City’s Best Divine Doctor
Chapter 780 - 0781: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey [Fourth Update]

Chapter 780: Chapter 0781: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey [Fourth Update]

At 1:40 PM, Xia Lan, Secretary Su, Secretary Bai, and Luo Fei made their way to the largest conference room.

By 1:30 PM, nearly all the management from the headquarters of the Eiffel Hotel Chain Group, subsidiary companies, and managers and deputy managers from the hotels had arrived, save for a few from distant locations who hadn’t yet made it.

The management had already caught whispers that something had happened to President Li, and now Mrs. Li was taking his place.

A mere woman?

The managers of the hotel group didn’t seem to think much of Xia Lan, especially the veteran stalwarts who had followed Li Fei for years; their attitude was particularly dismissive.

These veterans held shares of the group, but collectively, they didn’t exceed 5%. Yet, they were primarily the heads of the various departments of the hotel group.

Thus, with Li Fei’s troubles, these individuals seemed to benefit the most.

However, they also understood that the majority of the hotel group’s shares remained with Xia Lan.

As they entered the conference room and took their seats, they looked up at the individuals seated on the stage, particularly at Xia Lan, who occupied the chairperson’s position. Today, Xia Lan was dressed in a professional business suit, looking no different from any ordinary female office worker.

Beside Xia Lan sat Secretary Su and Secretary Bai.

While the managers were familiar with Secretary Su, the new arrival Bai Mei was someone unknown to them.

As for Luo Fei, seated behind the two women, the management knew him as Li Fei’s personal bodyguard. Yet now, seeing only Luo Fei and not Li Fei, it confirmed their suspicions that something serious had happened to Li Fei.

Before the meeting began, the management whispered among themselves, their subdued discussions either about Xia Lan or about Li Fei.

At exactly 2:00 PM, the scheduled time for the meeting, Secretary Su spoke up: "Everyone, please quiet down. Today’s meeting will now begin."

The murmuring subsided, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of disdain in the way they looked at Xia Lan.

"I believe you all know who I am," Xia Lan said.

Although Xia Lan had not been involved in the daily operations of the hotel group, Li Fei had brought her along to the group’s important annual conferences, so the management recognized her as Li Fei’s wife, Mrs. Li.

"That’s correct, I am Xia Lan, Li Fei’s wife. However, your President, Chairman, founder of the Eiffel Hotel Chain, and my husband, Li Fei, suffered a severe poisoning while investigating a group poisoning incident in Miaojiang. He passed away a week ago. Now, please rise and observe five minutes of silence in his memory."

Silence!

The conference room fell eerily silent.

No one had expected the forceful and dominant Li Fei to leave this world.

And it had already happened a week ago!

Although rumors had circulated, no one dared believe it until Xia Lan confirmed it herself.

As Xia Lan stood to lead the moment of silence, Secretary Su, Secretary Bai, Luo Fei, and the attendees in management also rose to pay their respects.

Yet, within their minds, many found it incredulous that Li Fei had passed away a week earlier and only now were they being informed. Some were furious, some visibly mourned, others appeared perplexed, a few looked deeply worried, while many outwardly feigned sorrow, hiding a glimmer of schadenfreude beneath the surface.

The array of complex emotions was evident to all.

When the five minutes were up and Xia Lan took her seat, the rest of the management followed suit.

"As of now, I am formally succeeding Li Fei’s role. Moving forward, I will serve as the President and Chairwoman of the Eiffel Hotel Chain Group. I look forward to working with all of you."

Xia Lan declared.

However, her announcement was met with mixed reactions from the management.

Many clearly didn’t regard Xia Lan, believing her unfit to be the group’s President and Chairwoman. Some outright opposed the decision.

Their discontent wasn’t simply because Xia Lan was Li Fei’s wife, but because they believed she lacked the competence for such a position and would bring the company to ruin.

"Mrs. Li, may I voice an opinion?"

Deputy Director Xiao Liang of Operations stood and asked.

"You may. What’s your question?"

Xia Lan responded.

Xiao Liang’s tone made it clear that he did not consider her the rightful successor to the group’s leadership.

"Mrs. Li, I mean no disrespect. But your sudden appointment as Chairwoman and President—has this been approved by the board and the management?"

Xiao Liang asked bluntly.

Xia Lan smirked coldly; just as Ye Qiu had expected, someone lacking self-awareness had stepped forward.

And Xiao Liang had long been cozying up to An Lijun.

"Why would I need the board’s approval? The board consists of six members: my late husband Li Fei, Feng Zhiqiang, Gao Xiangyang, Ding Jianwei, Deng Zhiyong, and An Lijun. However, the latter five board members only hold financial oversight and dividend rights, without rights to intervene in management. As for the management, some are shareholders with executive authority, but they’re not part of the board. Now, tell me—what is this approval from management supposed to mean?"

Xia Lan asked coldly.

Xiao Liang was taken aback.

He had just conferred with An Lijun and the others last night. It was clear the five board members intended to seize power. Had something gone wrong?

Had the five not pressured Xia Lan at all?

As Xiao Liang stood there, bewildered, the other members of management looked at him with derision. Xiao Liang then reluctantly seated himself. Based on the cooperation agreement between Li Fei and the five shareholders, it was true—they only had authority over finances and dividends, not management decisions.

As for management choosing a new President and Chairwoman?

The obvious choice was Xia Lan, as she had inherited over 80% of Li Fei’s shares.

"Deputy Director Xiao, do you have any further objections?"

Xia Lan asked.

"N-No, none for now."

Xiao Liang stammered, falling silent.

Xia Lan was not yet done with him. She continued, "The company’s operations will largely follow the protocols Li Fei previously established. However, as I’ve just assumed leadership, and based on Li Fei’s final directives before his passing, as well as input from Secretary Su, some leadership roles within the group’s management will require adjustments."

The management hadn’t anticipated Xia Lan to start making changes so swiftly after stepping into her role.

And among the adjustments, Xiao Liang was one.

When Xia Lan glanced at Su Xiaomin, the latter produced a new set of appointment and transfer documents, announcing, "This is the new appointment and transfer list. If anyone has questions, feel free to contact HR."

"Current Deputy Director of Operations, Xiao Liang, is reassigned as Deputy Dean of the Hotel Training Academy, where you will oversee training for newly recruited staff!"