Chapter 54: Only He Spoke Up for Me

Everyone in the room turned to look at Mu Lin.

'Has he lost his mind?'

'Can't you see which way the wind is blowing?'

'You're not even part of the Li Family. You think you can cross Lu Yi and get away with it?'

Lu Yi's face instantly turned ashen. He never expected someone to stand up and challenge him so arrogantly during his moment in the spotlight.

'This is my moment to shine. How dare I let some measly deputy project team leader ruin it?'

"You again!" a middle manager yelled, standing up and pointing at Mu Lin. "You were the one who caused the Group a major loss last time, too!"

"Are you determined to work against the Group's interests, is that it?"

What a heavy accusation. It left Mu Lin completely stunned.

If it were a salesperson with weaker mental fortitude, they would have probably covered their face and started bawling.

Li Xue lowered her head, her heart a storm of mixed emotions. 'Of all these people, he's the one who actually stood up for me.'

Mu Lin said, "Of course not! I have the utmost respect for the Group's interests. Without the Group, a guy like me just trying to get by would have starved to death long ago."

"If you know you're just a freeloader, then shut your mouth!"

The argument was escalating into a beautiful disaster.

Qiao Canhua hadn't expected to see such a great show. He was in no rush now, leaning leisurely against the table to enjoy Mu Lin's performance.

"You shut up! You said it yourself, Lu Baichuan is the one who got the contract. What right do you have to take the credit? If we're really talking about rewarding merit, then that old geezer Lu Baichuan should be the one to become president, not you!"

The middle managers below thought Mu Lin's words were utter nonsense. 'Lu Baichuan and Lu Yi are father and son. What belongs to the father will eventually go to the son. What's wrong with that?'

"Mu Lin, back down! This isn't your place to speak!"

"Even if Chairman Lu got the contract, Director Lu must have put in a lot of effort. You have no right to question him."

Hearing the voices of support from the audience, Lu Yi's courage swelled. "That's right! I went with my father to meet Director Qiao of Shengding Group, and we even had a meal with him! To secure this contract, I chugged thirty glasses of Maotai! I nearly drank myself into the hospital!"

"Mu Lin, if you don't know what you're talking about, you can just keep your mouth shut! Stop spouting nonsense, understand?"

'How would I not know?' Qiao Canhua thought. He had been looking for a famous doctor for his wife and hadn't touched a drop of alcohol these past few days. He only let loose and had a few drinks yesterday.

'Besides, I've never seen an idiot chug thirty glasses of Maotai. Is that how you're supposed to drink it? Huh?'

'Using Maotai for a drinking contest... Is his family made of money or something?'

The middle managers below, however, were extremely excited, because Chairman Qiao was a living legend in the real estate world.

He started his fortune with just 300,000 yuan he'd scraped together from loans. He bought a tiny, unwanted plot of land, but then the municipal government took an interest in the area and planned it as a commercial center. His profits exploded, increasing by over a thousandfold.

After that, he surged forward, acquiring land all over the country and creating the miracle of launching ten different properties over ten consecutive days—all of which sold out on their first day.

Yet, the man himself was extremely low-key. He rarely made personal appearances unless it was a very familiar setting. He was as elusive as a dragon, with not a single photograph of him in public.

"Director Lu, you've met Chairman Qiao? What does he look like?" a female employee cried out, practically swooning.

"Haha, Director Qiao is a little old, but he's in high spirits and really knows how to have a good time. I can just imagine how handsome he must have been when he was young!"

AAH... Several female managers shrieked in ecstasy, making the male managers extremely uncomfortable.

'What's all this about? It's like they're saying we aren't handsome.'

'So what if Chairman Qiao has a little money?'

Seeing that the atmosphere was great, Lu Yi added, "Chairman Qiao also said that if everyone performs well, he'll invite all of you to hang out with him!"

"Then, you'll all be able to see Chairman Qiao in person!"

This got everyone fired up, and the atmosphere in the room reached a new peak.

Mu Lin chuckled dryly. "You've really met Chairman Qiao? For some reason, I find that hard to believe."

"Get lost, you from the loser team! Is it your place to speak?" several middle managers shouted in unison, cutting Mu Lin off.

Lu Yi stood with his hands on his hips and pointed at Li Xue. "President Li, hurry up and step aside! This is for the best, for both of us."

But Li Xue's expression was grim, as if she would rather die than give up her seat.

Lu Yi beckoned to a few middle managers he knew well. "Come over here and pull her away!"

The managers immediately made their move, swaggering over to Li Xue and reaching out to grab her arm.

"Stop! Director Lu, watch yourself! President Li is a woman! Have you considered her feelings?!" A few middle managers jumped to their feet, and some of them were even Lu Yi's own supporters.

Seeing this, Lu Yi knew that if he actually used force to remove Li Xue, the very middle managers who appeared to support him might well turn on him.

He had no choice but to return to his seat, his lips pursed as he said:

"It's getting late. Let's just sign the contract and get to work!"

After he spoke, he flashed a smile at Qiao Canhua, trying to move past the awkward scene.

But Qiao Canhua couldn't care less. He had no intention of signing with Lu Yi anyway, so it made no difference to him what happened.

He unzipped his briefcase and took out a folder.

Lu Yi announced loudly, "Everyone, look! These are the documents for the South City No. 6 plot project! As soon as I sign my name, this project will be ours!"

The middle managers cried out in excitement, erupting into rhythmic waves of cheers, treating the place like a party.

But Boss Qiao placed the contract in front of Li Xue. "President Li, please sign. From now on, the South City No. 6 plot project is in the hands of the Li Group."

Li Xue was stunned. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would be the one to sign this contract.

She instinctively pulled her hand back, afraid this was some kind of cruel joke.

"I've been through enough already. Please don't play jokes on me! If you do, I'll file a complaint against you with Shengding Group's public relations department!" Li Xue said.

As she spoke, she reached for the "salesman's" ID badge.

To her surprise, it was right there in his jacket pocket. Li Xue pulled the badge out and took a look.

Written on the slightly yellowed badge was:

_Shengding Group Chairman, Qiao Canhua._ The photo on it was a perfect match for the man standing before her, only he now bore more traces of the years.

Holy crap! She snatched her hand back as if she'd been shocked and shoved the ID badge back into his pocket.

'What the hell kind of joke is this? This is Boss Qiao himself?'

Li Xue nearly lost her mind. 'The legendary titan of the real estate industry is standing right in front of me, handing me this contract?'

She quickly took out her pen, flipped open the file, and prepared to sign.

Lu Yi's eyes went red with fury. 'That's my contract! On what grounds is it being given to Li Xue?'

He flicked his hand, knocking the expensive pen, worth over ten thousand yuan, from Li Xue's grasp.

He then whirled around and pointed at Qiao Canhua. "This contract was approved by Chairman Qiao and given to my father! Who the hell do you think you are, defying his orders?!"

"Give me the contract, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, I'll report you to Chairman Qiao and have you fired!"

The secretary at the side, seeing things were getting ugly, hurriedly waved at the managers in the audience, signaling for them to leave quickly.

They couldn't let them witness infighting among the executives.

Qiao Canhua chuckled. "Didn't you say you've met me? And that you drank thirty glasses of Maotai? How could you forget me so quickly?"

In truth, Lu Yi didn't even remember the details of his own bragging. He struggled to recall what he'd said, then suddenly, his whole body twitched.

Seeing that the moment was ripe, Qiao Canhua gestured to the employee beside him.

The employee announced in a dramatic tone, "Before you stands the Chairman of our Shengding Group, Mr. Qiao Canhua."

That one simple sentence sent Lu Yi into a full-body tremor. He was so shocked he didn't know which way was up.

"Ch-Ch-Ch... Mr. Qiao Canhua!" Lu Yi cried out. "I admire you so much! Everything I just said... that was all just nonsense! Please, you mustn't take it to heart!"

Qiao Canhua ignored Lu Yi. Instead, he pulled a pen worth 300,000 yuan from his pocket and offered it to Li Xue.

"President Li, please sign!"

Li Xue snapped out of her daze. Seeing Qiao Canhua offer her the pen, she didn't dare take it and hurriedly bent down to pick up her own.

But to her dismay, it had snapped in two and the ink had leaked out. Li Xue could only pick up the back half of the pen's barrel and sigh.