Chapter 854
Chapter 854
Nan Chen's hand remained in the air as he swept his cold gaze across the directors, who could not help but feel shivers running down their spines.
Unable to withstand the pressure from Nan Chen, the directors started raising their hands one after another.
Besides, they did not have the right to object as Nan Chen's request was perfectly reasonable and adhered to the company's policies.
The vote passed unanimously, and Ning Ran became the newest member of the company's board of directors who possessed voting rights.
Just a minute ago, she was still an outsider who was not welcomed. However, she had now become one of the company's key decision-makers.
That was a significant appointment as her opinions would have the power to influence the future direction of Nanshi Corporation.
From then on, Ning Ran would have a completely different status at Nanshi Corporation. Instead of simply being Nan Chen's girlfriend, she was currently a part of the board of directors, the most influential and powerful group of people in the company.
As a director, she held way more authority than any ordinary person from the upper management. Even Nan Xing, the deputy CEO of Nanshi Corporation, was of a lower rank than her.
That was definitely a huge promotion that was unprecedented in the company.
“All right. Now that we are done with our first agenda, let's proceed to the next one. I would like to begin by sharing with you the company's current situation...”
Nan Chen spoke about the stock plunge, which everyone was already aware of.
Silence ensued in the conference room after the man finished speaking.
“Mr. Chen, have you thought of a plan to tackle the situation?” one of the directors asked.
“Not yet,” Nan Chen replied in a straightforward manner.
“Something has to be done about the plummeting prices of our company's shares. If this carries on, investors will lose confidence in us and start mass dumping their shares. When that happens, our stock price will drop even more, and the ones who would end up gaining the most would be those who short- sell our shares. Are we really just going to sit back and do nothing?” another director asked.
Nan Chen's expression darkened when he heard that.
“We are not doing nothing. We have been gathering evidence and have already started releasing them to the public,” Nan Chen said coldly.
“Will that be enough for us to turn the situation around when the stock market opens tonight?” someone else asked.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew increasingly tense. A few directors who had kept quiet previously started speaking up, attacking Nan Chen with all sorts of difficult questions.
Nan Chen had always been high and mighty, and under usual circumstances, none of those directors would have dared to say anything in front of him.
Since they were finally getting their chance to question Nan Chen, needless to say, they had to motivate each other to present their opinions and make their presence known.NôvelDrama.Org is the owner.
Nan Chen's expression turned gloomier. However, he managed to tamp down his anger and not lose his temper. In times of crisis, it was important for the company to stay united and not start an internal feud.
Even though Nan Chen was usually very domineering, he knew that he had to bear with it in view of the larger picture.
Nevertheless, the man's forbearance led the directors to think that they were right and that Nan Chen should be fully responsible for the company's present predicament.
“Mr. Chen, why aren't you replying?” one of the directors who spoke earlier asked further.
“What am I supposed to say?” Nan Chen questioned back.
“The entire company is in chaos because of the stock crash. As the leader of Nanshi Corporation, shouldn't you be doing something to solve the problem?”
A sharp glint flashed across Nan Chen's eyes as he clenched his fists tightly. His patience was almost reaching its limit.
He could hardly believe that those directors, who were usually so fearful of him, were ganging up against him at the first opportunity.
“How can you say that?” Someone suddenly spoke.
It was not Nan Chen, but Ning Ran, the newly-appointed director.
Everyone was momentarily stunned by her abrupt comment.
She had just joined the board of directors less than an hour ago. What can she possibly say?
She's just an actress. Does she even know anything about business?
Nan Chen was slightly startled as well. He could not help but think that Ning Ran was being impulsive and wished that she had kept her cool.
She would be putting him in an even more difficult position if she had said something inappropriate.
“How do you know that Mr. Chen isn't doing anything? Do you know what time he slept last night? He only went to bed at seven in the morning and woke up three hours later at ten. He had stayed up the entire night to deal with the company's situation. Can't you see the dark circles under his eyes? What were you doing when Mr. Chen was working hard last night? Thinking of how to make things difficult for him? It's true that he is our CEO, but can the CEO alone manage such a huge company? Nanshi Corporation is a massive business empire and not just a small enterprise. Just one man alone is not enough to help the company move forward. Teamwork is important, and those at the management level play an integral role. Now that the company is undergoing a crisis, does it make sense that you guys are just finding fault with him instead of brainstorming solutions together? Don't you feel bad at all? Are you even human—”
“Ahem...” Nan Chen started clearing his throat loudly before Ning Ran could finish speaking, forcefully interrupting her speech.
She was doing rather well at the beginning. However, she got more agitated as she spoke and started scolding the directors.
After all, it did not seem appropriate for the woman to be making personal attacks at Nanshi Corporation's board of directors' meeting.
It sounded as if she was haggling over the prices of groceries at the market.
The directors were dumbfounded after being lashed out at.
It wasn't the first time conflicts arose during meetings. Whenever that happened, everyone would settle it in a civilized manner without launching insults at anyone else.
What's wrong with this woman? How can she start scolding us when she has just become a director and barely knows what's going on?
“Ms. Ning, how can you scold us like that?” a director asked furiously.
“I wasn't scolding you. I'm discussing matters nicely with all of you. What I'm trying to say is that everyone has to work together to help Nanshi Corporation tide over this difficult period and not depend on Mr. Chen alone. There's nothing we can't handle as long as we stay united,” Ning Ran responded calmly.
Nan Chen looked at her with praise. He was glad that the woman was finally able to calm down and speak sensibly.
The other directors fell silent once again, baffled by Ning Ran's unpredictability.
She did scold us just now. How can she lie through her teeth and not admit to it?
Despite what they were secretly thinking, none of the directors could bring themselves to argue with Ning Ran, as fighting with a woman wouldn't reflect well on them.
More importantly, she was not just any woman but Nan Chen's woman.
Besides, as a director, she was of equal status to them, and they couldn't do anything to her.
As such, the directors were at a loss as to how to handle Ning Ran.
Seeing that everyone was keeping quiet, Ning Ran silently breathed a sigh of relief.
That gave her the assurance that her point was valid. Hence, she continued saying, “If we leave it to Mr. Chen to deal with the situation alone, we would all share the glory if everything turns out well, but if things go wrong, he would be the one bearing the brunt of it. That wouldn't be fair to him at all! Since he is the CEO, it's right for him to have a bigger responsibility. However, if he is doing it all alone, why would the company need us? What's the use of having a management team?”
Ning Ran slammed her hand on the table as a flood of emotions rose within her.
She was an extremely attractive woman, but the way she slammed the table made her look like a gangster, which deeply contrasted the formal setting of the meeting.
The directors did not know how to react as they had never been reprimanded by a woman in a meeting before.