Chapter 224 The One at the Helm of Xin Enterprises! (2/2)
The swell on Xin Qing's belly was becoming more and more conspicuous, though her body had remained skinny. The reason for that was the fact that she had not been eating well before. In fact, her face seemed slimmer than the time before she was pregnant. At the moment, Xin Qing was engaged in some sort of a death battle with a bowl of chicken soup; finishing the soup was Aunt Tian's daily mission for her.
”You're not going back to New York? But... Has Uncle Shen agreed to this?”
”It's not possible for Young Master Shen to leave, too. He's worried about leaving you on your own. We'd literally be staying in two different parts of the world if I go back. The old man was practically begging me to stay behind!” Zhang Mi said excitedly. ”Starting from tomorrow, I'll be your personal assistant!”
Young Master Shen came in just then. Behind him, Xiao Rui walked in, looking disheveled from head to toe.
”You shouldn't cause more trouble for her,” Young Master Shen said. ”You think being a personal assistant is a game?” He bent down and pecked Zhang Mi on the lips. Zhang Mi shoved him away. ”Don't you dare underestimate me!”
Xin Qing glanced at Xiao Rui worriedly. ”You're in this state again? Go upstairs, now. Take a shower and get changed. Then come down to eat!” Xin Qing had actually wanted to follow the boy upstairs. The problem was that Xiao Rui would rather die than allow her to bathe him.
When Xiao Rui had gone upstairs, Young Master Shen said, ”The kid is a genius. It won't take him more than a few years to surpass all my guys.”
”I don't want him working this hard. He's still just a kid.” Xin Qing felt a sharp pang inside her heart. Xiao Rui had volunteered to let Young Master Shen train him, though Xin Qing knew deep down that the kid had done it for her sake.
Young Master Shen glared at her. ”You shouldn't go soft on her,” he said. ”That kid is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future!”
”I adopted him so that he can grow up in a healthy and happy environment, not to turn him into some kind of badass character,” Xin Qing said in annoyance. Zhang Mi nodded and said, ”Exactly. A kid should act and look like a kid. Look at the children around us. Is there even one of them that's normal?”
Young Master Shen shut up after that. He ate his meal quietly, keeping his head low. Messing with two women? No thanks.
The end of the month arrived in a blink of an eye. Bright and early that morning, Ah Che drove Xin Qing and Zhang Mi to Caesar academy.
Xin Qing was dressed in a red business suit. She had even used a red lipstick. This was the first time in Xin Qing's life that she had picked such a strong color. In Zhang Mi's own words, red could make one look formidable and powerful. Caesar Academy was established in the east side of the land with its entire compound abutting the hills. The only difference between this Caesar Academy and the Caesar Academy back in France was the architectural style of the buildings: Here, Eastern elements were integrated into the European style buildings, creating a perfect harmony between ancient Chinese style and the European Gothic style. The entire academy exuded a majestic aura while retaining its enigmatic beauty at the same time.
The press conference would take place in a garden located at the dead center of the academy's compound. The reporters had arrived early. Xin Qing was not surprised at all to see Smith among the attendees. She and Ah Nan had met with Smith before this, though Smith's stance on whether he would like to continue his partnership with Xin Enterprises was still unclear. Xin Qing knew that he was observing and assessing from the sidelines and that today would be the day he came to a decision.
Xin Qing gave the speech that had been prepared beforehand. As a result, her sincerity and beauty had won the applause of her audience. During the Q&A session, other than the reporters, one of their business partners suddenly revolted.
”President Xin, we believe that having a woman running such a huge financial group is a major problem. We've decided to terminate our partnership with Xin Enterprises starting from today,” said a middle-aged woman who was staring at Xin Qing with a look of smugness and jealousy.
Standing beside Xin Qing, Zhang Mi shot a worried glance at Young Master Shen, who was sitting downstage. The latter gave Zhang Mi a reassuring look.
Xin Qing laughed. ”Are you sure?” she asked.
The woman's face fell. ”Of course I am. I believe a lot of other firms are of the same view. None of us are confident in partnering with a financial group led by you.”
”And you are...” Xin Qing took a document from Ah Nan's hand and glanced at it. ”Hong Yuan Trading, right.” Xin Qing glanced back at the woman. ”The transactions between your firm and Xin Enterprises has always been carried out on a monthly basis. There has never been any delay in our payments to you.”
The woman laughed smugly. ”Indeed. If President Xin still wishes to partner with us, then you'll have to alter the terms of our contract so that we'll receive an on-the-spot payment in all our transactions.”
”Haha!” Xin Qing smiled at the woman and said, ”Then I guess there's no point in extending our partnership.” When she was done, Xin Qing sat back down and gave Ah Nan a look. Ah Nan nodded.
”Are there any other questions?” Ah Nan asked the crowd.
Dissatisfied with being so blatantly dismissed, that woman yelled out: ”A woman like you knows nothing about business! Where are you going to find another business partner in such a short amount of time if you don't partner with us? You'll be facing more than just a hefty fine if there are any delays in the export of your goods!”
”I think you're the one who doesn't understand,” Xin Qing said, leveling an icy stare at the woman. ”Up to fifty percent of your firm's sales originated from Xin Enterprises. Here's a question for you, then. If you terminate your partnership with us now, where are you going to find another firm capable of covering half of your firm's overall production costs?”
”I...”
”Well, do as you please, then!” Xin Qing smirked. ”Xin Enterprises is a huge firm. The loss of your partnership has minimal effect on us. If you don't partner with us, there'll be hordes of other firms who would jump at the opportunity.” Xin Qing paused and let her gaze sweep across the crowd. ”Is there anyone else who would like to end our partnership? If there is, then by all means, please step forward!”
The crowd broke out in whispers. The woman who stood up first began shooting looks at a few of her associates. For a while, those associates hesitated. When they were about to stand up, a few people arrived at the press conference.
”Ding Enterprises will sign the contract to resume its partnership with Xin Enterprises. Other than Caesar Academy, we will be providing funding for any of Xin Enterprises' future investments.” Ding Lei was leading the group of people who had entered. His words reverberated throughout the entire conference hall in a clear-cut manner.
”The same goes for Li Financial Group!” said Chen Ming, who was walking behind Ding Lei. Chen Ming had even winked at Xin Qing when he spoke.
Smith stood up all of a sudden. ”Our family has no intention of changing our business partners in the Greater China Region. Therefore, we will continue our partnership with Xin Enterprises. If the opportunity arises, I hope that President Xin would join me for a meal so that we can get better acquainted with each other!”
The few people who had been ready to cause trouble just moments ago were instantly put in their places, and they all nodded. The woman who had been leading the charge went pale instantly. ”You guys... How can you change your mind?” she yelled.