The sarcasm in the room was so thick it was practically overflowing. The middle-aged man, realizing he was at a disadvantage, wisely decided to drop that specific topic.
“Grandmother, putting that matter aside, shouldn’t Jianyan give us an explanation regarding the professional negligence we discussed previously?”
The old lady’s smile vanished as she scrutinized the men. “Let us eat first.” She turned to Gu Huai, placing more food into his bowl. “Good child, eat more. You are far too thin.”
Seeing the old lady’s obvious attempt to change the subject, the group felt resentful but dared not speak out. They could only finish the family dinner in an eerily tense atmosphere. No one could tell what the old lady’s ultimate stance was, but seeing her current behavior, she seemed very satisfied with this grandson-in-law.
Finally, the awkward meal ended, and the group moved to the study. Gu Huai noticed Bo Jianyan was gripping his hand tightly, looking quite irritable. Gu Huai assumed it was because of the middle-aged man’s earlier comments. He squeezed Bo Jianyan’s hand reassuringly and whispered, “Brother Bo, it is fine.”
Before they could exchange another word, the middle-aged men remained relentless. “As the CEO, shouldn’t Bo Jianyan be held accountable for the sudden issue with the branch office site?”
“We only want what is best for the company. As a junior, Jianyan is not only sarcastic toward his elders but also has an extremely poor attitude.”
“Grandmother, you cannot always show favoritism just because he is your biological grandson.”
Bo Jianyan let out a cold laugh. As expected, these old fogies wouldn’t be shaken off so easily. He had long known they were unhappy seeing him firmly established in the company; he just didn’t expect them to use this specific incident as a pretext so quickly.
Beside them, Bo Wenyu was massaging the old lady’s shoulders, not even bothering to look up. “Then, according to Uncle, how should this be handled?”
“For a CEO to make such a mistake, he should step down.”
Hearing this, Bo Wenyu looked up with a slight smile. “Uncle has a point.”
It was a blatant attempt to force Bo Jianyan to abdicate. Gu Huai couldn’t help but look at Bo Jianyan. How can these people be like this? Brother Bo must endure so much grievance on a regular basis.
Gu Huai didn’t know if Bo Jianyan was angry, but he certainly was. If the position was such a headache, then so be it—there was no need to keep it while being hounded like this. He wanted to take Bo Jianyan away; he had plenty of ways to support him.
Bo Jianyan nonchalantly hooked his pinky finger with Gu Huai’s. “Then I am terribly sorry, Uncle. I currently have no plans to hand the CEO position over to you.”
The middle-aged man met Bo Jianyan’s gaze, which looked like a wolf scanning its prey. He felt a chill run down his spine. Since when did this kid become so intimidating? He turned to complain to the old lady sitting in the chair. “Grandmother, look. I have barely said a few words and Jianyan is already releasing his pheromones so angrily to suppress others. Isn’t that a bit unreasonable?”
The old lady whispered a few words to the butler nearby. Soon, the butler bowed and left the room, sent off on some errand.
The old lady glanced at the middle-aged man, making him feel an inexplicable chill. “So, regarding the CEO position, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?”
Gu Huai’s brows furrowed. Grandmother wouldn’t actually listen to this nonsense, would she!? He pulled Bo Jianyan closer and whispered, “Brother Bo, if it really comes down to it, I will take you away. I will support you. We do not have to take this kind of mistreatment.”
Bo Jianyan truly hadn’t expected Gu Huai to be thinking about that. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he ruffled Gu Huai’s hair. “Do not worry. Grandmother will handle it.”
The old lady took in everyone’s reactions, her voice carrying a hint of pressure. “Jianyan, Wenyu.”
Hearing this, both brothers realized their grandmother was truly angry, and they stopped speaking. The authority of the head of the household was not to be challenged.
The middle-aged men, thinking the old lady was considering their words, said smugly, “It is fine, Grandmother. Juniors are just immature; we will not hold it against them too much.”
The old lady looked up and scanned their faces. “Is that so? If the juniors are immature, then are the elders who authorized them to act also immature?”
Just as the words fell, the door was pushed open. The butler walked in with a stack of documents and said with a smile, “It seems I have come at a bad time. Grandmother, I have brought the items you requested.”
The old lady signaled for the men to take the documents. Her tone sounded very impartial. “Look at them. If you have any objections, raise them.”
The men took the documents. After reading them, their expressions turned grim. “Grandmother… what is the meaning of this?”
The old lady stood up, leaning on her cane. “Can you not read? Do I, with my old bones, need to read the contents aloud for you?”
Looking at the contributions Bo Jianyan had made since becoming CEO, the men’s faces grew even more unsightly—especially when they saw the comparison between their own children and Bo Jianyan. There was no comparison at all.
The old lady continued, “I have also looked into the branch office matter. None of the directors have any objections to the Plan B recovery. Do you have anything else to say?”
“Furthermore, if you want Jianyan to step down, please find me someone even more outstanding to replace him. Otherwise, there is nothing to discuss.”
The man gripped the documents tightly, his tone unfriendly. “Is there no punishment for making a mistake? Is your decision not a bit unreasonable?”
Bo Jianyan raised his eyes and gave him a chilling look, sneering, “Where did Uncle get the idea that I haven’t been punished?”
“Grandmother has suspended me for three months and docked half a year of my salary. Is Uncle satisfied?”
Bo Wenyu added from the side, “The project manager has been replaced. Uncle should understand what that kind of punishment implies, shouldn’t he?”
The men’s faces instantly turned pale. They had always known the old lady favored her grandson, which was why they wanted to use this incident to exert pressure. They hadn’t expected that she had already punished Bo Jianyan.
Replacing the project manager… tsk. Anyone could hear how serious that was.
Bo Jianyan looked indifferent. “Why has Uncle stopped talking?”
The man forced an awkward smile. “As expected of the arrangements made by the head of our Bo family; it is very appropriate and reasonable. We have no objection to this result.”
Who would dare have an objection now? They were terrified that the old lady would start digging into the scandals of their own children next.
Bo Wenyu’s eyebrows arched slightly. “Now that Uncles have finished discussing Jianyan’s affairs, perhaps we should settle some other accounts?”
Bo Jianyan raised his eyes and took Gu Huai’s hand. “Since it does not involve me, I will take my leave.”
“Grandmother, Big Brother, Uncles please, chat among yourselves. As someone under suspension, I will not interfere.”
Without waiting for a reaction, he pulled Gu Huai out the door. Bo Wenyu was about to scold him, but he was stopped by a look from the old lady.
Her gaze fell back on the middle-aged men. She had returned this time specifically to clean house, and they had delivered themselves right to her door. Bo Wenyu’s gaze turned cold, shedding his usual refined air. “Uncles, please, sit down. Let us have a proper talk.”