Second Board Meeting

Peng Guoqiang's expression changed. His chest heaved violently, but in the end, he fell silent.

He was no brainless fool.

After going through certain upheavals, he had gradually come to see many truths clearly.

Su Rui was right. Lin Jiatao could not fall now. By this point, the Lin family's businesses had already taken deep root in Tongzhou City.

"Give me some time. I'll build a conglomerate in Tongzhou City capable of replacing the Lin family." Su Rui patted Peng Guoqiang on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Then, when you submit the materials in your hands, they'll carry an entirely different weight."

Peng Guoqiang thought about it, then lowered his head and took another drag from his cigarette.

"Why are you helping me?"

Peng Guoqiang was confused. He had never had any dealings with Su Rui, much less any friendship.

"Because you're a man with a conscience and convictions." Su Rui rubbed his fingers together expressionlessly. "Someone like you should go farther, not fade from the stage so early."

Peng Guoqiang looked up at Su Rui.

Su Rui kept smiling.

"Besides, I need your help too."

"But don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything improper or anything that violates your professional ethics."

Su Rui knew Peng Guoqiang's personality well. Stubborn, resilient, and so steadfast in his principles that he could seem cold and inflexible. Throughout his career, he had never given anyone special treatment, even at the cost of offending his superiors.

A person like that could never be bought off and made to do underhanded things that violated professional ethics.

And Su Rui had never intended to do that anyway.

"The first thing you need to do now is return to a core position." Su Rui began laying out a plan for Peng Guoqiang. "I have information on several major unsolved cold cases from Tongzhou City that have been sitting unresolved for more than a decade. They might be able to help you..."

Eight twenty.

Su Rui arrived downstairs at Mingzhu Building right on time and checked the message on his phone.

"Eight thirty. Conference room."

Su Rui smiled and headed straight up to the second floor.

Inside the conference room, Li Ruobing sat in the head seat with a document folder before her, looking perfectly calm and collected.

There were two rows of chairs, and no fewer than seven of them were empty.

Hu Guangyi stood by the window, speaking quietly on the phone and pacing back and forth without realizing it. He was clearly restless and irritated.

"Hello... Old Li? You're his family's nanny?... Then where is he? Sick? It's serious enough that he's been hospitalized?... Oh, oh, so he can't come to the company today? Mm... fine, I understand."

Su Rui did not interrupt him.

Instead, he walked over to the empty seat closest to Li Ruobing and sat down. He casually crossed his legs, leaned sideways with his chin propped on one hand, and watched Hu Guangyi make his calls with interest.

"Hello... CEO Chen, what's going on?... Your mother's birthday? No, wasn't your mother's birthday in July?... What, you celebrated it early? You can celebrate that early?"

"Hello? Hello?"

After making five or six calls in a row, Hu Guangyi's face turned livid.

Everyone on the other end of the line had either brushed him off or made excuses.

No matter how slow he was, he could tell by now that something was wrong.

Glancing at the expressionless Li Ruobing and the smiling Su Rui across the conference table, Hu Guangyi sensed that today's events would not be so simple. He had been isolated and targeted!

But he could not understand why, after only one night, all his allies had chickened out and did not even dare show their faces.

"..." Hu Guangyi licked his lips, feeling uneasy.

"Time's up." Li Ruobing tapped the tabletop with a fingertip, then signaled for the secretary to close the conference room doors. "Let's begin."

Hu Guangyi walked to the conference table with a gloomy expression. He glanced at Su Rui, hesitated for a moment, then took the empty seat farthest from him.

He really was a little afraid of Su Rui.

"Today's meeting concerns several personnel transfers and the opening of the Qiantang New Store." Li Ruobing spoke first, taking out an appointment document from the folder. "I will now read it aloud."

"Effective immediately, all positions held by Mingzhu Company shareholders Li Sicheng, Chen Lin, Wang Guofeng... and seven others shall be revoked. Their duties shall be taken over by Bai Tingxuan and Wang Weiying..."

Hu Guangyi felt a thump in his heart.

Li Ruobing's counterattack had come incredibly fast, and it was ruthless, leaving no room for retreat.

But what gave her the nerve to do this?

She only held 31 Percent of the shares. Using such an all-out method, was she not afraid of backlash?

Hu Guangyi's expression was ugly.

"Hu Guangyi is hereby removed from his positions as human resources manager and logistics manager. His title of Honorary Vice President shall be retained."

Li Ruobing deliberately paused.

"Wait!" Hu Guangyi immediately gritted his teeth and stared straight at Li Ruobing. "I don't agree to this arrangement. What right do you have to strip me of all my positions?!"

"This is a resolution of the Board of Directors. Your consent is not required." Li Ruobing closed the folder.

"The Board of Directors? I didn't see a vote, and I didn't see any resolution!" Hu Guangyi sneered. "Removing shareholders from their company positions without a vote—President Li, aren't you being a little too domineering? Anyone who didn't know better would think you held an Absolute Controlling Stake!"

Hu Guangyi had put that very cleverly. He did not directly confront Li Ruobing, instead using the shares as his argument.

Because the other shareholders had not attended the meeting, even a temporary vote now would have been invalid!

"Idiot." Old Bai curled his lip and cursed bluntly.

"Oh... you were talking about an Absolute Controlling Stake..." Su Rui smiled as he pulled several documents from the files and placed them before Hu Guangyi. "If you can read, take a look."

Hu Guangyi opened them with half-belief and half-doubt.

In an instant, his face went deathly pale!

"How... how is this possible? They, they actually transferred all their shares to you!" Hu Guangyi shuddered, unable to believe his eyes. The black words on the white pages showed that the allies who had once stood with him had sold all their shares to Li Ruobing!

"If you don't believe it, you can have them tested for authenticity by the forensics department," Su Rui said.

Hu Guangyi fell silent.

These Share Transfer Agreements had completely smashed him senseless.

20 Percent, plus the 31 Percent Li Ruobing had already held...

51 percent. That was the threshold for an Absolute Controlling Stake!

"..." After a long silence, Hu Guangyi spoke again. Looking at Su Rui, his voice was full of resentment. "You... you must have used dirty tricks. Just wait. I'll get to the bottom of this!"

"Be my guest!" Su Rui shrugged indifferently. "But you're no longer Mingzhu's high-level management. We still have a meeting to continue, so unrelated personnel... get out."

A surge of anger immediately rose in Hu Guangyi's chest.

"Even if I'm no longer Mingzhu's high-level management, I'm still a shareholder! You're the unrelated one here. What right do you have to tell me to leave!"

Li Ruobing gave him an expressionless glance and spoke again. "Next, I will announce an appointment. The Qiantang New Store is about to open. By resolution of the Board of Directors, the person appointed General Manager is... Su Rui."

The moment those words came out, Hu Guangyi's expression became even more spectacular.

Those pieces of news were like one sledgehammer after another smashing ruthlessly into his heart, not giving him even a moment to react.

"Do I have the right to tell you to get out now?" Su Rui smiled calmly.

The veins at Hu Guangyi's temples bulged, and the space between his brows twitched.

After a long while, he abruptly stood up with a heavy exhale, breathing hard as he walked straight toward the door.

Like a defeated wild dog.

"Hey! Old Hu, where'd that badass swagger from yesterday go? The one where you were waving your hand and ruling the world? Where'd it go?" Old Bai's booming voice delivered a perfectly timed finishing blow.

Hu Guangyi suddenly stopped in his tracks. He gave two cold laughs and put on a calm and collected expression. "Old Bai, the wheel always turns. You people..."

"Get the hell out already!" Old Bai cut him off sharply.