Chapter Twelve: The Gathering of Storms

What does this mean?

Tong Tiexing was utterly bewildered.

Why is everyone looking at me like that?

It really wasn’t me who made the purchase.

Tong Tiexing glared angrily at Chen Long. “Who did you sell your shares to? Why didn’t you report it to the board? If anyone were to buy, it should have been us first. We have the right of first refusal.”

Chen Long glared back, equally frustrated. Don’t pretend—you know I’m aware it was you. Weren’t you the one who called me specifically to say that if the Zhang Group severed business ties, the stock price would plummet? That Liu Yiran was now neglecting the company? Wasn’t your entire tone implying that we should hurry up and make a move?

“Chairman Chen, who did you sell your shares to? At what price per share?” Zhang Yu fixed Chen Long with a cold, calculating gaze. He had already hinted to Chen Long before, expressing his willingness to acquire Chen Long’s shares at 3.5 per share, but Chen Long, ever slippery, had wriggled out of it with some excuse.

Chen Long didn’t answer, only looked at Tong Tiexing.

Tong Tiexing was about to explode. Why are you looking at me? How should I know?

“Director Tong, was it really not you?”

Tong Tiexing snapped, “What do you mean, was it me? Who did you sell your shares to?”

“To a foreign company called JP, at six per share.” Chen Long eyed Tong Tiexing suspiciously. “If it wasn’t you, who else could have made such a bold move?”

The buyer had approached him right after he got off the phone with Tong Tiexing. Seeing the stock price teetering on the verge of plunging to ST, Chen Long himself began to lose his nerve. He had assumed it was Tong Tiexing seizing the opportunity to take over the company. Since he didn’t want to stay in this game anymore, he sold his shares.

But it wasn’t just Chen Long—everyone in the meeting room was stunned.

The company’s fourth-largest shareholder had changed hands.

“Give me the contact number of the buyer.” Tong Tiexing shot Chen Long a venomous glare. “Since you are no longer a shareholder, you’ve lost your right to attend board meetings. Shushu, please see Mr. Chen out.”

Now that Chen Long was of no further use, Tong Tiexing no longer bothered to be polite.

“Director Tong, you—”

Chen Long hadn’t expected Tong Tiexing to turn hostile so quickly. But before he could react, Chu Shu had already called in the security guards.

“Mr. Chen, this way please.”

Chen Long’s face flushed bright red. Just a moment ago, Tong Tiexing had been addressing him warmly as Chairman Chen, and now he was simply Mr. Chen. The sycophantic minor shareholders who had been so eager to ingratiate themselves with him were now keeping their distance, terrified of being associated with him.

Such is the fickleness of the world.

The spacious meeting room had grown oppressively silent, everyone exchanging uneasy glances, not knowing how to proceed.

“President Liu, perhaps you should contact the other party, at least to find out who they are.”

“There’s no need.”

Suddenly, the doors to the meeting room swung open. Ye Qiu strode in from the corridor, swept his gaze over the assembled crowd, and took his place beside Liu Yiran. “Sister, I was delayed buying something.”

“Liu Yiran, I don’t care if you’re lovesick or what—this is a board meeting. Please ask any unrelated persons to leave,” Chu Shu snapped. She then turned to the door and shouted, “What are the company’s security guards even for? Can’t you stop just any Tom, Dick, or Harry from wandering in?”

“Miss Chu, we couldn’t stop him,” the newly appointed head of security stumbled in from the hallway, his face bruised, one hand clutching his knee as he hobbled inside.

“Useless, the lot of you! What’s the point of keeping you around? Go to finance and settle your pay yourselves.”

“Miss Chu…”

The security chief looked on the verge of tears. He’d been officially installed just one day, and now he was being dismissed.

“Get out.”

“Hold it.” Ye Qiu grinned. “I think you’re doing fine as head of security. Without President Liu’s say-so, who could dismiss you? Now, please escort any unrelated persons out.”

The security chief looked at Ye Qiu in confusion. “Who counts as unrelated?”

“Didn’t you hear? This is a board meeting. Anyone without shares has no right to attend.”

The security chief’s gaze immediately shifted to Chu Shu.

She was the loudest, yet she didn’t own a single share.

“That’s enough,” Tong Tiexing barked, waving a hand impatiently to signal the security chief to withdraw. He then dialed the number Chen Long had left on the business card.

Ye Qiu answered the call, looking at Tong Tiexing with a cheerful smile. “Director Tong, whatever you have to say, why not say it face to face and save the cost of a phone call?”

Tong Tiexing hung up, his gaze as dark as thunder as he fixed it on Ye Qiu.

He was convinced from the start that Ye Qiu couldn’t possibly possess such resources, and suspected this was Liu Yiran’s doing, taking advantage of the situation to acquire Chen Long’s shares.

But then—

A chill ran down Tong Tiexing’s spine.

He’d been tricked.

Liu Yiran must have orchestrated this: first, feigning a falling-out with Young Master Zhang, then taking advantage of the shareholders’ panic to quietly buy up their shares.

What a ruthless woman.

“Anyone else want to sell? Three point five per share—I’ll take it all.” Ye Qiu looked around, issuing his challenge to the room.

“I have four million shares. If you’re paying three point five apiece, I’ll sell,” said a minor shareholder, raising his hand.

Severing ties with the Zhang family might only cost them a fifth of their business, but now that Liu Yiran had offended the Zhangs, she’d surely face Young Master Zhang’s vengeful wrath.

This was the Zhang family of Linhai—Ye Liu Group’s shares were only three per share, but Zhang Group’s were in the four digits. The Ye Qiu Group could be wiped out in an instant.

The minor shareholders were deeply suspicious of Liu Yiran’s judgment and doubted the company could survive Zhang’s revenge. With one person taking the lead, many others quickly voiced their willingness to sell at three point five.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Qiu had acquired five percent. Including Chen Long’s shares, he now held twenty percent—equal to Tong Tiexing.

“I have an announcement: the company will be investing two billion in our artificial intelligence project. Accordingly, there will be an internal share issue. Of course, you’re all insiders and will have priority to subscribe.” Ye Qiu’s gaze locked onto Tong Tiexing.

“I don’t agree.” Tong Tiexing could no longer maintain his composure.

Ye Qiu was openly intent on diluting everyone’s shares. With two billion in new shares, Tong Tiexing would instantly be reduced to a powerless minor shareholder.

“Did I ask for your opinion?” Ye Qiu sneered. “You don’t agree? Go ahead, see where that gets you. Oh, that’s right—you’re strapped for cash and can’t liquidate anything. I’d be surprised if you could scrape together even a few million.”

“President Liu, well played,” Tong Tiexing snorted coldly. “I’m curious to see where you’ll find those two billion.”

He spun on his heel to leave.

“Get back here,” Ye Qiu blocked his path. “You called this meeting and made us travel all the way here, and now you think you can just walk out?”

“Leave him be, Ye Zi,” Liu Yiran said quietly, nodding.

“Sis?” Ye Qiu looked at her, puzzled.

Surely his sister understood the danger of letting a tiger return to the mountains.

But Liu Yiran merely shook her head, resolute.

If not for Ye Qiu today, she might have fallen into Tong Tiexing’s trap. Yet, as the victor, she couldn’t help but remember: without Tong Tiexing, the Ye Qiu Group would never have reached its current scale.