49. Unexpected Changes
Mr. Jian leaned his broad back against the custom-made genuine leather office chair, while the huge ink painting "A Thousand Peaks Competing for Beauty" behind him gleamed coldly under the spotlight.
Outside the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows on the left, the entire city lies like a miniature model 100 stories below—a perspective only the helmsman of a multi-billion dollar empire deserves.
The white porcelain teacup that Mr. Jian put down made a soft tapping sound on the small rosewood desk, breaking the silence of the room.
This business tycoon, who is seen as a successful and renowned figure by outsiders, is currently frowning at his laptop.
The latest updates on his youngest daughter, sent from his subordinates on the screen, made Mr. Jian sigh for the umpteenth time today.
He gazed at the recent photo of his youngest daughter in the report, her features so similar to his own, and the more he looked, the more pleased he became. Even her stubborn and assertive nature now resembled his own when he was young.
This continuation of his life, which he was most satisfied with, should have been the perfect successor, but since the inauguration ceremony, his youngest daughter has never set foot in the group headquarters again.
Mr. Jian was heartbroken.
The youngest daughter would rather go to her humble little workshop every day without fail than come to the family's proper company.
Although the investigation showed that the mining company was doing reasonably well, it was nothing more than a child's game compared to the century-old pancake empire.
Father Jian rubbed his temples: "Go mine instead of guarding a gold mine..."
He had to find a way to get this child, who was most like himself, back on track.
...
That day, Chu Xiao was in her company, which her father called a "small workshop," holding a multinational video conference with her subordinates stationed in Black Africa. Suddenly, a piercing phone ring shattered the serious atmosphere of the conference room.
The subordinates froze, and a dozen pairs of eyes stared in panic at the screen—who was so bold as to hold a meeting without muting the microphone?
After looking around, everyone saw Chu Xiao calmly pick up his personal phone, and they suddenly realized what was going on.
Oh, it's the big boss... then it's alright.
Chu Xiao glanced at her subordinates, who had suddenly fallen silent, then looked up at the name flashing on the caller ID and raised an eyebrow.
The screen showed that the caller was Jian Bing. Normally, he would bombard his fictional older sister with 60-second voice messages, rarely calling her directly.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Chu Xiao pressed the answer button.
"Feifei, something terrible has happened! Daddy..." Jian Bing's distraught voice came through the phone, "Daddy... he's in a car accident!"
"What did you say!" Chu Xiao's pupils shrank sharply.
...
When Chu Xiao rushed into the hospital with her assistant, the red light in the emergency room was so bright it hurt their eyes.
A group of strong and burly bodyguards stood like a row of black towers at the door. Jian Bing huddled alone on the bench, her delicate makeup smudged with tears, turning her face into patches of black and red.
A series of hurried footsteps echoed through the hospital corridor. Jian Bing looked up and saw Chu Xiao striding towards her with a serious expression.
"What's the situation now?" Chu Xiao grabbed Jian Bing's trembling wrist.
Jian Bing's mascara smudged into a black river: "Doctor...the doctor said they're still trying to save her..."
Chu Xiao unconsciously tightened his grip: "What are the details of the car accident?"
"They're all...all in the ICU..." Jian Bing cried even harder as her fingers pinched her so hard. "Both cars in the convoy...not a single one of them can speak..."
Chu Xiao frowned deeply: "Have they blocked the news?"
Jian Bing shook her head, her eyes blurry with tears.
"..."
Chu Xiao's right eyelid twitched, and she gave Jian Bing a complicated look.
She released her grip and turned to give a series of instructions to the secretary of Mr. Jian who had just arrived: "Secretary Liu, notify the board office to immediately block the news, activate secure communication channels, and prepare a temporary takeover plan for the board of directors. The board office must activate the emergency team within one hour, and the IT department must block keywords."
"Notify the Ministry of Justice to immediately retrieve the surveillance footage of the accident site and investigate the responsibility for the accident."
"Notify the public relations department to prepare the group's emergency plan and sign a report freeze agreement with the cooperating media."
"Notify the administrative department to freeze the authority to approve personnel changes."
"Notify the finance department to urgently verify the payment process authorized by the chairman's signature and prepare a cash flow reserve plan."
She paused, then said in a deep voice, "Notify the □□ Relations Department to liaise with major shareholders and institutional investors."
After the secretary hurriedly left to carry out the order, Jian Bing suddenly felt weak in the knees and collapsed into Chu Xiao's arms.
"Feifei..." She clutched Chu Xiao's collar, trembling, her mascara leaving black streaks on her sister's suit. "Waaah... I'm so scared..."
Upon hearing the news that Jian's father had been admitted to the ICU and his life hung in the balance, Jian Bing felt as if the sky had fallen.
She couldn't imagine how those covetous shareholders would make things difficult for her at a board meeting without her father's presence.
I dare not even imagine how terrifying it would be to face this business empire worth hundreds of billions of dollars alone.
The dense financial statements, the intricate equity structure, and the endless multinational conferences... just thinking about them made her breathless.
This responsibility was too heavy for her to bear.
Jian Bing buried her face in Chu Xiao's shoulder, tears soaking her sister's suit: "Feifei... thank goodness for you..."
Chu Xiao looked down at the original female lead in his arms, ruffled her messy hair, and sighed inwardly.
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