Chapter 93: Stirring Up Trouble

Mu Lin couldn't help but see corporate governance in a new light.

The higher-ups are easy enough; it's the petty tyrants you have to watch out for.

Especially when these petty tyrants held real power. A little stunt from them could leave you scrambling for ages.

It was no wonder Li Xue looked so utterly defeated.

The money problem was solved, but plenty of other issues were still sitting on the table, completely stuck.

She walked forward and shouted to the employees, "Everyone, don't be fooled! Don't resign! The company is in great shape right now. We just secured a huge round of financing."

The employees merely glanced at her, unmoved, and stayed in line.

"You're the president, of course you'd say that! You want us to stick around and go bankrupt with you? You're still rich, but I won't be able to put food on the table."

"But this salary is ridiculously low! How could Director Sun do something so shady?" Li Xue said.

"The company's liabilities exceed its assets. Getting a little something is better than nothing. Director Sun said he's voluntarily suspending his own pay for half a year. If the company were doing well, would he have to suspend his pay?"

'He just spouts some nonsense and you all believe it.'

Li Xue walked to the doorway. With a casual nudge, Mu Lin pushed aside someone in the line to let her through.

Director Sun was sitting primly at his desk, processing paperwork for the employees. Beside him, a young secretary was busy processing transfers on her computer.

"Director Sun, you're so considerate of our colleagues! So worried they won't get paid that you trick them into resigning early."

Li Xue's voice was calm.

'Getting angry at one of Lu Yi's dogs is useless.'

When Director Sun saw Li Xue, he scrambled to his feet.

"Everyone, just a moment. I need to use this precious time before the end of the day to welcome President Li."

At his words, the employees anxiously waiting to resign turned to glare at Li Xue with resentment.

They couldn't process resignations after hours, so every second was precious.

'Does Li Xue want to drag us all down with her sinking ship?'

Li Xue felt the pressure mounting. The piercing glares were almost too much to bear.

Mu Lin quickly stepped in front of Li Xue, drawing some of the glares himself.

"Everyone, President Li is looking out for you! If you resign today, you will definitely regret it."

"Mu Lin, you're from that useless team! With Li Xue protecting you, of course your salary is safe! It's different for us! If you don't get it, then get the hell out of our way!"

"If I weren't so busy waiting in this line, the first thing I'd do is beat the crap out of you!"

Speechless...

Utterly speechless.

Mu Lin wondered if it was worth putting up with this kind of abuse.

'Maybe it would be better to just let them all quit. We could start from scratch and recruit a new team.'

'But that would be too disruptive. The team would have to be built from the ground up, and with a pile of projects about to launch, we need a lot of people right now.'

'There's no time to train a new team from scratch.'

'So we have to keep these people.'

Mu Lin said, "Don't you know? A major figure just invested in the company. It happened just a moment ago."

"Stop lying!"

"You're dreaming! If the company was getting an investment, why would the bank be here demanding repayment? You think the bank is just a glorified seat-warmer for some big shot?"

Mu Lin paused, thinking for a moment. "Maybe they are. The bank leaves, and the investor arrives right after. It's possible they're connected."

A roar of laughter erupted from the employees. It was just too ridiculous.

"You've been spinning this lie for so long you've started to believe it yourself!"

"What big shot? We didn't see anyone."

Mu Lin did a quick mental calculation. This area was far from the conference room and the main exit. It wasn't on the main path, so it was true they wouldn't have seen Zhu Qiyu coming or going.

Director Sun stood up and chuckled. "Vice Team Leader Mu tells a very interesting story! It should be enough to console our spiritually weakened President Li."

"But we need to eat, not be consoled!"

His words ratcheted up the tension in the room.

Mu Lin glanced at Director Sun. 'He's really mastered the art of manipulating people.'

With that one statement, everything Mu Lin and Li Xue had said was rendered meaningless.

Mu Lin's mind raced for a second. "President Li, didn't your secretary take photos during the signing? They should be on the Group's cloud drive by now, right?"

Li Xue's eyes lit up. That was it! Seeing is believing!

She immediately pulled out her phone and found the photo. "See for yourselves! This picture is real, isn't it? The man signing the contract with me... you've definitely seen him in the news!"

"Hey... isn't that Zhu Qiyu? The genius investor? What's he doing at the Li Group?"

Li Xue's eyes flashed as she spoke, her voice cold. "I've been trying to tell you. He invested in our company. He injected a huge amount of capital. After paying off the bank loans, we still have over a billion yuan left in our accounts—more than enough to get our projects running at full capacity."

"Your workloads will be heavier than before, and your performance bonuses will be higher to match."

"Only someone with ulterior motives would lie and tell you the company was in trouble, tricking you into resigning just so he could disrupt our operations and serve his master."

"Isn't that right, Director Sun?"

A muscle in Director Sun's cheek twitched. He forced a dry laugh.

"President Li, you're exaggerating. I was just trying to help my colleagues get their final paychecks! See? I even suspended my own salary to help the company weather this storm."

"But now that the company is fine, it's a happy ending for everyone!"

Li Xue said, "I'm sorry, but it's not a happy ending for everyone. Just for everyone *except* you."

"Director Sun, you're fired!"

Li Xue pointed to the young secretary beside him. "You're the acting Director of Human Resources. Your salary is doubled for the month. I'll find a permanent replacement to take over as soon as I can."

The young secretary was delighted. The HR Director's job was actually pretty cushy; the most difficult part was poaching talent from other companies.

But Li Xue would never let a novice like her handle headhunting. This was just a temporary appointment, probably for things like greeting clients.

Getting a whole extra month's salary for free was like a gift from heaven.

"Your first task is to call every employee who resigned today. Inform them that their resignation is void and that they are to report to work as usual tomorrow. I need you to finish this before the end of the day."

Former Director Sun Qian's expression turned ugly.

He had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot. Not only had he failed Lu Yi's mission to force a mass resignation at the Li Group, but he'd also lost his own job in the process.

The Lu Family had lost another key position within the Li Group. Interfering with the company's operations in the future would be that much harder.

"The pay they've already received can be considered a bonus. Issue the same bonus to all employees."

The employees who heard this couldn't hide the excited smiles spreading across their faces.

A free bonus out of nowhere. How awesome was that?

It was also an indirect display of just how flush with cash the Li Group was now.

Shelling out tens of millions for bonuses was clearly no problem at all.

Many people's anxieties were immediately put to rest.

Some of the more outspoken ones began to cheer on the spot.

"Long live President Li!"

Li Xue smiled faintly and walked out of the HR office, surrounded by the now-cheering employees.

Only Former Director Sun Qian was left behind, wallowing in self-pity.

Mu Lin stepped forward. "Director Sun, you'd better pack your things. I'll see you out."

Director Sun sneered and pointed at the door. "Get the hell out. I'll leave on my own when I'm done packing!"

Mu Lin had no choice but to turn and leave.

In the distance, he could see that the recruitment booth across the street had been smashed by the furious employees.

'Serves them right.'

Back in the Special Projects office, Mu Lin saw Chen Xi, Zhou Yu, and Sun Lele sitting quietly at their desks. Everyone else was gone.

"Where is everyone?" Mu Lin asked. "Didn't I tell you guys not to leave?"

'Actually, Chen Xi and the others must have snuck out to see what was happening,' Mu Lin thought. 'Otherwise, there's no way they'd be this calm.'

Chen Xi sighed. "They're gone. They all resigned."

"The moment their parents left the board, they were told to resign... It's a... you know? It's a terrible feeling. They studied up on so much material, and they really wanted to make their mark on the company."

"But because of their parents, they never got the chance..."

"But, it doesn't matter now, I guess."

Mu Lin knew this group of rich kids had all grown up together. No matter how their parents bickered, their own bonds ran deep.

Being forced to part ways like this was a painful blow for them.

Chen Xi stood up, pulled open his desk drawer, and started putting its contents into a tote bag.

Mu Lin frowned. Chen Xi wasn't usually the type to keep his desk tidy.

"What are you doing?"

The moment Mu Lin asked, Zhou Yu burst out crying.

Mu Lin was completely baffled. 'What is with her?'