Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Establishing Authority_1
Pei Chunlan knew that Zhen Haoren was talking about the Heartless Curse, but she still feigned ignorance and asked, "What happened?"
"The Heartless Curse." Zhen Haoren did not elaborate but simply exhaled these three words indifferently.
"What ’Heartless Curse’?" Pei Chunlan acted as if she had lost her memory, playing dumb.
"Just now, at Taixu Guan, Taoist Wuxin cast the Heartless Curse on us.
If within three years, we can’t retrieve the Old Lord Gourd and return to Taixu Guan, our hearts will turn into a pool of blood.
If our hearts turn into a pool of blood, naturally, our lives will be over.
So, from now on, we must share a common hatred and join forces to find Qin Feng and take the Old Lord Gourd back from him."
"If you want to go, go by yourself. I won’t do it."
Pei Chunlan flatly refused, which took Zhen Haoren by surprise.
"If you don’t go, you’ll die."
"Let it be death, I’ve lived enough anyway."
Pei Chunlan didn’t care at all about being cursed with the Heartless Curse, as if she had given up on everything.
Zhen Haoren was no fool; on the contrary, he was an extremely cunning old fox. How could he not see through Pei Chunlan’s little scheme?
"Pei Chunlan, you want me to go first and then you can just reap the benefits easily afterward, right?"
"I don’t care either way. As for you, Immortal Zhen, do as you please!"
"Fine! These are your own words! I hope you won’t come begging to cooperate with me later!"
After saying this, Zhen Haoren left with a flick of his sleeve.
...
Zhonghai.
Huanmei Group.
Xiao Manlian, holding a sample of the White Cream, entered the large office to find Yu Keqing.
"This is a sample of the White Cream, take it and try it out, and submit a usage report in three days."
"Aren’t the company’s samples typically tested by trial users?"
"Trial users are trial users, and you are you. You possess such a beautiful face, so you should contribute more to the company. In the future, you will have to test all the new products developed by the company during the sample testing phase."
"Xiao Manlian, what do you mean? Don’t you know that the quality of the company’s products at the sample stage is not yet stable?
Applying them to the face could potentially disfigure. Even though that likelihood is very low, it does not mean it does not exist.
That’s exactly why the company spends a lot of money to hire trial users and insure them. Moreover, all the trial users have undergone skin tests and have skins that are not prone to allergies."
Yu Keqing said this because her skin was more susceptible to allergies.
The cosmetics she used were always the familiar types, and suddenly changing to something else might ruin her face.
To women, especially beautiful ones like Yu Keqing, their lovely faces are naturally of utmost importance.
Yu Keqing was certainly not going to risk damaging her face carelessly.
"Heh!" Xiao Manlian scoffed coldly, raising her voice as she demanded, "What do you mean, Yu Keqing? Are you not listening to the president now?
I’m ordering you to test it, and you must do it! Go wash your face now and apply the White Cream. I want to see the effect!
Otherwise, I’ll fire you on the spot and kick you out of Huanmei Group immediately!"
"Xiao Manlian, don’t go too far."
"I’m going too far? An insignificant assistant dares to disobey the president’s command? Which one of us is really going too far?"
Yu Keqing knew that Xiao Manlian was using her to establish authority, after all, she was the former president!
Recently, some of the veterans at Huanmei Group had been unreceptive to Xiao Manlian. These were veterans Yu Keqing had personally promoted, and they were loyal to her.
Xiao Manlian’s move to come to the main office and pull this stunt was meant to show everyone that she now called the shots at Huanmei Group.
Huanmei Group had bet all its resources on the White Cream product.
The initial test samples had been tried out by testers several times before, with quite promising results.
Originally apprehensive about the White Cream, Yu Keqing gained confidence in it after seeing the trial results from the testers.
As long as the White Cream was successful, Huanmei Group could rise again.
At that time, Yu Keqing would resign.
She no longer cared about being the president. And as for money, she had enough. In the future, she planned to spend more time with her daughter.
She’d even thought about starting her own cosmetics brand with her own funds after resigning from Huanmei Group, starting from scratch.
Yu Keqing herself could start from scratch, but the old employees who had fought by her side to build the empire all had families to take care of.
Originally, as Huanmei Group grew, these old employees should have been enjoying the benefits.
But because of Yu Keqing’s previous mistakes, Huanmei Group faced crisis, leaving a precarious future for those veterans.
If Huanmei Group went bankrupt, these old employees would be left unemployed in their middle age.
Yu Keqing, a sentimental person, had to ensure a bright future for the old employees, even if she were to leave.
Therefore, even as Xiao Manlian slapped her face metaphorically, trying to establish authority over her, Yu Keqing tolerated it.
"Fine! I’ll take it and try," Yu Keqing compromised.
"Did I tell you to take it and try? I want you to try it now, immediately!"
"Alright! I’ll try it immediately!"
Yu Keqing went to the restroom to remove her makeup, then returned to the main office.
Xiao Manlian glanced at her and realized that Yu Keqing was still so beautiful even without makeup. Hardly any different from before she’d taken it off.
Struggling to believe it, she questioned, "Did you really remove your makeup?"
"Yes! I did remove my makeup."
"What a vixen!" Xiao Manlian cursed with a face full of envy.
At this moment, she really wanted to scratch Yu Keqing’s face, turn her into an ugly monster, and make her unlovable to any man!
Xiao Manlian was well aware that she had become the CEO of Huanmei Group purely because Yu Keqing had turned down Qin Dongrui.
If one day Yu Keqing agreed to Qin Dongrui’s terms, the CEO position would have to be returned to her.
Even though it hadn’t been a month since she became CEO, Xiao Manlian had already fallen in love with this supreme feeling.
Now Huanmei Group was her world!
She could do whatever she wanted!
"President Xiao, in terms of position, you are the CEO, and I am just a mere assistant. However, our personal dignity is equal. So please, show some respect when you speak," Yu Keqing retorted.
"Respect? Have I been disrespectful to you?
Calling you a vixen is actually a compliment to your beauty!
Only a beautiful woman like you, Yu Keqing, who knows how to flirt and seduce men, can be worthy of the title ’vixen’!"
Although Xiao Manlian had changed and became a completely different person, the two had once been best friends. Therefore, Yu Keqing couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.
