The secretary mentioned the time the purchasing department sent the documents, which was likely when he was searching for uninhabited islands at sea. At that time, his mobile phone signal was intermittent and extremely unstable.
Now, the only thing he could do was to quickly devise a solution.
He regained his composed expression and said calmly, "Convene a meeting with all department managers."
During the meeting, Tianyi learned that the foreign supplier they had initially agreed with was now deliberately raising prices and refusing to budge, indicating that someone had interfered in the process.
However, the senior executives of the group's purchasing department were still unclear about who was responsible and were attempting to investigate.
But the project had already commenced, and if this batch of building materials could not be delivered on time, the project would face the risk of suspension.
The finance department had calculated that if the project were to be suspended, the loss for each day of suspension would be in the tens of millions, not to mention the liquidated damages that would need to be paid for failing to complete the project on schedule.
The consequences were indeed too severe.
Even Xiao Anjing, who usually had a good temper, couldn't help but reprimand the purchasing department staff.
Tianyi casually loosened his tie and stood up, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room. He felt that this matter was very peculiar. Even firing all the senior executives of the purchasing department wouldn't solve the problem; they needed to figure out who was manipulating things behind the scenes.
He turned around to face the executives in the conference room and said, "Meeting adjourned. Please have each department compile the content of today's discussion into a report and give me a copy."
An Jing, surprised by his sudden decision to adjourn the meeting, was about to say something.
He first pointed at An Jing and said, "Come to my office."
An Jing suppressed his anger in front of everyone and replied, "Okay."
He followed Tianyi out of the conference room. As soon as the door closed, he complained, "The matter isn't clear yet, and you've already adjourned the meeting? This batch of special building materials is of great importance!"
"There's no point in continuing the meeting. It's better not to waste time. I want to personally go to the foreign building materials company right away to see where the problem lies," Tianyi said as he tidied up his desk.
An Jing hurriedly asked, "Are you leaving now? Has the secretary booked your tickets? You just returned to the group and are going abroad again. I'm afraid the morale within the group will be unstable."
"As long as you're here, it's enough to stabilize morale," Tianyi said, picking up his phone. "I'll have the secretary book the tickets now."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, and knowing that time was of the essence, An Jing said, "Alright, go and come back quickly."
Tianyi didn't need to pack any luggage and left as soon as he decided.
...
Susu was at home with the children, but she always felt that Xiao Xingxing wasn't as happy as before.
In the garden, even when playing with his younger siblings, Xiao Xingxing couldn't seem to find joy. He would often sit alone, his smiles seeming a bit forced.
Susu and Xiao Mei were busy in the kitchen preparing various dishes and desserts. Through the kitchen window, Susu caught sight of Xiao Xingxing's dejected expression several times.
She put down the dessert she was making, walked into the garden, and approached Xiao Xingxing. "Are you too tired? Do you want to go back to your room to rest?"
Xiao Xingxing leaned into her and shook his head. "Mom, I'm not tired. I just can't help but think about those terrible things."
"Don't think about them. Look how nice the sunshine is today..."
"But some children died right in front of me. Whenever I close my eyes, I see bloody scenes," Xiao Xingxing frowned, unable to be happy.
Susu had heard from Tianyi last night that Xiao Xingxing had been having nightmares at the hospital and would likely need to see a psychologist after returning home.
Susu had originally planned to take him to see a psychologist in a few days, but now it seemed that the psychological trauma from being captured by human traffickers was severe, and he needed to see a psychologist as soon as possible.
"Think about happier things," Susu said, holding his hand. "Come, let's watch a funny cartoon."
While Xiao Xingxing watched cartoons alone in front of the television, Susu went to another room and called Lan Yu.
"Lan Yu, how is Xiaoxiao doing at home since she came back?"
Lan Yu was just about to call An Jing. After Xiaoxiao's temper had become erratic again since An Jing went to work in the morning.
"After breakfast, Xiaoxiao locked herself in her room and hasn't opened the door since."
"Xiao Xingxing's mood is also not good," Susu suggested. "It seems both children need to see a psychologist. Why don't we take them to see a psychologist together? They'll have company."
Lan Yu said with some difficulty, "Xiaoxiao has always been a bit disobedient to me; she only listens to An Jing. I'm afraid only An Jing can manage her."
Susu thought for a few seconds and said, "Tell her that she's going with Xingxing brother, and she should be willing."
"Then I'll try."
"Okay, I'll make an appointment with the psychologist first," Susu said and hung up.
...
Lan Yu tried knocking on Xiaoxiao's door, but after waiting for a while, there was no response from inside.
She knew Xiaoxiao could definitely hear her. Standing at the door, she said, "Xiaoxiao, Aunt Susu just called and asked me to take you and Xingxing brother out to play. Do you want to go?"
The door opened quickly, and Xiaoxiao stood at the door, saying to her, "I'll go."
Lan Yu was surprised that Susu's suggestion worked so well. She smiled and said, "Good, then wait for Aunt Susu's call. We'll leave when she leaves."
"Okay, call me then," Xiaoxiao said and forcefully closed the door again.
Lan Yu sighed inwardly at the door, thinking how difficult it was to be a foster mother.
...
Susu had made an appointment with the psychologist, but the earliest available slot was for the next day.
She tried calling Tianyi's mobile phone, but it was switched off.
Thinking that Tianyi was busy, she first informed Lan Yu about the appointment time for the next day and decided to tell Tianyi when he returned home in the evening.
When Tianyi still hadn't returned from work by evening, she realized he had gone on another business trip. It seemed that Tianyi's trip to find the children had caused him to fall behind on many group matters, and he had to rush off on another trip as soon as he returned.
All she could do was to take good care of the three children at home so that he wouldn't have to worry about family matters.
The next day, she waited with Xiao Xingxing at the entrance of the psychological counseling center for Lan Yu and the others.
A short while later, Lan Yu arrived with Xiaoxiao.
Upon seeing Xiao Xingxing, Xiaoxiao smiled brightly and proactively grabbed his hand. "Xingxing brother, where are we going to play?"
Xiao Xingxing's face also lit up with a smile. "We're not going to play. Mom is taking us to see a doctor."
Hearing this, Xiaoxiao let go of his hand and tried to leave, saying, "I'm not sick, I don't want to see a doctor."
As she spoke, she ran to Lan Yu, pushed her forcefully, and shouted, "You lied! I don't want to see a doctor!"
Susu was startled by Xiaoxiao's behavior and quickly helped Lan Yu up. She said to Xiaoxiao, "She is your mother, you cannot disrespect her."
"She's not my mom, I don't have a mom!" Xiaoxiao shouted at Susu as well.
Xiao Xingxing grabbed her and said, "You can't talk to my mom like that."
"Xingxing brother, adults always like to lie," she said to Xiao Xingxing, her tone softening considerably.
Xiao Xingxing patiently explained, "My mom isn't lying. She's taking us to see a psychologist, not someone who gives shots. Don't be scared."
"No shots?" Xiaoxiao looked at him, believing what he said.