Chapter 121 A Face To Their Brand
It felt as if time was put on hold, despite the loud ticking of the clock. The presenters held their breath in anticipation. No one dared to make a single sound, except for the occasional nervous gulps.
Yang Feng scanned the paper in front of him that proposed the very unique idea of opening a community suitable for the elderly that didn't treat them as if they were in a nursing home.
The plan was to build multiple apartment complexes that catered to the elderly and have 24/7 staff care. Each elder would be able to live in their own independent apartments with functioning kitchens and have the freedom to do things they please without feeling restricted by the rules of a nursing home. Staff will always be on call for emergencies.
It was a good idea and an experimental trend in other cities. It was currently on the rise, but only a few big companies were looking into it since the results were still unstable.
The only issue was it required a significantly higher cost and had a huge risk of failing. The project needed to be properly executed with the right funding to ensure everything went as planned. The presenters were hoping for hundreds of millions to start-up the project.
Yang Feng scowled. For the cost, the failure rate was too high. In order to make this project happen, he would need to partner with an investment firm.
Yang Enterprise had collaborated with a handful of them, and he was rarely satisfied with any of them.
This proposal would need more consulting and time to think over.
Everyone watched his every move from the moment he flipped the last page to the second he lifted his head. He picked up the packet and wordlessly stood up. "Meeting adjourned."
No one dared to ask a single question about whether or not he was going to accept the proposal. Everyone stood up and bowed as low as their body would allow it.
"Thank you for your time, President Yang," They simultaneously said, remaining in their bow even after he left the room, with Chen Gaonan following shortly after him.
Once he was gone, the people blew out a sigh of relief. But it was short lasting. Everyone had a pressing question in mind and it was their Boss' response. He had a displeased expression on his face as he was looking over the papers, which meant he didn't like it. But he personally took the paper, so didn't that mean he liked it? They were confused about the status of the proposal. The presenters nervously stood at their positions as they debated whether or not the infamous CEO would accept their idea.
"So was that a yes or no?" Someone popped up, equally as confused as everyone in the room.
"Well, he didn't deny it."
"But he didn't accept it either."
"He didn't look too pleased with us."
"Yes, but he took the paper. Isn't that a good sign?"
Different voices spoke up at once and soon the meeting room was filled with bustling conversations. None of them could settle on a definite answer, but the presenters were at least very hopeful. If the CEO personally took the packet, it meant he would be taking more time to think it over before accepting it.
- - - -
Yang Feng sat down at his office desk and placed the paper in front of him. Indeed, if it was successful, it would rake in a lot of money. But the idea was too costly and uncertain of success. He placed his hands on his desk and leaned his face on it, debating the idea.
Chen Gaonan patiently stood by the sidelines, awaiting his next order. After a few minutes, Yang Feng spoke up. "Look into our collaborator investment firms."
"Is there anything else, Sir?" Chen Gaonan asked, typing the request into his tablet.
"What are the reports on Feili?" Yang Feng remembered the company as it was also an investment firm.
Chen Gaonan read off the notes on his tablet. "We've been monitoring them for two weeks now and their performance has been quite steady. But for two weeks, they haven't made a move." He thought it was strange that a company rising so fast would suddenly stop in its tracks. What happened?
"What are the past projects they've invested in?"
Chen Gaonan wasn't the one who looked into it, for he passed the task onto Su Meixiu. So, when he read off the reports, he was slightly surprised at how many relations it had with Zhao Corporation. "They've invested into Imperial Star Mall, Zhao Tropical Resort in Huxian, the collaboration between Ling Conglomerate and Zhao Corporation, Cerebus Technology which is a sub-branch developed by Zhao Corporation in response to VP Wu Yuntai's desire of having the company diverse into different fields."
Yang Feng felt his eyes narrow. So many projects were aligned with Zhao Corporation. Was Feili a secret firm of theirs?
"Any news on who the founder is?"
"None. The company is very tight-lipped about it, however, there are rumors that he or she will be making a debut soon."
"Making a debut soon? Why?"
Chen Gaonan scrolled down on the table. "The company didn't mention the reason in their public announcement. But my guess is that there has been a lot of pressure from the media and collaborating companies. None of them have personally seen the face of the CEO and they probably need a face for their brand."
"Do they have any shady businesses? Any malpractices or under-the-table deals?" Yang Feng was beginning to grow more intrigued about the company's background. It was pretty new and came out of nowhere, yet it is able to continually climb higher and at an accelerated rate.
"I've checked with both the business and Underworld sources. As of right now, the company is squeaky clean," Chen Gaonan reported.
Yang Feng thought about his next plan and after a few seconds, he finally spoke up. "Contact them. I want a meeting with the CEO personally."
Chen Gaonan hesitated. Feili had a specific policy where their CEO wouldn't meet with anyone, regardless of which company was targeting them. They didn't flinch at the idea of dropping deals worth hundreds of millions just to keep the identity of the higher-ups hidden.
But then again, no one has ever rejected the personal request of Yang Feng. Whoever dared to would see their company drop within the month until their stock was practically worth nothing.
Even so, Chen Gaonan was nervous at failing his Boss. "Sir, they have a strict policy—"
"Find a way to bypass it." Yang Feng wanted to meet the CEO in person.
He wanted to test and see if they were a valuable asset to collaborate with. Personally seeing the CEO would allow him to judge the character of him or her, as people usually had a very hard time lying to him face-to-face.
Yang Feng excelled in reading through people if they were foolish enough to lie to him. Besides, it wouldn't be bad for Feili to collaborate with Yang Enterprise since it was the dream of many companies, regardless of their rank.
Chen Gaonan slightly frowned at his boss's stubbornness. It seems he would need to exert a lot of his time and power into this request…
"Yes, Sir." He glumly replied, reluctantly typing the order into his tablet.
Yang Feng looked at his overworked secretary and thought back to a couple of weeks ago when Chen Gaonan was smart enough to lock the little kitty in the office. "For your competence a couple of weeks ago, I'll raise your bonus for this month and the next one." He coolly said.
"Really?" Chen Gaonan asked, delighted at the news. His eyes twinkled with excitement at the things he could do and buy with the bonus.
"Did I stutter?" Yang Feng queried, opening his laptop and shifting his attention to the screen.
Chen Gaonan cleared his throat, quickly fixing his composure. He decided to show his excitement and happiness later on. "Thank you very much." He bowed.
Yang Feng didn't respond and instead began to type away on his computer, entering his workaholic stage.
Chen Gaonan secretly grinned and excused himself to tell his wife the good news. Maybe she would finally stop sleeping so early! She always went to bed right when he came home because she was tired of staying up for him, but now that he had a good reason, he thought about using it to make another baby. An adorable little girl that resembled his feisty wife would be a lovely idea...