"That's why I left all the people matters to your Grandfather Jin because he said that I'm no good with it! That I'm too temperamental, too shameless! Hah! Of course you have to be shameless to make lots of money! But don't get me wrong, Xiulan my girl. I'm not saying that your Grandfather Jin kissed everyone's asses to make connections with important people! That would be funny if he did but he DIDN'T! That scoundrel looked so proper and upright but was actually a sly fox inside! Bahahaha! He was the most cunning person your Grandpa Lu knows in my entire life! We always get the best business deals because of his god-level craftiness!
"And now I dumped Jin Corporation to your Liwei so that this old man can enjoy his retired life having lots of fun and waiting for you pinheads to make me lots of great-grandbabies! You're all so slow! What's taking you so long?! I want to know!
"Liwei my boy is also good at handling people matters which I hate—bah! He's very similar to his Grandfather Jin in many aspects. In fact, that boy is also a sly fox inside, so you better be careful, my girl! Oh wait. Too late! You already fell for his trap! Bahahahahaha!!!"
Iris couldn't help but smile remembering Grandpa Lu's booming voice as he complained about this aspect in business which he hated—dealing with people he didn't like. Although she had no clue what the old man meant by his last sentence about her falling into Jin Liwei's trap, she didn't mind because she liked listening to his stories of Grandfather Jin and also about her darling.
Her attention returned to the meeting just as Long Hui was finishing his very well-rehearsed yet natural-sounding defence of himself. Basically, he admitted that it was negligence on his part that he allowed the custody case of his son to become so public that it began to affect Long Industries' image, but cleverly insinuated that the media attention was due to his relation with his sister Iris Long who was a famous celebrity. He said it in an almost careless way, as if it was just an afterthought and not deliberate at all.
"Indeed, a natural actor. If he enters showbiz, he might even win a Best Actor Award," Iris muttered, making Long Jian fight a grin.
His acting was even more impressive because the old-fashioned group who didn't think highly of her looked like they believed him. They now turned their accusing eyes on Iris.
She ignored them.
"He's blaming you, Little Sister. Are you angry?" Long Jian asked while looking very entertained.
"No. I already expected that he'll try something like this because that's the kind of person he is. In his own eyes, he's innocent. If something goes wrong, it's other people's fault."
In the end, Long Hui was able to move some people with his "heartfelt" speech. There were a number of men in the room who experienced something similar to him—separated with a lover and tried to fight for a child's custody but lost. Family situations like this were always messy, so they could relate to him.
Long Hui also defended the cheating allegations between him and Mao Qiuyue, insisting that it was untrue. His maternal family, the Zhengs, were close to the Maos. He only interacted with Mao Qiuyue in a brotherly capacity when he was still engaged with Jiang Ying Yue. But when they separated, Mao Qiuyue comforted him during his painful heartbreak, eventually causing him to fall for her. According to him, it also wasn't true that the Maos "bought" him in exchange for the 5% Long Industries shares he recently acquired. He reasoned that Mao Qiuyue insisted on helping him even when he declined her offer numerous times until she eventually managed to persuade him.
"I know that everything looks bad now and I'm sorry for that, but as Long Industries' Deputy CFO…and also as the President-CEO's eldest son, I will do everything that I can to solve the problem of our company's stock prices crashing. My resignation is not the answer! In fact, it's the worst thing to do in this situation because it'll only signal to everyone that we're admitting defeat! I humbly suggest that the best course of action is to work together as a team, as family because that's what we are, in order to remedy our current problem. I'm ready to work day and night every day of the week until we solve this and our company's stock prices recover!"
Long Meng clapped her hands. Long Hui's supporters and allies followed suit. However, most chose not to clap because they wanted to gauge Long Tengfei's position first in this matter. It was difficult for them to know what their company head was thinking based on his expression which remained unreadable.
"Go back to your seat, Deputy CFO Long Hui," Long Tengfei finally spoke again.
Long Hui obeyed and returned beside Long Meng who gave him an encouraging smile. He also felt hopeful because his father's tone didn't sound like he was about to fire him. Perhaps he was also able to move his father with his speech. He was hoping he did.
The conference room descended into silence as everyone waited for Long Tengfei to speak first.
"I agree that Deputy CFO Long Hui's resignation is not the best course of action in this situation," he said.
"But he still played a big part in causing our current predicament," Long Tengfei continued. "So he will be duly punished. I'll hand out his punishment later but for now, we should all think of solutions on how to make our stock prices recover as soon as possible."
People began talking again as they offered different solutions, but most of them were shot down as ineffective.
A hand rose up.
"Go ahead, Deputy COO Long Jian," Long Tengfei said. "What's your proposed solution?"
"My suggestion is simple. Let my sister, the celebrity Iris Long, do her magic!"