Chapter 58: Meeting

The next morning, after wrapping up his training session, Lin Xiao returned home with breakfast. Immediately, Huang Caixing voiced her surprise, “Where has Big Brother Lin been? Is it common for him to rise so early?”

She woke up to find Lin Xiao already gone. After asking Yuan Yu, she found out that he indeed had a habit of getting up early every day.

“Yes, it’s my routine to train every morning,” Lin Xiao confirmed with a nod.

“Training? Could you take me along next time?” Huang Caixing’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Yuan Yu first glanced at Huang Caixing, her face showing slight irritation. Then she looked at Lin Xiao, her expression filled with curiosity. She too was intrigued about Lin Xiao’s early morning training habit.

“Sure, whenever you both have time, I can show you some self-defense techniques,” Lin Xiao said, seeing their eager faces.

He had been thinking for a while about teaching Yuan Yu some self-defense skills. Even though she wouldn’t be as proficient as a seasoned soldier, it would still be beneficial for her to know how to protect herself from ordinary people.

“Really?” Huang Caixing’s face lit up with joy as she clung to Lin Xiao’s arm. “Can I become as strong as Big Brother Lin then?”

Lin Xiao thought for a moment before nodding, “Depends how hard you work. When you’re free, I can teach you some practical self-defense techniques. You may not be as powerful as me, but it should suffice against ordinary people.”

“That’s fantastic!”

Once they finished their breakfast, Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing left home for school.

Since Lin Xiao didn’t have to fetch Wan Caixuan from Jiangnan Floral Estates today, he left the house slightly later. He reached the Brilliant Tower around 7:50.

“Brother Lin’s here. Good morning.”

Upon Lin Xiao’s entry into the building, Luo Xiaofeng, the door guard, greeted him cheerfully.

“Mm-hmm! Good morning,” Lin Xiao said with a nod, his impression of Luo Xiaofeng quite favorable.

Lin Xiao was Wan Caixuan’s bodyguard. While others didn’t dare cross him, they also didn’t pay attention to him and generally ignored him.

From their perspective, even if they worked in the same company, he was nothing more than a mindless bodyguard no matter how well-dressed Lin Xiao was.

That was what they thought. Particularly those office elites who revered Wan Caixuan as a goddess and harbored intense envy toward Lin Xiao because he was privileged to be by Wan Caixuan’s side every day. They wouldn’t dare to offend him directly, but neither did they show any interest in interacting with him.

Though indifferent to their attitude, Lin Xiao found staying in the company every day to be somewhat monotonous.

The exception was Luo Xiaofeng, who often made a point to greet him. From their conversations, Lin Xiao understood that Luo Xiaofeng had a deep admiration for martial arts, and his interactions were largely driven by his respect for Lin Xiao’s skills.

Therefore, Lin Xiao gave Luo Xiaofeng some fundamental martial arts pointers. While these were not the traditional forms, they were more than sufficient against an average person.

As a result, their relationship began to steadily improve over time.

When Lin Xiao departed, the nearby security guards immediately began to mock Luo Xiaofeng.

“Xiaofeng,” one began, “What’s with you? You’re not usually so enthusiastic with others, so why such warmth for a simple bodyguard?”

“Exactly,” chimed in another. “Sure, he’s the president’s bodyguard, but in the end, he’s just a bodyguard. You should be focusing your attention on the company’s higher-ups, the ones who hold the power to promote us and raise our salaries.”

“I’m not criticizing, Xiaofeng, but with the current vacancy for our logistics department head, you should be buttering up the potential candidates for that position, not a lowly bodyguard.”

Their feelings for Lin Xiao were a blend of envy, jealousy, and resentment. In their eyes, the disparity between their positions and Lin Xiao’s—him a bodyguard, and them security guards—was unfair, given their tasks were quite similar. Why, then, was there such a marked difference in their respective treatment?

To them, Lin Xiao’s current position was merely a stroke of luck, and they didn’t consider themselves any less competent than him.

Amidst his colleagues’ mockery, Luo Xiaofeng merely smiled and chose to remain silent.

Unaware of the security guards’ conversation, Lin Xiao would remain indifferent even if he were.

Upon entering the Brilliant Tower with nothing specific to do, he wandered around aimlessly.

***

Meanwhile, inside the company’s conference room, Wan Caixuan entered with a stern expression on her face.

Following closely behind was Ning Xi, carrying a folder. A faint smile graced her face, the reason for which remained a mystery.

In the conference room, the top brass of Brilliant Aya Limited were assembled, each one wearing a different expression.

This morning, they received a company-wide notice announcing a meeting called by the president. All department directors were required to attend.

This was the first time Wan Caixuan, who had been on the job just over half a month, convened a meeting involving all management levels.

New leaders tend to shake things up, a fact well-known to the savvy veterans in the room. They had expected this day, but its actual arrival still stirred a sense of unease.

“Everyone’s time is invaluable. I’ll get straight to the point. The main purpose of today’s meeting is to implement some personnel adjustments,” Wan Caixuan stated, standing at the head of the conference room.

She scanned the crowd and continued, “I’m going to read out some names. Those named should voluntarily submit their resignations to the administrative office. The company is prepared to overlook past transgressions if you do so. If not, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. A few people exchanged covert glances.

Unfazed by the reactions of others, Wan Caixuan opened the document she held, reading out each name, “Sales Department Director He Hongyi, Deputy Director Qu Haoguang, Testing Department Two Director Shi Tianfu, Deputy Director Huang Gaodan, Heguang of the Production Department Director Bu, and Deputy Director Xu Boyi of the Public Relations Department. All of your contracts have been terminated.”

At the sound of their names from Wan Caixuan’s lips, several people in the room visibly blanched.

Yet, because Wan Caixuan was the president and they were merely middle managers, they dared not protest. Instead, they turned their gaze toward a portly middle-aged man seated to the left of Wan Caixuan.

“Madam President, aren’t these actions somewhat irregular? They risk causing internal instability,” said the plump, middle-aged man, slowly rising to his feet.

He was Lu Pengbo, Executive Vice President of Brilliant Aya Limited. He was effectively the company’s second-in-command, and according to information from Ning Xi, he was Wan Caixuan’s greatest obstacle in her control of the company.

As Lu Pengbo voiced his concerns, several other company executives chimed in.

“Indeed, Madam President, this seems highly inappropriate. The individuals you’ve named are key contributors to our company. We urge you to reconsider.”

“Madam President, while I have no objections to decisions concerning appointments and dismissals at the head office, this feels like a unilateral decision. For the sake of the company’s stability, I must voice my disagreement.”

In the blink of an eye, over half of the high-level executives in the room were opposing Wan Caixuan’s proposal.

Listening to the fervent opposition surrounding her, a slight sneer surfaced at the corner of Wan Caixuan’s mouth. She had already anticipated such a reaction. She had introduced this proposal as a means of gauging the scale of opposition she faced within the company.

“Have you all finished?” Wan Caixuan responded with an ironic smile. “Since I’ve ordered them to resign, naturally, I possess evidence of their actions detrimental to the company’s interests. Ning Xi, present the files for Vice President Lu to review.”

“Understood, Madam President,” replied Ning Xi, as she handed over the files to Lu Pengbo.

Lu Pengbo, with a growing sense of dread, accepted the files and started to peruse them. His expression progressively darkened as the files contained irrefutable evidence that the people Wan Caixuan had just named had indeed harmed the company’s interests.

Lifting his gaze, Lu Pengbo, with an increasingly somber face, addressed Wan Caixuan, “Madam President, my initial opposition was due to concerns over the company’s stability. I honestly didn’t anticipate that these individuals could be so treacherous. Given the undeniable evidence, I unequivocally support your decision.”

Despite his outward agreement, Lu Pengbo internally felt a deep sense of pain. Those singled out by Wan Caixuan were his most trusted confidants. With their dismissal, his influence within Brilliant Aya Chemicals had waned significantly.

Nonetheless, confronted with concrete evidence, he had no choice. Fortunately, his influence within the company was still strong. Even though this situation had hit him hard, he had managed to preserve his power.

At this point, he dared not underestimate Wan Caixuan any longer. He looked at her with newfound respect. He never expected that in such a short span of time, Wan Caixuan could accumulate so much incriminating evidence.

“Very well, since no one has further objections, let’s move on to the second proposal,” said Wan Caixuan, her face calm and emotionless. “For the position of the Logistics Department Director, I propose that Lin Xiao assume the role.”