Chapter 2: Salary Reduction

“Indeed, I’ve raised another three million to cover everyone’s salaries and to serve as our final, all-in effort!” Feng Feifei announced.

“Three million? What good is that? Will it be enough to support the new product development until completion?”

“Exactly. Even if it gets completed, what if the R&D direction goes awry again? What then?”

“I understand everyone’s concerns. I’m grateful for your unwavering loyalty to the company and to me throughout this journey. The future is uncertain, and I lack confidence myself. Therefore, to thank everyone for their hard work, anyone who chooses to resign voluntarily will still receive a severance package equivalent to N+1 months’ pay!”

It’s rare to see someone voluntarily resign, especially when many companies try every trick to avoid paying severance during layoffs. Feng Feifei’s gesture in such difficult times truly speaks volumes about her character.

“Honestly, even though Feng is a woman, she really handles things with great generosity!”

“So, what do we do? Stay or go? After Feng’s kindness, just leaving without a second thought seems heartless.”

“Heartless? If we leave now, we get N+1 months’ compensation. If we wait until she goes bankrupt, she won’t be able to pay anything.”

“That’s true. No use being soft-hearted. Let’s take the money and leave.”

In the end, the majority chose to accept the compensation and leave, leaving only two people behind.

Feng Feifei’s emotions were complex—relief, sadness, and surprise all mixed together.

With everyone gone, it was like a second startup for her, a fresh start without the burden of guilt toward old employees.

With everyone gone, no veteran wanted to stay and share the hardships with her. Though expected, the cold reality of human relationships left a bitter taste.

What surprised her was that someone still wanted to stay—one was from finance, which was expected since finance staff were mostly loyal insiders; the other was a new employee who had just joined a month ago.

Chen Xiao was someone she personally interviewed. She remembered him as a young man with no prior industry experience, who had only just completed his onboarding training and hadn’t even dealt with clients yet.

“Ms. Feng! Everyone else has left!” Xia Yun from finance, left behind, spoke with a hint of melancholy.

“Yes, all who shouldn’t have left, ended up leaving!”

Chen Xiao’s face showed a trace of embarrassment—what did that mean? That those who should leave didn’t?

Feng Feifei noticed Chen Xiao’s expression and quickly clarified, “Chen Xiao, don’t misunderstand. I meant that even the R&D and marketing staff left. The core team will need to be rebuilt.”

Chen Xiao thought to himself: “Whether you think I should leave or not is irrelevant. For the sake of the company’s survival, I won’t be going anywhere.”

He stepped forward and said, “Ms. Feng, don’t lose heart. With a tech expert like you and me handling business, we can definitely turn things around!”

Feng Feifei smiled at his enthusiasm, though she wondered where his confidence came from. Technically, she wasn’t worried—she was the chief scientist herself and could handle product development once customer demands were clear. The real question was whether the funds could keep up.

As for him doing business, Feng Feifei held little hope—he had only been here a month and hadn’t even passed probation yet.

“Chen Xiao, thank you for your encouragement and support. Honestly, I don’t have that much confidence. Three million is just a drop in the bucket for product development. After deducting severance pay, less than two million remains—that’s all I have.”

Perhaps because Chen Xiao was the only non-core team member left, or perhaps because his genuine concern was so evident, Feng Feifei even felt that he cared about the company’s growth more than she did.

But as a newcomer, he underestimated the complexity. Feng’s robotics company dealt mostly with B2B or B2G clients, where strong connections and networks were vital. The previous sales team hadn’t secured any new orders this past year; some ongoing contracts were carryovers from previous years.

Not wanting to dampen Chen Xiao’s spirit, she spoke gently and apologetically, “Chen Xiao, the company can’t rely on just the three of us. We will need to hire new people soon, especially in the sales department.”

Chen Xiao nodded—this was expected. Not only would the sales team expand, but they would also recruit pre-sales staff responsible for product proposals, roadshows, and explaining technical details, working closely with salespeople.

“But,” she continued, “cash flow is extremely tight right now. For the new sales hires, I plan to reduce the base salary and increase commission. That way, if there are no orders, company expenses are minimized; if there are orders, salespeople earn more for their efforts.”

She also implied this would serve as a filter. Only those confident in securing orders would accept such terms, believing the high commissions would bring greater rewards. Such people usually had strong industry connections and key client resources.

Those were the kind of people she needed most.

Today, she had shared the company’s financial situation openly. On one hand, this was her responsibility toward employees; on the other, it encouraged those unwilling to weather the storm to leave voluntarily, streamlining the workforce. Those who stayed would be the core team moving forward.

One goal had been achieved—to a somewhat excessive degree—and the people who remained were unexpected.

Chen Xiao’s face darkened. Looking at Feng Feifei, who seemed hesitant to speak, he said, “Ms. Feng, please be straightforward.”

Feng Feifei apologetically said, “You know, we have equal pay for equal roles. So your salary might need to be adjusted accordingly. After adjustment, your base salary will be 4,000 yuan per month, but your sales commission will increase from 2% to 5%. I realize this is hard to accept. If you choose not to accept now, I understand, and I’m willing to offer you one extra month’s salary as compensation.”

By “equal roles,” she meant salespeople at the same level—Chen Xiao and other newcomers were both at level P5 and should be paid equally. Of course, seniority might bring slight raises, but Chen Xiao had only been here a month.

Chen Xiao was naturally unwilling to accept. His heart felt like it was bleeding—Miss, do you know how much my guaranteed income would be cut by your policy?

“Chen Xiao, I’m sorry. Take your time to decide whether to stay or leave. Either way, I can accept your decision.”

Chen Xiao’s expression twisted as if in torment. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’ve made up my mind—I’ll stay.”

Feng Feifei was touched. What a remarkable employee—no matter how tough the work, his passion remained like a first love.