"This is the plan for the company's development this year. The Marching Ant Holdings Company has already been registered. I'll have the investment department start looking into promising projects. From now on, we'll actively invest in emerging industries and cutting-edge technologies."
Zhao Min placed a detailed report on Chen Mo's desk and began outlining her ideas.
Marching Ant Company was already a household name in China—and gaining recognition internationally—but its influence and reputation still didn't quite match its achievements. Foreign investments could help the company tap into more global talent and technical teams, and at the same time, increase its international presence.
Compared to the old industry giants, Marching Ant still seemed like an overnight tech miracle. It had made a lot of money, but its voice in the global market still lacked weight.
Chen Mo nodded as he listened.
After the seismograph sales exploded, Chen Mo hadn't even kept track of how much cash had landed in the company's accounts. It was time to put that money to good use.
"The most important step," Zhao Min continued, "is reorganizing the company. I plan to split off and integrate several business units into wholly owned subsidiaries. That way, each of these units can operate independently and scale more efficiently."
Currently, Marching Ant's business portfolio was massive—smart assistants, mobile phones, computers, seismographs, new materials, battery technology, compact LiDAR, autonomous driving, office software, cloud computing, pharmaceuticals, advertising…
It was too much under one roof. If it kept expanding unchecked, management inefficiencies were bound to arise, and things could spiral out of control. A corporate restructure was not just ideal—it was essential.
Chen Mo picked up the planning report and flipped through it as Zhao Min continued her explanation.
"The parent company will retain core businesses: seismographs, smart assistants, mobile phones, computers, autonomous driving, robotics, and cloud computing. The rest—like new materials and laser sensors—will spin off into subsidiaries.
"These fields have strong potential for growth. Properly managed, they may even outperform the parent company."
Currently, all these projects were handled by separate departments. Like fledgling eagles hidden under the wings of the main product lines, they were overshadowed by the mobile phones, computers, and seismographs that dominated public attention.
But these departments weren't lacking in capability—just visibility.
"By forming separate companies, they'll finally get the attention and resources they need to flourish," Zhao Min said. "And the parent company can focus on strategy and support as a strong backbone."
Chen Mo nodded again. "Go on."
Seeing he wasn't against the idea, Zhao Min relaxed a bit.
The company's department count had already surpassed ten, each with its own area of responsibility. Juggling them all under one roof was becoming a headache for upper management. This structure wasn't sustainable.
After walking him through each point of the plan, Zhao Min finally wrapped up.
"Go ahead and do it," Chen Mo said.
Aside from the core tech businesses he was personally involved in, Chen Mo didn't micromanage. The majority of company profits still came from just a handful of divisions—but in the future, even more powerful technologies would emerge. This restructuring would make things easier to manage in the long run.
"Got it." Zhao Min smiled faintly. From his tone, she could hear the full trust Chen Mo placed in her.
She left Chen Mo's office and immediately called for a high-level executive meeting to prepare for the restructuring. In the following days, Marching Ant Company formally entered reorganization mode.
Xu Qiang walked into the HR supervisor's office with a spring in his step, clearly in a great mood.
Between his salary, bonuses, and year-end award, he had finally managed to put a down payment on a house. Just yesterday, he bought his first car.
When he returned home for the Spring Festival, old classmates found out he worked at Marching Ant Company—and the envy in their eyes fed a small but satisfying sense of vanity.
"You wanted to see me, Supervisor Zhou?" Xu Qiang asked.
"Yes." Zhou Wenbo put down the file in his hand and looked up at him. "Xu Qiang, it's been over a year since you joined us, hasn't it?"
"Just about. I came in right when the company was expanding."
Xu Qiang couldn't help but marvel at the changes. Marching Ant now was worlds apart from when he first joined. Its growth rate was downright terrifying.
"You've done well this past year. Here's your new assignment." Zhou handed him a document.
After scanning its contents, Xu Qiang's face lit up.
A promotion.
He hadn't expected it. His work over the past year had been somewhat scattered, bouncing between roles as needed. But now, recognition had come.
He was glad he hadn't joined the wave of resignations when the company was still finding its footing. That decision had finally paid off.
"Thank you, Supervisor." Xu Qiang bowed slightly in gratitude.
The Marching Ant restructure was sweeping, and many outstanding employees had been promoted during the transition. It sent a clear message—hard work would be rewarded with real advancement.
The company's growth potential was immense. For many employees, climbing into the management tier of Marching Ant Company was the ultimate career goal.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled. The spin-off of departments into standalone subsidiaries made some staff uneasy. Even though some were promoted, shifting into a "new company" felt like losing the comfort of the established system.
But overall, morale remained high.
After nearly a month, the internal personnel shifts and corporate restructuring came to an end.
Beneath the president's office, a decision-making committee was formed. Zhao Min also took direct control of a newly established venture capital department.
Li Lingfeng and Zhu Li were appointed vice presidents. The company's administrative, market, and production departments were streamlined under new directors and supervisors to improve management.
The financial and R&D divisions saw the least disruption. Apart from a few position changes, their internal structure remained stable.
The Marching Ant Holdings Company board was comprised of Chen Mo (chairman), Zhao Min, and Xiao Yu. However, this board existed more for structural formality than for actual authority—within the company, Chen Mo's position remained absolute and unchallenged.
The revamped management framework gave Marching Ant a new look. And with some familiar faces branching out to lead new subsidiaries, several fresh names also joined the leadership ranks.
It was a new chapter for the company.
"Not bad—a smooth transition," Chen Mo said as he put down the final restructuring report.
The whole process had gone better than expected. No internal strife, no management chaos. Clean, efficient, and effective.
Xiao Yu stood beside him, holding a folder.
Officially, she was still Zhao Min's assistant, but practically, she was half Chen Mo's personal secretary. Given her special relationship with Chen Mo, she was the only person besides Mo Nu who could freely enter his office and lab. If Zhao Min ever needed to pass something along, she'd usually hand it off to Xiao Yu instead of dealing with the robot doormen.
"The materials you requested have been delivered to Building One," Xiao Yu said, handing over the folder.
Building One was a sealed facility reserved for Chen Mo's most sensitive experiments. It wasn't open to regular employees and was gradually transitioning to being fully automated with robot workers. The nature of the research there was far beyond what ordinary staff could be allowed to know.
"Got it. You can go back to work," Chen Mo said, scanning the contents of the folder.
"Okay." Xiao Yu nodded and left the office.
A moment later, Mo Nu's voice sounded in the room.
"Chen Mo, the first batch of superconducting chip samples is ready."