Chapter 82 Su Ruan, Sign It, Leave Qingyan
The VIP tea room is located on the top floor of the Qingyan Art Center.
The sandalwood scent is subtle, and the aroma of tea is in the air.
Yan Hongyi sat upright in the main seat, his withered fingers resting on his ebony cane.
His cloudy gaze pierced through the wisps of tea smoke and landed on Yan Tingnan as she pushed open the door and entered.
Yan Tingnan walked steadily and sat down opposite the tea table.
It has concealed all its outward sharpness, leaving only the calm of a deep pool.
He held the sandalwood beaded string in his hand, his posture relaxed and respectful, yet without a trace of humility.
"grandfather."
Yan Hongyi didn't respond, but slowly poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Yan Tingnan.
The tea soup was clear, reflecting the light from the overhead lamp.
"The scene in the exhibition hall today was quite lively and noisy."
Yan Hongyi picked up his teacup, blew on the foam, seemingly casually.
His voice was calm, revealing no emotion.
"You've taken care of the Wen family, the Su family, and that brat Yunye, haven't you?"
He abruptly changed the subject, his cloudy eyes fixed on Yan Tingnan, trying to find a flaw in her statement.
Yan Tingnan picked up the teacup, feeling the warmth of the porcelain with his fingertips.
"Clean house and eliminate internal troubles."
His voice was steady and flawless.
“Wen Wanwan instigated Su Shiwan to hire someone to destroy the painting and injure my employees, thus violating Qingyan’s bottom line.”
"The evidence is conclusive; the case should be handed over to the authorities for prosecution."
"As for Yunye's poor judgment of people and his repeated neglect of public duties for personal reasons, he has been suspended from his post to reflect on his actions, as a warning to others."
Clear and logical.
To describe a settlement involving personal grudges as if it were a routine official matter.
Su Ruan was not mentioned at all, as if she were just an insignificant background figure in the whole incident.
"oh?"
Yan Hongyi tapped his aged fingers on his ebony cane.
"That employee's name is Su Ruan?"
Yan Tingnan nodded slightly, showing no intention of hiding anything.
"Yes, he is the core executive of the Breakthrough Exhibition and the founder of SoftVoice."
He picked up the celadon teacup, took a sip, and fixed his cloudy eyes on Yan Tingnan.
"That girl from the Wen family mentioned her to me a few times at the exhibition."
"I heard that Yunye and she had a past relationship?"
"Now that you're working at Qingyan, we have a deep connection."
"This relationship sounds rather ambiguous."
Wen Wanwan's hints about the father-son conflict.
Ultimately, this planted a seed of doubt in his heart.
"Grandpa believes such baseless rumors?"
Yan Tingnan put down her teacup and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Wen Wanwan is in dire straits herself. Her accusations and framing are nothing more than an attempt to drag others down with her and muddy the waters."
"Assistant Su's work ability is evident to all, and the achievements of Breakthrough Exhibition and SoftVoice are irrefutable proof."
A faint sneer curled at the corner of his lips.
"As for her past with Yunye, it has nothing to do with Qingyan's personnel selection."
"I only look at ability, not personal feelings."
The reasons are sound and the stance is clear.
They completely absolved Su Ruan of any personal feelings or value.
Yan Hongyi stared at him for a few seconds.
This grandson has always been this stubborn and unyielding since he was a child.
But once the seeds of doubt are sown, they must be knocked down.
"Being in two positions and being too prominent may not necessarily be a blessing."
"The tallest tree in the forest will surely be felled by the wind."
Yan Hongyi put down his teacup, his voice slow and deliberate, each word carefully enunciated.
"The tree Qingyan is a large tree with intertwined roots."
"A new sprout that grows too fast can be an eyesore."
He paused, observing Yan Tingnan's reaction.
“Especially these new shoots, still covered in the old mud of Yunye.”
“Ting Nan, you are in charge of Qingyan, you should know the weight of the word ‘balance’.”
Yan Tingnan tightened the strings of prayer beads with the pads of her fingers, making them dig into her palm.
"What does Grandpa mean?"
"Qingyan's storefront must be clean."
"The partnership can be maintained; SoftVoice's achievements speak for themselves."
"But it's not appropriate for this person to stay at Qingyan."
He looked up, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
"Fire her."
It was an order, but also a test.
The air was stagnant.
Yan Tingnan's fingers, which were holding the Buddhist prayer beads, suddenly tightened.
The hard, cold touch of the sandalwood beads pressed against my finger bones, but it also suppressed the surging anger in my heart.
The old fox indeed became suspicious.
If they were to forcefully defend her now, it would be tantamount to exposing Su Ruan to the bottomless murky waters of the Yan family, confirming Yan Hongyi's suspicions.
He knew Yan Hongyi's methods all too well.
If the prey targeted by those cloudy old eyes is seen as a scourge that threatens the foundation of the Yan family, the outcome will be dire.
He needs time.
We need to make Su Ruan's foundation deeper and more stable, so deep that the Yan family won't be able to uproot her so easily.
He couldn't bring trouble upon her before that.
Yan Tingnan remained calm and nodded slightly.
“Grandpa is right.”
His voice was steady, without a trace of strain.
"When the wind blows, the tallest tree catches the most wind."
"It would be safer to remove her from her position as a Qingyan employee."
He casually added a sentence while fiddling with his prayer beads.
"Perfect timing. SoftVoice is gaining momentum and needs the founder's full commitment."
"Removing Qingyan's burden may not be a bad thing for her or the brand."
His words were reasonable and fair, clearly distinguishing between public and private matters.
It seems that firing Susoft was simply based on the best considerations for the group's image and brand development.
Yan Hongyi scrutinized him with his cloudy eyes for a long time.
The tense atmosphere seemed to ease a little.
Yes.
His grandson has lived a life of asceticism and detachment like a hermit over the years.
How could he possibly make such a fuss over a woman, especially one who had a past relationship with his son?
It seems that what that girl from the Wen family said was mostly exaggerated.
Most likely, they're just jealous of the young girl's talent and deliberately trying to smear her.
"Yes, it's good that you know what I mean."
Yan Hongyi's voice softened slightly as he picked up his teacup, dismissing the matter.
But he didn't really let up.
"However, listen to Nan."
"SoftVoice is dazzling today, but in the end, its foundation is still shallow, and it is just a newborn calf on the wind."
"This industry is unpredictable, and without Qingyan as a big tree to shelter us from the wind and rain."
“It’s very easy to crush a new brand that hasn’t established itself.”
It was a blatant threat, a condescending rebuke.
This was to inform Yan Tingnan, and also to warn Su Ruan, who was not yet present.
"Grandpa is overthinking it."
"The market has its own rules, survival of the fittest."
He skillfully deflected Yan Hongyi's criticism, pushing it back to market rules.
Then, Yan Tingnan stood up, holding his prayer beads, his posture still respectful.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Yan Hongyi waved his hand, closed his eyes again, and immersed himself in the aroma of tea and the intrigue of power.
...
At 8:00 a.m. sharp, the city lights began to illuminate Beijing.
A private kitchen on the top floor, overlooking the dazzling starry sky of Beijing.
The private room was extremely quiet, with only the gentle murmur of the water.
Yan Tingnan arrived first.
He leaned back in his chair, his knuckles tapping lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the window, as deep and dark as the night.
The door was pushed open silently.
Su Ruan stepped in.
She wore a light blue satin cheongsam that accentuated her slender waist, with a slit that subtly revealed her fair legs.
Her long, slightly wavy hair was loose, and a pearl hair clip was tucked behind her ear.
Her makeup was light, with only her lips tinged with a watery red, like a newly ripened cherry.
Purity and desire, in perfect balance.
"President Yan arrived very early."
She approached with a smile, bringing with her a sweet and warm fragrance.
My mood is like being soaked in mead.
SoftVoice achieved legendary status in its first battle, defeating all its rivals.
She was prepared to swallow the fruits of victory, along with the secret joy in her heart, together with Yan Tingnan.
Yan Tingnan turned around and his gaze fell on her face.
"Just arrived."
After Su Ruan sat down, he picked up a document and pushed it in front of her.
"have a look."
Su Ruan's smile froze.
She didn't touch it, but only looked up at Yan Tingnan.
The light in his eyes gradually subsided, like stars soaked in ice water.
"Mr. Yan, is this dessert?"
"Personnel dismissal contract".
His voice was steady, as if he were stating official business.
"Su Ruan, sign it and leave Qingyan."
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