Chapter 283 - 207: The Shadow is Crooked

After the regional head, Zhang Chun, gave his approval, it still needed to go through the headquarters’ Head of Operations, Head of Investment, the Group’s CFO, and the Group’s CEO.

President Zhang figured that any of the leaders down the line would likely reject it. At their level, they wouldn’t risk being questioned over a small, local client, especially one with no connections.

But what did he see? The Head of Operations, the Head of Investment, and the CFO had all signed off and approved it.

’What the hell? It’s one thing for the Head of Operations and Head of Investment to agree, but the CFO too? I heard that guy is always railing against the CEO in board meetings over the group’s profits. How could he be so shameless? How could he approve terms that so obviously hurt the company’s bottom line? You leaders are always demanding that we guard every checkpoint, but what the hell are you all doing yourselves?’

He suddenly found himself looking forward to the CEO’s response. That was the final hurdle. If he also agreed—

As he was thinking, he refreshed the page. The next second—fuck, FUCK!

He accidentally knocked over the cup of boiling water he had just poured. It splashed onto his pants, scalding him so badly that he jumped up and hopped around, grimacing in pain. His junk was in for a world of hurt.

’Yanghe Commerce is incredible. Yang Hui is a real powerhouse. This outcome can only mean one thing: the top brass tacitly approved these terms. But who was the one who pulled the strings? Could it be President Tian? He’s high-ranking and powerful, but he doesn’t really have the ear of the CEO or the other headquarters leaders, does he? Could it be... President Zhang Chun?’

At this thought, President Zhang’s expression turned serious. He immediately sent a message to Yang Hui: "President Yang, the commercial terms have completed the approval process. I’ll notify the region right away so we can proceed with signing the contract. Also, when do you have some free time, President Yang? Please come visit us at Sanyang and give me the opportunity to buy you a few drinks."

Yang Hui glanced at his phone. Many parents were starting to enter the school. He replied to President Zhang: "Okay, thanks."

It was a perfunctory reply, but President Zhang thought it was perfectly natural. Why would someone like President Yang have time for a manager at his level? The fact that these commercial terms were approved was enough to prove how fucking incredible Yanghe Commerce and Yang Hui were. From now on, anything Yang Hui needed from him would be his top priority.

Just then, he thought of Zhao Rui and the regional President Zhao. A line from the Chairman’s poetry suddenly came to mind—"How can a mayfly shake a great tree?"

Zhao Rui’s earlier confidence now seemed like a clown’s farce in the face of true power. President Zhao was probably beside herself with anxiety right now, he figured.

He wasn’t wrong. At that very moment, Zhao Rui was holed up in a small conference room, getting an earful from President Zhao. President Zhao was furious. For the commercial terms to be approved like this could only mean the case had been sanctioned by the top bosses. She figured someone at least at President Zhang Chun’s level must have been the one to pull the strings.

Hadn’t her nephew made her offend people for nothing? What’s more, she had likely displeased both President Zhang Chun and President Tian. Although she had framed her actions as being for the good of the company, and they wouldn’t go so far as to retaliate, she would probably never get into President Zhang Chun’s good graces now. Her path to future promotion was completely blocked.

Not unless Zhang Chun retired or was transferred. But in the corporate world, every opportunity was precious, especially at her level. She couldn’t afford to waste time.

Zhao Rui’s face was beet red. On one hand, he was being mercilessly chewed out by his aunt. On the other, he was seething with resentment, wondering how Yang Hui had so much pull that he could influence headquarters to approve the terms. Then he thought of all the bullshit he had bragged to Han Chao, and how he’d repeated those same boasts to President Zhang—so decisively, so forcefully.

Now, President Zhang was probably laughing at him. All thunder and no rain. He thought he was bringing the thunder, but it turned out to be nothing more than a silent fart.

Suddenly, he heard someone on his aunt’s end of the line call out, "President Zhao, President Zhao."

Then he heard his aunt turn and greet someone: "President Liu." She then said to Zhao Rui, "From now on, just do your own job. Don’t think about things you’re not supposed to. Otherwise, I’ll recommend the store transfer you to the logistics department."

President Zhao hung up the phone and looked at the gloomy-faced President Liu. He was the one who had signed "disapprove" right after she did on the OA system for the commercial terms. President Zhao knew why he was so dejected. She might have offended President Zhang Chun or President Tian because she listened to her nephew, but he was pure collateral damage, simply influenced by her signature.

"President Liu, it’s alright," she said. "We were just acting in the company’s best interest. It wasn’t personal. There’s no need to be so worried."

She was both consoling him and making excuses for herself, afraid that President Liu would think she was targeting someone and that he had been screwed over by her.

President Liu gave a bitter smile. "Some things... you can’t just say you were acting in the company’s interest and it wasn’t personal, and expect others to believe you. What’s more terrifying is that the leaders will never give us a chance to explain. Once they’ve made up their minds about you, they might not do anything on the surface, but they’ll find ways to make our lives difficult on other matters down the line."

President Zhao knew this all too well; it was the very reason she had just been yelling at Zhao Rui. She could only force a smile and say, "It’s fine. ’An upright man fears no crooked shadows.’ When we get a chance to report to President Zhang Chun in the future, we can just pretend to casually explain the situation."

President Liu still looked terrible. He glanced outside, got up to shut the office door tightly, then returned and said in a low voice, "The key is, the shadow really *is* crooked now. I heard from someone at headquarters that the CEO’s inbox recently received an anonymous tip—an accusation that in the Xinyue Group’s Qingjiang Region’s partnership with Yanghe Commerce, there was abuse of power for personal gain, illicit dealings, and embezzlement, resulting in Yanghe Commerce being given the best location for an extremely low rate of 6%."