Yao Hongbo felt a headache coming on. He had been waiting for days, and had even seen the game "Reunion with Journey to the West" on his middle school son's phone yesterday.
Waiting any longer was not a solution. Had he been overthinking things, and was Taoxun making no significant moves?
A knock on the door echoed. Yao Hongbo said in a low voice, "Come in."
"Vice President, Chairman Su and the others are here and are waiting for you in the conference room," the secretary said.
Yao Hongbo's headache worsened.
He had tried to persuade Su Ming these past few days, but it hadn't gone smoothly. Feitong was also pressuring him, and Yang Xu knew he was only paying lip service, so he had been waiting for an opportunity to strike. Today's meeting would likely not be an easy one.
"I know," Yao Hongbo said in a low voice.
He got up to head to the conference room, but after walking out a short distance, he realized he hadn't brought his materials, so he turned back.
But as soon as he returned to his office, he saw the secretary wandering around his office with a phone.
"What are you doing?" Yao Hongbo's face darkened.
"Looking for Jin K..." The secretary turned around, saw it was Yao Hongbo, and immediately coughed twice, hiding the phone behind her back. "Vice President, I was just checking if your office needed cleaning..."
"Get out!" Yao Hongbo's face darkened further. Did he not know? The secretary was clearly there to look for the golden cards in his office!
The secretary left dejectedly. Yao Hongbo picked up the documents on his desk and went to the conference room with a heavy heart.
In the conference room, almost all the investors had arrived, even Yang Xu was there, glaring at him.
"Hongbo," Jin Kaiyuan, who was not absent this time, questioned with dissatisfaction, "Yang Xu mentioned that you have been unwilling to cooperate with him and carry out the collaboration between the two parties. What's going on?"
"Director Jin," Yao Hongbo said in a low voice, "I have no objection to Qianbai operating its own business, but I believe the courier service supporting self-operation must completely belong to Qianbai! Therefore, I propose that Feitong cooperate with Qianbai to establish a dedicated express delivery service managed by Qianbai!"
Yang Xu's eyes widened in shock. He truly hadn't expected Yao Hongbo to draw his sword before he could even make a move!
His goal was to drain these investors' blood and money. If a dedicated express delivery service managed by Qianbai were to be established, wouldn't that mean he would be the one being bled dry? Yao Hongbo was truly ruthless!
The investors were also in an uproar. One investor said hesitantly, "Establishing Qianbai's own express delivery service is not a small sum of money."
Other investors agreed.
It wasn't that they were reluctant to spend money, but rather that cooperating with Feitong was equivalent to outsourcing the delivery service, and Qianbai would not have to bear responsibility.
Moreover, they had investments in Feitong, so whether Feitong or Qianbai made money, they would all benefit. However, if they were to establish a dedicated courier company for Qianbai, like Taoxun, it would not only require more investment but also put the responsibility on them.
"Members of the board, some money must be spent," Yao Hongbo said in a low voice. "When President Ye established Taoxun's self-operation and acquired courier services, did she ever consider the cost? It is precisely because she disregarded the initial investment and laid the groundwork for Taoxun's business empire that Taoxun has its current market position! Since we are to learn from her, we must learn all of her strengths to have a chance to compete!"
Seeing that the other investors seemed to be genuinely considering Yao Hongbo's proposal, Yang Xu panicked.
He snorted coldly, "Yao Hongbo, it seems you have great admiration for Ye Zhi! Could it be that... you have long planned to jump ship to Taoxun?!"
Yao Hongbo's expression faltered. He said indignantly, "Yang Xu! What do you mean? Are you suspecting me?!"
"I haven't said anything. Why are you so guilty?" Yang Xu said with a cold laugh. "I just don't understand why you would choose a more expensive method when cooperation between the two companies could solve the issue. Are you really not helping Taoxun? Or perhaps, you deliberately delayed the cooperation earlier, already helping Taoxun?"
"Yang Xu! You are slandering me!" Yao Hongbo was furious. How could he not hear the implication in Yang Xu's words? This was clearly an accusation that he had been bought by Taoxun!
"Vice President Yao, you say I am slandering you, but don't you think you were the one who acted without discretion?" Yang Xu said with a cold laugh. "As the CEO of Qianbai, you actually downloaded and played Taoxun's game during work hours, and even showed it off on Qianbai's internal forum! If your identity hadn't been discovered, you would have likely left that post there forever, wouldn't you? This matter has now become a headline on various websites. Do you know how people are mocking Qianbai Company?!"
"What..." Yao Hongbo's pupils contracted, his face full of shock.
Many investors took out their phones and easily found the relevant posts.
Someone had apparently screenshotted Yao Hongbo's post on the Qianbai internal forum and shared it online as a joke. Those posts had very high traffic and numerous replies.
【Hahaha, "Reunion with Journey to the West" is really fun, even Qianbai's Vice President can't resist its charm.】
【Sisters, haven't you noticed the key point?! There are golden cards in Qianbai's CEO's office! Who wants to team up with me to collect them?】
【Wake up, that's the CEO's office, you can't just walk in freely. I suggest Qianbai directly charge an entrance fee of five yuan, and I guarantee they'll make a fortune!】
【Great idea! I'll pay ten yuan!】
【Don't drive up the prices, upstairs tycoon. I'll pay eleven, no more than that!】
...
Looking at the lively comments, the investors' faces were somewhat displeased.
Yao Hongbo was both shocked and angry. He now understood what was happening. Someone had deliberately leaked this information to frame him using this method! He didn't even need to guess; he knew it was Yang Xu's doing!
"Members of the board," Yao Hongbo suppressed his anger, "My interest in Taoxun's game is merely a suspicion that it's a diversion tactic by Taoxun. They might have other major moves..."
"Then tell us, what major moves does Taoxun have?!" Yang Xu said with a cold laugh.
Yao Hongbo opened his mouth, speechless.
"Alright, stop arguing!" Su Ming said. "We believe Hongbo, and he certainly has nothing to do with Taoxun. However, since the two companies are cooperating, they must work together without any reservations. Hongbo, you may not be very suitable for the online shopping industry. Perhaps you could move to another position, and let someone else handle this matter."
Yao Hongbo's eyes widened in disbelief. He... was being reassigned?
He looked at the investors and suddenly felt tired and disheartened.
Each of these people had their own agendas, and their hearts were not united. Even if he were innocent, even if he truly had Qianbai's best interests at heart, they would cast him aside if they felt he was no longer obedient.
"Okay..." Yao Hongbo said bitterly.
*
In the evening, Feng Jie returned home after a day of running around.
He had finally managed to trick his parents into getting a physical examination and obtained a fake report. Now, all that was left was to properly convince Ou Minghan to let him go.
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Ou Minghan calling. He immediately put on his best demeanor and pressed the answer button.
As soon as he connected, Feng Jie heard Ou Minghan's joyful laughter.
"Hahaha, Feng Jie, you did a splendid job as a mole! Qianbai actually replaced Yao Hongbo! This is the best news I've heard in a while!"