Zhan Yahui said, "Mrs. Shi, I don't think you understand what you are saying. CEO power is not a joke or a game we are playing. You are simplifying your daughter's situation more than it was and trying to throw me out using it as an excuse. In fact, there has been an increase in our share prices since I took over, isn't it?"
Shi Zhelan squinted her eyes.
"After all, I work at Dream High. Dream High's reputation and my own career success led people to have belief in this company," she smiled. "Otherwise ever since Shi Huan was out of the Summit, there hasn't been much activity to sustain this company's growth because you were only one sidedly focusing on your daughter.
But I have worked upon a number of areas that would only help the company to come out of its stall. And one such thing is to invite more writers to the company. To hire more staff to understand the different genres of writing and train the writers. To diversify our strengths and market. It will take a while for the company to come to even Sky's level but at least, we have taken the first step."
There were some tense whispers echoing in the room. It was true that the share prices and overall work environment was improving under Zhan Yahui's leadership. There were many gaps and bottlenecks in the company's policies that her command was beginning to fill.
She chuckled. "At least now, the employees here don't think that they are here only to serve your darling princess."
A loud bang resounded in the room with a furious Shi Zhelan flaring her nostrils. "Don't cross your limits, Zhan Yahui!"
"I am not crossing my limits. Unfortunately, you don't have any business sense. A company cannot stand on just one parameter. Shi Huan is talented, but she alone is not enough for this company to survive. This is not some simple villa or property that she is inheriting from you. It's a company and employees work here for their livelihood. If you want Shi Publishing to go anywhere, then it must set itself as a proper publishing company, not sort of a toyhouse for your heiress."
A deep and grim silence ensued which only satisfied Zhan Yahui. There was no way that after her speech, there left any chance of a shift in anybody's thoughts about her.
"Right, Mr. Yao?"
Yao Guo jolted by her sudden call. "Y-Yes, Miss. Zhan?"
Zhan Yahui frowned. "I asked if what I said was right?"
"T-That…" even with a strong air conditioning, he felt stifling and sweaty. "I think that…you being in this p-position will only bring a lot of friction…so…"
She froze. All the thoughts in her mind had come to a complete halt.
What the fuck is this man babbling?
"Yes, yes," another one quickly chimed in, "T-the company is indeed improving but Miss. Shi is still a great asset for this company…And it's true that you couldn't help her. You are indeed bringing new writers but until the company stabilizes, we have only Miss. Shi's talent to depend on, especially as someone who was chosen for the Author Summit's finale."
"She was working on a new novel, and its marketing and book sales could have brought a boost to our company. But she fell knee deep into the plagiarizing issue where taking her out of it was paramount. But…"
Someone from the far side commented. "You are right that it's time we bring in and focus on new resources and structure as well, but that's a future vision for us at present. Until that vision really takes shape, Miss. Shi's position as a writer in the industry is extremely important. If we had lost her, then there would have been no chance left for us to survive. Nobody would have liked to work in Shi Publishing anymore…"
"On top of that, there was the whole scandal with the head of the marketing department, Lu Bohai too. The scandal and losing Miss. Shi at once would have been devastating for us."
One shareholder sweated. "Yeah it's because CEO Liu proved her innocence that the people and market regained their faith in our company or else…"
Zhan Yahui couldn't believe that a bunch of oldies who never took an interest in the company were suddenly teaching her business and crisis sense. Her heart burned with an extreme loathe and fury.
Who the hell fed this nonsense into their tiny brains!?
Yao Guo looked away from her, clasping his hands together. "That's why…we-we all collectively think that you should step down as the CEO…"
Shi Zhelan was extremely pleased to hear the sentence she had been waiting for.
"It's of course great what you are doing for the company b-but…"
"It's equally embarrassing that a rival company's CEO had to help us out of this dire pinch instead of our own authority…"
"You…!"
She almost exclaimed in anger but forced herself to calm down.
Shi Zhelan sneered. "Just like I respected everybody's decision last time to support you, I think it's time for you to respect everybody's decision as well, don't you think?"
A deadly and violent storm brewed in her dark irises as she felt a surge of a killing intent swirling within her.
Shi Zhelan is a pathetic and useless woman! She is just a piece of crap who is blind in her daughter's love! It's impossible for someone like her to turn everybody's agreement in her favor like this.
No…She isn't the one to have brainwashed the people here against me? She can only scream and complain like shit.
Then who…Who the hell-
As if fate wanted her to get her answer, the sound of heels clicked outside the conference room's door. The knob turned sideways and a figure too familiar to Zhan Yahui stepped inside.
Standing before Zhan Yahui with 'her' shoulders straight and head held high, a voice greeted her with a pleasant smile on 'her' lips.
'Guiying' met her rattled gaze with her twinkling one. "Hello, my dear editor. How are you doing?"