The old man looked at Mr. Li and Mr. Zhao and quipped, "If you two really appreciate him, take him home and raise him as your own grandson."
Mr. Li quickly replied with a smile, "Old man, you jest. We were deceived by him before. Merchants value trust. Bai Hengyuan disregarded his agreement with you and fought for power, which is truly despicable."
Mr. Zhao nodded in agreement.
Bai Hengyuan hadn't expected Grandpa Bai to be so ruthless and only then realized the gravity of the situation. He rushed forward and knelt before him to repent.
"Grandpa, I was wrong. I shouldn't have fought my brother for power. Please give me another chance. I know I was wrong. I swear I will assist my brother in managing the Bai Corporation from now on and will never covet what is not mine."
"No need. My Bai family cannot tolerate someone who is ruthless, competitive, and resorts to any means." Grandpa Bai was resolute.
One reason was that he was still his blood relative, and the other was to instill a sense of urgency in Xiao Yan. However, after a lifetime of being shrewd, he had been pecked in the eye by a hawk and almost lost his life.
Thinking of the evidence Qiao Ci had given him, Grandpa Bai hardened his heart. "A wolf in sheep's clothing will always be ungrateful. If you have any problems, take them up with the judge." He added, "Kuai Shu Ge."
At that moment, a group of police officers entered the conference room and arrested Bai Hengyuan. "Someone has accused you of being involved in a poisoning and murder case. Please come with us."
Bai Hengyuan's face turned pale. He broke free from the police's control and knelt before Grandpa Bai. "Grandpa, I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. I was just momentarily misguided. Please give me another chance, okay? I'll get out of the Bai Corporation, I'll leave right away... Grandpa..."
Grandpa Bai closed his eyes. "Take him away. I do not have a grandson who would poison his own grandfather."
Bai Xingyan was also a bit stunned. "Grandpa, what's going on?"
"Your grandfather wasn't sick, he was poisoned." The old man looked at his grandson with some worry. In his confused state in bed, he seemed to have heard his grandson say he wanted to marry into the Qiao family.
However, now was not the time to question him. He would deal with this presumptuous brat when they got home.
He looked at the shareholders present and said earnestly, "The Bai Corporation's journey so far is inseparable from everyone's collective efforts. I can understand everyone thinking of the Bai Corporation's future.
But if there's anything I, an old man, have done poorly, please speak up, and I will try to reflect on it.
My grandson is still young. If there's anything that dissatisfies you, please be understanding and give the young people more opportunities. After all, no one is born knowing everything. I entrust Xiao Yan to your care from now on.
Since today is a shareholders' meeting, I will also participate. I, Bai Hongtao, hold ninety percent of the Bai Corporation's shares. I nominate Bai Xingyan as the CEO of the Bai Corporation. Does anyone have any objections?"
"No objections, please rest assured. We will definitely assist Xiao Yan in quickly taking over the company's affairs."
"Haha, in the future, the Bai Corporation will depend on these young people. We are all old now. Let's quickly hand over the reins to the young ones, and we can retire early..."
Bai Xingyan was dazed throughout the entire process. After everyone had left, he complained a little, "Grandpa, didn't you say you'd give me two more years..."
"Two more years? That little girl Qiao Ci is already involved in Qiao Corporation's affairs. What will you use to marry that young lady then?
As the heir of the prestigious Bai Corporation, are you really going to marry into the Qiao family and become a live-in son-in-law, living off your wife's wealth?"
Facing his grandfather's heartache, Bai Xingyan showed a smug look. "A Ci said that with her, I can live off her wealth for a lifetime!"
"You, you..." The old man was furious. He had doted on this grandson too much, making him so naive. Without comparable strength, how could he spend his life with the young lady?
After much persuasion, Grandpa Bai agreed to compromise on the matter of marrying into the family, but Bai Xingyan had to take over the Bai Corporation properly and ensure it was not inferior to Qiao Corporation.
Since taking over the Bai Corporation, Bai Xingyan had been very busy every day and had little time to see Qiao Ci, which distressed him greatly.
He finally decided to move back to Qiao Ci's place as before, so at least they could see each other and eat together every day after work.
Grandpa Bai was very satisfied with Qiao Ci. Since the two would get married sooner or later, he turned a blind eye and let Bai Xingyan pack himself up and move in.
As soon as Qiao Ci's starring role in "Legend of the Empress" aired, it caused a huge sensation. Her portrayal of the empress was overwhelmingly dominant, and her martial arts moves were comparable to any action star, winning her more fans.
Because of this film, Qiao Ci won a grand slam of awards in the entertainment industry, becoming the undisputed Best Actress, and was even called the "Empress Herself" by netizens.
Even famous foreign directors were impressed by Qiao Ci's acting skills and martial arts moves. They invited her to participate in their films several times, but Qiao Ci politely declined them all.
This was because she had to inherit the family business and focus her main energy on family enterprises. To appease her father, Qiao Ci directly announced her indefinite withdrawal from the entertainment industry.
It was a great pity for everyone to withdraw from the entertainment industry at the peak of her career, but she was going to inherit a fortune worth hundreds of billions. Everyone understood the priorities.
They just hoped she wouldn't delete her Weibo account and would occasionally post updates to let them know her whereabouts.
Taking advantage of this momentum, Sister Li quickly promoted her studio. Stars of all sizes actively sought to join, and the studio was bustling with activity. After all, with Qiao Ci and Qiao Corporation as backing, resources were definitely not a problem.
One day, as Qiao Ci was leaving work, a scrawny man blocked her path.
"Qiao Ci, it's me, Gong Han."
The man was so thin that his features were unrecognizable. Qiao Ci almost didn't recognize him at first glance.
"Is there something you need?" Qiao Ci took a few steps back, maintaining a safe distance.
"I regret it. Qiao Ci, please give me another chance. Let's start over. I'll treat you even better." Gong Han's eyes were sunken, his complexion dark, and he gazed obsessively at Qiao Ci.
"Are you serious? With your current ghastly appearance, where do you get the confidence that I'll go back to you?" Qiao Ci found it laughable. She hadn't seen any regret from him before. Now that Lin Yinyin had drained him physically, he probably couldn't even afford tonics, so he remembered his old flame?
Lin Yinyin was originally a dead person. After losing the "Best Actress System," she should have died. However, Gong Han's luck was continuously being absorbed by her, delaying her death.
Now, Lin Yinyin couldn't leave Gong Han's luck, and Gong Han couldn't leave Lin Yinyin's body, until Gong Han's luck was completely depleted.
"Besides, can you leave Lin Yinyin's body?" Qiao Ci continued.
Gong Han's head shot up, his expression filled with surprise. "How do you know? Oh, right. Lin Yinyin said she had a system before that you took away. You have a way to save me, don't you?"
He was pathologically obsessed with Lin Yinyin's body, to the point where even smelling her stench evoked an irresistible impulse.
"Gong Han, why should I help you?" Qiao Ci sneered, looking at him. "After all, I never loved you. The woman who loved you died long ago because of you."
Qiao Ci had had Xiao Shaozi restore Gong Han's memories from two lifetimes. In the first life, he and the original owner achieved a happy ending, becoming a model couple envied by everyone. Later, Gong Han directly took over Qiao Corporation, defeated Bai Corporation, and became the undisputed top conglomerate.
In the second life, Lin Yinyin was resurrected. He married Lin Yinyin and had to tolerate her dating different men outside.
And now, it was the third life.