novelraw Chapter 498: Chairman!
Chapter 498: Chairman!
Yuhua Commercial Building, Shangya Fashion Design Co., Ltd.
“Lingling, check if all these documents are complete. If there’s no issue, then the process is finished.” HR Manager Hu placed a few files on the desk. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveI(F)ire.net
Yao Lingling flipped through them briefly, confirmed everything was in order, then looked up with a sincere smile: “All good, thank you, Sister Li. Really appreciate it.”
“Alright, I’ll head back to the office. Let me know if anything comes up.”
Once Sister Hu’s figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Yao Lingling took a deep breath and began packing up her personal belongings.
Actually, there wasn’t much left—during the past few days of handover, she had already taken most of her things home.
She stuffed documents, a mug, a pen holder, and other items into her backpack.
Patted the computer that had been with her for over a year.
Yao Lingling stood up, her gaze swept over her coworkers around her, and she gave a warm smile: “Today’s my official last day. Bye, Xinmin, Brother Wang, Old Zhao…”
“Lingling, stay in touch, yeah!”“Really hate to see you go! Come back and visit when you can!”
“Go get ’em, Lingling! If things ever go south for me, I’ll come crash with you!”
Because of her personality, Yao Lingling got along really well with her colleagues. Everyone liked this cheerful, generous, and lively girl.
Laughing and joking all the way out of the office area.
She passed the design department, meeting room, pantry—places she’d been through countless times…
And arrived at the elevator lobby.
Yao Lingling’s eyes felt a bit hot, and she pressed her lips together tightly.
No matter what, this had been the first company she joined after graduating.
There may have been little issues, but it did give her a foundation to build her career in Yancheng, and it had seen her grow from intern to designer.
She had always felt a deep sense of belonging at Shangya.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind.
Xiao Mingxuan hurried around the corner, his steps hesitated briefly, but he still came forward and said in a low voice, “Lingling.”
Yao Lingling snapped out of her thoughts and waved with a smile: “President Xiao, I’m really leaving this time. Thanks for your help during my resignation—helped me make a nice profit, hehe.”
Her smile was still warm and comforting, but Xiao Mingxuan could sense a certain distance in it.
“Ding—” The elevator doors slowly opened.
Xiao Mingxuan looked into her bright eyes and said earnestly, “Wishing you all the best! No matter what, I’ll always consider you a friend. Goodbye.”
Yao Lingling was silent for a moment, then lifted her head and said, “Goodbye, Mingxuan. Wishing you the best too. Good luck!”
With that, she stepped into the elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed. Xiao Mingxuan stood there, watching her figure gradually disappear, feeling like something had finally been let go in his heart.
A chilly breeze blew in, scattering her long hair.
Yao Lingling glanced up at the gloomy sky overhead, her eyes now showing a trace of determination.
No matter what the future held, she was ready to face it head-on.
“Beep beep beep———”
A silver-gray Suzuki UY125 weaved smoothly through the busy streets, its engine crisp and powerful.
Over ten minutes later, the motorcycle came to a steady stop in front of the administrative building of Huashang Apparel’s headquarters.
After locking the bike,
Yao Lingling took out her phone and checked the time—10:21.
She said a quick word in the WeChat group, then left a message for Tang Song.
Not long after, a familiar figure ran out of the office building.
Zhang Jiahong, wearing low heels, jogged over with a big smile and hugged her: “Lingling, finally! You’re here!”
Yao Lingling patted her friend’s shoulder and asked with concern, “How’s Shumin doing? Everything go smoothly?”
“Super smooth!” Zhang Jiahong grabbed her arm excitedly. “She signed the labor contract right away. Just got her desk assigned—right next to me.”
“That’s great.” Yao Lingling nodded, then glanced toward the office building. “I’m not an employee here, it’s okay if I go into the office area?”
Zhang Jiahong answered confidently, “Don’t worry, totally fine! Our design center coordinates with all kinds of people daily—nobody’s going to care. Plus, you’re here to wait for Senior.”
She dared to be so bold because she had someone backing her.
Ever since Lin Muxue spoke to her that one time, both colleagues and supervisors had been super polite.
Even Assistant Feng Yashan once greeted her first—it was serious VIP treatment!
The two chatted as they rode the elevator to the third floor’s R&D Design Center.
Compared to Shangya, the work environment here was much more open and bright.
Next to each designer’s desk were all kinds of fabrics, garment samples, and even a few plastic mannequins.
The entire space was full of creativity and energy, with a faint fabric scent in the air.
Arriving at the southeast area, Yao Lingling immediately spotted Li Shumin waving excitedly at her.
Her face lit up with a radiant smile, and she quickly walked over. After a brief greeting among the three, they sat down at their desks and started chatting quietly.
Li Shumin was unusually excited, going on and on about all the perks of the new company.
…..
8th floor, large conference room.
The proposal to restructure the board of directors was unsurprisingly passed with 55.4% approval.
Next, it was time to nominate new board members.
According to Huashang Apparel’s company charter, shareholding ratio directly determines seat allocation on the board.
So, the main debate centered on who would fill the independent director position.
He Jingping’s family held 40.4% of the shares. With support from two small shareholders, they still secured 3 seats.
Rongliu Investments and Juqing Huijin, after negotiation, nominated Zhang Jin as their board representative.
The independent director overseeing auditing and compensation, Zhang Wenchao, was replaced by Lin Muxue’s nominee, Chen Xiaolan.
He Jingping gripped the conference table tightly, his face filled with grim seriousness.
On the 7-member board, Tang Song now had control of 4 seats.
Only now did he fully realize he had completely lost control of Huashang Apparel’s board.
He had worked at Huashang since over twenty years ago and had long treated the company as his life’s work. And now, someone had forcefully taken it away.
Anger, unwillingness, pain—all sorts of emotions churned in his chest.
He had always valued Tang Song, a major shareholder with 35% of the stock, and had always spoken to him with courtesy.
Whenever there was a minor disagreement, he would take the initiative to invite him for a private meeting to resolve things.
When conflicts of interest arose and Tang refused to compromise, he’d make concessions, even giving up part of the new production line’s capacity—more than enough for Songmei Apparel to get started.
But never did he expect Tang to strike so hard, seizing control of Huashang outright.
It was just too much!
Beside him, He Zhihui’s face was dark with rage, and his eyes toward Tang Song were filled with coldness.
The board might be important, but Huashang was a massive company with over a thousand employees—it wasn’t something you could just take over on paper.
From the CEO to middle management, most were selected by their family.
So what if Tang controlled the board? At the end of the day, Huashang still belonged to the He family!
What, was Tang Song really going to clean house and replace everyone?
He dares?! Isn’t he afraid of crashing the company?
Just then.
“Knock, knock—”
Tang Song lightly tapped the conference table with his fingers. The sound wasn’t loud, but it instantly drew everyone’s attention to him.
His tone was calm but left no room for doubt: “On behalf of the new controlling party, I nominate the following individuals.”
“First, I nominate myself to join the board.”
This nomination was no surprise. According to the company charter, with 35% of the shares, Tang Song originally had the right to two board seats. He had simply been holding both votes himself until now.
“Second…” Tang Song’s gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the silent figure in the corner. “I nominate Mr. Wu Wei, the current CEO of Huashang Apparel.”
Upon hearing this, Huang Yangming and Wang Chengliang looked stunned, momentarily unable to process what they’d just heard.
Wu Wei?
He Jingping’s trusted protégé, his right-hand man, and Huashang Apparel’s de facto CEO!
Originally looking cold and detached, He Zhihui suddenly sat up straight, a flash of ecstatic joy lighting up his eyes.
Of the current 7 seats, their family held 3, and Tang Song had a solid grip on the other 4.
But now, he was nominating Wu Wei—wasn’t that the same as handing the control right back over?
Could it be that this guy was worried the company might run into trouble, so he was trying to win Wu Wei over this way to stabilize things?
That’d be way too dumb, right?
He instinctively looked to his father, only to find He Jingping looking ashen, his right hand tightly rubbing a pen, eyes fixed on Wu Wei with utter disbelief.
He Zhihui’s heart skipped a beat, a foreboding sense creeping in.
Wu Wei slowly stood up. Unlike his usual appearance, today he had deliberately worn a sharply tailored dark gray suit. Standing with hands at his sides, his gaze was sharp as a blade—completely different from his usual demeanor.
“Thank you for your trust, Chairman Tang. I won’t let you down. Here and now, I also give my word to all shareholders: every decision at Huashang Apparel will prioritize shareholder value as the highest standard, and I will repay this trust with solid, measurable performance.”
His voice was steady and confident, and from start to finish, he didn’t once look at He Jingping.
He Jingping’s pupils contracted sharply, his chest rising and falling violently.
At this point, He Zhihui also realized what was happening. He suddenly jumped to his feet, his chair scraping harshly against the floor.
“President Wu! You—”
“Zhihui, shut up!” He Jingping snapped.
Lin Muxue, standing nearby, curled her lips and said coolly, “Director He, this is a shareholder meeting. Mind your words.”
Right now, she was the shareholder representative for Rongliu Investments—her status far above He Zhihui’s, and she had every right to scold him.
So satisfying! Absolutely satisfying!
Wu Wei remained composed, though he couldn’t deny the thrill bubbling inside.
For 9 years, he had given everything to Huashang Apparel and helped generate astronomical profits for the company.
But his equity incentive plan had been delayed again and again, and He Jingping had never once considered letting him onto the board.
Under He Jingping’s control, he was just a professional manager—someone who could be replaced at any time.
As a young, ambitious CEO, it was only natural he would make the right choice.
After the vote on the board restructuring proposal,
As per the original agenda, the next item was voting on the proposal to establish a joint venture between Huashang Apparel and Yingqu Media.
The shareholder vote concluded with 55.4% against—proposal failed.
He Jingping and the others looked grim, saying nothing.
The shareholder meeting officially ended.
Zhang Jin, the representative from Juqing Huijin, stood up. “I propose we now convene the first meeting of the new board.”
Hearing this, board member Wang He beside He Jingping slammed the table: “Director Zhang! According to procedure, a board meeting requires three days’ prior notice. This is a procedural violation!”
Calling a board meeting at this moment clearly meant one thing—they were going to elect a new chairman.
Naturally, they didn’t want to see that happen.
Zhang Jin’s face remained calm. “We four board members can sign a ‘Notice Waiver Agreement’ on the spot. Under such circumstances, an emergency board meeting is compliant with company bylaws.”
As he spoke, a nearby lawyer placed the document on the conference table.
Seeing this, He Jingping and the others instantly understood—the other side had come fully prepared, with every step laid out.
Very soon, the seven newly appointed board members moved next door to the strategy meeting room to hold the first board meeting.
As people left, the large conference room felt even more empty.
He Zhihui sat there, clenching his teeth, eyes flashing.
Just then, a shadow appeared in front of him, along with a refreshing, pleasant scent of perfume.
He Zhihui looked up, and his expression froze.
Lin Muxue stood with her arms naturally at her sides, her chestnut-brown hair tied neatly back. She looked sharp and composed.
Her gaze was piercing and confident as she looked down on him from above.
The bright lights fell upon her, making her seem even more commanding.
Noticing the flash of fear in He Zhihui’s eyes, Lin Muxue crossed her arms, chin slightly raised, and said coldly, “Director He, you’re responsible for recording this shareholder meeting. Please compile the meeting minutes and send them to our email.”
To pave the way for his son’s future succession, He Jingping had directly placed him in the President’s Office as director.
He Zhihui’s presence at the shareholder meeting was under that title—responsible for the meeting records.
Looking up at the high-and-mighty Lin Muxue, He Zhihui nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
He let out a cold snort and stormed off.
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Muxue felt utterly refreshed.
In the past, when facing someone like He Zhihui—a second-generation rich kid—she had only been an event organizer. She had to fake politeness, avoid him, and even endure his occasional flirty jokes.
But now, as someone in power, she had him beneath her heel.
This combination of revenge and swagger—it was almost too good.
…..
3rd floor, R&D Design Center.
While Yao Lingling and the other two were chatting, the previously busy and noisy office area had suddenly gone quiet without them noticing.
Colleagues around them had all returned to their desks, fully focused on work.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Li Shumin sat up straight and whispered, “What’s going on? Jiahong, is a manager coming? Why did everyone get so serious all of a sudden?”
“No idea. I’ll check.” Zhang Jiahong picked up her phone and glanced at the group chat. Her expression froze, then quickly turned tense.
Yao Lingling caught her reaction and asked softly, “What’s going on, Jiahong?”
Zhang Jiahong glanced around, then lowered her voice and explained, “There’s a message in the group. Something big just happened at the shareholder meeting.”
She then showed the group chat messages to the other two.
Although the shareholder meeting was closed-door, with so many participants, leaks were almost inevitable.
Especially when it involved something that could shake the company to its core—rumors spread like wildfire.
Some said both major shareholders had sold their shares, and the shareholder structure was about to be completely reshuffled—possibly leading to major changes in middle and senior management.
Others revealed that Chairman He had been targeted by other board members and was currently extremely angry.
Reading the messages, Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin—both new employees—held their breath.
Seeing these messages, both Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin, as new employees, instantly held their breath.
They didn’t really understand much about board members or shareholders, but the words “major shake-up” alone were enough to make their hearts tighten with unease.
Just then—
A poised and elegant middle-aged woman appeared in the hallway of the office area.
Zhang Jiahong looked up and whispered, “That’s our company’s Admin Director!”
“Oh, oh.” Li Shumin quickly sat up straight, trying to appear more professional.
Yao Lingling calmly slid over next to Zhang Jiahong, pretending to discuss fashion design work.
The footsteps drew closer.
The three of them quietly looked up and saw Admin Director Chai Wei stop in front of them.
Zhang Jiahong’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly stood up and said, “Director Chai.”
“Good morning, Jiahong.” Chai Wei smiled and nodded, then looked toward Li Shumin with a warm, gentle tone: “This must be our new colleague Shumin? You’re really beautiful.”
Li Shumin was stunned for a moment, her face instantly flushing red. She stammered a reply, “You flatter me, Director Chai. I’m Li Shumin, assistant designer.”
“Hehe.” Chai Wei covered her mouth with a light laugh and naturally rested her hand on Zhang Jiahong’s shoulder. “It’s your first day on the job. If there’s anything you need from the Admin Department, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Li Shumin was overwhelmed by the attention. “Thank you, Director Chai. Everything’s been arranged already, I’m very happy with everything.”
“That’s good.” Chai Wei patted her shoulder and, as if suddenly remembering something, continued, “Oh right, the tablets you two are using seem to be older models—hand-me-downs from former employees. I just checked, and our storeroom has some brand-new XPPen Artist Pro 16s in stock. You can submit a request through the OA system and pick them up from the Admin Office.”
Hearing that, both Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin froze for a moment, then quickly bowed and said, “Thank you, Director Chai!”
As assistant designers, the office equipment they usually got wasn’t top-tier.
But the tablet Chai Wei mentioned was a recently released flagship model—even the company’s core designers used that model.
“No need to thank me, it’s my job. Don’t just stand there, sit down and keep chatting.” Chai Wei’s tone was gentle, radiating a warm friendliness that put people at ease. Then she glanced toward Yao Lingling nearby. “And this is?”
Zhang Jiahong quickly said, “This is my classmate. She also works for one of our company’s partners. She’s here today to coordinate a project.”
Tang Song had said Huashang Apparel was a subcontractor for Songmei Apparel, and Yao Lingling would be the one coordinating with them. So this explanation wasn’t exactly a lie.
Seeing the situation, Yao Lingling quickly stood up. “Hello, Director Chai.”
“Hello.” Chai Wei smiled warmly without pressing further. She pulled over a chair and sat down nearby, asking about how the two were settling in.
As a major company with nearly 3,000 employees, Huashang Apparel’s Admin Director Chai Wei was undoubtedly a highly influential figure.
Her presence alone was enough to draw attention, let alone her being so enthusiastic while chatting with two brand-new employees.
This special treatment left both Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin surprised and nervous, not knowing what to do.
Especially Li Shumin—her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her voice trembled slightly when she spoke.
Seeing this, Yao Lingling simply moved to the nearby empty workstation and didn’t interrupt their conversation.
She took out her phone, checked WeChat, and saw that Senior Tang Song still hadn’t replied—he must be busy.
She thought for a second, then typed a message: “（^√^）Senior, I’m already on the 3rd floor of the admin building, over at Jiahong’s area. Just let me know when you're done.”
Just as the message was sent—
A cheerful voice rang out nearby: “Haha, Director Chai, you’re here too?”
Yao Lingling looked up and saw a tall, slim man in his forties, wearing a dress shirt and slacks, looking sharp and spirited.
Chai Wei didn’t show the slightest change in expression. She smiled and said, “Just checking in with the new employees. Didn’t leadership say we should maintain harmony between departments?”
“Haha, Director Chai is absolutely right!” The man laughed and then glanced over with a warm expression.
Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin quickly stood up. “Manager Qian.”
“No need, no need. I just came to ask—everything going well at work? Any issues?”
“Everything’s great, thank you for your concern, Manager Qian!”
Faced with the unusually friendly Qian Rui, both of them were a bit flustered.
With so many employees at Huashang Apparel, the HR Department held a high position as a core department.
As the recruitment manager, Qian Rui was second only to the HR Director.
They had met him during onboarding.
Back then, he was polite too, but nowhere near this friendly.
Employees around them noticed what was happening in the corner.
Naturally, people had been privately discussing the two newcomers already.
Judging from how leadership was acting, it wasn’t hard to guess—they must’ve gotten in through connections.
In a big company like Huashang, this wasn’t rare.
But for both Director Chai and Manager Qian to come personally and be so welcoming—it spoke volumes about their background.
Whispers spread throughout the office, curiosity and confusion evident in people’s eyes.
A few moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the main entrance, along with lively greetings.
The employees glanced over—and were instantly stunned.
Standing in the center was a tall, strikingly handsome young man.
Dressed in a dark blue suit, brows slightly raised, lips curved in a faint smile—he looked sharp and refined.
At his side and behind him were the company’s top executives: CEO Wu Wei, Assistant General Manager Feng Yashan, Design Director Zhao Chengwen… all big names within the company.
Everyone’s focus locked onto him, eyes filled with respect and caution, only adding to his powerful presence.
He looked like a “bossy CEO” straight out of a novel—impossible to look away from.
Some female employees covered their mouths, eyes sparkling with excitement, even trembling slightly.
Chai Wei and Qian Rui immediately stopped talking and stood up quickly, faces lighting up with radiant smiles.
Yao Lingling, seated in the corner, blinked in surprise, a dazed look in her eyes.
Tang Song was wearing the very same British-style suit she had personally made for him.
Her gaze quickly met a pair of deep, black-and-white eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks quietly flushed red.
Completely entranced by her senior’s beauty, she was hopelessly smitten.
Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin noticed it too.
They might not recognize all the company execs, but they could definitely feel the shift in atmosphere.
Their faces lit up in surprise and joy.
They never imagined that Senior Tang Song would have such stature at Huashang Apparel!
Looking at the group walking their way,
Chai Wei quickly stepped to the hallway and called out in a clear voice, “Chairman! You’re here!”
Qian Rui followed right after, slightly nervous as he added, “Chairman, President Wu.”
As soon as those titles were called out, the surrounding employees looked even more astonished.
Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin exchanged a glance, still unsure what it meant.
Tang Song gave a light nod, his gaze skipping past the others to look directly at the junior sitting there. He smiled and said, “Just got out of the meeting. Kept you waiting, didn’t I, Lingling?”
Yao Lingling took a deep breath, her face blooming with a radiant smile. “Not at all, Senior!”