Chapter 39: The Board of Directors (1)

“It’s fine, just sit next to me at the board meeting and try not to speak much,” Tang Rui looked up at Lin Fan and said. Since Lin Fan had already agreed to Xiang Wei’s request, Tang Rui couldn’t very well ask him not to attend.

Immediately after, Tang Rui made another call. Soon, a woman in professional attire knocked on the door and entered, saying, “President Tang, here is the information you requested. Our software development is down to the final hurdle. If nothing unexpected happens, we will definitely secure IBM’s order on the scheduled date, which is the day after tomorrow.”

“IBM? Is it that IBM, one of the world’s top twenty companies specializing in software development?” Lin Fan leaned back in his chair and asked.

The assistant glanced at Lin Fan and nodded gently. He responded with a polite smile. Tang Rui, however, looked at Lin Fan in surprise, clearly not expecting him to know about IBM.

She had heard from Lin Yan that Lin Fan never concerned himself with Zhentian Group’s affairs and was utterly clueless in business matters. Now, not only did Lin Fan know about IBM, but he seemed quite familiar with it, which naturally piqued Tang Rui’s curiosity. In truth, Tang Rui had no idea that Lin Yan’s understanding of Lin Fan was limited. Moreover, Lin Yan wanted Lin Fan to spend more time with Tang Rui to foster their relationship, so she painted him as a “business idiot.” If Lin Fan knew how Lin Yan described him in front of beautiful women, he probably wouldn’t be sitting so calmly in his chair now.

Tang Rui flipped through the documents and asked, “What if the timeline is shortened, say to tomorrow?”

The assistant was momentarily stunned, clearly unsure why Tang Rui would ask this, since the company had already set the delivery date for the day after tomorrow. But as an assistant, she knew what to ask and what not to ask. Since her boss raised the question, she could only answer honestly, “Though it’s just one day earlier, with our current capabilities, it seems nearly impossible to meet that deadline.”

Tang Rui organized the documents and handed them back to the assistant, then looked at Lin Fan, saying, “Let’s go, time for the meeting.” She strode toward the conference room, and the assistant quickly followed with the materials.

Lin Fan understood that Tang Rui’s question must have had a reason. If his guess was right, this board meeting would be about IBM. With that in mind, he hurried after them.

The conference room was large, and from a distance, various discussions could be heard, mostly about the collaboration between Dongxing Group and IBM. This confirmed Lin Fan’s suspicions. Since Xiang Wei had invited him to the meeting, it was clear the situation wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

At the door, the assistant dutifully opened it for Tang Rui. After she entered, Lin Fan followed closely.

As soon as Tang Rui walked in, the discussions ceased, and all eyes turned to her, though most gazes landed on Lin Fan behind her, clearly uncertain about his identity.

“Rui’er, who is this?” asked an elderly man seated near the front.

“Uncle Huang, he is…” Tang Rui had just begun when Xiang Wei stood up, addressing everyone with a smile, “Allow me to introduce him. This is the younger brother of Zhentian Group’s President Lin, and now Rui’er’s boyfriend.” Xiang Wei emphasized the word “boyfriend,” giving Lin Fan an uneasy feeling, as if he had been drawn into a conflict.

Sure enough, many people looked at Lin Fan with unfriendly eyes. They all knew Rui’er’s future husband was supposed to be the true owner of Dongxing Group. Though Lin Fan was currently only her boyfriend, who could say he wouldn’t become more? Most of them regarded him with hostility, while a few merely glanced at him before returning to their tea, indifferent to the outside world.

Tang Rui was a bit displeased that Xiang Wei introduced Lin Fan so publicly, but she knew it wasn’t his fault, nor did she have reason to blame him. She had already tacitly accepted Lin Fan as her boyfriend in the office earlier, and Xiang Wei merely stated the truth. However, Lin Fan saw it differently. He had observed everyone’s reactions and could only smile wryly to himself: “Looks like I’ve stumbled into a trap.”

After Xiang Wei finished his introduction, the elderly man Tang Rui had called Uncle Huang paused and said, “Since he is Rui’er’s boyfriend and President Lin’s brother, let him sit with us.”

Lin Fan was surprised at his sister’s renown in the business world, inwardly murmuring, and then smiled politely and took the seat beside Tang Rui.

“Uncle Huang, let’s begin the meeting,” Tang Rui said, obviously showing respect to the old gentleman, even announcing the meeting to him first. This elder was no ordinary figure—he had once helped Tang Rui’s grandfather build the empire and, at fifty-nine, had not yet retired from the group.

Xiang Wei cast a sidelong glance at Lin Fan, clearly displeased with his seat but unable to object, and then said, “Elder Huang, since we’re starting, please brief us on the cooperation between IBM and Dongxing Group, so everyone can be prepared.”

“Here’s the situation. Yesterday, I met with the president of IBM’s Asia division. She said the schedule will be moved up to tomorrow,” Elder Huang addressed the crowd slowly.

Tang Rui was evidently aware of this, so she was not surprised, but her assistant was clearly anxious. For Dongxing Group, this was nearly impossible to accomplish. Though Dongxing was a nationally renowned enterprise with global standing, every company faces difficulties in its growth, and Dongxing was no exception.

“Uncle Huang, could you contact IBM again and ask if they might delay the schedule, just by one day?” Tang Rui asked in a conciliatory tone.

“President Tang, you must understand that IBM is among the world’s top hundred companies. A partnership with them would be ideal, but if we postpone, they will surely abandon the collaboration. That would damage Dongxing Group’s reputation. Besides, you’ve just taken office—losing such a major order right away would not be good,” said a middle-aged man seated in the center, cutting straight to the point.

After he spoke, many board members began to echo him, murmuring among themselves. Most felt Tang Rui was too young and perhaps not suited for the general manager’s position.