52: A tough fight against the beautiful female CEO

With every word she spoke, the heads of the executives in attendance lowered another inch.

By the end, they all had their heads buried in their chests, wishing they could turn into ostriches on the spot.

The massive conference room was deathly silent.

Only Shen Zhixia's cold voice echoed, falling over everyone's heads like bucket after bucket of ice water.

Lin Chao sat in the corner, nodding inwardly.

This woman, though her aura was domineering, certainly hit the nail on the head when identifying problems.

He had seen these flaws within the company for a long time.

Unfortunately, his position was low and his words carried no weight; no one would have listened even if he had spoken up.

Just then, he felt a sharp pinch on his thigh.

Lin Chao turned his head and saw Li Hong, the Marketing Department manager, making faces at him and gesturing with his chin toward the head of the table.

The meaning in that look couldn't be clearer.

—You go! Go explain!

In an instant, a stampede of ten thousand 'grass mud horses' galloped through Lin Chao's mind.

Holy shit.

You old fox!

You're being scolded like a grandson and don't dare to let out a peep, and now you want me to be the sacrificial lamb?

You get to stay safe while I take the fall?

Seeing no reaction, Li Hong urgently shot him another look, his eyes now carrying a hint of pleading.

Lin Chao took a deep breath, swallowing the curses in his heart.

Dammit.

A higher rank really does crush a man.

When under someone else's roof, one has no choice but to bow their head.

Resigned to his fate, he slowly raised his right hand.

In the deathly silence of the conference room, this movement was exceptionally conspicuous.

Swish!

Dozens of gazes instantly focused on him like searchlights.

There was surprise, confusion, and some were gloating over his misfortune.

At the head of the table, Shen Zhixia's cold phoenix eyes also pierced toward him like needles.

“Do you have an opinion?”

There was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of disdain in her tone.

It was as if she were saying: A minor character like you is worthy of having an opinion?

Meeting her gaze, Lin Chao stood up and spoke with a calm expression.

“Director Shen, regarding the Marketing Department's performance, I would like to add a few points.”

His voice was neither humble nor arrogant, carrying clearly across the entire conference room.

“Currently, over eighty percent of the massager market in Linhai City is monopolized by an established local enterprise called ‘Xinyang Group’.”

“Their product line covers high, medium, and low-end tiers, and their traditional sales channels are laid out so tightly that not even a needle can be inserted or a drop of water can pass through.”

“Our Health and Wellness brand has only been in Linhai City for a few years; our foundation is still shallow.”

“Under these circumstances, the fact that we were able to snatch a piece of the market and gain a foothold right under their noses is already no easy feat.”

He finished in one breath, and the conference room became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Quite a few people looked at him with a hint of admiration.

To dare to confront the new Director head-on just as she was lighting her first fire—this kid was a real man!

Li Hong breathed a secret sigh of relief, his gaze toward Lin Chao filled with approval.

However, after Shen Zhixia finished listening, not a single ripple appeared on her face.

She simply stared coldly at Lin Chao, the corner of her mouth curling into a mocking arc.

“Are you finished?”

Lin Chao nodded. “I’m finished.”

“Well said.”

Shen Zhixia’s tone suddenly became even colder.

“But, I will only tell you one thing.”

She paused, saying each word deliberately: “Only losers make ex-cus-es for themselves!”

She emphasized the last few words heavily.

They were like chunks of ice slamming hard into Lin Chao's face.

Lin Chao's pupils constricted sharply.

He saw the blatant contempt and disdain deep in her eyes.

Wow.

This woman really is impossible to reason with.

Lin Chao rolled his eyes internally with earth-shattering intensity.

On the surface, however, he forced an incredibly sincere smile.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

He nodded repeatedly, his attitude as humble as a primary school student.

“The Director is right. Thank you for the lesson, Director. We will certainly reflect deeply and strive to improve!”

As soon as these words left his mouth, he backed down faster than anyone.

Zhang Wei, sitting in the corner nearby, was dumbfounded.

Brother, with the speed you change faces, your talent is wasted if you don't go learn Sichuan Opera!

Meanwhile, the heart that had been hanging in Li Hong's throat finally settled back into his chest.

He nodded with satisfaction, his gaze toward Lin Chao full of the relief one feels for a 'teachable child.'

Zhang Wei, sitting next to him, even gave him a secret thumbs-up under the table.

The gesture seemed to say: Brother, impressive! You can bend and stretch; you're a real hero!

At the head of the table, Shen Zhixia's cold gaze lingered on Lin Chao's 'sincere' face for two seconds before she looked away expressionlessly.

She didn't seem to intend to keep picking on Lin Chao.

After all, for a new official taking office, establishing authority was the primary goal.

To kill the chicken to warn the monkeys—now that the chicken was killed and the monkeys were intimidated, the goal was achieved.

However, she didn't just use the stick.

After giving the stick, one must always provide a sweet date.

Shen Zhixia’s fingertips tapped lightly on the folder.

“Of course, I am not entirely dismissing everyone’s work.”

“I’ve looked at the reports. The Marketing Department's performance this month was actually quite good.”

“It created several million in net profit for the company.”

As soon as she said this, the atmosphere in the previously lifeless conference room instantly livened up a bit.

Especially Li Hong; his bitter face smoothed out instantly, and his back straightened considerably.

Shen Zhixia continued in her emotionless tone:

“I looked at the data. It seems the vast majority of the contracts were signed by someone named... Lin Chao?”

Li Hong’s face was glowing, his voice even trembling slightly.

“Yes, yes, yes! Director Shen is wise!”

“Lin Chao from our department is indeed a fierce warrior! Last month, the company's largest contracts were all secured by him alone!”

“I have a keen eye for talent, so I just promoted him to Supervisor a few days ago!”

Li Hong spoke with spittle flying everywhere, looking exactly like he was saying, 'Praise me, praise me quickly.'

Shen Zhixia nodded faintly, seemingly satisfied with his performance.

“Mm, indeed a talent.”

“Since he can sign so many large contracts, it shows his professional ability is very strong and he is very resourceful.”

“Such a person should indeed be given important responsibilities.”

Her words were like an imperial decree, making Li Hong so excited that even his balding 'Mediterranean' head seemed to glow.

Next, Shen Zhixia lifted her eyelids and scanned the conference room.

“Speaking of which, is this Supervisor Lin here at the meeting today?”

“Which one is he?”

Swish!

Once again, everyone's eyes in the conference room hit Lin Chao in the corner like spotlights.

Along with them, Li Hong proudly extended his hand, pointing in Lin Chao's direction.

Shen Zhixia followed everyone's gaze.

Then, she froze.

She saw a familiar face.

A face that had just been grinning and bowing to her, yet a moment before that had dared to contradict her in public.