Qin He's voice lowered, and a coldness flashed in her bright eyes.
Those present felt a change in her aura, a chilling presence that spread like a net, encompassing everything.
A suffocating sensation momentarily gripped their hearts, and several executives abruptly sat up straighter.
Miss Qin—
No, Young President Qin's demeanor was vastly different from her usual languid self!
"Assistant Zhou, where are the documents you were supposed to bring when I arrived?"
When Zhou Yang arrived, Qin He had asked him to bring a folder, though he didn't know its contents. Upon hearing her question, he quickly handed it over.
Qin He opened it and distributed the documents to each executive.
"Annan Group has indeed risen quickly, and their initial sales performance was not insignificant."
"However, their online channels rely solely on livestreaming with influencers, and it's heavily inflated. They spent a fortune buying traffic to boost their brand."
After Qin He finished her analysis, she let out a cold laugh. "Precisely because of these unfair competitive practices, several major platforms have already terminated their contracts with Annan. As for their physical presence, it's true that Annan secured prime locations in many shopping malls, but they only paid the initial deposits. They are now unable to afford the subsequent payments!"
"Annan is currently facing several lawsuits; frankly, they are on the verge of bankruptcy and are drafting their bankruptcy application!"
A group on the brink of collapse, yet Vice Minister An wanted to cooperate with them and even pre-pay fifty million.
Consider this: if this fifty million were paid today, and Annan filed for bankruptcy tomorrow, the money would be as good as lost!
The executives, after briefly hearing Qin He's key points, their expressions changed.
"Vice Minister An, what is going on?" the Minister of Commerce slammed the table, his face stern!
Vice Minister An knew he could no longer conceal it; his heart was shocked, and his legs felt so weak he could barely stand.
But he held on, his face filled with feigned astonishment: "I was actually deceived by Annan Group?!"
"Deceived?" Qin He scoffed. "I think you wanted to squeeze another sum out of Qin Corporation before your retirement. Truly a twenty-year veteran, truly dedicated to the end!"
Qin He looked at everyone. "You can review the analysis documents later. For now, why don't you all take a look at the last page."
Everyone quickly turned to the last page, which contained two photographs: Vice Minister An speaking with a stranger in a coffee shop.
"The person with Minister An is the current CEO of Annan Group," Qin He reminded them. "There is also evidence of their transaction, which I obtained through a private investigator. I wonder what Vice Minister An has to say about this evidence? Before the cooperation even began, Annan transferred five million to your private account?"
Vice Minister An's face turned ashen, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Half an hour later, the police arrived and took Vice Minister An away. The company executives exchanged bewildered glances.
Qin He stood up. "Since the project is off, this meeting is adjourned."
The moment the door closed, the executives in the conference room began to whisper amongst themselves.
After verbally condemning Vice Minister An, someone said softly,
"Although Vice Minister An deserves his punishment, I'm still a bit curious. If he was going to do something like this, he would have been extremely secretive. How did Young President Qin discover it?"
"Didn't Young President Qin say she hired a private investigator?"
"That's true, but how did she even think to investigate Vice Minister An? One would have to know beforehand to be prepared, wouldn't they?"
The conference room fell silent.
"I think everyone should be more honest from now on. Don't try to pull any tricks while President Qin is away. Our Young President Qin can't tolerate any nonsense."
One of the vice presidents said, then got up and left first.
After returning to her office from the conference room, Qin He watched the surveillance footage from the meeting room.
The conversation of those people echoed in her office. Zhou Yang smiled beside her, "Young President Qin, this might not be good for your image."
"I think it's quite good. I'm not the future president of Qin Corporation; I don't need to maintain an image of being lenient. I just want them to stop causing trouble for a while."
As soon as Qin He finished speaking, her stomach churned.
She frowned and quickly went to the bathroom.
After leaning over the toilet for ten minutes, Qin He could only retch up sour fluid. Yet, the nauseous feeling kept surging.
She couldn't help but place a hand on her abdomen and sigh helplessly. This little baby was quite a handful.
Counting the time, it had been over eighty days. She had clearly noticed that her previously flat abdomen, which was slightly concave when lying down, was now becoming fuller.
In a while, it might gradually become plump and no longer concealable—
Qin He frowned deeply. This child was, after all, Gu Qishen's. If it were discovered, it was hard to say what his intentions might be.
She had to find a way quickly to keep this child a secret.
Qin He's original plan was to stay home and not go out after three months. Anyway, the livestreams online only showed her upper body.
She trusted Shen Yilin. As long as he didn't speak, no one would know.
At that time, she wouldn't even step out of her door, and the pregnancy would naturally not be revealed.
But now, her brother had been in a car accident, and she needed to commute between home and the company every day. This news could not be kept under wraps, with so many eyes watching Qin Corporation.
After rinsing her mouth, Qin He stood up and left the bathroom.
Zhou Yang nervously approached her. "Young President Qin, are you feeling unwell?"
Qin He smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Yang Ge, you can go about your business."
"If you feel unwell, please call me at any time," Zhou Yang said, emphasizing his words, and then left.
Qin He flipped through a few documents, but her mind was preoccupied with concealing the baby.
By closing time, she had a rough idea. If she could create a time difference—
She could pull a fast one!
This matter, although risky, could completely remove future worries if Gu Qishen could be made to believe it.
Qin He's plan was simple: find a surrogate father for the baby and delay the baby's birth date by a month!
The child would eventually be born, but during the pregnancy, she could announce the pregnancy as one month shorter than it actually was.
This was a good idea, but there was a significant problem: where would she find a stand-in father for Gu Qishen's child?
...
When it was time to get off work, Qin He drove to the hospital.
She first went to the obstetrics and gynecology department for a check-up, then put away the examination report and went to Qin Yun's ward.
As she approached the ward door, she heard Xu Wanwan's slightly angry voice from inside.
"Are you deliberately bothering me! Didn't you say you wanted juice, and then when I brought it, you wanted water? And when I pour water, you say it's too cold?"
Inside the room, Qin Yun's voice was very weak. "Drinking cold things is bad for the stomach, Wanwan."
Qin He raised her eyebrows slightly. She hadn't realized her brother was so delicate. At home, he used to guzzle ice water after exercising, and their mother used to scold him many times.
She knocked on the door a few times, and the voices inside abruptly stopped.
Xu Wanwan came to open the door. Seeing Qin He, she waved her hand. "Come in quickly. I can't take care of your brother anymore; you'll have to do it yourself!"
Qin He stretched lazily and glanced at her brother on the hospital bed. "I've been busy at Qin Corporation all day, and I don't even have the strength to lift a finger. Wanwan, please take pity on me."