After Smith left, the factory floor instantly fell silent, save for the rhythmic clicking of Xia En’s keyboard.
He immediately shed his casual and impatient demeanor, immersing himself once more in the high-intensity research and development work.
The 3D modeling for the Hummingbird Drone was now fully complete.
Every component’s parameters and every structural design detail had been repeatedly scrutinized and refined, striving for nothing short of perfection.
His next step was to move into the makeshift laboratory nearby to begin the actual manufacturing process—turning virtual models into a finished product capable of flight.
He was so deeply focused, his entire being poured into the R&D, that he completely lost track of time.
He failed to notice the sun dipping low outside the window, and he forgot that he had skipped both lunch and dinner.
An unknown amount of time passed before the telephone on his desk suddenly let out a shrill ring.
The piercing sound shattered the factory’s silence and snapped Xia En out of his thoughts.
Xia En frowned, assuming it was Smith calling to report on the office building search.
Without thinking much of it, he picked up the receiver and spoke in a casual, languid tone.
“Hi, Smith.
Found an office building yet?
Why so slow?”
However, the voice that came through the receiver was not Smith’s slightly raspy baritone.
Instead, it was a gentle, capable female voice, brimming with professional poise.
This unexpected voice caused Xia En to freeze for a moment, the casual look vanishing from his face.
“Hello, Mr.
Xia En.
I am Bernie Ayling, the professional manager arranged by State Street Global Bank.”
The woman’s voice was clear and polite.
As it came through the handset, it carried a hint of professional distance.
“You may call me Bernie.
I am currently at your company’s factory entrance.
Is it convenient for me to come in?”
Xia En gripped the phone, remaining silent for a brief moment.
He truly hadn’t expected State Street Global Bank to send a manager so quickly—a full two days earlier than his estimates.
He composed himself and took a large gulp from the cup of cold coffee on his desk.
The bitterness helped him clear his head and organize his thoughts.
Once he had regained his bearings, he spoke slowly, his tone returning to a calm, boss-like composure.
“I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.
Come in; the gate isn’t locked.”
After hanging up, Xia En didn’t dare to be careless.
He stood up immediately and quickly organized the documents on his desk.
He gathered all R&D materials, design blueprints, and parameter reports related to the Hummingbird Drone, carefully stashing them in the safe and locking the door.
He checked the room once more to ensure no trace of his work was left out.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He straightened his slightly rumpled clothes, opened the laboratory door, and walked out.
Just as he stepped out of the makeshift office, he saw two women and one man walking into the factory.
The woman in the lead wore a well-tailored business suit with her long hair swept up.
She possessed a sharp, capable aura, and her eyes held a hint of shrewdness.
This was Bernie Ayling.
Following her were a man and a woman, both assistants carrying briefcases.
They looked highly professional and were likely there to assist Bernie with the operations.
Seeing him approach, she stopped immediately.
A standard, practiced smile appeared on her face as she took the initiative to greet him.
“Hello, Mr.
Xia En.
I am Bernie Ayling.
It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Xia En offered a polite smile in return.
He reached out and briefly shook Bernie’s hand, withdrawing as soon as the tips of their fingers met.
“The pleasure is mine, Miss Bernie.
Thank you for making the trip.”
As he spoke, he made a “please” gesture, leading the trio toward an empty room in a corner of the factory.
“Please, follow me inside to talk.
This serves as our company’s temporary conference room.”
Upon entering the room, Bernie and her assistants instinctively glanced around.
The place was the definition of spartan.
There were no proper desks or conference chairs—only a few old folding chairs scattered in the center of the room.
A light layer of dust covered the floor.
Xia En noticed the expressions on their faces and offered a slightly apologetic smile, using a half-joke to ease the awkwardness.
“My apologies for having you all meet in such a crude environment.”
He paused, his tone shifting to one of firm confidence.
“But I believe we all know that many successful works and great companies were born in simple, even meager settings.
A lack of amenities has never been a reason to hinder success.”
Having said that, he gestured for them to sit, handing out chairs as he added a few more words.
He was careful not to let his lack of hospitality offend the people sent by State Street Global Bank, lest it affect the subsequent financing and cooperation.
Bernie was well aware that the young, somewhat tired-looking man before her was her future boss.
Even if that “boss” status might be temporary, depending on the company’s future development and the attitude of the investors.
Out of professional etiquette and respect for the partnership, she had to maintain proper politeness and could not afford to offend her nominal employer.
Thus, she graciously accepted Xia En’s joke, her face lighting up with a sincere smile.
“Mr.
Xia En is quite right.
Much like Steve Jobs and his garage—it was in such simple surroundings that a great company like Apple was born.”
“Exactly!
And Bill Gates and his garage too!”
A wider smile appeared on Xia En’s face.
He hadn’t expected Bernie to be so tactful, and his impression of her improved slightly, his tone becoming more amicable.
“They all started from humble beginnings and eventually found success.
Our company will be the same.”
However, his goodwill stopped there.
Xia En was sharp; he never let his guard down.
He knew clearly that Bernie was sent by State Street Global Bank.
Her core mission was never to help him run the company, but to monitor him and the company’s cash flow to prevent him from misappropriating the investment funds.
In the future, if Bernie stayed in her lane and didn’t interfere with his plans to “transfer funds,” he might be more satisfied with her and show her more respect.
Bernie was paid by State Street Global Bank; naturally, she would work in their interests.
How could she possibly turn a blind eye to him misappropriating capital?
Xia En cleared his throat twice, the smile fading as his expression grew serious.
“Alright, enough jokes.
Let’s get down to business and discuss the upcoming work arrangements.”
Once everyone was seated and quiet, he spoke with an air of authority.
“I have already tasked our Chief Financial Officer, Smith Lane, with renting an office building.
He is very reliable, and I believe we will have results soon.”
“So, there is no need to worry.
We won’t be huddled in this cramped, crude factory forever.
Before long, we will move into a new office in Brooklyn and start a new chapter for the company.”
He paused intentionally, his gaze sweeping over Bernie and her team as he emphasized, “By the way, let me introduce you.
Our company’s CFO is named Smith Lane.”
“He is a highly experienced and outstanding accountant with strong capabilities in financial control and capital planning.
Moving forward, he will have full authority over all company financial matters.
Once he finishes the office lease, I will formally introduce him to you all.”
Establishing Smith’s status and repeatedly emphasizing his competence the moment they sat down was a strategy Xia En had planned long ago.
He had to kill any notion Bernie—or the State Street Global Bank behind her—had of meddling with the core position of CFO.
Financial control was the key to realizing his plan.
It had to be held firmly by his own person; there could be no mistakes.
Hearing this, Bernie’s smile dimmed slightly.
Her brow furrowed, and a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Before she came, State Street Global Bank had specifically instructed her to try and seize control of the company’s finances, limit Xia En’s authority over the investment funds, and even suggested she plant her own people to take over the accounting.
Xia En’s words were undoubtedly a clear statement that he would not relinquish financial power.
This was a significant departure from her expectations.
However, Bernie was a seasoned professional.
She quickly masked her expression and did not raise an objection on the spot.
She knew that Xia En was the founder and the nominal boss.
He naturally held a certain degree of autonomy regarding personnel appointments.
If she argued now, she would seem overly aggressive, which would be detrimental to their future cooperation and her surveillance work.
Xia En kept his eyes fixed on Bernie.
Watching her expression go from a frown back to calm without a rebuttal, the weight in his heart finally lifted.
In truth, he knew better than anyone that as a company owner, there are two core powers one must never let go of.
One is the power of personnel appointment, and the other is financial management.
These two powers directly determine the boss’s say in the company and the company’s direction of development.
But since accepting the investment from State Street Global Bank, Xia En had no intention of properly running the Skylark Unmanned Equipment Co., nor did he plan to make it big.
His only goal—one could even call it an obsession—was to secretly siphon off the investors’ money.
Once he had enough capital, he would bail out immediately and never set foot in this industry again.
Therefore, to facilitate his future fund transfers and ensure Smith could cooperate with him smoothly, he was willing to give up the power of personnel appointments, allowing State Street Global Bank to plant whoever they wanted.
This meant that once the company was fully on track and the systems were perfected, he would essentially lose the ability to place his own people in the company.
After all, most important positions would likely be controlled by people sent by the bank.
Even if he did bring in some of his own people, they would only be able to do trivial work.
If they couldn’t reach core positions, they would be useless and only serve to alert the opposition.
Xia En looked at Bernie with a faint smile, while his mind secretly calculated the next steps of his plan.
The contest over the capital had only just begun.