New Person in Charge, Miss Gu Yi

Five days later.

The "Serpent Coil" held its board of directors meeting every month, consuming a precious half-day of everyone's lives.

This was because they all understood that such meetings were largely pointless, filled with empty phrases like "don't... do... vigorously... deeply... also... highly... accelerate... explore... persist... grasp firmly... strive..."

Real decisions were mostly made under the table – over the years, the shareholders had formed their own factions, and their connections were already unwritten rules.

So, when the well-dressed old men gathered, they weren't thinking about anything serious.

This made them somewhat surprised when they saw Xu Shi push open the door.

Why was he here?

After the former Chairman Xu Cheng passed away, Xu Shi had taken over the position more than two years ago.

But he had never managed the conglomerate's affairs before, and had never even shown his face at these meetings, with Su Lin always "conveying his regards."

So, had he taken the wrong medicine today?

"What, you've never seen me before?"

Xu Shi let out a scoff, walked to his seat as if it were his own, and said, "What are you all looking at me for? Sit down."

"...Hahaha, exactly, sit down, sit down quickly."

The middle-aged man with a head full of white hair on his right reacted first, laughing it off, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards Xu Shi.

Xu Shi naturally noticed his subtle action.

Lin Wenhua, his father Xu Cheng's sworn brother, and a veteran of the conglomerate.

He was also the largest shareholder with the most controlling stake on the board besides Xu Shi himself.

In the past, Xu Shi had no particular feelings about him, good or bad, and would call him Uncle Lin respectfully when they met.

But things were different now... He knew that before his father's death, Lin Wenhua had been eyeing the chairman's position, had been forming factions in private, and had gathered many followers.

Jiang Fengshan from the engineering department was this guy's number one supporter.

It was the same in the original timeline; Lin Wenhua's main activity was to cause trouble for the original Xu Shi.

Even though Xu Shi wasn't involved, the diligent Su Lin was always hindered by him, delaying many avoidable matters.

If it were just that, it would be one thing, but what was most infuriating was that in the later stages of the plot, sensing the shift in power, this guy actually defected to Shen He with the conglomerate's core secrets, undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire of "Serpent Coil's" downfall.

His disloyalty was blatant, identifying him as a talent of the "Xiang Bo" type.

Although he didn't meet a good end because of it, Xu Shi couldn't accept such behavior.

And to have absolute authority on the board, it was definitely necessary to completely eliminate such existences.

Honestly, why hadn't he noticed how annoying this guy looked before?

However, it wasn't time to completely fall out yet. Lin Wenhua's foundation within the conglomerate was more stable than his, and Xu Shi would be the one at a disadvantage.

So, Xu Shi just smiled at his curious gaze.

Soon, all personnel arrived, and the meeting officially began.

Just as Xu Shi had expected, the seemingly lively speeches were actually devoid of substance, making his eyelids feel heavy.

It was like a high school math class, always magically capable of inducing a deep, infant-like sleep.

As expected, it was the right decision not to come before.

But he still patiently listened to everyone's speeches before speaking at his own pace.

"Everything everyone has said is very true, and I agree wholeheartedly."

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to announce a personnel change within the conglomerate."

"...Hm?"

As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him in unison.

A personnel change?

What personnel change?

They hadn't heard anything about this before?

"Speaking of which, isn't this Chairman Xu's first time attending a board meeting?"

Lin Wenhua paused, then smiled and replied, "If it's just a regular employee joining, there's no need to mention it here; you can make that decision yourself."

"Of course, it's not that simple."

Xu Shi shook his head and gave Su Lin a look.

She understood immediately and transmitted a document to the screen in front of everyone present.

"After deliberation by the human resources department, it has been decided to relieve Xu Anbang, the current director of the conglomerate's Network Security Technology Department, of his original duties and reassign him as a regular staff member."

!

"...On what grounds?"

Upon hearing this news, the bald man sitting at the end of the row couldn't stay seated and shouted, raising his voice.

"Chairman Xu, what did I do wrong to have my position suddenly revoked?"

"Don't you know yourself what you did wrong?"

Xu Shi looked at him calmly. "Director Xu, you should still remember the hacker attack two weeks ago, right? Do you honestly think you are still qualified to hold this position?"

Xu Anbang was silenced by his words.

Indeed.

The technical department was his domain, but when faced with the fierce hacker intrusion back then, he was helpless.

If he hadn't received news that the problem was resolved later, who knows how long he would have been troubled.

"You can't even handle a hacker attack orchestrated by the Sin City gangs, and you have the nerve to ask me why?"

Xu Shi continued, tapping his fingers on the table. "Do you know how serious the consequences would have been if I hadn't personally stepped in to resolve this matter?"

"They were targeting the transaction between the conglomerate and 'Prism'... If they had succeeded, who would have borne the loss of thirty million credit points?"

Upon hearing this, the others also began to ponder.

They were all aware of the attack, and they had all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they heard it was resolved without major incident.

But looking back, Xu Anbang's culpability was still significant.

After all, if the transaction failed, it was their interests as shareholders that would have been harmed.

"...Alright, I admit I fell short in that matter, but are you really going to dismiss me based on this alone?"

Xu Anbang felt a little guilty but still retorted defiantly, "Besides, if you dismiss me, who do you plan to find to take over, Chairman Xu?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Xu Shi smiled. "However, I also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce everyone to the new head of the technical department, Miss Gu Yi."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Lin walked in with Gu Yi.

This undoubtedly made everyone stare in disbelief.

That's it?

Just this young girl?

She doesn't look like much... Has she even reached adulthood?

Miss Black Rabbit was actually nineteen years old, but her development was indeed a bit stunted, making her appear much younger than her actual age.

She herself looked extremely nervous and apprehensive, indicating that her long periods of solitude had made her unaccustomed to environments with many people.

"Is she the successor Chairman Xu found?"

Xu Anbang was even more unconvinced. "What are her advantages... Or has Chairman Xu developed a new taste recently?"

He instinctively felt that this little girl had likely charmed Xu Shi in some way, given his personality.

"Her advantages far outweigh yours."

Xu Shi sneered. "In fact, Miss Gu Yi also participated in the previous intrusion incident... As the intruder, she managed to hack into the database and obtain what she wanted in less than an hour."

"Of course, through our good communication, she also voluntarily chose to join 'Serpent Coil'."

"Furthermore, Miss Gu Yi also made significant contributions to the recent security system upgrade and the operation to clear out the Sin City electronic kidnappers."

"Given such outstanding performance, I intend to promote her exceptionally to take your place."

Xu Anbang's mouth opened, but he couldn't utter a word.

He found it hard to believe... He had only heard bits and pieces about the technical department's recent affairs; he didn't truly understand them.

After all, Xu Shi had never discussed these matters with him.

"...But she's a thief! Are you going to let a criminal who once infiltrated the company be the head of the technical department, Chairman Xu?"

This made it even harder for him to accept the reality. "With someone like that in charge of the technical department, who can feel at ease?"

"I feel even less at ease with a good-for-nothing like you in charge."

Xu Shi looked at him and said earnestly, "I value her abilities... As for whether she has a criminal record, that's just a matter of a word from the Inspection Bureau, isn't it?"

"So, can we proceed with the vote now?"

"Everyone!"

Seeing the hesitant expressions on the faces of those around him, Xu Anbang felt a sense of foreboding.

The reality was that no matter how friendly they seemed on normal days, when their own interests were at stake, these guys wouldn't show any mercy.

Relying on them was hopeless... He could only cast a pleading glance towards Lin Wenhua, who was frowning.

He had chosen his side a long time ago, and if that person intended to protect him, there was still hope.

However, to his surprise, after a moment of hesitation, Lin Wenhua was the first to raise his hand.

"I agree with this decision."