen Fan said.

"Alright, see you Friday."

After hanging up, Chen Fan leaned back against the car seat, his mind beginning to play out the scene of Friday's meeting.

Although Fang Hongsheng had agreed readily, Chen Fan didn't feel that the man would necessarily agree to join his company.

Someone who had been a Vice President of a listed company in Shenzhen would surely have a vision, perspective, and requirements for a platform that were different from an average job seeker.

Although his company had two profitable games, it had been established for less than a year. With a scale of sixty to seventy people, it might just look like a 'small workshop' in the eyes of someone like him.

Moreover, he wasn't clear about Fang Hongsheng's specific resume yet.

What company was he at before? Which business sectors was he in charge of? Why did he resign? Zhou Mingyuan hadn't mentioned these details over the phone, so they could only be discussed when they met.

Chen Fan placed his phone on the center console and started the car.