All seemed tranquil on the surface, but underneath the calm waters, a fierce undercurrent swirled.
Zhao Shuqin had self-imposed exile in M country for many years, and essentially, she had not had too much to abandon; she lived without worry for food or clothing, and her ambition was boundless.
It was only after returning here that she began to recall the events of those years—right and wrong were ambiguous even to her, yet deep down, she felt that the root of all events lay in the fault of Xi Nian’s father—if only he hadn’t chosen the wrong person...
If not for that incident, who could say for sure?
She sighed, and the chaos in her eyes suddenly cleared; her objective was to completely seize control of Huanya in her own hands.
The first step to usurping power.
Truth be told, she never really wanted Xi Gu as a son—as he was utterly useless to her.
Everything was proceeding according to her plan; each step was carried out with utmost caution and precision, and over the years, she seldom made mistakes.
Once again, at Huanya’s shareholder meeting, the shareholder with an eight-eighth share still refused to budge, and Zhao Shuqin played her trump card.
"Does everyone know about MISS Qin?"
The suddenly enlightened shareholders looked at her, "The globally renowned philanthropist?"
Why bring her up all of a sudden?
That philanthropist had always d to children around the world and had established a foundation for caring for children; each year, she dispersed a notable sum of money, but what did this have to do with the current shareholders’ meeting of Huanya?
Many shareholders connected the dots to Zhao Shuqin at the head of the table, their faces filled with disbelief. The shareholder with the most shares leisurely turned his gaze upon meeting Zhao Shuqin’s returning look and hummed, "Don’t tell me, you’re saying that philanthropist is you?"
No wonder he was skeptical; in his heart, Zhao Shuqin was ruthless, without any principles or bottom line. A philanthropist—even if it was truly her—would certainly have an ulterior motive behind it.
After all, he did not trust this Ms. Zhao.
Even though almost the entirety of Huanya was under her control.
Zhao Shuqin, "Yes, it’s me."
This was an outcome that no one had expected. Huanya’s current less renowned state compared to Diyang was precisely due to the lack of a strong positive image; although Huanya was no less powerful, their image was divided. If Zhao Shuqin were to disclose her identity, international influence over Huanya would inevitably rise substantially.
Zhao Shuqin scanned the circle of expressions before continuing, "I disclose this not to pressure you all but because I believe that shareholders who ultimately stay are those who truly care about Huanya;
I’ve thought about it for a long time, and if shareholders are unwilling to sell their shares, it’s not a big problem, as long as you support my reforms of Huanya. With this trump card revealed, I hope you all can have a bit more confidence in me."
After the meeting ended, the shareholder with the most shares was surrounded by numerous minor shareholders, undecided for the moment. They all wanted to know how the major shareholder would choose first, then they would assess the value of their own shares accordingly.
Truthfully, they missed the way Xi Nian managed things back when he was around.
Zhao Shuqin might seem soft, but in reality, she was putting veiled pressure on them; they were all men in their forties, and although the person they faced was of a similar age, the complete disregard for face made them unhappy.
The major shareholder hummed, "Wait, I believe Mr. Xiaoxi is fine and does not need our support."
The minor shareholders were somewhat troubled.
The major shareholder looked over, his gaze cold, "What, have all the vows you made following Mr. Xiaoxi gone to the dogs?"
"It’s not that, since you’ve said so, then let us consider it further."
News from within Huanya spread swiftly through others’ mouths to Bo Yan’s ears. He discussed the matter with Yuran, who chuckled, "Right now, what I’m more curious about is what role Zhao Shuqin played in the incident of our disappearance and my parents’ death. If her ultimate goal is to take over the Xi enterprise, then she’s incredibly patient. For so many years, such endurance wouldn’t have been easy for anyone."
Indeed, it was terrifying.
How much patience and fortitude must one possess to carry a plan for so many years?
Bo Yan embraced her and reassured, "Don’t worry, at least now everything is under control. Perhaps later, Xi Nian will tell you about it."
"Yes, he must. If he doesn’t tell me, what if I lose control at the scene?"
Though her statement was an exaggeration, it was indeed the case.
Bo Yan understood and took the opportunity to share some news, "Yinchao and Fu Bairan are doing quite well in an old district in D city."
To Yuran, his ’doing quite well’ seemed a gross misunderstanding. Upon learning the whereabouts of those two, Yuran was also surprised. After all these years, it turned out they were right under their noses—the most dangerous place often proved to be the safest.
She chuckled, "I would like to meet with those two and simply ask them how much their involvement in my near-death relates to Xi Gu and his mother and what benefits they had reaped to so easily disregard a life?"
"There will be a chance. As soon as the time is right, I’ll arrange for them to be brought back to the country, so you can confront them face to face," he promised.
Yuran nodded, "Good, what about the preparations on my brother’s side? When will it start?"
"Soon. ’Miss Rose’ will catch up with the progress of ’City of Temptation’ at the fastest speed and release simultaneously. This act can hit Xi Nian’s enterprise hard and is the best strategy against Xi Nian, even though his current status is uncertain. But they have never given up; they are extremely concerned about the Xi Nian situation and have constantly been sending people to gather information about him. Today, the two might visit the hospital."
Yuran scoffed, "How much time has passed before they decide to visit the patient, isn’t that gross?"
"They are doing exactly that to disgust you. On one hand, they clear themselves of any involvement, and on the other, they ensure that Xi Nian is indeed in a difficult situation to rescue."
"What if they decide to bring Xi Nian home for recuperation?"
"He won’t be moved." Bo Yan stated, "If they make any move, Xi Nian will die, and if they dare to act rashly, they definitely don’t care about their reputation. People like them, do they not care about their reputation? Impossible."
It was true, so from the very beginning, Bo Yan and his team had calculated countless possibilities.
And now, these preemptively set possibilities were perfectly resolving all the issues they faced—just right.
If ’Miss Rose’ were to catch up in production time, then it wouldn’t require much time, after all, Huanya was currently channeling all its resources towards the movie. Other projects received much less, therefore, it would undoubtedly catch up with ’City of Temptation’s release time to compete head-to-head.