Work Prophet
Chapter 644 - 17 Directors of the Third Era

Chapter 644: Chapter 17 Directors of the Third Era

"Bernard, you’re late,"

As soon as the Gaul finished speaking, another voice rang out beside his ear.

The speaker was a middle-aged man around fifty, dressed in a neat Chinese tunic suit, with a composed facial expression, descending the stairs.

Without needing Shi Yitong to introduce him, Li Yu had already guessed the identity of the man before him.

He was clearly one of the Third Era’s five directors, the host of this year’s meeting, Mr. Qin of Red Leaf Manor.

"I went for a stroll in the Imperial Palace this afternoon and was so enchanted that I lost track of time, which is why I’m late," Bernard said, raising his head with a grin.

Mr. Qin, aware of the Gaul’s way of doing things, didn’t bother to argue and just nodded in response.

"Now that you’re here, let’s have dinner together, everyone has been waiting for you."

Instead of feeling any guilt, Bernard felt a secret delight upon hearing the last phrase and pretended to apologize, yet he was the first to sit down at the table.

Following him, the eleven- or twelve-year-old girl, Angsa, whom Li Yu had seen earlier, came down the stairs.

Then came a Slav, drunk and staggering. Although he was dressed in a suit, he was unkempt and his beard was scruffy; he was swaying as he walked.

A waiter followed behind him, ready to catch him if he fell, but the drunkard rudely pushed him away.

"I don’t need any help; I’m not drunk yet,"

he mumbled while also complaining to Mr. Qin, "You need to fix your Magic Automatons in the manor, Lao Qin, their eyesight is just too poor."

Mr. Qin nodded upon hearing this, "I understand, Sergei."

After seeing Sergei, Miss Windsor showed a scarcely detectable look of disgust, while Bernard shifted in his seat, seemingly wanting to keep a distance from the old drunk.

Sergei didn’t mind and soon began to eat heartily, ignoring the others.

In contrast, Miss Windsor and Bernard hadn’t touched their chopsticks yet, seemingly still waiting for someone.

At this time, four of the directors had already gathered in the living room on the first floor, only one was still missing.

"Taylor," Shi Yitong lowered his voice, "she is the most powerful director on the board now. The others more or less have to act according to her mood.

"Especially Miss Windsor and Bernard. They’re like Taylor’s errand boys."

"But I remember you told me Miss Windsor once controlled the board too," Li Yu said.

"True, but that was a long time ago. Even that idiot Bernard had his moment in the limelight, but times have changed, and their era is over,"

"Are there hierarchies among the directors?" Li Yu asked, "And Mr. Qin, where does he stand among the five directors now?"

"Second, I would say. No one has more power than Taylor, except him, but Taylor’s faction is too strong. Three of the five directors are his people, so it’s best not to provoke them,"

Li Yu nodded, gaining a rough understanding of the corporate hierarchy.

Another quarter of an hour passed before the fifth director finally appeared.

Li Yu first heard the clacking of high heels on the floor and looked up toward the direction of the staircase.

He saw a tall figure approaching, taller than the twin girls and perhaps almost reaching six-foot-three.

He maintained his figure well, not getting chubby like Sergei did.

However, he simultaneously possessed both masculine and feminine traits, with a striking chest, wearing eyeshadow and thick lipstick, dressed in a yellow dress, and with fur wrapped around his neck.

On the other hand, he had a masculine large frame, a prominent Adam’s apple, and even visible leg hair.

Li Yu was usually a very steady person in both life and work, and with the experiences of the past six months, there had been few things that could still surprise him.

But Taylor’s appearance still gave him quite a shock.

"I didn’t know that the fifth director was a... transgender."

"She’s a transsexual," Hephaestus corrected, then added, "Don’t you like such people?"

"It’s not that," Li Yu shook his head. "I respect everyone’s personal choices, just a bit surprised at first sight."

"That’s natural," Shi Yitong said.

Seeing Taylor approaching, Miss Windsor and Bernard immediately stood up, respectful in demeanor, then they glanced at Sergei, who was still busily wolfing down his food on the side.

Bernard reminded, "Taylor is here, you should stand up to show some respect."

His response was a middle finger.

Bernard’s face turned red instantly, surprised that Sergei offered him no respect in front of so many company employees.

But as they were all directors, Bernard had no real recourse against Sergei.

He could only pretend not to see it and turned to diligently pull out the chair for Taylor, who arrived last.

"You are late, Bernard," Taylor said without thanking him, naturally taking the seat that the Gaul had pulled out for him, then began speaking.

Bernard’s expression changed slightly, but this time he didn’t use any excuse like "forgetting the time while sightseeing" and stood on the side with his head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Never mind, it’s not a big deal. Just don’t come so late again next time," said Taylor, and then looked at Miss Windsor and gently said, "Everyone, please sit down."

Only then did the two sit down.

Taylor then looked at Mr. Qin, "Where has the annual meeting progressed to now?"

"We just finished the first round of draws," Mr. Qin said. "Would you like to say a few words next?"

"No, you are the host. You do it," said Taylor. "I’m here tonight just to taste the Eastern cuisine."

As she spoke, she picked up a napkin and tied it around her neck.

"Really, I heard you were in Hokkaido recently, haven’t you gotten tired of the sashimi there yet?" Sergei, who had been quiet until then, suddenly put down his elbow and spoke up.

"And you, it’s been a long time since you had sour cherry dumplings and Kiev chicken, hasn’t it?" Taylor said lightly.

"Interesting... really interesting," a sharp look flashed in Sergei’s eyes, but before he could continue, Mr. Qin interrupted.

"Everyone, I need to remind you, we are currently attending the company’s annual meeting. No matter what grievances you have from the past, please restrain yourself in front of our employees and avoid making a scene," he said.

"Wait a minute," Bernard frowned. "What do you mean by ’more’? Have we made other jokes before?"

"It’s not important. Just eat something and move on to the next part," Mr. Qin urged.