The LED screen displayed: “Shen Group 2025 First Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.”
The ornate, gilded ceiling sparkled brilliantly, while countless colorless, transparent crystal bead curtains hung down, the sunlight filtering through the crystals to cast a gentle, warm glow.
On the long, deep red cherry wood table lay the documents required for the meeting. White steam rose from paper cups, with deep green tea leaves settled at the bottom. Laser-engraved red nameplates with gold borders gleamed with a golden luster, indicating the position and name for each seat.
At a glance, the conference room was packed. All the shareholders of Shen Group were dressed in business suits, chatting with one another and exchanging smiles.
Behind them stood the group executives attending the meeting.
This extraordinary general meeting had been announced on short notice the day before yesterday. According to the Administration Office, it was convened by the Chairman, who had joined forces with two-thirds of the board members.
The chat history in the private WeChat group set up by Shen Group employees had already shot past 1,000 messages. Everyone was discussing the matter fervently. Without any management present, the group felt like a place where the shackles had been cast off, and they dared to talk about anything.
Holy shit, holy shit, what the hell is going on? We got an urgent notice for an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting late the night before last, and everyone in my department was called in to work overtime. I was writing documents until my eyes went blurry, and the words on the computer screen were literally spinning in circles! My throat is on fire from coordinating with other departments. You have no idea how rough it’s been for me. From the notice until now, it’s been two whole days, and I’ve slept less than eight hours. Even a donkey in a production team wouldn’t be this exhausted.
Comrade, you’ve worked hard. I hear you. I’m from the Investment Department, and I’ve been working overtime until my heart was pounding out of my chest. How are the higher-ups thinking? How are we supposed to know? Whatever, as long as they don’t fire me.
Fam, this is an extraordinary meeting. I’m afraid something big is about to happen. Just a conspiracy theorist’s guess.
Hey, hey, anyone from the Audit and Supervision Department? Can you give us a hint? Just off the record, I promise I won’t tell anyone.
Damn it, if you want to ask, why don’t you go ask the Chairman? I want to know too. What can we say when the Old Man suddenly decides to hold a meeting? We can only cooperate.
The shareholders have all arrived, but President Shen is still in his office. Shouldn’t he be down there with the shareholders?
When has President Shen ever “descended from the heavens” to keep the shareholders company? The person above needs to be careful—our President Shen is a goddamn legend, hahahaha.
But guys, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders can only be convened for urgent matters!
Shen Qiu watched the streets through the dark silk curtains, where vehicles streaked past like fleeting shadows. His long, slender fingers toyed with a platinum-banded fountain pen, its six-pointed star glinting. A faint, inscrutable smile curved his lips.
On the desk beside him, stacks of documents towered high. A single-stemmed Eustoma, its petals a pure white, bowed toward the desk, a single droplet of water sliding down its stem to fall onto the surface. The office was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed with a dense array of medical texts in both English and Chinese—Cecil Medicine, Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination, Differentiation and Analysis of Warm Diseases, Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Integrated Chinese and Western Oncology. Their pages were yellowed and curled, yet carefully pressed flat, cherished and preserved with meticulous care.
Secretary Lin glanced at his watch. “President Shen, it’s time.”
“The show’s about to begin. Father, what role will you play this time?” Shen Qiu set down the pen and slid his hands into his suit trousers’ pockets. “Let’s enjoy the Chairman’s performance!”
He strode toward the conference room. Secretary Lin followed, closing the office door behind him.
Shen Qiu strolled in with an air of casual ease, timing his entrance to the very last second. He took his seat to his father’s right, his expression cool and detached. After a perfunctory greeting to the older man, he naturally pulled out his phone.
Father Shen’s brow furrowed, his face darkening. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and the hand gripping his cane tightened until his knuckles turned white.
The gentle woman beside him patted his hand, calming his temper before it could erupt in public. “Perhaps Xiao Qiu was busy, which is why he’s late,” she murmured softly. Her eyes, as tender as still water, gazed at Shen Qiu with the affection one might show their own biological son.
Father Shen’s fury instantly dissipated. He turned away, refusing to look at the son who always managed to provoke him. The boy was capable and ambitious, but he had one fatal flaw: he was utterly disobedient. If you told him to go east, he would stubbornly head west. He’d even chosen his college major out of spite. Fortunately, he was brilliant. Despite lacking a formal degree in the field, he had managed the company without a single misstep during his tenure as President under the guidance of private tutors.
Shen Qiu kept his gaze lowered, focused on his phone, completely ignoring the woman’s attention. Sometimes he wondered: Doesn’t she get tired of this act? She’s been playing the part for over a decade. Maybe she’s finally convinced herself she’s actually the virtuous and gentle woman she pretends to be.
One shareholder, however, was displeased with Shen Qiu’s tardiness. Clearly, he felt Shen Qiu was acting arrogant just because he’d become successful, looking down on the rest of them. He offered a sarcastic comment: “Shen Qiu is so young, just starting out in the professional world. Yet, in these last few years, the company’s performance has grown steadily. We old bones simply can’t compare to a bright young man like him.”
A few other shareholders, who were on better terms with Shen Qiu, chimed in. “Indeed. Shen Qiu didn’t even study business management, yet his sharp mind has made scientific research and investment a breeze. The company’s profits have been steadily increasing every year.”
“Thank you for the praise, Uncle Gao,” Shen Qiu replied with a feigned modesty, his phone screen still displaying the message from the caregiver. “In terms of performance, I can’t compare to you all. I’ve simply been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”
General Manager Gao, the one who had mocked him, fell silent, his face darkening like fermenting ink. It was painfully obvious how much he despised Shen Qiu.
Mr. Shen, Mr. Meng is adamantly demanding to be transferred to a general ward. No matter how much I try to persuade him, he won’t listen.
Shen Qiu couldn’t help but imagine Meng Xinghui’s current state—likely acting all pitiful and wronged, counting the money he’d pulled out of his pockets.
Only when the doctor approves his discharge can he complete the formalities. Otherwise, he can do whatever he wants.
Shen Qiu didn’t even need to finish the thought. Meng Xinghui was more than capable of ignoring the doctor’s orders and absconding from the hospital.
He composed a text message to Meng Xinghui.
Be a good boy and listen. Otherwise, the contract is cancelled!
After threatening the restless man, the meeting began.
The discussion centered on recent external investments and major project decisions for the subsidiaries. The responsible managers took turns presenting, and the slides on the large screen changed in a dizzying blur.
The shareholders nodded in approval, their eyes crinkling into folds of smiles as they raised their hands to vote in favor.
Shen Qiu, bored to tears, allowed his mind to wander. He flipped through the agenda to the last page. His sharp brows twitched. The Administration Office hadn’t informed him that a last-minute item had been added to the agenda. He glanced sideways at the head of the Administration Office.
The head of the Administration Office felt a bone-chilling gaze pierce him. He shivered involuntarily, the hair standing on end from his heels to his back. When he looked up, his eyes met President Shen’s. He quickly averted his gaze. Sorry, President Shen.
Shen Qiu chuckled. Unexpectedly, the Administration Office he trusted had defected to his enemy. He neatly organized the documents in his hand and set them aside, placing his fountain pen on the table.
Shen Qiu’s movements caught the attention of a few shareholders.
One of them asked curiously, “Shen Qiu, what are you doing?”
“I have no hidden agenda. I’m simply asking for the Chairman’s thoughts.” Shen Qiu looked at his father, who sat in the seat of honor, and got straight to the point.
Father Shen’s expression remained composed. He had already anticipated how Shen Qiu would respond. “It’s a rare occasion for an old man like me to convene an extraordinary meeting today. I didn’t just want to see you all again; I also want Shen Qiu to go to Qingxiang Company to serve as President.”
“Isn’t that a bit much? Shen Qiu is doing perfectly well here. Why the sudden move to Qingxiang?” a shareholder asked, unable to hide his confusion.
“Yes, exactly, Chairman.”
Father Shen continued unhurriedly, “After all, Shen Qiu isn’t from a professional background. I want Shen Ziqi to temporarily take over the position of President. Ziqi joined the company in the same year as Shen Qiu and has performed quite well in the startup. His performance is also among the top in the Group. For the sake of the Group’s future, as my successor, he must be exceptional and capable of leading the Shen Group forward. The Shen Group must not only stand at the top of the world but also surpass itself.”
Needless to say, Father Shen’s intention was to openly announce to all the shareholders that he wanted to change the heir.
“What are your thoughts, everyone?” Father Shen clasped his hands, his aged eyes fathomless. His mere presence forced everyone in the room to straighten their backs and sharpen their focus.
As his voice faded, a wave of surprise rippled through the attendees. The Group’s senior executives began calculating their next moves.
Shen Qiu showed no disappointment or grief. He simply presided over the meeting as if it were any other, even though he knew perfectly well that this session would decide whether he could keep his position.
To Father Shen, this indifference was unacceptable. The coveted role of Shen Group’s successor was dangling right before his son, yet he seemed utterly unconcerned. Everything Father Shen had fought so desperately to achieve was something anyone else would crave.
Shen Qiu simply scanned the room, his gaze finally meeting someone else’s.
Shen Ziqi was young—so young and arrogant that he believed everything was already within his grasp. His eyes burned with raw ambition as he glared provocatively at Shen Qiu, treating him like a defeated opponent.
The air in the conference room grew stagnant and suffocating. The only sound was the gentle clatter of the crystal bead curtains swaying in the breeze. The crystals refracted the hidden, complex motives of people intoxicated by wealth and power. They glanced around, their eyes shifting before finally settling on the true master of the Shen Group.
“I agree.”
“Agreed.”
The affirmations came one after another, an unbroken chain.
Countless voices of agreement echoed through the conference room. The room was vast, yet still too small to contain the bottomless greed of the human heart. They needed a tool that could generate money—and this tool had to be obedient, a puppet they could manipulate at will.
Shen Qiu had too many ideas of his own. His actions had trampled upon the shareholders’ interests, and Liu Fugui was a prime example of that.
At this moment, they and Father Shen once again reached a consensus over their shared interests. Beneath their amiable faces, one could faintly glimpse the savage tearing of flesh.
The shareholders who had once been close to Shen Qiu all fell from grace, throwing their support behind Father Shen’s proposal. They agreed that Shen Qiu should step down as Group President and instead take charge of Qingxiang Company.
The shareholders signed their names on the meeting minutes, ratifying every decision made during the session.
The calm surface of the lake was now churning with waves, reminding Shen Qiu of his childhood. He remembered peeking through the gap in the door, watching his mother weep helplessly while his father laughed in triumph, surrounded by the cold and snobbish shareholders.
The company had changed hands!
In other words, a new dynasty had risen.