The next morning, Shi Nian dressed in a blazer suit and drove to the subsidiary company.
Although the documents she received and the information she had managed to gather from the internet gave her a general idea of the company's inner workings, that wasn't enough.
She had to see things for herself—avoiding the visit would only give Shi Wang leverage to undermine her.
As soon as Shi Nian arrived, she saw Shang Wei standing at the company's front desk, seemingly sent by Shi Wang.
She wasn't surprised.
"Good morning, Young Mistress," Shang Wei greeted politely.
Then, hesitantly, he added, "Today, I'll be assisting you and overseeing the final handover process."
"Okay," Shi Nian replied calmly.
They walked into the Chief Director's office."The highest position here is Chief Director. For now, you'll be taking over this position—this was arranged by Master Shi Wang," Shang Wei explained.
Just then, a man walked in holding a box."Young Mistress," he greeted warmly.
"This is the Chief directly beneath you. He'll be working in the director's office, just one level below yours.
You can meet him for advice if needed," Shang Wei added.
The man stepped forward and said with a smile, "Yes, Young Mistress, feel free to come to me with any questions during the handover process."
"Old Bei?" Shi Nian asked, surprised."Young Mistress, you know me?" Bei Chuan replied, clearly shocked.
"Mom always spoke of you. Thank you for your hard work all these years." Shi Nian bowed slightly.
Bei Chuan was surprised—not just by the recognition, but by the respectful bow. It touched him deeply.
He immediately formed a good impression of Shi Nian and, in his heart, swore to support and guide her as much as he could.
Shi Nian could read the sincerity from his expression. Bei Chuan was just as her memories had described.
After the meeting with Bei Chuan, Shang Wei took Shi Nian around the company, introduced her to the directors and researchers, and completed the handover process.
Shang Wei left as soon as he was done. Although Shi Wang had hinted at causing Shi Nian trouble, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He sighed deeply as he got into the company car.
Shi Nian immediately called Bei Chuan and asked him to arrange a meeting with the directors, researchers, and necessary personnel.
A few minutes later, Shi Nian received Bei Chuan's signal and rose to attend the meeting.
As she entered the meeting room, murmurs of discontent could be heard.
Shi Nian walked to the head seat and sat down. "Carry on, as you usually would," she said calmly.
Bei Chuan began with a summary of the company's structure.
When he reached the marketing department, they reported low sales, how more customers were asking for refunds, and many loyal clients had turned to competitors.
Overall, the meeting was filled with complaints. Then it was the finance department's turn. Their representative addressed Shi Nian directly.
"Chief Director, at this point, we have decided that the company must let go of some employees. We are no longer able to sustain them."
The statement dropped like a bomb in the room. Although some had anticipated the possibility, they never thought it would come so soon—especially not in a subsidiary of the Shi Consortium.
BaiYue had been founded single-handedly by the late Madam Shi.
To see layoffs proposed immediately after her passing made many wonder if the higher-ups at headquarters weren't concerned about public opinion.
Shi Nian watched silently as the murmurs spread. As soon as the head of finance finished speaking, the meeting room fell into silence.
"I've seen the financial reports," Shi Nian said coldly. "BaiYue is not at the point of laying off employees—especially those who have served this company for decades."
As soon as she reviewed the list of propose layoffs, fury burned in her chest.
Every name listed was a known loyalist of Cheng Yuemin.
She didn't need confirmation to know the finance representative was under Shi Wang.
She had already noted, upon entering, the seating arrangement in the meeting room—a particular group seemed purposefully alienated.
Many of them were familiar faces. The rot within the structure ran deep.
She cast a sharp glance at the head of finance and made a mental note of his name.
"I'd like to hear from the R&D department next," she said. "If the company has reached this state, we cannot deny your part in it. What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Though her voice was soft, it carried unmistakable dominance—an authority that demanded obedience and could not be ignored.
Shi Nian was familiar with the people from the R&D department, as the original 'Shi Nian' had worked alongside them. But the representative present was someone she had never seen before.
The man recklessly skimmed over the issues and spoke to Shi Nian in a somewhat mocking tone.
"The Chief Director might not be aware, but the current products on sale were actually developed by our acting head's team," he said, then handed out a proposal to those present.
"In the file, you'll see that more investment is needed to perfect our products."
Shi Nian flipped through the pages, then motioned for him to continue when she noticed his silence.
Once he finished, Shi Nian rose from her seat.
"I've audited the finance department's records. Some company funds have been misappropriated."
Just as she finished speaking, the door opened and several police officers walked in.
Shi Nian smiled faintly, "Officers—Please, take him."
The head of the finance department stiffened.
"Young Mistress, you can't do this—I work directly under Master Shi Wang."
His tone was laced with threat, as if to say: You don't want to cross him. But when he saw Shi Nian's composed expression, he realized he'd made the wrong bet.
Feeling humiliated and anxious, he could only hope Master Shi Wang would come to his rescue. Still, panic gripped him as the officers led him out of the room.
"Let's return our attention to the meeting," Shi Nian said evenly. "This episode was simply to facilitate BaiYue' s progress."
Her calm voice cut through the silence. This wasn't a power display—it was a warning. And it worked.
This was only the beginning. If she wanted to rebuild BaiYue, she would have to cleanse it first.