You're overdoing it, President Xia

Xia Qinghe tapped the table. Secretary Su took the hint and pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase, distributing them until every executive present had a copy.

Without needing a signal from Xia Qinghe, everyone lowered their heads to read.

The document was an official notice suspending the Lanhai Bay project. It stated clearly that the project had been suspended because endangered species had appeared in the Lanhai Bay wetlands.

"President Feng, don't tell us you haven't received this document?"

"Exactly. If the authorities dared to do this, they must have solid evidence that endangered species were discovered in Lanhai Bay. Otherwise, they wouldn't have issued an official directive."

Feng Chuyue feared Xia Qinghe, but he certainly didn't fear these managers under him. A vicious glint lurked in his narrow eyes as he slowly swept his gaze around the room. Those who had just questioned him, along with those who had bristled with indignation after reading the document, shrank back like quails.

Feng Chuyue sneered inwardly. A bunch of fucking idiots. You think you can walk all over me just because you've got that rabid dog Xia Qinghe backing you up? Hmph. Once he's gone, you'll see how I deal with you.

Xia Qinghe had been watching Feng Chuyue the whole time. He hadn't expected him to be so brazen, still daring to act this arrogantly right under his nose. Who had given him that confidence? Xia Weiting, working a sewing machine in prison?

"All right, you've got the document. You'd better come up with a workable compromise by tomorrow morning."

"President Feng, if this project remains suspended, you'll cover the losses incurred in the meantime. I just wonder whether that little shareholding of yours can withstand it."

"Of course, if you can deal with this promptly and get the project moving on schedule, we'll let bygones be bygones. I won't hold the past against you. If you can't, your time as general manager is over."

Feng Chuyue looked ashen, but still tried to struggle. "President Xia, rest assured. I'll actively call on every connection I have and get this handled beautifully."

"All right. Since you've said that, I'll give you one more chance. Resolve this within seven days, and I'll treat it as though it never happened."

Xia Qinghe pressed the long-extinguished cigarette in his hand, bent out of shape from slapping someone with it, into the ashtray on the table and stood up. "See you tomorrow."

Everyone rose to see Xia Qinghe and his team off, then exchanged looks.

President Xia had said "see you tomorrow," not "meeting adjourned." And he'd said he wanted to see a feasible proposal tomorrow.

Everyone's gaze shifted from the door to Feng Chuyue. He was the one who had guaranteed he'd actively call on every connection and handle this beautifully. Surely he wasn't expecting them to come up with ideas for him?

Feng Chuyue slapped his fat hand on the table, his piggish arrogance soaring. "What are you looking at? Get to work on those proposals! If I don't see a good solution before President Xia arrives tomorrow, you'll all be in for it."

With that, he stormed out.

Once he was gone, the cold, oppressive atmosphere in the conference room finally cleared.

"Fuck. I only came to this subsidiary because of Xia Corporation's reputation, and I ended up working under a pig."

"Enough. Let's hurry up and think of something."

"What else can we do? This is an official directive. The only way to overturn it is to find another team of experts to reassess whether there are endangered species in those wetlands."

"Endangered species, my ass. How many years has Lanhai City been urbanizing? A few years back, they brought in loads of chemical plants to boost GDP. Who knows how much industrial wastewater they've discharged into those wetlands? No living creature would be stupid enough to settle there. That wouldn't be living-it'd be a struggle for survival."

"Everyone knows you can smell the stench from those wetlands a long way off. They're the Lanhai authorities' biggest headache right now. With someone paying out of his own pocket to help clean them up, the authorities would practically put President Xia on a pedestal. Yet they've halted the project under these circumstances. I don't think this is as simple as we think. Someone must be trying to screw over Xia Corporation behind the scenes."

"President Xia has always been arrogant in the way he does things. I couldn't count everyone he's offended on both hands. It'd probably be hard to investigate."

"Who else could it be? It has to be some of the old shareholders kicked out of Xia Corporation, the people who built it up with Xia Weiting. Say, with Xia Weiting's private life being such a mess, does he have any illegitimate children out there? Could an illegitimate child be stirring up trouble behind the scenes?"

"Surely not? I've never heard of him having any illegitimate children. Have you all forgotten? President Xia's boyfriend is the Lin Family's Fourth Young Master. Going after President Xia is pretty much a slap in the Lin Family's face. Would they let that slide?"

"Did you hear President Xia acknowledge that Fourth Young Master Lin is his boyfriend yourself, or did you personally see Fourth Young Master Lin and President Xia kissing and sleeping together? Can a relationship based on hearsay count? As long as the two of them haven't publicly acknowledged their relationship, there'll be people who refuse to give up, itching to bring him down."

"Besides, with an enterprise as large as Xia Corporation, the higher-ups won't intervene in a leadership change as long as it doesn't shake the foundations of the country. Put someone more capable in charge, preserve hundreds of thousands of livelihoods, and keep the business thriving-that's healthy development. The higher-ups would be happy to see it and wouldn't interfere."

"Fuck, why does that make so much sense? Does that mean we don't have to write a proposal? Can't we just wait for someone from above to take over?"

"Oh, give it a rest. Who can guarantee that while those two clams fight, little shrimp like us won't get eaten as nutritional supplements? We'd better hurry up and think of a proposal."

Sighing, they gathered together to pool their ideas, striving to produce an impressive proposal by tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, after going downstairs, Xia Qinghe headed straight for the hotel. Returning to the top-floor presidential suite, he found Li Yang lounging on the Noble Consort Couch, drinking red wine. He walked over and kicked the foot of the couch. "Get off."

"What? Is this reserved for your Mianmian too?" Li Yang steadied the red wine in his hand. He couldn't spill it. He'd finally caught a chance to milk Xia Qinghe for all he was worth, and he had to make the most of it.

Once this opportunity passed, there wouldn't be another.

"If you know that, why are you still lying there?" Once Li Yang moved away, Xia Qinghe tossed all the down cushions onto the floor and called housekeeping up to replace them.

"You're overdoing it, President Xia." Li Yang hadn't seen Xia Qinghe in ages. Ever since Xia Qinghe had completed his master's degree, the two had only kept in touch online.

Even after all those years apart, Xia Qinghe's attitude toward Lin Fengmian still left Li Yang's jaw on the floor.

Once housekeeping left, Xia Qinghe sat down opposite Li Yang and lit a cigarette. "Are you confident this time?"

Li Yang took a playful sip of red wine. "Just have your Mianmian act cute with Mr. Lin. The higher-ups wouldn't dare interfere. You'd get green lights all the way, and the project could get going immediately. Why put me through all this?"

"You don't understand." Xia Qinghe took a drag and slowly exhaled. Before long, the scent of peaches filled the room.

At the excessively sweet scent, the corner of Li Yang's mouth twitched. "...What the hell are you smoking? It's either rose or peach. Could you get any girlier?"

Xia Qinghe tapped his cigarette over the ashtray. "Mianmian's gotten into peach scents lately. His body wash and laundry detergent are both peach-scented. I don't want him smelling smoke on me, so I had some peach-flavored cigarettes custom-made. Want one?"

"What would I want that stuff for?" Li Yang smoked too. He worked in scientific research, and when the pressure got too much, he inevitably relied on cigarettes for relief.

The whole point of smoking was that harsh, acrid kick, not this cloyingly sweet smell.

"Tch. Doesn't your Shui Feiyan like this girly stuff?" Xia Qinghe cast him a sidelong glance. "Why didn't you bring him this time?"

"We're planning to get married. Both sets of parents said we couldn't see each other before the wedding, and Xiaoyan listens to them, so I can only go along with him," Li Yang said.

Xia Qinghe paused, then raised the cigarette in his hand. "Congratulations. You've finally made it."

Li Yang and Shui Feiyan had started dating in university. Both were normally low-key, yet when it came to romance, neither would tolerate the slightest imperfection. As soon as they were certain of their sexual orientation, they came out to their families, making such a huge stir that the entire university heard about it.

"When will it be your and Lin Fengmian's turn? I'm still waiting to attend your wedding."