Li Ming shifted his gaze from the fractured board toward the woman standing steadfastly at his side. Rosé, operating under the alias Mu Qinghan, was the embodiment of lethal elegance. Her sharp, cat-like eyes and perfectly tailored silhouette drew the gaze of every man in the room, trapping them in a web of fascination.
Li Ming glanced at the tablet in her hand before speaking in a voice projected loudly enough to pierce the ears of every lingering director.
"Ms. Mu... check my schedule for tomorrow. I want the press conference for the Wonder Package joint venture organized as soon as possible."
The command was like pouring gasoline onto an open flame. Rosé allowed a faint, cryptic smile to touch her lips as she bowed with practiced grace.
"I have already reviewed it, Chairman. Your schedule for tomorrow is entirely clear. We can proceed with the announcement immediately," she replied, her voice devoid of even a shadow of a tremor.
"Excellent. Summon every top-tier media outlet. I want the names of Wonder Package and CK Group to vibrate through the energy sector overnight," Li Ming declared, his eyes flashing with the fire of a victor.
Standing nearby, Lu Rong curled his lip in a silent, mocking sneer. The faster the Chairman runs, he thought, the more humiliating his fall will be when he hits the VCC wall. The CFO rose, offering a short, theatrical bow of feigned subservience.
"In that case, I shall coordinate with the VCC representatives immediately to prepare for our grand confrontation in two days' time."
With that final jab, he pivoted and strode out of the boardroom, his silhouette hurried and predatory. Rosé watched his retreating back, her gaze deep and unreadable.
Li Ming entered his private office, a sprawling sanctuary of power that occupied an entire floor. The curved glass walls embraced the Shanghai skyline and the Huangpu River, which flowed as silently as a ribbon of dark silk. At the center sat a massive, L-shaped desk of dark rosewood, anchored to the polished marble floor.
As the heavy doors clicked shut, the secretary stepped forward, her professional mask shifting into something more focused. "Chairman..."
"Yes, Ms. Mu?" Li Ming shed his blazer, draping it over the leather chair. The old lion's eyes locked onto the woman reporting to him.
"Tomorrow... the ZX Capital Group has requested a private audience with you."
She delivered the report with a clarity that cut through the silence of the room. Li Ming narrowed his eyes, his internal archives spinning to find a match for the name. Yet, across his decades of power, this name had never surfaced.
"ZX Capital?" Dr. Li Ming repeated the name slowly, tasting the syllables. "What group is this? Why does it ring no bells in my memory...?"
A faint, knowing smile spread across Rosé's face—a smile that suggested the Chairman was about to meet a ghost.