An eerie silence fell over the conference room.
Some people looked like they wanted to speak but held back. Some had mocking looks in their eyes. A few even laughed outright.
Zhong Jie frowned. “Miss, do you understand what it means to increase the rate of return by ten percentage points?”
Lin Xijun folded his arms, barely suppressing a laugh. “Fanxing built its foundation on supply chain business. After you ran from your wedding and offended the Jiang family, they didn’t say anything publicly but behind the scenes, they’ve kept their distance from the Lin family. No new clients dare to cooperate with us. It took me half a year just to develop two clients and secure three orders.”
He walked up to Lin Xiangwan, glanced at her swollen face, and let out a snort of laughter. “You’ll need at least five new clients within six months to raise the return rate by ten points. You a runaway bride who publicly offended the Jiang family and broke her word who would dare trust you and cooperate with you?”
No one objected.
Lin Xijun’s words were ruthless, but they were the truth.
Lin Xiangwan had disappeared for three years. After she left, her reputation suffered because of the broken engagement. On top of that, everyone assumed she had offended Jiang Shijing, making them even more unwilling to work with her.
“Your former fiancé is now one of the top figures in Rongcheng’s business world. Any capable company boss has dealings with him. Who would dare offend him to cooperate with you? Tell me who would be that suicidal?”
Lin Xijun raised his brows, the smile on his face deepening.
So what if she had Grandpa’s seal and will?
A useless heir would never be able to hold onto the president’s seat even if she got it.
All his earlier anxiety had been unnecessary.
Throughout it all, Lin Xiangwan remained expressionless, not even frowning at his words.
As if nothing had happened, she curved her lips slightly. “Since you all think I’m overestimating myself, then sign the agreement. If I fail to fulfill my promise in six months, won’t you have an even more legitimate reason to take the company?”
Lin Mu clasped his hands behind his back, his expression shifting.
That struck right at his heart.
He had ignored his late father’s wishes. Though he never regretted it, there was always a lingering discomfort like the old master’s spirit was watching everything with wide eyes. He often dreamed of being questioned by him at night.
Let Lin Xiangwan serve as president for six months. If she failed to meet the agreement and left, it wouldn’t count as completely defying the old man’s will.
The three members of the family exchanged glances. After weighing the pros and cons, they settled on it.
Lin Xiangwan picked up her bag and went straight to the president’s office.
Lin Xijun had already been in the middle of taking office. The president’s office was filled with his belongings.
No one had expected her to barge in and overturn everything.
Lin Xiangwan lowered her eyes to a photo frame on the desk.
A family of three, dressed head to toe in luxury brands, standing by the sea and smiling brightly at the camera.
She stared at it for a long moment, then let out a cold scoff. With a sweep of her hand, she knocked the frame and everything else on the desk to the floor.
Lin Xijun rushed in, instantly furious. “Lin Xiangwan, what are you doing?!”
She turned around. “It must hurt not to get this president’s seat. What’s coming next will hurt even more.”
She lifted her foot and stepped on the fallen photo frame, grinding her high heel down hard.
With a sharp crack, the glass shattered instantly.
“I’ll use these six months to drive you out. Lin Xijun, you will forever be the son of a mistress who can’t stand in the light. The company my mother invested her entire dowry in you’re not worthy of staying.”
When Lin Xiangwan left the company, she declined Linda, who had originally been assigned as the president’s secretary, and instead asked Uncle Zhong to send over someone trustworthy to assist her.
When she arrived, the sun had been blazing. When she left, dark clouds covered the sky.
A chill rose over her body. She picked up her phone and called Wen Qian.
After they met, Wen Qian applied medicine to her face while cursing the Lin family furiously.
“When will that mistress and her son get struck by lightning? And your father he clearly knew that when the company was almost in trouble back then, it was your mother who used her entire dowry to save it. Even your grandfather was grateful! Yet he shamelessly handed the company to that illegitimate son. Disgusting!”
Wen Qian cursed until her mouth went dry, drinking three glasses of water before calming down.
Lin Xiangwan patted her back. She had been calm and strong at Fanxing, but in front of her best friend, her eyes reddened easily, and the pain in her cheek seemed sharper.
“Qianqian, I need you to help me contact someone.”
A new official must light three fires. She needed to close a deal as soon as possible to stabilize morale.
Though she was the Lin family’s eldest daughter, people only gave Lin Mu face. Toward her, they would avoid her like the plague.
This time, she needed to rely on the Wen family’s connections.
Wen Qian looked uneasy after hearing her out. “The president of Dingsheng? You… haven’t looked into Dingsheng’s situation?”
Lin Xiangwan nodded. “I know what you’re going to say. Dingsheng’s president, Zhou Yan, is Jiang Shijing’s cousin.”
“Exactly. Jiang Shijing is also Dingsheng’s largest investor. You humiliated him back then his maternal family lost face too. I can help you get an appointment, but Zhou Yan won’t give you a warm reception.”
Wen Qian was worried sick.
If not for that nearly impossible performance agreement, the Lin family wouldn’t have given up power so easily.
The agreement was practically unattainable especially with someone like Jiang Shijing looming over her, a man capable of shaking all of Rongcheng.
This time, Lin Xiangwan was truly going all in.
She lifted the freshly brewed Da Hong Pao tea in her hands. “In this city, who would give me a warm reception anyway? If I don’t try, how will I know whether I’ll succeed? Besides, if I can secure a deal with Dingsheng, wouldn’t that prove my capability to Uncle Zhong and the others?”
Wen Qian was persuaded and stood up to make a call home.
President’s Office, Dingsheng Group.
Zhou Yan smiled and waved at the man lounging on the sofa. “Shijing, come try this top-grade Mudan tea of mine.”
“Tired of it. Got any Da Hong Pao?”
Jiang Shijing stretched lazily. The top button of his white shirt was undone. Though the style was simple, he somehow wore it with a hint of wicked charm.
Zhou Yan paused mid-pour and looked up in confusion. “Didn’t you stop drinking Da Hong Pao a long time ago?”
Jiang Shijing smiled faintly. “An old taste once in a while isn’t bad.”
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the office door.
The secretary entered, first glancing at the imposing figure on the sofa before clearing his throat.
“President Zhou, the president of Fanxing Group has made an appointment to discuss cooperation with you.”
“Didn’t President Lin of Fanxing step down recently? The position was passed to his son, wasn’t it?”
Zhou Yan glanced at Jiang Shijing.
The latter’s eyes were smiling, showing no visible reaction to the mention of the Lin family.
The secretary chose his words carefully. “No… The Lin family’s eldest daughter suddenly returned. For some reason, she replaced Lin Xijun as president. The one requesting the meeting is her.”
“Pfft!”
Zhou Yan spat out his tea in one spray.