Chapter 32 Inspection

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 InspectionIn this staff office, there are a total of eight small cubicles that are all separated by dividers about one and a half meters high. When you sit down, you don’t disturb each other, but when you stand up, you can see over to the other people.

Li Yifei’s cubicle is right next to Michelle’s, with just a partition between them. Michelle arranged it this way so that if Li Yifei had any questions, he could simply stand up to ask her.

But at the moment, Li Yifei wasn’t in his own cubicle; instead, he had moved a chair to sit beside Michelle, who was explaining the main scope of work for the logistics department to him.

For a company with nearly a hundred million in assets, there are many employees, totaling over two hundred, but only about fifty work within this company. Huayang Company, being a trading company, also has some staff stationed abroad, and some warehouses used to be staffed with quite a few workers.

Though described as a branch office, Huayang Company is much larger than many small companies, so it has many departments underneath it. Compared to these subordinate departments, places like where Li Yifei and his colleagues work are considered higher-level departments.

Michelle’s main job now is the distribution of materials within the company—in plain terms, whenever the company needs something, she is responsible for purchasing it and then distributing it to various departments.

The position used to be held by a veteran in the company, who, when purchasing items, would always pocket kickbacks and overstate invoices. Once Xu Yingying discovered this, she immediately fired him and gave the job to Michelle, a girl who had just started working at the company.

Michelle had been doing well, never taking advantage of her position, so she had kept the job for over a year.

Michelle’s voice was very pleasant— not the crisp kind, but soft and mellow, the kind that made people feel comfortable inside. Mostly, she didn’t look at Li Yifei while speaking. Occasionally, when her eyes did linger on Li Yifei, she would quickly turn her head away, her cheeks perpetually flushed.

This amused Li Yifei quite a bit. Used to frequenting bars and the like, and encountering those more forthright women, it had been a long time since he had seen a girl like Michelle who blushed just from talking to a man.

"Alright, that’s everything from me. Do you have any questions?" Michelle finally faced Li Yifei directly as she asked this, waiting for his answer.

Li Yifei shrugged and said, "Sorry, you covered a lot, and I didn’t manage to remember it all at once."

"What?" Michelle appeared startled and, with even redder cheeks, said awkwardly, "Then let me explain it to you again."

"Thanks, but I feel I’ll remember better by getting familiar with things over time. Could you tell me what I’m supposed to do today?"

After thinking for a moment, Michelle said, "Today’s the first working day after the New Year, and the company hasn’t assigned any procurement tasks yet, so there shouldn’t be much to do."

"So you’re saying I can take it easy today?"

"It seems so."

Li Yifei grinned and said, "Then it seems being a white-collar worker can be quite relaxing."

Michelle shook her head and said, "That’s just for today. I believe that various tasks will soon be assigned, and besides, we might also be sent to check on the conditions in the warehouses."

"You’re going too?"

"Yes, of course, I have to go. It’s part of our logistics department’s work."

"I feel that sending a beauty like you to the warehouse is kind of a desecration, isn’t it?"

Immediately, Michelle replied in a fluster, "No... it’s not, this is my job, and I need to take it seriously."

The girl before him was just too shy. Li Yifei felt that such a girl really shouldn’t be working; if she did, she was bound to be bullied. Even he felt the impulse to tease her, but as a newcomer, he was also aware of where to draw the line. If he upset her, he might find himself ignored in the logistics department—already, the two drivers had been giving him unfriendly looks.

Just then, Zheng Xiuqin walked in and said, "Since the warehouses haven’t been checked over the holiday break, everyone’s job today is to inspect the warehouses. I want to see your inspection reports the day after tomorrow. Any questions?"

"No problem," Michelle, Li Zhisheng, and Shen Yajuan all responded in unison.

Zheng Xiuqin nodded and then said to Michelle, "Don’t forget to teach him while you’re doing the inspection."

Michelle quickly agreed again, and after that, Zheng Xiuqin left.

"Sigh, heading to inspect the warehouse on the first day back to work." As soon as Zheng Xiuqin left, Shen Yajuan immediately started to complain.

Li Zhisheng stifled a laugh and said, "Don’t complain, just think about the year-end bonus we just got."

Hearing this, Shen Yajuan chuckled and said, "For the year-end bonus of the new year, I’ll start working hard from today."

The four of them left the office together and then went to the elevator lobby to wait for the elevator. Li Zhisheng said cheerfully, "Little Li, work hard. Our company’s year-end bonus is quite generous."

Li Yifei showed a touch of excitement and asked, "How much is it?"

Shen Yajuan immediately chimed in, saying, "It depends on one’s performance throughout the year. At that time, our manager will score us based on our performance, and each person’s bonus will differ accordingly. Old Li is definitely the one with the biggest bonus in our department."

"I don’t get much; it’s definitely close to what you get," Old Li said modestly, but he couldn’t hide the proud expression on his face.

At that moment, the elevator arrived, and everyone got on, including several other people, so conversation ceased.

Exiting the elevator at the entrance of the building, two security guards immediately spotted Li Yifei. Everyone had previously worked as security, so they obviously recognized each other. That morning, when Yifei had entered, the night shift guards thought he was joining their department. But now, the day shift was surprised to see Yifei off duty and walking with Michelle. A guard named Sunx Xiaoming widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Li Yifei, isn’t it your shift today?"

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "I won’t have a shift anymore."

"No more shifts?" Sunx Xiaoming was puzzled.

"I’ve joined Huayang Company now and won’t be standing guard with you guys anymore." There was a slight smugness in Li Yifei’s tone. Having worked with these guards for two months, he understood that they all envied the white-collar workers inside the building.

The two guards’ eyes widened in shock, "Really?"

Li Yifei pointed to his badge, saying, "Take a look at this."

Seeing the Huayang Company name on the badge, they both looked at Li Yifei with envy. Sunx Xiaoming, feeling a bit sour, said, "You lucky guy, you don’t have to slog like us anymore."

Li Yifei laughed heartily and replied, "Don’t say that, we’re still buddies. I’ll treat everyone to dinner tonight. Just let them know, but for now, I need to head out for work."

After leaving the company, Li Zhisheng and Shen Yajuan went their separate ways from Li Yifei, as they each had different areas to cover.

Arriving at the bus stop, Michelle curiously asked, "You used to be a security guard?"

Li Yifei smiled and answered, "Yeah, for two months. Haven’t you seen me before? I’ve seen you quite a few times."

"I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention." Michelle’s face turned red again.

Li Yifei shook his head, "Nothing to be sorry about. By the way, doesn’t the company have drivers? Don’t they provide a car for inspections?"

Michelle shook her head, "We only have two drivers in our company, and they can’t cover everyone. Usually, they’re reserved for the leaders. When we go out, we have to take the bus."

Just then, the bus arrived, and Li Yifei and Michelle got on together. It was past the morning rush hour, and it was the first day back to work after the holiday, so there were fewer passengers. They found seats together towards the back of the bus.

Once seated, Michelle said, "I’m responsible for four warehouses, all in East City. I inspect two per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so I’ll be done by tomorrow afternoon."

Li Yifei inquired, "Why aren’t the warehouses in one place?"

"The warehouses are all rented by our company. Large ones would be too expensive, so they’re spread out. Plus, our company’s operations are diversified, and we purchase a wide variety of products. Different types of products need to be stored in different warehouses."

Michelle went on to explain more about warehouse management, and this time Yifei made sure to remember everything. After half an hour on the bus, they took a taxi, and it took them another five or six minutes to reach their first destination.

The warehouse had an area of over two thousand square meters, surrounded by a fence and a large black iron gate, which was open. A man in his thirties waited at the entrance. Seeing them approach, he came forward with a cheerful greeting, "Michelle is here!"

Michelle quickly introduced, "Hello, Director Zhang, this is our new colleague from the logistics department, Li Yifei."

On the way, Michelle had already briefed Li Yifei about Director Zhang, whose name was Zhang Ping. Li Yifei stepped forward to shake hands, saying, "Director Zhang, it’s nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. I’ll be relying on you in the future."

"I’m just a small fry; I’m the one who needs your care, Director Zhang."

"Nonsense, you’re from upstairs, coming down here to inspect. Of course, we should take good care of you."

Zhang Ping was quite the smooth talker, and after a few exchanges, the atmosphere became very friendly. Then, he led Li Yifei and Michelle to the office.

The office here was far less fancy than Huayang Company’s, but it was spacious, and here, Zhang Ping was the boss, actually living more comfortably than small employees like Li Yifei.

Michelle was a very serious young woman, not given to idle chatter. She asked Zhang Ping to bring out the inventory list, compared it with her own, and then proceeded to check the stock in the warehouse, meticulously and attentively.

By the time the inspection was complete, it was past eleven o’clock. Zhang Ping invited them for lunch, but Michelle declined firmly, and it seemed Zhang Ping knew she wouldn’t agree, so he didn’t insist further.

"Having a work meal doesn’t seem unreasonable, does it?" Once Li Yifei and Michelle were seated in a snack bar, he couldn’t help but question Michelle, considering they had missed Zhang Ping’s hospitality.

Michelle shook her head, "That’s not okay. Accepting favors would make it hard to report issues later; that would be irresponsible to the company."

Li Yifei gave Michelle a thumbs-up, admiring her principle, "You really stick to your guns."

Michelle laughed shyly, "Sorry for making you eat such simple fare."

"No problem, I’ll get used to it in time, and being full is what counts. Plus, it’s reimbursable." Li Yifei wanted to flirt lightly with Michelle, but in the end, chose not to say anything. Michelle didn’t take teasing well, and an off-color remark could easily offend her. He had no special intentions towards her, but offending a pretty girl like Michelle would mean seeing less of her smiles—making life less enjoyable.