Chapter 207: Perks
Before leaving, Su Can rejected numerous calls at Pudong Airport from people checking whether he was leaving Shanghai for the United States that day. He also ignored the text messages filling his phones. One after another, he switched off all three handsets: one for everyday life at Nanjing University, one dedicated to Big Pineapple Holdings so its professional managers could reach him immediately, and one for handling the Facebook affairs currently embroiled in turmoil.
It was as though he had temporarily switched off all the identities behind him. Nearby stood Lin Guangdong, Mu Guotao, and Liu Wenqiang, who were in Shanghai, along with Kate, Facebook's new CEO appointed two weeks earlier. They had all come to see him off.
Kate's appointment as chief executive had caused an uproar. Not only had all the candidates outsiders speculated might take over this embattled position fallen through, but Facebook's own employees had also been stunned. Soon, however, everyone understood that Kate was by no means siding with Zack. Before she took over as CEO, Su Can had consulted extensively with her. The entire senior management team had also had their doubts addressed one by one and accepted the appointment. This amounted to an official response and clarification regarding Kate's declining reputation within the company and the negative impact surrounding her.
When Su Can announced the decision at the board meeting, he had added a remark with a double meaning: "Now it's time for you to fulfill your new responsibilities." Although Kate had already known what to expect, tears still filled her eyes as she faced the applause of her old friends on the board, their past differences laid to rest.
There must have been many moments in her life that had moved her deeply, but at that moment, she felt