"Lin, Lin Yixue!"
Lin Yixue, in a daze, extended her hand to shake Susan's.
Clearly, she hadn't yet processed how Su Ming had become the chairman of Hongda so suddenly.
However, Susan smiled and explained to Lin Yixue, "Ms. Lin, perhaps you are not aware that last night, Chairman Su swiftly acquired 30% of Hongda's shares and demanded control over the Pear Garden project."
"What? Last night?"
Lin Yixue was shocked. It happened last night? Did this mean Su Ming did it for her?
She turned to look at Su Ming, her eyes brimming with deep affection.
Su Ming, feeling the intensity of her gaze, nodded casually. To be honest, he was bewildered; it was all the system's doing, and he had nothing to do with it.
While Su Ming was lost in thought, a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Before he could react, Lin Yixue's lips met his.
The kiss was brief, and when he came to, he saw Lin Yixue's eyes misty with tears as she softly said, "Su Ming, thank you!"
No one knew how important the Pear Garden project was to Lin Yixue. It was a crucial step in her fight against fate and her family.
"Mm," Su Ming nodded gently, reaching out to wipe away the tears welling up in Lin Yixue's eyes. "Come on, don't cry, it's okay."
Hearing Su Ming's soft, soothing voice, Lin Yixue felt like a gentle breeze soothing her, and she nodded gently.
"Chairman Su, Chairman Su, I'm sorry, please forgive me! I was blind and disrespectful. Please, have mercy on me!"
Suddenly, Chen Hua rushed out from behind the desk, dropping to his knees and crawling towards Su Ming, pleading for forgiveness.
The warmth in Su Ming's eyes instantly turned cold. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it."
"Chairman Su! I was wrong, I truly regret it. Please, spare me!"
Chen Hua's face was streaked with tears. Only he knew how much he had profited from his position as vice president. If investigated, he would lose everything and possibly face prison. All he wanted now was for Su Ming to forgive him, fire him, and let him go. He didn't care if he got nothing, just as long as they didn't dig into his dirty deeds.
Without a word, Su Ming glanced at Susan, who immediately understood. She signaled to the security guards outside.
The two guards, quick to act, rushed in.
"Drag him out!" Susan's voice was cold.
"Get up!"
"Come with us!"
The guards didn't waste any time, pulling Chen Hua away despite his struggles.
Soon, the office was quiet again.
"Yixue, haven't you eaten yet? How about having some of Hongda's work meals?"
"Sure!"
Lin Yixue, having composed herself, agreed readily.
"Chairman Su, would you like to eat in the office or in the cafeteria?" Susan asked immediately after Lin Yixue's agreement.
"The cafeteria, to avoid the hassle. Lead the way."
"Alright, Chairman Su, Ms. Lin, follow me."
Susan led the way, and the three of them walked through the office area to the cafeteria. As they passed, the employees sat straight, stealing glances at Su Ming, clearly wanting to remember his face to avoid making the same mistake as Chen Hua.
In the cafeteria, Susan asked about their preferences and went to get the food. The quality of the food was impressive, rivaling that of a five-star hotel.
After finishing their meal, Lin Yixue took Su Ming's hand.
"Su Ming, I need to discuss some details about the project with Assistant Su. Can we have dinner together tonight?"
"Sure, go ahead with your work, don't worry about me."
"Is there anything else you need, Chairman Su?" Susan asked politely.
"No, I'll stay here. Let me know if there's anything. When you're done, call me, and I'll come pick you up."
"Okay!"
Lin Yixue sweetly agreed, and then she and Susan left. Su Ming also left the cafeteria, heading out of Hongda.
Being the chairman was incredibly comfortable. An assistant could handle everything, and his job seemed to be to show up occasionally. When there were meetings or other events, the assistant would inform him.
Of course, this was only possible because, although he was the chairman, he wasn't the actual head of operations. He knew he couldn't run such a company on his own.
As he left Hongda, every employee he met greeted him with a respectful smile, and he responded in kind.
Leaving the company, Su Ming headed to the parking lot, which was behind the office building. After checking that there was only one pedestrian and two people on electric scooters, he prepared to leave.
Just as he opened the car door, a scream pierced the air.
"Ahhh! My bag, help, robbery!"
The scream came from the side. Su Ming's hand froze mid - air, and he turned to see the pedestrian panicking, while the two on the scooter sped up, the back rider clutching a pink handbag.
"Ding! Choice triggered!"
"Option 1: Act heroically, reward: a set of apartments in Huaxi Water Pavilion."
"Option 2: Ignore it, maintain self - interest, result: - 20 goodwill from Jiangzhou University's commoner campus beauty, Fan Qianqian."
"Huh, a campus beauty? A commoner campus beauty, maybe she's looking for a job?"
Hearing the system prompt, Su Ming paused. The two on the scooter were getting closer.
"System, I choose option one!"
Without hesitation, Su Ming sprinted out like a cheetah, blocking the main road.
"Fuck off!"
"Get out of the way!"
The two on the scooter shouted, but Su Ming ignored them, taking a step forward and leaping, delivering a powerful kick to the scooter.
"Ahh!"
With two screams, the scooter toppled, and the two riders slid several meters before stopping. The stolen bag fell in front of Su Ming.