Chapter 48: A Troublesome Headache (Asking Once More for a Recommendation)

It had to be said, Cheng Feng’s tactic of first praising and then denigrating truly had its intended effect—there was almost no one in the security office willing to support Cui Quan at that moment.

“Cui Quan, the security positions at Swan Group are highly sought after. Last time we recruited ten people, I heard over a hundred applied. If you don’t want the job, I can see to it that you leave right now!” Cheng Feng added, his voice cold and sinister.

“You…” Cui Quan struggled to keep himself calm. At home, he had a son still in school and a sick mother; he was the pillar of the family. If he lost his income, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he would support them all.

He breathed heavily, thoughts whirling chaotically in his mind, but in the end, all he could do was let out a deep sigh.

He chose to yield, to submit to Cheng Feng.

Silently, Cui Quan put on his raincoat, saying nothing as he walked step by heavy step toward the doors of Swan Tower—slow and utterly defeated.

Watching Cui Quan’s retreating back, Cheng Feng sneered, “What, have you hurt your leg? Forgotten how to walk? Or do you just not want the job anymore, walking so slowly?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a lazy male voice sounded at the entrance to the security department, “Manager Cheng, you do throw your weight around, don’t you?”

Hua Tianyu appeared in the doorway, hands in his pockets, strolling in at an unhurried pace.

“Hua Tianyu!” Cheng Feng’s eyes locked onto him at once, and he spat out his name through gritted teeth.

Just days before, during the meeting with Hongwei Security Company, Hua Tianyu had publicly humiliated him; the memory was still fresh in his mind. He remembered, too, how President Wei had treated him coldly and with suspicion at that meeting. Even the wound on his head was linked to Hua Tianyu—though Hua hadn’t struck the blow himself, if he hadn’t caught Situ Dao, none of what followed would have happened.

One could say that all of Cheng Feng’s recent misfortunes were thanks to Hua Tianyu.

So, before Hua was ruined at the Jiang family martial arts school, Cheng Feng intended to personally let him taste humiliation, to make Hua Tianyu pay for all his recent troubles.

Yet Hua Tianyu seemed entirely oblivious to the hostility in Cheng Feng’s tone. He stepped in front of Cui Quan, who had reached the door and seemed about to speak, but Hua merely waved a hand, signaling him to remain silent.

“Manager Cheng, what exactly did Cui Quan do to make you want to fire him?” Hua Tianyu asked with a beaming smile, deliberately stressing the words “Manager Cheng.”

“Nothing of the sort, Hua Tianyu, you must be mistaken,” Cheng Feng replied, raising an eyebrow and forcing a thin smile.

To Cheng Feng, Hua Tianyu was the real target; Cui Quan was merely collateral. Now that Hua had arrived, there was no way Cheng Feng would let him off the hook. As for Hua Tianyu’s previous status as the president’s driver, Cheng Feng had hesitated before, but now, with the Jiang family involved, who would keep a cripple as their driver?

Still, he intended to toy with Hua Tianyu first.

“I was just praising Cui Quan a moment ago. He’s the most diligent and hardworking member of our entire security team. That’s why I entrusted him with the most important image of Swan International Group—putting him on duty at the main entrance. Everyone who enters Swan International will see him first. It’s a position of great trust!” Cheng Feng said with a sly smile.

“That’s right, Hua Tianyu. We all heard Manager Cheng’s praise just now,” Shi Yi was the first to chime in—he never contradicted Cheng Feng.

“Yes, exactly. Manager Cheng only speaks the truth.”

“Manager Cheng has a keen eye for talent—he’s the greatest talent scout our security department has ever had.”

The others echoed Shi Yi’s words; they’d all heard Cheng Feng’s so-called ‘praise’ a moment ago.

Assigned to stand guard outside the main entrance?

Hua Tianyu quickly deduced what Cheng Feng was up to, and an icy smile flickered in his eyes.

Seeing that Hua Tianyu didn’t respond, Cheng Feng assumed he’d taken the bait and felt secretly pleased, though he kept his composure.

Feigning a moment’s thought, he exchanged a glance with Shi Yi, then asked, “Shi Yi, now that I’ve assigned Cui Quan a new post, I’ve been thinking—the main entrance guard needs two people. Who else in our department is fit to stand beside Cui Quan, to be another model representative? Having everyone rotate with Cui Quan isn’t really a solution, is it?”

Shi Yi immediately caught on. “That’s right. Look at us, we’re all rough around the edges—none of us can compare to Cui Quan, and we’d only damage Swan International’s image.”

“I’ve got it!” Suddenly, Shi Yi slapped his thigh, feigning sudden inspiration. “Brother-in-law, what about Hua Tianyu? In terms of ability, he’s worked by the president’s side; in terms of diligence, he’s on par with Cui Quan!”

“Hua Tianyu, is it?” Cheng Feng pretended as if he was seeing him for the first time, sizing him up from head to toe before saying, “I think he’d be perfect! Absolutely fits the image of our security department and Swan International Group. He could serve as—what’s the word?”

“Spokesman, brother-in-law!” Shi Yi supplied.

Their back-and-forth stunned everyone in the security office. Suddenly, they realized that Manager Cheng wasn’t just targeting Cui Quan, but also the newcomer, Hua Tianyu!

“That’s right! Shi Yi is absolutely correct. Now that I think about it, only Hua Tianyu and Cui Quan are truly suitable,” someone said.

“Thank goodness for Manager Cheng’s insight—otherwise, we’d have embarrassed Swan Group!”

“Manager Cheng is wise indeed!”

No one wanted to stand guard outside in this wretched weather, not even for an hour. Now, if both spots were fixed by Cheng Feng, who in the security department would object? The hardest job assigned, their pay unchanged—life would be much easier for the rest.

Besides, a local boss is better than a distant one; Cheng Feng was their immediate superior.

“Together with Cui Quan, as a spokesman?” Hua Tianyu chuckled softly. Cheng Feng, have you been waiting for this opportunity all along?

“What if I say I refuse?” Hua Tianyu asked quietly.

“Refuse?” Cheng Feng looked dismissively at him and sneered, “So, you’re not willing to obey?”

Having Hua Tianyu stand guard outside was merely an appetizer—if Hua actually complied, Cheng Feng would be disappointed. He had something more in store.

Before coming in, Cheng Feng had already arranged everything with Shi Yi and several trusted subordinates, just waiting for Hua Tianyu to show up at the security department. He hadn’t expected Hua to cooperate so conveniently—first day back at work and he showed up right on time!