Chapter Six: The Press Conference
“Don’t worry,” Shu Yiming nodded in reassurance.
“Let’s give him a chance, everyone.”
Wang Yun, the most senior among them, spoke up, and the others had no choice but to acquiesce.
Soon after, Shu Yiming called Qin Yue, instructing her to begin contacting reporters from Jiangning City.
The time was set for one o’clock in the afternoon.
...
Yonghui Foreign Trade Company, General Manager’s Office.
“Director Lu, go and see what Shu Yiming is up to. The situation is urgent, yet he’s holding a press conference. Is he planning to just let everything fall apart?”
The Yonghui executives had also caught wind of the news, and after a brief discussion, decided to send Deputy Director Lu Yi to gather information.
...
At one o’clock, Mingtai Group’s press conference began in real time.
Under the guidance of Shu Yiming’s father, Shu Tai, Mingtai Group had achieved considerable success in Jiangning City. At a time when the nation’s manufacturing industry was still unremarkable, Mingtai’s apparel factory nearly monopolized the city’s goods, even exporting in large volumes overseas.
Now, although Shu Tai and his wife had died in a car accident, leaving the company to their son Shu Yiming, a college dropout, Mingtai’s sales had plummeted.
Yet, as the saying goes, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse; upon hearing of Mingtai’s press conference, quite a few reporters gathered.
“Director Lu, what are your thoughts on today’s press conference?” A reporter recognized Lu Yi and quickly thrust the microphone towards him.
“I just want to see what Chairman Shu is capable of, to make us change our minds about refusing compensation. They failed to deliver on time; that’s their problem.”
He was here today merely to watch the spectacle.
Zhang Hai now approached Lu Yi’s side and spoke, “Deputy Director Lu, I must apologize—because of Chairman Shu’s poor decisions, our partnership has fallen through.”
“It’s a shame. The reason we chose your company as a partner was your strength, but after you changed chairmen, things deteriorated. Truly regrettable.” Lu Yi feigned sympathy, his words dripping with sarcasm.
“Isn’t that the truth?”
Zhang Hai shook his head, saying, “Young people are too eager for quick success, lacking experience. They need to face more hardships.”
At this remark, laughter erupted throughout the press conference.
At this moment, Zhang Hai and Lu Yi’s words could be seen as a public slap in Shu Yiming’s face.
Though Shu Yiming, standing on the stage, couldn’t hear their conversation, he could infer their intent from their expressions.
He adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve invited you here today to witness and verify something important.”
As he spoke, he produced a USB drive and plugged it into a prepared IBM laptop.
Initially, Lu Yi and Zhang Hai paid little attention, but their expressions soon changed.
Especially Zhang Hai, who, upon seeing the image projected behind Shu Yiming on the large silver screen, collapsed to the floor, stunned.
He could never have imagined Shu Yiming possessed such evidence.
“As you can see, this is the financial transaction between our Deputy Director Zhang Hai and Yonghui Foreign Trade Company. The factory fire in the west of the city was caused by Zhang Hai’s sabotage, and of course, certain individuals at Yonghui were also involved.”
Shu Yiming spoke, casting a glance at Lu Yi.
Lu Yi’s expression soured.
He couldn’t help but glance at the fallen Zhang Hai, inwardly cursing his ancestors for eighteen generations; he never expected Zhang Hai to have leaked such damning evidence.
“Director Lu, how do you respond to this?”
“Director Lu, why did Yonghui Foreign Trade transfer such a large sum to Deputy Director Zhang? Were you seeking double compensation?”
The reporters’ sharp questions left Lu Yi embarrassed and at a loss for words.
He knew now was not the time for careless responses.
Shu Yiming continued.
“I believe Director Lu was likely unaware of this matter. It was probably just Zhang Hai and Accountant Xie colluding, intending to bankrupt Mingtai Group for Zhang Hai to take over.”
Upon hearing Shu Yiming’s words, Lu Yi felt a wave of relief.
Though he didn’t know why Shu Yiming was helping him, he immediately seized the opportunity, “Exactly! This must have been Accountant Xie acting on his own. I’ve noticed our accounts at Yonghui haven’t matched up lately.”
At this juncture, he had no choice but to push Accountant Xie forward, lest he take the fall himself.
Zhang Hai’s face was ashen; he couldn’t believe Lu Yi had abandoned him so quickly.
Shu Yiming would have liked to expose Lu Yi as well, but he knew it wasn’t realistic—he lacked solid evidence of Lu Yi and Zhang Hai’s collusion.
Though he had proof of Yonghui’s payment to Zhang Hai’s account, it was handled by Accountant Xie and had little direct connection to Yonghui’s executives.
Since he couldn’t target Lu Yi, it was better to earn his goodwill.
With a single move, Shu Yiming had turned the tables, earning applause.
“The purpose of today’s press conference is firstly to address the issue of the factory fire and our inability to deliver goods to Yonghui Foreign Trade on time.”
No sooner had Shu Yiming finished than Lu Yi interjected, “As I said earlier, Mingtai Group is very capable. The delay was an accident. I believe we can renegotiate the delivery timeline.”
“Thank you, Director Lu,” Shu Yiming replied with a courteous smile that didn’t reach his eyes, then continued, “Secondly, I wish to announce that from today, Mingtai Group will rise anew from the ashes.”
“Rise from the ashes? Chairman Shu, could you explain that in detail?” a reporter asked.
“As the name suggests, Mingtai Group will be completely transformed. Exactly how, you’ll see for yourselves. I know I’ve disappointed and been doubted by many, but starting today, I will prove my true ability.”
The reporters followed up with several questions, all of which Shu Yiming answered calmly and confidently, never once losing his composure.