The Art of Teasing - Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Ye Ling had seen plenty of shameless characters like these before. She didn't even raise an eyebrow, merely sweeping a derisive half-smile across their faces. "Made up your minds? Are you selling or not?" She offered one more warning: "There's no such thing as regret medicine in this world."

The four directors, emboldened by the three-year contract Vice Chairman Xu had just signed, refused to sell.

Director Jin resumed his leisurely demeanor and drawled, "Chairman Ye, whether or not to sell our shares is our freedom."

Ye Ling smiled, then couldn't be bothered to engage with them further. She continued her discussion with Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang regarding the content to be published for the shareholders' meeting, as well as personnel and shareholding changes within subsidiary companies. For enterprises that weren't profitable and operated in industries with poor development momentum, they needed to consider selling the company's shares and reinvesting the capital into other profitable ventures. However, the matters she was considering now were solely divestment and sales; as for investment opportunities, those weren't something that could be conjured up through a discussion in the office.

While they discussed business here, the four shareholders sat on the sidelines listening. Before long, Director Jin spoke again. "These are all trade secrets that only shareholders of our group have the right to access. Chairman Ye, not only is this Miss Wen of yours listening in, she's also taking notes. Who will bear the responsibility if she leaks these secrets?"

Seeing their relentless targeting of Wen Zhengyu, Ye Ling was finally incited to genuine anger. If she didn't take them seriously, they only became more brazen. She cast a glacial glare over them and declared, "I'll lay it out plain and simple right here. It's either you in this group corporation, or me. You will not have both! Decide for yourselves whether you sell your shares and leave on your own, or if you'd prefer to wait for me to make my move." With that, she turned back to her discussion with Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang.

Wen Zhengyu understood they were deliberately picking fault, trying to make trouble for Ye Ling. Seeing the expression on Ye Ling's face, she knew Ye Ling was truly furious. She really couldn't fathom it—wasn't it good for these people to simply be making money in peace? Why insist on mortally offending the very person who was generating that wealth for them?

Director Zhao tugged at Director Jin's sleeve and whispered, "Let's hear what they're saying first." He shot Director Jin a meaningful glance and murmured into his ear, "A ready-made leak suspect." His gaze swept over Wen Zhengyu with ill intent.

Director Jin flashed an understanding smirk. They would ensnare Ye Ling's little lover. Judging by how much Ye Ling doted on her, they wouldn't need to worry about Ye Ling refusing to release her shares when the time came. The group raked in so much profit every year, yet the four of them combined earned less than even one of their counterparts, while Ye Ling alone appropriated over forty percent. She was absent from the company for months at a time, and even when she did show up, it was only for a few days each month. Yet she still siphoned away this much money every year—it was simply outrageous.

While Ye Ling, Vice Chairman Xu, and General Manager Zhang were immersed in their discussions, Director Jin and his allies were ceaselessly clacking away at their own abacuses of self-interest. A knock sounded at the door. Secretary Chen pushed open the meeting room door and announced, "Chairman Ye, a call just came in from the front desk. CEO Lian is here to see you."

Ye Ling gave a slight nod and asked, "So, gentlemen, are you selling your shares or not?"

Director Jin said, "Of course we're not selling."

A faint smile played on Ye Ling's lips. She instructed Secretary Chen, "Please show him to my office to wait. I'll be there shortly."

Secretary Chen replied, "Yes, ma'am," and left, closing the door behind her.

Less than five minutes later, the office door was tapped lightly, then pushed open immediately. Lian Xin appeared in the doorway and asked, "What kind of spectacle is this you're putting on?"

Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang both rose to their feet at once, greeting him with exceptional enthusiasm: "CEO Lian!" They beckoned him to come over and sit.

Lian Xin exchanged greetings with Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang, then looked Wen Zhengyu up and down before moving to her side. "What's the situation?" he asked.

Wen Zhengyu shot Lian Xin a helpless look. "I was planning to approach you to borrow money to buy out these four directors' shares. But now they're refusing to sell."

Lian Xin immediately grasped the situation. Any scenario that could cause shareholders to argue during a shareholders' meeting and involve the buying and selling of shares could only be about one thing. He said, "Then I won't disturb your meeting any longer." Turning to Ye Ling, he added, "I'll wait for you in your office. I have a project I'd like to discuss—let me know if you're interested." As he finished, he ruffled Wen Zhengyu's hair, tousling its glossy black, soft length, then deftly withdrew his hand a split second before the fountain pen in Ye Ling's grip could spear it, and strode out.

Wen Zhengyu, her face expressionless, smoothed her hair back into place.

Ye Ling called after Lian Xin, "What kind of affliction is that?"

Lian Xin merely waved backward over his head without looking back as he exited the meeting room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Director Jin and the others didn't recognize Lian Xin, but Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang's exceptionally warm attitude, coupled with Lian Xin's attire, all signaled that this man was either extravagantly wealthy or highly positioned. They speculated he might be the head of some major corporation. The way he acted, he also seemed to have some ambiguous, undefined relationship with Wen Zhengyu—why else would he be so physically familiar, taking such liberties?

His casually intimate gesture sparked a fresh round of lascivious speculation. When they looked at Ye Ling again, they all imagined a nice green patch of grass was sprouting on Ye Ling's head.

Both Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang understood that Ye Ling had been truly provoked by these four this time and had resolved to act. The contents of this year's shareholder meeting report were as comprehensive as always, yet the overall posture of the group was one of consolidation. Beyond the few projects already in operation and those newly secured, there was absolutely no plan to develop new markets or ventures. Several companies and shareholdings that hovered on the borderline between saleable and unsellable had all been marked by Ye Ling under the category of insufficient profitability for divestment. The signal this divestment sent was unmistakable—Ye Ling was going to withdraw her capital.

When the largest shareholder plans to withdraw capital, it means the entire group is about to face a massive upheaval.

Whether a group can be profitable hinges on just two factors: capital and the ability to secure projects. Ye Ling was unorthodox in her methods. She never lacked for projects nor investors. If she chose to withdraw her capital, it would trigger a seismic shock that would convulse the entire group from top to bottom.

Ye Ling's words and actions were never as reckless and capricious as those four shareholders' impulsive spouting.

Once Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang perceived the true direction of Ye Ling's intent, they understood that any attempt to dissuade her at this point was futile. They said little else, simply finalizing the documents for the release of information with Ye Ling before hastily adjourning the shareholders' meeting.

Deputy Director Zhao, who understood some business management principles, voiced his objection. "Chairman Ye, this doesn't make sense. You're selling off companies and shares like this—where's the recovered capital going?"

Ye Ling tossed them a single sentence: "Deposited in the bank to earn interest." She snapped shut her notebook, gathered her belongings, gestured for Wen Zhengyu to accompany her, and left.

Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu made their way straight to Ye Ling's office.

Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang adjourned to Vice Chairman Xu's office.

The four shareholders remained in the meeting room, convening their own private huddle to decipher Ye Ling's intentions and plot their next move. If they wanted to frame Wen Zhengyu for leaking trade secrets, they would need to select an appropriate piece of confidential information—one that could effectively implicate both Wen Zhengyu and Ye Ling.

Wen Zhengyu followed Ye Ling into her office and asked, "Are you angry?"

Ye Ling replied, "Not really. Four imbeciles aren't worth getting angry over. Before, I didn't have enough ready capital and couldn't shift resources easily, so I had to tolerate those four morons kicking up a fuss."

Wen Zhengyu knew from this that Ye Ling was, in fact, genuinely furious.

Lian Xin laughed and asked, "Not bringing them along to play anymore?"

Ye Ling said, "Who wants to play with them any longer?" She voiced her protest: "What is this affliction of yours, always mussing Zhengyu's hair?"

Lian Xin shot back, "Haven't you done it yourself?"

Wen Zhengyu, speechless, looked at the two of them. "Both of you, stop mussing my hair." The two of them both had an affliction.

Ye Ling and Lian Xin exchanged a glance and instantly found they had no ground left to criticize the other for mussing Wen Zhengyu's hair.

Lian Xin straightened in his seat, poured tea for both Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu, and then asked, "So, you're not bringing them along, but they refuse to sell their shares. Are you planning to withdraw your capital?"

Ye Ling said, "The entire group comprises seven subsidiary companies. Two operated at a loss last year, three broke even, and only two were genuinely profitable. Of those two profitable ones, one was the real estate company, and the other's profits came entirely from the Wen Shiyi deal. If you strip out that single transaction from Wen Shiyi, the overall result was a bloodbath. The newly signed project is the only thing in the entire group that looks promising, and it could sustain us for a few years if executed well. But a group corporation this large, relying on just one major project for its prospects, faces very bleak long-term potential. If you want to grow, you must develop new projects. But if there are new projects, I'm certainly not cooperating with those four anymore."

Wen Zhengyu stared at Ye Ling in astonishment. She truly hadn't expected that Ye Ling, the Chairman of the Board, was actually planning to abandon ship.

Ye Ling saw Wen Zhengyu's seeming bewilderment and elaborated, "If they won't sell their shares, we can't force them to. If we have capital and projects, we can simply establish a new company from scratch. In the current group corporation, the number of cronies drawing salaries without doing any work exceeds the number of legitimate employees, and these cronies ride roughshod over those actually working, giving orders and passing judgments. Rather than enduring the disgust and undertaking the thankless, offense-ridden task of a massive, thorough reorganization, I'd rather just dissolve the partnership with them. Otherwise, as soon as I kick out the dead weight who only take money without contributing, they'll turn around and stuff them right back in to play the nice guy. Why should I be the villain?"

Lian Xin smiled wryly to himself. When it came to Wen Zhengyu, Ye Ling really did break everything down and feed it to her bite by bite. After his moment of amusement, he slid a document across to Ye Ling and said, "Coincidentally, I happen to have a new project here. It's too big for me to swallow alone."

Ye Ling pulled out the document, only to find the text on it illegible to her. "What is this?" she asked.

Lian Xin asked Ye Ling, "Any interest in switching your investment focus to energy?" He tapped the stack of documents and said, "The translation is underneath, along with the report and relevant legislation."

Ye Ling said, "Alright, I'll review it carefully. When do you need an answer by?"

Lian Xin replied, "You look it over first. After that, I still need to dispatch an inspection team on my side. When the time comes, arrange for some people from your side to go with them and take a look."

Ye Ling said, "Fine."

Lian Xin rose to his feet and said, "Then I'll be off." After walking two steps, he turned back to Wen Zhengyu and asked, "How about coming to work at my place? You are one of the shareholders, after all."

Wen Zhengyu refused without a moment's hesitation. The only slivers of time she and Ye Ling had to spend together now were confined to the moments they could snatch at the company.

Lian Xin accused Wen Zhengyu of "choosing beauty over your brother," ruffled her hair into disarray once more, and then departed.

Wen Zhengyu frowned slightly and silently worked to smooth her hair back into order. She asked Ye Ling, "Why do you all love mussing my hair?"

Ye Ling replied, "Firstly, because you're easy to bully. Secondly, because your hair is too sleek."

Wen Zhengyu: "..."

Not long after Lian Xin left, Vice Chairman Xu came to knock on the door.

It was already noon. He and General Manager Zhang wanted to take Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu out for lunch.

If Ye Ling planned to withdraw her capital, she was obligated to notify the other shareholders, as they had the right of first refusal to purchase her shares. She, Vice Chairman Xu, and General Manager Zhang had worked together for many years, building a company worth tens of millions in assets into its current form. Countless blood and sweat had been poured into it, and their collaborative synergy was profound. She gathered up Wen Zhengyu and went out to lunch with Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang.

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