“We were delayed on the road. Sorry for keeping you waiting.” Second Brother apologized.
“It’s okay to be a little bit late, as long as we are here together.” Ling Jiang said, ordering the servants to prepare the food.
“Second Brother, you are finally here. Since you were gone, Yang City was almost overwhelmed by a man’s big ego. You need to bring him under control.” Susie said in a funny voice.
Her true intention was to get back at Xiaodong Su now Second Brother was here, as she bore great resentment against Xiaodong. But she was so unskilled at driving the wedge between the two brothers that everyone saw her true intention, which was pretty awkward.
Second Brother said nothing. He took a seat, and grabbed a cup of of tea, and kept complimenting the taste of it. Then he motioned for me to sit closer to him, as he wanted to talk with me.
I sat nearer to Second Brother and said to him, “Second Brother, are you tired? Are you hungry?”
“I’m indeed hungry. I’ve been busy all the noon and I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“I’ll grab some fruits for you, and you can have some of them first.”
I was about to bring some fruits, when Second Brother stopped me and said, “I don’t want to stuff myself with fruits before the delicious meal is served. I have traveled such a great distance just to enjoy the meal, and I do want to eat a lot. So, I’ll just wait for the meal”
Me and Second Brother talked and laughed, and we both ignored Xiaodong. Second Brother had made his attitude clear, I’ll not take revenge against you for what you have done to me, but nor will I forgive you.
Xiaodong walked up to us, “Wenbei, how is the work over there? Is everything going well?”
Second Brother picked the tea cup and said to me, “Little sister, you know how to judge the tea? You can tell whether it is good simply by its color. Now look at this tea. The color is perfectly green and light, and the smell refreshing, which meets the standard of precious Ming Qian tea, which represents the tea that is harvested before Tomb-sweeping Day…”
Second Brother was talking about tea with me now, totally ignoring Xiaodong, which placed him in a rather awkward position. Second Brother’s attitude towards Xiaodong made me feel good.
Then the meal was ready, and we got up for the dinning room, without paying any attention to Xiaodong.
It was not until I was seated when I realized Jiye Su, the head of this family, was still absent. It was already meal time, maybe he wasn’t coming.
Nobody even asked about him, which was pretty weird, like he was forgotten. Did everyone know he wasn’t coming back for lunch?
In the end it was Ling Jiang who brought it up. She said, “Jiye went to Kuala Lumpur on business. We don’t need to wait for him. Actually his absence should make us feel more relaxed, and let’s eat, eat abundantly!”
Even though we can “eat abundantly”, no one ate a lot, not even Second Brother, who claimed to be the most hungry one. He only ate some vegetables, and didn’t even touch the staple food.
Because we all knew Ling Jiang would not hold this gathering without a certain purpose.
“Wenbei, what is the situation in Tongyu Technology? Is everything going well?” Ling Jiang talked about business all of a sudden.
“Everything is going alright. Thanks to Little sister’s management, Tongyu Technology has been developing very rapidly.” Second Brother heaped praise on me.
“I had lunch with some directors today, and they want you to take charge of the projects you were once responsible for, because this is a crucial time, and a change of leadership may jeopardize the process of the projects.”
“Which projects?” Xiaodong was getting nervous, as he sensed there was something wrong.
“Zijinshan Project, as well as some other projects related to Culture Park.” Ling Jiang said coldly.
Xiaodong flipped, because these projects were some of the most important ones in Nanhe Group, besides, all of them were handed to Xiaodong. Now Ling Jiang wanted to take them back and gave them to Wenbei, and of course Xiaodong wasn’t happy about it.
“What do you mean? I just took charge of these projects, and now you want to give them to Wenbei?” Xiaodong can no longer suppress his anger.
“I didn’t get it either. I said Xiaodong was doing alright with these projects, and why are we giving them to Wenbei? And these directors explained by saying that the efficiency of these projects has been reduced remarkably since you took charge, and some senior executives even wanted to quit. You know, these directors are authority figures, and it was them who initiated these projects by cooperating with other companies. We do not to mess with them, or our cooperators will withdraw their fund, and the projects will be ruined.”
She looked so innocent, but we all knew she was must behind this. Even though the directors have a problem with Xiaodong, it was she who started it.
“These old men are going against me on purpose! Efficiency is reduced? What a load of crap! I”ll never give up on these projects. I’ll call my father.” Xiaodong was exceptionally excited.
“There is no use. Jiye is on your side, but as you know, it is not up to him to decide even though he is the chairman. I’m afraid the result will remain the same even though you bring it to the board. Xiaodong, this is business, and there is no room for personal feelings in business. You should see the big picture.”
Ling Jiang was clam all the time, like she is completely out of this. And it seems like she is on Xiaodong’s side, which was remarkable.
“What can these old men do to me? I won’t quit! Whatever they want!” Xiaodong said it firmly
Ling Jiang sighed, “Xiaodong, there is nothing I can do if you persist, but I need to warn you that you should not mess with these directors, or they will hold a meeting and remove you from your positions, and you know they can do that.”
Instead of persuading, Ling Jiang was more likely to be threatening. She is one of the top three in Nanhe Group and she wouldn’t make a threat like this unless she was certain of success.
“So if it is to be discussed on the board, Aunt Jiang will be on their side, right?” Xiaodong asked.
What a silly question! The fact that this matter was brought up by Ling Jiang made her attitude already obvious. And his question can do nothing but to make the conflict obvious.
Second Brother would never ask something like that, since it is known to everyone, why do we need to bring it onto the table and make everyone uncomfortable.
Ling Jiang gave a clever answer, “I am a member of the board, and my decision will be in the interest of the company and shareholders.”
Xiaodong nodded, and said, “I see. I am not leaving. Whatever you do. Don’t push me!”
Ling Jiang smiled, “I am not pushing you. You can call your father if you want, but you’d better leave him alone since he is abroad. Besides, your father will not go against the board for your own interest. It is a fact you are not as capable as Wenbei, and you should know that.”
I am so happy to see them arguing with each other because I started all this.