Both of them fell silent instantly.

Meng Suihuan felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she couldn’t breathe. Was she really going to watch this opportunity slip away? No way! If she missed it this time, who knew when the next chance would come?

“Lao He, I’ll figure something out on my end. Please keep an eye on any relevant information for me.”

“You’re sure? Half a month?”

Meng Suihuan nodded firmly. “I’ll try.”

“Alright. If you need anything, just reach out to me.”

After Lao He left, Meng Suihuan headed straight to the finance office.

When Lao Deng saw her, he instinctively clutched his chest.

Meng Suihuan: “… Relax, I’m not here to file any reimbursements today.”

Hearing this, Lao Deng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she wasn’t there to request expenses, anything else was fine.

Just as he was feeling relieved, she casually added, “I’m here to audit the accounts.”

Lao Deng: “…”

Startled again, his expression eventually softened into one of relief. At least the boss finally seemed to have realized how recklessly she had been spending money.

Soon, Lao Deng opened the relevant earnings and statements.

The moment Meng Suihuan saw the balance, her spirit deflated. The amount was even lower than she had expected—just over 28 million.

Meng Suihuan: “…”

In that moment, she truly understood how extravagantly she had been spending recently. She felt an overwhelming sense of regret, almost to the point of tears.

After reviewing the results, she felt as if all the energy had been drained from her body and she almost lost her balance.

Jiang Chengxuan, noticing her unsteady demeanor, quickly stepped in to support her. Concerned, he asked, “Boss, what’s wrong? Have you been overworking and fallen ill?”

Meng Suihuan shook her head. “Xiao Jiang, I’ve spent tens of millions over the past few months!”

This wasn’t just a few hundred yuan—it was tens of millions! And in such a short time!

Hearing this, Jiang Chengxuan was briefly stunned but then responded matter-of-factly, “Well, yes. Over the past few months, you’ve invested in numerous projects. Of course, a lot of money has been spent. But we’ll earn it back soon.”

He sounded confident—after all, that was exactly how they had managed things in the past.

Unfortunately, his reassurance didn’t comfort Meng Suihuan. Instead, she pressed further, “Xiao Jiang, do you think it’s possible for me to earn 20 million in just half a month?”

Hearing this, Jiang Chengxuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course it’s possible. Boss, have you forgotten? During the East Lake Garden project, we made 80 million in just two weeks.”

Meng Suihuan was well aware of this. The problem, however, was that she didn’t have any completed projects on hand right now. Even the commercial building Zhao Chen was managing would take at least another month to finish.

But she needed to come up with over 20 million within half a month! The difficulty of this task was astronomical!

Sensing something was amiss, Jiang Chengxuan cautiously asked, “So you need to raise over 20 million in half a month?”

“Yes.” Meng Suihuan nodded. “I hadn’t mentioned this earlier because the matter wasn’t confirmed yet. But the government has introduced a new policy to support pilot companies going public… and our company is fortunate enough to have secured a precious spot.”

Jiang Chengxuan’s expression grew even more excited than hers. As someone with foresight, he understood the immense benefits this could bring to the company.

But before he could celebrate for long, his boss dragged out her next words, her tone laced with regret.

“But there’s a special audit requirement—”

“We need to pass a review of the company’s liquid assets, and we’re currently falling short.”

Jiang Chengxuan: “…”

After a few seconds of silence, he cautiously asked, “We’re short 20 million? And there’s only half a month to raise it?”

Meng Suihuan nodded.

Jiang Chengxuan: “…”

In an instant, he felt a deep sense of empathy.

Now he understood why his boss looked as if all hope was lost. Anyone in her position would feel the same way! However, he knew this wasn’t the time to discourage his boss. Instead, he encouraged her.

“Boss, this might be difficult for others, but for you, it’s definitely manageable. Think about it—every time we’ve faced challenges in the past, we’ve overcome them under your leadership, haven’t we?”

Meng Suihuan: “…”
Thanks, but I don’t feel comforted.

That said, her confidence did get a slight boost. After all, they had overcome so many challenges before, and this time wouldn’t be any different!

“Xiao Jiang, gather the team for a quick meeting. Let’s discuss this matter together.”

The team quickly assembled. As usual, Lao Zhou was his cheerful and playful self.

“Boss, what’s the rush? Got a new plan for us?”

Then a thought crossed his mind, and his expression turned serious. “Wait, don’t tell me something went wrong with one of our projects?”

“No,” Meng Suihuan shook her head.

Lao Zhou finally relaxed and returned to his carefree tone. “Then it must be good news.”

“Half good, half bad,” she replied. If they succeeded, it would be a tremendous boon for the company. But the problem was, she wasn’t sure if they could pull it off.

Seeing her serious expression, Lao Zhou grew more cautious. “Boss, just tell us. We’re used to challenges and can handle it.”

Taking a deep breath, Meng Suihuan glanced at Jiang Chengxuan. “Xiao Jiang, you explain.”

She didn’t want to relive the pain of explaining it again.

Jiang Chengxuan carefully laid out the situation, with Meng Suihuan chiming in to add details.

The team’s reaction mirrored her initial one: at first, they were ecstatic. But the moment they heard they needed to raise 20 million in just two weeks, their expressions turned colorful with shock.

Lao Zhou, in particular, slapped his thigh dramatically. “Boss, you’re not joking, right? Raise 20 million in half a month?”

Meng Suihuan nodded.

The rest of the team began murmuring among themselves until someone quietly asked, “Didn’t our company earn over 100 million recently? How are we still short by so much?”

The room fell silent.

Meng Suihuan took a deep breath, stood up, and addressed everyone. “This is my fault. I didn’t consider all the factors when I made certain decisions, which led to this situation.”

The person who had spoken quickly waved their hands, trying to clarify. “Boss, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised.”

“Boss, you can’t blame yourself. Who could’ve predicted the government would suddenly introduce this new policy?”

“I understand,” Meng Suihuan replied heavily. “But what’s done is done. There’s no point in making excuses. All we can do now is figure out how to fix this.”

She turned to Zhao Chen. “If we speed things up, how soon can the commercial building project be completed?”

Zhao Chen’s expression remained steady as he answered in a low voice. “If we disregard costs and have everyone work overtime around the clock, it’ll still take at least a month.”

Meng Suihuan: “…”
A month was too late—completely beyond the deadline.

Lao Zhou couldn’t help but suggest, “Boss, didn’t you invest in a new company? Maybe they have something that could help us out quickly.”

Jiang Chengxuan chimed in with data in hand. “There are a few projects that could help, but at most, they’d bring in a couple million.”

Another potential solution was ruled out.

“What about loans?” someone asked.

Meng Suihuan shook her head again. The amount was far too large, and the bank wouldn’t approve such a big loan on such short notice. Plus, the bank’s approval process would take at least 20 days.

After a moment of silence, Lu Xiuhe cautiously interjected, “Xiao Huan, isn’t Linshen working on a new project? Could it help?”

Meng Suihuan shook her head. Although Linshen had made significant progress, they were still far from developing the chip data they were working on. Even if they completed it, it would require further testing and wouldn’t generate substantial revenue within two weeks.

Everyone fell into silence, unsure of how to proceed.

Lao Zhou, adopting a “let it be” attitude, tried to lift the mood. “Worst-case scenario, we delay going public. We’ve got plenty of projects in the pipeline. Even without going public, we’ll still make waves!”

Jiang Chengxuan patted his shoulder with a laugh. “Exactly. We’ve made it this far, starting from Shuangyang County. Whether we go public or not, it won’t stop us from succeeding!”

“Let’s just go with the flow.”

When everyone heard what they said, the pressure they were feeling immediately lessened significantly.

Especially for Meng Suihuan—she had been feeling down and blaming herself for quite some time over this situation. But hearing these words gave her a sense of clarity. She realized that while her previous investments may have been impulsive, they were not blind decisions. Every step she took had a purpose, and she had no regrets because they were the result of careful deliberation.

It was just that fate seemed to be playing a little joke on her.

With this perspective, the pressure on her shoulders lifted considerably. Yes, just let things flow naturally. There was no need to force anything. After all, she couldn’t compel customers to make purchases.

At that moment, an idea suddenly flashed in her mind. Excitedly, she grabbed the tissue box in front of her and jumped to her feet.

“I’ve thought of a solution!”

Everyone’s eyes immediately locked on her, staring intently with curiosity and anticipation. In unison, they asked, “What solution?!”

Meng Suihuan then shared her idea with the team.

After listening, they were still in a state of shock and confusion. Finally, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Will this really work?”

“Yes,” Meng Suihuan nodded. “I’d say there’s a 60% chance of success.”

Although her idea seemed a bit unconventional now, in the 21st century, it was actually a fairly common and widely accepted practice.

Seeing their boss so confident, everyone else felt a surge of determination as well.

“Great!”
“Then let’s go with this plan and give it a try!”