Realizing the situation was turning sour, he quickly changed his tune with the wind. Most importantly, he seized the opportunity on the spot, stepping on the faces of the major shareholders to flatter her—an opportunity not to be missed, for it might never come again.
Logically, this should be her happiest and proudest moment.
Someone was helping her belittle her defeated opponents.
Naturally, she would look at him more favorably, easily forgiving his previous choice of taking the wrong side...
Thinking of this, Su Ning smiled.
Waving her hand with a blatantly fake tone, she said:
"Oh, say no more. There's a saying to be forgiving wherever possible, and I'm not a mean-spirited person. There's also a saying to respect the old and care for the young. Older people can easily choke on their own anger and die. As a young person, I at least have this much magnanimity."
Everyone: ...
You say this without even blushing!
Unexpectedly, Su Ning's expression suddenly changed. "What's the matter? Do you think I'm wrong? Otherwise, why aren't you responding to me? Fine, so you were just pretending earlier."
"No, no."
The executive was stunned by her rapid change in demeanor. Cursing inwardly, he hastily explained in Chinese:
"Sorry, I am very sorry. My proficiency is not good enough, and I didn't understand some of the words. I will study harder in this area in the future. Please forgive me."
Not only was his attitude sincere and humble.
His words were also very tactful... implying that although the translator was doing their job, he hadn't tried to be lazy. Instead, out of respect for his boss Su Ning's language habits, he had put his whole heart into understanding her spoken Chinese.
Aside from the translator secretly twitching their mouth.
His colleagues looked at him with a mix of surprise, jealousy, and a hint of fawning...
"Your Chinese is this poor, yet you still have the nerve to ask for my forgiveness." Su Ning, a person who practically had 'mean' written on one side of her face and 'spiteful' on the other, sneered:
"What a thick-skinned piece of trash!"
In an instant.
From heaven to hell, the executive was mercilessly humiliated. He clenched his fists tightly, desperately wanting to yank off his tie, throw it on the ground, and shout that he quit... But thinking of his big house, car, servants, and the children attending top schools, he forcefully swallowed his anger.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault."
After a hasty apology, he still felt dissatisfied, so he added:
"Chinese is very difficult to learn. Actually, my proficiency is already in the top tier among everyone here."
The implication was that the others were even worse.
His colleagues' faces turned green.
He didn't care in the slightest. Opportunities belong to those who seize them; if there are stepping stones, why not step on them?
Fortunately, when Fernand had encouraged them to learn Chinese back then, the others had been very disdainful. In private, they discussed why they should condescend to learn Chinese for a lowly Eastern lover.
Actually, he had thought the same way.
The East: poor, backward, barbaric, even their appearances were different.
They were practically two different species.
Compared to black people, they weren't as docile or submissive. He had no idea what Fernand was thinking, finding such a lover.
Of course, he wouldn't say this out loud.
In fact, he actively learned Chinese, and thus found common ground to talk with Fernand.
For example, he would complain in distress about how difficult a certain Chinese word was to learn, and Fernand, whose proficiency was higher, would enthusiastically teach him. He would then show that he had learned it. Back and forth, their relationship naturally grew closer.
Because of this, his Chinese remained at a mediocre level.
He wasn't completely clueless.
Yet he could still let his boss show off a bit.
Recalling the past, the executive smiled confidently. Looking up, he noticed that the disgust on Su Ning's face had lessened slightly. She glanced at him a couple of times and casually asked about his resume.
He was overjoyed.
He remembered a Chinese idiom he had learned, roughly meaning the old man lost his horse, but it might be a blessing in disguise. Maybe he could even get a promotion and a raise!
"I am forty-three years old this year, graduated from the University of Lisbon."
"Mm, not bad."
Although she had never even heard the name, Su Ning smiled and nodded. The executive opposite her spoke with an increasingly loud voice, and the others' eyes grew even more jealous, but the atmosphere unknowingly relaxed—
It seemed this Eastern boss wasn't so terrifying after all.
"...After graduation, I worked in a government department for a while, and I have connections with XX and XXX." Saying this, he gave Su Ning a meaningful look: you know what I mean.
Oh, she knew. She definitely knew.
Collusion between government and business—Su Ning was very familiar with this. Recalling a certain fond memory, her smile became much more genuine.
The executive continued reciting his resume.
To summarize.
After resigning from the government, he successively entered companies related to the maritime industry to further his career. After struggling and gaining rich experience, he finally keenly perceived the bright prospects of Taikoo Shipping and resolutely joined it. His performance was outstanding, and he made great contributions to expanding and consolidating Taikoo Shipping's market.
He also mentioned his efforts in saving costs and increasing efficiency.
What he cut, naturally, were the costs of the Easterners... Anyway, they didn't dare to cause trouble. Taikoo Shipping mainly targeted the Asian market, and the bottom-tier employees were mostly locals. This way, he reduced costs without offending his white colleagues.
It was simply killing two birds with one stone.
Absolutely brilliant.
As he spoke of this, he was brimming with passion, but suddenly he felt the room go quiet. Oh no, his current boss was an Easterner!
He hastily shut his mouth and looked at Su Ning.
He saw that her expression remained normal. Noticing he had stopped talking, she frowned in dissatisfaction:
"Why did you stop?"
Then she nodded thoughtfully: "Cutting costs and increasing efficiency, this method is indeed not bad. It's hard to make money nowadays, so saving a bit is a good thing. Not to mention, some useless people who just make up the numbers occupy positions without having any real skills. I hate that kind of person the most. It's only normal to earn an amount that matches one's ability."
Although he didn't understand a few words.
The executive could tell that Su Ning wasn't unhappy and actually seemed to approve.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
He had overthought it.
As expected, in the face of glittering gold, all bosses are the same, ignoring race and sentiment... Besides, Su Ning didn't look like someone who had such sentiments anyway.
He quickly agreed, his tone exaggerated:
"Exactly. You don't know how cunning those guys actually are, even though they look pitiful and honest. They insist that a job a single person can do requires three or four people. In the end, facts prove that one person can handle it perfectly well!"
"My eyes are as sharp as an eagle's. I can always spot these 'loopholes.' No one has ever been able to take an extra penny from the company."
"Of course, this is while maintaining operational efficiency."
He said, patting his chest.
As his words fell.
Complex gazes shot over from all directions. His colleagues felt disdain in their hearts but said nothing; the suffering of those Easterners had nothing to do with them.
The shareholders, naturally, appreciated such a good employee who thought of the company's best interests.
"It sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area."
Su Ning smiled and sat up straight. "I think Taikoo Shipping needs someone like you to manage it. By the way, what is your current position? How is your salary?"
Suppressing his excitement, he told her truthfully.
"The salary is a bit high."
Su Ning frowned, then relaxed her brows: "Never mind, that's not important. Let me ask you, do those at a similar rank to you, as well as those above you, also earn this much?"
Wh-what does this mean...
Recalling what she had just said, the executives suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
Was she going to put them on the chopping block?!
Countless resentful glares shot toward Su Ning, while a portion of them landed on that particular executive, whose forehead had just broken out in a cold sweat.
To speak, or not to speak?
If he spoke, he would definitely offend his colleagues. But if he kept his mouth shut, he would be throwing away a golden opportunity for promotion. Besides, Su Ning was an outsider with no foundation or manpower here; wouldn't that leave him free to rake in money and hand out favors however he pleased?
At this thought, he gritted his teeth and spilled everyone's secrets, leaving absolutely nothing out. From salaries and bonuses to their under-the-table dealings, with every detail he exposed, the furious fire in his colleagues' eyes burned even brighter.
Yet, he was not afraid.
In fact, the more he spoke, the calmer he became. So what if he offended them? Judging by Su Ning's intentions, they were all going to be purged anyway.
Even if they weren't fired, they would still have to walk around with their tails between their legs.
They would be too busy trying to suck up to him to do anything else.
The world was just a dog-eat-dog place; there was no room for reason!
"Very good, very good. I am starting to appreciate you more and more." The executive's heart pounded like a drum. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Su Ning looking him up and down with a regretful expression. She sighed and said:
"But you are not fit to be my subordinate. What a pity. Why do you have to be a white man?"
