Chapter 299 298: Company

After Mu Lin finished speaking with Xue Yang, Xue Yang stepped aside to let him enter the special team's office.

Mu Lin pushed open the door and was immediately mobbed by Chen Xi, Zhou Yu, and Sun Lele. "Brother Lin, we missed you like crazy!"

Mu Lin laughed. "You're all being a little dramatic. I was only gone for a few days!"

"Exactly! If Brother Lin told us everything he was up to, we'd die of stress!"

Mu Lin asked, "How are your projects coming along? Construction should have started, right?"

Chen Xi said, "It has. And progress is very steady."

Mu Lin nodded. "Good. That's a relief."

"You've all been doing great work. I think in a little while, those projects I had you write proposals for will be handed to you. Can I count on you to handle them?"

Chen Xi blinked, not quite understanding what Mu Lin meant.

"What are you talking about, Brother Lin? Of course we can! After everything we've learned, we can definitely win the bids."

Mu Lin looked at Chen Xi calmly. "Think again."

Chen Xi felt wronged. 'What did I do now?'

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

"Brother Lin, you're talking about those two earmarked projects, right? The investments are huge! I was worried we wouldn't be able to land them."

"Knowing you're backing us up makes me feel so much better."

Mu Lin returned to his seat, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, then opened them and said,

"Do you remember what I said about starting my own company?"

Chen Xi replied eagerly, "We remember!"

"I want you all to be my founding team. What do you think?"

Chen Xi's expression shifted dramatically.

"Really? But we don't know the first thing about that," Chen Xi exclaimed.

Mu Lin said calmly, "That doesn't matter. You didn't know anything about renovations when you started, but now you're completely familiar with them, aren't you?"

Chen Xi let out a long sigh. It was true.

Suddenly, Mu Lin felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up and answered, "Uncle Zhou!"

"Mu Lin, there's something I need to tell you. You know I've been busy acquiring the Yang Family's assets, right? Well, I've discovered something related to your company's new financial director."

'The one named Cheng,' Mu Lin thought, trying to recall.

'So much had happened lately, his memory was a bit fuzzy.'

Mu Lin asked seriously, "What about Director Cheng?"

"Your Director Cheng is connected to the Yang Family. He's also in contact with the former financial director, Lu Yi."

"I've sent the files to your phone."

"Thanks!"

Mu Lin hung up and immediately began to speed-read the file on Director Cheng.

「Li Group, President's Office」

Li Xue looked at Xue Yang with exasperation. "Manager Xue, are you planning to go crazy along with Mu Lin?"

Xue Yang said, "It's a tricky situation. I'm not going crazy, I'm just testing the special team's capabilities."

Li Xue said, "I have to remind you, every mistake is a potential opening for our enemies to strike back."

"You're right! But Mu Lin says he's already secured the projects, and the profit margins are high."

Li Xue rolled her eyes. "Impossible! He's clearly been busy with other things these past few days. How could he have had time to secure new projects?"

'That was the accident at the collapsed apartment construction site, a situation that left many people uncertain.'

'There were too many anomalies.'

"Ugh!" Li Xue hurriedly rubbed her temples.

Her young secretary came in and said, "President Li, it's time for the meeting."

Li Xue nodded and stood up. "Manager Xue, let's go."

As a mid-level manager, Xue Yang was also required to attend the meeting.

Mu Lin arrived late as well.

He was immediately singled out by Director Cheng. "Vice Team Leader Mu, may I ask why you are so late?"

Mu Lin said coolly, "Late? Why don't you take a look around? I'm quite early. More than half the mid-level managers aren't even here yet. I'd say I'm one of the first to arrive."

"Then can you put down the pastry in your hand?"

Mu Lin finished the bite he was holding and then said, "Oh, I suppose I can now!"

"No, you can't!" Director Cheng shouted.

'Damn it, will this ever end...' Mu Lin wished he had taken Director Cheng down from the start.

'But the time wasn't right.'

So Mu Lin just quietly waited for the meeting to officially begin.

Li Xue couldn't take it anymore and cut in, "Director Cheng, is that enough? If so, let's begin the regular meeting!"

Director Cheng said, "Very well!"

He walked to the front of the room. "According to my information, the special team's vice team leader, Mu Lin, disappeared for several days. What was he doing? I would like everyone here to consider whether we should continue to support this 'special' team."

Mu Lin stood up. "Director Cheng, you're mistaken. I went to Songyang to take care of the children of the construction workers. The compensation hadn't been finalized, so how could I leave? I can't just lie to children, can I?"

Director Cheng retorted, "Utter nonsense. That's a matter for the workers, to be handled by the Human Resources department. What are you meddling for?"

Director Cheng's position was nearly on par with Lu Yi's had been, so when he spoke, everyone had to listen.

This was especially true for the mid-level managers, who had been in Lu Yi's pocket from the very beginning.

Although it had taken a long time to oust the Lu Family, during which many things had changed, the Lu Family's influence remained a serious problem.

Unfortunately, Li Xue hadn't had the time to consolidate her power, so the company's internal dynamics hadn't really changed.

The old guard was still in control.

Li Xue even had to consult with them on meeting agendas, so there was no hope of her forcefully pushing through any changes.

Mu Lin looked at Director Cheng. "Director Cheng, is there anything else you want to ask? Let's get it all out of the way at once."

"Mu Lin, you'd better watch your attitude!"

"My attitude? This is my attitude!"

Mu Lin pulled a stack of documents from his bag, casually separated them, and tossed them to the nearby managers.

"These are contracts!"

As they glanced through them, they saw each one was different.

"A new project to renovate and expand an orphanage, an investment of one billion…"

"The Nanjiang Forest Park project… holy crap… a six-billion-yuan investment…"

They had heard numbers like these so often they had become numb to them.

But the thought that the special team had secured these projects was galling.

"Director Cheng, let me ask you. With this track record, should the special team still be kept on?"

"Fine. Since your efficiency is up to par, then there's no problem. I'm not some kind of monster. I don't demand perfection in everything!"

Mu Lin smiled faintly and gathered the contracts.

The corner of Director Cheng's mouth twitched in anger. "You've really… gone to a lot of trouble!"

Li Xue said, "If there's nothing else, let's move on to the next topic."

Mu Lin suddenly raised his hand. "Not so fast! I have one more thing to address. Director Cheng, I don't want you to think I'm trying to suck up to you."

"I'm not here to flatter you. I'm here to expose what's going on behind the scenes—with you!"

'Li Xue did a quick calculation. The total value of the projects Mu Lin presented was over ten billion yuan, enough to meet her performance goals for several months.'

Director Cheng was a bit stunned. "What do you mean, 'behind the scenes'? I serve the Li Group with all my heart. There's nothing to expose!"

Mu Lin chuckled coldly. "In a tiny place like Anhua, everyone's relationships are complicated. People might think you're okay for a while, letting you stir up trouble as you please. But give it time, and everyone will see the truth."

"Everyone, please take a look at this photo. You should all recognize the person who's so close with Director Cheng, right?"

Li Xue's eyes widened in alarm. "Is that Lu Yi? What is he doing there?"

Mu Lin smiled. "Who knows? I certainly have no idea. If we want to get to the bottom of it, we'd have to listen to Director Cheng's explanation, and that just sounds exhausting… so let's not bother!"

"Director Cheng, why don't you explain it? Why is someone I find extremely unwelcome appearing by your side? What are you trying to pull?"

Director Cheng said, "That's a group photo from when we were students together!"

Mu Lin slowly picked up another photograph and put it on the projector.

This one showed Director Cheng surrounded by a group of women. Across from him sat Lu Yi, who was also with a group of women.

This photo was very recent—from two or three days ago at most.

This sent a chill through everyone in the room.

"And this one?"

Li Xue said coolly, "Please explain this to me. What is this? Aren't you supposed to be an official of impeccable integrity? Don't you make it a rule to never get too close to clients?"

"So why are you partying so hard now? Please, explain it to us!" Mu Lin had prepared thoroughly, so his attacks were devastating, each one hitting its mark.