Chapter 150: There’s Always Someone Better

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: There’s Always Someone BetterSu Mengxin also signed the contract, and then their hands clasped together tightly. She sincerely said, "President Xu, I’m entrusting my company to you now."

Xu Yingying nodded firmly, "Miss Su, with the trust you’ve placed in me, I definitely won’t let you down."

Letting go of each other’s hands, they sat down again. Su Mengxin continued, "I absolutely believe in your abilities. From now on, everything depends on you. There’s nothing but a blank slate within the company right now. I only have one project here. As for the execution, that’s up to you to recruit and take action."

When Xu Yingying had arrived earlier, she discovered that other than a few security guards, there wasn’t another soul in the company. This was completely beyond her expectations. She had thought that by taking over the company, it would at least have some initial scale, but now she realized that everything was up to her to do. While definitely difficult, this was also a tremendous opportunity and challenge. She immediately said, "Alright, I’ll put together a detailed planning proposal within the next couple of days for Miss Su to review."

Su Mengxin shook her head, "I’m returning to Capital City tomorrow. For the foreseeable future, I won’t be back, so you make the decisions. You don’t need to report back to me."

"Okay, then I’ll go ahead and get started." Xu Yingying was very straightforward and readily agreed.

Li Yifei had walked over to the window by this time, looking outside through the floor-to-ceiling window. Although it wasn’t a high floor with a wide-ranging view, there was a small garden outside. Fresh air flowed in as soon as the window was opened.

Li Yifei had heard their conversation clearly, and it was only now that he understood that not only had Su Mengxin given him a figurehead position as CEO, she had also granted Xu Yingying such extensive autonomy. To him, it felt as though Su Mengxin had thrown five hundred million here, then completely stepped away. Running a business to such an extent seemed indeed a bit too lax. If Xu Yingying wanted to embezzle her money, it would be all too easy.

Li Yifei didn’t think Xu Yingying was that sort of person, but in the face of huge profits whether ethical standards could be maintained was a judgment Li Yifei truly didn’t dare to make. He’d seen too many people change due to greed. Who could guarantee that Xu Yingying wouldn’t be tempted by profits in the future?

The knock on the door sounded again. Su Mengxin gave Li Yifei a glance and said, "Go and open the door."

Li Yifei felt there was something unusual in Su Mengxin’s gaze. Judging by the footsteps, there were two people outside. Who could these two be? If he hadn’t been somewhat suspicious, he wouldn’t have needed to heed Su Mengxin’s request to open the door.

Upon opening the door, Li Yifei saw two beautiful, fashionably dressed women — the hosts Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao.

"Young Master Li, hello!" Both greeted crisply, their sweet smiles seemingly capable of melting bones.

Li Yifei nodded, appearing quite composed, "Please come in."

Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao entered the office and politely greeted Su Mengxin, then their gazes turned towards Xu Yingying. Seeing another woman in the office besides Su Mengxin made both of them feel a sense of crisis.

Su Mengxin invited them to sit and said, "President Xu, these are the two spokespeople I signed earlier on. Although they don’t have the fame of big stars, their demeanor and looks are indeed in line with our company’s standards. You’ll handle the specific details of promotion, advertisement production, and subsequent matters."

Xu Yingying extended her hand to them, "Xu Yingying. I’m very pleased to cooperate with both of you." She was already somewhat familiar with the two women.

Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao quickly stood up again, shaking hands with Xu Yingying. They truly hadn’t expected Xu Yingying to be so young and yet be the president of this huge company that invested five hundred million. Being so young and achieving such a stature made them naturally wonder if she had any connection with Li Yifei.

Then, Su Mengxin added, "Later, I will also be hosting a banquet for some leaders from the city, to smooth things over on that front. I’ll take the opportunity to introduce you to them as well."

Li Yifei quickly said, "Then you all go ahead, I don’t need to join."

Narrowing her eyes at Li Yifei, Su Mengxin replied, "That won’t do. If you don’t go, how can you act as the CEO? Don’t worry, I’ll let them know not to disrupt your life. If you’re helping, then you need to see it through; you can’t quit halfway."

Li Yifei furrowed his brow and said, "Alright then, I’ll go have a look."

Although it was just one sentence, one expression, the impact on Xu Yingying was significant. What sort of person was Su Mengxin? She was known as the most beautiful woman in Huaxia, with a background so powerful it was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. To Su Mengxin, those so-called mayors and municipal party secretaries were likely nothing at all. Yet, she spoke to Li Yifei with such warmth in her voice. Wasn’t Li Yifei just a retired soldier? How could he make Su Mengxin act this way?

Moreover, it seemed like Li Yifei didn’t think Su Mengxin was all that remarkable either. When he talked with her, he was pretty casual—even if he had once been her bodyguard, that shouldn’t have been enough to explain his attitude, right?

Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao, on the other hand, were even more speculative in their thoughts. They only knew about Li Yifei’s fake identity, so they harbored extravagant hopes for this young master. They were initially worried about some relationship between Xu Yingying and Li Yifei, but it seemed their interactions weren’t ambiguous at all. Even President Xu, upon seeing Su Mengxin speak to Li Yifei with such tenderness, showed a look of astonishment, probably having just learned about the relationship between Li Yifei and Su Mengxin.

Taking advantage of this collaborative opportunity, they naturally wanted to establish a closer relationship with Li Yifei. Last time, Li Yifei’s abrupt departure had caused them much frustration, but it also let them know they held enough attraction for him. So now, they were determined to cozy up to Li Yifei, ideally creating some emotional entanglement with him.

After a few more exchanges, Xu Yingying, Li Xinyue, and Song Lianyao were all sneaking glances at Li Yifei from time to time, which only made him feel more awkward. He used to consider Xu Yingying a friend, but now he felt it was quite possible that their friendship had reached its end.

"You all keep chatting, I’m going to step out and have a look." After saying this, Li Yifei lit a cigarette and quickly left, to avoid being stared at as if he were a panda.

At half-past ten, Li Yifei and his four companions arrived at the Yiyun Clubhouse in the city. Upon seeing Su Mengxin heading straight upstairs, Li Xinyue whispered, "Miss Su, Young Master Li, Manager Xu, should we wait on the first floor... for a bit?"

Su Mengxin said indifferently, "No need. Let them come directly to the private room to find us."

Song Lianyao, somewhat worried, said, "These city leaders are very particular about these things. If we wait for them in the private room..." She didn’t dare finish, but everyone understood her meaning.

Xu Yingying joined in, "Miss Su, perhaps it would be better this way. You go up first, and I’ll wait here with Li Yifei. This could also show our sincerity and prevent any future disadvantage to our company."

Su Mengxin smiled faintly, took hold of Xu Yingying’s hand, and said, "It’s really not necessary. By inviting them to dine, I’ve already given them enough respect. If they’re going to nitpick over these trivialities, that would really be ungrateful. Besides, I want you to establish your authority. You’re my spokesperson. Here, they may not treat you exactly as they would me, but at the very least, they wouldn’t dare to lowball you."

This time Xu Yingying said nothing more, but inside she felt as if the tide had turned. She had been in business for several years, and as a president, she had dealt with government departments more times than she could count. Every time she had to smile obsequiously, knowing full well they were taking advantage of her, yet she had to play along. Now, she suddenly felt vindicated and possessed tremendous confidence in running her company.

Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao were then struck dumb. In the world of officialdom, these matters were of prime importance. They had also attended many city events and knew all too well how a higher ranking official could crush the lower. And in Mile City, even the head of the largest conglomerate had to be courteous in front of the Municipal Committee leaders.

Yet Su Mengxin didn’t seem to regard the city’s leaders at all. How powerful must her background be? She thought people from Capital City were truly formidable, and this only solidified their resolve to latch onto Li Yifei.

Li Yifei understood the ways of officialdom, but he was indifferent to such matters. He sought nothing more than to live a peaceful life, so no matter how high-ranking the officials were, they were of no consequence to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so relaxed in front of Su Mengxin.

Less than ten minutes later, the door to the private room was knocked on, and four men entered. Two of them Li Yifei recognized—the Municipal Party Secretary, Song Zhentao, and the mayor, Qin Yuanjiang—while the other two men were strangers to him.

"Miss Su, I’m terribly sorry. We were stuck in traffic for a bit, which made you wait," said Municipal Party Secretary Song Zhentao as he entered, immediately apologizing to Su Mengxin.

Seeing the four men arrive together, Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao’s eyes widened. These were the most important figures in the whole of Mile City. Besides the mayor and the Municipal Party Secretary, there were also the Executive Deputy Secretary, Jin Shenglu, and the Chief of Public Security Bureau, Ning Changzheng.

The fact that these four had come out together for a social event was shocking enough, but here they were, without any pretenses, in the presence of Su Mengxin. Were they the same city leaders they knew? Who exactly were Su Mengxin and Li Yifei? It seemed their minds could no longer contain their imagination.

It was now clear to them how vast the world really was. To some individuals, even those who appeared to have the highest authority in Mile City, were truly insignificant. Their gaze towards Li Yifei became even more fervent.