63: Fuzzy Rejection

After getting out of bed, the two of them changed out of their nightgowns, tidied their clothes, and put on some light makeup.

At 2:30 PM, the company's senior executives gradually arrived at the meeting room. Of course, all those present were company shareholders who held a certain amount of influence.

"Why aren't they here yet? Making us wait so long, such airs! Young people are just too arrogant."

The speaker was a slightly overweight man with a receding hairline and glasses, around fifty or sixty years old. He was Zhang Hailin, one of the company's major shareholders.

"A new broom sweeps clean, always wanting to achieve great things. She's about to agree to something we all oppose," another shareholder quietly echoed.

"Exactly, exactly. We're all getting old and want to rely on our shares for retirement. What we need is stability, not all this upheaval."

The other shareholders whispered amongst themselves. Of course, their shareholding was too small, their influence low, so they didn't dare say these things directly to Li Xuening.

As the meeting room door was pushed open, the low hum of conversation instantly ceased.

The click-clack of high heels echoed through the room. A frosty expression appeared on Li Xuening's exquisite face, and behind her was an even more beautiful girl.

As the girl walked by, even the board members couldn't help but steal another glance, wondering why they couldn't find such a beautiful subordinate.

Ye Xi took one look and felt the atmosphere was off. It seemed Li Xuening couldn't control this group of old fogies on the board at all.

Li Xuening walked to the head of the table and slowly took her seat, while Ye Xi stood beside her, holding a notebook.

"The meeting will now begin. Everyone, please stand."

Li Xuening shouted, and several department heads promptly led the way in standing up. But Zhang Hailin waved his hand, and they all sat back down.

Ye Xi was stunned; who exactly was in charge?

Zhang Hailin chuckled, "Li Xuening, some people in the company are older. Perhaps we can dispense with such boring formalities in the future."

At this moment, Li Xuening's expression was extremely grim. She hadn't expected this old fox to be so bold, and her mind was already brewing a counterattack.

But before she could speak, a sharp voice rang out.

"A country has its laws, a family has its rules, and a company has its regulations. If you all feel these are boring formalities that can be dispensed with, then perhaps your salaries can also be dispensed with."

Seeing his wife being bullied, Ye Xi certainly couldn't tolerate it.

"What right do you, a mere secretary, have to speak to us like that? You're fired. Get out!" Before Zhang Hailin could speak, another shareholder barked at Ye Xi.

"Secretary Ye's words represent my words. I hired her, and if anyone is to be fired, it should be me. What are you?" Li Xuening glared at the man who spoke.

The man, rebuked, seemed to shrink a little and immediately sneaked a glance at Zhang Hailin. Seeing this, Zhang Hailin looked at everyone and smiled, "Ah, arguing over such a small matter makes everyone seem so petty. Do we still want to hold this meeting? Since it's been said, let's all stand up to show our respect."

Subsequently, everyone stood up as a gesture. Li Xuening looked at these people and called out, "Everyone, please sit down."

"Does anyone have anything to report? If not, then I'll start," Li Xuening looked at everyone.

"Could it be that Li Xuening has a big move planned?" Zhang Hailin chuckled.

"Secretary Ye."

Li Xuening waved her hand, and Ye Xi distributed the pre-prepared documents to everyone.

"Take a look, and feel free to voice any thoughts you have." Li Xuening also wanted to gauge everyone else's attitude first; the matter she was pursuing indeed carried high risks.

Everyone read in silence. Some sensitive board members were aware of the situation with the Xia family, but they were major players with vast assets. Their own funds were limited, making them small-time investors. They wanted a piece of the pie, but no one was leading them in. This was indeed an opportunity.

"Any thoughts, gentlemen?" A few minutes later, Li Xuening felt the time was right and inquired again.

Zhang Hailin said with a smile, "Li Xuening indeed has some connections, truly able to find a way to get a piece of the pie, but..."

"But what?" Li Xuening narrowed her eyes, looking at him.

"But, this investment of yours carries too much risk, and it will also offend a lot of people."

Zhang Hailin had his own connections and knew that the Xia family's funds were at their last gasp in the tug-of-war. If another large sum of money were injected, they might indeed catch a big fish.

However, he didn't want to take even a one percent risk. At his age, he sought stability.

"Every investment has risks. If you want to make big money, if you want to gain an advantage in the future, you must seize the right moment to act. Do you think standing still and being complacent is safe? A slight misstep can lead to elimination and ruin," Li Xuening said to everyone with a smile.

Another bespectacled shareholder looked at Li Xuening, sighed softly, and said, "Of course, we trust Li Xuening's judgment, but the company's books don't have that much capital. Currently, we can only raise 5 billion at most. Even if we sell off some peripheral businesses, we could at most liquidate another 2 billion, which is still far from 10 billion. Unless Li Xuening truly doesn't want this branch company anymore..."

"We all object."

The other shareholders all voiced their opposition. Li Xuening, after all, only inherited a little over 30% of the shares from her father. All of them combined held far more than Li Xuening.

Logically speaking, Li Xuening was a junior. When these old company veterans were struggling alongside Li Xuening's father, she was still in her mother's womb.

"Exactly, exactly, Li Xuening is still being thoughtless."

The other shareholders whispered amongst themselves, not wanting Li Xuening to constantly ride roughshod over them.

When Li Xuening first arrived, they initially thought she was just there to gain some experience and would leave after a while.

If that were the case, control of the company would remain in their hands.

Later, things turned out unexpectedly. This young woman kept gesticulating, interfering with their decisions, and even showed a subtle tendency to take leadership.

Zhang Hailin exchanged glances with the others, then slapped the table and said with a smile, "You people, do you have any foresight? Li Xuening found such a good opportunity for you, and you're complacent, waiting for the company to be eliminated and go bankrupt? I support her."

"Huh?" Most people looked at Zhang Hailin.

Li Xuening frowned slightly. This old fox also held a large shareholding and had always been at odds with her. How could he possibly side with her?

"We object. This matter still needs to be deliberated at length." The other shareholders clamored, not yielding an inch.

Everyone started discussing animatedly. Ye Xi finally understood; these old fogies were putting on a show.

With Li Xuening's father as an intermediary, if they all opposed her together, it would look like a large group of people bullying a young girl, and it would be difficult to explain to Li Xuening's father.

"Li Xuening, you see, everyone is willing but unable. We don't have enough money."

"I think we should just drop this matter."

...

Zhang Hailin saw the disappointment in Li Xuening's eyes and, feeling the time was right, slapped the table again and rebuked, "Everyone, doesn't the company still have a portion of the headquarters' funds? Pooling it together should be enough, right?"

"Old Zhang, how can you even think of such an idea? That's not our money; it might have to be remitted at any time. What if something goes wrong?" The others quickly tried to dissuade him.

"What could go wrong? They're not in a hurry to use that money, are they?" Zhang Hailin slammed the table and roared at everyone.

Li Xuening, who had just experienced disappointment, her eyes lit up as if seeing a glimmer of hope. Seeing that look in her eyes, Ye Xi knew she was about to fall into the trap of these old foxes.

"If we add that portion of money, it really will be enough. There's a chance! We should thank Li Xuening for leading us to make big money."

"Li Xuening, what do you think?"

The other shareholders feigned serious consideration, and a large portion of them immediately turned to support Li Xuening's project.

"Can it really be done?" Li Xuening had never experienced such a situation and said, half-believing, half-doubting.

"Of course! If it succeeds, it will be a great achievement for us, and for the entire headquarters."

"Perhaps our old eyes truly aren't as good anymore. The future should be left to you young people."

Zhang Hailin was overjoyed and gave Li Xuening a big thumbs up.

"Then..."

Before Li Xuening could finish speaking, she felt a soft body about to collapse onto her.

"Xiao Xi, what's wrong?" Looking at the nearly collapsing Ye Xi, Li Xuening, in front of so many people, scooped Ye Xi into a princess carry.

"I'm dizzy." Ye Xi feigned a weak, breathless voice.

"I'll take you to the doctor first." Li Xuening, whose mood had just improved, immediately felt a bucket of cold water poured over her. She worried if her future wife was alright; otherwise, why would she suddenly faint?

"Gentlemen, today's matters end here. We'll discuss them another time."

With that, Li Xuening carried Ye Xi out of the meeting room.

"Damn it! We were so close to succeeding! Headquarters has been pressing for that fund many times. As long as she embezzles public funds, we'll all report her to headquarters together, and she definitely won't keep her chairman position!" Zhang Hailin fiercely kicked the ground.

"Old Zhang, don't be angry. She just got lucky."

"I think her secretary did it on purpose."

...

When they returned to the CEO's office, Ye Xi rubbed her eyes and smiled, "Sister Xuening, actually, I was faking it."

"Faking it? Why would you fake it?" Li Xuening frowned slightly.

"Those people just now were clearly trying to set a trap for you. I didn't want to see you fall into it," Ye Xi looked at her with a solemn expression.

Li Xuening was stunned. No wonder she felt something was off earlier. At first, everyone opposed, then half opposed, and finally, everyone supported her. It was truly suspicious.

Ye Xi smiled, "I think there's definitely something fishy about that money. That's public funds; how can it be misappropriated privately?"

"If you're caught misappropriating public funds, your parents might save you from jail, but you can forget about touching large-scale projects ever again."

Li Xuening's mind replayed the scene. These people first attacked her, plunging her into darkness, then offered a glimmer of corrupt light that she would surely want to grasp. She had to admit, their psychological warfare was masterful.

"They're truly cunning!" Li Xuening slammed her fist on the table.

"Thank goodness for you. If you hadn't reminded me, I might have really fallen into it." Li Xuening excitedly gave Ye Xi a peck on her beautiful cheek.

"Xiao Xi, I..."

At this moment, Li Xuening felt unable to suppress her inner desires and really wanted to confess her feelings.

Ye Xi felt it wasn't the best time for a confession. She gently said, "Sister Xuening, girls kissing girls, that's not normal."

Hearing this, Li Xuening felt a chill run through her. Was she being rejected?

"Don't overthink it. I was just too excited. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm going to the restroom first."

Li Xuening turned her face away, barely able to suppress her inner sadness. Losing out in the workplace was already bad enough, why was she also losing out in love?

She ran to the restroom, splashed water on her beautiful face, then clenched her fists, secretly encouraging herself. She must have been too hasty; she hadn't completely rejected her yet, there was still a chance.

When she returned, Ye Xi saw her slightly red eyes and already guessed what had happened.

"Sister Xuening, I think with this investment matter, just do your best and don't force it. Who knows, maybe in the future, things will work out," Ye Xi said with a sweet smile.

"No matter what, thank you." Li Xuening, due to the scare, no longer dared to get close to Ye Xi. Now, she was terrified of completely losing Ye Xi.

"Are you thirsty? I'll peel an apple for you to eat," Ye Xi asked, tilting her head.

"Okay, but I'm on a diet. I might not finish one, so why don't we share an apple?" Li Xuening nodded. She dared not push Ye Xi so hard again.

Ye Xi exclaimed in shock, "Sister Xuening, with such a great figure, you still need to diet? I think you're already super amazing! Actually, it's not good for girls to be as thin as a stick, is it?"

"Do you really think so? Will an imperfect figure make someone dislike me?" Li Xuening showed a longing look in her eyes.

"Hmm, I think if you like someone, you should like everything about them. If she loves you, she'll be overjoyed even if you give her a lollipop. If she doesn't like you, giving her a big diamond won't help."

"If it were me, the person I like, I'd be willing to accept all her imperfections." Ye Xi didn't want Li Xuening to go hungry because of herself. As for body shape, if she gained weight, the dog system could just forcibly intervene.

As the saying goes, the two greatest joys in life are eating and procreating. She didn't want to cut off one of her own arms prematurely.

As Ye Xi picked up an apple, Li Xuening grabbed her hand, a forced smile on her somewhat sad face: "You're the hero today, saving me from deep trouble. Let me peel the apple for you instead."

Soon, Li Xuening used a paring knife to peel the apple, cut it into pieces, and placed them on a plate, presenting it to Ye Xi.

"Here, have a bite." Li Xuening picked up a piece of apple and brought it to Ye Xi's mouth.

Ye Xi didn't hesitate, opening her cherry-red lips and taking a delightful bite. It was a truly sweet apple.

Watching the happy, blissful smile spread across Ye Xi's delicate face, Li Xuening felt it was all worth it. If Ye Xi truly didn't want to be together, she wouldn't force it. She only wanted Ye Xi to be happy for a lifetime.

"It's super delicious! Here, let me feed you too."

Ye Xi picked up a small piece of apple and brought it to Li Xuening's mouth. Li Xuening also took a bite. It was truly sweet. Why had this apple never tasted so good before?

When they returned home, Xiao Ai asked, somewhat puzzled, "She initially wanted to confess directly to you, why did you vaguely reject her?"

Ye Xi's lips curved into a cunning smile: "A favorite toy, when suddenly lost and then found again, will surely be loved even more."

"It won't be long now. Next time, accompany her to a movie and dinner, and I'll completely win her over! Tomorrow, I'll go to my part-time job and deal with those brats who tried to drug me!"