Chapter Eighteen

The next day, Su Xiaobai went back to the office to retrieve the materials and documents she needed, then headed to the Fourth People's Hospital of the city to visit her colleague, Chen Qiu. Although Su Xiaobai was now in charge of the major tasks, she still shared Su Bai's memories, so she wasn't unfamiliar with Su Bai's professional field. After all, they were the same person—just because Su Bai was an excellent scholar, it didn't mean Su Xiaobai had to be an uneducated failure.

She spent just one night organizing the work, and although it wasn't as easy as it was for Su Bai, she managed to get the hang of it quickly. This trip was just for a meeting and some discussions with a few companies about potential collaborations, so it wasn't as difficult as she had imagined.

On the day of her departure, Su Xiaobai only packed a black suitcase and dressed simply before boarding the plane to Huaijiang City. She was traveling alone, but didn't feel inconvenienced by it.

She had booked a business class seat herself, preferring to rest in a better environment than the economy class her company would reimburse. After all, she had stayed up late the night before, going through the documents until two or three in the morning and only managed to get about five hours of sleep.

Once on the plane, Su Xiaobai put on her eye mask and reclined to rest. The flight was only two hours, just enough time for a nap. After a while, the sweet voice of the flight attendant echoed overhead, asking if Su Xiaobai would like a meal. Without even taking off the eye mask, Su Xiaobai waved her hand lightly to decline, effortlessly brushing her off. The flight attendant hesitated for a moment, gazing at the still-sleeping woman with a puzzled expression, before turning to ask another passenger.

Su Xiaobai ignored the attention, living rather unconcerned with others' gazes. But in her semi-conscious state, she faintly heard a low, pleasant voice speaking beside her, talking to the flight attendant. The voice seemed oddly familiar, as though she had heard it somewhere before, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember where.

"Boss, the candidates recommended by all departments are excellent, but we only have thirteen spots approved for this round. There are 254 backup candidates, so all departments are really vying for these opportunities. It's going to be tough to pick out the right candidates," a voice said.

"Old Gu, competition is a good thing. The more competitive it is, the better we'll be able to choose the best talents. Make sure this selection is fair and just—no room for any shady dealings," another voice replied. It was light but firm, with undeniable authority. If she wasn't so sleepy, Su Xiaobai would've wanted to lift her eye mask and see who was speaking. But in no time, she drifted back to sleep.

The plane safely landed in Huaijiang City. Su Xiaobai was the last to exit the cabin, and a group of people from the branch factory near the airport were waiting to pick her up, holding up a sign.

Su Xiaobai immediately spotted the white sign with her name on it, written in characters that weren't particularly beautiful. She couldn't help but find it amusing but still walked over to greet the branch personnel.

As soon as Su Xiaobai got in the car and left, a group of five or six people walked in the opposite direction of the airport. Among them was a man in his early thirties, clearly the leader of the group.

The reception staff here appeared far more formal, and one of them quietly said, "Minister Qiao, the car is ready."

Qiao Nan nodded slightly, glancing at the reception personnel. He simply said, "Next time, just send one person to pick me up. Don't make it so grand, like I'm some emperor on a tour—it's not a good look."

The reception staff, visibly embarrassed, quickly responded, and everyone else stepped back a few paces and silently followed Qiao Nan to the car.

There was no way around it; the big boss's temper wasn't something they could bear.

Qiao Nan stayed at a five-star resort hotel in Huaijiang City, where the conference was also being held. The hotel staff had arranged a large business hall capable of accommodating over three hundred people for the meeting.

Not long after entering the room to rest, Qiao Nan's private phone rang. There were very few people who could reach this number, only those with a very close relationship with Qiao Nan knew it.

"Uncle Qiao, I heard you've arrived at the hotel," Fang Cheng said. He still felt a little awkward calling him "Uncle Qiao," even though Qiao Nan had a close relationship with his father, and both families were of old aristocratic backgrounds. But Qiao Nan wasn't much older than him. His father had taught him from a young age to address people by seniority, and considering Qiao Nan's strength—at only in his thirties, he was already in a position of power, with the authority to control the lives and deaths of hundreds of people—Fang Cheng still respected the man's abilities and intellect.

Qiao Nan could see through Fang Cheng's thoughts but didn't expose it. He wasn't upset either, simply replying in a light tone, "You sure are well-informed, huh."

"Hehe, Uncle Qiao, I won't disturb your rest. After the meeting tomorrow, I, along with Chen Xingran and Ziyu, will come visit you," Fang Cheng said.

Fang Cheng knew that trying to use relationships at this point wouldn't work. He didn't even want to use this connection to pass the selection. He only made this call to get closer to Qiao Nan.

After hanging up, Fang Cheng chuckled and shook his head. Chen Xingran, holding the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, twisted it in the ashtray and said, "This isn't a bad thing. At least Gong Zheng is in the same situation. If it's a fair competition, we might even have a chance against him."

"I told you, don't make that call. Qiao Nan is like a piece of bulletproof glass. Do you think he doesn't understand our tricks? When he was younger, he didn't just play, he played better and more sophisticated than us. Gong Zheng in front of him is nothing," Ziyu said. He had been humiliated under Qiao Nan's leadership when he was younger, so the mere mention of Qiao Nan made him nervous. He lay back on the sofa, looking like he had a deep grudge.

Chen Xingran kicked him lightly and laughed, "You really are scared of Qiao Nan, huh. Look at you, you're so spineless."

Ziyu instantly jumped up, his eyes wide and his handsome face flushed with anger. He stubbornly replied, "Who's scared of him? I was just reminding you guys…" But his words lost strength as he spoke, becoming more and more weak.

At that moment, Fang Cheng spoke up, "Alright, you two. Go back to your rooms and get ready. We've got a meeting tomorrow."

The group chatted for a bit more before heading back to their respective rooms.

On the other side, Su Xiaobai coincidentally stayed in the same hotel as the branch factory and the arranged accommodation.

She only rested for an hour before heading to the factory to check on a previous project. After a small meeting to discuss the upcoming work plan, she didn't return to the hotel until late in the evening, completely exhausted. She didn't even have time to return Fang Cheng's call. After freshening up, she collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Su Xiaobai went to visit other companies, primarily large corporations with whom the factory had a cooperative relationship. One of these companies was the biggest buyer of the factory's products, and the new product cooperation plan aimed to continue the partnership with these companies.

In the evening, Su Xiaobai couldn't avoid a dinner meeting, which was also scheduled in a large private room at the hotel where she was staying. The purpose was to finalize the cooperation plan over dinner. This time, the target was Jinxing Company, a large publicly listed enterprise in Huaijiang City.

At the dinner, besides Su Xiaobai, there were four supervisors from the factory in charge of this project. On the opposite side were Mr. Chen, the CEO of Jinxing Company, and several financial personnel.

Mr. Chen, who was in his fifties, had the typical appearance of a fat and greasy businessman, looking like someone who had been immersed in the nightlife for years. With a large belly, his voice was loud, but his eyes were fixed on Su Xiaobai across the table, his gaze unabashed and somewhat imposing.

Although Su Xiaobai didn't show any displeasure on her face and kept a polite smile, inwardly, she was silently cursing the fat man. If it weren't for work, she would've walked out of the room immediately.