Chapter 980: Speculation
Manager Tang walked over and said, "Don’t you believe what Li Xiaoyun said?"
Zhou Chuanwu and Wang Honglin faltered at this moment and didn’t say anything.
The momentum they had against Li Xiaoyun earlier had completely disappeared.
"Then do you believe what I say?" Manager Tang asked again.
The crowd still remained silent.
Manager Tang glanced at everyone and said, "Earlier, I was called to President Lin’s office, where I found out how Zheng Xuelin secured the deal."
"President Lin feels that if Zheng Xuelin’s tactics got out, it would be a huge embarrassment to the company. Therefore, replacing him was a necessary course of action. Even if the news leaks in the future, it would still be embarrassing, but at least the company responded in time, mitigating some losses."
"And President Lin requested a replacement who is capable, responsible, and can stay with the company long-term. Someone who won’t easily jump ship after achieving some success, or retire after a few years, leaving the collaboration for others to unravel and sort out."
"After considering for a while, I feel that Li Xiaoyun is more suitable," said Manager Tang.
"It’s just that now is a sensitive period of competition between Li Xiaoyun and Zheng Xuelin. Replacing him with her would definitely stir some negative comments," Manager Tang said, "I have concerns about this, and Li Xiaoyun had her doubts too."
"But since she’s already been marked for consideration by President Lin, honestly, we both have no other choice. Even if Li Xiaoyun doesn’t want the role, she still has to accept it."
"I don’t expect you to wholeheartedly empathize, but the situation is what it is. If she doesn’t take this opportunity, her career will come to a halt. But if she does, alongside the negative comments, she will also face new challenges and continue to have a promising future in the company. If it were any of you, would you take it or not?"
"Don’t say you wouldn’t take it; nobody here is that selfless. Even if everyone refuses, someone will still be designated to take it in the end. Now, it’s Li Xiaoyun who’s been designated, and she’s stepping up to the plate."
"That’s the way it is. If you have any issues, you can report them to higher authorities," Manager Tang said coldly.
"Now, get back to whatever you’re supposed to be doing. Don’t group together here; it’s not a good look for the department," Manager Tang said, "Regardless of the situation, it’s better for our department to appear united to outsiders."
"You’re all colleagues, and as long as you haven’t resigned, you’ll still need to work together. Turning against each other has no benefits," Manager Tang added.
Then he stood there motionless.
To make sure he saw everyone leave.
Li Xiaoyun seized the chance and quickly led Zhou Yunyun and Lin Lingli away.
Zhou Yunyun had a lot she wanted to ask but could only hold it in for now.
Li Xiaoyun said, "It’s not a good day to eat at the cafeteria. Let’s go out for lunch; it’ll be easier to talk."
"Sure, sure, sure," Zhou Yunyun quickly agreed.
She had so many questions to ask, and talking in the cafeteria wouldn’t be convenient.
Since Li Xiaoyun suggested it, it was clear she intended to talk and didn’t plan to keep things secret.
This made Zhou Yunyun very happy.
Because of Manager Tang’s words, no one dared to block Li Xiaoyun for the time being.
At least for now, they didn’t dare.
So, Li Xiaoyun, Zhou Yunyun, and Lin Lingli left the company smoothly.
Of course, they couldn’t avoid encountering many colleagues from other departments along the way.
Even if other departments weren’t as quick or informed about the latest news as the business department,
they all knew about Rui Changhuai’s arrival at Ruis.
Everyone had various speculations in mind.
At this moment, the looks directed towards Li Xiaoyun were filled with curiosity and gossip.
There was probing and even some judgment from an early moral high ground.
Li Xiaoyun ignored all of that.
Together with Zhou Yunyun and Lin Lingli, she hurriedly left the company.
There were still quite a few people up to the company’s entrance.
The three walked a while until company personnel became scarce and eventually disappeared from sight.
The three found a restaurant.
It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was quite crowded.
Unless you’re at a notably bad one, any reasonably decent place tends to be full.
Especially those with a good price-to-performance ratio and fast service,
like various Western or Chinese-style fast-food restaurants, which office workers particularly favor.
Hence, those places were especially crowded.
Li Xiaoyun, along with Zhou Yunyun and Lin Lingli, simply went to a Western-style casual dining restaurant.
Each of them ordered a sandwich of different flavors and three salads.
Each with a cup of coffee for their lunch.
"Sister Xiao Yun, what exactly happened with Zheng Xuelin?" Zhou Yunyun asked.
Lin Lingli also inquired, "Didn’t Manager Tang ask me to show Rui Changhuai around our company earlier? He also told me it was a problem with Zheng Xuelin, but didn’t give details. What exactly happened?"
Li Xiaoyun didn’t hide anything from them.
Aside from being colleagues with Zheng Xuelin, they had no other relationship.
Furthermore, even as colleagues, their interaction was quite ordinary.
She had no obligation to cover up or bear the consequences of Zheng Xuelin’s wrongdoing.
Li Xiaoyun didn’t intend to preserve Zheng Xuelin’s reputation by keeping quiet.
"Regarding this matter, Rui Changhuai told me a little, not very detailed, but at least I learned the main issue," Li Xiaoyun said.
She looked around, seeing no colleagues from their company in the restaurant.
But Li Xiaoyun still cautiously lowered her voice a bit, saying, "Zheng Xuelin was able to secure the deal by accompanying Vice President Lu from Changlin."
"You know... the usual business between men and women," knowing they’re all adults, she didn’t articulate further, but Zhou Yunyun and Lin Lingli seemed to understand.
Sure enough, seeing the shock on their faces, Lin Lingli and Zhou Yunyun even gasped.
Lin Lingli almost choked on the bite of sandwich she just ate.
"Although this matter was told to me directly by Rui Changhuai, so it’s definitely true, I don’t have any hard evidence," Li Xiaoyun said, "So even if you both know, don’t go spreading it to others."
"Otherwise, if someone like Zhou Chuanwu or Wang Honglin demands evidence from you, arguing that words alone don’t count, what will you do?" Li Xiaoyun said.
"I’m just telling you this to keep you informed," Li Xiaoyun said.
Zhou Yunyun nodded obediently.
Li Xiaoyun continued, "As for Vice President Lu from Changlin, although Rui Changhuai didn’t mention it, I don’t think they’d let it slide easily."
"But since Changlin isn’t saying anything publicly, they probably plan to handle it internally, quietly. After all, this isn’t something honorable either, and a public scandal wouldn’t be good for Changlin."