C7 I must Take Him Down!

In the conference room, all eleven board members were present. The chairperson's seat in the center remained empty, as no one dared to sit there. Xia Xiaowu understood that whoever took that seat would be seen as entering the race for the position. For her father and the entire Xiabo company, she had to claim that seat.

Just as Xia Xiaowu was about to sit down, a pair of hands suddenly pulled the chair away. A board member remarked casually, "Miss Xia, it might not be appropriate for you to sit there, don't you think?"

Xia Xiaowu turned and met the gaze of the board member, realizing that her claim to the seat was being challenged.

"Our main agenda today is to vote for the new chairperson. Since everyone is here, why don't we keep it simple and go for a show of hands?" another board member suggested, leaving Xia Xiaowu no time to catch her breath or even find a seat.

"I'd like to start by saying that since Xiabo went public, we've greatly benefited from Mr. Guu Nuofei's investment. I nominate him for chairperson."

"Agreed, I support Mr. Guu Nuofei."

"I support him too!"

In less than half a minute, three board members stood up in support of Guu Nuofei. Although the others hadn't spoken yet, their leanings were clear.

"I believe no one is more suited for this position than I am, as I am the heir to Xiabo's secret formula," Xia Xiaowu suddenly declared, capturing everyone's attention with her statement.

Over the years, Xiabo has been independently researching and developing his own cosmetics brand. Xia Tianbo has even come up with a secret formula. However, once Xiabo's brand hit the market, sales were disappointing and nowhere near as profitable as contract manufacturing. As a result, Xiabo's main business remains cosmetics processing.

"Mr. Guu's investment acumen is well-known. Right now, Xiabo has production lines but can't produce products. How much longer can that last? It'd be better to follow Mr. Guu into investments!"

Another board member stood up, clearly siding with Guu Nuofei.

"Please consider this carefully. Investments aren't guaranteed to pay off; they come with risks. The reason Xiabo has struggled since foreign investors pulled out is because we haven't developed our own brand or innovation capabilities. For Xiabo to grow, instead of selling off production lines to invest, we should innovate our own brand!"

Xia Xiaowu spoke earnestly, expressing both her own and her father's sentiments.

"Miss Xia, that's easier said than done. Do you know how much funding is needed to create a brand and establish its reputation? And how long it will take to recoup those investments?"

The man chuckled, his eyes filled with disdain. "Do you know how much your father has sacrificed to create his own brand? And how little progress has been made so far?"

"You think just because you have the secret formula, you can bring Xiabo back to life? This isn't like swiping your card at the mall to buy a handbag, you know."

Several board members chuckled at the remark. Their eyes, as they looked at Xia Xiaowu, were filled not only with disdain but also with deep skepticism.

Xia Xiaowu had anticipated this reaction. She glanced deeply at Jiang Songlin, who sat silently beside her, but he remained quiet, not coming to her defense.

With no other choice, Xia Xiaowu said, "Mr. Jiang, you've been with Xiabo since the beginning. Can you please speak up for fairness?"