Chapter 44 Hong Yuting’s Despair
Hong Tianming and his family were completely powerless; it was a classic case of being too clever by half, and in the end, they had lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet.
Shen Minghua seemed to suddenly remember something else, adding, "Oh right, about that estate of yours, the Hong Family, it’s under investigation too. Of course, you may continue to live there for the time being, but please remember not to destroy anything or try to subvert the process!"
"Once everything is clarified, someone from the board will come to take over the house!"
"Additionally, Hong Qingyan, as the acting president, I need you to come with me to the group now. The board needs you to go through the handover procedures, I’ll wait for you outside!"
After finishing his statement, Shen Minghua walked out without looking back, radiating an air of utter satisfaction.
He had every reason to be satisfied, as he had bided his time for ten years, restraining himself with great effort for this day. Fortunately, heaven rewards the diligent, and he had finally succeeded.
Hong Qingyan was equally at a loss. She never expected that after her grandfather became critically ill, the Hong Family would suffer one catastrophe after another. As an acting president in name, she truly had little capability to handle affairs. At the moment, her heart was in complete chaos.
After quite some time, Hong Tianming finally let out a long sigh, "Let it be, we shouldn’t blame anyone else. If we are to blame, it’s for our own stupidity. My father was right; we are just like a pool of mud, unable to stick to the wall!"
"Qingyan, go to the group and take care of the handover with the board. In the world of business, when you lose, you lose!"
Hong Yuting bit her lip and shrieked fiercely, "No, we may not necessarily lose. I am beautiful, and I’ll go to Young Master Jiang right now, hoping he can help us. If he agrees, I believe the board will certainly show him some respect given the strength of the Jiang Family. As long as there is one director with more than five percent of the shares supporting us, we have a chance."
Ye Feng heard this and couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly, thinking they were still deluding themselves, still really thinking that her beauty was unparalleled?
Zhang Yuman also said, "Yu Ting is right. Young Master Jiang had a good impression of you last night. He will definitely help, call him now."
Hong Yuting immediately took out her phone, perhaps to show off, she put the call on speakerphone right in the hospital room.
The call connected quickly, and Young Master Jiang’s slightly irritated voice came through, "Who is this?"
Hong Yuting replied with a smile, "Hello, Young Master Jiang, this is Hong Yuting."
"Hong Yuting? Which Hong Yuting?" Young Master Jiang asked.
Upon hearing this, Hong Yuting’s heart sank. To think that after all the flirting she had done yesterday, he didn’t even remember her name.
"Hong Yuting of the Hong Family of Jiangdu, we met at the banquet last night, Young Master Jiang, do you remember now? Oh, and I’m calling today to ask for your help with something..."
Before Hong Yuting could finish, Jiang Tianlong on the other end of the line roared impatiently, "Don’t mention last night’s banquet to me! The Hong Family, is it? Your damn son-in-law who came knocking at your door broke five of my fingers last night, and I haven’t even settled the score with you yet, and you expect me to help?"
"Do you think you’re so beautiful that I’d fall for you, coming from a third or fourth-level family? Let me tell you, even if I were interested, it would just be for fun. Wait and see, my Jiang Family will deal with your Hong Family sooner or later!"
With that, Jiang Tianlong hung up the phone with a snap.
Hong Yuting stood there, trembling with rage, as if she had lost her soul, because the appearance and charm she had taken such pride in seemed utterly worthless in the eyes of others. She had always dreamed of marrying into a great household in the Southern River Region Jiangnan Province, but it had all been an illusion.
At that moment, even the usually self-assured Zhang Yuman didn’t know what to say.
Hong Qingyan turned to Ye Feng and asked, "Big Brother Ye, given the current situation, should I still go to the group?"
Ye Feng replied with a smile, "Of course you should."
"But I’m a bit scared..."
"Don’t worry, with me here, there’s no need to be afraid. I guarantee that no one else will cheat you out of what belongs to you and your grandfather," Ye Feng’s tone was firm.
For some reason, seeing the confidence on Ye Feng’s face made Hong Qingyan feel less panicked. Her heart settled down surprisingly peacefully, as if Ye Feng’s support behind her meant she no longer needed to feel lost or bewildered.
Hong Yuting seemed to have regained her composure and sneered coldly, "The things that belong to her, no one else can take away, you guarantee as her husband who’s come knocking. What can you guarantee? Now, our Hong Family is done for, are you saying you still have a way to take it all back?"
Hong Qingyan grew angry, and she, who usually spoke little and disliked arguing, unexpectedly lashed out at Hong Yuting, "The Hong Family is doomed because of your foolishness, not his. Don’t keep calling him useless. Big Brother Ye’s legs are broken, but tell me, what has he done wrong all this time that you mock him again and again."
"Now, you’ve messed up the group, and you still blame him. Do you have no shame?"
"You... you wretched creature, a wild child the Hong Family picked up, dare to challenge us, do you think you have the right?" Hong Yuting shouted.
"True, I was adopted by grandfather, but that’s a hundred times better than you, who only knows how to flirt and flaunt yourself. You think you’re so self-assured. I tell you, without grandfather to back you up, with your mannerisms, you’d just be brothel material in ancient times."
"Let’s go, Big Brother Ye!" After letting all that out, Hong Qingyan immediately pushed Ye Feng out of the hospital room, leaving Hong Yuting and the others dumbfounded in their spot.
They could never have imagined that this usually quiet and tolerant girl, a wild child that had been picked up, would explode like this today, and her words were so sharp.
Once outside the hospital room, Hong Qingyan couldn’t go on any longer, leaning heavily against the door frame and gasping for air, her face already ashen, with cold sweat breaking out.
She was not good with words and was extremely frail. Today’s argument had taken almost all the strength from her body.
Seeing her like this, Ye Feng suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness.
Hong Qingyan took a couple of deep breaths, managing a smile, "Don’t worry, Big Brother Ye, I’m not as weak as you think. Let’s go."
Ye Feng nodded and then turned to look at Seventeen, his voice grave, "Have you prepared everything I asked you to over these past days?"
Seventeen bowed and replied, "Rest assured, my lord, everything has been prepared well in advance."
The group soon set off and, after circumventing a large part of Jiangdu City, finally arrived at the Hongtian Group building. This was Ye Feng’s first visit to the Hong Family Group headquarters; it looked quite grand, truly befitting a powerful corporation in Jiangdu.
Without facing any obstacles, Ye Feng and the others went straight inside.
"Miss Hong, President Shen is already waiting for you in the boardroom. He is requesting your presence now!" a lobby receptionist approached and said.
Ye Feng asked, "Have all the other board members arrived?"
The receptionist replied, "Today is the general meeting of shareholders and directors, they should naturally be in attendance. Please, go on up, and don’t let President Shen wait too long."
Ye Feng nodded without saying more and then accompanied Hong Qingyan straight to the top floor.
At the door of the boardroom on the top floor stood two bodyguards in suits and sunglasses, looking imposing and formidable.
"I’m sorry, this is a board meeting; only Miss Hong may enter. The rest of you, please wait outside!" The bodyguards stretched out their hands to stop them.
"Seventeen!" Ye Feng uttered just two words. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seventeen made a move, whooshing forward like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
Then, with two thuds, the two sturdy bodyguards were lying on the ground, clutching their abdomens, lacking even the strength to stand up.
The door was pushed open, Ye Feng sat in a wheelchair, and Hong Qingyan pushed the chair, slowly entering the boardroom.
Around the boardroom’s round table sat over a dozen directors and shareholders. Shen Minghua sat at the head, and upon seeing the two enter, he leapt to his feet.
"Ye, you dare intrude into the corporate boardroom; you’ve got some nerve!" Shen Minghua bellowed and then turned to introduce Ye Feng to the other directors and shareholders, "Gentlemen, you might not recognize him. This wheelchair-bound cripple is the recent son-in-law of the Hong Family, named Ye Feng."
An elderly shareholder snorted, "He’s just the Hong Family’s son-in-law. Since when does he have the right to come to the boardroom? Old Hong Zhenguo has been overly indulgent with members of the Hong Family, hasn’t he?"
"Indeed, does he really think that the current boardroom is still his own private forum, that the Hongtian Group is still his Hong Family’s personal property?"
"Shen Minghua, call someone to get this cripple out immediately!"
Many of the old shareholders in the board meeting shouted and jeered; it seemed they had long been dissatisfied with Hong Zhenguo.
However, Shen Minghua scoffed and said, "Fellow shareholders, there’s actually no harm in this. This person here is the fiancé of the former acting president, Hong Qingyan. Even if he is present, he won’t affect our board meeting one bit, let alone a wheelchair-bound cripple. What kind of waves can he possibly make?"
With that said, Shen Minghua leaned down slightly, came close to Ye Feng’s ear, and whispered with a sneering laugh, "Mr. Ye, you were disrespectful to me on the night of Old Man Hong’s seventieth birthday. Today I’ll let you witness how the Hong Family falls into complete defeat!"
Ye Feng nodded and said with a smile, "Good, then I’ll wait and see."
"You won’t be disappointed!" said Shen Minghua with a cold huff as he stood straight up, cleared his throat, and called out, "Since everyone’s here, the board meeting shall now officially begin."
Shen Minghua continued, "First on the agenda, is the dismissal of the former group president Hong Zhenguo, the dismissal of the former group executive president Hong Tianming, the dismissal of the group financial manager Zhang Yuman, and the dismissal of the former acting president Hong Qingyan. Please cast your vote now!"
"I agree!"
"I second that!"
"Seconded..."
Almost all the shareholders present unanimously agreed.
A slight smile played on the corners of Shen Minghua’s mouth as he said, "With more than half of the board’s votes, the motion passes, approved!"
Shen Minghua then said, "Next on the agenda, the board proposes that Shen Minghua, myself, assumes the role of the new president of the group."
"I agree!"
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
All the boardroom shareholders raised their hands to vote. In truth, they had already colluded well before the meeting. The procedures of the meeting were merely a formality.
Seeing this, Shen Minghua couldn’t help but laugh; he had won, he truly had won.
However, Ye Feng suddenly said, "I disagree!"