The usually efficient Chen Wei, her expression grave, shook her head. "The receptionist said the new president isn't seeing anyone right now."
Ye Yuning raised an eyebrow.
Before she could speak, Chen Wei continued, "They said he only left one message: 'Everyone will prove their worth!'"
"Who does 'everyone' refer to?" Ye Yuning asked.
Chen Wei nodded. "All our partners!"
Ye Yuning was speechless.
'Prove their worth,' indeed. How arrogant can he be? she couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Seeing Ye Yuning's silence, Chen Wei added, "There's something else that's very disadvantageous for us!"
Ye Yuning's breath hitched. "What else?"
"Xiao Corporation is holding a new bidding process for the Liwangou project in a week," Chen Wei explained. "Companies that haven't partnered with Xiao Corporation before can also participate!"
Liwangou was the very project they were currently working on.
Our designs were just rejected, and now he's already moving to a new bidding phase? This new president is certainly making his mark—first shaking things up internally, and now he's targeting my studio?
Ye Yuning's expression turned grim. Her tone was sharp as she asked, "So, existing partners and potential new ones will be evaluated together?"
"Yes," Chen Wei confirmed. "So, if we can't produce a design that satisfies them within a week, this project will likely slip through our fingers."
Losing the project was one thing, but they could also face a hefty penalty. The contract deadline for the Liwangou project was just one week away.
Does he really think we can't come up with a satisfactory design in a week?
Ye Yuning clutched her purse tighter.
We can't even get a meeting, so we don't even know why our designs were rejected. Isn't this new president taking things too far?
She stomped her foot in frustration and turned. "Notify everyone. Emergency meeting, now."
"Understood." Chen Wei nodded. As they left the Xiao Corporation building, she began making calls to inform the various departments.
「In the car.」
Ye Yuning rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. After a long silence that felt oppressive, she finally spoke. "Who's the manager liaising with us now?"
"Someone named Zheng," Chen Wei replied.
"Try to find out why our designs were rejected," Ye Yuning said. This all happened so suddenly; we need to understand the exact reasons.
Chen Wei nodded. "Okay."
As soon as Ye Yuning arrived back at her office, she headed straight into the meeting. Chen Wei, meanwhile, went to find their new liaison manager to ask for an explanation.
However, their efforts led to more disappointment. The manager simply stated, "President Xiao isn't satisfied. The specific reasons are unclear!" And that was it.
That single phrase, "reasons are unclear," threw Ye Yuning and her entire studio into turmoil.
The meeting dragged on until two in the afternoon. Ye Yuning didn't even have time for lunch before rushing off to a scheduled meeting with the head of Xinpu. Fortunately, the discussion with Xinpu went relatively smoothly.
By the time she returned, it was already five in the evening. Sitting in the car, Ye Yuning felt exhausted and famished, her mind consumed by the Xiao Corporation issue. After mulling it over, she couldn't resist asking Chen Wei, "Do you think there might be some ulterior motive behind this incident with Xiao Corporation?"
She didn't mention her history with Xiao Shuo, but the current situation felt too extreme. She couldn't help but suspect Xiao Shuo was sabotaging them from behind the scenes.
Chen Wei shook her head. "I don't think so." They had never even met the new president. "Besides," Chen Wei continued, "in our previous collaborations with Xiao Corporation, we rarely interacted with their senior figures. It's unlikely we offended anyone, past or present."
Fearing Ye Yuning wasn't convinced, Chen Wei added, "And it's not just us. All their partners, even those on different projects, have received the same notice." Their studio was primarily handling the design for Xiao Corporation's wetland park, but Xiao Corporation also had interests in real estate, the medical industry, and more.
Hearing that all projects had received the same directive eased Ye Yuning's worries somewhat.
As long as it isn't Ye Tong and Xiao Shuo scheming against me, I can handle this. If it were them, I'd make them pay!
It was already after working hours when they got back to the studio. But because of the Xiao Corporation crisis, everyone would be working overtime tonight. As the studio owner, Ye Yuning naturally stayed to share the burden with her team.
She picked up her phone and sent a message to her newlywed husband: "Working late tonight, don't wait up for me."
At that moment, Xiao Linye was on his way home. The screen of the phone in his hand was frozen on a photograph of a man. He stared at the man's profile and features, lost in thought.
Ye Yuning's message interrupted his reverie, and a slight frown creased his brow. A moment later, he quickly replied, "Should I save dinner for you?"
Outside, the wind howled. This season in Upper City always brought heavy rain.
Lai Shuo, who was driving, said to Xiao Linye, "We've found the orphanage where that child stayed. We should be able to confirm the details soon."
Xiao Linye didn't respond to Lai Shuo, his gaze still fixed on the photo on his phone as he sank back into deep thought.