Chapter 28: Collective Attack

Since Chen Xi had put it that way, Mu Lin figured it wouldn't hurt to attend the meeting.

The conversation at the breakfast table this morning had been vague, offering no key information. He still wanted to go hear for himself what exactly was going on.

Inside the conference room, the group's mid-level executives were already seated in neat rows. The atmosphere was somber.

Once a headcount confirmed everyone was present, the secretary indicated that the meeting could begin.

Director Lu from Finance shot to his feet, as if something on his chair was poking him.

"President Li, please explain to all our colleagues here what on earth is going on!"

"I was up all night because of this! I reviewed the project proposals one by one and found numerous issues!"

"The buildings we've built are apparently all shoddy jobs! The walls are filled with mud bricks covered in cardboard! At this height, I'm afraid a strong gust of wind will knock them over!"

"Now a huge sum is stuck in the guarantee deposit account, and we can't get it out. The Group's cash flow is about to dry up! So you tell us, what do we do now?"

Li Xue was at her wit's end; she had only found out about this herself this morning.

Her father and grandfather had worked late into the night at the company. Not wanting to disturb her, they had left the secretary's briefing report on her vanity.

Her mind was in turmoil. She probably knew less about the situation than the mid-level executives before her.

An executive from the construction department was the first to jump to his feet.

"President Li, I swear on my conscience, every material we use is absolutely genuine! Our business is built on integrity!"

"There must be a mistake somewhere!"

But the sales department was quick to challenge them:

"You claim you use genuine materials, but the regulators are calling it shoddy construction. Someone has to be lying! Those officials aren't going to risk their own careers over a joke, are they?"

"If you ask me, the Group has always been too lenient with the construction department. By insisting on not subcontracting projects, it's allowed certain people to get a sweet deal."

The executive from the construction department, who hadn't slept a wink all night, slammed his hand on the table and shot up at the sales department's malicious accusation.

"That's bullshit! Everyone knows the sales department cooks the books and keeps a huge chunk of the funds for itself! If we're talking about who's really damaging the Group's interests, it's you!"

The atmosphere grew incredibly tense. Executives from uninvolved departments pretended like nothing was happening, secretly playing on their phones under the table.

Seeing that the atmosphere had fermented to his liking, Director Lu's lips curled into an infuriating smirk. "Didn't President Li have dinner with the people from the quality inspection department last night? Has the Sheng Baiqin Garden matter been resolved?"

"Let me be blunt. If this keeps up, we won't be able to make payroll for everyone in the Group. Before the month is out, the Li Group will go bankrupt."

Li Xue's face went pale, her mind consumed by self-reproach.

'It's all my fault. If I weren't so useless, the Group wouldn't be facing such a massive crisis.'

Facing such immense pressure, she was tempted to tell them what had happened last night. 'Maybe if they knew, they'd take pity on me and let me off the hook?'

But she couldn't bring herself to say it. 'It's too humiliating. If I told them, I'd never be able to show my face in this city again.'

She stood up and faced the worried and angry employees, bowing deeply. "I have failed all of you. I will take full and sole responsibility for this matter. Please, just give me a little time. I promise I will give you all an explanation."

"How do you plan to take responsibility?"

"This isn't just about one sum of money we can't access! If these quality issues are confirmed, the Li Group can forget about ever landing another construction project again! This is a matter of our reputation!"

As if on cue, a group of mid-level executives suddenly stood up, firing off questions.

Director Lu from Finance stood among them, a malicious smile playing on his lips as he watched Li Xue.

Everything was falling into place. Now, all he had to do was wait and see how Li Xue would respond.

Mu Lin sat inconspicuously among the mid-level executives. Even Li Xue hadn't noticed him.

He could see Li Xue's miserable state as clear as day, but for the moment, he couldn't think of a good way to resolve the situation.

'I gave him a clear warning. How could Jiang Hong possibly have the guts to play games with me? Does he not want a peaceful retirement?'

'Or does he feel like he's lived too long and is looking for a shortcut out?'

'Thinking about all this is useless.'

'As her husband, I should at least help Li Xue out, right?'

"Director Lu, there's no use panicking. We're all in the same boat here. If the company goes under, none of us will benefit. Now more than ever, we should be uniting to overcome this crisis together. Wouldn't you agree?"

Mu Lin stood up and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

Li Xue was surprised. 'What is Mu Lin doing here?'

'What she never expected was that, with everyone holding her responsible, the "useless bum" she despised most would be the one to stand up for her.'

A flicker of warmth went through her heart, followed by a pang of guilt.

'But this problem can't be solved with just a few words.'

'By speaking up like this, Mu Lin will only draw even harsher attacks from the other executives.'

Just as she was about to scold him and tell him to sit down, an employee suddenly burst into the conference room.

"The people from the Quality Inspection Department are here! They're led by Jiang Hong, with Gao Yi right behind him! They're already downstairs! President Li, shouldn't you go greet them?"

The color drained from the faces of Li Xue and the other executives. The worst-case scenario had finally arrived.

Gao Yi alone had been enough to throw the Li Group into chaos. With Jiang Hong here as well, how could they possibly handle it?

Li Xue despaired. 'What can I possibly do now?'

'Is Gao Yi determined to drive the Li Group to Huangtan?'

People occasionally glanced over at Director Lu. From the very start, he had been the most aggressive and the most self-assured.

'Could he have orchestrated all of this?'

'But they only dared to think it, not say it aloud.'

Director Lu had the upper hand right now. Anyone who dared to question him would be branded a sympathizer of the construction department, accused of colluding with them to commit fraud.

More people were left wondering just what had happened at that dinner between Li Xue and Gao Yi to make him take things this far.

Everyone knew you should never burn your bridges, but Gao Yi was leaving them no room to maneuver at all. He was clearly trying to tear things wide open!

'This is impossible.'

If they couldn't overcome this crisis, the Li Group would likely be finished in the construction industry for good.

And Li Xue would become the scapegoat for the Li Group, forced to bear the ultimate responsibility. From then on, she'd be relegated to the sidelines, living out her days as an idle rich girl, simply waiting for her life to end.

No matter how much the board of directors might want to protect Li Xue, they could never let her stay on as president after this.

"President Li, you've doomed the Group!"

Director Lu clasped his hands behind his back, his voice filled with grief and indignation, as if his own fate was inextricably linked with the Li Group—as if he cared for it more deeply than Li Xue herself.

"The fact that even Team Leader Jiang has been deployed means they have absolutely no intention of backing down!"

"But I will not stand by and watch the Group fall into ruin! I will fight for it to the very last second! I will go and meet with Team Leader Jiang and Team Leader Gao and do my best to placate them!"

The mid-level executives exchanged glances, nodding imperceptibly.

As the saying goes, "true loyalty is revealed in times of crisis." All the corporate slogans they were usually fed were just hot air. At a critical moment like this, only a truly capable leader could step up.

Once this storm passed, Director Lu would likely be transformed into President Lu.

They all understood this, but with no way to change the outcome, they could only accept it.

"Furthermore, we cannot keep the Board of Directors in the dark. A matter of this magnitude must be reported. For the sake of the Li Group's decades-long foundation, I hope all of you will be honest and clearly report the entire sequence of events—and where the responsibility lies—to the Board."

Director Lu clasped his hands behind him, his gaze as sharp as a sword as it swept over each of the mid-level executives.

The executives, of course, understood his meaning. Director Lu was impatient to seize power, and this speech was forcing them all to choose a side.

One wrong word now, and there would be no place for them in the Li Group of the future.

"Our sales department will report everything truthfully! We will inform every single board member of every mistake Li Xue has made in her governance of the company!"

"The accounting department, too!"

"The investment department will stand behind President Lu! We'll report the facts and bring the truth to light!"

"Human Resources as well!"

These were all departments that worked closely with Finance. They always acted in concert, singing from the same hymn sheet. By standing up now and making a scene, they forced the executives from the other departments to declare their allegiance as well.

Director Lu was very pleased. He straightened his suit, smoothed his hair, and announced:

"Team Leader Gao and Team Leader Jiang have arrived. Let's go downstairs!"