After the substitution marriage, I became the CEO's white moonlight

The atmosphere at the negotiation table was so heavy that it seemed like water could drip out of it. Although the supplier representative's words were euphemistic, the toughness in his tone was self-evident. Su Li took a deep breath, gently put down the documents in his hand, and glanced at everyone present. He said in a deep voice: "We can understand your feelings. However, there are indeed some problems in these contracts, and we also need time to verify and deal with them."

"Boss Su, time is money. We can't wait that long!" A supplier representative slammed the table and said excitedly, "Your Gu family is so big and powerful, do you still need this little money from us?"

"We, the Gu family, have always valued honest business practices. We will not pay less than a penny of what we owe." Gu Jinyan's tone was calm, yet full of unquestionable authority. "But the premise is that these payments must be reasonable and legal."

The negotiations reached a deadlock, with both sides holding their own opinions and refusing to give in. Su Li and Gu Jinyan returned to the hotel with serious expressions. Although they had tried their best to solve the problem, the situation at the branch did not seem to be improving.

To make matters worse, after the overseas branch manager was suspended, some of his cronies began to spread rumors within the company, claiming that Su Li and Gu Jinyan came only to fight for control of the company and did not care about the interests of the employees. These rumors quickly fermented, and the employees who were already dissatisfied with the layoffs became even more angry, and the protests became louder and louder.

"Mr. Gu, what should we do now?" Su Li looked at the protesting crowd gathered outside the window with a frown.

Gu Jinyan was silent for a moment, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes: "It seems that someone doesn't want us to reorganize the branch smoothly."

At this moment, Gu Jinyan's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his face changed slightly, and he answered the call, uttering one word in a cold tone: "Speak."

A hurried voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Gu, something happened..."

"Mr. Gu, the local government has just introduced a new policy that adjusts the approval process for our overseas investment projects and also raises environmental protection standards..." On the other end of the phone, the assistant's voice could not hide his anxiety.

Gu Jinyan tightened his grip on the phone. The new policy was clearly not in their favor, which was undoubtedly making things worse. "I understand. I'll arrange it right away."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Jinyan took a deep breath and briefly told Su Li about the situation. "It seems that the trouble we encountered this time is more difficult than we thought."

Su Li frowned, she realized that this overseas trip was far from as simple as they expected. Not only did they have to deal with the chaos within the branch, but they also had to cope with changes in the external environment.

"It seems that we have to get in touch with the government departments as soon as possible to understand the specific content of the policy and try to minimize the impact." Su Li made a prompt decision.

However, the development of the matter was far more difficult than they expected. The attitude of the local government was ambiguous, and after several rounds of communication, no substantial progress was made. At the same time, bad news came from the human resources manager.

"Boss Gu, Boss Su, we can't go on with layoffs." The HR manager walked into the office with a worried look on his face, and said in a panic, "Some laid-off employees have united and complained to the local labor department that our company has illegally laid off employees. Now the labor department has intervened in the investigation..."

Su Li and Gu Jinyan looked at each other, and saw solemnity in each other's eyes. The development of the situation was beyond their control, and they were drawn into a bigger vortex.

In order to calm the situation as soon as possible, Su Li and Gu Jinyan decided to have a face-to-face communication with local employee representatives in person. However, the two sides had huge differences on the issue of layoffs, and the communication was full of gunpowder from the beginning.

"We understand the company's difficulties, but you can't just kick us out like that!" An employee representative slammed the table emotionally, "We have worked hard for the company for so many years. Now that the company is in trouble, are you going to sacrifice the interests of us old employees?"

"We are not sacrificing anyone's interests." Su Li tried to explain, "The company is undergoing structural adjustments. Layoffs are for the company to develop better, and this is also to protect the interests of all employees..."

"What a high-sounding excuse!" Another employee representative sneered and interrupted Su Li's words, "After all, it's all for your own benefit! You high-ranking leaders don't care about the lives of ordinary employees like us!"

Su Li wanted to explain further, but was stopped by Gu Jinyan. He stood up, looked at everyone present with a sharp gaze, and said in a cold tone: "The company will make reasonable compensation to all laid-off employees. I can guarantee this..."

"Compensation? What we need is not compensation, but jobs! Respect!" An employee representative stood up excitedly, pointing at Gu Jinyan's nose and yelling...

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, and a bigger storm was brewing...

The atmosphere in the conference room was so tense that it was almost frozen. The angry accusations of the employee representatives were like sharp blades, piercing the hearts of Su Li and Gu Jinyan.

"Respect? Have you ever thought about how much damage your behavior has caused to the company and other hard-working employees?!" Gu Jinyan's voice was cold, without a trace of warmth. The ups and downs of the business world over the years have made him accustomed to using force to cover up his inner fluctuations.

"We just want a stable job and want to support our family. Is there anything wrong with that?" A female employee said with tears in her eyes and a choked voice.

"The company has never treated any hard-working employee unfairly!" Su Li couldn't help but refute, but was rudely interrupted by the employee representative, "That's easy for you to say! What about those old employees on the layoff list who have worked diligently for more than ten years? You people sitting in the office have no idea of ​​the hard work of us grassroots employees!"

Both sides insisted on their own opinions and neither was willing to give in. The quarrel became louder and louder, and in the end, the communication ended unpleasantly. Su Li and Gu Jinyan left the meeting room with very ugly faces.

"It seems like we've really hit a wall this time." Su Li leaned weakly against the wall of the corridor, his tone full of fatigue and frustration.

Gu Jinyan remained silent, with complex emotions surging in his deep eyes. He knew that the employee representative's words were not completely unreasonable, but the company's situation had reached a critical point. If they did not reform, the only way waiting for them was bankruptcy.

Just when the two were in despair, Gu Jinyan received an anonymous email on his phone. He clicked on the email and found only one sentence in it: "If you want to know the truth, come to the Chengdong Wharf Warehouse at 8 o'clock tonight."

"What's wrong?" Su Li noticed the change in Gu Jinyan's expression and asked puzzledly.

Gu Jinyan didn't say anything, but handed the phone to Su Li. After reading the email, Su Li frowned slightly, and a sense of uneasiness surged in her heart.

"Go and take a look?" Gu Jinyan held Su Li's hand with a firm tone.

Su Li nodded, a look of determination flashed in her eyes. In any case, this email brought them a glimmer of hope. Perhaps this was the key to solving the problem.

As night fell, a black car drove towards the East City Wharf. Under the dim light, an inconspicuous truck was parked at the door of the warehouse, and the car was shaking slightly, as if there was some unspeakable secret hidden inside.

Gu Jinyan and Su Li looked at each other, opened the car door and walked out...

The warehouse was empty, with only a few dim light bulbs emitting faint light, and a damp and moldy smell filled the air.

"Is anyone there?" Su Li asked softly, her voice echoing in the empty warehouse.

There was only silence in response to her.

Suddenly, there was a slight noise from deep inside the warehouse. Gu Jinyan held Su Li behind him, looked around with sharp eyes, and walked cautiously towards the direction of the sound.

"Who's there?" Gu Jinyan asked sternly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark shadow flashed out from the darkness. In the dim light, his face could not be seen clearly.

"Did you ask us to come?" Su Li asked with a hint of vigilance in her tone.

The black shadow didn't say anything, but took out a thick folder from his pocket and threw it on the ground.

"The things in here can prove the problems of the overseas branch." The shadow lowered his voice, with a tremor that was difficult to conceal, "But I hope you can guarantee my safety."

Gu Jinyan bent down to pick up the folder, opened it and took a look, his expression instantly became solemn.

"I see. Don't worry, we will take care of it."

The black shadow nodded, turned around and wanted to leave, but was stopped by Gu Jinyan.

"Wait a minute," Gu Jinyan's voice was cold, "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

The black shadow's body froze visibly. He was silent for a moment before slowly turning around and saying in a bitter tone, "Because..."