Fengyuan Group, President’s Office.
Hu Yuanyuan rubbed her temples and leaned back in her office chair. The company had been hit by one crisis after another these past few days, keeping her frantically busy, yet the troubles showed no sign of ending. One of Fengyuan Group’s factories had been forced to halt production, while orders for Smart One kept pouring in like snowflakes.
“President Hu.” Xu Qing walked in. “A few partners are pressing us for delivery again.”
“The same ones as before?” Hu Yuanyuan frowned.
“Yes, exactly those few.” Xu Qing nodded, disgust clear between her brows.
Those partners had placed massive orders with Fengyuan Group, but ever since the troubles began, they had been hounding the company three times a day.
“Handle it the usual way. Keep them calm for now.” Hu Yuanyuan thought for a moment, then said helplessly. The factory producing Smart One had been sealed by the authorities. She had pulled every string she had, yet nothing worked. Stock in the warehouse was almost gone. The only option left was to stall those partners.
“But President Hu, dragging this out is not a long-term solution. They must know something is wrong with the company, otherwise why would they suddenly be so insistent?” Xu Qing frowned.
“I know there is no perfect answer, but until the factory issue is resolved, this is all we can do.” Hu Yuanyuan sighed.
Xu Qing opened her mouth, then hesitated.
“Xu Qing, what is it you want to say?” Hu Yuanyuan noticed her expression.
Xu Qing bit her lip. “President Hu, should we ask Director Li whether he has any ideas?”
“Li Feng?” Hu Yuanyuan glanced at her. “He is swamped with his own matters right now. How could he spare time for the company?”
“Swamped?” Xu Qing blinked, clearly not understanding.
“Xu Qing, why are you suddenly bringing up Li Feng? Don’t tell me you miss him?” Hu Yuanyuan suddenly smiled teasingly.
“N-no, President Hu, don’t let your imagination run wild.” Xu Qing hurriedly explained, but the more she tried, the worse it sounded.
Hu Yuanyuan watched Xu Qing, a flicker passing through her eyes, then sighed inwardly. “Xu Qing, you may go.”
“Yes.” Xu Qing instantly regretted mentioning Li Feng in front of Hu Yuanyuan, yet over the past few days she really had missed him, just a tiny bit.
After seeing Xu Qing out, complex emotions flashed across Hu Yuanyuan’s face. Li Feng was outstanding now. Plenty of girls must like him, and Xu Qing was probably one of them. Yet she did not know how to handle this.
Share Li Feng with other women? Hu Yuanyuan felt she could not accept that. Leave Li Feng? That was even more impossible, both because of their families and because of her own feelings.
Control Li Feng?
She shook her head. That was out of the question. Li Feng was far too exceptional. No matter where he went, he shone brilliantly. No one could block his light. Even if he never chased women, countless would still pursue him.
In Hu Yuanyuan’s view, Xu Qing was merely one of many. There were probably other women around Li Feng that she did not even know about.
Ignore it completely?
She knew she could not do that either.
Yet…
Hu Yuanyuan understood some things could not be stopped just because she wished them away. Take herself, for instance. A little over a month ago she had hated Li Feng to the bone, but in this short time, under his sweet words, she had fallen deeply in love with him. If it were not for her cultivation, she might already belong to him completely.
If even she, Hu Yuanyuan, had fallen so hard, what about others? Although neither Li Feng nor Xu Qing admitted anything, she could sense something unusual between them. Xu Qing worked right beside her and had only met Li Feng a handful of times, yet she was already smitten. What about the rest?
“What are you thinking about?”
Li Feng’s voice suddenly rang out. Only then did Hu Yuanyuan snap out of her reverie and realise she had been so lost in thought she had not noticed him enter.
“Why are you at the company?” Hu Yuanyuan looked at him, complicated feelings in her eyes.
“I heard someone was missing me, so I came to check.” Li Feng did not notice her expression. He pulled out the chair opposite the desk, sat down, and asked, “How are things at the company now?”
“Still unresolved.” Hu Yuanyuan shook her head, explained the current difficulties, then said helplessly, “The partners are pressing hard, the factory is sealed, and the warehouse is nearly empty. I really don’t know what to do.”
“Have you tried the solution I suggested last time?” Li Feng asked.
“Those people act as if they wouldn’t mind us leaving Tianhai City at all. It had little effect. After I put the word out, they barely reacted.” Hu Yuanyuan shook her head.
“Then we do it for real.” A sharp glint flashed through Li Feng’s eyes.
“For real?” Hu Yuanyuan froze, her expression changing. Going for real was no small matter. It concerned the very survival of Fengyuan Group.
“Yes. A company can make money anywhere. We don’t have to stay in Tianhai City.” Another glint shone in Li Feng’s eyes. Although Tianhai City had a good investment climate, it was not the only place in the world to do business.
“Yuanyuan, we can set up branches in other cities first. Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Fengyuan Group cannot remain rigid.” Li Feng looked at her seriously.
“Li Feng, that would cost an enormous amount.” Hu Yuanyuan took a deep breath, suppressing her shock. “The current problems are still unsolved. If we cannot deliver those orders soon, we will owe huge breach-of-contract penalties.”
“We can try explaining to the partners first. If they won’t listen, we pay the penalties and blacklist them. We will deal with them one by one later.” Cold light flickered in Li Feng’s eyes. “We can afford that much loss. Here is three billion. It should cover the penalties.”
As he spoke, Li Feng placed a bank card in front of Hu Yuanyuan. The three billion came from the underground city. Now that the company was in trouble, it was time to use it.
“This…” Hu Yuanyuan stared at the card in shock. It was not the first time Li Feng had produced such a sum, yet every time she wondered where his money came from.
“Of course, this is only the last resort.” A sharp light flashed again in Li Feng’s eyes. “It is time I paid a visit to my dear fourth uncle.”
“Li Feng, you plan to…” Hu Yuanyuan’s expression shifted.
“Some things cannot be avoided just because you don’t want to face them. Besides, I also want to know exactly what my good fourth uncle is up to.” Li Feng’s voice was low.
“Li Feng, you must not act rashly. He is still your fourth uncle.” Hu Yuanyuan worried that once Li Feng met Li Zhengxiang he might do something reckless. Judging by how he had dealt with Fu Yanxiong and others recently, Li Feng never played by ordinary rules. If he treated Li Zhengxiang the same way, it would spell big trouble.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Something flickered in Li Feng’s gaze that no one could read.
Hu Yuanyuan gave a soft sigh. She was not sure whether he had really listened, but there was nothing she could do. Once Li Feng decided something, she could not change his mind.
“By the way, Yuanyuan, is it possible to buy a small island in China?” Li Feng asked.
“Buy an island?” Hu Yuanyuan blinked. His thoughts jumped too fast for her to keep up.
“Yes, I want to buy a small island.” Li Feng nodded.
“It’s impossible within China, but in some other countries it can be done. Li Feng, why do you want an island?” Hu Yuanyuan asked.
“You will find out later.” Li Feng smiled mysteriously, then continued, “Yuanyuan, whenever you have time, keep an eye out for information on this. Preferably somewhere in the Pacific. That island will be very useful to me.”
Li Feng had a grand plan in mind, but at the moment it was only an outline. It was not yet time to tell Hu Yuanyuan.
Hu Yuanyuan nodded, still puzzled. Since Li Feng would not explain, she did not press him. He carried too many secrets. Asking would be pointless if he did not want to say.
“Alright, I won’t disturb your work any longer.” Li Feng stood up to leave. He had only come to check on the company’s situation. Now that he understood it, it was time to go. He was not fond of sitting in an office.
“Li Feng, wait.” Hu Yuanyuan hesitated, then called out to him.
“Anything else?” Li Feng paused and turned back.
“There is a lunch meeting today. I’m tied up with something, so could you go in my place?” Hu Yuanyuan looked at him, paused, then finally spoke.
“A lunch meeting? What kind?” Li Feng asked, surprised.
“It’s with one of our partners. Xu Qing knows the details. Take her with you. This meeting is important for the company’s future development.” Hu Yuanyuan bit her lip.
“Alright.” Li Feng nodded and left.
Hu Yuanyuan watched his retreating back with a complicated expression. She knew exactly what this decision meant, but did she have any other choice? If she could not stop what was happening, she would at least keep everything under her control. At least Xu Qing was one of her own people.
Li Feng, unaware of Hu Yuanyuan’s tangled feelings, headed straight for Xu Qing after leaving the office.
“D-Director Li, is something the matter?” Xu Qing’s face changed the moment she saw Li Feng approaching with that familiar sly grin. Nothing good ever came from that expression.
Li Feng explained why he was there, then looked at Xu Qing. “Assistant Xu, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t we be heading out?”
Xu Qing froze. She knew about this lunch meeting. It was extremely important. Not only was the partner a major client, but the accompanying guest was someone of extraordinary status. That was why Hu Yuanyuan was originally supposed to attend personally. She had never expected Hu Yuanyuan to send Li Feng instead.
Yet for some reason, hearing that Li Feng would be going filled Xu Qing with a tiny spark of joy.
“Assistant Xu… Assistant Xu…”
Li Feng called twice before she snapped out of it. “Director Li, just give me a moment to gather my things. But Director Li, today’s lunch is no ordinary meeting. There could be serious trouble.”
