Of course, they knew who Shen Changsheng, the chairman of the Haidong Chamber of Commerce, was! And Ning Changgang himself was a member.
What puzzled him was why Shen would send this rustic mountain boy—fresh out of nowhere—tens of thousands worth of clothing.
Could it be that this kid was Shen's illegitimate son? Ridiculous! Impossible!
Ning Xiruo also looked at Chen Xinan with mild curiosity. This guy always seemed to cause some kind of unexpected trouble—but making these two guys eat humble pie? That was a delight to her.
Since the clothes weren't bought with Ning Xiruo's own money, there was nothing for them to pick on.
Lin Shuai felt his face go red with embarrassment. "Never mind who bought the clothes; it has nothing to do with the matter at hand! Xiruo, you need to decide on the board proposal quickly!"
"Yes, Xiruo, let's not fuss over small matters. Lu from Shuntian is still waiting for your response."
Even Ning Changgang urged her on.
Ning Xiruo rolled her eyes. So the clothing incident was their idea, was it? Now that they had nothing to latch onto, they conveniently dropped it?
Taking a deep breath, she was still trying to think of how to respond when a soft snicker came from the sofa.
Chen Xinan leaned back, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Tell me, how much did you two take from Lu? Just to pressure Ning Xiruo into selling the market?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Lin Shuai and Ning Changgang both barked at him, trying—and failing—to hide their unease.
Ning Changgang shot him a furious glare. "This is company business. Who gave you, an outsider, the right to meddle? Even if you were married to Xiruo, you're just a live-in son-in-law. What authority do you have here?"
Chen Xinan smirked. "What's the matter? My mouth belongs to me. Do I need permission to speak? Aw, did I hit a nerve?"
"You little imp! You dare slander us?!" Ning Changgang roared. "I dedicate myself to the company! How dare you accuse me of anything? You don't even work here. You don't understand the company—so why are you spouting nonsense?"
Ning Xiruo's expression was stern. "Chen Xinan, don't comment on company matters casually…"
"Are you saying their stupidity is contagious?" Chen Xinan countered with a cold laugh. "I may not understand your company, but I'm not foolish enough to fall for the most obvious lies."
"What lies? Who's lying?" Lin Shuai snapped.
Chen Xinan tilted his head. "All this arguing of yours—about Xihe's market being useless, so let's sell it off and let someone else take it over—isn't that the truth?"
Lin Shuai froze. He hadn't expected this outsider to pick up on the crux of their dispute so quickly. Smart, yes—but still an outsider.
"Exactly. Risk management, making decisions, weighing pros and cons—that's what companies do every day," Lin Shuai said smugly.
Chen Xinan shrugged. "If the market is dead, no one can make money from it. So why would Lu want to buy it? Doing business without profit, just to play the good guy? He's practically handing you a market on a silver platter!"
This was exactly what Lin Shuai had mocked him for earlier—now returned in full force. His face drained of color.
Ning Changgang tried to defend himself. "The market may have failed under us, but under Lu, it could be revived. That's not unusual…"
"Then it means the market still has value. It's just temporarily in trouble. There's no need to force Xiruo to sell. If I didn't know better, I'd think you two are spies planted by someone else!" Chen Xinan replied leisurely.
Lin Shuai and Ning Changgang's faces twisted. "You're talking nonsense! That's slander! Pure fabrication! You—"
"Enough!" Ning Xiruo's voice cut through the room. She exhaled deeply. "I said I need time to consider this. I'm already exhausted. Stop arguing. Go home—tomorrow, we continue the discussion."
The two men exchanged glances. Reluctantly, they realized today they wouldn't get their way. That meddling mountain boy had stirred the pot too well.
They glared at Chen Xinan one last time, snorted, and left.
"Bang!" Xiao Zhou quickly closed the door behind them. Ning Xiruo exhaled in relief, pinching her nose and massaging it lightly, her voice hoarse.
"Finance department… check Lin Shuai and Ning Changgang's accounts… actually, forget it."
Xiao Zhou frowned. "Ning, if you keep tolerating them, they'll eventually force you to sell the entire company!"
Ning Xiruo sighed. "They can't make that much trouble. My real enemies… have never been them."
Chen Xinan crossed his legs and said with a grin, "Xiruo, honestly, your CEO style is far too timid."
Xiao Zhou rolled her eyes—this "subtle" critique was anything but subtle.
Ning Xiruo glared. "Do you even understand? Running a company with thousands of employees isn't like raising a few pigs in the mountains. Every detail matters. One misstep, one word, and the whole group could collapse!"
Chen Xinan snorted. "Women should stay home, tend the family, let men run companies. Can't handle it but won't let go? That's just self-inflicted trouble."
Ning Xiruo's fury flared. "Why must women just stay home? How do you know I can't handle it? You, with your toxic masculinity, deserve to be disliked by women forever! I'll pick my husband myself, check every man in the world, and you don't get a say!"
Chen Xinan laughed. "Lucky for you—I wouldn't pick you either. Face? So-so. Body? A disaster. Temper? A nightmare. Honestly, if we had to swear brotherhood, I'd take that over marriage any day."
"Chen Xinan! You bastard! I'll kill you!"
The gorgeous Ning Xiruo had finally snapped. She grabbed objects from her desk and hurled them at him.
…
At Panlong Bay's upscale residential area, a row of connected villas enclosed a spacious courtyard. This was Ning Xiruo's home—the pinnacle of East Mountain luxury.
Her father, Ning Changyuan, was the third in the family hierarchy. Four years ago, he and his wife perished in a winery fire.
Then a university student, Ning Xiruo returned home despite her grief to handle the funeral and took over the family business, becoming the CEO of Liangmao Liquor.
Thanks to Grandma's guidance, the company had weathered ups and downs without collapsing. She had remained CEO, living in the main house.
Tonight, the main house had prepared a grand banquet—just for one person: Ning's live-in son-in-law, Chen Xinan.
Chen Xinan's arrival was about to stir the household even more…