Chapter 40: The Board of Directors (2)

"Rui, this project is indeed crucial for the company. If we can secure it, the future of Dongxing Group will be limitless. But if it proves impossible, don’t push yourself too hard. No matter what, Uncle Huang and the shareholders won’t blame you," the elder Mr. Huang said, his words impeccable and tactful, at least in Lin Fan’s eyes.

Before the middle-aged man had spoken, Lin Fan had noticed Mr. Huang deliberately nudging Xiang Wei’s leg under the table, after which Xiang Wei had exchanged a subtle glance with the middle-aged man. By now, Lin Fan understood: the target of this board meeting was Tang Rui, and he himself had been unwittingly dragged in, just to serve as a foil for her embarrassment. The way Mr. Huang affectionately called her “Rui” might fool outsiders into thinking they were close, but Lin Fan saw through it. Tang Rui was newly appointed, young, and naturally faced skepticism from the others. This whole affair was clearly orchestrated by this old fox to suppress Tang Rui’s standing on the board.

Indeed, Lin Fan’s guess was correct. Earlier that morning, Xiang Wei had planned to support Tang Rui at the board meeting if she agreed to be his girlfriend. Unexpectedly, she chose Lin Fan—a clueless simpleton in the business world. Naturally, Xiang Wei saw no reason to help her now; a few token words would suffice.

"Yes, exactly, there’s no need to worry, Rui. You’ve only just taken over; a few missteps are inevitable," Xiang Wei chimed in, echoing Mr. Huang.

At this point, Tang Rui realized the meeting was slipping from her control. Still, with Uncle Huang and her childhood friend in her corner, their words offered some comfort.

"Rest assured, I’ll do my utmost to secure this IBM order," Tang Rui addressed the room, though inwardly she could only smile wryly. How could she possibly succeed? But she couldn’t voice her doubts—she had to remember her role.

"If it weren’t for Grandpa, I’d never have taken over the group," she grumbled inwardly, indulging in a moment of childish complaint.

Lin Fan, observing Tang Rui’s face, shook his head privately. "This girl is too kind, too inexperienced in the ways of the world. She’s devoid of guile. They’re clearly playing good cop and bad cop, yet she still naively believes they mean well. She’d probably still count money for them even after being sold out."

"Ms. Tang, what we need is not your best effort, but certainty. We hope you won’t disappoint us," another middle-aged man stood and spoke.

Tang Rui was momentarily stunned. No matter what she said today, someone would pick holes in her words. She was a Harvard graduate, her business acumen second to none, lacking only some experience in dealing with people. That didn’t mean she was oblivious; at the very least, she had noticed that aside from Mr. Huang and Xiang Wei, everyone seemed to be against her.

Then again, she could understand why. With no work experience, inheriting Dongxing Group thanks to her grandfather’s connections, it was inevitable others would resent her. But even so, the hostility seemed excessive.

"Everyone, quiet down. I believe Rui will not let us down," Mr. Huang gestured for calm, and silence fell over the conference room. Clearly, he enjoyed significant authority on the board.

"Exactly. I believe Rui can do it. Besides, there’s Mr. Lin. I’m sure if the need arises, he won’t just sit idly by," Xiang Wei added, his gaze at Lin Fan full of challenge and a trace of smugness.

In his view, no matter what Tang Rui did, she could never overcome the hurdle awaiting her tomorrow. As for Lin Fan, a frivolous playboy clueless about business—how could he possibly help? Even with the Shentian Group behind him, it was unlikely he could solve this problem in such a short time.

With Xiang Wei’s words, many board members turned to look at Lin Fan, clearly waiting for his response. Lin Fan’s lips curled into a faint smile. Rising to his feet, he said, "As Rui’s boyfriend, I’ll do everything I can to help her. Anything is possible—please rest assured. Tomorrow, we’ll have the proposal ready on time and sign the contract with IBM."

With that, he took Tang Rui’s arm and gave her an encouraging look.

Lin Fan knew Tang Rui needed a strong shoulder to lean on at this moment. Besides, since his own sister was so close to her, he had every reason to help.

Tang Rui felt uneasy as Xiang Wei dragged Lin Fan into the fray, and even more so when Lin Fan suddenly took her arm. But seeing his reassuring gaze, her confidence was rekindled. "Everyone, please rest assured. I will not let Grandfather down," she said, turning to smile at Lin Fan as well.

Although there remained a crucial part of the software system yet to be solved, Lin Fan’s words had undoubtedly bolstered Tang Rui’s confidence. Indeed, until the very end, anything was possible.

Xiang Wei, witnessing this, seethed inwardly with resentment toward Lin Fan. If not for him, he might already be the Tang family’s son-in-law. Years ago, Xiang Wei’s father had followed Tang Rui’s grandfather in building their business empire. Without his father’s contributions, Dongxing Group would never have reached its current scale. Sadly, his father died young, so Xiang Wei inherited the mantle, rising quickly to a senior position. Tang Rui’s grandfather had even hinted at marrying her to Xiang Wei.

Now that Tang Rui invoked her grandfather, most of the others fell silent. After all, her grandfather’s prestige in the company was unsurpassed. Though it appeared he had handed the business to Tang Rui, he was still quietly monitoring everything behind the scenes.

This old man is no ordinary figure, Lin Fan mused. The moment Tang Rui invoked his name, the board grew quiet. It was precisely because he was her grandfather that they didn’t dare openly oppose her, resorting instead to these tactics to undermine her authority. After all, if a general manager repeatedly lost orders and damaged the company’s reputation, it wouldn’t take long before she was ousted. Still, Lin Fan wondered: if Tang Rui’s grandfather wielded such influence, why didn’t he step in to help her?

"All right, all right. Let’s leave this matter to Rui. Everyone is dismissed," Mr. Huang finally concluded, rising to his feet.