Thomas was furious.
Hearing this, the hearts of the other executives sank.
A massive purge?
Regardless, anyone who had made it to this position was no fool, not to mention that Su Ning had practically laid her cards on the table—as the newly ascended "king," she was going to clear out these unsatisfactory old ministers!
Instantly, they exploded.
They all started talking at once, scrambling to speak:
"Su, you can't do this. You might not know, but this will cause problems for Taikoo Shipping's operations."
"Exactly, this was just a minor misunderstanding. We are willing to apologize to you, but some jokes shouldn't be made lightly; they can easily cause panic."
Someone else even tried to threaten her:
"Taikoo Shipping isn't just a shipping company; it is involved in a lot of things. The Portuguese government also has close ties with us. Don't forget you are a Chinese person. If you leave us, the consequences will be severe."
Although slightly exaggerated, it was indeed the truth.
In a crucial industry like shipping, the government inevitably paid attention.
Not to mention...
Taikoo Shipping had immense power. Although it operated far away in the Eastern market, that region was also turbulent, with mixed factions, intricate relationships and interests, and many eyes watching it.
Secretly, they also had the support of the Portuguese government.
At this thought, the crowd became less panicked.
Looking at Su Ning, their tone became a bit more forceful. "Su, you spent so much time and money to acquire Taikoo Shipping; you should be enjoying the joy of victory. Why get yourself into unnecessary trouble? With our help, you won't have to do anything but watch the gold coins jump into your pocket one by one."
It sounded very tempting.
As long as she maintained the status quo and didn't execute a massive purge, Taikoo Shipping wouldn't face any turmoil.
Wasn't that enough!
In their eyes, Su Ning's motive was nothing more than a flare-up of her desire for control, wanting to replace people in key positions with her own. As for discrimination?
Hmph, they were almost led astray just now.
It was definitely just a smokescreen.
How could there possibly be discrimination against white people in this world? It was absurd and ridiculous.
They heard that this Su was born and raised abroad and hadn't even been back in China for two years. Having experienced the advanced power of their Western world since childhood, she should approve of them even more.
Figuring this out made everything suddenly clear.
On the other side, Su Ning seemed persuaded. Her face showed obvious thought and hesitation. After a long while, she nodded and said, "What you say makes a lot of sense..."
Some of the executives breathed a premature sigh of relief.
One raised a hand, preparing to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead—as for the sweat on his body, he'd have to deal with it when he got home. But his hand was only halfway up when he heard the second half of her sentence—
"But it still won't do."
Su Ning let out a long sigh, looking at them with utter exasperation:
"It's all your fault. Why do you have to be white? And every single one of you has such pure bloodlines. If you were mixed-race, I could have pinched my nose and tolerated it. Now look, you're making me take such a huge risk and suffer such heavy losses. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache terribly."
"Miss."
Su Er frowned and comforted her softly, "Please don't hurt yourself over other people's mistakes."
Son of a bitch.
Was that human language?
Hah, what did they do wrong? It was clearly this Su Ning who had a problem with her brain, plus you, you shameless bootlicker... While the crowd cursed furiously in their heads, their minds were also buzzing. They realized that the master and servant's words and actions were extremely natural and tacit, showing no signs of acting at all.
A massive sense of disbelief occupied everyone's minds.
Wait.
From the looks of it, she actually discriminated against white people!
Why?
"Didn't I just say it?" Someone had been so shocked that they asked the question out loud without realizing it. Here, the translator must be praised; despite being white as well, they didn't drop the ball at this crucial moment and remained fully dedicated to their duty.
Translator: I can't help it, they pay me too much.
Frowning, Su Ning said somewhat impatiently:
"You all look as strangely shaped as monsters; it hurts my eyes to look at you. If it were just that, I could tolerate it. But your morals and abilities are also low, not even matching up to Su Er. And you already forgot what I just said, so it seems you have memory problems too."
"And you take such high salaries." She thought for a moment, then said reluctantly:
"Forget it, there's an old Chinese saying: always leave a way out. Firing you suddenly is a bit too heartless. How about this: if you are willing to take a pay cut, you can stay."
"Cut by how much?"
"Listen to yourselves, that's such a low-level question." Su Ning shook her head in disappointment:
"Can't you have a broader perspective? You can't always just consider your own interests; you have to think about things from all angles. Work isn't just about money; what's more important is realizing your ambitions and self-worth..."
As she said these things, Su Ning was surprised to find that she didn't even need to think.
The words just flowed right out!
While pondering the reason for this and speaking fluently at the same time, she felt a bit thirsty, so she reluctantly stopped to summarize: "...So, do you understand?"
The crowd looked at each other in dismay.
"Understand what?"
"Stupid."
Su Ning scolded, "I really can't be bothered to talk to you; it's no different from talking to pigs. You still need me, the boss, to explain it to you. It means working for no money."
Everyone present was petrified for a full minute.
Coming back to their senses.
Thomas laughed out of extreme anger. "No money? Then why should we work for you?"
"For the development and growth of Taikoo Shipping, of course. Your combined salaries are too much. Think about it: if we save this money and invest it into development, Taikoo Shipping will definitely become stronger and stronger, capture a larger market, and make me more money."
"Sorry, I mean make Taikoo Shipping more money."
Su Ning corrected herself nonchalantly.
What's the use of correcting it? We all heard it!
Confirming that this person's thoughts were shockingly shameless, for a moment, no one actually spoke.
Fortunately, if they didn't speak.
Su Ning would. Without turning her head, she took the tea handed to her and took a few sips. The temperature and taste were just right, and her throat was quickly moistened. She put down the teacup and said earnestly:
"Besides, just because there's no salary now doesn't mean there won't be any in the future."
"I'm not some kind of devil. As long as you work hard, I will naturally see it. Don't worry, there will be salaries, and there will be status... Although you can't compare to yellow people, you can make up for it."
"Acquired effort can make up for congenital defects. You can study how to be more like yellow people, and I will also work hard—work hard to forget your origins."
Su Ning's eyes, expression, and even every strand of her hair revealed sincerity:
"Let's work hard together."
"Enough!"
Unfortunately, some people couldn't see how rare this sincerity was. With a flushed face, one shouted, "You shameless, evil woman who belongs in hell! White people are the most perfect race in the world; you are the one who should change."
"What did you say?"
Su Ning frowned.
"Shameless, demon..."
After hearing just two words, her face visibly turned ice-cold. A figure flashed by, and the one who spoke was knocked to the ground. "No good deed goes unpunished. I really shouldn't waste time with people like you."
The beaten person groaned in pain.
The others jumped in fright at the sight. Barbaric, it was simply too barbaric! But just as they were burning with righteous indignation, Su Ning's next words sent their hearts plummeting to the pit of their stomachs.
"From this moment on, you are all fired. Get the hell out of Taigu Shipping."
"Oh, and one more thing," Su Ning sneered.
"Go back and say a proper goodbye to your families. After all, the next time you see them will be in prison. I wonder how many years crimes like embezzlement and misappropriation of company funds will get you."
As the words hung in the air, the executives stood completely paralyzed, looking as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning!
