Chapter 168: The Final Showdown
"President Li, what’s wrong? You seem a bit upset," Liu Xiaoqing asked softly.
"Xiaoqing, come over and take a look yourself. What’s going on here?" Li Bingshuang tossed a stack of photos onto the table. Liu Xiaoqing walked over, picked them up quickly, and was instantly stunned into silence.
After a long moment, Liu Xiaoqing blushed and said, embarrassed, "President Li, I..."
"Alright, from the looks of the photos, it’s obvious you were set up. The person who set you up is the male protagonist in the photos. I’m sure you recognize him too, don’t you?"
Li Bingshuang didn’t reveal too much, asking deliberately.
"This... I know him. He’s... he’s right here at the business conference; his name is Chen Tianlong." Liu Xiaoqing hung her head, almost burying it in her chest.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this now. The selection list for the candidates at this business conference is already out. There are five candidate slots in total. In a bit, have them send a representative to wait outside my office."
Li Bingshuang took a deep breath and instructed.
"Yes, I’ll go right away."
Liu Xiaoqing, noticing her friend wasn’t very angry, quickly left to go to the conference room.
However, on the way, Liu Xiaoqing thought about those photos and, along with her friend’s explanation, suddenly felt that she might have misunderstood Chen Tianlong. From the photos, it seemed she was the one taking the initiative.
In fact, those photos weren’t taken by Hao Shuai but by Liu Wenbin. Liu Wenbin was brave but not smart, only following people’s orders to take the shots hastily without noticing crucial details.
Upon entering the conference room again, Liu Xiaoqing saw Chen Tianlong once more. However, at this moment, Chen Tianlong didn’t look at her but was quietly playing with his phone.
"Ahem... everyone, please listen. The following are the candidates President Li has selected. You’ll come with me to the President’s office in a bit."
Liu Xiaoqing cleared her throat, making everyone present pay attention, "Pinnacle Group, Lin Group, Wu Xu Alliance, Mingwei Pharmaceutical, and Kangbang Liability Co., Ltd. Alright, representatives from these five candidate companies, come with me."
As soon as Liu Xiaoqing finished speaking, there was an uproar in the room. Some shook their heads in disappointment, while others were jealous or envious of the selected candidates. The representatives of the five candidate companies began to leave one after another.
At this moment, Chen Tianlong watched Mo Shaoyun and Zhou Run stand up. Thinking for a moment, he said to Mr. Hu beside him, "Mr. Hu, let me go this time."
Mr. Hu was just about to stand up when he suddenly heard Chen Tianlong’s words. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.
Before leaving, Lin Batian had instructed that if Chen Tianlong ever took the initiative to request anything, no matter what, it must be agreed upon. He is a talent, and an absolute trust needs to be established with him.
After getting Mr. Hu’s permission, Chen Tianlong stood up and quickly walked out. In a short while, he saw four or five people standing at the entrance to the President’s office.
Among them was that beauty, who, upon seeing Chen Tianlong approach, deliberately looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Representative from Pinnacle Group, please enter!"
Liu Xiaoqing, seeing the representative from Mingwei Pharmaceutical come out, addressed those present.
At this time, Zhou Run glanced at Chen Tianlong and Hao Shuai, his face indifferent. He suspected these two were up to something. Once everything was over, he planned to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent people from thinking the Hao Family was easy to deal with.
After Zhou Run went inside, Hao Shuai felt there wasn’t much chance. After all, their cooperation had advantages, with considerable human and financial resources. Especially since the Hao Family in South Sea City had people on the inside helping, making many things easier.
Sure enough, Zhou Run came out shortly after, shaking his head with a face full of resignation, clearly indicating things didn’t go well.
Hao Shuai looked at Zhou Run with a mocking expression but didn’t speak. Zhou Run, seeing Hao Shuai’s playful expression, was furious and gritted his teeth, wanting to curse him out.
Next, the representative from Kangbang Liability Co., Ltd. entered the room. However, he came out looking downcast in less than a minute, making it clear they were out of the running.
"Representative from the Hao Liu Alliance, please enter!"
Liu Xiaoqing came out of the office again and called out to those outside.
At this point, Hao Shuai arrogantly tossed his hair, then smiled politely at Liu Xiaoqing and walked into the office.
"Hello, I am Hao Shuai, the representative of the Hao Liu Alliance." Hao Shuai smiled slightly at Li Bingshuang upon entering and spoke respectfully.
"Hao Shuai, eldest son of the Hao Family in South Sea City, and the top figure in South Sea Road. Quite impressive, huh? I heard you’re quite the fighter?" Li Bingshuang said faintly.
Upon hearing this, Hao Shuai’s expression instantly turned icy, his brows furrowed slightly. Calmly, he said, "I may have a reputation on the road, but it’s my father who runs the company, and we’re absolutely capable of collaborating with your esteemed company."
"Is that so? If your company is so powerful, why do you still need these photos? This makes me think Lin Group is stronger than you and that you’re afraid?"
Li Bingshuang tossed the pile of photos onto the ground.
"This... what is this? President Li, what are you talking about? I don’t understand." Hao Shuai never expected Li Bingshuang to speak like this. He thought he had it in the bag, forgetting the unexpected.
"Do you not understand, or are you pretending not to?"
Li Bingshuang’s gazed turned sharp. She loathed those who schemed behind others’ backs: "Do you even know what mistake you’ve made? Let me tell you, Liu Xiaoqing is not only my secretary but also my close friend!"
"Ah?"
Hao Shuai was instantly petrified. If Liu Xiaoqing were an ordinary secretary, a president wouldn’t drop such an important matter for her. But if she were a close friend, the situation would be entirely different.
"So, just wait for the notification. As for Xiaoqing’s grievances, we’ll wait for her personal opinion... You may leave now!" Li Bingshuang said coldly.
"President Li, I realize my mistake. Please give me another chance. I honestly didn’t know, I..."
"I don’t want to hear any more. While I’m not in a terrible mood, it’s best if you leave; otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences!" With that, Li Bingshuang’s gentle gaze turned into a murderous one.
Hao Shuai took a deep breath. This was her turf, and there were cameras everywhere. If anything happened to her, the entire building’s security would rush over, making it difficult to escape unscathed.
After Hao Shuai left, there was one final candidate left, but it didn’t necessarily mean it was Lin Group. After all, those who left were merely told to wait for notification, not outright rejected.
At this moment, Liu Xiaoqing led Chen Tianlong into the room, her heart pounding. Her pretty face couldn’t help but blush.
After bringing Chen Tianlong inside, Liu Xiaoqing was eager to dash away but was suddenly stopped by Li Bingshuang: "Xiaoqing, come over here."