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Chapter 2649 Employment System

Nothing more was said that night. Su Ning was naturally very happy, and the twenty-year-old Jin Suo was at her most perfect.

However, the next morning, while Suning was still asleep, his phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.

The buzzing sound was particularly jarring in the quiet room.

Jin Suo, curled up next to Su Ning, groggily hummed in response to the noise, and mumbled, "Who is it? So early..."

Su Ning reached for her phone, squinted at the caller ID—Li Hui, Director of Public Relations at Tianchao Group.

This person is usually extremely calm and composed; he would never make a phone call at this time unless something truly terrible is happening.

Su Ning pressed the answer button, but before she could speak, Li Hui's voice came through the receiver, "President Su, something has happened."

Su Ning threw back the covers and sat up, her bare feet touching the carpet. "What is it?"

"Starting early this morning, a large number of negative reports about Tianchao Group appeared simultaneously on the internet and major media outlets. They were overwhelming and unprecedented in density. This time, the target is not your personal gossip, but our group's employment system. According to the preliminary investigation by the public relations department, this wave of public opinion originated from the United States."

"Employment system?" Su Ning frowned. "What are the specific details?"

"Three aspects. First, Tianchao Group never hires overseas students, not even those who have returned from abroad. Second, when domestic university graduates apply to Tianchao Group, they are not tested on professional courses, but first tested on political ideology, morality, and patriotism. Those who fail are immediately eliminated, no matter how good their grades are. Third, Tianchao Group has always run its own technical school, directly recruiting and training junior high and high school students, mainly from rural areas. Priority is given to students whose parents do not have formal jobs, which is seen by the public as discrimination."

Li Hui finished recounting the three points in one breath, then added, "President Su, these policies were all personally formulated by you, and they've been implemented for several years now. We've always been very low-key in their implementation, and no media outlets have paid attention to them. This time, they were suddenly exposed all at once, and the details of the exposure are very precise. Even our vocational school's enrollment brochure was photographed and posted online. There must be capital behind this."

“…” Su Ning didn’t speak, realizing that Wall Street capital had its eyes on China.

"In addition, I have already had my team monitor public opinion. The source of the information has been confirmed to be in the United States, but we are still investigating the specifics. However, the speed of its spread is very fast. Several portal websites have already put it on the front page. CCTV has not followed up yet, but they have called to verify the situation. Mr. Su, this time it is coming on strong, and it is not on the same level as those previous tabloid news."

Su Ning stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open a crack.

It was just getting light outside, and the leaves of the ginkgo tree in the yard were gleaming golden in the morning light.

He was silent for a few seconds, the information flashing through his mind.

These employment policies were indeed personally set by him, and have been in place for several years. They have never been publicized to the public, nor have any reporters ever asked about them.

After all, Tianchao Group is not a listed company, so it is not required to disclose its employee structure to the public, nor is it obligated to explain its employment standards to any external organization.

Moreover, employees trained by themselves are easier to use. The workers at Tianchao Automobile and the crew members at Kunyu Shipping were all trained by themselves with great effort.

But now that someone has dug this up and is spreading it across the country, it is definitely not a coincidence.

The three points of not recruiting international students, testing moral character, and employing rural children were precisely selected and combined.

The people behind it all know exactly how to use these points to stir up the biggest controversy in the public opinion.

Overseas students and returnees are the face of the elite class; moral character exams can be distorted into brainwashing; and priority given to rural residents can be misinterpreted as discrimination against urban residents.

Each of these points could be the subject of a major article on its own, and when combined, they form a nuclear-level media bomb.

"President Su, what do we do now?" Li Hui's voice pulled Su Ning back from her thoughts. "The public relations department has prepared two draft statements. One is a hard-line approach, directly responding to the media that Tianchao Group's employment standards are within the company's autonomy and will not accept any external interference. The other is more moderate, explaining the policy but without apologizing or backing down. Which one would you prefer?"

“Not a single one.” Su Ning’s voice remained calm.

Li Hui on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment.

I originally thought Suning would choose the head-on confrontation option, since Suning hates showing weakness to the media.

But Li Hui never expected that Suning wouldn't accept either of them.

"We won't give the media what they want. They want us to show weakness, but we won't; they want us to apologize, but we won't listen; they want us to change our employment system, but we won't change a single word."

Li Hui was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone. "Then... how should we respond? We can't just leave it at all. Public opinion is fermenting right now. If we don't respond, it will be interpreted as tacit agreement. If we respond too strongly, we'll be seen as arrogant."

“Drag out the employment data for vocational school graduates over the past few years. Draw out the percentage of rural children who have become foreman on China’s automobile production lines. Find the files of those who graduated from vocational schools in China and are now senior technicians or even engineers.”

Li Hui was taking notes very quickly.

Su Ning continued, "Let me give you an example... Of the 120 technical school students recruited by the Shunyi factory in the first batch, how many are still working at Tianchao Auto? How many have been promoted to team leader, section chief, or deputy workshop director? You need to compile these data into a complete report on talent development achievements, complete with photos and names, based on real people and events."

"Understood," Li Hui said.

"We don't need to argue with the media about patriotism; we just need to let the facts speak for themselves. The fact is that those rural children who are looked down upon by some people are now an irreplaceable core force on our production line."

“Okay, I’ll get right on it. What about those sensationalist reports from the media? Some media outlets are already using terms like ‘independent kingdom’.”

Su Ning's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone turned cold: "Have the legal department keep an eye on this. If any company dares to use the term 'independent kingdom,' send them a lawyer's letter directly. Sue them for defamation of a commercial entity's reputation, pursue the matter according to the law, and absolutely no settlements."

"What's the strategy for reconciliation? Should we leave room for compromise?"

"No. Tell Director Cheng of the Legal Department that this lawyer's letter doesn't need to be filled with those polite legal terms. Just one sentence... Please delete the false reports and issue a public apology within 24 hours of receiving this letter, otherwise our company will file a lawsuit in accordance with the law to pursue economic compensation and legal responsibility."

Li Hui paused for a moment on the other end of the phone.

He had worked for Suning for so many years and had witnessed Suning's decisions on various occasions, but this time his attitude was tougher than ever before.

Li Hui couldn't help but say, "President Su, isn't this a bit too forceful...?"

"What if?" Su Ning asked back.

Li Hui swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Actually, he originally wanted to ask if it would backfire, but he knew Suning's temperament, and at this time, the last thing he needed was timid advice.

"It's nothing, I'll arrange it right away."

"Go ahead! Send me the data report as soon as it's ready. Let me know immediately if there are any new developments in the media."

"Yes." Li Hui hung up the phone.

Suning threw his phone on the bed, stood up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack.

The cool air of early autumn morning wafted in, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the courtyard.

Su Ning leaned against the windowsill with one hand and put the other on her hip, watching the golden leaves of the ginkgo tree in the yard sway gently in the morning breeze.

They do not recruit international students—because the core technologies of the Celestial Empire Group are directly retrieved from the outer space world, and the level of secrecy is even higher than that of the current national defense. Anyone with a foreign background or long-term overseas residency experience cannot be allowed in.

This is not discrimination; it's a matter of basic safety.

The test assesses moral character and patriotism—because Suning has never believed that people's hearts are unpredictable.

Technical skills can be trained; if six months isn't enough, try a year; if a year isn't enough, try two years.

Moreover, experience is gained through practice. The Tianchao Group has a large number of positions, and there is no need to give them away to those with ulterior motives.

It's important to understand that a person's values ​​and loyalty to their country and company are innate, shaped by family education and upbringing, and cannot be cultivated in any way.

No matter how good their skills are, if their heart isn't in China or their country, Suning wouldn't dare to use them, nor would they.

As for recruiting children from rural areas, especially those whose parents do not have formal jobs.

Because the foundation of Tianchao Group lies in manufacturing, and manufacturing needs people who are down-to-earth, hardworking, cherish their work, and are not afraid of taking on difficult tasks.

He had seen far too many so-called elites who put on airs about their academic qualifications, jumped ship after two years, and used Tianchao Group as a stepping stone in their careers.

Furthermore, Suning would never give a chance to those whose parents come from powerful and wealthy families and want to gain seniority within the Tianchao Group.

The Celestial Empire Group has always upheld fairness and justice, aiming to enable the poor to truly defy fate and change their destiny.

Anyway, those kids with family backgrounds and connections have no shortage of opportunities, so there's no need for them to come here and compete with rural kids.

Therefore, those children from rural areas, as long as they are given a chance, will work their lives away, work overtime without complaining, and never shirk hard work, treating Tianchao Group as their own home.

If Suning doesn't cultivate someone like that, who will?

Suning has never publicly explained these policies, nor is it necessary to explain them.

But the fact that someone brought this up today is an attempt to use public opinion to force him to change his policies, to make him bow to so-called "universal values," and to make the Celestial Empire admit that it is a closed and exclusive independent kingdom.

Su Ning snorted and muttered to himself, "If I really wanted to create an independent kingdom, would you guys be posting about it online?"

Jin Suo peeked half her head out from under the covers, rubbing her eyes, and timidly called out, "President Su... what's wrong?"

Su Ning glanced back at her, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "It's nothing, I have some things to take care of at the company. You can sleep a little longer."

Jin Suo blinked. "Is it very serious?"

“It’s not serious,” Su Ning smiled. “It’s just that some people don’t do their jobs in the morning, which annoys me.” Jin Suo looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, “President Su, I don’t understand your company’s affairs, but I think… you can definitely handle it.”

Su Ning glanced at her. "How did you know?"

Jin Suo pulled the blanket up to cover her impressive figure. "Because you don't seem flustered at all. I've seen many producers when I was filming, and they panic as soon as something goes wrong, and then they give orders haphazardly. You're not like that."

Su Ning chuckled, "Go to sleep! I'll have the driver take you when you leave."

"Ah."

Then Suning picked up his suit jacket and quickly walked out of the bedroom.

Since those Wall Street giants have their eyes on me, I'm going to knock their teeth out.

……

Suning drove directly to the headquarters of Tianchao Group.

Meanwhile, senior executives from Tianchao Group, along with the core teams from the public relations and legal departments, were waiting in the conference room.

The elevator doors opened, and Suning strode out.

Xiao Zhao followed behind, carrying a stack of newly printed public opinion briefings, flipping through them as he walked.

Su Ning walked into the conference room, stood at the head of the long table, and glanced around at everyone present.

The meeting room was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, and everyone instinctively sat up straight.

"Everyone saw the public opinion that erupted early this morning. Some people are making a fuss about our employment system, trying to force us to change our policies through public opinion. I'm making my stance clear today... Tianchao Group's employment system will not be changed in the slightest."

"..." No one spoke; everyone was waiting for Su Ning's instructions.

"First, Tianchao Technical School will undergo a comprehensive upgrade starting now. Investment will be doubled, the campus will be expanded, and equipment will be updated. The teaching staff will be drawn from senior engineers at Tianchao Automotive Research Institute and on the production line, and the best technicians will be sent to teach the next batch of technicians."

Suning looked at the head of the human resources department.

The HR director was scribbling away in his notebook, the pen swishing rapidly.

"The enrollment scope of vocational schools has been expanded to all rural areas across the country, especially impoverished counties. As long as you have a junior high school education or above, are in good health, and are willing to learn a skill, the doors of Tianchao Vocational School are open. Tuition is free, room and board are all provided, and after graduation, you will be directly assigned to relevant positions in various subsidiaries of Tianchao Group."

The HR director looked up and asked, "Mr. Su, do we need to rewrite the recruitment brochure?"

“Rewrite it. Add a sentence to the admission brochure: ‘Celestial Vocational School does not promise to make you a superior person, but it promises to make you a useful person.’”

"Understood." The HR director lowered his head and continued taking notes.

Suning continued, "Secondly, the internal employee training system will be fully institutionalized and standardized. Starting today, all employees joining Tianchao Group, regardless of whether they are graduates of technical schools, university students, masters, or doctors, and regardless of their educational background, will undergo unified pre-job training. The training content includes practical technical skills, corporate culture, confidentiality system, and patriotic education."

A person from the training department raised their hand and asked, "President Su, what happens to those who fail the training?"

“No one will be hired,” Su Ning said. “Those who fail the training, regardless of whether they are from Tsinghua or Peking University or have an overseas PhD, will not be hired. Those who have already joined the company will also have to undergo retraining in batches, and those who fail the assessment will be reassigned or dismissed.”

The training department staff nodded and took notes.

“Third, the policy for international students.” Su Ning paused here, her gaze sweeping over Li Hui’s face.

Li Hui unconsciously sat up straight, his fingers clenching lightly on the table.

"Let the media criticize us for not hiring international students. Not only will this policy remain unchanged, it will be made even stricter." Su Ning's tone left no room for negotiation. "Those who have studied abroad on government scholarships and returned to China after completing their studies will be hired through the normal recruitment process, and will be hired if they pass the training and assessment. Apart from that, any applicant with an overseas education background, regardless of their degree or major, will not be hired."

Several people in the conference room exchanged glances.

Suning didn't give them time to process what was going on, and continued, "This isn't discrimination; it's a confidentiality policy. Tianchao Group's core technology system is something we've built up over many years with a huge amount of money. Leaks at any stage could lead to irreparable losses. When it comes to industrial espionage, it's better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free."

He paused, his voice turning serious: "I will take responsibility for this. I don't need any of you to try to clear my name in the media. If anyone thinks this is wrong, let them come and talk to me directly."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense.

The expressions on the faces of several department heads all conveyed the same message: the boss was determined to make enemies of the whole world today.

Suning didn't give them much time to digest the information and immediately followed up with the fourth point.

"Of course, we can't work in isolation. Tianchao Group will establish research institutions globally. We will set up offices in technological hubs such as the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Israel, Sweden, Finland, and Singapore. We will recruit local researchers and offer them top-notch salaries and benefits to conduct research and produce results for us locally."

He looked at the heads of the human resources and legal departments.

"Researchers abroad are encouraged to work overseas. The patents for their technological achievements belong to the Tianchao Group, and the research data is transmitted back to the domestic headquarters through encrypted channels. Only those who are truly outstanding in ability and have impeccable moral character, and who have passed the strict review of the headquarters' security department and been cleared of suspicion of commercial espionage, can be transferred to the Tianchao headquarters in China."

The head of the legal department adjusted his glasses. "President Su, should this rule be formalized into a document?"

"Yes. The Ministry of Justice will draft a formal security management system document and distribute it to all branches and research institutes worldwide."

"Understood." The head of the legal department wrote it down in his notebook without looking up.

"One last thing." Su Ning took his hands off the table, stood up straight, and looked around the room. "As for the media, no response, no explanation, no apology. Let them write what they want, we'll do what we want."

Then, he looked at Li Hui and said, "Director Li, the public relations department has compiled the achievements of Tianchao Technical School into a public white paper and released it directly to the public. The white paper lists real cases of children who came from rural areas and are now team leaders, section chiefs, and engineers, with photos, school records, and work performance records."

Li Hui said, "Understood. I'll arrange for someone to sort it out right away."

"We don't engage in verbal battles with the media; we confront them with facts. Anyone who reprints reports that use terms like 'independent kingdom' to slander the Celestial Empire will face legal action from the Ministry of Justice. No settlements, no withdrawals; let them wait to receive their summonses."

The head of the legal department looked up and asked, "President Su, should the wording of the lawyer's letter be as you said this morning?"

“Yes,” Su Ning said. “No need for those polite legal terms. Just one sentence… Please delete the false report and issue a public apology within 24 hours of receiving this letter. Otherwise, our company will file a lawsuit to pursue economic compensation and legal liability.”

The head of the legal department nodded: "Understood, I will arrange for the legal team to issue the letter today."

Li Hui closed the folder in front of him, stood up and said, "President Su, I'll go and get it done right away."

From the very beginning, Suning had no intention of backing down in the face of public pressure, and did not show the slightest sign of softening its stance.

If it were another company, facing a nationwide media onslaught on its employment system, they would at least issue a mild statement to calm public opinion, then get a few experts and scholars to help them spread the word in the media, and finally gradually steer the topic elsewhere.

But Suning refused.

You criticize me for not accepting international students, so I'll just make the international student policy even stricter.

You criticize me for brainwashing employees by testing their moral character, but I've completely upgraded the training system to cover all employees.

You criticize me for using rural children as low-end labor, so I will double my investment in expanding and upgrading vocational schools.

Each time, they are heading straight into the direction of the fiercest public opinion.

Because Suning knows better than anyone else that the students graduating from Tianchao Technical School every year use their skills and work performance to build a quality barrier for Tianchao Group that no one can bypass in the industry.

Every single person on this production line is trained by Tianchao Group itself. Their technical skills, loyalty, and stability are something that any company that relies on recruiting from the public can never match.

"Go ahead and get busy," Su Ning said.

People in the conference room stood up one after another.

Public Relations Director Li Hui strode out with a folder in his hand, taking out his phone to call a colleague in the public relations department as he walked.

The head of the human resources department and the head of the training department discussed the details of the vocational school's upgrade as they walked.

The head of the legal department is already explaining the liaison matters with the law firm to his subordinates.

Xiao Zhao walked up to Su Ning and asked in a low voice, "President Su, this public opinion is very strange. It feels like something Wall Street is doing."

Su Ning glanced at his watch. "It's pretty obvious! The Wolf of Wall Street is after us!"

"That……"

"Don't worry! We'll deal with whatever comes our way! Go make me a cup of tea, but use less tea leaves."

Xiao Zhao paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Yes, President Su."

In fact, Suning is not too worried about those financial giants on Wall Street. After all, its Tianchao Group is not a listed company, so it does not need to accept their financial rules.

With no shortage of technology or capital, a huge domestic market, and vast markets in underdeveloped countries, Suning simply couldn't think of a reason to compromise.

...(End of this chapter)