The board meeting was set to be held at ten in the morning.
Wen Xinya was in the midst of having tea with Old Mr. Wen and was not in a hurry to rush to the meeting.
Old Mr. Wen stared at his granddaughter who was dressed in a dark almond-colored suit, on which there were some floral prints. Apricot blossoms were a magical breed of flowers that would change in color. When the buds were ready to bloom, the petals would be red in color. After blooming, the color began to fade and gradually turned into white when it withered.
The color of apricot blossoms was lighter than peach blossoms but darker than that of pear flowers. The reds and whites were not pure and the veins were intertwined in a beautiful pattern. The off-white color added a touch of elegance.
There was rarely anyone who could pull off such an elegant outfit. Even Old Mr. Wen could not help but feel in awe.
Class and elegance truly came naturally and had to be refined with additional effort.
After living with the Wen Family for 25 years, Xia Ruya had sharpened and shaped herself into a classy and elegant girl, though she still paled in comparison to Wen Xinya.
Old Mr. Wen nodded, feeling heartened.
Like mother, like daughter.
Old Mr. Wen took out a small box and said, “I got a couple of superior aged ink blocks from an old friend yesterday. They’re rather rare and you seem to be getting better at calligraphy. Go ahead and have some fun with the ink.”
As happy as a lark, Wen Xinya opened the box to see that there were indeed two blocks of ink inside. There was a crane engraved on one of the pieces and an image of the moon and a lotus pond carved on the other.
Wen Xinya quickly picked them up to scrutinize them and assess their quality. Superior and aged ink were rare pieces of art that were worth collecting. Old Mr. Mo had a penchant for collecting aged ink. After her relationship with Old Mr. Mo was exposed, Si Yiyan especially got some aged ink that was worth collecting for Old Mr. Mo in a bid to please him.
Greatly taken aback, Wen Xinya said, “It’s light and sturdy like jade. It smells refreshing, too. It truly is superior aged ink from Hui Zhou.”
Ink was one of the Four Treasures of the Study, and superior Hui ink possessed the qualities of being black and shiny, firm, bright, fragrant and long-lasting. Superior ink would never stain or smudge. Hence, it was extremely difficult to get one’s hands on a block of superior ink.
Old Mr. Wen said smilingly, “I don’t know much about these. I heard it’s rare ink from Hui Zhou, which is dark but not ostentatious, thick, viscous and classic.”
Wen Xinya immediately understood his intentions. Although he gifted her with the two blocks of ink and told her to have fun with them, he actually wanted her to give the rare pieces to Old Mr. Mo on his behalf.
Ever since Mo Yunyao’s death, the relationship between Old Mr. Mo and Old Mr. Wen turned sour. They only became a little closer because of Wen Xinya.
Wen Xinya said elegantly, “It’s such rare blocks of ink. They’d go to waste if I were to use them. Grampy likes collecting rare and aged ink. These two blocks that you’ve given me are perfect for collecting. I shall take things into my own hands and give them to Grampy. What do you think of it, Grandpa?”
Old Mr. Wen sighed and thought to himself, She’s really such a precious gem. It’s rare that she can read my mind. “Since I’ve already given them to you, it’s up to you to do whatever you want with them. Your Grampy has always liked collecting aged ink. It’d be a good gift for him.”
The Wen Family would forever be indebted to Old Mr. Mo.
Back then, the Wen Corporation managed to develop rapidly, all because he had forged close ties with Old Mr. Mo, whose reputation catalyzed the development of the Wen Corporation.
Later on, the intelligent and wise Mo Yunyao helped him devise a brilliant business plan and strategy, which resulted in the Wen Corporation’s success.
Who would have known…
He had ever thought of making it up to Old Mr. Mo, but he simply did not know how he should go about doing so.
Now that Wen Xinya was around, it was easier for him to atone for his mistakes.
Wen Xinya laughed and said, “Grampy will definitely be elated.”
Old Mr. Wen smiled and changed the subject. He reminded her. “Your father has ill intentions for inviting you to attend the board meeting. You mustn’t let your guard down.”
Wen Xinya nodded and said, “Grandpa, don’t worry. I know what to do.”
Old Mr. Wen had already reminded her beforehand.
He nodded and continued, “The entertainment city project has yet to go into full swing but Wen Haowen has already done so much. Within less than three months, he has already held two shareholders’ meetings and four board meetings. The shareholders and most of the directors have become displeased with him. Hence, the fund approval request that he raised still hasn’t been approved by the directors. He thinks he can have the final say just because he holds 20% of the Wen Corporation’s shares. However, he has never thought about how incompetent he really is.”
Secretary Cao had already mentioned it to her before. Hence, she was not surprised at all. The shareholders had merely approved of the proposal because they were tempted by the benefits and money that they could potentially make from the entertainment city project. The directors had opposed to the project right from the start and only had no choice but to accept it because of the shareholders.
However, Wen Xinya knew that the benefits were not long-lasting and the shareholders were no fools at all. Since there was already so much trouble even before the entertainment city had begun developing, the Wen Corporation’s interests were at stake and everyone would definitely reconsider their decisions.
Old Mr. Wen and Wen Xinya did not oppose to the project immediately and even remained calm, simply because they wanted to use the chance to find out the mastermind who was plotting against the Wen Family.
Old Mr. Wen continued, “In the long run, the entertainment city project will definitely be terminated. Hence, regardless of how Wen Haowen uses the board meeting against you, you must keep your cool.”
He knew his son’s character better than anyone else.
This time, he could tell clearly that Wen Haowen had willingly allowed Ning Shuqian to manipulate him.
Wen Xinya answered with a nod, “Got it, Grandpa.”
Old Mr. Wen continued, “I’ve made some arrangements with the directors. You just have to attend it confidently. If anyone dares to treat you harshly, you just have to retaliate. Don’t let anyone plot against you.”
Wen Haowen clearly did not have any good intentions for inviting Wen Xinya to the board meeting. Old Mr. Wen naturally wouldn’t let him have his wishes fulfilled.
Extremely touched, Wen Xinya said, “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’ll handle it carefully.”
Actually, there was nothing much Wen Haowen could do by making use of the shareholders. After giving it much thought, she realized that there was nothing much for her to fear. Hence, she could tackle Ning Shuqian and deal with her calmly.
Old Mr. Wen laughed and said, “You don’t have to give yourself too much pressure, either. I allowed you to tend to the matters at the Wen Corporation because I wanted you to learn and experience what it’s like to run the company, not because I wanted you to shoulder any responsibility. Even if the sky falls down, I’m here to defend you.”
