Chapter 11: Personal Discussion
Xing Shu thought of her ridiculous whistleblowing report yesterday and felt inexplicably ashamed. She put the purchase agreement in her bag—nodded at Jian Yaochuan—and turned to enter the elevator.
Everyone's gaze fell on Xing Shu when she returned to the office. It was like a sharp knife that pierced through her already riddled heart.
Darting furtive looks at Xing Shu, they whispered to each other, "She went to see President Cheng, right? Tsk tsk, she is so powerful. It's great to marry into a rich family!"
"What do you mean by marrying into a rich family? It's not even confirmed yet. Didn't you hear what the Director said? The engagement might be annulled at any time."
"I heard that the Director deliberately rejected Xing Shu's purchase agreement. He's probably very dissatisfied with her."
"But I heard that Xing Shu's family is quite rich. Otherwise, how could she marry the Director? Aren't all wealthy families very particular about comparable social stratum?"
"Tsk, Comparable social stratum? Do you think Xing Shu looks like one? She drives a car that costs barely 100,000 yuan with no private chauffeur. I heard that she and the Director were classmates. That's why she had the chance to get to know the Director."
"No wonder. That Xing Shu is really scheming. She already knows how to find a good family for herself at such a young age."
Many people had heard Cheng Xingyang's words yesterday. Everyone thought that Xing Shu was pestering Cheng Xingyang. Xing Shu was already an anomaly in the department—landing the position of manager right after graduation—to everyone's resentment. Now that they knew she was Cheng Xingyang's fiancée and that her family background was ordinary, everyone thought that she was a schemer who slept her way up. In the eyes of a group of self-proclaimed cream of the crop, Xing Shu's actions were no different from a prostitute.
The chain of contempt in the financial industry was severe to begin with. The people she came into contact with were all C-suite. Money flowed through their hands like water every day; being in control of large capital flows easily inflated their egos. Beautiful as she was, Xing Shu was doomed to be unpopular from the first day she stepped into this department. After three years in the company, Hu Jie was the only one she could talk to, barely.
Holding the department's office line, Hu Jie said to Xing Shu, "Several companies have submitted purchase agreements to Lirong Corporation. The previous price of 130 million that you negotiated with Lirong's President… He just hinted that they hope to raise it to 200 million."
Xing Shu had already conducted an in-depth review of Lirong Corporation's annual reports and prospectus. She had even perused projections with multiple computer simulations—130 million was the most reasonable price. The sudden increased asking price of 200 million was obviously due to multiple bidders. But Lirong Corporation was too greedy.
Xing Shu called Lirong Company. The person who answered the call was not the boss of Lirong Company, but the assistant. "Miss Xing, your purchase agreement still has not arrived. Clearly, your sincerity is lacking."
Xing Shu said, "Our purchase agreement will be submitted on time, before nine o'clock tomorrow. However, your asking price is different from what we discussed previously. I hope to talk to President Chen personally."
The assistant said, "Miss Xing, President Chen is busy."
Busy was just an excuse. The boss of Lirong was probably meeting with the person-in-charge of another company.
Xing Shu stood up and casually pointed at three staff members. "Book the earliest plane ticket there and come with me to Lirong Corporation." The staff who were called out—including Hu Jie—were indignant, especially the two male colleagues who resented being bossed around by an uppity woman who slept her way to the top. Who wouldn't be proud and arrogant after graduating from a famous school? In her time here, Xing Shu had been very assertive and decisive—without the delicacy of most women—and always had a straight face with a high and mighty attitude that challenged the ego of the men. Why was she so domineering? She was just a woman—better to go home; have children; and do housework.
However, Xing Shu was the Manager. When Cheng Xingyang—the Director—was not around, Xing Shu had the final say in the department. Lirong Corporation was an unlisted company that produced small parts and was located in a remote town— providing more than 3,000 jobs for the town—in the next city.
Lirong Corporation collaborated with many companies and the quality of their products was very good. As early as two months ago, Xing Shu had brought staff from the department to prepare for the acquisition of Lirong Corporation. Now that the purchase agreement was stalled by Cheng Xingyang, she could only fly there to close the deal.
Xing Shu had just boarded the plane with Hu Jie and the rest when Cheng Lang ended his meeting. Jian Yaochuan brought him a cup of coffee as he turned on the computer after he returned to the office. "President, Miss Xing came to look for you just now."