Inheritance of Two Trillion Chapter 2417 - 1804: Enduring This Moment (Part 2)

This is genuinely quite peculiar.

For an entire half-hour, Hou Yuncheng continued to immerse himself in the pages. Only then did he snap back to his senses and notice the presence of Bai Xiaosheng.

With a contrite smile, Hou Yuncheng addressed Bai Xiaosheng, "Look at me, getting lost in thought over something so captivating. Sheng, since you've returned, why not take a well-deserved rest? I'll arrange for the investigation materials and the list to be delivered to you shortly, so I won't detain you any longer."

Hou Yuncheng was direct in his dismissal.

After speaking, Hou Yuncheng, holding the few pages, declared with a grin, "I intend to delve into this thoroughly today. Although this trip did not culminate in a partnership, the knowledge gained alone makes it incredibly worthwhile!"

Bai Xiaosheng chuckled and made his swift departure.

Upon returning from Hou Yuncheng's office, Bai Xiaosheng found Lin Weiwei and Lei Ying awaiting him.

"Xiaosheng, Director Hou wasn't displeased with you, was he? We embarked on this business trip, failed to secure a deal, and returned merely with a report of our findings. It's quite difficult to explain. However, it's not our fault that Mr. Brown avoided meeting us," Lin Weiwei expressed, unable to contain her concern.

Lei Ying also regarded Bai Xiaosheng with a look of apprehension, his eyes filled with unspoken questions.

"Director Hou is perfectly fine. In fact, he was quite pleased with the report we compiled," Bai Xiaosheng replied with a serene smile.

Hearing this, Lin Weiwei and Lei Ying collectively let out sighs of relief.

"While I was with Director Hou, I encountered Mr. Jia Chengshan. He had gone to negotiate with another rare earth company and also achieved some positive results," Bai Xiaosheng proceeded to explain the entire situation to them.

Lin Weiwei and Lei Ying were initially taken aback, then astonished, and soon enough, a flicker of anger emerged.

"That Mr. Brown actually deceived us and intended to snatch our business deal!" Lei Ying exclaimed with a stern tone.

Lin Weiwei loudly interjected, "This is incredibly deceitful! Why would he treat us in such a manner? Simply because we investigated some of his companies? If there are issues, he should introspect! I refuse to believe he is completely oblivious to the problems caused by his executive VP. If he were truly unaware, he should have conducted a thorough investigation. Yet, he shifts the blame to us – what kind of logic is that!"

Lin Weiwei's emotions were clearly running high.

"Perhaps Mr. Brown perceived us as too unyielding, shattering his idyllic retirement plans, and thus retaliated in this fashion, which is somewhat understandable," Bai Xiaosheng offered in a calming tone to Lin Weiwei. "After all, he is elderly; sometimes, individuals tend to develop short tempers, and we should show understanding."

Mr. Brown, after all, was a respected veteran of the conglomerate. Bai Xiaosheng reasoned that if he were to assume the mantle of the Zhenbei Group, he would need to cultivate a magnanimous and forgiving disposition.

"So, are we simply going to let this matter rest?" Lin Weiwei inquired, pouting slightly and murmuring, "We have never endured such unfair tactics or suffered such setbacks. We never initiate conflict, but we certainly don't let those who stir up trouble off the hook..."

This young lady, at times, displayed a rather childlike temperament, unable to tolerate being taken advantage of.

"Let's leave it at that for now. We shall endure it and take a step back," Bai Xiaosheng advised. "I am confident that after this substantial gain, Mr. Brown will cease his machinations."

"And what if he doesn't..." Lin Weiwei cast a furtive glance at Bai Xiaosheng, muttering the question under her breath.

"Then we shall address it when it arises," Bai Xiaosheng responded with a hint of helplessness.

He was disinclined to confront hypothetical scenarios before they materialized.

"Let's cease dwelling on it; it will only lead to further frustration," Lei Ying suggested to Lin Weiwei.

Lin Weiwei offered no further commentary.

"By the way, Director Hou mentioned they would forward the latest roster and details of companies slated for inspection soon. We can review them and identify potential targets. Beyond collaborating with our group's affiliated companies, forging connections with other enterprises presents valuable opportunities," Bai Xiaosheng attempted to steer the conversation, a smile gracing his lips.

After all, their primary objective in visiting various locations across Africa was to pursue cooperative business ventures, not to engage in "rivalries." It was far more prudent to swiftly redirect their focus toward the core agenda.

Incidentally, Bai Xiaosheng had exercised his inspection authority within the group, pinpointing ten large enterprises with significant issues in both North America and Africa. The Red Lotus had yet to tally his score.

This was likely due to the incomplete status of the headquarters' investigation and the absence of officially released findings.

As these thoughts crossed Bai Xiaosheng's mind, he heard a distinct mental chime.

A voice then resonated within his consciousness: "Upon exercising your inspection rights, ten problematic enterprises have been identified. The group's handling results are now available, detailed as follows..."

A rapid succession of messages scrolled through Bai Xiaosheng's mind.

The outcomes for the leaders of the ten problematic enterprises were elaborated, encompassing measures from demotions and dismissals to outright prosecutions, with each case resulting in a distinct resolution.

Bai Xiaosheng found himself momentarily taken aback.

These were matters he had only just begun to contemplate, and already, conclusions had been reached... it seemed some thoughts ought not to be entertained too lightly.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door of Bai Xiaosheng’s room. A voice from outside announced that the delivery was sent by Director Hou.

Bai Xiaosheng, deeply engrossed in his 'listening', casually gestured for Lin Weiwei to retrieve the items.

Perceiving Bai Xiaosheng lost in thought, Lin Weiwei refrained from disturbing him and rose to attend to the delivery.

Lei Ying also remained in quiet anticipation.

...

Bai Xiaosheng continued his 'listening' to Red Lotus's 'broadcast' of information—

"Commencing score calculation, particulars are as follows..."

The gravity of the issues uncovered in the ten companies varied, and naturally, the scores Bai Xiaosheng accumulated reflected this disparity. Several fractional points were aggregated, culminating in a peculiar total score of 8.45.

Bai Xiaosheng then heard Red Lotus's voice announce, "Applying the rounding method—following the rounding principle, the host's final score is eight points. This brings the total career president level score to twenty-eight points, leaving seventy-two points short of the vice-chairman level. Please continue to strive."

Upon receiving this assessment, Bai Xiaosheng was momentarily stunned, followed by a surge of frustration.

The effort required to achieve this score had been immense, even yielding fractional points, yet in the final tally, Red Lotus had "generously" employed rounding, taking only whole numbers and deducting nearly half a point!

"I ask you, are you some kind of shrewd merchant! Are you deliberately obstructing my advancement!" Bai Xiaosheng couldn't refrain from voicing his ire towards Red Lotus in his mind.

Complaining to the system was clearly an exercise in futility.

Red Lotus offered no response whatsoever.

However, after Bai Xiaosheng concluded his outburst, Red Lotus suddenly chimed in, "Please continue to strive—"

Although the voice was presumably devoid of emotion, Bai Xiaosheng detected a faint undertone of schadenfreude.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaosheng was left utterly speechless.

"I will endure this!" Bai Xiaosheng resigned himself to "swallowing his pride."

"Xiaosheng, are you alright?" a cautious voice inquired from his side.

Only then did Bai Xiaosheng snap back to reality, noticing Lin Weiwei observing him with concern.

Lei Ying, too, regarded him with a questioning gaze.

"I'm fine. Did you retrieve the items..." Bai Xiaosheng quickly steered the conversation away from himself.

Lin Weiwei presented the acquired materials to Bai Xiaosheng. From these, Bai Xiaosheng distributed two pages to each of them, "Let's all take a look and decide on our course of action for tomorrow..."

...

Before retiring for the night, Bai Xiaosheng, Lin Weiwei, and Lei Ying finalized their itinerary for visiting the chosen companies the following day.

The night passed without further discussion.

The next morning, Bai Xiaosheng and his team, guided by the arrangements made by Hou Yuncheng, proceeded to visit the selected companies in the neighboring cities for inspections.

It was not until the afternoon that Bai Xiaosheng and the others returned to their lodging.

The day's inspections had been taxing, yet fruitful. Bai Xiaosheng and his team had reached preliminary understandings with several firms, with formal contract signings pending.

The trio was in high spirits and even discovered a charming little eatery near their accommodation for a delightful dinner that evening.

On the third morning, as Bai Xiaosheng was occupied with organizing the day's schedule and making plans for contract finalization with the companies discussed the previous day, Lin Weiwei and Lei Ying began receiving a series of phone calls.

Initially, Bai Xiaosheng paid little attention, calmly sipping his coffee and contemplating his concerns.

It wasn't until Lin Weiwei rushed back, appearing slightly alarmed and vexed, with Lei Ying trailing behind her with a somber expression, that his attention was fully captured.

"What has occurred?" Bai Xiaosheng promptly set aside his current focus and inquired.

Lin Weiwei, greatly agitated, exclaimed, "Xiaosheng, we have a problem! Those companies that agreed with us yesterday, they all called today. They've all rescinded their commitments!"