The Sweetest Marriage Ch.268

Chapter 268 – Shareholders’ Meeting

“I’ve finished it,” Chen Li said to the two relatives on the sofa.

Chen Yunlan and Grandfather Qu finished their conversation and walked over to Chen Li. Their gaze fell upon the painting Chen Li had just completed, revealing a stunning expression.

It was undeniably an ordinary, even mundane, picture. But when painted by Chen Li, it seemed as though it had been endowed with a soul, possessing a power that struck directly at the heart.

“Very good!” Grandfather Qu observed the painting, expressing his admiration with three consecutive words, overflowing with delight.

Chen Yunlan also looked at the painting with great satisfaction. In fact, during these past few days together, he realized that not only had his son entirely inherited his talent but had even surpassed him in terms of creativity and emotional control over the art.

Chen Yunlan was immensely proud. His son was indeed outstanding!

Of course, Grandfather Qu was also proud. After spending the day together, Grandfather Qu found everything about Chen Li exceptional. Seeing this painting now only heightened his sense of pride. ‘Look, this is my grandson, so talented!’

Chen Li could see from Grandfather Qu’s expression how much he admired the painting. So, he took it from the easel and handed it to Grandfather Qu, smiling, “Grandpa, this is for you.”

Grandfather Qu joyfully took the painting. He planned to have it framed by the best framer in the capital before leaving.

This painting was different from the previous one. The previous painting was bought with money, but this one was a gift from his grandson. Although both were worth treasuring, the meaning of this painting to Grandfather Qu was incomparable.

Wei Chen walked in and witnessed this heartwarming scene. Whether Grandfather Qu or Chen Yunlan, their love for Chen Li was evident on their faces. It was a kind of affection that wished to give him the best in the world. Wei didn’t think this love was excessive at all. His Li Li was the best in the world and deserved to be loved this way.

Wei Chen walked over to Chen Li, ruffled his soft hair, and said, “I’ve already bought the tickets. The plane is scheduled to leave at noon the day after tomorrow.”

Chen Li nodded.

Chen Li’s unborn child was truly a resilient baby. If it were anyone else, falling down the stairs during pregnancy would likely lead to a miscarriage. However, Chen Li’s baby not only survived but also recovered remarkably quickly. When Wang Kaiji came to check on Chen Li’s condition, he couldn’t believe what he saw.

“So soon?” Grandfather Qu evidently couldn’t accept that Chen Li was leaving for abroad so early. He wanted to spend more time with Chen Li.

“Grandfather, Achen and I will come back with the baby to visit you,” Chen Li reassured Grandfather Qu earnestly.

Grandfather Qu felt like his heart was melting, imitating Wei Chen’s gesture to rub Chen Li’s head. Unexpectedly, it felt comforting, and he almost didn’t want to stop.

“Alright, Grandpa will wait for your return,” Grandfather Qu said with a beaming smile, radiating an expression full of affection.

*

After Chen Yunsheng left the ward, he inquired along the way and finally discovered the reason for Chen Yunlan’s presence at the hospital: Chen Li was admitted, and Chen Yunlan came to visit him.

Have Chen Li and Chen Yunlan possibly recognized each other? Chen Yunsheng speculated in his mind as he walked toward Chen Li’s ward that he was directed to.

Chen Li was not in the high-end ward at Ci’en Hospital. Instead, he was in a special room, not sharing space with others, positioned in the middle section of the hospital’s inpatient department.

As Chen Yunsheng made his way, just as he neared Chen Li’s ward door, he saw someone exiting. When he recognized the person’s face, Chen Yunsheng was left utterly stunned.

Qu… Mr. Qu!

Chen Yunsheng thought he might be mistaken, but even after rubbing his eyes, it was still Mr. Qu.

Why was Mr. Qu here? What was his relationship with Chen Li? Countless questions surged within Chen Yunsheng, desperately seeking immediate answers.

Naturally, Chen Yunsheng wouldn’t foolishly approach and inquire. He pretended to be looking at the hospital’s promotional boards but kept glancing towards Chen Li’s room from the corner of his eye. Then, he saw Chen Li and Wei Chen come out and bid farewell to Mr. Qu with a gesture.

“Grandpa, goodbye, see you tomorrow,” Chen Li said to Mr. Qu.

Mr. Qu affectionately waved back, “Xiao Li, see you tomorrow.”

Later, escorted by bodyguards, Mr. Qu left discreetly, while Chen Li and Wei Chen returned to the ward, closing the door behind them.

Chen Yunsheng stood outside the corridor, stunned and motionless. Everything that just happened struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely dazed. So much so that he didn’t notice Wei Chen’s icy gaze when he returned to the ward.

It felt like an eternity before Chen Yunsheng snapped out of the shock. However, what he had just learned lingered in his mind, crackling like firecrackers.

Was Chen Li Mr. Qu’s grandson?

So, was that Qu Ran from back then Mr. Qu’s son?

How could that be possible? Wasn’t Qu Ran just a homeless fool? How could he be the son of the esteemed Mr. Qu?

However, everything he had just witnessed felt like a merciless slap, brutally striking Chen Yunsheng’s face, leaving him utterly battered!

If Qu Ran was indeed Mr. Qu’s son and Chen Li was Mr. Qu’s grandson, what fate awaited the Chens once Mr. Qu understood the past? How they treated Qu Ran, and how they treated Chen Li — what would await the Chen family?

Although Mr. Qu had stepped down many years ago, others might not know, but Chen Yunsheng did. The person currently sitting at the highest position was the one Mr. Qu had raised from the ground up, and he held the utmost respect for Mr. Qu!

Chen Yunsheng’s legs suddenly turned weak because he knew that if Mr. Qu truly sought revenge for Qu Ran and Chen Li, with Mr. Qu’s status, the Chen family in Beijing would definitely not stand a chance against Mr. Qu. If they clashed with Mr. Qu, the Chen family in Shanghai would have no place to stand.

Trembling, Chen Yunsheng took out his phone, intending to call Chen Shihuai to notify him of this news. However, he received a call beforehand from Chen Yunqi, whom he had asked to help release Chen Qing from the police station.

“Hello, Yunqi,” Chen Yunsheng tried to control all his emotions. He couldn’t let them know about the connection between Chen Li and the Qu family. If they found out, the Chen family in Shanghai would immediately be abandoned, leaving no time for any response, and the Chen family in Shanghai would be in danger!

Chen Yunqi’s voice was heavy. “Who did Chen Qing manage to offend this time?”

“What’s wrong?” Chen Yunsheng had already guessed it was the Qu family’s doing but pretended to be unaware.

“Someone at the top directly ordered to thoroughly investigate Chen Qing’s affairs, and this time, it’s not something that can be solved easily!” Chen Yunqi said, showing some impatience, which was rare for his demeanor.

“Ah! How could this happen?” Chen Yunsheng expressed his surprise.

“I also want to know how you managed to get him into trouble with someone at that level. He has provoked someone up there!” Chen Yunqi suppressed the urge to curse out loud. The Chen family couldn’t confront that person directly now, but Chen Qing had foolishly offended someone at that level!

“What should we do? Can’t Chen Qing get out?” Only now did Chen Yunsheng realize this problem. If Chen Qing was truly arrested and sentenced, what would become of the Chen family? Chen Qing was the only one of the Chen family’s current generation!

“I don’t know either. Sort this out yourselves,” Chen Yunqi said and promptly ended the call.

Chen Yunsheng stared at his phone, feeling an immense panic sweep over him, causing him to slump to the ground. When he collected himself, he immediately called Chen Shihuai, but Chen Shihuai didn’t pick up the call.

Why didn’t Chen Shihuai answer the phone? Because he was also in a state of great distress at the moment.

The Shanghai branch of the Chen family suddenly called for an emergency shareholders’ meeting, stating the intention to remove him from the position of chairman.

For Chen Shihuai, this was a bolt from the blue. How could anyone possess over thirty percent of the shares, enough to convene a shareholders’ meeting?

However, regardless of Chen Shihuai’s suspicions, the shareholders’ meeting proceeded.

When he arrived at the company, Chen Shihuai realized significant changes among the shareholders. Several familiar faces were missing from this shareholder meeting, and no new individuals had filled those vacancies. This implied that someone had bought out the stocks held by these absent shareholders, and it was the same person for all of them!

Observing this situation, Chen Shihuai felt anxious and had an ominous premonition engulfing his entire body. He took his usual seat, but shortly after, a young man entered the room.

This young man had an unassuming appearance, seemingly harmless. However, the first words out of his mouth were designed to displace Chen Shihuai from his position as the chairman, asserting his authority directly.

This immediately infuriated Chen Shihuai. He glared at the young man, “What? You haven’t even grown a full beard, yet you’re pretending to be an adult? Be careful not to act bigger than you are and end up with nothing.”

The young man smiled, “Chairman Chen… or rather, former Chairman Chen. If you don’t want to leave, it’s okay. Let’s proceed with the meeting now.”

“I’m the proxy holder, representing 45% of the Chen Corporation’s shares. That means I have the most significant stake now. I intend to remove Chen Shihuai from the position of chairman. What do you all think?” The young man no longer paid attention to Chen Shihuai but turned to the shareholders present.

The moment the figure “45%” was mentioned, it caused an uproar in the entire office. Even Chen Shihuai found it hard to believe and was completely clueless about where this young man acquired a 45% stake.

The young man, disregarding the astonishment of the people present, proceeded to call for the shareholders’ votes.

Although the number of supporting shareholders wasn’t high, their combined shares amounted to precisely 6%, not a fraction more or less.

With the young man’s 45% stake added, it amounted to 51%, leaving Chen Shihuai no room to maneuver. He could only concede his position as the chairman.

From the moment Chen Shihuai entered the conference room until now, he only uttered one sentence to the young man. Then, his tenure as the chairman was lost. The overwhelming frustration caused him to cough up blood and ultimately collapse, losing consciousness.

Oh, he fainted from anger again.

The sudden change in the Chen Corporation’s chairman spread throughout Shanghai within half a day, and naturally, Grandfather Wei also received this news.

While everyone speculated on who might have taken over the Chen Corp., Grandfather Wei had a premonition in his heart. He felt that this affair was orchestrated by Wei Chen, his grandson.

In retaliation against the Chen family for Chen Li, Wei Chen used a tactic to show Grandfather Wei that if he could easily snatch the position of the chairman from the Chen family, he could also easily remove the head of the Wei family.

After contemplating, Grandfather Wei eventually dialed Wei Chen’s number for confirmation.

Wei Chen did not refuse Grandfather Wei’s call and even admitted in their conversation that he was indeed responsible for the change in leadership within the Chen Corporation in Shanghai.

During the call, Wei Chen maintained a cold and emotionless tone. Any sense of grandson’s respect for his grandfather had almost disappeared due to Grandfather Wei’s continual friction with Wei Chen.

Upon ending the call with Wei Chen, Grandfather Wei was furious and immediately threw his phone.

However, he soon regained his composure. If Wei Chen wanted to play games, as a grandfather, he was willing to accompany him to the end. He was curious to see how Wei Chen would take the Wei Corporation away from him.

Grandfather Wei sat back in his chair, holding the armrests, squinting his eyes, emanating a sly and cunning look.

Housekeeper Zhang stood behind Old Master Wei, observing and understanding that this time, Old Master Wei might not win against Young Master Chen. After all, Old Master Wei didn’t realize that he had already compromised a lot in front of Young Master Chen.

Housekeeper Zhang had a premonition that if this continued, Old Master Wei would ultimately lose quite miserably. It was because the Old Master had committed a grave mistake – he failed to look at the problem with a developmental perspective and continued to perceive Young Master Chen as he was in the past.

However, Housekeeper Zhang refrained from revealing this insight. He believed that Old Master Wei needed to realize this on his own.

As the saying goes, an onlooker sees more of the game. Old Master Wei and Housekeeper Zhang were in this state. However, with age, people tend to become obstinate and overly confident in their abilities.

Old Master Wei had reached this state. He believed that his several decades of experience exceeded Wei Chen’s, thinking his methods were far superior. He assumed that ultimately controlling Wei Chen would be effortless.

Housekeeper Zhang understood this but chose not to reveal it. He knew Old Master Wei wouldn’t listen to his advice, and it might lead Old Master Wei to doubt him, causing more harm than good.

In the end, Old Master Wei would have to pay the price for his obstinacy.

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