Ling Qingyu watched the directors leave in despair except for Huang Mei, who was still in her seat.
Li Wei, Zhang Hao, and Gu Ling accepted her deals, gritting their teeth, after seeing the threats contained in the folders.
Of course, it wasn't a threat but more like an exposure of bad deeds committed by their relatives.
The other directors dared not say a word. Didn't they see Li Wei's strongest trio give up?
Ling Qingyu showed everyone she didn't mind the full battle since the losses weren't from her party.
The rest of the directors could only tuck their tails between their legs and ran away. Only Ling Qingyu remained on the board and the consequences should be the public trust would wane a little before she achieved something miraculous again.
The company's value might drop after this event but it would only be temporary before it grew bigger than prior to its peak.
The temporary weakness was worth it, in Ling Qingyu's opinion. Also, the reason why she vied so much to remove the pests from the board was to prevent others from exploiting her company.
Yes, she described the directors as pests. To most bystanders, although removing their directorships seemed sufficient, Ling Qingyu understood it was never enough.
She must never give a chance for her enemy to take advantage. Who knew whether Li Wei's trio might sell their shares to her enemies silently without her knowledge and lead the company to a complete collapse?
Only fools would give the slightest chance to her enemies and that didn't include Ling Qingyu, obviously.
Recollecting her thoughts, Ling Qingyu discovered Huang Mei remained seated in her position, looking at her with a smile.
The elder woman's smile contrasted the circumstances and Ling Qingyu asked. "Madam Huang, it's not that I don't give a face to the elder—"
"—It's fine. I understand perfectly. I'm grateful for your maturity and your method." Huang Mei replied, not caring about Ling Qingyu's rudeness during the meeting.
The only complaint was Ling Qingyu's thick skin. Even as a female, Huang Mei applauded the woman, whose age was similar to her granddaughter, for this trait.
"Actually, I can still allow your shares in our company but the directorship is a no though," Ling Qingyu proposed.
Thinking back to the old times when Huang Mei taught her everything about the circle, Ling Qingyu's face eased as she said.
Huang Mei's expression also weakened and sighed helplessly. "Thank you for your concern. But please don't make an exception for me. I don't want to be targeted by others."
Ling Qingyu blushed and said again. "My apology, I should have perceived from your perspective. How about you invest the money again in my new project, which is a secret at the moment? Don't worry, when you're going to invest, I'll display everything."
Huang Mei also paused and looked closely at Ling Qingyu's eyes. She nodded after a while, seemingly having made a decision. "You can give me a call at that time. We'll be seeing later then."
Ling Qingyu also stood up and walked alongside with Huang Mei to the exit. Although Huang Mei voted against her, she didn't blame this elder because one must have knowledge after entering this circle, people only saw interests.
There are no friendships or enemies but an eternal interest. The entire circle survived based on this law.
When they were about to be separated, Huang Mei grasped her shoulders gently and patted them, smiling at her before leaving.
Su Ruomei, beside her, now exhibited a giddy mood, after seeing Ling Qingyu successfully thwart the conspiracies against the Spirit Beauty & Clothing company and outmaneuver everyone.
Even though it wasn't her plan and Su Ruomei didn't participate in the event, Su Ruomei felt very great as if she was the victor.
Ling Qingyu and Zhao Xiurong smiled warmly at Su Ruomei's childish behavior. It could be clearly seen, that Su Ruomei had enough of these directors making a stumbling block for the company, particularly for Ling Qingyu.
Once Ling Qingyu lost control of the company, everything inside the company would change tremendously.
The heartwarming scene of colleagues' interaction without pretense and without exploiting one another would be abolished.
Although true equality was hard to achieve in any place, Ling Qingyu had allowed her subordinates to, at least, maintain their dignity and self-respect.
These qualities would be gone if Ling Qingyu wasn't in control of the company anymore. The scene of parachuting their relatives and bullying other workers might become a reality.
Bullying, coercing, and threatening—none of those existed in Spirit Beauty & Clothing Co. Ltd..
However, there were a few rotten fish, as any organization did. Ling Qingyu was also helpless with the issues but she had already mitigated the problems from growing.
Where there is water, there will be rivers and lakes.
Unlike others, Ling Qingyu's hand prevented the cases from worsening. Su Ruomei could explicitly attest to others, that working under Ling Qingyu was definitely safer for women.
No sexual harassment, no exploitation by males in the leadership position.
Okay, it might be Ling Qingyu's example or deterrence but Su Ruomei also thought they were part of the reasons.
In front of fierce female guards, if one dared to commit crimes, Su Ruomei could only shed tears for the perpetrator.
It was no different from courting death. Men and women cooperated seamlessly in the company and the harmony was hard fought.
If this was to be destroyed, Su Ruomei didn't know where she could find another similar existence.
Patiently watching Su Ruomei walk away, Ling Qingyu understood her mood. Perhaps, her subordinates might have a similar worry for today's event.
But she could see the belief and idolization in their eyes whenever they looked at her. Ling Qingyu sometimes even wondered if she entered the wrong industry.
Her fight, today, would not disappoint their expectation and trust. Ling Qingyu was certain by now, that her subordinates would follow her orders without hesitation.
Her skills and foresight had conquered everyone in the company.
The two women's heels rubbed the marble floor as Ling Qingyu and Zhao Xiurong walked back together and were preparing to eat lunch back in their own office.
Her secretary Zhao didn't know and followed her along. Usually, by this time, Ling Qingyu would eat in the canteen downstairs or purchase a takeaway.
Ling Qingyu planned this way initially but this morning her butler Lin Xiao told Ling Qingyu, they could send lunch from the manor.
Hearing this good news, Ling Qingyu nodded without any rebuttals. Her hired chefs were much better than the ones in the canteen.
Since she had money, why refuse to enjoy and spoil herself.
Perhaps, because of the arrival of many purchased cars, Lin Xiao was eager to enjoy this service.
Since the manor servants had access to transportation now, they made use of one to satisfy their Mistress.
Before entering her office, Ling Qingyu sensed a vibration, coming from her purse. Someone was likely calling her.
Her hand reached inside the purse for her phone and opened the screen.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Strange, Ling Qingyu thought. Her phone number wasn't easily shared with others and strangers weren't likely to get access to her.
After some hesitation, she answered the call.
"Hello, who's calling this number?"
"…" There was no reply but she could hear some deep breathing sounds and ruffling of the papers or plastics.
"If you don't answer, I'll hang up then," Ling Qingyu was about to put down the phone from her ears when a male voice appeared.