Putting down his phone, Fang Ming was in a good mood.
On one hand, he was manipulating the female CEO to slap the faces of villains, while on the other, he was training the little white rabbit school beauty to call him'Sir.'
This life of playing the mastermind behind the scenes felt quite interesting. He stretched comfortably and continued his journey in Black Myth.
The next day, 10:30 AM.
Qin Corporation, Conference Room No. 1.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows cut the sunlight into neat patches of light, and the air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere.
Qin Xiao sat in the head seat with his eyes closed. His expression seemed as calm as a deep well, but the slight throbbing of the veins at his temples betrayed his inner turmoil.
Half an hour had passed, and there was still no news from that woman, Mu Qingxue.
"Damn it, is this woman being ungrateful?"
A Biao finally couldn't sit still. He slapped his thigh, causing his rolls of fat to tremble.
He shouted in a coarse voice, "Young Master Qin, in my opinion, we're being too civil. Why bother with business negotiations with a woman like her? Let's just take a few brothers to Yunlan International and 'invite' her over. Wouldn't that be it?"
At this point, he suddenly gave a lewd smile.
"I heard that woman is still a virgin. That figure of hers, tsk tsk... if we could just be in the office..."
"Shut up."
Qin Xiao snapped his eyes open. His sinister gaze fell on A Biao, scaring him into swallowing the rest of his words.
Sitting nearby, Old Ghost pushed up his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a silk handkerchief, his tone tinged with sarcasm:
"A Biao, read more books. We live in a society ruled by law now. Your street thug tactics will only bring trouble to Young Master Qin. Besides..."
Old Ghost turned to Qin Xiao, his eyes flashing with shrewdness. "Mu Qingxue's delay is likely a psychological tactic. She's trying to stall for time, betting that we won't actually go through with it."
"She wants to stall? Then we'll stall with her."
Qin Xiao sneered and closed his eyes again, leaning back against the chair. "For every day she stalls, the liquidated damages will increase by ten percent. I want to see which is tougher: her nearly broken capital chain or Mu Qingxue's knees."
Fang Ming stood behind Qin Xiao, focused and silent, like a statue devoid of emotion.
These self-righteous fools probably couldn't even dream that Mu Qingxue was likely busy directing the factory to work overtime right now. How could she have time for them?
Just then, there was a soft knock on the conference room door.
"Come in," Qin Xiao said flatly.
The secretary, in high heels, walked in looking panicked, holding a phone that was in the middle of a call.
"Young Master... Young Master Qin."
The secretary's voice trembled, clearly intimidated by the low pressure in the room. "There's a call from Yunlan International."
"Oh?"
A confident smirk played on Qin Xiao's lips. He opened his eyes, reached out for the phone, and pressed the speakerphone button.
He wanted everyone present to hear the proud female CEO's voice as she begged for mercy.
"Hello, CEO Mu. Have you come to your senses?"
Qin Xiao's voice was lazy, filled with a condescending playfulness. "The price now isn't three hundred million anymore. I want thirty-five percent of the shares."
There was silence on the other end for two seconds.
Then, instead of Mu Qingxue's voice, a young and extremely arrogant female voice came through. It sounded like that assistant named Xiao Ai.
"Hello, Mr. Qin. Our CEO Mu said she's very busy lately and has no time to listen to your jokes. As for those moldy rhodiola rosea, if you like them, keep them for soaking your own feet. Yunlan International doesn't take trash. Beep, beep, beep..."
The call ended.
The busy tone echoed in the deathly silent conference room, sounding exceptionally piercing.
One second! Two seconds! Three seconds!
Smash!!!
Qin Xiao slammed the latest iPhone against the wall. It shattered instantly, screen fragments scattering everywhere.
"Fuck!"
Qin Xiao bolted upright. His previous composed demeanor instantly collapsed, his face twisting into a hideous mask of rage.
"Ungrateful bitch! Doesn't take trash? She dares to call my goods trash?!"
He propped himself up on the table, his chest heaving violently. His eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged beast.
He didn't understand. Based on his judgment of the future situation, Mu Qingxue should be at her wit's end, crying and begging for mercy.
Why? Why did she dare to be so defiant?
Was she really not afraid of bankruptcy? Or... had she found another way?
Impossible. Although he didn't arrange the fire at Sus Pharmaceutical Industry, he had bought up all the stock on the market. Even if she ordered from abroad, it would take at least half a month.
What gave her the right?
"Young Master... Young Master Qin..."
A Biao watched the furious Qin Xiao, too scared to even breathe, cowering to the side like a startled quail.
Fang Ming stepped forward immediately, skillfully handing over a glass of warm water, his voice steady without a hint of emotion:
"Young Master Qin, please calm down. It's not worth ruining your health over a dying company. Mu Qingxue has a stubborn personality; she might just be bluffing to provoke you and make you lose your composure."
These words were like a sedative.
Qin Xiao took the glass but didn't drink. Instead, he gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"Bluffing..."
Qin Xiao took a deep breath and sat back in his chair, his eyes flickering.
"Good, very good. Fang Ming is right. This woman is gambling."
"Old Ghost!"
Qin Xiao turned to Old Ghost, who hadn't spoken, his voice as cold as ice shards. "Find some media outlets. Get the news that Yunlan International's raw materials have been cut off and they can't deliver products to the top of the trending searches."
"Since she wants to die, I'll grant her wish!"
...The Qin Family was powerful. With the help of their financial might, news about Yunlan International 'leaked' quickly. Over the next three days, the business world of Rong City was in turmoil.
Qin Xiao used all the resources at his disposal to launch a comprehensive assault on Yunlan International.
He bought trending spots, spread smear campaigns everywhere, and even arranged for 'consumers' to cause trouble at Yunlan's counters.
Yunlan International's stock price was indeed affected, hitting the limit down for two consecutive days.
But strangely, in the face of this storm-like offensive, Yunlan International's official channels remained dead silent, offering no response.
They neither debunked the rumors nor apologized, until 9:00 AM on the third day—the scheduled launch date for ice skin dew.
Qin Corporation, CEO's Office.
Qin Xiao leaned back in his executive chair, holding a glass of red wine, staring at the huge projection screen on the opposite wall.
On the screen, Yunlan International's new product launch event was being broadcast live.
"Heh, a cornered beast's struggle."
Qin Xiao took a sip of wine, his eyes contemptuous. "They don't even have raw materials. I'd like to see what she uses to hold a launch event today. Is she selling air?"
"Young Master Qin is wise."
Fang Ming stood to the side with a tablet, ready to take notes, a signature professional fake smile on his face.
"She probably wants to hold the launch to apologize and then announce a delay in shipping."
"Apologize?" Qin Xiao snorted. "Too late. After today, Yunlan will cease to exist in Rong City!"
However, in the next second...
The smile on Qin Xiao's face froze.
On the screen, the spotlights lit up. Mu Qingxue, dressed in a white slim-fit suit, walked onto the stage. Her aura was fully unleashed, like a queen descending.
She showed no signs of dejection or panic; instead, she looked radiant, with a smile of blinding confidence on her cold, elegant face.
"Media friends, distinguished guests."
Mu Qingxue's voice was crisp and powerful, carrying through the top-tier sound equipment to the whole venue and into Qin Xiao's ears.
"Thank you all for your concern for Yunlan International. Regarding the recent rumors online, I have only one thing to say..."
Mu Qingxue paused here, looking directly into the camera as if she were staring at Qin Xiao through the screen.
"Those who want to see Yunlan become a laughingstock will likely be disappointed."