Chapter 413 - 217: Deliberation
Sea View No. 1, underground garage!
"President Pei, any idea what’s going on with the boss today? Why did he call me over too?" As she spoke, Li Li checked her makeup in a small compact, putting it away only after confirming it hadn’t smudged.
"I’m not too clear on the details myself. I just got a message from the boss last night telling us both to come to his place today." Pei Rang shrugged. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, not forgetting to grab the bulging briefcase from the back seat.
In fact, Pei Rang had been wondering about this himself. Last night, besides telling him and Li Li to come over in the afternoon, the boss had also instructed him to bring along the files on all the company’s current subsidiaries.
This left him puzzled. ’If he just wanted to review the changes in the subsidiaries after they acquired new technologies, there would’ve been no need to specifically call Li Li over too.’
The two had barely taken a few steps when they heard a clear voice call out from behind them, "President Pei, Lili!"
Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Pei Rang and Li Li quickly turned around. They saw Zong Xinyao getting out of an executive sedan and striding quickly toward them.
"Xinyao! You’re back too! Why didn’t you call? We could’ve arranged for someone to pick you up," Li Li said, her face lighting up with pleasant surprise as she hurried to greet her good friend.
As one of the company’s most senior employees, Li Li had started in a secretarial role. She had been through a lot during the company’s early days, and since she and Zong Xinyao often worked together, they had naturally grown quite close over time.
"The boss gave me last-minute notice late last night. It was all so rushed, I didn’t want to call and bother you." Zong Xinyao’s words were meant for both Li Li and Pei Rang.
After all, both of them were now in charge of their own companies. It would have seemed improper to specifically call Pei Rang or Li Li just to arrange for a car, and it would have attracted unwanted attention.
People would wonder, ’Why did the boss summon you all the way back from the Imperial Capital? Is there something important he needs you to do?’ It would inevitably lead to speculation.
So, Zong Xinyao hadn’t called anyone upon her return—not even the "Goat Village" branch here in Shanghai.
What Zong Xinyao hadn’t expected, however, was to run into Pei Rang and Li Li here. She, too, began to wonder what was going on. ’Why would the boss summon all three of us?’
Pei Rang and Zong Xinyao were full of questions, but Li Li remained perfectly composed. Perhaps she knew more than she let on; otherwise, she wouldn’t have become the personal secretary to the head of the Louis Vuitton Group’s Asia-Pacific region at such a young age.
The three exchanged brief pleasantries before taking the elevator directly to the top floor where Su Chen lived.
CLICK.
When the main door opened and Pei Rang saw it was Chen Fei, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He knew Chen Fei was in charge of security for a project over on Zheng Island. Though he didn’t know the specifics, Pei Rang was aware that this project was incredibly important.
Two billion had been invested in the span of just two or three months. You didn’t have to be a genius to understand the project’s importance when money was being spent like water.
Yet, here was Chen Fei. ’Does this mean the project is already finished?’
Although Pei Rang was burning with curiosity, he knew better than to ask questions. He simply nodded at Chen Fei and walked inside, briefcase in hand.
As the three of them entered, they saw Su Chen sitting on the sofa, scrolling on his phone.
"Boss," the three of them greeted respectfully.
Su Chen placed his phone on the table and gestured with his right hand for them to sit.
Pei Rang and Zong Xinyao naturally took seats on the sofas to Su Chen’s left and right. Li Li hesitated for a moment before settling into a separate armchair.
Su Chen took note of their seating arrangement before his eyes swept over them. His gaze was placid, but it made Pei Rang and Zong Xinyao’s hearts clench. They knew the rule: the calmer he appeared, the more important the matter at hand.
"Did you bring all the files? Tell me what’s going on," Su Chen said, looking at Pei Rang.
Pei Rang quickly put the briefcase on his lap, took out a stack of documents, and immediately handed them to Su Chen with both hands.
As Su Chen took the files and began flipping through them, Pei Rang started his briefing. "The company currently has nearly a hundred wholly-owned subsidiaries. Even the one with the lowest output value is generating over a million."
"They cover nearly thirty sectors, including food and beverage, finance, manufacturing, and electronics. This year’s total profit is projected to be at least three billion. Next year, that figure should multiply several times over!"
Su Chen’s expression didn’t change at the news; he kept his eyes on the documents in his hands. A flicker of astonishment, however, crossed Zong Xinyao’s face. She knew the state of the company; before she had left, profits from sectors other than finance hadn’t been very high.
Even with the finance division, the annual profit was six or seven hundred million at most. ’How could the company have grown at such an explosive rate in just a few short months?’
And from the sound of it, some of the company’s subsidiaries had only just launched. Once they found their footing, their growth would be even more rapid. The implications of this forced Zong Xinyao into deep thought.
Pei Rang noticed Zong Xinyao’s questioning gaze, but he showed no hint of smugness.