"He can really hold his own!" Su Chen scrolled through the news, seeing the financial crisis of the Lu Group accompanied by a blazing "hot" tag. He couldn't help but click and marvel.
"If he didn't have this kind of grit, how could he have propelled the Lu family to such heights!" Su Ying sat elegantly on the sofa, sipping her coffee. "This strategy of playing the long game to catch a big fish is quite well executed! Watching those clowns dance around is rather amusing!"
"From what I know, the Lu Group's market value has evaporated by over a billion." Su Chen frowned slightly.
"A billion or so means nothing to him. The birthday gift he gave Su Su was worth more than that!" Su Ying made no secret of her admiration for Lu Yanbei.
Su Chen glanced at her. Indeed, money was a powerful tool.
Of Su He's previous suitors, not a single one had met her approval.
"When does he plan to reel in the net?" he asked.
"Probably soon." Su Ying wasn't entirely sure. However, she was confident Lu Yanbei would not let the Lu Group collapse. The preceding events were all a show. She felt they were nearing a tipping point, and he would act any moment.
Su Chen's thoughts were similar.
Someone like Lu Yanbei would never let himself suffer a loss. On the surface, the Lu Group's market value had shrunk, but it hadn't reached a point where the company couldn't operate.
The next day, those hiding in the shadows began to gloat, eager to swagger into the Lu Group. Under the guise of shareholders, they demanded an extraordinary board meeting, intending to seize control of the company's management.
Among them were the third young master Qi from the Qi family and Tang Ren from the Tang family.
The two, impeccably dressed in suits, appeared at the Lu Group's headquarters, causing quite a stir.
"Can we get in touch with CEO Lu? If he doesn't come to the company soon, the Lu Group might have to change its name!"
"Alas, I really regret not selling my shares earlier. Now, selling them would mean losing tens of thousands!"
"If the company really gets new leadership, will our positions be safe?"
The company employees were distracted from their work, all hoping for a miracle.
Cheng Jue remained at the company, relaying orders from above.
Third Young Master Qi and Tang Ren headed directly to the conference room upon reaching the office area. They had contacted many company shareholders and appeared confident.
After counting heads, Third Young Master Qi couldn't help but frown. "Didn't that Mr. Liang say he was coming? Why isn't he here yet?"
The Mr. Liang he referred to was the mysterious shareholder who owned twenty percent of Lu's shares. When Lu's stock plummeted, this Mr. Liang seized the opportunity to buy in, rising to become the company's second-largest shareholder.
Combined with the shares held by them, their holdings would surpass Lu Yanbei's thirty-five percent. After obtaining Mr. Liang's contact information, they had spent considerable effort to win him over and reach a consensus.
Today, their purpose was to oust Lu Yanbei from his position as chairman and replace the heads of key departments with their own people.
But they waited and waited, and Mr. Liang never appeared.
"Could he have decided not to come?" Tang Ren whispered, lowering his voice.
"With that person's ambition, he absolutely wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity," Third Young Master Qi said after a moment of silence.
"But it's almost nine o'clock..."
"Maybe he's stuck in traffic. I'll call him."
With that, Third Young Master Qi stood up and walked to the window.
The call was soon connected, and the distinct sound of car horns could be heard on the other end. "Mr. Liang, have you arrived?"
"On my way," the other party's voice was deep, making it difficult to ascertain his age.
Upon hearing this, Third Young Master Qi was overjoyed. "Good, then we'll wait for you."
He used the respectful "you," his tone extremely courteous.
But then again, it made sense. Having finally roped in someone who could oppose the Lu family, how could he afford to be impolite?
Twenty minutes later, a black Rolls-Royce slowly glided into the Lu Group's underground parking garage.
"CEO Lu." Cheng Jue personally went down to meet him.
Lu Yanbei stretched his long legs as he stepped out of the back seat. He wore a long wool coat over a black cashmere sweater, exuding casual elegance and an imposing aura.
Lu Yanbei took the private elevator directly to the executive floors, where several high-level executives were already waiting at the elevator doors to greet him.
Seeing the situation unfold, Tang Ren nudged Third Young Master Qi. "I have a strange feeling about this. Are you sure everything is arranged perfectly, without any loose ends?"
"Boss Tang, you don't trust me?" Third Young Master Qi couldn't tolerate such doubt, his expression darkening slightly.
Tang Ren forced a smile, a sheepish grin. "Of course not. I just feel something is a bit off, and I fear a sudden turn of events..."
As they were whispering to each other, the conference room door was pushed open from the outside, and Lu Yanbei entered, flanked by a group of men in suits.
His appearance caused many in the conference room to change color.
"Mr. Lu... Mr. Lu..."
Lu Yanbei remained silent and walked directly to one end of the conference table.
That was his designated seat.
"Excuse us, please make way." Before Lu Yanbei could give the order, Cheng Jue stepped forward, tapped the table, and gestured for Third Young Master Qi to stand.
Third Young Master Qi's face went through a series of changes upon seeing Lu Yanbei.
His hands clenched into fists as he tried hard to control his emotions. "So it's CEO Lu! I thought you were too ill to even get out of bed!"
Lu Yanbei kept one hand in his pocket, offering no response, his expression stern.
Clearly, he had no intention of showing courtesy.
Everyone in the room was a shrewd individual. Seeing this scene, their internal scales began to waver. Were the rumors false? Looking at Lu Yanbei's demeanor, he hardly seemed gravely ill!
Had they been deceived?
Thinking about the things they had done behind the scenes, many broke out in a cold sweat.
Lu Yanbei's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Third Young Master Qi. The self-proclaimed battle-hardened and notoriously ruthless Third Young Master Qi met Lu Yanbei's indifferent, icy eyes and felt a shiver run down his spine. After no more than three seconds, he uncomfortably stood up, vacated his seat, and moved to an empty chair on the right.
Lu Yanbei didn't immediately take his seat. Instead, he instructed Cheng Jue to discard the chair Third Young Master Qi had used and bring in a new one.
Seeing his actions, Third Young Master Qi's face turned crimson with anger.
He was clearly that disgusted by him!
Lu Yanbei ignored him, tapped the table, and began the meeting.
"Wait, not everyone has arrived yet," Tang Ren, unable to contain himself and sensing trouble, interrupted.
Lu Yanbei glanced at him and delivered a harsh truth. "There's no need to wait."
"The company's second-largest shareholder, Mr. Liang, isn't here..." Tang Ren said in exasperation. If they continued like this, they would be the ones to suffer!
Third Young Master Qi, having grown up in a prominent family and experienced countless grand occasions, understood the situation now. If he still didn't grasp what was happening, then his years of maneuvering had been in vain!
Lu Yanbei's sudden appearance at the group's headquarters, coupled with Mr. Liang's tardiness, either meant they had reached some private agreement and colluded, or that the so-called Mr. Liang was actually working for Lu Yanbei!
They had been played for fools!