Chapter 934: Geniuses Are Fragile

Xu Shaochen’s tone was very calm.

There was no hint of questioning, just pure curiosity.

However, Chen Ji felt an overwhelming invisible pressure, as if it was making it hard for him to breathe.

In an instant, sweat seeped into his palms.

Chen Ji carefully chose his words, hesitating for a while before speaking: “Chairman Xu, indeed some headhunters have been trying to recruit me, and I have thought about leaving, but mainly for personal reasons.”

“Chen Ji, I remember when you first joined, you said Chenyu is young, you’re also young, and with Chenyu backed by the Xu family, it would provide a stage for you to shine. So why are you in such a hurry to leave now?”

Xu Shaochen didn’t believe a word of that excuse. Personal reasons? Nonsense. There must be some issues he had with the company.

Xu Shaochen didn’t push for answers to make things difficult for Chen Ji; he just wanted to understand what Chen Ji truly thought.

Chen Ji took a deep breath, mustering up his courage as he looked at Xu Shaochen: “Chairman Xu, since you’ve asked, I’ll speak honestly. The reason I’m leaving is because all of the company’s shares are controlled solely by you.”

With that bit of courage, Chen Ji seemed to open up, his words flowing out.

“Chairman Xu, I know you founded the company on your own, and Chenyu doesn’t need to seek financing or shareholding to spread the risk.”

“But if the shares always stay in your hands alone, employees will only ever see Chenyu as just a job. They won’t truly commit their hearts to it.”

“Everyone has ambitions. They want to live better, to realize their worth. And at Chenyu, I can’t do that. That’s why I’m choosing to move on.”

He paused here, then cleared his throat: “Chairman Xu, the headhunters told me that the company trying to recruit me is offering not only a million-dollar annual salary but also 1.5% equity.”

After he said this, the office fell into a long silence.

Chen Ji held some resentment, because what he truly wanted were Chenyu’s shares, but Xu Shaochen would rather raise his salary again and again than part with his shares.

This made Chen Ji very unhappy. He wasn’t willing to be just an employee forever, so when someone came to poach him, he was tempted.

In fact, he also wanted to give it one last try before leaving. If Xu Shaochen were willing to offer him shares, even if it was just 0.5%, he would have stayed.

After all, he knew full well that no domestic company could rival Chenyu’s potential.

With the Xu family backing it, and with Xu Shaochen, the heir, founding it personally, that alone put it far ahead of countless other companies.

Plus, he was confident in his own abilities. In his mind, Xu Shaochen was surely going to try to keep him.

After all, Xu Shaochen had already witnessed his capabilities.

If Xu Shaochen was willing to give up any shares, even a small portion, it would signal a concession.

Once the barrier of shareholding was broken, there would definitely be a second time, even a third time. Eventually, he believed he could gain more and more shares.

Chen Ji calmly analyzed the situation in his mind.

After a while, Xu Shaochen nodded: “So that’s the reason. Alright, I understand the situation now. Let’s part ways amicably. Please take some time to temporarily hand over your work to the vice chairman. And here’s to wishing you a bright future.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji was stunned. His mind went blank, and he didn’t respond for quite some time.

No matter how he imagined it, he never thought that Xu Shaochen would let him go so easily, without even trying to persuade him to stay.

That hit him like a hammer to the head.

What followed was a wave of anger and humiliation. He felt insulted and belittled.

He had accomplished so much for Chenyu during his time there.

But in the end, it seemed like Xu Shaochen didn’t think much of him at all. This was unacceptable to a person with his towering self-esteem.

But the truth was that Xu Shaochen didn’t look down on him. In fact, he valued him highly, as Chen Ji’s talents were clear for all to see.

It was just that he had no intention of letting the company’s shares leave his hands. Since he couldn’t meet the recruiting company’s offer, there was no need to forcibly keep him.

So it was better to part ways on good terms.

“Chen Ji, are you alright?”

Seeing that Chen Ji’s face didn’t look right, Xu Shaochen asked out of concern.

After all, no matter what, during his time at Chenyu, Chen Ji had performed brilliantly. Since he hadn’t resigned yet, he was still the CEO of Chenyu.

Chen Ji quickly snapped out of it, forcibly suppressing his anger as he managed a strained smile: “No, no problem. Thank you for your concern, Chairman Xu. In that case, I’ll go take care of the handover.”

“Go ahead.”

Xu Shaochen nodded.

Chen Ji turned and left. As soon as he did, his face darkened, his tightly clenched fists revealing bulging veins.

He had thought he was important to Chenyu, even assuming Xu Shaochen would try to stop him from leaving multiple times.

But in the end, the gap between reality and his expectations was too great, casting a shadow over his heart and filling him with resentment.

Geniuses like him, with their strong abilities, are often fragile. Because their talents mean they’ve never faced setbacks.

Suddenly, Chen Ji thought of something, and a gleam of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Since you’ve been heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.

Chen Ji stopped walking, a bright, reassuring smile returning to his face as he turned back toward Xu Shaochen.

“What’s up? Anything else?”

Seeing Chen Ji return, Xu Shaochen was surprised and curiously asked him.

Chen Ji smiled and said, “Chairman Xu, after I leave, the company will obviously need to find someone new. That’s going to waste a lot of time. I happen to have a great candidate in mind whose abilities are unquestionable.”

“Oh, really? That sounds great. If you’re recommending them, they must not be just anyone. Tell me about them, and I’ll check them out later.”

Xu Shaochen had no idea that Chen Ji’s intentions were malicious. He assumed Chen Ji was wholeheartedly helping, as he had a good impression of him.

And he figured that anyone Chen Ji recommended wouldn’t be ordinary. After all, as the saying goes, ‘Dragons don’t mingle with snakes.’

Chen Ji said, “His name is Xu Zhou. He graduated from Harvard University. I’ve known him for quite a while, and he was a senior executive at several foreign companies. He just recently resigned and came back to the country to unwind. If you’re interested, Chairman Xu, you can contact him directly.”

As he spoke, Chen Ji took out his phone and sent a phone number to Xu Shaochen via WeChat.

“Alright, I’ll talk to him. If it works out, dinner’s on me. If you ever feel things aren’t going well for you outside and want to come back, just let me know.”

Xu Shaochen glanced at the number and saved it.

“Alright, Chairman Xu, I’ll head out.”

Chen Ji said, turning to leave with a cold smile curling the corners of his lips.