Chapter 171: Establishing Internal Anti-Corruption Measures
"Robert? What's he doing in Hong Kong?" Yang Wendong asked.
This American, who had first reached out to him at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, had indeed played a helpful role. The two maintained a decent relationship, and Robert had left a good impression.
However, now that Post-it Notes had expanded internationally, their communication had tapered off. All business dealings were now handled by 3M's departments directly with Changxing Industrial.
Wei Zetao replied, "He said he heard that our Phase Two factory is nearing completion, and he's coming in his capacity as a distributor to celebrate."
Yang Wendong chuckled. "I suppose that's a reasonable excuse."
As far as Yang knew, Robert had been the first person in 3M to recognize the value of Post-it Notes and successfully bring them into the company. Thanks to that, he had been promoted multiple times and was now considered middle to upper management within 3M.
It was only natural. The partnership had generated significant profits for 3M. If someone in Yang's own company had pulled off something that profitable, he would have given them a major promotion and bonus too.
Now, Changxing and 3M were tied together as strategic partners. A visit from Robert wasn't surprising.
Wei nodded. "Yes. But I suspect he may have other motives as well."
"Let him come," Yang said with a wave of his hand. "Whatever it is, it's unlikely to be anything bad."
"Understood," Wei nodded, then added, "I'll head back to the factory then."
"Alright. You'd better go now, or you'll get stuck in traffic at the ferry crossing again," Yang said.
Su Yiyi added, "Yeah, it's always jammed there. It's going to be a real hassle if we keep having to go back and forth like this."
Yang shook his head. "There's nothing we can do for now."
Victoria Harbour was becoming a bottleneck in Hong Kong's development. Crossing between the two sides was increasingly troublesome, and it affected his businesses as well.
In the historical timeline, proposals to build a link across the harbour would start being discussed the following year. But it took years of debate over whether to build a bridge or a tunnel.
Eventually, a tunnel was approved. Then came the 1965 financial crisis, which caused a government budget deficit. It wasn't until 1969 that tunnel construction began, and it only opened in 1972.
Wei said, "Actually, there is one way. Star Ferry does offer premium services. If you reserve in advance, they'll send a dedicated boat for people or vehicles—but it's expensive.
If you think the traffic jams are wasting too much of your time, maybe consider it."
"I'll think about it," Yang nodded.
After all, time was money. Spending hours in transit wasn't worth it.
In his past life, many Western tycoons used helicopters to commute or flew private jets—not for luxury, but because their time was too valuable to waste. Even many corporate CEOs had similar arrangements.
After Wei left, Yang turned to Su Yiyi. "Yiyi, I have something important I need you to handle personally."
"Me? What is it?" Su Yiyi asked, curious.
"Now that we've established the group headquarters," Yang said, "we've got control over HR and finance. But there's one more critical piece: anti-corruption."
"Anti-corruption?" Su Yiyi blinked. "You mean bribery and embezzlement?"
"Exactly. Looks like your two years of studying have paid off," Yang smiled.
Su Yiyi laughed. "It's only because you pushed us, Dong-ge. Otherwise, we would've quit long ago."
Yang nodded. "You had to be pushed to study so you could grow. You'll need to keep learning too."
The three original founding members—Su Yiyi included—had all been pushed by Yang to pursue education.
They started with basic literacy, moved on to writing, vocabulary, idioms, then specialized terms and basic English. He even hired private tutors for them.
Regardless of what they might do in the future, knowledge was critical. Whether they stayed with Yang or started their own ventures, they would need those skills.
"Yeah," Su Yiyi nodded. "So this is about problems at Changxing Industrial?"
"Yes," Yang said. "Right now, the issues are mainly at Changxing. But later, the other companies will have them too—once they grow.
Loving money is human nature. Everyone's like that. But corruption can seriously hurt us, so we need to strike while the group is still relatively small and manageable."
Yang couldn't control how the colonial government handled corruption—but he could prevent it from taking root in his own businesses.
Changxing Industrial had massive orders. It had essentially become the economic lifeline for many surrounding factories. That meant any abuse of power—over procurement, quality control, or technical specs—could easily lead to corruption.
Su Yiyi thought for a moment. "I think you're right. Liming's in charge of glue traps. The key components are imported, but the packaging materials come from local suppliers.
He told me once that a supplier tried to give him gifts. He didn't accept, and the amount was small, so I didn't bring it up."
"That's normal," Yang nodded. "Liming's product line doesn't have much external dependence. Same with Post-its.
But adhesive hooks, spin mops, and the new rolling suitcase? Those are all outsourced. The stakes are huge.
What if a purchasing agent gets offered a bribe—can they resist?"
"Probably not," Su Yiyi admitted. "Even though our salaries are higher than average, a regular purchasing clerk still only makes two to three hundred dollars a month.
But they're handling deals worth tens of thousands."
"Exactly. Human nature." Yang said. "But if you're in this line of work, you follow the rules.
A small gift, a meal, or a little envelope? I might turn a blind eye.
But if it's a big bribe—or worse, if they extort suppliers or deliberately make things hard—that's zero tolerance."
There were unspoken norms in society, and Yang understood that. But crossing the line—especially at the company's expense—would not be tolerated.
Su Yiyi asked, "But Dong-ge, am I the right person to do this? I don't really understand the law…"
Even after two years of studying, she could read newspapers and write a little. But legal codes were another level.
"You don't need to handle legal stuff," Yang said. "You don't even need to catch people yourself.
I just need someone I trust to oversee this."
"Oh." Su Yiyi nodded in understanding. "So what's the first step?"
"Build a team," Yang said. "Start with people who've worked in private investigation firms or former police officers. Their job will be to monitor suspicious employees."
"Got it. Then I'll need to get in touch with a headhunting firm," Su Yiyi said.
"Yes," Yang nodded. "I also know a retired inspector surnamed Wu. He's helped us before on the business side.
When I have time, I'll take him to dinner and ask for referrals. He definitely knows the right people."
Everyone knew how things worked with the police in Hong Kong. But not all cops were bad. Many still had core investigative skills.
Yang didn't need an army. Just a few good people would do.
Su Yiyi asked, "If we identify someone and gather evidence, what should we do? Call the police?"
"No," Yang shook his head. "Catching one or two people won't have much impact.
Keep it secret. Investigate thoroughly. Once we've identified a group, we'll act all at once.
Either that, or I'll pick a moment to publicly expose it—to send a message."
"So the main goal is to warn others?" Su Yiyi asked.
"Yes," Yang nodded. "Changxing has thousands of employees, and there's no way to monitor everyone.
Even confirming one bad apple and gathering evidence takes time. So we catch a few and use them to set an example. That's the real purpose."
"True," Su Yiyi agreed.
Yang added with a smile, "It's the same principle as in criminal law. Punishing wrongdoers isn't just about justice—it's also about deterring others."
"That makes sense," Su Yiyi nodded. "You're right."
"This issue is both urgent and not," Yang said. "What's important is instilling the idea in everyone's minds—that we take this seriously."
"Okay, I understand, Dong-ge," Su Yiyi said obediently. "I just worry that I won't be good enough."
"Don't worry about that," Yang reassured her. "Do you think I knew how to manage all these companies from the start?
Everything's one step at a time. This initiative will be a crucial part of how the group headquarters manages its subsidiaries. I'll be involved too.
If you need help, come to me anytime."
Anti-corruption wasn't just a necessity—it was also a tool. Like ancient emperors, sometimes they didn't mind a little corruption.
It gave them a reason to punish someone if needed. But if someone was too honest and still caused trouble—that was a bigger headache.
Of course, everything had a limit. When corruption got out of hand, became too blatant, or stirred up public resentment—that was suicide.
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