Chapter 150: Nie Hongwu's Unwillingness

At this moment, Su Xin turned his head to look at Nie Hongwu, who was sitting in the third seat on his right, and said in a deep voice:

"President Nie, do you have anything you wish to say?"

Nie Hongwu's expression was solemn as he said, "I unconditionally support every decision made by the boss."

"Then why did you accept bribes?"

Su Xin's expression turned cold, and he gave a light shout.

Nie Hongwu's complexion changed slightly, his face filled with indignation: "Boss, I don't understand what you mean."

Seeing that he was being stubborn, Su Xin waved his hand impatiently: "If you don't understand, then so be it. You should cooperate properly with the police investigation yourself. Haifeng, have the police arrived yet?"

Feng Haifeng, who was sitting behind and to the side of Su Xin, immediately responded: "The police have been here for a while; they are currently waiting in a reception room."

"Take President Nie over there."

Upon hearing this, Nie Hongwu's face turned gloomy.

Su Xin's resolute attitude indicated that he had already grasped substantial evidence; otherwise, it would be impossible to have him taken away directly during an executive meeting.

This forced Nie Hongwu to abandon the last shred of wishful thinking in his heart.

He shouted unwillingly: "Boss, you always say the company treats us well, but the compensation we receive, for our positions in companies of the same level, cannot be considered high at all; one could even say it is at a fairly low tier."

"Those top global enterprises have presidents or vice presidents with salaries of at least over one hundred million, and those companies with high profits have presidents with annual salaries reaching several hundred million. For example, the CEO of Apple has an annual income exceeding 600 million, more than ten times mine, and the CEO of Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company has an annual salary of 300 million, more than five times mine."

"Our Tianqi Group has four major subsidiaries, each of which has reached the world's top level in terms of profit and influence, yet our salary levels can only be considered top-tier domestically."

"To say nothing else, just for Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company, for every Tianmu Eye Drops sold domestically, our profit is one thousand, and the daily production capacity of one million units has always been in short supply, contributing one billion Long Coins to the group every day."

"The profit of Tianmu No. 1 is even as high as ten thousand Long Coins per unit, and with a daily production capacity of ten thousand units, it can also contribute one hundred million in profit to the group every day."

"The annual profit of Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company alone has reached four hundred billion, ranking in the top ten globally."

"And the profits of the other three subsidiaries are not inferior in the slightest; in fact, the profit of Tianqi Energy Company is even much higher than that of Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company."

"The combined profits of the four subsidiaries are, even globally, in a league of their own at first place, far higher than the GDP of some small countries."

"Compared to such earnings, our combined salaries are merely a drop in the bucket; how can there be any talk of generous treatment?"

The more Nie Hongwu spoke, the more agitated and dissatisfied he became.

He was not originally such an irrational person.

But with the continuous popularity of the two pharmaceutical products, Tianmu Eye Drops and Tianmu No. 1, top pharmaceutical companies across the country and even the world had contacted him, and they had all heaped praise upon him.

Officials from some countries also sent representatives to negotiate with him, wanting him to expand the business of Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company into the international market.

This made him gradually lose his way.

Those big figures who were once high and mighty to him maintained a quite polite and even somewhat humble posture in front of him.

He felt that he had finally joined the ranks of top executives in the global pharmaceutical industry and possessed a pivotal status in the world.

Yet, compared to others who were also top executives of global pharmaceutical companies, his own salary level was very low.

Coupled with the company's terrifyingly high profit margins, he watched over a billion in revenue enter the company account every day, and then thought of his own "meager salary" of two or three million per month.

His heart gradually wavered.

He was in charge of such a profitable company, yet he received such a negligible salary; how could he be content with this?

While his heart wavered, he also thought that Su Xin, the fully controlling boss, basically did not manage company affairs, and the financial audits at the group headquarters should not be that meticulous.

Thus, he gradually developed ulterior motives.

As the president of Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company, he could be said to hold a high and powerful position, sought after by countless people. With just a casual word, plenty of partners would scramble to send him money; why should he stubbornly cling to an annual salary of only thirty or fifty million?

He could even go a step further and have his cousin open a few factories or trading companies to supply Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company with some raw materials that had high demand at slightly higher prices.

Even if the price was higher and the quality slightly lower, it would merely mean a lower yield rate, causing the company's costs to increase slightly.

With the company's terrifying profit margin, this small increase in cost was simply negligible, yet it could allow him to obtain huge benefits.

Why not do it?

Other executives present also had flickering eyes, seemingly quite in agreement with his words.

Su Xin snorted coldly:

"What? You think the high profits of Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company were obtained through your management? You think that if your position were replaced by someone else, the company's profits would decrease?"

"I acknowledge your ability and dedication, but that does not mean the company cannot function without you."

"The most important thing in our company is technology, and that technology was developed by me alone. Without the technology, what would you use to develop Tianqi Pharmaceutical Company to its current level, and what would you use to earn so much profit? Why would those top global pharmaceutical companies bother to curry favor with you?"

"To put it bluntly, any one of your vice presidents could replace your position at any time, or the outside world could easily recruit ten or eight people capable of adapting to your post."

"On what grounds do you feel unwilling?"

Nie Hongwu's face gradually stiffened.

Having had his eyes blinded by money and desire, he suddenly woke up under Su Xin's scolding.

He remembered his current status and position, as well as the salary and benefits that were much higher than before, and his heart suddenly became filled with panic.

He did not want to lose everything before him.

And he even less wanted to go to jail for economic crimes.

"Boss... Boss! I was wrong! I shouldn't have done this. I am willing to turn over a new leaf. Please, Boss, give me a chance!"

"For the sake of my dedicated service to the company, I beg the Boss to give me another chance!"

"No matter what I have done, my contribution to the company has never been discounted."

Nie Hongwu shouted agitatedly.

Su Xin, however, waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Take him away."

Feng Haifeng immediately called in two security guards, who took the agitated Nie Hongwu and left the conference room.

After the conference room door closed again.

Su Xin looked at the others and said calmly:

"If there are no surprises, given the amount of money Nie Hongwu embezzled, he should be spending a year or two in prison."

"If anyone here shares his way of thinking, feeling that the company's salary does not match their ability and contribution, I suggest you resign voluntarily, so as not to find it not worth it when you commit a crime and end up in prison later."

"I will say the ugly things upfront: no matter who commits a mistake of principle, I will not let them off easily."

There was a moment of silence.

Seeing that no one spoke, Su Xin continued, "Since no one is bringing up resignation, I will assume that everyone wants to stay."

"The words I just said to Nie Hongwu, I will also pass on to everyone; I only invited you to become a part of Tianqi Group because I recognize your ability and contribution, and I provide you with the compensation you deserve, along with all kinds of benefits that are as comprehensive as possible."

"I also know that as the company continues to grow and its position in the market becomes higher and higher, everyone's influence is also increasing, and your say in the outside world is becoming heavier, so the temptations you face will also increase."

"But I want to remind everyone of one point: I am willing to pay everyone a high salary, but I absolutely do not allow anyone to use their position for personal gain, otherwise..."

"Once discovered, I will deal with it according to the law."