Chapter 28: Absolute Authority in Decision-Making

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The receptionist was beginning to panic. She had deliberately spoken that way because Lu Qiqi looked so young and did not seem like someone capable of doing business with the company’s owner. She had never expected Lu Qiqi to take her words seriously.

With the two of them at an impasse, the receptionist finally called Assistant Zhao. The moment he heard that Lu Qiqi had arrived, he hurried downstairs.

“Miss Lu, you’re here. The boss is waiting for you upstairs.”

“What’s wrong with you? How dare you stop the boss’s guest?” Assistant Zhao reprimanded the receptionist, his expression grim.

Seeing his attitude, the receptionist’s heart sank. She had clearly offended someone important. Regret flooded through her.

That very afternoon, Human Resources informed her that she had been dismissed.

Lu Qiqi had no time to dwell on the incident. She followed Assistant Zhao to Chu Linchen’s office. At that moment, Chu Linchen was seated behind his desk, signing documents.

He stood tall and straight as a pine, his fitted shirt outlining his long, broad frame. His face was composed and intelligent, his expression focused, as though the arrival of someone outside the door had not distracted him in the slightest.

“Boss, Miss Lu is here.” Assistant Zhao knocked on the door.

At the sound, Chu Linchen set down his pen. Leaning back in his office chair, he pressed his fingers to his brow, then pointed toward the chair before him.

“Sit down.”

Assistant Zhao tactfully withdrew. A short while later, he brought in two cups of coffee and closed the office door behind him.

Only Lu Qiqi and Chu Linchen remained in the office, and the atmosphere instantly fell silent.

“Mr. Chu, regarding the contract…”

Unable to endure the silence, Lu Qiqi was the first to break it.

With a stern expression, Chu Linchen took a document from beside him and handed it to her. As she leafed through it, he said directly, “For this project, I require absolute control.”

Lu Qiqi had long heard that Chu Linchen was domineering. Everyone who had ever worked with him had complained about his habit of having the final say. She had already prepared herself for that.

Even so, she was startled when she saw the price listed in the contract. Nothing came without a reason; excessive generosity usually concealed ulterior motives. The amount Chu Linchen was offering was far beyond what his investment should have been.

Lu Qiqi was not conceited enough to think he had more money than he knew how to spend and simply wanted to give her extra. What worried her was that, by providing such enormous funding, Chu Linchen might eventually sideline her completely in the project.

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“Mr. Chu, the amount you’re offering is far too high. There’s really no need to invest so much. As one of the project’s principal managers, shouldn’t I also have some say and decision-making authority?” Lu Qiqi attempted to negotiate.

This was her project. She could not simply hand it over to someone else. She had already suffered enough from being used by others, only to watch them claim the rewards afterward. Even if that person was Chu Linchen, she would not allow it.

“If you agree, we can sign the contract today. If you still have concerns, take it home and think it over carefully.” Chu Linchen folded his hands and leaned forward, radiating an aggressive force. His words remained as cold as ever, leaving no room for compromise.

Lu Qiqi felt her breath catch for half a beat. Chu Linchen’s presence was simply too overwhelming. She was almost unable to stop herself from agreeing immediately.

She bit her lip. The sharp pain brought her back to her senses, and she tried once more to persuade him.

“Mr. Chu, when people cooperate, they should stand as equals. I believe everything can be discussed and negotiated. One party shouldn’t have absolute control. Don’t you agree?”

Lu Qiqi was about to continue when a cold laugh rose from Chu Linchen’s throat, cutting her off.

“If you don’t agree to cooperate, take the contract home and destroy it yourself. If you do agree, come back at this time tomorrow to sign it.”

His attitude was unmistakable: there would be no discussion.

Faced with Chu Linchen’s forcefulness, Lu Qiqi was rendered speechless. Frustration weighed on her, and yet she could not help feeling a trace of envy. When would she be able to wield such authority, forcing everyone else to yield?

Knowing there was no point in haggling with Chu Linchen any further, Lu Qiqi dropped the subject. She had something else that mattered even more.

She rose from her chair, bowed slightly, and clasped her hands together as she pleaded, “Now that we’ve finished discussing business, let’s talk about something personal. Mr. Chu, that video… could you delete it?”

“I truly didn’t mean to offend you. I was honestly drunk. I promise I’ll never do it again. As long as you’re willing to delete the video, you can name any condition you like.”

At the mention of the video, and seeing Lu Qiqi plead with him like an affectionate kitten, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Chu Linchen’s perpetually tense face.

“That depends on my mood.”

“Then, Mr. Chu, how are you feeling right now? If you’re unhappy, perhaps I could tell you a joke?”

Sensing that Chu Linchen’s attitude had softened, she immediately seized the opportunity and pressed on, determined to have the video deleted that very day and make her humiliating past disappear completely.

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Chu Linchen opened his mouth, just about to say something, when a knock sounded from outside. The urgent noise interrupted the atmosphere, which had already begun to ease.

“Come in.”

“Boss, there’s an emergency meeting…” Assistant Zhao spoke as the corner of his eye glanced toward Lu Qiqi. It was obvious that the matter involved company secrets and was not something she should hear, so she had no choice but to rise and take her leave.

Still holding the contract, Lu Qiqi returned to the company at once and immediately convened a meeting of the senior management team.

“Everyone, give me your opinion. Should we sign this contract or not?”

“I think we should sign it. It’s only a matter of control. Chu Linchen has invested so much money, so how could he stand by and watch his own project lose money? We’re guaranteed to profit without taking any risks.”

“How can we simply give up our authority and decision-making rights? What if Chu Linchen has ulterior motives? What if they take all the profits while we bear the losses?”

“We can strengthen our supervision.”

“But they may be acting deliberately while we remain unaware. What if our supervision fails to uncover anything?”

“You’re being too cautious. Then what do you suggest? Are we supposed to give up the contract altogether?”

Everyone argued noisily, yet no one could offer a definitive answer. With no other option, Lu Qiqi proposed a vote. The minority would follow the majority, and whatever decision was reached, everyone could accept it without resentment.

No one had expected the result to be evenly split, however. In the end, everyone handed the decision-making authority over to Lu Qiqi.

Lu Qiqi could not help giving a bitter smile. Now she had decision-making authority after all. Looking at the worry on everyone’s faces, she felt utterly torn.

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