Chapter 436 Can't you be a little more sensible?

Yang Min put down her phone, her gaze inadvertently falling on the faint blue marks under Cui Xiao's eyes. She lowered her voice even further, "You...didn't get enough rest last night?"

Cui Xiao picked up the coffee, her fingertips tracing the cool cup, and simply blew on the foam. "Hmm, I've been busy with work."

There was a hint of unease in his words.

She had insomnia last night, but it wasn't because of work.

Cui Xiao immediately changed the subject, tapping the screen with her fingertips as she turned on her computer, "Send me the final version of the R&D department's report PPT, highlighting the cost section."

Yang Min asked again, "Okay. There are still twenty minutes left in the meeting, would you like to take a nap first?"

“No need.” Cui Xiao’s gaze was already fixed on the screen, and her speech was swift and decisive. “I need to go through the materials list that we asked them to revise before the meeting again, so that there are no mistakes.”

As she spoke, her pen had already marked the first number that needed to be confirmed on the paper, giving Yang Min no further chance to persuade her.

Twenty minutes later.

When Cui Xiao entered the conference room, the R&D department staff were sitting upright, and a PowerPoint presentation was already playing on the projector.

She walked to the head of the table and sat down. Without any further pleasantries, she went straight to the point, "Let's begin. Focus on your revised cost control plan."

As the report reached the third page, she suddenly raised her hand and said, "Stop, the material prices here are incorrect."

The R&D manager paused for a moment, "Vice President Cui, this is the latest price we confirmed with the supplier yesterday..."

“I know.” Cui Xiao turned her laptop screen toward everyone, displaying a table she had just marked. “But the data the supply chain department gave me last week showed a 3% discount for similar materials when purchased in bulk. Didn’t you coordinate with them?”

The manager's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he nodded hurriedly, "We'll verify it right away!"

Cui Xiao glanced at her watch. "Let's verify it now. I'll give you ten minutes. I'll listen to the next part first."

In the following report, she didn't interrupt again, but after the other party finished speaking, she accurately pointed out three potential risks: "First, with the R&D cycle compressed to 45 days, there will be 3 fewer rounds of testing, requiring the addition of 2 test engineers. Second, the customized functions requested by the client need to be confirmed with the technical department to ensure compatibility with the existing system. Third, the marketing department must participate in next week's mid-term review to avoid deviations in requirements later on."

Ten minutes later, the R&D manager returned with a new quote, his tone full of admiration, "Vice President Cui, the discount you mentioned can indeed be obtained, which will reduce the total cost by another 2.5%."

Cui Xiao nodded and signed his name on the meeting minutes. "Proceed with this version of the plan. I need to see the list of test personnel to be deployed tomorrow morning. Meeting adjourned."

The R&D team breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out of the meeting room.

The R&D intern, clutching a pen, exclaimed with gleam in her eyes, "My god, Vice President Cui is amazing! I checked the material quotes three times yesterday and didn't even notice the bulk discount, but she spotted it with just a glance."

The test team leader next to her took a sip of tea, smiled and shook her head, "What's so special about this? Last time the project was urgent, she stayed up for two consecutive nights, and the next day she could still recite the progress of each module in the meeting. She even remembered the details of the unsubmitted test report in my hand."

The supply chain specialist sitting opposite her chimed in, "Didn't you guys notice? Although she didn't say it, when she asked the R&D department to add test engineers, she specifically mentioned 'coordinating shifts,' so that we wouldn't have to work overtime."

He flipped through the meeting minutes in his hand. "I mentioned to her before that someone on the team had some family matters recently, I didn't expect her to remember."

The others nodded in agreement, recalling the dark circles under Cui Xiao's eyes earlier. "But Vice President Cui clearly didn't get enough rest last night. He didn't seem tired at all when he spoke, and his train of thought never faltered."

"That's what makes Vice President Cui so remarkable." The test team leader put down his teacup, his tone full of admiration. "No matter how tired she is, she never lets her emotions affect her work, and she never lets any mistakes slip through her fingers. Working with her is tiring, but it's incredibly reassuring. No wonder our President Hou values ​​Vice President Cui so much; she's not just a pretty face, she truly has the ability."

...

After a busy morning, around 2 p.m., Yang Min came over with an invitation.

Yang Min handed the invitation to Cui Xiao, saying, "Vice President Cui, this is an invitation that President Hou asked me to deliver to you."

Cui Xiao opened it and was slightly taken aback.

It turned out to be the Zhou Group's anniversary celebration. Cui Xiao calculated the dates and confirmed that it was indeed in the next few days.

I'm not working at a law firm now, so I've completely forgotten about it.

Cui Xiao put down the invitation. "Why doesn't President Hou go by himself?"

Yang Min said, "President Hou said he couldn't get away that day, so he asked Vice President Cui to attend in his place. President Hou also said that you were the one who secured the cooperation with the Zhou Group, and President Zhou praised you highly, so it was most appropriate for you to go in his place."

Cui Xiao was speechless.

"Are you sure Mr. Hou is available that day?"

Yang Min grinned and said, "I don't know about that."

Cui Xiao noticed that since she joined the East Asia Group, President Hou has been attending fewer and fewer events, and he would never attend in person if he could send her instead.

Cui Xiaodu thought that President Hou had probably gone to find some peace and quiet, and that nothing was wrong with him.

Yang Min whispered, "Vice President Cui, President Hou truly trusts you. I've never seen a boss trust his employees like this."

Cui Xiao glanced at the invitation and took a deep breath.

It's impossible not to go.

Zhou Mubin, as the second son of the Zhou Group, would attend every year, but Cui Xiao had never gone.

Because Zhou Mubin always brought a different female companion, he didn't need her, his secretary, to accompany him.

Cui Xiao, "Let's arrange the itinerary for that day."

Yang Min: "Okay."

Time flew by, and it was time for the Zhou Group's anniversary banquet.

As a prominent group in Hong Kong, the Zhou Group attracted many bigwigs from the city to celebrate.

As the chairperson of Nanzheng Group, Xie Nanzhi was definitely there. She was arm in arm with Wei Chizheng, and she became the center of attention as soon as she appeared.

Xie Nanzhi wore a bright red strapless mini dress, which made her skin appear even whiter. The irregular cut at the hem added a touch of playfulness, and she paired it with a pair of red strappy heels that elongated her leg lines.

"Where's Lao Zhou?"

Xie Nanzhi wore exaggerated gold circular earrings that swayed gently with her movements. She looked around but couldn't spot Zhou Mubin.

Wei Chi lowered his gaze and stared at his beautiful wife beside him. "Isn't having me around enough?"

Xie Nanzhi looked up and met his eyes. "You're jealous of Lao Zhou too? Wei Chizheng, can't you be a little more dignified?"

Her long hair was styled into loose, wavy curls and casually draped over her shoulders. When she smiled, the hem of her skirt swayed gently. She was like a vibrant and lively flame, without a trace of frivolity, so captivating that it was impossible to look away.

Wei Chizheng suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms, saying, "You're hopeless."