Chapter 39: Are You Joking?
Just as the slap was about to land on Jiang Nianyu's face, Zhao Dong stepped forward, grabbed the woman's wrist, and said coldly, "If there's an issue, let's talk it out. Why resort to violence?"
Seeing that Zhao Dong was tall and imposing, the woman knew she was no match for him and immediately started making a scene. "Help! He's hitting me! Help! Everyone, come and see!"
Zhao Dong frowned. Media reporters were not far away, and if they were caught on camera, it would be impossible for him to explain himself.
Jiang Nianyu gave Zhao Dong a deep look. "Zhao Dong, come with me."
With that, she walked toward the corporation's building on her own. Zhao Dong followed, as did another woman. This woman was Jiang Nianyu's secretary; she wore glasses, appeared to be in her thirties, and was dressed in professional office attire.
As they walked, she said, "President Jiang, all the directors are waiting for you in the conference room. I'm afraid they're here to hold you accountable. Should I tell them you're not in?"
Jiang Nianyu's expression was indifferent. "Why would I say I'm not here? It's just a small meeting. I'm going right now!"
The group took the elevator to the top floor of the building.
Standing before the conference room, Jiang Nianyu stopped and turned to Zhao Dong. "Wait for me out here."
"All right."
Zhao Dong said no more. He knew it was not his place to go inside.
Jiang Nianyu walked into the conference room, which was filled with people, each one wearing a grim expression. Because Qingyan Corporation was a family business, many of those present were Jiang Nianyu's elders.
As Jiang Nianyu entered, the room fell completely silent.
She went straight to the head of the table, scanned the room, and said, "Everyone, I'm aware of what happened today. The Jade Face Cream has been on the market for a year with excellent feedback. It's improbable that a problem would suddenly arise. I believe there's more to this situation than meets the eye—perhaps even foul play."
Jiang Nianyu got straight to the point, and her words made everyone's expression subtly change.
A lean, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses stood up. He was Jiang Nianyu's uncle, Jiang Changming.
Jiang Changming's eyes glinted as he looked at Jiang Nianyu and asked, "Nianyu, what do you mean by foul play? Are you suggesting someone from within our own corporation tampered with the Jade Face Cream?"
Jiang Nianyu replied coolly, "I can't rule out that possibility. Of course, it could also be the work of our competitors."
A woman around Jiang Nianyu's age stood up. This was her cousin and Jiang Changming's daughter, Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue was a striking beauty with delicate features, an oval face, thin red lips, and large eyes. She had a tall figure and wore a strapless black dress, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders.
At this moment, she frowned unhappily. "Jiang Nianyu, you should choose your words more carefully. We are all members of the Jiang family. Speaking like this could easily create a rift. Don't you understand something so simple?"
Although Jiang Nianyu's family and her uncle's family appeared harmonious on the surface, they were fierce competitors behind the scenes. The relationship between her and Jiang Xue was particularly strained.
Jiang Xue held a doctorate from the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and possessed a deep knowledge of medicinal herbs. She was not just a senior executive at Qingyan Corporation but also a distinguished professor at East Sea Hospital.
Her words were clearly a deliberate jab at Jiang Nianyu, but Jiang Nianyu simply looked at her and responded calmly, "Cousin, I am the president of Qingyan Corporation. There's nothing wrong with what I said. I want this corporation to succeed more than anyone. Therefore, I will see this investigation through to the very end!"
Her voice grew colder. She paused, then continued, "However, the most pressing issue now is how to resolve this. Does anyone have any ideas?"
A director spoke up from his seat. "President Jiang, the media has already leaked the news. The corporation's market value is already showing signs of volatility and decline. In my view, we should hold a press conference immediately. First, acknowledge the product quality issue. Then, we need to have experts immediately investigate this batch of Jade Face Cream to pinpoint the problem."
Someone immediately shot back, "We can't admit it! If we do, the corporation's reputation will inevitably be damaged, and it would very likely destroy Jade Face Cream's viability in the market!"
"That's right, we can't admit it! The moment we do, the stock market will plummet, and the corporation's reputation will be shattered beyond repair! President Jiang, a company's reputation is its most important asset. Once that's destroyed, not even the gods can save us!"
Another person retorted, "But what's the alternative? A lot of people already know. If we deny it and someone exposes the truth, the impact will be even worse!"
Listening to the arguments, Jiang Nianyu's head began to throb. For the first time, she felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. Jade Face Cream was their flagship product; admitting it had quality issues would be a catastrophic blow to the entire corporation. But if she didn't admit it, her conscience wouldn't allow it, and the fallout from being exposed later would be even more disastrous.
Jiang Nianyu rested her forehead in her hand, her face pale and weary. She looked toward a director from the R&D department. "Director Qin, what's the soonest we can find out what's wrong with the Jade Face Cream?"
Director Qin sighed. "As soon as the issue arose, the corporation had samples from this batch inspected and sent them to the official testing bureau for analysis. However, they couldn't find anything wrong. It's truly bizarre. I've already reached out to experts abroad, but getting results will take at least a week..."
Jiang Nianyu said worriedly, "We don't have that much time. Many customers are already having skin problems, and they can't afford to wait..."
The atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy. Everyone knew that while this incident seemed small, it concerned the very survival of not only Jade Face Cream but the entire Qingyan Corporation.
One director could not hold back any longer and said sarcastically, "I have no idea how she's running this company. Now look at this mess. Someone has to take responsibility!"
"Exactly! If this isn't handled properly, it will harm the interests of every shareholder! President Jiang, if you can't resolve this, we may have to consider impeachment proceedings. Perhaps it's time for Qingyan Corporation to get a new president."
At this statement, all eyes fell on Jiang Nianyu.
Her face went pale. She bit her lip hard and said, "Everyone, I am responsible for this. Please, just give me some time. I will definitely give you all an explanation!"
Jiang Xue scoffed. "No one can give you time. If this isn't handled today, the stock market will crash tomorrow. Do what you will. If you can't handle it, you should just resign."
Someone else chimed in, "That's right. Announcing the current president's resignation would appease public anger and serve as an explanation to the public, which they might understand. President Jiang, you should think about what to do!"
Jiang Nianyu swept her cold gaze across the room, her eyes finally landing on Jiang Xue, who met her stare without flinching. The two were locked in a standoff.
In the past, Jiang Nianyu had always held the upper hand over Jiang Xue, but at this moment, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness.
What on earth am I supposed to do?
The incessant chatter rang in her ears, and Jiang Nianyu's face grew paler as her head spun.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhao Dong walked in.
All eyes turned to him, filled with surprise and confusion. Jiang Nianyu was also stunned. Unfazed, Zhao Dong glanced around the room before giving her a faint smile.
"I heard everything you were just discussing. I came to tell you that I can not only identify the problem with the Jade Face Cream, but I can also improve it, making its effects at least ten times more potent. Of course, I'm not doing this to help the Jiang family. I'm doing this to help you."
A beat of silence passed before the conference room erupted in derisive laughter.
"Who is this kid? Such big talk! Do you have any idea what you're saying? We hired nearly a hundred renowned traditional medicine doctors, spent almost two years, and invested over sixty million to develop the Jade Face Cream! And you think you can improve it in half a day?"
"Really, Jiang Nianyu? Who is this guy? Are all your friends such braggarts?"
"He's probably an actor she hired to put on a show for us."
Hearing the mockery all around, Jiang Nianyu bit her lip and asked, somewhat embarrassed, "Zhao Dong... you're not joking, are you?"
Zhao Dong said calmly, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Jiang Nianyu looked at him deeply. "If you can really do this, I, Jiang Nianyu, will owe you three favors. I'll do anything you ask!"