Chapter 292: Xia Zhengguang’s Sale of Shares Exposed
"This is my compensation for helping you become chairman of the Xia Group. Of course, the prerequisite for that is holding enough shares.
I will help you gather the shares, but you’ll need to purchase them at market price.
And of course, I will also be formally purchasing that plot of land in the South Suburb.
Mr. Li, if you’re interested, please contact me as soon as possible. After all... you’re not my only option."
’Once the Xia Group’s shareholders catch on, who knows how many power struggles will erupt.’
’The Xia family might only be in the lower echelons of Dijing’s elite, but they are elite nonetheless. That name alone carries a certain weight.’
’So, Mei Lin had plenty of options among the minor shareholders.’
Li Haichuan pursed his lips. It was clear he couldn’t bring himself to make a decision on the spot.
"This is my card. Call me anytime once you’ve made up your mind.
Of course, I might not answer. Or I might have already found another suitable candidate by then."
Mei Lin didn’t beat around the bush in the slightest, stating plainly what could happen if he called her later.
Li Haichuan’s expression was conflicted. Being forced to decide right then and there truly put him in a difficult position.
"I need to go back and discuss this with my family, if you’ll excuse me."
In the end, Li Haichuan still didn’t make a decision on the spot.
After all, these were just Mei Lin’s verbal promises with no legal weight. Of course, Li Haichuan didn’t dare to make such a rash decision.
Mei Lin nodded. "That’s fine. You can call me anytime once you’ve thought it over."
"Of course. I’ll call you regardless of the outcome. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now."
With that, Li Haichuan stood up and left the restaurant.
Mei Lin’s expression didn’t change, and she showed no sign of leaving.
However, about ten minutes later, another person approached.
Had the Xia father and son been there, they would have certainly recognized him as another minor shareholder of the Xia Group.
However, compared to Li Haichuan, his stake was the largest among all the minor shareholders—eight percent. Just a little more and he would have a larger stake than Xia Zhiyun.
"So you’re Mei Lin, the one who scheduled this meeting?"
The Xia Group’s minor shareholders were not yet aware that Mei Lin was Yun Zijin’s assistant.
"Please, sit."
Mei Lin gestured for him to take a seat.
Chen Xianfeng sat down obligingly. When he looked up at Mei Lin, he was undeniably captivated.
Chen Xianfeng scoffed inwardly but didn’t let it show on his face.
"What did you want to see me about?"
’A total knockout like her... I wonder what she’s like in bed.’
Mei Lin shot him a look. Without a single word spoken, she had already disqualified him.
"Xia Zhengguang has sold off a portion of his shares. I wonder if you’re aware of that, Mr. Chen?"
’I have no desire to work with this man, but I can still make use of him.’
Just as she expected, Chen Xianfeng shot upright from his slouching posture at her words. "What did you say?"
’Xia Zhengguang actually sold some of his shares?’
’Then that last board meeting...’
Whatever he was thinking, Chen Xianfeng’s expression turned sour.
’The board meeting is already over. He can’t possibly call everyone back for a re-vote.’
’It’s just that no one ever imagined Xia Zhengguang would dare to conceal a change in his shareholdings.’
"It seems you didn’t know. You don’t seem to be very well-informed, Mr. Chen."
Mei Lin’s tone was even and unvarying, but Chen Xianfeng could clearly hear the mockery in it.
"If Chairman Xia wanted to keep it quiet, it must have been a secret transaction. How would you know about it?"
Although this was good news for him, Chen Xianfeng didn’t dare to fully trust unverified information.
"Feel free to check for yourself, Mr. Chen. Shareholdings are a matter of public record; the truth is easy to find."
Chen Xianfeng gave Mei Lin a suspicious glance, but ultimately decided to have someone look into it.
’If Xia Zhengguang and his son have sold shares, they no longer have a controlling stake.’
"I have some business to attend to. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now."
’Even if Mei Lin was a knockout, she wasn’t more important than his business.’
Mei Lin again made a polite gesture, but Chen Xianfeng was in no mood to notice such things. He shot up and left.
For the rest of the day, Mei Lin remained in her seat, meeting with every minor shareholder of the Xia Group, one after another.
’In Mei Lin’s opinion, not a single one of them was qualified. But Yun Zijin had no attachment to the Xia Group to begin with, so she couldn’t care less whether its new owner could actually run the company.’
After meeting with all of the Xia shareholders, Mei Lin left the restaurant, enduring the strange looks from those around her.
That evening, when Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque returned to Xingyu Mansion after dinner, they found Mei Lin sitting on the living room sofa.
"Mei Lin? What are you doing here?"
Because she had been investigating the Xia shareholders, Mei Lin had hardly been home recently.
Yun Zijin was quite surprised to see her so suddenly.
"I met with all the minor shareholders of the Xia Group today. They were... hard to describe, to say the least."
’For Mei Lin to describe them as "hard to describe," they must be truly beyond redemption.’
"So, do you have a candidate in mind?"
’Whether they can run the Xia Group isn’t important. What’s important is whether they’ll be obedient.’
’If this person were to suddenly back out halfway through their cooperation, she’d probably want to claw their face off.’
Mei Lin nodded slightly. "I have a preliminary candidate in mind."
Yun Zijin had great faith in Mei Lin’s abilities, so she didn’t press for details.
＊
「The Xia Residence.」
"Young Master, my wife hasn’t been doing well lately. I’d like to resign to go home and take care of her."
After mulling it over for a long time, the Xia family’s butler had finally tendered his resignation.
Xia Zhiyun, who had just gotten back from the office, was completely blindsided.
’But the man was using his wife’s grave illness as the reason. If he refused to let him go, he’d look incredibly petty.’
"Do you have to resign? If you need time off, you could take a leave of absence for a while. You can come back once your wife’s health improves."
A good butler was a rare find, and Xia Zhiyun truly didn’t want to let him go.
The butler shook his head. "My wife’s illness is a chronic one. There’s nothing more the hospital can do. We plan to return to the countryside for her to rest and recuperate. In all likelihood, we won’t be coming back."
’Even if he did return, he wouldn’t come back to work as the Xia family’s butler.’
Seeing the butler’s insistence, Xia Zhiyun finally relented.
"Alright, then I suppose there’s nothing to be done. I’ll make sure you get paid for this month, and in the future... if you ever need any help, you can come to me."
The butler had been with the family since Xia Zhiyun was a child. Now Xia Zhiyun was a grown man; it had been over twenty years, all told. He had practically watched him grow up.
Now that he was suddenly leaving, Xia Zhiyun couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.
"Thank you, Young Master."
’The butler still held some affection for Xia Zhiyun, but now, he was leaving for his own sake.’
A quiet moment passed between them. The butler then returned to his quarters to pack his things and prepare to leave.
Xia Zhiyun, meanwhile, called a domestic staffing agency to have them send over a new butler.