[To all employees of the group:]
[Currently, the internal software of the group has been debugged, the virus has been completely cleared, and we can work normally.]
[Starting today, the group will temporarily implement a new regulation. Daily working hours (real time) shall not exceed 2 hours, and specific work plans will be distributed to each department later.]
[Employees can choose their working hours freely between 10 AM and 4 PM, with the original total salary remaining unchanged.]
[Other matters will be detailed in subsequent departmental notifications.]
As soon as this message was sent out, not only did the entire group react, but the public opinion in Xi Valley City exploded as well.
Daily working hours cannot exceed two hours? Is the Fifth Consortium planning to pivot to charity?
What about the group's business? Has the virus left by Tang Kede been dealt with?
Even ordinary workers in Xi Valley City knew that the virtual dream software and club equipment of Xianren Dreaming had been invaded by the virus and were now in a state of daily financial loss.
At this critical moment, why weren't they rushing to clean up the system but instead putting on a show?
With such a strong reaction from the outside world, it was even more intense within the board of directors of the Fifth Consortium.
"I think that woman has gone crazy!!!" One person pounded the table in anger.
"I propose we vote immediately to get Qin Xuezhong and her subordinates out of here, and forget about any undercover plans—just bring them back for trial," another person said, his tone sinister.
Even the composed Shi Shufeng, who had previously advocated for Qin Xuezhong, frowned.
Neither of them understood what tricks Qin Xuezhong was playing.
Only the elderly woman at the top remained calm. However, her fingers tapped rapidly on the table, revealing that she wasn't as tranquil as she appeared.
She felt somewhat disappointed.
The people sitting in this conference room were the power holders of the Fifth Consortium; any slight emotion or action from them could affect countless lives.
Yet now, these people were arguing like headless flies and black market traders, making her want to laugh.
But then again, she couldn't entirely blame them.
Xianren Dreaming was the most important pillar of the Fifth Consortium; even a second of business stagnation would burn a massive amount of credit points.
Even if they abandoned all current systems and software and started from scratch, it would be better than letting things fall apart like this.
The elderly woman silently contemplated, her mind seemingly made up.
She tapped her ring on the table twice, the crisp sound silencing the conference room completely.
"Look at you all; do you even resemble members of the Fifth Consortium or board directors?" She reprimanded for a moment and then continued, "What is the purpose of this conference room? To solve problems and make decisions… Tell me, do you just want to replace Qin Xuezhong and put someone else in her place? Have you thought about what that person should do?"
No one spoke.
The elderly woman looked around, somewhat disappointed.
Just as she was about to speak again, there was a knock at the door.
This was the Fifth Consortium's board meeting; if there wasn't an urgent matter, her secretary would never interrupt.
The elderly woman lightly pressed a button carved with intricate designs, opening the door.
The secretary walked in quickly with her head down, bending over to whisper in the elderly woman's ear.
This conference room had absolute electromagnetic shielding, ensuring that no outside news could penetrate.
If there was truly important information, it would be verbally conveyed by the host's secretary to avoid any leaks as much as possible.
So at this moment, the others could only watch with curiosity, guessing internally.
Soon, the elderly woman raised her hand to signal for silence. "Alright, you can tell them directly."
"Yes," the secretary replied expressionlessly.
The others could only read from the elderly woman's noticeably relaxed brows that it was likely good news.
The secretary quickly connected to the conference room's display system, and a few seconds later, an image appeared above the meeting table.
Those present immediately recognized it as the core system functionality distribution map of Xianren Dreaming.
Just yesterday, they had been fretting over this map because the core system had almost become a replication tool for the virus due to Tang Kede's actions.
But now, the entire map had turned green.
The secretary explained in a steady voice, "Currently, all viruses in the core system of Xianren Dreaming have been completely cleared, and both the stores and software development departments can operate normally. The president's office has also issued new firewalls and cleaning tools for future maintenance. Xianren Dreaming has returned to normal."
The atmosphere in the conference room noticeably relaxed.
Someone asked, "How was it accomplished?"
The secretary shook her head. "I'm not sure; the chairman only sent one person to the office building, and that night, the virus was completely eliminated, along with the two-hour work notice."
The people who had been the loudest suddenly fell silent.
—What more was there to say? The most troublesome issue had been resolved by Qin Xuezhong, and it would be clearly inappropriate to continue clamoring for her removal at this moment.
"There are two risks that everyone may need to pay attention to," the secretary shifted the topic.
"First, the president's office not only mandated a two-hour work system but also increased numerous benefits and vacation time, even allowing for half of the month to be worked from home under certain conditions…" The secretary said, a trace of barely concealed envy on his face, "This might negatively impact other companies."
Regarding the secretary's concern, those present did not pay much attention.
After all, the biggest problem had already been solved. They could find a way to remove Qin Xuezhong later, regain control of Xianren Dreaming, and make adjustments then.
The act of turning on former allies was something everyone present was quite familiar with.
"Secondly," the secretary continued, "because the virus caused significant damage to the entire system, while eliminating the virus, the chairman almost restructured the critical permissions within the system, so…"
Before the secretary could finish, someone interrupted urgently, "So she now completely controls Xianren Dreaming?"
The secretary hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "That should be the case."
At this, many people's expressions changed.
Most of the shares and control of Xianren Dreaming are held by the group's board of directors. Some of these board members are also part of the consortium's board, while others are under the control of the consortium's upper management.
Regardless of who wants to make major decisions or utilize substantial funds, they must go through the people present in the room.
But now, Qin Xuezhong had completely taken control of Xianren Dreaming? Everyone didn't even realize they had been sidelined?
The attendees were at a loss for how to respond. Just moments ago, they had been trying to force Qin Xuezhong out, and now, after hearing the virus had been cleared, they let out a sigh of relief. If they acted out again, it would feel as if they were being toyed with by Qin Xuezhong.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, the secretary continued, "Um… board members, please don't panic. Before I came in, the chairman had already transferred the permissions. Currently, the permissions are jointly held by the newly appointed president and Director Shufeng."
Fifth Shufeng, present at the meeting, was momentarily stunned.
The secretary turned to him, saying, "Director Shufeng, the chairman also asked me to convey her exact words, 'Tell that bunch of… guys…'"
He hesitated for a moment but bravely continued—this was the first time he had heard someone refer to the board members as "that bunch of guys."
"'I'm not interested in these trivial matters. Don't bother me. The permissions are yours now; sort it out and find some suitable people.' Those were Chairman Qin's exact words…"
After finishing, the secretary nodded slightly and stepped back behind the elderly woman, indicating he had completed his report.
The expressions of those in the meeting room varied, and they remained silent. Only the elderly woman at the head of the table wore a faint smile.
She found the situation amusing.
It had been a long time since anything this interesting had happened within the Fifth Consortium.
She wasn't concerned about the technical issues—although no one could currently control Xianren Dreaming's system permissions, the equity still lay in the hands of the Fifth Consortium, so there was no need for her to worry.
In contrast, the elderly woman sighed internally as she observed the people in the meeting room.
She suddenly realized that most of them felt quite empty.
Outside of power and profit, they had almost no other supports or pursuits in their lives. So, when someone threatened their power and interests, they reacted immediately.
—It was like someone taking away the only job that supported the lives of the lower-class workers in a slum.
In some ways, these powerful figures were no different from a struggling pauper trying to survive.
The elderly woman suddenly recognized that Qin Xuezhong was a different kind of presence among these people.
Everyone present was trapped in their own worlds, preoccupied with their power and profit for so long that it made it difficult for them to break through or solve new problems…
She suddenly stood up.
All eyes in the room turned to her.
With a smile, the elderly woman declared, "Let's do it as Director Qin said."
"Chairman, what about the working hours?" someone asked.
Others immediately mentally rated this person poorly and reminded themselves to be cautious in the future—because if the elderly woman had said this, then the issue of working hours was hardly significant.
The elderly woman didn't answer directly. Instead, she stated, "From now on, any decision made by Director Qin will be executed as she says. As for matters she hasn't addressed, you can discuss how to proceed specifically."
Everyone's pupils dilated in shock.
Her words effectively granted Qin Xuezhong power equivalent to that of the elderly woman.
This meant that a single word from Qin Xuezhong could impact the entire Fifth Consortium.