Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 104: The Eldest Sister of the 90s Quits Sacrificing Herself (16)

　　Wu Guotao stood there with his back to everyone, his face pale as he clenched his fists tightly.

　　After struggling with himself for a while, he finally lowered his head, turned around, and apologized.

　　“President Zhao, I’m sorry. I’ve been in a bad mood lately because of some family issues. Please forgive my disrespect this time and give me another chance!”

　　As he spoke, he bent deeply at the waist in apology. Since Zhao Fuyao said nothing, he did not even dare straighten up.

　　Zhao Fuyao did not answer immediately. Instead, she glanced toward Duan Yong.

　　Duan Yong gave the slightest nod, signaling that it was fine.

　　She understood instantly and replied without mercy, “I always mean what I say. Once words leave my mouth, they can’t be taken back. You’d better take care of yourself.”

　　The reason she had looked to Duan Yong first was because she still did not fully understand the internal situation of the factory.

　　If Wu Guotao was someone important to the company, then she could give him a way out. But if he were just a minor figure, then removing him would be the perfect warning to everyone else.

　　Some people were just too arrogant. They saw that she was young and assumed they could treat her however they wanted, acting all high and mighty in front of her.

　　They seriously needed to be put in their place.

　　“You… with the way you run things like some childish game, this factory’s going to collapse sooner or later!”

　　Wu Guotao had not expected her to be this cold and uncompromising. Humiliated and furious, he flung his sleeve and stormed out.

　　Everyone in the room finally realized just how much authority this major shareholder held. The smaller shareholders, especially the ones who had acted like Wu Guotao earlier, quietly wiped the sweat from their foreheads, suddenly feeling a little nervous. They were terrified they might be stripped of their positions too.

　　Zhao Fuyao tapped her fingers lightly against the table, her sharp gaze sweeping across every face in the room one by one.

　　“Since everyone’s here today, let’s make things clear once and for all.”

　　“If your attitude is bad, if you like putting on airs, or if you’re not serious about your work, then speak up now, take your money, and leave early. This factory has no place for people who act like self-important ancestors.”

　　“As for those who genuinely want to stay and work hard, then fix your attitude. Help each other, work together, and let’s build this factory into something even better.”

　　After Zhao Fuyao finished speaking, Duan Yong immediately followed up.

　　“Everyone, President Zhao is the largest shareholder. She has the authority to make final decisions. If you’re part of this factory, then you follow her lead.

　　“We’ve all worked together for years. Whether you choose to stay or leave, I, Duan Yong, respect everyone’s decision.”

　　The meeting room fell silent for a moment before people slowly began voicing their positions.

　　Most of them were still willing to stay.

　　A few of the older shareholders, however, couldn’t swallow the humiliation. Furious and unwilling to put up with it any longer, they announced they were quitting and demanded payment for their shares based on the current valuation.

　　Duan Yong handled it decisively. He immediately called in the finance department to draft the contracts and paid them on the spot before sending them off.

　　Recently, new orders had been coming in one after another. After piecing together what remained of the 2 million investment along with the factory’s current cash flow, it was just enough to cover everything.

　　After a whole round of negotiations and paperwork, they successfully bought back another 9% of the shares.

　　Zhao Fuyao held 57%, Duan Yong still had 10%, and with the newly recovered 3% and 9%, the two of them now controlled a staggering 79% altogether.

　　The remaining 21% was scattered among a dozen or so minor shareholders.

　　The smallest held only 1%, while the largest had just 3%, nothing worth worrying about.

　　That shareholder meeting had completely established Zhao Fuyao’s authority as the major shareholder. Everyone finally remembered exactly who “President Zhao” was, and no one dared underestimate her again.

　　After the meeting ended, Duan Yong happily invited Zhao Fuyao to his home for dinner.

　　Now that the factory had come back to life, he and his wife had remarried, and his precious daughter Huanhuan had returned home too.

　　His wife was deeply grateful toward Zhao Fuyao and specially prepared a full meal to thank her properly.

　　Zhao Fuyao accepted the invitation. On the way there, she even stopped by the department store to pick out some gifts.

　　Duan Yong had married relatively late in life. His wife was five years younger than him, a local from Shanghai named Qiao Rou. She was a very gentle and soft-spoken woman.

　　Their daughter Huanhuan was only ten years old. The little girl was fair, neat, and incredibly polite.

　　Zhao Fuyao bought a luxury skincare set for Qiao Rou, while Huanhuan received a beautiful doll set.

　　Qiao Rou had already heard that Zhao Fuyao was young, but she never expected her to be this young. She looked about the same age as her own niece.

　　She warmly welcomed Zhao Fuyao inside, speaking countless words of gratitude. By the end, her eyes had already turned red with tears, her voice trembling with emotion.

　　Truthfully, Qiao Rou had regretted the divorce almost immediately. The moment she heard that her husband had nearly jumped to his death, she was genuinely terrified.

　　Thankfully, he survived.

　　She had wanted to bring their daughter back home, but her parents refused to allow it. She had been pampered and protected growing up, and they could not bear the thought of her and the child suffering hardship in the future.

　　But later, she still could not resist sneaking back to check on him.

　　Then, after the factory received Zhao Fuyao’s help and miraculously came back to life, her parents finally stopped objecting. Their family of three was reunited once again.

　　Hearing all this, even Zhao Fuyao felt a little emotional.

　　Fortunately… things had still turned out alright in the end.

　　After dinner, the family kept chatting with her warmly. When they heard Zhao Fuyao was looking for a housekeeper, Qiao Rou immediately gave her a contact number.

　　“Call this number. Their company specifically trains housekeepers, maids, and domestic staff. I heard they even issue graduation certificates. One of my parents’ neighbors hired a nanny through them. It’s expensive, but the service is excellent.”

　　Since it came recommended by someone reliable, Zhao Fuyao trusted it. As soon as she got home, she called to ask about it.

　　The other party sounded extremely professional. Based on Zhao Fuyao’s requirements, they said they could arrange for five candidates to come for in person interviews, with the time chosen entirely by the client.

　　Zhao Fuyao scheduled it for the weekend.

　　……

　　Before long, the weekend arrived.

　　The agency sent over five candidates, all clearly very professional. Following the client’s request, they were all women, ranging from their twenties, thirties, to forties.

　　Each of them carried themselves well, with neat appearance and warm, polite smiles. They were clearly uniformly trained. Not only could they handle cleaning and organizing, they were also skilled in both Chinese and Western cooking, covering a wide range of cuisines.

　　After a round of practical demonstrations, Zhao Fuyao chose the one she felt most comfortable with.

　　Her name was Li Lan. She was 48 years old, quick and meticulous in her work, with a kind and sunny-looking face.

　　Compared to the others, she was married with children. A northerner who had married into an ordinary Shanghai family, her husband drove a city bus, and her son was studying at university in another city. With no in-laws to take care of, she had very few burdens.

　　She worked during the day and went back to her own home at night.

　　Zhao Fuyao felt she was a good fit and decided to take her on for a one-month trial.

　　Compared to ordinary domestic helpers from the labor market, these people were nearly twice as expensive.

　　A regular housekeeper cost around 300 yuan a month, while theirs was about 650.

　　But the level of professionalism was clearly worth it. They even came with medical checkups and health certificates.

　　Paying more for better service made sense. Zhao Fuyao readily paid the one-month trial fee. If she was satisfied after that, she could renew quarterly or even yearly.

　　With a housekeeper at home, things immediately became much easier.

　　Whatever Zhao Fuyao mentioned, Li Lan quickly understood. Not only were the meals to her taste, but the clothes and household items were also kept neat and orderly, with everything arranged in a clean, intuitive system.    

　　The villa stayed spotless every single day. Even the flowers in the vases upstairs and downstairs were carefully maintained, replaced every three days without fail.

　　Since the little Western-style villa only had Zhao Fuyao living in it, and she was sometimes at school during lunchtime, the meals only needed to be prepared for morning and evening.

　　The nanny felt that compared to taking care of an entire family, looking after just one young girl was much easier.

　　On top of that, Zhao Fuyao was about the same age as her own son, and seeing her living alone made her feel a bit protective and concerned.

　　During Zhao Fuyao’s period, she even prepared mugwort sachets for foot soaks and cooked nourishing soups traditionally used for postpartum recovery and boosting qi and blood. Every small detail showed just how thoughtful she was.

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