Chapter 616 Never Been A Slave
Silence descended upon the meeting room again as they fell into a stalemate. “Why aren’t you talking?” Nan Zhengde scanned everyone. However, no one spoke a word.
“You’re still young, so you still have time to waste. On the other hand, I’m old, and I need to rest. If you aren’t talking, I’m going to leave now. You can figure out who to choose as the new CEO.” Nan Zhengde stood up. “Don’t leave, Mr. Nan!” Some members of the board of directors panicked.
“What’s there left to discuss? Even though you disagreed with my suggestion, you refused to offer another candidate when I asked you to. How can we continue discussing this?” rebuked Nan Zhengde.
“We’ve already reached an agreement for one part. However, you need to compromise too. At the very least, you should stay in the company as a consultant, right? Considering Mr. Xing’s current capabilities, he cannot become the CEO of the company. You know that very well,” said another director.
“It’s not like I won’t intervene at all.” Nan Zhengde was still reluctant to concede.
At that moment, a director stood up. “What about this? We can put him on probation for three months. If he does a good job after three months, we’ll just accept fate. If he doesn’t, we’ll discuss this again. What do you think?”
The director who made that suggestion was the first person whom Nan Zhengde visited with his own calligraphy.
“In that case, he’ll only be the surrogate CEO who’ll manage the work on behalf of Mr. Chen temporarily. Any important decisions will need to go through the board of directors first,” agreed another director.
This director was also one of those who received Nan Zhengde’s calligraphy.
It was obvious that although these words were spoken by others, they were representative of Nan Zhengde’s opinion.
“I disagree. If he’s merely the surrogate CEO, there are a lot of things that he can’t do,” objected Nan Zhengde.
If it was Nan Zhengde’s own opinion, there should be no reason for him to object.
However, he believed that if Ouyang Duo wanted to conquer Nanshi Corporation, Ouyang Duo would definitely need an internal spy.
He did not dare to be certain that the spy was not hiding in that crowd.
Still, he was sure that Ouyang Duo would find a way to know everything that transpired in the meeting.
Hence, he wanted to let Ouyang Duo know that the idea to make Nan Xing the surrogate CEO was not his idea but the board of directors’ decision.
“Mr. Nan, Nanshi Corporation is such a huge company. It’s normal that he can’t achieve a lot of things as a newly appointed CEO. You should make a compromise,” urged a director.
“Fine. I’m getting old, so I’ll let you youngsters make the decision. Shall we vote now?” asked Nan Zhengde.
Everyone agreed.
“Raise your hand if you agree to let Nan Xing become the surrogate CEO.” Nan Zhengde raised his hand.
Everyone raised their hands, which meant that the decision had been made unanimously.
Nan Zhengde stood up and sighed. “If I knew earlier that none of you would listen to me, I wouldn’t have come.”
Although he said that, a satisfied look flashed across his eyes briefly.
Immediately after the meeting, Ouyang Duo, who was at the Orchid Club, received a call.
A grim expression appeared on his face after he hung up.
“What’s wrong?” asked Feng Jialing.
“The meeting with the board of directors just ended. Nan Xing became the surrogate CEO,” said Ouyang Duo.
“Isn’t that great? Now that Nan Xing and Qing finished their registration, they’re now a legal couple. In that case, Qing will be the wife of Nanshi Corporation’s CEO! Isn’t that what we want?” said Feng Jialing with a smile.
“You need to be clear on this. He’s the surrogate CEO, not the actual CEO.”
“Isn’t that the same? Doesn’t a surrogate CEO have the same authority and rights as the actual CEO?”
“It’s different. Every company has its own regulations. For some companies, there might be very strict limitations as to what a surrogate CEO can do. I’m still unsure about what’s happening in Nanshi Corporation, but I’m worried.”
“What are you worried about? Nan Chen’s in our hands now. He can’t possibly escape, right?” Feng Jialing was unconcerned.
“You don’t know anything, huh? It was the first time that Nan Zhengde agreed so easily. He surrendered without putting up much of a fight. I’m afraid that there’s a trick somewhere. However, everything’s going according to our plan, and I can’t detect any problems. Furthermore, he opposed the suggestion to make Nan Xing the surrogate CEO. In other words, he wants to appoint Nan Xing as the CEO directly. Yet, a director said that Nan Xing is still not capable enough. He can only be put on probation for three months. If he performs well after that, he’ll be officially appointed the CEO. Surprisingly, Nan Zhengde refused. That made me even more confused. Could it be that old age has caught up with him and made him a weakling?”
Although Ouyang Duo was speaking to Feng Jialing, it seemed like he was mumbling to himself.
As he spoke, he mulled over it.
“Nan Zhengde’s getting old, anyway. More importantly, his beloved eldest grandson is in our hands. He can give up anything for Nan Chen,” said Feng Jialing.
“But I still think that something’s fishy. What’s scarier is that I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I think that you don’t need to be too worried. Once Nan Zhengde transfers the stocks to Nan Xing, who’ll transfer them to Qing, everything will be settled! They won’t be able to turn the tables anymore!” assured Feng Jialing.
“No, I’m still worried. I’ll visit the Nan residence and confirm what happened. Otherwise, I’ll feel uneasy.” Ouyang Duo stood up and grabbed his coat.
“Should I come along with you?”
“It’s fine. I want to visit Nan Zhengde alone and see what he’s doing. I’m afraid that he’s playing some tricks!”
“He probably won’t, right? There’s nothing he can do now that Nan Chen’s in our hands.”
“I don’t know about that. If I did, I wouldn’t be so worried. I must make a trip there to allay my uneasiness.”
Once Ouyang Duo left the Orchid Club, Nan Zhengde received a call at the Commoner Residence.
Half an hour later, Ouyang Duo reached the Commoner Residence.
Chai Hua informed him that Nan Zhengde was sleeping and must not be disturbed.
That provoked Ouyang Duo to kick a chair over. “Why do I have to wait every time I visit? Wake him up right now!”
Chai Hua was shocked. Since when did Ouyang Duo become so arrogant? This is the Commoner Residence, the Nan family’s house! How dare he act so unruly here?
“Mr. Ouyang, this chair belongs to the Nan family. If you damage it, you’ll have to compensate for it,” reminded Chai Hua coldly.
“Belongs to the Nan family? Everything that the Nan family owns will soon be mine, okay? I’ll make you pack up and leave when that time comes!” yelled Ouyang Duo.
“Really? Are you saying that you’ll be taking over this house too, Mr. Ouyang? Are you saying that you won’t let anyone live here?” demanded Chai Hua coldly.
Only then did Ouyang Duo realize that he had crossed the line.
The house was still the Nan residence. As he had not gotten everything under his control, he should keep a low profile first.
“How long has Nan Zhengde been sleeping? When will he wake up?”
“I don’t know how long he’s been sleeping. Regardless, I’ll only call for him after he wakes up,” replied Chai Hua icily.
“How long have you been a slave for the Nan family?” Ouyang Duo was extremely displeased with him.
“I’ve been working here for over twenty years, but I’ve never been a slave for even a day,” said Chai Hua in a frosty voice.
