PB - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The weather was still hot, but Gu Jianchu was in a good mood. Looking in the direction of Ruifeng, she imagined Qiao Qi was probably sitting in her office at this hour. Liu Yanyan knocked and entered. The supervisory board meeting was happening as scheduled. A year had passed, yet Gu Mingyi and his father hadn't matured at all; their only tactic was to stir up trouble with the senior executives.

“The meeting is set for one in the afternoon.”

Gu Jianchu paid it no mind. “Go ask Secretary Yao how President Qiao has been feeling lately.”

“Yes, I’ll get right on it.”

Ruifeng’s acquisition of Xingda was complete, which meant Qiao Qi would be busy for the next two or three days. Internal restructuring, future planning, and a series of meetings large and small would take up a day or two, not to mention the backlog of work from her time away. Gu Jianchu decided to postpone their dinner plans for now; she would wait until Qiao Qi was through this busy period.

As for the afternoon’s supervisory board meeting, she wasn’t concerned. The board members were only going through the motions out of deference to Gu Yong’s status as the former president and a current board member. It was a necessary formality, both out of respect and procedure. But this also had another consequence: if he made unreasonable trouble too often, the others would grow tired of it. Besides, questioning the president’s decisions every other day was seriously disrupting the company’s normal operations.

In truth, Qiao Qi wasn’t as busy as Gu Jianchu imagined. Upon returning from Shenzhen, she had handed over the follow-up matters concerning the new factory to Jin Zhiyu. Over the past year, with Xu Yangpu’s help, Jin Zhiyu had gradually found his footing at Ruifeng. He was also a master at deflecting and redirecting, so he wasn’t worried about what Jin Zhihuan might think of his frequent visits to Qiao Qi’s office.

“Sister Qiqi, you’re amazing. You were only gone a few days and you’ve already secured Xingda.” Jin Zhiyu flipped through the documents Qiao Qi had given him. “But I still don’t get why we bought this. Care to enlighten me, Sister Qiqi?”

“You’ll find out in the future. Go on, get to work.”

Jin Zhiyu knew how focused Qiao Qi was when she worked, so he didn’t press further and obediently left her office. He had just reached his own work area when he saw his secretary giving him a look, signaling that Jin Zhihuan was waiting inside. Sure enough, when he walked in, he saw his older brother sitting in his office chair, waiting for him with a smirk.

“You’ve been visiting the thirty-fourth floor quite frequently lately.”

Jin Zhiyu put on an innocent face. “She’s the vice president. If she summons me, I can’t very well refuse, can I?”

“What did she want you for this time?”

Jin Zhiyu handed the documents he’d brought back to him, acting completely open and honest. “See for yourself.”

Jin Zhihuan took them and flipped through a couple of pages, his brow furrowing. “What is she doing this for? Rongfang has already cornered the market. Getting into this now is just throwing money away. Did the U.E. failure mess with her head?”

Jin Zhiyu pursed his lips and simply said, “I don’t know. I asked her, and she said I’ll find out in the future.”

Jin Zhihuan looked up at him, trying to gauge how much truth was in his words. After a long moment, he said with a smile, “My dear brother, we’re family. I’m just worried you’ll be deceived by her. You could be sold off by her and not even know it.”

Looking at Jin Zhihuan’s pretentious act, Jin Zhiyu did his best to hide his annoyance. “Don’t worry, big brother. I’m not so easily fooled anymore.”

“Alright. You get back to work.”

After seeing Jin Zhihuan out, Jin Zhiyu glanced at the time. It was almost noon, which meant his mother’s lovingly prepared lunch would be arriving soon. Ever since his mother found out that Qiao Qi had been secretly helping her son, she always sent two lunch sets—one for him, and the other, naturally, for Qiao Qi.

His aunt was very thoughtful, preparing dishes for Qiao Qi based on the meals Old Master Jin had made for her on her occasional visits home. They suited Qiao Qi’s tastes well. She had tried to refuse a few times but couldn’t turn down his aunt’s warm insistence, so she accepted the kind gesture. In return, his aunt had received several gifts from Qiao Qi, which made her incredibly happy.

After lunch, Gu Jianchu rested in the private bedroom attached to her office. At twelve-thirty, Liu Yanyan came to knock on the door. She was already awake. At one o’clock sharp, she appeared in the conference room. Unsurprisingly, Gu Yong and Gu Mingyi were present. Gu Mingyi was smiling, but it was a malicious one. Accompanied by Li Haoming, Gu Jianchu didn’t even spare him a glance as she went straight to her seat.

The meeting began, and Gu Mingyi was the first to attack. “As a member of Rongfang, and out of concern for the group’s interests, I would very much like to know why the president suddenly halted Hongyuan’s acquisition deal in Shenzhen.”

Gu Jianchu shot him a sharp glance but didn’t speak. It was Li Haoming who stepped forward to explain. “Whether considering price or geographical distance, Feihuang Company was a better choice for the group.”

Gu Mingyi gave no ground. “You need to answer my question. I asked why the Shenzhen acquisition was halted, not what advantages Feihuang has.”

Li Haoming replied, “I am answering Director Gu’s question. It’s because Rongfang has already successfully acquired Feihuang Company. Has Director Gu not seen the internal company announcement?”

Of course, Gu Mingyi hadn’t seen it, nor could he have. The announcement had just been sent out, so he hadn’t had time to read it. Unwilling to give up so easily, Gu Mingyi pressed on, “Then why didn’t the president inform the board of directors in advance?”

Li Haoming’s brow furrowed. “How could Director Gu ask such a question? The president’s decisions don’t always require prior notification to the board; reporting after the fact is also acceptable. Surely Director Gu knows this?” He paused, then added, “Director Gu, since January, you have initiated three emergency meetings. Each one has been a waste of everyone’s time. I’d like to ask Director Gu to explain this.”

“What are you trying to say?” Gu Mingyi’s sore spot had been hit, and he grew agitated. “Don’t think acquiring Feihuang can cover up the truth about the botched Hongyuan acquisition. And don’t think I don’t know that Xingda in Shenzhen is now in Ruifeng’s hands. President Gu, I’d like to hear your explanation for that.”

Li Haoming was about to retort, but Gu Jianchu raised a hand to stop him. She looked at Gu Mingyi, her voice cold but tinged with a smile. “You want to hear my explanation? Why don’t we first hear the speech Director Gu prepared this morning?”

Gu Jianchu had turned the tables on him. Finding himself in a difficult position, Gu Mingyi decided to go all in. After all, if he said it, the embarrassment would fall on Gu Jianchu, not him. “I’ve heard that your relationship with Ruifeng’s Qiao Qi is ambiguous and improper. Perhaps you deliberately handed the Shenzhen factory over to her and are just using Feihuang as a smokescreen.”

“Gu Mingyi,” Gu Jianchu said, her tone unhurried. “You should think before you speak.”

This sentence not only infuriated Gu Mingyi but also provoked Gu Yong, who had been holding back and observing. His son being publicly humiliated was tantamount to a slap in his own face. “Jianchu, no matter what, Mingyi is your older brother. Is that any way to speak to him?”

“Director Gu, this is the company, not our home.”

Gu Yong grew flustered but still had to defend his son. “Fine. President Gu, Mingyi’s claim isn’t entirely baseless. Your relationship with Ruifeng’s Qiao Qi was mentioned by President Jin at a Ruifeng board meeting a year ago. Mingyi is merely bringing up that possibility again. I think it’s necessary for you to offer a clarification personally.”

Gu Jianchu chuckled lightly. “What? Does the supervisory board’s scope of work now include my private affairs?”

Anyone with eyes could see this was the Gu family’s internal strife. First, Gu Mingyi had picked a fight for no reason, and now Gu Yong was putting on a show to protect his son. It just made things awkward and difficult for everyone else. Hearing Gu Jianchu’s remark, someone quickly interjected, “President Gu, please don’t say that. And Director Gu, Special Assistant Li already explained that Feihuang is indeed more advantageous, so giving up Xingda makes sense. Let’s not get sidetracked.”

Someone else chimed in, “Whether Feihuang was a backup plan or the optimal choice, the result is beneficial to the group. I think we should end today’s meeting here. Everyone is busy, let’s not waste any more time.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Li Haoming suddenly spoke up. “Wait a moment. I have a few matters I must report to everyone.” He said, “According to the results of an internal investigation, during Director Gu’s time as head of our U.S. operations, his gross negligence led to two separate losses for the company, both of which were covered up at the time.” He gave a pointed look at Gu Yong, who was president back then, and added, “Here are the investigation results. Please take a look.”

Liu Yanyan distributed the prepared materials to each director. Before the documents were even fully handed out, Li Haoming continued, “Furthermore, the contract dispute that the president had to personally travel to the U.S. to resolve was also, according to the investigation, related to Director Gu. The relevant findings are in the materials you’ve just received. I ask all directors to review them.”

Gu Mingyi’s face went pale, and he panicked for a moment before glaring furiously, his eyes practically shooting fire at Gu Jianchu. If Gu Yong and his assistant hadn’t been holding him back, he probably would have jumped onto the conference table and charged at her. Gu Jianchu still didn’t spare him a single glance, unconcerned by the fury in his eyes or the hatred from Gu Yong beside him.

Li Haoming wasn’t finished. He continued, “As I mentioned earlier, Director Gu has initiated three emergency meetings in the last six months to question the president’s decisions. Just now, he publicly slandered the president by fabricating an improper relationship with Ruifeng’s President Qiao. These actions are a serious violation of the group’s handbook. In light of this, and the materials in your hands, I move that the board of directors dismiss Director Gu from all his positions at Rongfang. I ask the directors present to vote by a show of hands.”

The directors present exchanged opinions among themselves, then raised their hands one by one in agreement. Gu Mingyi roared in fury, “Gu Jianchu, what is the meaning of this? Directors, don’t listen to her lies! This is a setup!”

Li Haoming said, “The directors have just passed my motion by a show of hands. Therefore, Mr. Gu, you are no longer an employee of Rongfang. Please pack your things and leave immediately.”

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? Rongfang belongs to our Gu family! My father is still a director here. You’d better watch your mouth.”

One of the directors, who seemed displeased with Gu Mingyi’s hysterics, spoke up. “Mr. Gu, Special Assistant Li is correct. You are no longer an employee of this group. Furthermore, the shareholders of Rongfang Group are not limited to just the Gu family. Your actions have seriously harmed the group’s interests. We reserve the right to pursue legal action against you. Please calm down and leave.”

Gu Mingyi pleaded, “Everyone, for my father’s sake, you have to listen to my explanation! You can’t just believe her side of the story!”

Suddenly, Gu Yong stood up. He was perfectly clear about his son’s situation. Since Gu Jianchu had gathered evidence, arguing any further was pointless and might even drag him into the mess. He said, “Mingyi, go pack your things and come home.”

“Dad.” Seeing Gu Yong’s firm attitude, Gu Mingyi knew there was no room for negotiation. He shot Gu Jianchu a hateful glare and left the office. Gu Yong followed him out, but not before giving Gu Jianchu one last look, as if he wanted to eat her alive. What he didn’t know was that Gu Jianchu had been holding two cards, and she had only just played one.

Before leaving, Gu Mingyi inevitably stormed into Gu Jianchu’s office to cause a scene. Gu Jianchu sat calmly in her office chair, watching him curse her out, his face contorted with rage and spittle flying from his mouth. As she watched, she suddenly smiled. This completely infuriated Gu Mingyi. She said lightly, “You should think this through. If you lay a hand on me, I have ways to send you to jail.”

Gu Mingyi’s body visibly tensed. “Gu Jianchu, don’t get cocky.”

“What do I have to be cocky about? You were dismissed due to professional negligence. You need to be clear on that point.” She looked at him, her words casual but cutting. “Every time something goes wrong, don’t you always come to my office to throw a fit? May I ask how old you are? Besides making a scene and having your father clean up your messes, what else can you do? Get out.”

“Gu Jianchu, you-”

Gu Jianchu’s gaze turned icy. She enunciated each word. “Get. Out.”

Gu Mingyi was somewhat intimidated but couldn’t show it, so he left the president’s office while still shouting threats. The door closed, and the office fell silent. Gu Jianchu wondered if it was because of the deafening volume of his shouting, but she could still hear a roaring sound, like tinnitus.

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next