Chapter Two: Thoughts on Retirement

(This month has been rather unproductive, with many days where I only updated once. Turns out, after counting, the updates still reached 200,000! After tonight at midnight, a brand new October begins, and Old Lai will definitely work harder on writing and updating. This month, the monthly pass has dropped to its lowest point since it went live, falling below 70, shedding tears. Let's start anew in October, hoping everyone will cast their guaranteed monthly pass to Old Lai, giving Old Lai more motivation! Let Mixed under its new name rise again!)

From the first day, Yue Yao told Li Yan that he didn't need to be there to take care of her; she didn't want to trouble him too much. Like the past couple of days, Li Yan only went to take care of her at noon, which she was more able to accept. Generally speaking, she didn't have any special requests, unless encountering some sudden situation, she definitely wouldn't call him specially.

Li Yan hurriedly answered Yue Yao's call, "Yue Yao, are you okay?"

Yue Yao paused for a moment, knowing his concern, she gently replied, "I'm okay, everything's normal at the hospital."

Li Yan finally felt relieved, "Then you called me because..."

"It's like this, I just discovered that we've lost contact with some brother."

The 'they' organization is usually managed by Yue Yao under the identity of Queen. Now that she's injured and hospitalized, Li Yan should be taking more responsibility, but many things were overlooked after he returned. When he went to the hospital at noon, he brought Yue Yao's computer, and she must be insisting on managing communications through network channels.

"Leave 'their' matters aside for now, there's no problem with some downtime. If there's an emergency, I'll handle it. Your most important duty now is to recover well," Li Yan quickly said.

"I'm fine; recovery takes time. I can't do intense activities, but moving my fingers is still no problem. I just noticed this issue, so I'm making you aware of it."

From the day she got injured, it's been almost a week, and her injuries have improved significantly. Li Yan brought the computer to her today to relieve her boredom. Managing through the computer network and phone wouldn't be too much of a burden. Seeing her insist, he didn't say more and focused on the issue she mentioned: "What's the situation, exactly?"

"Before you returned, I had arranged a mission. According to the original plan, they were supposed to complete the task and report to me the day before yesterday. These days I haven't made contact, and today there's still no information from them," Yue Yao said with slight concern.

According to general practice, assassins sent to execute tasks must contact and report to Queen immediately after completing missions; steps like receiving payment are all handled by Queen behind the scenes. This kind of situation usually signals one possibility—mission failure!

It's impossible for them to desert during mission execution, and it's impossible to joke with the organization like this. Clearly, misfortune has occurred, but before more confirmation, Yue Yao can only describe it as losing contact.

After hearing this news, Li Yan's mood was a bit down too. Although neither he nor Yue Yao interacted much with the assassins below, they always remained somewhat mysterious. They were more familiar with Yan Ping and Qi Zhongtao, the two instructors. But, both had deep feelings for the 'they' organization. For missions, Yue Yao always carefully evaluated multiple times, never letting someone without confidence execute them. Super dangerous missions were generally executed by Li Yan under the identity of King.

Safety first and benefits second—thus, some people's income didn't meet expectations, leading to the departure of that initial batch. 'They' had instances where missions failed, but fatalities among those executing missions were not many.

"Let's wait and see! Don't worry; maybe the mission has changed, and they need more time to complete it." Li Yan could only comfort her. Since something might have already happened, it's a situation beyond control. No one could save them, and might even need to arrange others to continue completing the mission.

"Yes, I understand. I just wanted to inform you, as I'm always a bit worried..." Yue Yao was much better than a few days ago but still somewhat weak.

"You don't need to worry; if you really do, then loosen up, and focus on healing well. Once you've recovered, you can handle more issues."

"Okay, won't disturb your work then."

After Yue Yao hung up the phone, Li Yan sat in silence for a while.

Being an assassin is a life where you lick blood off a knife edge; killing as a profession naturally requires being prepared to be killed at any time. They're sent on missions, and failing to return is a possibility. Yue Yao has managed for so many years; what situation hasn't she seen? What truly worries her isn't the lost contact people but him!

Yue Yao became somewhat more vulnerable after her injury, having been shot, she basically got her life back. Especially after witnessing Li Yan's attack, she's not only concerned about encountering such situations again but worries about Li Yan facing such lost contact when executing missions next time!

He blankly stared at the wall opposite, his gaze seemed to penetrate the wall, the building, the city, looking into the distant horizon...

His gaze was ethereal, pondering a question he'd considered more than once—retirement! To leave the assassin realm and return to being an ordinary person. With the two-plus years' breaks he has taken, wanting to be a normal person is entirely feasible. And the money earned is sufficient. As for the 'they' organization… there's nothing he can't let go of. Without King and without Queen, others would still live on; perhaps handing it over to others might even earn more and live more freely.

In terms of security, the two of them can't watch over their people for a lifetime; and as excellent assassins, none of them would want to live in the shadow of King and the organization forever. Without King's active presence, perhaps more Fist Levels will advance to Flower Level, becoming true super assassins.

But...

There is still one factor that bothers, limits, and even shackles his retirement!

In the distant horizon, there was a faint sign of gloom...

...

After work, Li Yan made a trip to Jie Rui Security Company. Seeing their office, there was already some difference, mainly in the atmosphere.

Li Jie saw Li Yan coming over. Although she was still cool on the surface, deep in her eyes, there was a glimmer of joy.

"I talked to dad about your suggestion. He was initially resistant, thinking it would become too commercialized and lose its human touch, but I told him the results like you said. Considering that it could bring more benefits to everyone in the future and help more security personnel, he agreed."

After talking about the smooth part, Li Jie's tone became a bit heavier: "It's just that it has just started, and suitable managers haven't been hired yet, but the original staff have already started to spread the news, letting many of the team leaders know. They have concerns but won't talk to me, only contacting and approaching my dad. It's making things very difficult for me..."

"The pains of reform are always inevitable. How about this, try to quickly recruit a suitable management team to replace the current ones here. Since their jobs are at stake, they'll seem to show more effort now on the surface, but behind the scenes, they'll definitely stir things up and provoke the security staff below, forming an alliance against you!"

Li Yan pointed outside, "For this group, you absolutely can't keep them just because of feelings or because they are showing good performance now. Properly settle and compensate them, and let them find new career paths!"

Li Jie frowned: "You said reform would only cost everyone a bit of profit, making the company stronger. That might not cause opposition, but firing people right from the start will definitely intensify conflicts!"

"Getting rid of these few in the office isn't to save money, but because they hold the channels. They don't need to inform every single security staff, just need to spread alarming news to a few people, and it will quickly escalate uncontrollably, potentially leading to Jie Rui's downfall!"

Seeing Li Yan speak so seriously, Li Jie became more solemn: "They are just after their interests too. If we can keep their jobs without harming their interests, they shouldn't be so severely opposed. But if they spread the word now, it's too late. Even after they're dismissed, they could still connect and spread."

Li Yan shook his head: "There's a difference. Their current jobs aren't because of ability and professionalism, but more due to personal connections and relationships. Even if you appease and retain them now, once the professional management team arrives, if they can't keep up, they'll still face being laid off. They are aware of this, so they'd only unite to oppose. Things have already started, but they are observing. Right now, they are only informing some security team leaders. The leaders will consider the impacts, and for now, only contact and test your dad without going further.

So what you need to do now is swiftly recruit professional management personnel and replace them. They will surely continue to alarm and stir, but after leaving, their words won't have the same credibility. Meanwhile, with your dad, call all the team leaders and clearly explain the situation to them. Those capable of being team leaders are usually more rational and have followed your father for a longer time, they should be able to realize that the reform would mean better treatment for them in the future. Persuade them to influence and convince other security staff."

Li Jie gave a wry smile: "Convincing them will definitely be harder than convincing my dad, and for them to persuade other vested security staff will be even more difficult!"

"I believe old employees will find it easier to accept because if they change jobs, their income after reform will be about the same or even lower; if they don't switch jobs, while their current income may be slightly less, it could recover or even improve later. For employees who have been with you for years, it's not a big issue; those most affected are the newcomers who frequently change jobs, but that's not important. Once the scale and profitability improve, more people will fill in."

Managing a large organization is like cooking a small dish. Li Yan's approach is the same as managing a film company, only differing in the number of people.

Li Jie sighed: "I'm gambling by following you. I hope I don't squander my dad's hard work."

"Hehe, with your current situation, how much worse can it get? Even if the company dissolves, it won't affect your lives and might make your father a bit more relaxed. Besides, don't you have any confidence in your father? I believe even if a lot of people leave, there will be some who firmly stay with him; consider it a fresh start!"

Li Jie pondered for a while, indeed, they're not making money from the company now. Even if it closes, so what? "Alright! I'll make a decisive break. If I lose, I'll help him build another company later."

Li Yan gave a thumbs up, handing over a gift with the other hand: "Something I bought for you in Beihai Country last time."

Li Jie's eyes lit up, accepting it. She didn't care what it was, but the fact that he truly thought of her and bought her a gift was already rare. (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com, with more chapters supporting the author, supporting legitimate reading!)

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