One of the shareholders?
Not only did Tao Xinrou gasp, but even Wei Hao and the HR head were startled.
Minister Gao continued, "Old Mr. Shen's surname is Shen. Twenty years ago, he followed Old Mr. Ying in building the business. When Yunlu's first company opened, he invested a third of his net worth. Later, as the group expanded and he grew older, he gradually withdrew from management, but he kept his shares. To this day, he still holds one percent of the group's shares."
One percent...
Tao Xinrou did a quick calculation in her mind. The Yunlu Group had a market value of tens of billions. One percent was...
She didn't dare think further.
"Old Mrs. Shen is his wife. They weathered poverty together. Now she's lying in the hospital. Do you think he'll let this go easily? Old Mr. Shen built many good relationships in the business world back in the day. Several directors in the group owe him favors. If he's determined to make a scene, he could drag half the board down with him. Do you still think this matter is so simple?"
The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wei Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead. The HR head looked down, lost in thought. Ying Jingsheng's expression remained calm, but Tao Xinrou noticed his fingers on the table tightening slightly.
After a few seconds of silence, Ying Jingsheng spoke calmly, "Precisely because Old Mr. Shen is an important client, we should not handle this hastily."
"Oh?" Minister Gao raised an eyebrow.
"Old Mr. Shen is a key figure in the group. What he wants to see is not who we punish, but how we handle this. If we push someone out to take the blame just to appease his anger, he'll only think that Yunlu's internal management is chaotic and that we only know how to shift responsibility. Is that kind of company worth his continued support?"
Minister Gao squinted but said nothing, signaling him to continue.
"Conversely, if we sincerely apologize, acknowledge the flaws in our process, provide a practical improvement plan, and show him that we treat every guest with warmth and equal responsibility, he will instead feel that Yunlu has principles and standards, and will be more supportive."
Minister Gao nodded. Ying Jingsheng went on, "Besides, his wife is still in the hospital. What he needs most is her safety, not to see us blaming each other here. Minister Gao, I've already sent a flower basket to the hospital and arranged for a dedicated caregiver. Once Old Mrs. Shen's condition stabilizes, I will personally go and apologize."
Wei Hao and the HR head both nodded, agreeing with Ying Jingsheng's approach.
Tao Xinrou also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed headquarters wouldn't make things difficult for them after all.
But...
Minister Gao stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. The smile didn't seem like approval, but rather mockery.
"President Ying, I didn't expect that even after I explained it so simply, you still don't understand."
"Minister Gao, I believe this is the most sincere attitude I can offer."
Minister Gao straightened up, no longer casual, and looked at Ying Jingsheng as he said word by word, "Fine. In that case, I'll have to tell you headquarters' decision." He shifted his gaze to Tao Xinrou and waved his hand. "She must be suspended pending investigation!"
Everyone present gasped.
It seemed the matter was indeed simple: they needed a scapegoat.
After a moment's thought, Ying Jingsheng's lips curled into a cold smile. "Minister Gao, I didn't expect headquarters to have already decided so clearly."
Minister Gao then put on a seemingly friendly smile. "After all, the group can't afford to offend someone who has contributed to it."
Tao Xinrou sat there, her fingers clenching and relaxing, relaxing and clenching.
She understood now. Process flaws, improvement plans, sincere apologies—none of it mattered. She was just an ant; if headquarters wanted her gone, she had to go.
At that moment, Ying Jingsheng's face grew even darker. He stared at Minister Gao and pressed, "What if I say I disagree?"
Minister Gao raised an eyebrow. "President Ying, are your words opposing a decision from headquarters?"
"I'm not opposing headquarters' decision. Yunlu has gotten to where it is today not by pushing people out to take the blame, but by our attitude in handling matters. I don't think this is a satisfactory response. Minister Gao, please report this back to headquarters, or I can go with you to headquarters now." Ying Jingsheng stood up, ready to leave with Minister Gao.
"President Ying, since you're so stubborn, I'll have to make a call."
A moment later, he hung up. "Let's go. Vice President Ying also wants to talk to you."
Ying Jingsheng's expression grew cold. "Then please lead the way, Minister Gao." He then turned back to look at Tao Xinrou. "Don't leave the hotel until I'm back."
As soon as the people left the meeting room, Zhao Sili rushed in, her eyes red. "Xinrou, I heard them talking about suspending you. Why?! I was there too. I didn't ask either. If they suspend you, they should suspend me too!"
Zhao Sili was about to rush out, but Tao Xinrou quickly grabbed her. "Sili, don't act impulsively."
"I'm not impulsive! I'm going to find him right now and make him suspend me too! Let's see if he dares!"
"It's a decision from headquarters."
"Headquarters? How could they make such a decision? It's unreasonable!"
Tao Xinrou also found it strange. From the time the incident occurred to when the old lady was sent to the hospital, it had only been about an hour, and the scope of people who knew about it was small. How did headquarters find out so quickly, and why was Ying Huaishan involved? Unless...
A thought spread through Tao Xinrou's mind.
Unless this was targeted at her from the start.
It seemed that after she refused Zhang Hongbin's spy mission last time, they had come up with another trick.
Tao Xinrou's heart sank even further.
The path to investigating the case was fraught with obstacles. When would her father's grievances be cleared?
"Then I'll go find my grandpa and ask him to help."
"Sili, don't. This isn't that simple."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's wait for your cousin to come back with the results, okay?"
Zhao Sili couldn't argue with Tao Xinrou, so she could only glare in frustration.