Chapter 180: Shen Qian's Identity

August 10th, Li Yanhong and the others returned to the country.

The media frenzy outside the Global Building had finally subsided, and the days of being hounded were over. 

Li Dong breathed a sigh of relief; if those guys didn't leave soon, they'd have started affecting his normal life.

In the afternoon, Li Dong took the time to visit the company.

With Sun Tao back, Li Dong felt much more relaxed. He didn't need to handle minor issues personally anymore.

So even though Li Dong hadn't been to the company for two days, everything was still running smoothly, and no problems had arisen.

However, as soon as he arrived at the company, Shen Qian blocked his way.

Seeing Shen Qian following him closely, Li Dong was annoyed and said, "Ms. Shen, you're just a market research officer now, not the vice president. Some matters you report to me are considered bypassing the chain of command. Do you understand?"

Shen Qian was indifferent and said, "Then just promote me to vice president."

Li Dong was speechless and changed the subject, "What do you need from me?"

"The plan for covering all stores in Pingchuan. Over the past few days, I discussed with General Manager Sun about the bank loan. The loan shouldn't be a problem, but some documents still need your signature and stamp. Please handle it."

Shen Qian said as she shoved a large stack of documents in front of Li Dong.

Li Dong picked them up and looked at them, frowning, "60 million? Isn't that too much? Did the bank agree?"

"We're still negotiating, but the problem should be minor. As for 60 million, I personally think it's not too much. The nine months you mentioned seemed too long, so after discussing with General Manager Sun, we think six months is more appropriate. Hence, the initial investment of 60 million is not excessive."

Li Dong narrowed his eyes and said with a huff, "Now you can make decisions for me? When did a low-level employee start discussing company strategies with the general manager?"

Shen Qian pouted and glared at him, irritated, "You said you'd promote me to vice president. Don't go back on your word!"

"When did I say that?" Li Dong retorted.

"You said it, don't try to deny it!"

Li Dong sighed and, uninterested in arguing, continued reviewing the documents.

After reading them, Li Dong thought for a moment and began signing and stamping.

60 million is 60 million. Li Dong decided to go ahead; as long as he still held onto the stock, he wasn't afraid of repayment. The difference between 60 million and 30 million wasn't too significant.

After finishing, Li Dong noticed Shen Qian was still standing there and said irritably, "Is there anything else?"

"Since you've been away these days, the performance statistics for Fucheng came in. Last month, Fucheng's performance reached 160 million. I was wondering if the company could provide some reward policies…"

Before Shen Qian could finish, Li Dong's expression changed, "Is this something you should be handling? Who gave you these documents?"

These performance reports should have come to him first. Since he was away, Sun Tao would have looked at them, and Shen Qian wasn't yet qualified to handle such documents.

Shen Qian snorted and mumbled, "If I want to see them, I can. As the acting vice president, I should handle these matters."

Li Dong was infuriated, "Who made you the acting vice president? You're neglecting your regular duties and thinking of climbing up the ladder. You should better focus on your work!"

Seeing Shen Qian's displeased expression, Li Dong waved his hand, "Leave. Stay out of these matters in the future."

Shen Qian huffed, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the office.

After she left, Li Dong rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Shen Qian did have some real skills, but Li Dong was wary of making her vice president due to her unstable nature. She was someone who might make unpredictable decisions.

If she could settle down and work diligently, maybe in two or three years, Li Dong might genuinely consider promoting her.

As Li Dong pondered Shen Qian, Sun Tao walked in and said, "I saw Shen Qian leaving in a huff. Did you upset her?"

Li Dong chuckled, "Look at the way you're talking. I'm the boss; she's an employee. Even if I upset her, what's the big deal?"

Sun Tao shook his head and glanced through the window at Shen Qian, who was directing employees, and said in a low voice, "If possible, try to keep Miss Shen. If she really wants to be vice president, give her the position."

Li Dong raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

He knew Sun Tao wouldn't say such things without reason, so there must be something behind it.

The position of vice president at Yuanfang was crucial and wasn't just given away. Li Dong had interviewed seven or eight candidates in the past few days but hadn't decided on anyone.

Sun Tao didn't hide anything and explained the situation.

Yuanfang was applying for a loan from the Pingchuan branch of the Construction Bank. Originally, Sun Tao and the bank leaders thought a 30 million loan was more appropriate.

As for the 60 million Sun Tao proposed, the bank leaders felt it was a major challenge and would take a long time.

Shen Qian was present during the discussion. Seeing the bank leaders' reluctance, she made a phone call, and the bank quickly agreed to the 60 million, even reducing the processing time by half.

After hearing Sun Tao's explanation, Li Dong stroked his chin.

After a while, he asked, "Are you saying she's related to some leader?"

Sun Tao nodded, "And her rank should be high. Otherwise, the bank wouldn't give her face."

Li Dong thought through the main leaders in Jiangbei and Pingchuan but shook his head, "There doesn't seem to be any Shen leaders in Pingchuan or Jiangbei. It might not be directly related to her. After all, Yuanfang's qualifications are good, and we have a long-standing relationship with the bank. A 60 million loan isn't too surprising."

Sun Tao didn't say more, as he wasn't entirely sure. However, he believed Shen Qian had some background, judging by her usual behavior.

Even though she wasn't overtly arrogant or bullying, her mannerisms showed a certain spoiled daughter's attitude, and she had little respect for Li Dong and Sun Tao.

Most girls from ordinary families wouldn't act like Shen Qian, even if they were returned overseas students.

Li Dong didn't want to think about it any further and moved on to another topic, "Fucheng's performance this month is excellent. The company's target for Fucheng was 120 million, but Qi Yunna exceeded the target. I plan to reward her with a house. What do you think?"

He had promised Qi Yunna a house if she reached a performance target of 200 million.

Although she didn't hit 200 million, 160 million was still beyond Li Dong's expectations.

With only seven stores in Fucheng, this performance was almost twice that of Qingyang's.

Although there was the factor of new stores opening, it was clear Qi Yunna had put in significant effort to achieve this goal.

Sun Tao had no objections but suggested, "Although Manager Qi made the biggest contribution, the other store managers shouldn't be neglected. It's not about comparison but fairness."

Li Dong thought about it and agreed with Sun Tao's suggestion.

Favoring one person too much might cause issues for Qi Yunna's future in Fucheng. The store managers below her would not be pleased.

After some thought, Li Dong said, "Then set up some guidelines. You should hold an award ceremony in Fucheng to motivate everyone."

Sun Tao nodded. The two discussed a few more details before Sun Tao left Li Dong's office.

In reality, Sun Tao's main purpose was to discuss Shen Qian's issue with Li Dong, and the Fucheng matter was secondary.