Chapter 32: If You're Bored, Go Talk Business

"I will. It's usually the project department that deals with them; I rarely have the chance to interact with them directly. A situation like today is exceptionally rare."

Li Yinhe glanced at the time. "We still have the board meeting today. I'm guessing Lu Baichuan and his faction will try to use this to their advantage, so you'd better be on your guard!"

Li Xue replied, "This matter is settled. They didn't gain a single thing. If they keep clinging to it, they'll only end up humiliating themselves!"

After everyone dispersed, Xue Yang stood in the corridor for a long time, smoking a cigarette.

He turned and saw Mu Lin returning from somewhere, so Xue Yang waved him over.

Mu Lin did as beckoned and walked over. "Manager Xue, you seem to be in high spirits."

Xue Yang chuckled. "I was ready to go to war with Lu Yi, but then the whole thing just resolved itself. It was just as you said—President Jiang's Group actually brought Gao Yi over to apologize... Talk about a rare sight! I've seen everything now!"

"You should've seen the look on Lu Yi's face..."

This was a true moment of vindication. Lu Yi had been lording his power over the group for so long, targeting supporters of Li Xue at every turn.

They had no personal days, sick leave, or anything similar. Whenever they requested time off, HR Director Sun He would directly record it as an unexcused absence and dock their pay by three times the daily rate.

A few employees were even pushed to the point of being unable to make ends meet and were forced to resign.

The more viciously you harm people, the harder the backlash hits.

Mu Lin cleared his throat. "Manager Xue, I was actually on the scene. I saw the entire thing."

Xue Yang's expression froze, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Manager Xue, let me remind you, this incident has blown over, and the company needs to keep running. Making Lu Yi lose a little face is no big deal. The road ahead is long!"

Hearing this, Xue Yang calmed down.

Lu Yi controlled the finance department; he had far more tricks up his sleeve than Xue Yang's project department. Losing a little face wouldn't stop him from making life difficult for him on a regular basis.

"Team Leader Mu, you're right. You're much more level-headed. Unlike me, getting cocky after one small victory."

"Vice Team Leader," Mu Lin corrected. "Maybe staying in the 'Scrap Team' has changed my perspective? Perhaps I've started to enjoy seeing things from a loser's point of view?"

"Hey now, don't say that. Who in the Special Team is truly without talent? They might not be exceptional, but they're all competent. Their only mistake, the one that landed them in the Special Team, was offending Lu Yi and his people."

"I've always thought your arrival might bring some new changes to the Special Team."

Mu Lin didn't answer Xue Yang. Instead, he said:

"If Lu Yi were to hear that, you'd become a member of my team before you know it."

"Oh, right. Your father and grandfather aren't major shareholders, so you wouldn't even get to join the Special Team."

This left Xue Yang choked speechless, standing frozen in place as his face flushed and paled.

Back in the office, Chen Xi came rushing over, trying to curry favor. "Brother Lin, there's a phone call for you! It just came in!"

Mu Lin snatched the receiver. "Hello? Who is it? If you don't say something, I'm hanging up!"

"Brother Mu, it's me, Jiang Hong!"

'Is Jiang Hong out of his mind? Why is he calling the project department of all places?'

"Do you have actual business to discuss? If not, I'm hanging up!"

'These landlines are recorded by the internal control department. If Lu Yi's faction were to intercept the conversation and use it against her, Li Xue would be in for a world of trouble.'

"Business! It's definitely business!" Jiang Hong said with a serious tone. "Are you satisfied?"

The question came out of nowhere, but anyone who knew the full story would immediately understand what he meant.

Mu Lin said, "What's there to be satisfied or unsatisfied about? It's your responsibility. When you make a mistake, you admit it. That's just how it is."

Hearing this, Jiang Hong let out a long sigh of relief. Mu Lin didn't sound the least bit displeased; he was just being guarded because of the phone call.

"Good, I understand!"

"Also, you can call my cell phone. Isn't it a bit improper to be using the company line?"

Jiang Hong felt a burst of elation. This was amazing! Mu Lin was finally acknowledging him.

'Having Mu Lin's phone number meant he was now an insider.'

'But, wait... He didn't actually have Mu Lin's number.'

A moment later, his phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number had arrived: a single, solitary period.

He understood in an instant. This was Mu Lin's number.

"Right, right! Talk to you later!"

Mu Lin slammed the receiver down and gave a long stretch.

Chen Xi asked obsequiously, "Brother Lin, who was that?"

Mu Lin sneered. "Don't ask what doesn't concern you. Do I need to get your approval for everything I do?"

Chen Xi shuddered. "Of course not! You're the boss of our Special Team. Whatever you say goes. It's not my place to make any decisions, right?"

He dutifully returned to his seat and went back to his game.

Zhou Yu stretched and yawned. "I'm so bored!"

She'd played so much that she'd practically worn a groove into her phone screen.

Mu Lin said, "If you're that bored, then go figure out how to meet your performance targets!"

Chen Xi didn't quite understand. 'Since when does our Scrap Team have something like performance targets?' he thought.

'Our greatest "performance" is probably just that the men are still alive and the women haven't gotten pregnant, right?'

"Brother Lin, the Special Team isn't supposed to have performance evaluations!"

Mu Lin said, "We do now. Didn't you know? You were injured back then, recovering in the Holy Medicine Hall!"

"I made a bet with Director Lu in Finance. Twenty million in performance targets. If we fail, the Special Team is disbanded."

'What the... I...' Upon hearing this, Chen Xi nearly lost control and started swearing.

But the thought that cursing at Mu Lin would only earn him a beating made him forcibly suppress his explosive anger.

"Brother Lin, you can't be serious! Did you have to do that? We've never negotiated a proper business deal in our lives! The most we do is... uh... physical stuff... AHEM..."

"Isn't this a suicide mission? You're pushing our team off a cliff!"

"How about I go and talk to Lu Yi? Maybe he can be convinced to take it back?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "You don't know, do you? He just suffered a major humiliation. He's in a terrible mood right now. If he sees you, he might just dock your entire salary on the spot."

"Huh? What happened? He can still get humiliated, even with his dad being the second-largest shareholder?"

Mu Lin briefly recounted the earlier events, leaving Chen Xi stunned.

So much had happened while they were holed up in the office playing games, and they hadn't witnessed any of it.

Chen Xi felt like slapping himself. If he'd known it was going to be that dramatic, he would have definitely gone to watch.

The other team members looked just as shocked, their expressions like they'd just gotten off a roller coaster.

'Lu Yi could actually be humiliated that badly?'

Chen Xi thought it over for a moment, then said, "On second thought, I'm not going to look for him! A wise man doesn't stand beside a crumbling wall!"

"Then get to work on those performance targets," Mu Lin said. "Otherwise, you won't even be able to enjoy these peaceful days for much longer."

This time, Chen Xi had no heart for games. He just stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

When work let out for lunch, Mu Lin was strolling leisurely toward the cafeteria when he heard several female secretaries from the nearby secretarial office chattering about something.

Mu Lin's hearing was excellent, so he naturally caught every word they said.

"There's an emergency board meeting this afternoon—we're in for another good show! During the last meeting, the shareholders nearly bashed each other's brains out! This time is bound to be even more intense!"

'Oh, a board meeting?' he thought. 'It'll probably be fine.'

Mu Lin considered it. The biggest threat—the crisis of non-payment due to the quality and safety issues—had already been perfectly handled by Jiang Hong.

There was nothing left that could threaten Li Xue's position.

'Nothing to worry about. I can take it easy and slack off.'

「Afternoon.」

In the largest conference room of the Li Group, a female secretary bustled about the otherwise empty space, arranging stacks of documents, tea, and fruit platters.

Soon, the Group's shareholders would arrive, and the atmosphere would become incredibly volatile.

The Li Group had a long history of development, having weathered countless turbulent years.

During that time, to ensure its survival and to win over allies, Li Hao had parted with a considerable number of shares.

This had allowed him to navigate one crisis after another, but it had also created immense challenges for the company's subsequent governance.

Some people were no longer so easy to manage; they had begun to develop their own agendas.

BANG!

The conference room door was pushed open. Leaning on his cane, Elder Li, Li Hao, walked slowly into the room.

Li Yinhe followed close behind.

The other shareholders stood on either side, creating a tense, divided atmosphere.