Chapter 143: Father-In-Law and Son-In-Law Sparring

As Li Dong exited the restroom, he couldn't help but marvel at how good the employees at Yuanfang were at holding it in. After a marathon meeting, he was the only one who had needed a bathroom break.

Upon hearing a few newcomers spreading the word that Director Qin was waiting in line for the restroom, Li Dong immediately understood the situation. If it weren't for the fact that Qin Hai's face was dark with displeasure, Li Dong would have burst out laughing.

With a scowl on his face, Qin Hai gritted his teeth and said, "Finished up? If so, isn't it time we had a proper talk?"

Li Dong knew he couldn't avoid this conversation, so he replied, "Let's go to my office."

Once inside Li Dong's office, Qin Hai didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly across from him. After a moment of silence, Qin Hai finally spoke, "I never expected that the head of Yuanfang would turn out to be you."

Li Dong smiled and said, "It was all just a coincidence. When I opened the Dongping store, I never thought it would grow this big."

This was the truth from Li Dong's heart.

Back when he decided to open a supermarket, it was because he was provoked by Feng Jinsong. At that time, Li Dong's intention was to provide a place for his parents to retire, never imagining that Yuanfang would grow so quickly and become so profitable.

The two fell into silence again. After a long while, Qin Hai handed Li Dong an envelope.

Li Dong didn't take it but instead asked, "Aren't you being a bit irresponsible by doing this?"

Qin Hai was breathing heavily, saying nothing, but he didn't lower the hand holding the envelope.

Li Dong continued, "Is it because I'm your son-in-law..."

"Nonsense!"

Before Li Dong could finish, Qin Hai, flustered and exasperated, interrupted, "You can mess around with food, but not with words! Since when did you become my son-in-law?"

Li Dong chuckled and quickly waved his hand. "Fine, future son-in-law..."

"Not even in the future!" Qin Hai fumed.

Li Dong didn't argue further, smiling as he said, "Whether I am or not, I just want to ask, is logistics really what you want to do?"

Qin Hai hesitated.

To be honest, he felt that logistics was probably what he was best suited for, after all, he had spent decades dealing with the transportation industry. Originally, if the head of Yuanfang wasn't Li Dong, Qin Hai would have been happy to continue working there. But ever since he found out that Li Dong was in charge, Qin Hai had been feeling uneasy.

Even though he kept telling himself that Li Dong valued him for his abilities, he was self-aware enough to know that he wasn't all that capable. In the end, it felt like Li Dong had made him a manager because of his daughter, which was something Qin Hai couldn't accept—it felt too much like selling his daughter!

Seeing that Qin Hai wasn't responding, Li Dong didn't push. He calmly said, "Since you're willing to do logistics, and Yuanfang now has the platform for it, and you're already familiar with it, why not continue?"

According to Li Dong's earlier thoughts, if Qin Hai didn't want to continue, he might as well kick him out entirely. At most, he would just give him more money for retirement. But as the company grew larger, Li Dong's thinking started to change.

Historically, why did people always favor nepotism?

Because it's necessary!

Yuanfang now had thousands of employees, but if you asked who Li Dong could really rely on, there weren't many. Li Dong himself wasn't in the company often, and without someone close to him keeping an eye on things, he couldn't be at ease.

If Sun Tao weren't the general manager, Li Dong could still consider Sun Tao as a close ally, as a friend. But since Sun Tao was the general manager, Li Dong couldn't give him too much power. You never know what might happen—what if one day Sun Tao made a move to usurp his authority?

Most of the mid- and high-level managers in the company were brought in by Sun Tao. When Li Dong wasn't around, there was almost no one who could stand up to Sun Tao.

To put it bluntly, if something happened to Li Dong one day, it was uncertain whether the business could be handed down to his parents.

Although Li Dong had considered reining in Sun Tao's power several times, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Sun Tao had contributed too much to Yuanfang. If Li Dong suddenly took back control without any wrongdoing on Sun Tao's part, it would surely chill people's hearts.

Since he couldn't take back the power, he had to put measures in place. While Li Dong didn't completely trust others, he believed Qin Hai was trustworthy. Qin Hai knew the nature of Li Dong's relationship with Qin Yuhan; there was no way he would betray Li Dong.

This was why Li Dong had merged Qinghua Logistics into Yuanfang's system and even made Qin Hai a director—it was all part of a larger plan.

Currently, the Logistics Management Department didn't seem that important, but once the distribution center was built next year, the department would truly rise in status, becoming the second most important department after the product department.

For a supermarket, controlling the logistics system was absolutely crucial. This was a position that Li Dong didn't want to hand over to someone he wasn't familiar with.

Qin Hai remained silent, still unable to overcome his internal struggle.

As long as no one knew, it was fine. But if it ever came out that he had gotten the job through his daughter's connections, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

Moreover, Qin Hai was now uncertain whether Li Dong could really have a future with his daughter. After all, Li Dong was now extremely wealthy, and everyone knows how rich people behave. Even if things worked out, he would only be criticized for advancing through nepotism. But if things didn't work out, it would be even more awkward!

If that happened, people wouldn't call him Director Qin behind his back; they'd refer to him as "the ex-girlfriend's father." That title was just too harsh.

While Qin Hai was still hesitating, there was a knock on the office door.

Li Dong called out, "Come in!"

Yang Yun entered and greeted Li Dong with a "President Li," before shooting a murderous glare at Qin Hai.

Without waiting for Qin Hai to speak, Yang Yun stepped forward, grabbed the envelope from his hand, tore it into pieces without even looking at it, and threw it into the trash.

Then she apologized to Li Dong, "President Li, Old Qin has been running a fever the last couple of days, and it's muddled his thinking a bit. Please don't take anything he said to heart."

Ever since Qin Hai had disappeared with Li Dong, Yang Yun had known he was up to something. Qin Hai had been acting strange for the past couple of days, and although Yang Yun hadn't paid much attention at first, she had caught a glimpse of him writing a resignation letter the night before, which made her keep a close watch on him.

When Qin Hai was promoted earlier, Yang Yun thought he had given up on the idea of resigning, but she hadn't expected him to run to Li Dong's office at the first opportunity. Luckily, she had been keeping an eye out, or else it would have been difficult to smooth things over if Li Dong had accepted the resignation.

Li Dong held back his laughter and nodded. "Aunt Yang, I was planning to entrust Uncle Qin with an important role. I certainly won't take to heart anything said when he wasn't thinking clearly."

Qin Hai was furious, glaring at both of them. Did they think he wasn't there?

Just as he was about to speak up in his own defense, Yang Yun pinched him hard on the side of his waist.

The pain caused Qin Hai's face to scrunch up—this woman really had a strong grip!

Fine, with this crazy woman around, there was no point in trying to do anything today.

Qin Hai didn't want to explain the real reason for his resignation. The less people knew about his daughter's relationship with Li Dong, the better. Even if things fell through, it wouldn't be as embarrassing.

But if Yang Yun found out, she'd blab to everyone, and that would be truly humiliating.

With Yang Yun present, Li Dong didn't worry about Qin Hai making a fuss. Smiling, he said, "Uncle Qin, you should go to the hospital and get checked out. Don't wear yourself out. Next year, when the distribution center is up and running, you'll be even busier. I'm counting on you to help me hold up Yuanfang's logistics system, so please take care of yourself."

Qin Hai didn't react much to these words, but Yang Yun's eyes lit up.

She had heard about the distribution center before. Could it be that President Li was planning to have Old Qin manage that too?

If that was the case, Old Qin's authority would be substantial.

Even though the distribution center hadn't been built yet, Yang Yun knew it was only a matter of time. Once completed, few in Yuanfang would hold more power than Old Qin, apart from Li Dong and Sun Tao.

Without waiting for Qin Hai to respond, Yang Yun quickly assured Li Dong, "Don't worry, President Li. I'll take Old Qin to the hospital later. We won't let it affect the company's operations."

Li Dong smiled and nodded, giving Qin Hai a smug look, full of self-satisfaction.

Qin Hai was furious—this brat was still so annoying!