Soon, the two arrived at a nearby coffee shop.
Just as Cen Xiucheng was about to call a waiter, he saw Qi Guanghua scan the QR code on the table and then asked, "Mr. Cen, what would you like to drink?"
Cen Xiucheng was slightly taken aback and casually ordered a drink.
Qi Guanghua nodded slightly, finished ordering his coffee, and put away his phone.
Soon, the waiter brought them their ordered coffees.
Cen Xiucheng became even more confused, as he clearly hadn't seen Qi Guanghua order.
He couldn't help but look at Qi Guanghua's phone, "You just..."
Qi Guanghua understood and explained, "This is Tao Xun's mini-program. You can order directly from your phone, it's very convenient."
Tao Xun...
Cen Xiucheng's expression was very complex.
In fact, he had heard this name frequently in recent times.
The princess of country K had told him that the royal family of country K had been arranging for people to contact Tao Xun, wanting to cooperate with them.
The princess also told him that some other royal family members had even proposed that since the Cen family and Tao Xun had always been at odds, if they couldn't cooperate with Tao Xun, they should simply offer up the Cen family to please Mr. Ye of Tao Xun. However, this proposal was stopped by the princess.
Cen Xiucheng's mood was very complicated. He truly hadn't expected Tao Xun to grow so strong.
It seemed he had misunderstood something from the very beginning.
Therefore, when he returned this time, he didn't go directly to find Ni Na and Cen Ya. Instead, upon hearing that Qi Guanghua, the vice president he had chosen, had resigned, he came to find Qi Guanghua first.
His thoughts returning, Cen Xiucheng picked up his coffee but didn't intend to drink it. He asked in a deep voice, "Vice President Qi, before I left, I entrusted all of Shanjin Jewelry to you! I believe I paid you a substantial salary, yet you directly abandoned Shanjin Jewelry and jumped to another company?!"
"Mr. Cen," Qi Guanghua sighed lightly, "You were indeed good to me and placed great hope in me. However, I left Shanjin Jewelry not for a higher salary or position, but because I could no longer accept your money. I felt guilty taking it."
Cen Xiucheng was stunned.
Qi Guanghua continued, "I know you wanted me to help Shanjin Jewelry establish a foothold in the country. Unfortunately, Shanjin Jewelry is not run by me. Even with all my skills, I couldn't implement them!"
"Are you referring to Gu Sheng, or... my mother?" Cen Xiucheng frowned. "I clearly instructed them to follow your lead in everything..."
Qi Guanghua gave a sarcastic laugh, "Mr. Cen, do you think that's realistic? One of them holds a higher position than me, and the other is your biological mother. Do you think they would listen to me?"
Cen Xiucheng's expression changed slightly. It seemed things were worse than he had anticipated.
He took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Vice President Qi, can you tell me what has happened at Shanjin Jewelry during this time?"
Qi Guanghua pondered for a moment, "Alright, consider it my final report to you."
Then, Qi Guanghua recounted how he discovered Cen Ya misappropriating funds, his attempt to prevent it, and how he was deceived by Cen Ya and Gu Sheng.
The money was originally intended for Shanjin Jewelry's publicity and opening new branches, but Cen Ya had misappropriated it all, severely hampering Shanjin Jewelry's development.
When Ni Na arrived, he thought things would improve, but they only worsened.
Shanjin Jewelry sponsored a risqué variety show! Qi Guanghua tried to stop it but failed, causing Shanjin Jewelry's image to decline significantly.
Afterward, he tried to contact several popular celebrities to be brand ambassadors to salvage Shanjin Jewelry's image, but Ni Na stopped him again. Instead, she gave the endorsements to several internet celebrities and invested heavily in advertising, allowing risqué streamers to sell products.
Shanjin Jewelry's image plummeted, and no celebrities were willing to endorse it anymore, as they felt the brand would damage their own resources.
Qi Guanghua tried everything he could but was powerless to reverse the situation.
However, Ni Na felt that he couldn't even secure an endorsement and had made no progress for Shanjin Jewelry during his tenure, leading to her great dissatisfaction with him.
In a fit of anger, Qi Guanghua resigned.
"As for what happened afterward, since I had already left, I'm not very clear and it's not appropriate for me to say much. However..." Qi Guanghua said meaningfully, "Mr. Cen, I personally advise you to be mentally prepared."
Cen Xiucheng was shocked to hear that Cen Ya and Ni Na could be so reckless!
They didn't listen to Qi Guanghua's professional advice and even ostracized him?
Especially his last sentence, which inexplicably made Cen Xiucheng feel that the situation had deteriorated to an irreversible point!
"Vice President Qi," Cen Xiucheng said in a deep voice, "If I ask you to come back, would you be willing to return?"
"Perhaps not," Qi Guanghua chuckled. "I took the money but couldn't accomplish the task, so I don't feel right taking it."
Cen Xiucheng nodded and said no more.
He took out his wallet. "The coffee for both of us will be on me..."
Before he could finish, his expression became somewhat awkward.
His wallet was filled with the currency of country K; he hadn't had time to exchange it.
"Can I pay by card here?" Cen Xiucheng took out a credit card.
"No need, Mr. Cen. I've already paid when ordering just now," Qi Guanghua said with a smile.
Cen Xiucheng was slightly taken aback. Tao Xun again?
Seeing his somewhat dazed expression, Qi Guanghua hesitated and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Cen, may I ask, does your Cen family have any animosity with that Mr. Ye from Tao Xun?"
Cen Xiucheng's expression was somewhat unnatural, "... We have no animosity with Mr. Ye."
"Alright then," seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Qi Guanghua naturally didn't press further. He stood up to leave and finally said, "Mr. Cen, if the Cen family truly has any grievances with Mr. Ye, it's best to let it go and not dwell on it too much. I personally suggest that you visit Kyoto as a tourist and explore more? Perhaps you will make some different discoveries."
Qi Guanghua left, and Cen Xiucheng got up rather blankly. He could tell that Qi Guanghua had not said everything he wanted to say. He decided to follow Qi Guanghua's advice and explore Kyoto more, to personally verify what he had misunderstood.
Cen Xiucheng left the coffee shop and saw Chen Hui still waiting outside.
He told Chen Hui to go back first and then walked onto the street.
He crossed the main street and entered a nearby alley. The alley had several fried chicken shops and bubble tea shops. Cen Xiucheng looked up; their doors all bore the Tao Xun logo.
Cen Xiucheng's expression was dazed. He took out his phone and tried scanning it.
The mini-program that popped up was simple and convenient. Following the prompts, he quickly familiarized himself with the ordering system.