txolops Chapter 101 The Little Note at the Board Meeting
Chapter 101 The Little Note at the Board Meeting
5:20 PM.
On the top floor of Yintai Building, in the No. 1 large conference room.
"Regarding the second phase development plan for the Chengnan project, we are currently facing several difficulties in attracting investment..."
The planning manager stood in front of a huge screen, holding a laser pointer, giving a detailed presentation on the PowerPoint slides on the large screen.
More than a dozen core executives of Yintai Group sat on either side of the long oval conference table.
The atmosphere in the conference room was very serious, with only the slight "whooshing" sound of the air conditioner vents and the planning manager's report.
Su Qingxue sat at the head of the conference table.
She leaned back slightly in her chair, holding a pen in her hand, her eyes fixed on the data on the screen.
"Wait a minute."
Su Qingxue spoke calmly.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it made the planning manager, who was giving a report, stop instantly.
"President Su."
The planning manager put down the laser pointer with a respectful attitude.
"The cost accounting data on the third page differs from the financial statements of the previous quarter."
Su Qingxue continued, "The estimate of the premium is three percent too high."
Recalculate.
"Well... okay, Mr. Su, it was my oversight that wasn't thorough enough."
A bead of cold sweat appeared on the planning manager's forehead. Without offering any rebuttal, he immediately nodded in apology, "I'll go down and redo the data right away."
"I need to see a flawless new plan by 10 a.m. tomorrow."
Su Qingxue spoke up.
"clear!"
The planning manager felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly sat down.
Su Qingxue frowned slightly, reached out and picked up the thermos in front of her, and took a sip of warm water.
The warm water flowed into my stomach, but it did not alleviate the vague emptiness that came from the long meeting.
She subconsciously raised her left hand and glanced at the watch on her wrist.
5:25 PM.
Normally, even if she were to be in meetings non-stop until eight or nine o'clock at night, Su Qingxue wouldn't feel anything.
She had long been accustomed to this high-intensity work pace and often skipped dinner to look at reports.
But today, as she watched the clock hands slowly approach 5:30, an image uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—a roadside stall full of lively atmosphere in the gentle breeze of an early summer evening.
A cute little girl with pigtails appeared in her mind's eye.
Tangtang looked up at her with her rosy cheeks and bright, sparkling eyes, her sweet, childish voice still seeming to echo in her ears: "Pretty Auntie, when I finish drawing the windmill, I'll give it to you next time you come for fried rice!"
Su Qingxue's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the thermos.
She had promised that the well-behaved little girl yesterday that she would go down to see her paintings today.
But now... Su Qingxue raised her head and glanced at the vice president sitting in the first seat on the right.
"Vice President Li, next is your report on the overseas M&A deals. Let's begin."
Su Qingxue took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind.
Work is work. This board meeting is about the group's strategic direction for the second half of the year. As the president, she can't just leave halfway through just to eat some fried rice.
"Okay, Mr. Su. This acquisition involves the asset restructuring of three subsidiaries, so the situation is quite complicated. Let me explain in detail..."
Vice President Li stood up and opened a PowerPoint presentation that was more than a dozen pages long.
Judging from Vice President Li's demeanor, Su Qingxue knew that the meeting would last at least another half hour.
She sighed softly to herself.
It seems I've broken my promise to that little girl who had such high hopes for me.
Just then, Secretary Chen, who had been sitting quietly behind Su Qingxue, keenly noticed the boss's unusual behavior.
As Su Qingxue's longest-serving and most capable assistant, Secretary Chen knows her boss all too well.
She noticed everything that Mr. Su did just now: checking his watch, drinking warm water, and gently pressing his stomach.
Secretary Chen glanced down at the time.
5:27.
It's almost 5:30, which is the time when Mr. Lin downstairs sets up his stall.
Secretary Chen knew that President Su suffered from severe anorexia and could not eat normally, but recently he had developed a particular fondness for the fried rice from that roadside stall.
The meeting is still a long way off. If President Su continues to listen on an empty stomach, his anorexia will definitely flare up again.
With this in mind, Secretary Chen did not hesitate at all.
She tore a sticky note from her folder, picked up a pen, and wrote a line on it.
After finishing writing, Secretary Chen leaned forward slightly and pushed the sticky note to Su Qingxue's side.
Su Qingxue was looking at the data on the screen when she caught a glimpse of the slip of paper being handed to her and lowered her head slightly.
The sticky note read: "President Su, it's almost 5:30. Vice President Li's report will take a long time."
I'll go downstairs and get you a serving of fried rice with broken pieces of rice.
A flicker of emotion crossed Su Qingxue's eyes as she read the contents of the note.
Su Qingxue did not speak.
She picked up the pen on the table, wrote a few words below Secretary Chen's line of writing, and then pushed the sticky note back.
Secretary Chen looked down.
If you see Tangtang, please apologize for me and say that I'm too busy today and I'll go see her paintings another day.
Secretary Chen looked at the note and couldn't help but smile.
Sure enough, no matter how high and mighty the female CEO is, she can't resist Boss Lin's down-to-earth cooking skills, and she even misses his cute little daughter.
Secretary Chen nodded slightly at Su Qingxue.
She quietly closed the laptop in front of her and handed over the task of taking meeting notes to her assistant via internal software.
Then, Secretary Chen stood up and gently pushed the chair back into place without making a sound.
She bowed slightly to Vice President Li and Su Qingxue, who were giving their report, then turned and quietly slipped out through the side door at the back of the conference room.
"Click".
The heavy soundproof door was gently closed, completely isolating the serious and oppressive reporting sounds inside.
Secretary-General Chen breathed a long sigh of relief and walked with composed steps down the carpeted corridor toward the elevator.
"Ding—" The elevator doors opened, and Secretary Chen stepped inside and pressed the button for the first floor.
As the elevator descended, Secretary Chen looked down at the Yintai Plaza outside through the elevator's transparent glass wall.
It was just 5:30.
A large crowd had already gathered at the flowerbeds at the edge of the square, forming a long queue.
Even from this distance, Secretary Chen could almost picture the bustling scene and the enticing aroma emanating from that stall.
Secretary Chen looked at the exaggerated queue, but instead of panicking, a calm smile appeared on his lips.
"Boss Lin's business is booming every day."
She raised her wrist to check the time, feeling quite confident.
She had come to buy for Boss Su once before, so she knew Boss Lin's rules very well.
There's plenty of time; there's no need to rush to grab it.
The elevator came to a stop on the first floor and opened the door with a "ding".
Secretary Chen straightened her gray business suit, put on her five-centimeter high heels, and maintained the elegance and competence of a president's chief secretary.
She walked unhurriedly through the building's spacious lobby, pushed open the revolving door, and headed towards the long queue of stalls in the square, enjoying the gentle breeze of early summer evening.