Chapter 35 Does Attorney Lu Have Feelings for Shang Wu?
Lu Rang's gaze froze slightly.
Qiu Ting pointed at him excitedly: "Right, right! I was right, you really have feelings for my sister!"
"Shut up and stop guessing."
Lu Rang rebuked him in a low voice, his cold and aloof suit making him appear even more ruthless and unapproachable.
Qiu Ting shrank back, not daring to speak to him again.
Just then, a phone call came in.
He immediately sat up straight and answered the phone: "Sis, how are you doing over there!"
Lu Rang glanced at him, took the phone, pressed the speakerphone button, and handed it back to him.
Qiu Ting glanced at him, not daring to voice her opinion.
Shang Wu's voice came through the phone: "Don't worry about me, I've already headed to Chengzhou Group. You've already been picked up by Attorney Lu, right?"
"Yes, it's in the car."
Qiu Ting looked at Lu Rang: "Oh, it's your lawyer. I thought you were the driver. I was wondering why the driver looks like a celebrity."
Lu Rang looked over, his gaze carrying a warning.
Relying on Shang Wu being his sugar daddy, Qiu Ting raised an eyebrow at him.
Shang Wu paused for a moment: "Give the phone to Attorney Lu."
“I’m listening,” Lu Rang replied.
Shang Wu chuckled: "Thank you for driving me again, Attorney Lu. I'll send you a red envelope when I'm done."
"No need, you..."
Lu Rang's Adam's apple bobbed, and his tone grew even lower: "Be careful."
Shang Wu paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
As soon as the call ended, Qiu Ting clung to Lu Rang like a ghost, staring intently at him.
"Attorney Lu, why are your ears red?"
Lu Rang shoved the phone in his face: "If you say another word, get out of the car and go to the airport."
Akiba: "..."
...
Chengzhou Group.
Top floor conference room.
The shareholders gathered, each with a livid face, staring at Shang Wu as if they wanted to devour her.
Shang Wu handed over her resignation letter to them.
"Please take a look at the resignation letter I just drafted."
In the letter, Shang Wu resigned from all positions, from the jewelry department and project department to the advertising and marketing departments.
A whole A4 sheet of paper contains Shang Wu's daily work responsibilities at the company.
It's no exaggeration to say that they sailed with their backs to Shangwu.
Zhou Yanci stood by the table, turned off her incessantly ringing phone, and looked up at her with annoyance.
"Let me explain first. Why did Qiu Ting appear at the press conference today? He's your apprentice."
The jewelry department is currently the highest-revenue-generating department in the Chengzhou Group.
The two mainstays of the jewelry department are Shang Wu and Ji Yu.
Today, their scandal was exposed, and the jewelry department's reputation was instantly ruined.
The subsequent impact is still unknown. The worst outcome is that this department will be completely eliminated, severely impacting Chengzhou and reducing its profit by half.
This is the only major crisis that Chengzhou Group has encountered since it came to power!
Zhou Yanci didn't need to think to know how his former cousins, whom he had defeated, would try to make sarcastic remarks about him in front of the old man.
Shang Wu faced everyone with a serious expression.
“I really don’t know why Qiu Ting suddenly jumped out. He exposed Ji Yu, and Ji Yu forced me to stand up and admit everything. My three years of hard work are all ruined, and my reputation is gone. Aren’t I also a victim, just like Cheng Zhou?”
The shareholders' faces remained grim upon hearing this, yet they could not refute it.
They have all seen how much effort Shang Wu has put into the jewelry department over the past three years.
In fact, this department and all her published works are her lifeblood.
From this perspective, Qiu Ting's exposure is indeed unrelated to Shang Wu.
Shang Wu continued, "My resignation is the best solution now. It's also for Chengzhou's good and can quell public anger. I ask you all to consider the bigger picture and let me leave."
No sooner had he finished speaking than there was an urgent knock on the conference room door.
Aying brought in the public relations manager.
"President Zhou, we have an urgent matter to report!"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Shang Wu.
Shang Wu smiled slightly and nodded.
Zhou Yanci put his hands in his pockets and urged coldly, "Speak quickly if you have something to say."
"yes."
Ah Ying quickly placed the iPad on the table for everyone to see.
"Now, the explanations given by Director Shang have been circulated online and are generating a lot of buzz! People's opinions of Director Shang are more positive than negative, and most people disagree with Director Shang's resignation."
Everyone thought they had misheard.
"They don't agree to Shang Wu's resignation?"
Aying nodded: "Yes, you can see the public opinion situation here. We have made data charts."
She clicked on the data chart.
The above summarizes the public opinion situation in the two hours since the incident occurred.
From initial shock and anger, to calming down after seeing Shang Wu's apology video, their attitude was no longer one of deep resentment and hatred.
"Among all these things, shouldn't Ji Yu be the most despicable? She has no works to her name, and only enjoyed three years of fame and praise thanks to Shang Wu's support. She's full of lies, and when things got out of hand, she betrayed her best friend!"
"Shang Wu made a mistake, but she had to work behind the scenes for Chengzhou Group and her fiancé. She also wanted to help her best friend realize her design dream, so she resorted to this desperate measure. Now she apologizes, stops writing, and donates all her income. Isn't that enough to prove her sincerity?"
"It's such a pity that Shang Wu has retired and stopped writing! Her works get better every year. For the past few years, I've been buying jewelry from Chengzhou Jewelry Department and I don't want to change anymore."
"Yes, Shang Wu should continue designing. She's Freya, who has won numerous international awards. It's such a waste to retire at such a young age!"
Seeing these comments, Zhou Yanci was incredulous: "These people actually think like that?"
Other shareholders were also dumbfounded, thinking that this was a crisis they couldn't overcome.
Aying laughed: "The PR manager said that before Director Shang decided to go on stage, he asked him to keep an eye on the live stream, capture all of her subsequent performances, and then promote them online. That's how the public opinion was controlled, right?"
The public relations manager smiled and said, "The stock price hasn't even fallen much, and it's stabilized now."
Zhou Yanci was taken aback, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Shang Wu.
At that moment, he suddenly understood why Shang Wu was so calm at the press conference, and even said that things were already like this, so it would be better to make a scene.
Taking advantage of this wave of attention, Shangwu's real plan is to use a strategic retreat to conduct an emergency public relations operation.
Zhou Yanci hesitated for a moment, then changed her attitude, walked over, and looked at Shang Wu with tenderness and affection.
"Awu, don't leave. Today's whole thing is Ji Yu's and your apprentice's fault. It has nothing to do with you. Please stay."
The shareholders also realized what was happening.
Since traveling by boat won't have any impact, we should definitely keep Shang Wu, this pillar of the family.
Immediately, everyone spoke up, trying to persuade Shang Wu to stay.
Aying coughed lightly and interrupted at the right time: "But some people online are saying that Director Shang gave away her hard work to others, which is not only for the sake of her best friend, but also disrespectful to her own design. Besides, she has already announced her resignation in public, but in the end she didn't leave, which may have the opposite effect."
Zhou Yanci frowned slightly, feeling that what she said made sense.
He and the shareholders remained silent, weighing the pros and cons.
Shang Wu pursed her lips, glanced around, and then said, "I have a suggestion."
Zhou Yanci looked at her: "Tell me about it."
Shang Wu said slowly and deliberately, “I’m starting my own business and taking advantage of the hype to announce my resignation and start a new company. This is to test everyone’s attitude and see if they will still buy into it. Of course, you will hold 100% of the shares in this company. I will only be responsible for working for you. On the surface, I will sever ties with Cheng Zhou.”
After she finished speaking, Zhou Yanci's gaze changed slightly, and she said meaningfully, "You want to start your own company?"
"Yes, I resigned and left. Now that the hype is at its peak, I will announce the establishment of a separate brand for fans. I guarantee that the branch will increase Chengzhou's income by at least tenfold."
As Shang Wu spoke, she gave A Ying a wink: "Go and get my bag."
Zhou Yanci refused without hesitation: "No, public opinion is still unfavorable to you. Even if you say you're not stopping writing for the sake of people who like your work, many people will still ridicule you."
"Black and red are still red, you've heard that saying before, right?"
Shang Wu raised an eyebrow: "I have to resign because I'm afraid that Cheng Zhou's situation will be affected and damage your reputation. If you don't agree, I will have no choice but to shelve my subsequent works and leave the jewelry department."
Zhou Yanci's heart tightened: "You can leave on the surface, but secretly work for Cheng Zhou!"
Shang Wu paused, almost vomiting from disgust at his shameless words.
Do you want her to design works to promote others and erase the fame of all her works?
She sneered inwardly, but said calmly, "My designs are unique in the world. If I release any more works, people will definitely recognize them. I will either have to stop designing altogether, or I will only be able to operate under the identity of Freya."
Zhou Yanci fell silent.
Despite the ensuing disaster, he still wanted to give money to Shang Wu to set up a jewelry branch.
One shareholder couldn't help but ask, "How much registered capital do you want?"
"Fifty million."
After Shang Wu finished speaking, everyone's expressions became even more unpleasant, clearly indicating that they were reluctant to give so much.
At this moment, Aying rushed over and handed Shangwu a design draft from her bag.
Shang Wu unfolded the design draft and handed it to everyone to see.
"I think this work alone is worth fifty million. Would you all like to take a look?"
Zhou Yanci and the shareholders looked over at the same time.
That was a set of Chinese-style wedding jewelry.
Combining Dunhuang style with phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, and using enamel craftsmanship, the overall visual effect is gorgeous and noble, with a novel design that catches the eye.
The limited edition is mainly made of red diamonds and pigeon blood rubies, while the mass-produced version uses agate and coral as alternatives, but still presents the same effect.
It is foreseeable that many people who are getting married or want to take wedding photos will buy this jewelry set, which mainly targets women who are planning to get married or like Chinese-style jewelry.
Everyone was immediately drawn to the design.
Shang Wu closed the artwork immediately and refused to show it to them again.
"This set of works was originally my New Year limited edition that I wanted to launch. Using it to kick things off would definitely be a great start, and all shareholders would make a profit. It's up to you to decide."
She smiled, nodded, and left.
As Zhou Yanci watched her retreating figure, he suddenly felt that with Shang Wu around, no major crisis seemed to be a problem.
...
Outside.
Aying followed Shang Wu closely.
"Director Shang, can you really convince the shareholders? They seem reluctant to invest."
Shang Wu said calmly, "It depends on whether they are willing to cut off the jewelry department, their main asset. They would rather never do jewelry again."
She stopped in front of the jewelry department and took the bag from A-Ying's hand: "But do you think these people, having tasted the sweetness of three years of profit sharing, will easily give it up?"
Aying scratched her head, seemingly lost in thought.
Shang Wu then turned and left the company, looking at her phone as she took the elevator.
Qiu Ting has successfully boarded the plane and sent her a message before leaving.
As for Ji Yu, she was taken away by Zhou Yanci's bodyguard team.
She was looking forward to seeing Ji Yu again and settling the score properly.
With the press conference over, there's another person she needs to talk to.
Shang Wu stepped out of the elevator and drove straight to the Huannan Apartment Complex.
She stopped the car and smiled at the security guard.
"Uncle, I'm still looking for that person from last night."
Knowing that she knew Lu Rang, the gatekeeper waved his hand, signaling her to come over.
After thanking him, Shang Wu drove the car in and headed straight for the home address on Lu Rang's business card.
After ringing the bell, the door opened.
Shang Wu met Lu Rang's surprised gaze and squeezed in.
"Attorney Lu, I've come to ask for a cup of tea."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com