Chapter 54
"Little sister, it's been a long time. You're getting prettier every day, and your spirits are getting better every day too." Xu Xuanming led a large group of people out of the arrival gate, wearing sunglasses, and said sarcastically with a pout.
"It's all thanks to my brother's care." Xu Wanyi said meaningfully, her expression hidden behind sunglasses.
These two siblings acted as if they'd seen a ghost whenever they saw each other; even birds were more affectionate than they were. They'd start a verbal battle the moment they met, truly proving the saying, "The rich and powerful are like a deep sea, where grudges never truly settle." With each door they crossed, a trail of blood followed behind them. Otherwise, where would such a deep-seated hatred and resentment come from?
"Uncle Dai, you're back too? How are you feeling? Coming to Haixi feels like coming home. Just let me know if you need anything."
Upon seeing Dai Feng, Xu Wanyi finally showed a slight smile. She knew that the old man wasn't entirely malicious, but his traditional ideas were too strong. He believed in the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, that men should respect their rulers and fathers, and that women should follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. He was practically someone who had crawled out of the Qing Dynasty's tomb.
Adhering to the principle of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, Xu Wanyi would still greet him every time she saw him, and she would still perform basic etiquette.
"Hello, Miss. Thank you. Although my husband is getting old, he is still quite mobile and will try his best not to cause you any trouble. Mr. Xu is also doing well lately. Please visit him when you have time."
"Okay, I'll go when I'm done with my work." Xu Wanyi knew that the old man was going to mention Xu Shenzhao. Every time they met, he would subtly or overtly lecture her that not doing what Xu Shenzhao said was unfilial and a failure as a daughter.
Do you have a boyfriend? When are you getting married?
"Uncle Dai, you must be tired from the journey. Please get in the car and rest for a while. We can talk about these things later." Xu Wanyi rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. In Dai Feng's eyes, anything a woman did besides getting married and raising children was considered going against the natural order.
“Don’t keep saying you’ll talk about this later. You can talk about it later when you’re in your twenties, but you’re already over thirty. If you wait any longer, it will be too late!” Although Dai Feng was wholeheartedly helping Xu Xuanming deal with Xu Wanyi, it wasn’t because he disliked the second young lady, but simply because he felt that her approach went against tradition.
He and Xu Shenzhao often talked about how wonderful it would be if Xu Wanyi could give up everything, marry a good man, have a few chubby sons, let Xu Shenzhao enjoy the happiness of having many children and grandchildren, and let himself have a few more grand-nephews and nieces!
Unfortunately, these two are both troublesome; one is addicted to drugs and hides in his house, never going anywhere, while the other is out in public and runs all over the world without any regard for morality.
Xu Xuanming grinned from ear to ear. Although he considered this younger sister a rival, watching her being tormented by this old man was quite a sight to behold.
"Let me show you the torment I suffer every day."
After exchanging pleasantries and forced smiles, the group finally got into their respective cars. Several cars emerged from the arrival gate, lined up in a neat row, and drove straight to the Yunman Hotel.
After tidying up, we went to the conference room of Yuanda New Energy.
Today's meeting is a high-level one. All senior executives of Leguang New Energy Industry, including those in Beijing and the Northwest, have been summoned back to Haixi. Even the minority shareholder, Xinguo Group, sent representatives to the meeting.
"President Meng, please." Xu Wanyi smiled and let President Meng enter the conference room first. Meng Mingxian was led to the first seat to the right of the head of the table. She was the head of the New Energy Business Department of Xinguo Group, a minority shareholder, and was attending Yuanda New Energy's management meeting at the behest of their general manager.
"Hello Chairman, hello President Meng!" Although Deng Hui had received the notification and prepared the materials, he still didn't know what was going on. There was no such meeting usually held at the end of October, so he was a little unsure. He greeted Xu Wanyi first.
He was someone Xu Wanyi had planted in the new energy industry a long time ago. Now that the new energy industry has been transferred to Yuanda New Energy, he has rightfully been promoted to president of Yuanda New Energy.
He knew his role was one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Sure enough, he'd only been president for a few days when the higher-ups started openly fighting amongst themselves. He was definitely the chairman's man, but the chairman often reminded him, "Be quick-witted and considerate of President Xu's thoughts and feelings."
The meaning of this is as obvious as it gets.
He stood at the conference room door, greeting all the bigwigs with a smile, but soon he felt his face was about to freeze.
"Good morning, President! Please have a seat here." After everyone had arrived, Xu Xuanming lazily walked into the conference room, his face pale and his eyes dark, clearly indicating insufficient blood and qi and yin deficiency.
Xu Wanyi took a closer look and noticed that Meng Mingxian's expression was not pleasant.
Without even glancing at Deng Hui, he staggered to the first seat on Xu Wanyi's left and plopped down in it.
"Chairman Xu, hurry up and tell us what you want to say today."
Xu Wanyi thought to herself, "What do I have to say? Didn't this meeting only happen because you, esteemed guest, came to see the new energy industry? What does this have to do with me?"
But she is the chairperson, and this meeting was indeed convened in her name; she would never say such a thing aloud.
"President Xu, it's rare for you to come back. The group has developed very rapidly this year, and the new energy industry is also thriving. It's the end of the year, so I'll have President Deng give you a report." Xu Wanyi gave Deng Hui a look.
Deng Hui immediately opened the materials and PPT he had prepared beforehand, and explained the milestone events of the year and the impressive data. Everyone present, including Dai Feng and Meng Mingxian, was full of praise and felt that the future of Leguang New Energy sector was very promising.
"This is the basic situation. If any leaders or executives have any opinions or questions, please speak frankly," Xu Wanyi said after Deng Hui finished his report in half an hour.
She glanced at Xu Xuanming beside her; he seemed somewhat drowsy. Remembering her elder brother's dazzling appearance in his younger days, and seeing him like this now, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
In a family like theirs, if Xu Xuanming had always obediently and steadily followed the path arranged by his parents, there would have been no chance for him to get involved in the family business.
From another perspective, it must be said that her brother played a huge role in helping her achieve her current situation so quickly; otherwise, she might have had to work for several more years.
"Mr. Xu, do you have any suggestions?"
"I just want to ask, Deng Hui just said he wants to expand production capacity, how exactly does he mean it? Our new energy industry has only been around for a few years, isn't it too reckless to expand production capacity now?"
"Mr. Xu, let me answer your question," Deng Hui said, glancing at Xu Wanyi.
"New energy is one of the country's strategic industries. Currently, there is a lot of policy support, and it is also one of the directions for future economic transformation. That's why it has developed so rapidly. There are both policy and market reasons. If we don't keep up now, we may never have the opportunity to get involved in this industry again."
"Where is the expansion progress now?" Meng Mingxian finally understood why the leader had sent her to attend this meeting; it seemed the leader was very concerned about this matter.
"President Meng, the business plan for the new production line has been completed. It is planned to be transformed from the company we just acquired. It is now in the actual implementation stage."
Meng Mingxian nodded in agreement.
"What about the raw materials? Where do the raw materials come from?" Xu Xuanming suddenly blurted out.
Dai Feng was speechless for a moment. He didn't know that Xu Wanyi had also called people from the Xinguo Group. As soon as he, the eldest young master, appeared, he was immediately outmatched by the second young lady in terms of both spirit and presence. Now, his words sounded like those of a child, making the difference in their abilities even more apparent.
This wasn't telling Xu Wanyi that they had come prepared, or even telling her what their target was.
After listening, Xu Wanyi smiled gently. There are indeed people like this in the world; they usually have a cold and aloof face, but when they smile occasionally, it creates a feeling of warmth and comfort. Xu Wanyi's smile had this effect.
“We’re all on the same side, so I won’t hide anything. We’ve increased our purchasing efforts and currently have enough inventory for at least a year. We’re also in talks with Chengye Group, and everything is going smoothly.”
Xu Xuanming, who had assumed Elder Dai had arranged everything, immediately wilted upon hearing this. He turned to Dai Feng with a reproachful look. Dai Feng thought to himself, "I've been trying to tell you this the whole way, but you wouldn't listen."
"The Second Miss is far-sighted and has planned ahead." He couldn't care less about Xu Xuanming's complaints for the time being; he needed to maintain order first.
"Mr. Xu came back this time for this very matter. Now that Miss Er has started negotiations, that's perfect, it saves us a lot of preparatory work."
"Oh, Uncle Dai, do you have any good suggestions?" Xu Wanyi's eyes flashed, waiting for him to continue.
"Mr. Xu has a very good relationship with Mr. Ma Tianquan, the boss of Chengye. We should have contacted Mr. Ma before we came back this time. We will visit Yuzhou in a couple of days to talk about this matter."
“Oh, right, Chairman Ma said he’ll take me to his winery and we’ll play some golf,” Xu Xuanming added.
Meng Mingxian understood; the two siblings were addressing her directly, asking her to relay their message. However, she didn't mind their infighting; when two fish and clams fight, a third party benefits. She would support whoever secured the raw materials; it would be entirely advantageous for their company.
A sense of anxiety rose in Xu Wanyi's heart. She knew that her father did have some connection with Ma Tianquan in the past, but that was a long time ago. She hadn't expected things to develop so quickly now. Wait, Xu Shenzhao was recuperating in Qin City, and Xu Xuanming was recuperating in Yunzhou. Who would maintain this relationship? Dai Feng?
No, no, no, they're definitely bluffing. Thinking this, her anxiety eased somewhat, but knowing Xu Shenzhao had this connection, she knew she had to speed things up, and the tension returned.
"Okay, thank you for taking care of things, Uncle Dai. It's great that you're thinking of us even though you're so far away in Yunzhou," Xu Wanyi said without changing her expression.
"President Meng, do you have any suggestions? Singapore is our most important partner. We will definitely consider any suggestions you may have."
"Chairman Xu, General Manager Xu, after listening to General Manager Deng's report, I feel that Yuanda New Energy's work this year has been very effective. I will definitely report to the Chairman and General Manager truthfully when I return to the company. If we can secure the raw material supply from Chengye Group, I believe the company will definitely take a big leap forward. Our Xinguo Group is eagerly awaiting your good news."
Xu Wanyi and Dai Feng both understood what he said.
"Thank you, President Meng. This is also very important for Yuanda New Energy. This is our company's current focus. We have already set up a working group to take charge of this matter." Xu Wanyi knew that when speaking to state-owned enterprises, explaining a lot of technical terms was not as simple and easy to understand as "setting up a working group."
Meng Mingxian indeed showed a big smile, nodded to Xu Wanyi, and also nodded to Xu Xuanming.
Xu Xuanming gave Meng Mingxian a big smile, after all, he used to be a handsome and wealthy young master who could charm countless girls, and no one could resist his smile. Unfortunately, his self-awareness hadn't kept up with the times, unaware that his current face, when he smiled, gave the brightly lit conference room an eerie feel.
Xu Wanyi nodded slightly in return, but her eyes were filled with solemnity as she looked away.
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