"You, you..." Yang Xu was completely stunned. He had never expected the boss of Suto to say such a thing!
They had always been united, fighting against Shunda, and successfully crippled it.
Moreover, Suto had always followed Fei Tong's lead. To strengthen their ties, he had even exchanged shares with them!
Of course, as the industry leader, Fei Tong's shares were more valuable than those of other express companies. It was perfectly reasonable for him to exchange a small amount of Fei Tong shares for an equivalent but larger amount of shares from other companies!
Furthermore, to tighten his control over other express companies, he had also invested money to buy more shares.
His stake in the other express companies was not insignificant, so he had never worried about them betraying him. But where did the boss of Suto get the confidence to challenge him directly?!
"I say, Mr. Yang, just try to look at it from a broader perspective," the boss of Suto advised. "Fei Tong is being attacked from all sides. Even if we withdraw our statement, what good will it do? Shunda won't withdraw theirs. Wouldn't that just benefit Shunda entirely? Instead of sacrificing Fei Tong to fatten Shunda, why not let Suto and Yuantong get a piece of the pie too! At least with our shares, you can still get some money!"
"You, you..." Yang Xu was so angry he couldn't even complete his sentence. He truly hadn't expected the boss of Suto to be so shamelessly brazen!
It was clearly them who wanted to carve up Fei Tong's market together with Shunda to compete for the top spot! Yet, they still found such a high-sounding excuse, as if they were doing Fei Tong a favor. It was infuriating!
Yang Xu angrily hung up the phone. He then called Kuaixun and Yuntong, but their responses were similar to Suto's. They all meant that if Shunda could do it, so could they.
Yang Xu's anger flared up like wildfire. He even felt the urge to smash things! But then he remembered that everything on his desk was not cheap. Even if he threw files, he would still have to pick them up himself. His anger slowly subsided.
Yang Xu forced himself to calm down and meticulously replayed how things had escalated to this point in his mind.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he cursed with a heart full of rage, "Ou Minghan, you scoundrel!"
He had only intended to change the subject! Even if he did nothing, information online was constantly changing, and the heat surrounding this matter would die down on its own soon enough!
But Ou Minghan had directly come over and blabbered on, which made him think of that terrible idea to drag Shunda into it!
Yang Xu was furious. Since the situation had come to this, he could only try to salvage it.
Coincidentally, tomorrow evening, the bosses of the express and logistics industry would be having a dinner at Siji Restaurant. He had initially felt that this dinner was not formal enough and had declined it. But now, it seemed essential for him to attend, to reconnect with his old friends and at least minimize Fei Tong's losses.
Online, the criticism against Fei Tong intensified. Yang Xu could only close his eyes and pretend to be dead, accepting the ridicule.
In the evening, Ye Zhi received a call from Zhan Ruofeng.
"Ms. Ye, there's a dinner tomorrow at Siji Restaurant. It's a private gathering of several bosses from the express and logistics industry. Would you like to attend?" Zhan Ruofeng asked.
"Of course, I will," Ye Zhi said with a calm smile.
She hadn't interacted with the bosses of other express companies before because Shunda was in direct competition with them.
But now it was different. With Fei Tong's reputation in tatters, and with Shunda taking the lead, companies like Suto and Yuantong also had the inclination to compete for Fei Tong's business and grow their own companies. Therefore, they could be considered temporary allies.
"Then I'll make the arrangements," Zhan Ruofeng said.
"By the way," Ye Zhi reminded him, "for tomorrow's dinner, remember to bring Ruoqing."
"Is that necessary?" Zhan Ruofeng asked with a hint of confusion. "Ruoqing's company's business has nothing to do with express logistics!"
"Mr. Zhan, you've seen the popularity of Zhiwei Platform now," Ye Zhi said with a slight frown. "Although it has nothing to do with express logistics, it can still affect these companies. Today, Fei Tong faced a public relations crisis, and its stock directly hit the limit down! Ruoqing's Zhiwei Platform is actually more powerful than you think, but Ruoqing's network is still limited to her friends. As her brother, you should help her!"
Zhan Ruofeng suddenly felt ashamed.
He realized then that he had been too neglectful of Zhan Ruoqing.
Although he and Zhan Li acknowledged Zhan Ruoqing's abilities after she achieved success, they had forgotten that the Zhan family had never trained her in business.
They had not taught her business knowledge, nor had they taken her to meet business partners to help her expand her network. Even after she created the Zhiwei Platform, they hadn't thought of helping her to compensate for these shortcomings, instead letting her continue to explore on her own.
"I understand, Ms. Ye," Zhan Ruofeng said solemnly. "I will help Ruoqing more in the future."
Ye Zhi hung up the phone with satisfaction. With the Zhan family's support in the future, Zhan Ruoqing's path would undoubtedly be smoother.
However, what should she wear tomorrow?
Ye Zhi went directly to the balcony. Seeing Qi Xuan in the room, she called out, "Qi Xuan!"
Qi Xuan came to the window with a puzzled expression and opened it.
"I'm having dinner with the Zhan siblings tomorrow evening. What do you think I should wear?" Ye Zhi asked.
Qi Xuan: ...
Why them again? And this time, even both siblings?
"You're friends with them, so just wear something comfortable to meet them," Qi Xuan said with a touch of jealousy.
"It's not just them," Ye Zhi shook her head. "We also have to meet several bosses from the express and logistics industry."
"Then wear a professional suit. It's very capable and befits your status," Qi Xuan said after a moment's thought.
"Wear a professional suit to a dinner party?" Ye Zhi asked, slightly surprised. "Is that appropriate?"
"It's not about whether it's appropriate or not, but about who is wearing it," Qi Xuan said with a faint smile. "The boss of Taoxun can wear whatever they want. Who dares to have an opinion?"
Ye Zhi suddenly understood. "I get it! Oh, right, you don't need to cook dinner for me tomorrow night."
Qi Xuan immediately felt a little aggrieved. Ye Zhi had been dining at his place less and less frequently lately.
"Okay," Qi Xuan said mournfully. "You should also pay attention to work-life balance. I... and the housekeeper will worry about you."
"Mm-hmm! I will~" Ye Zhi said with a soft smile.
The next day, Ye Zhi followed Qi Xuan's suggestion and wore a professional suit to the appointment.
Zhan Ruofeng and Zhan Ruoqing had already arrived. After the three met, Zhan Ruofeng led them to the private room where the bosses were gathered.