At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

Mu Xueke looked up, saw Chen Geng, and a faint but genuine smile appeared on her lips.

Before Chen Geng could respond, she gestured for him to sit down in the empty seat.

"Distinguished board members," Mu Xueke's clear voice broke the silence.

"Before the meeting continues, I have an important personnel appointment to announce and submit to the board for consideration."

She looked at Chen Geng and said solemnly, "This is Comrade Chen Geng, the technical director of GG Company. He has outstanding work ability and has demonstrated extraordinary courage, loyalty and problem-solving skills in the recent crises faced by the group."

"After careful consideration and preliminary review by the Group's Human Resources Committee, I hereby formally propose the appointment of Comrade Chen Geng as Assistant to the Group President, to assist me in handling all aspects of work and to be directly responsible to me."

President's Assistant!

This position may not have a clearly defined area of ​​responsibility, but its actual power and rank are almost equivalent to that of a vice president. It is a true core decision-making member and the president's closest assistant!

A suppressed gasp filled the conference room.

A strong look of surprise flashed in Liang Dan's eyes, but she quickly lowered her gaze, concealing her emotions well, though the fingers clasped on the table tightened slightly.

She had always felt that Chen Geng was not simple and had a powerful background, but she never expected that Mu Xueke would trust and promote him so quickly and so highly!

She subconsciously glanced at Wang Zhenye across from her and found that although Wang Zhenye also looked "surprised," his surprise seemed superficial, and deep in his eyes there was a sense of "I knew it."

Liang Dan felt a pang of unease. It seemed that Wang Zhenye had known something all along, and might even have "invested" in Chen Geng even earlier than she had.

Song Rui remained calm and composed, twirling his teacup as if he had expected this all along.

Wang Zhenye nodded slightly in support of Mu Xueke's suggestion.

"I object!"

Lu Shiming could no longer hold back. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and his face turned red with anger.

"President Mu! What do you mean by this? President's assistant? To assist you with all the work?"

"Who is this guy surnamed Chen? A newly promoted CTO from GG Company, what qualifications does he have? What achievements has he made? How did he get promoted to the core of the group in one fell swoop?"

"This is nepotism! You're treating the company's most important personnel appointments like a joke!"

He was aggressive, his criticism aimed directly at Mu Xueke's authority and her standards for hiring.

"According to the company's articles of association, such an important personnel appointment must be fully discussed and voted on by the board of directors! I strongly oppose this absurd proposal!"

Sun Liwei and Qian Jianguo sat next to Lu Shiming, their heads down and their eyes flickering, but they did not immediately speak up in agreement.

The two men muttered to themselves, "Young Master Lu is really hot-blooded. We agreed to join forces to vote against Mu Xueke, so why did he have to start by attacking some insignificant nobody? How are we supposed to cooperate? The three board members teaming up against this kid surnamed Chen? Does he even deserve it?"

Mu Xueke remained calm and looked at Lu Shiming with an unchanged expression.

"Chairman Lu, I am the Group's President and Chairman. In personnel appointments and removals, especially for positions like President's Assistant, I have the corresponding nomination rights and a certain degree of decision-making power. I am fully aware of Chen Geng's abilities and contributions. Of course, according to procedure, we can discuss this together."

"Understand? Just because he solved Zheng Baichuan's old superstitious feng shui problem? Or because he's been inexplicably getting involved with the police these past few days?"

Lu Shiming spoke with sarcasm. He had indeed received secret news of Lu Jiahao's troubles this morning. He was shocked and angry, but he thought that he had cut ties with Lu Jiahao cleanly enough and was not afraid for the time being.

He had heard Zhou Peng and Su Qingqing talk about the grudges between Chen Geng and them, and he simply did not believe that Chen Geng had previously been involved with the Mu family.

Seeing Mu Xueke so blatantly promoting an "outsider," he saw it as a provocation against him and Mu Xueke's cultivation of confidants, and both old and new grudges surged into his heart.

"Chairman Lu, please watch your words." Mu Xueke's eyes turned slightly cold.

"I'm very careful with my words! I'm acting in the best interests of the group!" Lu Shiming looked around at the other directors. "Former Chairman, Chairman Sun, Chairman Qian, what do you say? And what about General Manager Liang, General Manager Wang, General Manager Song? Is this hasty appointment in the best interests of the group?"

Sun Liwei's body trembled almost imperceptibly, his head drooped even lower, staring intently at the teacup in front of him, as if trying to see something extraordinary. Qian Jianguo's face was slightly pale, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes under the table.

Liang Dan pondered for a moment before speaking, "Chen Geng's performance at GG Company, especially in handling the crisis at Starry Sky Media, was indeed remarkable."

"I suggest we set up an observation period, or perhaps start by having someone act as an intermediary?"

Her words were tactful, neither explicitly opposing Mu Xueke nor failing to give Lu Shiming a way out, which was also in line with her usual cautious style.

Wang Zhenye said, "I agree with President Liang's opinion. Chen Geng's ability is commendable, but appointing him as the president's assistant in one step may indeed require more procedural improvements. However, I trust President Mu's vision and judgment."

Li Pengcheng slowly began, "Xue Ke, you're the president. You should trust those you employ and not employ those you don't trust. However, procedural justice is also very important. How about this, since Chairman Lu has objections and the other directors also have concerns, why don't we adjourn for twenty minutes so everyone can calmly consider things and hear Chen Geng's own thoughts later? We'll vote again in twenty minutes."

This suggestion to compromise was accepted by most people.

Mu Xueke glanced at Lao Li and nodded: "Okay, twenty-minute break."

Everyone got up and left the meeting room, heading to the adjacent lounge or tea/coffee shop.

Just as Chen Geng reached the door, Mu Xueke's voice sounded softly behind him: "Chen Geng, come to the small conference room over here."

A small conference room next door.

The door closed, shutting out the noise from outside.

Mu Xueke turned to look at him, her clear eyes meeting Chen Geng's directly: "Just now... why weren't you surprised? Did you already know who I was?"

Chen Geng nodded calmly, meeting her gaze with a composed expression.

"President Mu, I really didn't know about what happened at Luohu Park. But later, there were already rumors within Hanfeng that the eldest daughter of the Mu family in Beijing was going to be parachuted in."

"Plus... we've been through so much together these past two days. At the police station, when I heard Director Wang and the others address you, I roughly understood. But you didn't say anything then, and I didn't dare to ask any more questions."

Looking into his honest eyes, Mu Xueke's initial subtle feeling dissipated, replaced by a deeper appreciation.

Intelligent, perceptive, and knows how to conduct oneself properly!

"As you can see, being a CEO isn't easy. I was parachuted in, without my own team, and everyone under me has their own agenda."

"Even promoting someone you trust faces numerous obstacles. Lu Shiming... he's backed by the Lu family, deeply entrenched in Shenzhen, and has many supporters within the group. Today is just the beginning..."

Chen Geng walked to her side, his tone calm: "President Mu, don't worry. Since you trust me and have given me this opportunity, I won't let you down. Consider this current trouble my first test in office. I'll handle it."

Mu Xueke turned to look at him in surprise: "You? How do you plan to resolve this? Lu Shiming is clearly targeting you, but also me..."

"Just watch and see." Chen Geng smiled slightly, glanced at his watch, and said, "Fifteen minutes left, that's enough."