Chapter 299 - 298: Robot Release

The Lowell Group.

In the conference room, the department heads in charge of reporting were already seated, waiting for Caleb Lowell to arrive for the morning meeting.

A few were whispering amongst themselves:

"Hey, did you guys see the trending topics last night? That guy from the Grant family successfully proposed to our Miss Lowell!"

"Don’t even start. My son spent all night on the balcony, staring up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, muttering about the ’unforgivable feud of having his wife stolen.’ Someone from the building across even came out and answered him.

They spent the whole night cursing at each other through their windows and even made plans to meet up during the day to continue cursing and crying together."

"Sigh, my girlfriend was wailing all night too, saying she’d had her heart broken and that President Grant stole her wife. If Miss Lowell is her wife, then who am I?"

"Pfft, that’s even funnier than my dumb son."

"Good thing I’m a shipper, not a solo stan. I think those two are a perfect match, okay? I’ve been shipping them since that variety show!"

"Right? I think they look so good together too!!"

"Is that even the main point? The main point is that our company’s stock shot up today because of this. Anyway, I made a nice profit, hehe."

"Well, damn, Ms. Sutton. You’re getting rich on the quiet..."

...

Andy was sitting right next to them and heard every word of their conversation.

The smile on his lips slowly froze. Beneath the table, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The conference room door was pushed open from the outside, and the room instantly fell silent.

All the employees stood up. "Lowell!"

Caleb Lowell walked in from the doorway and went straight to the head of the table.

"Have a seat. Ian Miller."

"Yes, Boss."

Assistant Grant turned on the projector, and the screen displayed a real-time chart of the Lowell Group’s stock performance.

"Before we begin the meeting, I want to address something," Caleb Lowell said, tilting his chin toward the screen.

"This is the company’s stock performance. It hit the limit up right after the market opened today. I don’t think I need to explain the reason, do I?"

Everyone nodded. ’How could they not know?’

Those hashtags were still trending, marked with a big, red ’Exploding’ icon. Who knows how many minor celebrities who’d paid for trending posts were now crying their eyes out in a bathroom somewhere.

"Now, can anyone tell me what products we have, besides the smart robots, that have completed R&D, passed the approval process, and are ready for release?"

Caleb Lowell rested his chin on his knuckles, his gaze sweeping over the people seated below him.

A female employee in business attire was the first to stand, her tone respectful and brisk.

"Lowell, the three skincare sets from the Lowell Group’s S-series are in the release queue. The original launch was scheduled for next month, on the day of the Qixi Festival."

"Alright. Any other products?"

The others all shook their heads. ’Even a workhorse needs a break. You can’t just conjure up new products on demand, can you?’

’Besides, didn’t we draft the schedules and submit them for Lowell himself to approve?’

’What’s going on? Did he forget, or is he testing us?’

Caleb Lowell’s fingertips tapped lightly on the desk as if he were lost in thought. The others were so scared they didn’t dare breathe too loudly.

A moment later, Caleb Lowell lifted his gaze and asked,

"Andy, how many robots have passed inspection at the factory so far?"

But his question went unanswered. Everyone glanced over and saw Andy sitting dazedly in his seat, a grim expression on his face.

The colleague next to him quickly gave him a nudge. Andy snapped out of it and realized everyone’s eyes were on him, including the man at the head of the table.

He raised a hand to adjust his glasses and stood up to apologize. "Sorry, Boss. I’m not feeling well today and got distracted."

Caleb Lowell gave him a faint glance, his tone unreadable.

"If you’re not feeling well, then take the day off. I’m not Boss Skinner. The company’s tech department will manage just fine without you."

"It’s alright, I’ll be fine after a short rest once the meeting is over. Could you please repeat the question?" Andy said with a gentle smile.

Assistant Grant glanced at his boss and took the initiative to repeat the question.

"Oh, a total of 110,000 units. A new batch is still in production," Andy replied.

"After the meeting, the marketing department needs to prepare the press release immediately. We’re moving the launch for this robot up to midnight tonight. This time, we’ll limit it to one hundred thousand units."

After speaking, Caleb Lowell looked at Andy again.

"We’ll need to work overtime tonight. Can you handle it? If not, find someone familiar with your work to hand it over to, and you can go home and rest."

"I have no problem with that, but wasn’t our original plan for two weeks from now? Isn’t this too sudden?" Andy asked, his expression calm and composed.

"The buzz from last night hasn’t died down yet. This is the perfect time to capitalize on the attention. Besides, isn’t everything already prepared and just waiting for the launch?

It’s like I said: if you can do it, do it. If you can’t, hand off your work to someone else and go home and rest."

Caleb Lowell’s brows furrowed, his tone tinged with impatience.

"Yes, Boss. I understand. I’ll be fine."

Caleb Lowell didn’t pay him any more mind, turning instead to the female employee from before.

"Lisa Sterling, the S-series will be the same. Stagger the launch time with the robot’s. Set it for noon tomorrow, 12:00 PM. We’ll do a limited pre-release for a portion of all three products, with the official launch on the Qixi Festival."

"Roger that! The beauty department will give its full cooperation."

Lisa Sterling agreed crisply. In a situation like this, it was best to talk less and do more, and not get on the boss’s bad side.

"Alright, is there anything else to report today?"

The heads of several departments took turns standing up to report on their work progress.

When everyone had finished their reports, Caleb Lowell said, "Meeting adjourned," and turned to leave the conference room.

Before he left, he exchanged an imperceptible glance with Assistant Grant beside him.

When most of the people had left, Assistant Grant stopped organizing his files and called out to Andy, who was about to leave.

He walked up, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a comforting tone,

"Don’t take what happened today too hard. The boss has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If he were really angry with you, he would’ve just said, ’If you can’t do the job, get out,’ not told you to go home and rest.

Besides, he treasures Miss Lowell like the apple of his eye. Now that some pig has come and snatched his prized cabbage, how could he possibly be in a good mood?"

The smile on Andy’s face didn’t falter. "I understand. The boss and Miss Lowell have a great relationship! If I had a younger sister, I’d definitely be the same way."

"As long as you understand. But are you sure you can handle it? You don’t need to go home and rest first?" Assistant Grant’s eyes held a trace of concern.

"I’ll be fine. Besides, I get paid extra for overtime. I’m more than willing."

"Alright then, just don’t push yourself too hard. If you can’t keep going, come to me to ask for leave. I’ll approve it for you."

With that, Assistant Grant left the conference room, holding his files.

Once he was completely out of sight, the refined smile on Andy’s face vanished, replaced by a dark, sinister expression.

After a long while, he finally walked out of the office, once again wearing that warm, pleasant smile.

Little did he know that his change in expression had been captured in its entirety by the man on the top floor, who was watching through a security camera...