Chapter 222: The First Step to Competent Leadership

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: The First Step to Competent Leadership

But no one heard Jiang Fan’s anguished cry.

Instead, the employees of the Planning Department simply sent him all the data and materials they had collected.

He spent the whole morning buried in his work, only to find that he had merely organized the data and materials.

"You’re just going to work yourself to death doing it this way."

"There’s a limit to what one person can do. If you could handle everything yourself, what would be the point of having a Planning Department?"

"Holy crap!!!"

Jiang Fan’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat.

"When did you get here? And why didn’t you knock?"

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes at Li Muwan, who was sitting right next to him.

"I practically knocked the door down, but you didn’t answer. I sent you messages, but you didn’t reply to those either."

"I’ve been sitting right here beside you for half an hour, and you didn’t even notice."

"Huh?"

Hearing this from Li Muwan, Jiang Fan picked up his phone in disbelief.

Sure enough, the screen was filled with missed calls.

"So, what’s up?"

Jiang Fan asked, scratching his head.

"I wanted to ask what you were having for lunch. You helped me out so much, and I still haven’t treated you to a meal to thank you."

"And when I got here, I found you pulling your hair out."

"What else can I do? This whole thing is a nightmare."

"I’m completely out of my depth."

"Look at me, I’m so stressed my hair is falling out in clumps."

Jiang Fan slammed his head onto the desk, his face a mask of utter despair.

"You’re the only manager in this corporation I’ve ever seen who does everything personally, only having his subordinates gather reference materials."

"Do you really think that, given our corporation’s standards, we would hire people just to do this kind of basic work?"

Li Muwan’s sudden question left Jiang Fan stunned.

"We need you to be a general, a commander—not a grunt just laying bricks."

Seeing his dazed expression, Li Muwan sighed.

"Uh..."

Jiang Fan was at a loss for words.

He realized he had been approaching this all wrong, getting bogged down in pointless details.

"They might not be able to create an entire proposal on their own, but once they start coordinating, their combined effort is far beyond what a semi-amateur like you could ever hope to match."

"Your job is to provide the broad framework, and then let them fill in the details."

"Otherwise, at this rate, you could work yourself to death and still not get it done before the National Day holiday."

As the saying goes, a single sentence can be a rude awakening. In just a few words, Li Muwan had cut straight to the core of Jiang Fan’s failings.

"So, what I should do is...?"

"Move. Let me."

She waved a hand, shooing Jiang Fan out of his chair. "Go and call everyone in here."

The moment she sat down behind the desk, Jiang Fan could feel a distinct shift in Li Muwan’s entire demeanor.

"Oh, okay."

Jiang Fan obediently went and called in the entire staff of the Planning Department.

They had been wondering why their manager had suddenly summoned them. Since Jiang Fan was usually easy-going and approachable, they were still chattering away as they walked into the office.

But when they saw it was Li Muwan sitting at the desk, the expressions on their faces changed instantly.

Every single one of them became unnaturally docile.

’Tsk, tsk. Like mice seeing the cat.’

Jiang Fan thought, sizing up the group.

Li Muwan shot him a look, and he instantly shut his mouth.

"Feng Xiaozi, you have three days. Collect and consolidate the shop’s information and all its past data."

"Then, build a framework from it. I need something that’s ready to use."

Li Muwan’s fingers tapped lightly on the folder in front of her.

"But..."

A quiet, bespectacled girl looked hesitant.

"You can’t do it? If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can."

Li Muwan wasn’t showing the slightest bit of mercy.

"I can, I can! I promise I’ll get it done."

Feng Xiaozi hurriedly nodded her assent. She cast a pleading look toward Jiang Fan, only to find him staring at the ceiling, pretending not to see.

She knew she couldn’t count on Jiang Fan for any help right now.

"Yu Lan, I need the overall framework for the National Day proposal. You can handle that, right?"

"No problem."

The tallest girl, the one with twin ponytails, quickly agreed.

"Ma Shang’Er, you’ll manage the budget for the entire proposal. Don’t go over, and don’t come in under."

"Liu Fei..."

...

Li Muwan delegated tasks with methodical precision until everyone in the Planning Department had an assignment.

Jiang Fan watched, dumbfounded.

He had assumed these women were capable, but not that they could handle such high-intensity work, or such a large volume of it.

Now he realized he had simply been too lenient with them.

"You will be responsible for the overall proposal, managing the high-level framework, and ensuring the final quality and direction."

Finally, Li Muwan said, looking at Jiang Fan.

"Are there any questions?"

Everyone quickly shook their heads.

"If there are no questions, get to work. I need to see results in three days."

"Otherwise, you can consider the entire Planning Department officially disbanded."

The next second, everyone scattered like frightened birds.

Only Jiang Fan was left standing there, his mind in a complete tizzy.

"It’s good to be easy-going, but being too easy-going is bad for you, and it’s bad for the company."

"And like I said, the company wouldn’t hire a bunch of useless people just to fill positions."

Li Muwan sighed and said, her tone earnest and full of meaning.

Jiang Fan timidly raised his hand. "Then what happened to the previous manager of the Planning Department...?"

"Get out!!"

Li Muwan rolled her eyes. He just had to touch a nerve.

After snapping at him, she turned to leave.

"Uh... Qingci, what are you doing here?"

The moment she pulled the door open, Li Muwan saw Su Qingci standing just outside, holding a lunch container.

"Oh! Uh, I... I was just passing by."

"I heard arguing and someone getting scolded inside, so I thought I’d get a little closer to watch the drama."

Su Qingci seemed exceptionally nervous at that moment.

"Hmm?"

Upon seeing the graceful figure, Jiang Fan’s brow furrowed, a rare sight for him.

He glanced at Li Muwan.

Then, without another word, he shut the door.

He no longer blamed Su Qingci and had even told her he’d forgiven her, but... it was better to avoid contact if possible.

The moment the door shut, Su Qingci felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she’d been stabbed.

The look of desolation on her face was impossible to hide.

Standing beside her, Li Muwan took it all in.

She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

’When a woman is interested in a man, it shows in her every word and action.’

’No matter how hard she tries to hide it, she can’t fool someone who’s paying attention.’

’Like Li Muwan, for instance. She could see it with perfect clarity.’

’In fact, she was 100% certain that Su Qingci had fallen for Jiang Fan, and fallen hard.’

’That was what puzzled her. From what she understood, the two of them had barely interacted.’

’How could a woman like Su Qingci fall for a man so easily?’

’Did Jiang Fan possess some kind of special magic?’

This couldn’t help but pique Li Muwan’s curiosity.