Chapter 101: Disaster and Internal Strife

After Dai Shiya hung up the phone, her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, her thoughts surging. Although she expected the counterattack to cause a stir, she did not expect it to come so swiftly and unexpectedly. A piercing phone ring broke the silence of the office, and the panicked voice of the production manager came from the other end of the phone: "Boss Dai, it's bad! Something big has happened!"

Dai Shiya's heart sank, and she had a bad feeling. "Tell me slowly, what happened?"

"The specifications of the customized products for Shengshi Group... the specifications were completely wrong! Shengshi is furious and demands an immediate solution from us, and a huge amount of compensation!"

Shengshi Group is known in the industry for being difficult to deal with and has extremely strict requirements on product quality. This batch of orders is one of the company's key projects this year. Once handled improperly, the consequences will be disastrous. Dai Shiya took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down: "I know, I'll be there right away."

When Dai Shiya rushed to the production department, the scene was in chaos. Workers murmured among themselves, managers passed the blame, and the air was filled with tension and panic. After Dai Shiya quickly understood the situation, she discovered that the problem lay in the order review process. Due to the continued use of the old management system, the review process was cumbersome and complicated, and information transmission was lagging behind, which ultimately led to this major accident.

The news quickly spread throughout the family business, and the originally undercurrent of conflicts suddenly broke out. The atmosphere at the board meeting was tense. Mr. Liu, who has always been against Dai Shiya, was the first to attack: "Mr. Dai, haven't you always emphasized the need to reform the management system? Now that there are such big mistakes, how do you explain it?"

Several other elders also echoed, their words full of accusations and doubts. They had previously obstructed Dai Shiya's reform plan in every possible way, but now they turned around and put the blame on her.

"The root cause of this accident lies in the loopholes in the old system. I have proposed improvement plans before..." Dai Shiya tried to explain.

"What's the point of saying this now? If something goes wrong, you as the main person in charge should take the responsibility!" Mr. Liu interrupted her harshly, his tone aggressive.

"That's right. If you hadn't been thinking about reform all day, how could the company be in such a big mess?" another veteran said sarcastically.

Dai Shiya looked at these sanctimonious elders and felt an indescribable anger in her heart. They clung to old conventions, refused to change, and would only shirk responsibility when problems arose.

Wei Qing sat next to Dai Shiya and took it all in. She gently patted Dai Shiya's hand and gave her a soothing look.

In the conference room, accusations came one after another, rushing towards Dai Shiya like a tide. She took a deep breath, tried to suppress the anger in her heart, and slowly said: "Everyone, I know everyone is very anxious, but the most important thing now is to solve the problem, not to blame each other..."

"Solve the problem? How to solve it? Shengshi Group has already said that if we don't give them a satisfactory answer, they will terminate all cooperation with us!" Mr. Liu said in a firm tone, as if he was gloating.

Dai Shiya forced herself to calm down and said word by word: "I have a copy in my hand..." She took out a folder from her bag and put it on the table with a bang, "This is the proposal I submitted before on improving the production management system, which includes optimizing the order review process and avoiding information transmission errors. But..." Dai Shiya paused, her eyes swept across everyone present, and finally stopped at Mr. Liu, "This proposal was suppressed and no one was interested in it."

Mr. Liu blushed, and then he said, "It's just a proposal. Who knows if you are wise after the event and deliberately made it up to excuse yourself?"

The other elders also echoed this, stubbornly believing that it was Dai Shiya's reforms that affected their interests and led to this crisis. "Dai Shiya, stop shirking responsibility here! It's only been a short time since you took over the company, and such a big mess has occurred. I don't think you are capable of leading the company at all!"

"That's right, you should resign as soon as possible and stop embarrassing yourself here!"

The insults and accusations stabbed Dai Shiya like a sharp blade. She took a deep breath and tried to restrain her anger and disappointment. "Everyone, I understand your feelings, but..."

"Understand? What do you understand? You understand nothing!" President Liu roared and stood up suddenly. "It's too late to say anything now. The company has suffered huge losses because of your mistakes. You must pay the price for this!"

Dai Shiya wanted to say something else, but Wei Qing held her hand. Wei Qing shook her head at her, signaling her not to argue anymore. She knew that it was useless to say anything now. These people were blinded by anger and fear and would not listen to any explanation.

"Shi Ya, don't worry. I will find evidence to prove your innocence." Wei Qing said in a low voice, her tone firm and powerful.

After the meeting, Wei Qing immediately launched an investigation. She checked the company's internal email records and visited employees in relevant departments, trying to find evidence that Dai Shiya submitted a proposal. However, the matter was far more complicated than she imagined. Those employees who had originally agreed to testify for Dai Shiya suddenly changed their words for some reason, and some even mocked her and warned her not to meddle in other people's business.

Wei Qing realized that someone was secretly obstructing her from investigating the truth. She found one of the employees and asked, "You clearly said before that you saw CEO Dai hand the proposal to CEO Liu with your own eyes. Why are you refusing to admit it now?"

The employee avoided eyes and stammered, unable to speak.

"Did someone threaten you?" Wei Qing asked.

The employee's face changed. "Don't talk nonsense! I know nothing!" After that, he left in a panic.

Wei Qing's suspicions grew even heavier. She felt that there seemed to be a huge conspiracy behind this, and she seemed to have touched upon some people's unspeakable secrets. At this moment, a text message came from an unfamiliar number: "Ms. Wei, I advise you to know as little as possible about some things. Don't interfere in the affairs of the Dai family anymore, otherwise..."

The text message stopped abruptly here, but it was chilling. Wei Qing held the phone, her eyes were cold, but a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth. She wanted to see what these people were trying to do...

On the top floor of the family business building, outside the French window of the president's office, the night fell, and the city lights were like a flowing galaxy. Dai Shiya stood in front of the window, her slender figure was somewhat thin under the light outside the window. On the screen of her mobile phone, the real-time trend chart of the company's stock was displayed. The shocking green numbers were like whip marks, whipping her nerves fiercely.

The words "order error" and "internal dispute" were like two time bombs, setting off panic within the company. Investors who were originally confident in the company's future began to sell their stocks, fearing that they would be stuck in the quagmire if they were a step late. The numbers on the financial statements were getting uglier day by day, and the capital chain was stretched tight and could break at any time.

To make matters worse, the R&D department received news that due to insufficient attention to the new product plan, the R&D progress was seriously delayed and the best market opportunity was missed. Competitors took the opportunity to launch similar products and quickly seized market share, putting the family business's market position in jeopardy.

The successive blows made Dai Shiya feel exhausted both physically and mentally. She rubbed her sore temples and tried to keep herself calm. She knew that now was not the time to panic, and she had to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible.

At this time, there was a gentle knock on the office door, and Wei Qing walked in, "Shiya, I found out something..." She lowered her voice, "I found some suspicious points about the delay in the development of new products in the R&D department."

Wei Qing handed a document to Dai Shiya, "I got this from someone in the R&D department, take a look."

Dai Shiya took the document, quickly glanced through it, and her face suddenly became solemn. This document showed that the R&D department had submitted an application for a new product plan several months ago and was approved. However, for some reason, the R&D funds were diverted to other projects, resulting in the delay in the development of new products.

"Who did it?" Dai Shiya almost squeezed out these words from between her teeth.

Wei Qing shook her head. "It's not clear yet. I'm still investigating. However, I suspect..." She paused. "This matter may be related to those family elders."

Dai Shiya was silent. She knew that Wei Qing's suspicion was not without reason. Ever since she took over the company, the family elders had been dissatisfied with her and had been hindering her in every way. They did not want to see a young woman in charge of the company's decision-making power, and they did not want to see their interests threatened in any way.

"Shiya, what should we do now?" Wei Qing asked, "Should we tell the chairman about this?"

Dai Shiya shook her head. "Now is not the time. If we don't have solid evidence, any rash action will only alert the enemy."

She took a deep breath, and a sharp light flashed in her eyes. "Since they want to play, then we will play with them..."

At the same time, in the study of the old family house, several family elders were sitting around a mahogany round table, whispering something. Under the dim light, they all had sinister smiles on their faces, like a group of predators waiting for their prey to fall into a trap.

"The opportunity has come..." one of the elders whispered, "The company is facing such a big crisis this time, it is a good time for us to take action."

"That's right." Another elder echoed, "As long as we work together to put pressure on Dai Shiya and force her to hand over the management of the company, then it will be our turn..." He smiled meaningfully, "Don't we have the final say over the entire Dai family?"

Their eyes met, greed and ambition burned in each other's eyes, and the atmosphere in the study became more and more oppressive, like the calm before the storm. The family meeting was held in the meeting room of the Dai family's old house. The heavy mahogany door was closed, isolating the noise from the outside world, but it could not block the tense atmosphere inside. At the long table, the family elders looked solemn, staring sharply at Dai Shiya who was sitting in the first seat.

"Shiya, you should be very clear about the company's recent situation, right?" The second uncle took the lead in attacking, his tone heavy, as if Dai Shiya had committed some heinous crime.

Dai Shiya's face was calm and her eyes were firm. "I understand."

"It's good to know." Third Uncle took over the conversation, with a barely perceptible sarcasm in his tone, "Order errors, R&D delays, stock price plummets... these things happened in just a few months. As the person in charge of the company, don't you have any responsibility?"

Dai Shiya took a deep breath and was about to explain, but was interrupted by her fourth uncle, "Explanation? Do we need to explain the current situation? The facts are in front of us. Under your leadership, the company has reached the edge of the cliff!"

Several veterans took turns to blame the company's difficulties on Dai Shiya's "incompetence" and "mistakes." They deliberately ignored the contributions Dai Shiya had made to the company since she took office, and also deliberately ignored the small actions they had made behind the scenes.

Wei Qing sat next to Dai Shiya, watching the aggressive attitude of the elders, and felt very angry. She wanted to refute several times, but was stopped by Dai Shiya's eyes.

Dai Shiya knew that now was not the time to tear each other apart. She needed to stay calm and look for opportunities to fight back.

"My dear uncles," Dai Shiya said calmly, "I know the difficulties the company is facing better than anyone else. I admit that as the person in charge of the company, I have an unshirkable responsibility. However, there are many reasons for these problems, and it is not just my fault."

She paused, and glanced at every elder present. "The order error was because someone deliberately leaked our business secrets. The R&D delay was because the R&D funds were diverted to other projects..."

Dai Shiya was interrupted by her uncle before she finished her words. "Shiya, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! What evidence do you have to prove that someone leaked commercial secrets? And what evidence do you have to prove that R&D funds were misappropriated?"

"I'm collecting evidence." Dai Shiya met her second uncle's sharp gaze without fear, "I believe the truth will soon come to light."

"Humph, empty words are useless!" Third Uncle snorted coldly, "Why should we believe your one-sided words?"

Several veterans echoed the call and demanded that Dai Shiya produce evidence, otherwise she would have to bear responsibility for the company's losses and resign from all positions in the company.

The atmosphere in the conference hall became increasingly tense, like a taut string that could break at any time. Dai Shiya was besieged by several elders, isolated and helpless, as if she was in the middle of a vast ocean and could be swallowed up by huge waves at any time.

At this moment, the uncle who had been silent spoke up, "Okay, everyone, stop talking." His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty that instantly suppressed the noise in the conference hall.

He turned to Dai Shiya, his eyes deep, "Shiya, I know you have been working hard, but the results are not satisfactory. Now that the company is facing such a predicament, you do need to take some responsibility."

Dai Shiya's heart sank. She knew that although her uncle was not as aggressive as the other elders, he ultimately chose to stand on their side.

"I'll give you a month," the uncle continued. "After a month, if the company's situation doesn't improve, you will voluntarily resign from all your positions in the company, and I will take over." He paused, a barely perceptible gleam in his eyes. "Of course, if you can turn the tide within this month, then..."

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, "I will fully support you."

After the meeting, Dai Shiya walked home alone. The dim light of the street lamp fell on her, making her slender figure look particularly slender.

Wei Qing caught up and asked worriedly, "Shiya, what should we do now?"

Dai Shiya stopped, looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath, and said, "Go find help."