My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 461

Thinking this, Chen Yan looked toward Mr. Wang from the investment department and called out, "Mr. Wang."

Because of the awe-inspiring actions he had taken at noon, Chen Yan’s prestige at the company was now on par with Zhang Yonghao’s.

In fact, in terms of "awe," he even surpassed Zhang Yonghao.

Therefore, as soon as he spoke, the whole dining table fell silent, and everyone’s gaze shifted subtly towards Chen Yan, waiting to see what he was about to do.

Mr. Wang from the investment department was also jolted out of his thoughts. He looked toward Chen Yan, forced a smile, and said, "You can just call me Lao Wang, President Chen."

Chen Yan chuckled, "Let’s forget ’Lao Wang.’ I really can’t call you that."

What Chen Yan meant was he did not want Mr. Wang to gain an advantage through familiarity.

After all, the name "Lao Wang" had other implications.

However, Mr. Wang, who was older and unfamiliar with this kind of "joke," mistakenly thought that Chen Yan was being too deferential to dare to address him as "Lao Wang."

At first, he was puzzled why Chen Yan was showing him such "respect."

Didn’t Chen Yan always dislike him and even wanted to kick him out of the company?

Could it be...

Was Chen Yan planning to win him over?

The moment this thought came to mind, Mr. Wang found it very plausible.

He felt that although Chen Yan had established his authority in the company today, he actually held just over 40% of the shares, which was still at a certain distance compared to the shares held by the management team.

Chen Yan only appeared "formidable" today because it was a sudden strike.

After a few days, when everyone gradually accepted this fact, his situation in the company wouldn’t be so favorable.

So... he must be thinking of winning over the company’s executives starting now.

As for why he would want to win him over, Mr. Wang had his own reasoning: that is... it’s worth spending a lot to acquire a valuable asset. It showed Chen Yan’s magnanimity in overlooking past issues.

Even someone like him who had conflicts with Chen Yan would be forgiven, so naturally, Chen Yan wouldn’t dwell on past issues with others.

The more he thought about it, the more Mr. Wang found it reasonable.

As a result, for a moment, he spoke with more firmness.

He straightened his back slightly, then looked at Chen Yan with a patronizing smile and said, "Alright, President Chen, call me however you wish."

"Is there something you need me for, Chen Yan?"

Chen Yan, with his "inner headphones" turned on throughout, clearly caught Mr. Wang’s inner monologue.

He was somewhat surprised by Mr. Wang’s wild guess. But then he thought... his logic didn’t seem flawed.

And indeed, Chen Yan did need to give him some illusions. Otherwise, when it came time for Zhang Yonghao to talk to him, how could he fall into the trap?

With this in mind, Chen Yan played along with Mr. Wang’s thoughts and continued the performance.

He looked at Mr. Wang with a smile and then said, "Mr. Wang, I seem to remember that last time there was some conflict between you and Director He over company shares, wasn’t there?"

"That did happen, right?"

Hearing Chen Yan’s question, Mr. Wang’s smile froze on his face, and he couldn’t help but look towards Zhang Yonghao.

After all, even though it was him who had done it, he had been following Zhang Yonghao’s instructions.

Zhang Yonghao, however, subtly avoided his gaze.

Clearly, having already reached an insider agreement with Chen Yan, he was a bit reluctant to meet the gaze of his old subordinate.

Mr. Wang looked away disappointedly and sighed internally.

Having worked with Zhang Yonghao for many years, he had always been aware of one of Zhang Yonghao’s shortcomings: his spinelessness and his habit of flattering those above him.

When dealing with those below him or his peers, he always appeared unaffected and calm.

He also showed that he didn’t care about power or money, and that he only enjoyed the thrill of the chase, the adventure.

But, in truth, those who really knew him would discover he had two faces.

When facing subordinates and peers, he indeed seemed indifferent.

But when facing someone who could control his career, facing someone far more powerful than him, he couldn’t help but want to submit. novelbuddy.cσ๓

This had been the case with the Zhao Family before.

Now, facing Chen Yan, who held his fate, it was the same.

Mr. Wang couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

However, having struggled in the corporate world for many years, Mr. Wang also had his own set of principles.

He was aware that the actions he had taken back then had seriously offended He Mengxue.

If Chen Yan was truly intending to avenge He Mengxue, then no matter what he said, Chen Yan wouldn’t let him off the hook.

Moreover, deep down, he still believed in his own judgment.

He felt that Chen Yan talking to him about this matter wasn’t with the intent to accuse him.

So, he stopped pretending and looked at Chen Yan with a smile, saying, "Yes. At that time, Director He and I had a big disagreement, and we almost came to blows."

Chen Yan nodded slowly and then said, "I heard it was not just a near physical altercation. You also kept insulting her, denigrating her. Is that right?"

Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Mr. Wang, the old fox, just laughed it off. "Business is business. The goal is what matters, sometimes, you have to use some other means."

"There was no ill intent."

Chen Yan shook his head with a smile, "That’s not something you can just say."

"We are a proper company, a company that aims to reach the apex. There must be self-discipline and morality."

Listening to Chen Yan’s continuous criticism, Mr. Wang’s face turned red and then pale.

He felt he was losing face entirely.

After all, the young man in front of him was about the same age as his children.

Yet now, he was sitting in the main seat, openly criticizing him.

How could he preserve his dignity?

Moreover, he started to doubt his earlier judgment: was Chen Yan not actually interested in winning him over?

Was it all just his own wishful thinking?

That shouldn’t be the case...

Mr. Wang felt his logic was sound.

If he were in Chen Yan’s current position, with the upper hand at this moment, he would certainly seek to win over the executives present to increase his influence in the company.

After all, Chen Yan had already shown his ambition. Zhang Yonghao would definitely cut off any new opportunities for Chen Yan to acquire more shares.

Moreover, he would try to dilute Chen Yan’s existing shareholding further.

So, if Chen Yan wanted to take control of the company, to stand against Zhang Yongfeng, the most convenient condition would be to win over the executives present.

Each executive held around 3% of the shares; by winning over just four of them, Chen Yan’s shareholding would exceed 50%, allowing him to formally take control of the company.

At such a time, what Chen Yan needed to do was to unite all the forces he could.

Suppressing him made no sense at all!

After all, he simply couldn’t have other ways to acquire company shares anymore!

Thinking this, Mr. Wang started to find Chen Yan’s intentions more ambiguous.

And just as he was pondering this, Chen Yan spoke up again.

Chen Yan looked at Mr. Wang. His tone changed as he said with a smile, "Mr. Wang, don’t take my words too seriously."

"After all, I am the company’s supervisor; it’s my duty to oversee matters that would affect the company’s development."

"Besides, it’s all in the past now, isn’t it?"

Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Mr. Wang immediately felt that this was the kind of response he had expected from Chen Yan.

So, he quickly nodded, "Right. Yes. It’s in the past."

Chen Yan continued with a smile, "If that’s the case, then Mr. Wang, why don’t you offer Director He a drink to express your apology?"

"After all, you were in the wrong."

Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Mr. Wang looked at him skeptically.

He wondered if Chen Yan was trying to trick him into apologizing, but he had no evidence.

Seeing him like this, Chen Yan added, "Rest assured, Mr. Wang. It’s just this one drink."

"After it’s drunk, we’ll turn the page."

"No one should hold on to it."

Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Mr. Wang’s face brightened. He glanced at the other executives present.

They were all high-ranking executives of the company.

If Chen Yan intended to get involved in the company, he would inevitably need their support.

With them as witnesses, Chen Yan would have no way to go back on his word.

After all, if he could renege on his promise to him, he could do the same to anyone else.

After thinking it over, Mr. Wang believed Chen Yan must be sincere.

Combining this with his earlier assumptions, he pieced everything together.

He Mengxue was Chen Yan’s valued colleague. Having suffered an insult at his hands, Chen Yan would surely want to restore her dignity.

But at the same time, he wanted to win him over.

So, he chose to step on him a little, then let him off lightly, which not only solved He Mengxue’s grievances but could win him over and leave a generous impression on him.

Thinking this way, he became more convinced of his own reasoning.

Feeling elated, he thought it was unworthy of his elder status to squabble with younger executives.

So, he stood up, took a glass from the table, and poured himself a full cup.

The drink on the table was liquor, the glasses were small, about three ounces, but still fiery when gulped down in one shot.

Mr. Wang was currently happy, so he didn’t mind.

He raised his glass and said to He Mengxue in a tone of addressing someone younger, "Young He, previously when we worked for different companies and were negotiating business, I inevitably had to resort to some underhand tactics."

"Don’t take it to heart."

"I’ll make amends right here. It’s all in this drink."

With that, he downed the drink in one gulp.

Chen Yan led the applause, "Well done!"

The others at the table also clapped and cheered him on.

With the drink down, Mr. Wang’s face reddened a bit.

He looked at He Mengxue, who just watched him coldly without even picking up her glass.

Feeling like he lost face, he turned to look at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan, however, didn’t bring up the matter, but simply gave a thumbs-up, "Mr. Wang, that’s generous."

"Let’s put this behind us."

"From now on, whoever brings this up again won’t need you to speak up—I’ll personally take it up with them."

After finishing, he ignored Mr. Wang’s reaction and turned to chat with the other executives at the table, going from one to another.

Suddenly snubbed, Mr. Wang felt even more awkward.

But seeing that the table had turned lively again, he didn’t say anything and just sat down quietly.

After sitting down, he glanced at Chen Yan, who was now engaged in conversation with others, and shook his head slightly.

He thought this young man, Chen Yan, acted too rashly.

Too eager for success.

He was actually trying to woo everyone in turn.

If he were Chen Yan, he would definitely focus on one person, secure that person first, and then slowly win over the others.

Just like that, a meal ended rather quickly.

At the end of the dinner, Chen Yan chatted with Mr. Wang a bit more, then heaped high praise on Zhang Yonghao, calling him a "pillar of the state," his "right-hand man," which made Mr. Wang beam with joy.

It wasn’t until they had dispersed from the dinner and were on the way back in the car that He Mengxue expressed her dissatisfaction to Chen Yan. "Chen Yan, why did you let that annoying person off the hook?"

She looked at Chen Yan with slightly reddened eyes, "You have no idea how overboard he was in his speech, how much he relies on his seniority, how personal his attacks were."

"I’ve never been as wronged in my life as I was that day."

But Chen Yan just smiled and patted the back of her hand, saying, "Patience, patience."

"Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show."

He Mengxue looked at Chen Yan with a big question mark in her eyes.

But Chen Yan revealed a mysteriously confident smile.

And just as they were talking, Chen Yan’s phone rang.

He picked it up and saw it was a call from Zhang Yonghao.

Chen Yan said to He Mengxue with a laugh, "See, here it comes."

He Mengxue watched, puzzled, as Chen Yan answered the phone.

Then she heard him say, "Director Zhang? Oh. Let’s forget about President Wang’s issue."

"It’s nothing. Since I said at dinner that we’d let bygones be bygones, then it’s past."

"Yes. Yes. Let it go."

"I’m a man of my word. When I say it’s over, it’s over."

"Sure. Fine."

"Goodbye."

Seeing Chen Yan hang up the phone, He Mengxue was even more confused. She looked at Chen Yan, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Chen Yan just smiled and shook his head, assuring He Mengxue that the results would speak for themselves the next day.

He Mengxue truly had no idea what kind of trick Chen Yan was playing.

Why, though Chen Yan kept insisting on letting Director Zhang go, saying so to everyone, and even to Zhang Yonghao himself, did he still firmly believe he would get his revenge?

With these questions in mind, He Mengxue returned to her hotel room to rest.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Chen Yan, He Mengxue, and Qin Ming, along with the Deputy Financial Director assigned to Headline Company, went to discuss follow-up matters.

As soon as they arrived at Headline Company, they found the place in a state of unrest, as if something had happened.

Qin Ming and He Mengxue were curious.

But Chen Yan acted as if he saw nothing and went straight to the conference room, led by the receptionist.

On the way, He Mengxue couldn’t contain her curiosity.

She couldn’t help but ask the leading receptionist, "Hello. Did something happen in our company today?"

The receptionist looked a bit intimidated by He Mengxue and Chen Yan.

She forced a smile and said, "Well, it’s nothing much. It’s just that Mr. Wang resigned this morning."

"Resigned?" He Mengxue looked at the receptionist in shock.

After receiving a positive response, she couldn’t help but turn to Chen Yan. Her eyes were full of surprise, clearly not understanding how Chen Yan had pulled everything off.

Qin Ming, who had witnessed all the events of the past two days, had a thoughtful look in his eyes.

They entered the conference room.

Zhang Yonghao hadn’t arrived yet.

The three of them sat and rested first.

After the receptionist left, He Mengxue couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. She asked Chen Yan, "Chen Yan, please tell me. How did you do it?"

Chen Yan smiled and, without explaining himself, looked to Qin Ming and asked, "Qin Ming, have you figured it out?"

Qin Ming hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Obviously, he had his suspicions, but he was not quite sure.

Seeing the two playing coy, He Mengxue grew more anxious.

If there hadn’t been a lack of baseball bats on the table, she might have chased Qin Ming down for an answer!

Seeing his cousin on the verge of exploding, Qin Ming hurriedly explained, "I’m not sure if my guess is correct. But I think that Brother Chen must have played on the personalities of Director Zhang and Mr. Wang, as well as their information asymmetry."

Chen Yan nodded encouragingly, "Go on."

He Mengxue also couldn’t help but look at Qin Ming.

Reassured by Chen Yan’s encouragement, Qin Ming felt more at ease.

He said, "I remember that Brother Chen and Zhang Yonghao had negotiated a condition before: ’not to use the veto power lightly,’ and one of them was to [dismiss Mr. Wang]."

"And Zhang Yonghao was planning to discuss this with Mr. Wang after dinner last night."

"At the dinner table, Brother Chen seemed to have let bygones be bygones with President Wang and said he wanted to let the matter rest."

"But Zhang Yonghao is a person with dark thoughts who doesn’t really care about promises."

"In his view, everything Brother Chen showed was just to play Mr. Wang for a fool."

"So, after dinner, he would continue his original plan: to dismiss Mr. Wang."

"Then, conflict was inevitable between the two."

"Mr. Wang would probably question Zhang Yonghao about why he was being dismissed."

"To shift blame, Zhang Yonghao would likely call Chen Yan, asking him to reveal their deal, putting the blame on Chen Yan."

"But on the phone, Brother Chen said he would let Mr. Wang off the hook. That’s classic blame-shifting."

"After hearing Brother Chen’s words, Mr. Wang wouldn’t believe Zhang Yonghao at all, thinking he just wanted to ’use a borrowed knife to kill.’"

"In this way, Brother Chen got rid of Mr. Wang without having to bear the bad name of being vengeful."

"Even though Mr. Wang was dismissed, the other executives surely had his contact. After learning the inside story, they would likely become disillusioned with Zhang Yonghao."

"Although there was a gamble involved, the probability of success was very high due to the two’s personalities."

"So, Chen Yan did it."

With that, Qin Ming looked at Chen Yan and asked, "Brother Chen, am I right?"

Chen Yan smiled and nodded. Qin Ming had guessed the truth.

However, the only difference was: Qin Ming thought Chen Yan was gambling.

In reality, Chen Yan had used "headphones for the heart," having overheard Zhang Yonghao’s inner thoughts at the dinner table after he had mentioned reconciling with Mr. Wang, which made him dare take this risk.

Without overhearing Zhang Yonghao’s thoughts, he wouldn’t have dared to play it this way.

And by playing this way, he indeed successfully shifted the blame onto Zhang Yonghao, letting him and Mr. Wang fight like dogs, and even potentially causing other executives to feel betrayed and disillusioned with Zhang Yonghao.

It could be said he killed several birds with one stone.

Just as Chen Yan was reflecting on this, the office door was pushed open.

Zhang Yonghao came in with a panda eye.

Upon entering, he smiled at Chen Yan and said, "President Chen, sorry to have kept you waiting. Something came up just now."

Seeing Zhang Yonghao with one normal eye and the other bruised, the three of them struggled to keep from laughing.

Fortunately, they were "professionals" in holding back laughter, so they didn’t burst out laughing.

Chen Yan even asked with concern, "Director Zhang, are you alright?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yonghao’s face showed a trace of embarrassment.

He touched his swollen eye and said, "It’s nothing. Just some minor issues."

Then he quickly changed the subject, "By the way, President Chen. The reason I was late is that the people below were asking me: about that issue with Zhao Jie, how... how should we handle it?"

"Shall we push this news into the hot search list?"

This matter was the catalyst for everything, so Zhang Yonghao couldn’t help but approach it with caution.

And Chen Yan had already prepared a response for all this.

He shook his head and said, "Don’t put it in the hot search list. Don’t even approve it."

"I want you to continue to suppress it. Keep this matter under tight wraps."

"Ah?" Zhang Yonghao looked bewildered.

"Brother Chen said on the phone that he would let Mr. Wang off the hook. That’s classic blame-shifting."

"After hearing Brother Chen’s words, Mr. Wang wouldn’t believe Zhang Yonghao at all, thinking he just wanted to ’use a borrowed knife to kill.’"

"In this way, Brother Chen got rid of Mr. Wang without having to bear the bad name of being vengeful."

"Even though Mr. Wang was dismissed, the other executives surely had his contact. After learning the inside story, they would likely become disillusioned with Zhang Yonghao."

"Although there was a gamble involved, the probability of success was very high due to the two’s personalities."

"So, Chen Yan did it."

With that, Qin Ming looked at Chen Yan and asked, "Brother Chen, am I right?"

Chen Yan smiled and nodded. Qin Ming had guessed the truth.

However, the only difference was: Qin Ming thought Chen Yan was gambling.

In reality, Chen Yan had used "headphones for the heart," having overheard Zhang Yonghao’s inner thoughts at the dinner table after he had mentioned reconciling with Mr. Wang, which made him dare take this risk.

Without overhearing Zhang Yonghao’s thoughts, he wouldn’t have dared to play it this way.

And by playing this way, he indeed successfully shifted the blame onto Zhang Yonghao, letting him and Mr. Wang fight like dogs, and even potentially causing other executives to feel betrayed and disillusioned with Zhang Yonghao.

It could be said he killed several birds with one stone.

Just as Chen Yan was reflecting on this, the office door was pushed open.

Zhang Yonghao came in with a panda eye.

Upon entering, he smiled at Chen Yan and said, "President Chen, sorry to have kept you waiting. Something came up just now."

Seeing Zhang Yonghao with one normal eye and the other bruised, the three of them struggled to keep from laughing.

Fortunately, they were "professionals" in holding back laughter, so they didn’t burst out laughing.

Chen Yan even asked with concern, "Director Zhang, are you alright?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yonghao’s face showed a trace of embarrassment.

He touched his swollen eye and said, "It’s nothing. Just some minor issues."

Then he quickly changed the subject, "By the way, President Chen. The reason I was late is that the people below were asking me: about that issue with Zhao Jie, how... how should we handle it?"

"Shall we push this news into the hot search list?"

This matter was the catalyst for everything, so Zhang Yonghao couldn’t help but approach it with caution.

And Chen Yan had already prepared a response for all this.

He shook his head and said, "Don’t put it in the hot search list. Don’t even approve it."

"I want you to continue to suppress it. Keep this matter under tight wraps."

"Ah?" Zhang Yonghao looked bewildered.