"You can take the car to the meeting later on. Catch some sleep in the car," he told her. She smiled brilliantly and trotted behind him.
"Young Master Mo really knows how to pamper his wife!" he called after her. He tucked his head and opened the door for her.
"Don't spew rubbish," he said lightly. She snickered until they were out of the garage and driving to the office.
- - - - -
The conference looked like a funeral service when Qian Meng entered. Eyes followed her as she walked over to Mr. Bai.
"You arrived early," he whispered as she bent over to talk to him. He was seated and to get up and greet a girl half his age would make it difficult for Qian Meng to remain inconspicuous during most of the meeting.
Qian Meng was sure that most of the people had no idea that Mr. Bai had sold off his shares and only retained some control over the workings of the company. Qian Meng was rather satisfied to be the secret boss of all these people. She had power over them.
Now, it would be fun to see who was on Mr. Bai's side and who was lurking behind Bai Ye Qing for their own gain. For the majority shareholder to know who was hell-bent on dragging the company down was a boon, and her strategy was spying and secrecy.
"Yeah. I cleared up my schedule for the board meeting. Just spoke to the executives and ran over to sit in," Qian Meng smiled politely.
"The speaker of the board will be making the motion. Just look around and see who says what in the beginning. You can give your input later on if you think things are not going your way," Bai Yu told her with a fatherly lilt.
"Don't worry. I know I have ultimate voting right, but I want to see how the play pans out. I never pass up on seeing what cards the enemy holds." She grinned.
Bai Yu patted her hand. "You're right. I haven't been able to take full control despite majority share. You are a much better controller than I am. I will leave the rest to you." He sighed.
He looked much older than the last time Qian Meng had seen him. He probably was being unable to get rest at home because of Chen Yue, his wife. Moreover, the constant worry about his wayward son should have been weighing heavy on his mind, as well.
"I'll talk to you after the meeting ends," she whispered and looked around the room. The older gentlemen all stared at the fresh face. She could see the curiosity clearly on their faces.
Who had sold part of their shares to get a new person in the boardroom? From the looks of it, a confident woman like this should be a businesswoman who knew her way around.
But at such young an age… she probably was a marginal shareholder with one percent or less stake in the company.
How wrong they were.
Age was not a determining factor in everything.
Executives, speakers, lobbyists from all departments filled in, as did secretaries. Only Bai Ye Qing was missing in action.
Qian Meng surreptitiously looked at her watch and scoffed. He really knew how to put on a show. Waiting until the last minute to enter the room. Did he think by being late he would make the other group panic or feel relieved?
Then he would swoop in and win the argument? How delusional.
"Is he really not going to come?" One of the gruff looking elderly men beside her spoke. "He was a wilful child from childhood, but I really thought he was a good addition to the company. Who better to take the helm than one's own kin, right?" he laughed nervously.
Qian Meng listened without emotion.
"But you saw he was gallivanting around. It's not good for the company's reputation," someone else chimed in.
The first gentleman scoffed. "Which of the rich young masters in our country isn't indulging a little. We were born in turbulent times and crawled up the social ladder to get money for our retirement days. But the next generation is living in prosperous times. Why should they work so hard?" he questioned.
"It's true that our kids are living good lives, but overindulgence is also not good," someone said in a low but unconfident voice.
Qian Meng glanced over and made note of their faces. She would have to see how they reacted when the motion was made.
A hum fell over the room. It was time to begin the meeting.
The speaker came to the central stage, taking the microphone and looking around the room.
"Thank you for attending the board meeting this afternoon. We know that this was done on short notice. As per the guidelines of the meeting, I will be taking attendance of sitting board members, shareholders, and executive staff. If the attendance is over eighty percent of total listed members, we will continue with the meeting," he announced.
The man glanced towards Mr. Bai and Qian Meng recognized it as a sign of approval. The speaker was someone on Bai Yu's side, which was ultimately a good thing.
He looked impartial but the way he looked around the room hinted at his bias.
Qian Meng took note of this and started to plot how the scenario would play out.
The earlier man who had boisterously commented about the youth of the current times spoke up. "Director Bai Ye Qing has not arrived yet. We shouldn't be starting without him, should we?" he asked.
The speaker looked at him and shook his head. "Sir, according to the rule book, the attendance needs to be taken with or without the presence of the offending party. Moreover, his absence will result in his immediate termination." The underlying meaning was: if you bring this up again, Bai Ye Qing will not walk in the company ever again.