Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The day after the stock exchange approved the suspension application of the Zhou family business, the Ye family business also released a new announcement, informing major shareholders and all investors of the specific time for the extraordinary shareholders' meeting of the Zhou family business.

The news caused an uproar outside. Everyone understood that this acquisition battle was finally coming to an end. For now, the Ye family business had emerged victorious, and the Zhou family business's change of ownership was imminent.

However, the key figure behind the Zhou family business's change of ownership, Ye Mingzhao, did not attend the extraordinary shareholders' meeting. This was because he received a call from Yu Mingze, informing him to attend the premiere of *Prince of Beggars*.

"...Not just you, all the main creative staff of our production team have to be there!" Yu Mingze chattered on the phone: "This is our best chance to make a comeback; I must go all out!"

Ye Mingzhao couldn't be bothered with Yu Mingze's misuse of words. "I got it."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Mingzhao went to ask his elder brother, Ye Mingchen, for leave—though it wasn't really asking for leave. Ye Mingzhao had resigned from the Ye family business a long time ago. This time, he was only helping out as a family member.

"You're really not planning to attend the extraordinary shareholders' meeting?" Ye Mingchen looked at Ye Mingzhao with gentle eyes. "This is your best chance to kick them while they're down on the negotiation table."

Ye Mingzhao was slightly surprised by Ye Mingchen's remark.

As the first in line to inherit the Ye family business, Ye Mingchen had been meticulously cultivated by Chairman Ye and his wife since childhood, developing a refined and steady personality. Ye Mingzhao had rarely seen such a sharp side of Ye Mingchen.

Noticing Ye Mingzhao's surprise, Ye Mingchen smiled slightly. "They, father and son, teamed up to bully my brother."

Ye Mingchen had long disliked the Zhou family father and son duo. The proposal to acquire the Zhou family business was brought up by Ye Mingchen at the shareholders' meeting.

After the proposal was passed, Ye Mingchen also took the initiative to be in charge of the entire project's logistics, cooperating with Ye Mingzhao's requests as the executive CEO.

This was a key reason why the Ye family business was able to unite and fire on all cylinders during this acquisition battle.

Now that they had reached the final step, Ye Mingchen hoped that Ye Mingzhao could stand before the enemy as a victor and slap them back.

Feeling his elder brother's goodwill, Ye Mingzhao's smile grew wider. "I want to go too. But just now, Mingze called and said that the *Prince of Beggars* premiere is on that morning, and I can't miss it as the lead."

"Your drama is about to air?" Ye Mingchen's eyes lit up, recalling the date carefully, and said with a smile, "Of course! I've been too busy lately and almost forgot that your drama premieres on February 2nd."

As he spoke, Ye Mingchen picked up the intercom and asked, "What time exactly does your premiere start? Will there be a TV or video platform broadcast?"

Ye Mingzhao smiled and gave the specific time of the premiere and the live-streaming platform.

The premiere was at ten o'clock in the morning, and the live-streaming platform was Feiniao Video, which holds the broadcasting rights to *Prince of Beggars*.

This time happened to coincide exactly with the Zhou family business's extraordinary shareholders' meeting, leaving Ye Mingzhao with a tough choice between the two.

Ye Mingchen, while calling his secretary, decided to send a large floral arrangement for the premiere.

He looked at Ye Mingzhao's suit, feeling a bit regretful. "Isn't this a bit too hasty? For your first premiere, you should have a nice suit."

Ye Mingchen had always believed that the right clothes make the man, and the more formal the occasion, the more presentable the attire should be. He wanted to contact the family's longtime tailor to see if they could rush a suit for Ye Mingzhao.

Before Ye Mingzhao could respond, the office door opened, and Ye Mingxi pulled Chu Hengyi by the arm and walked in, saying excitedly, "Big brother, when are you getting off work? Mingyi is treating us to dinner."

Ye Mingchen and Ye Mingzhao's gazes focused intently on Chu Hengyi's face.

Chu Hengyi was expressionless.

Ye Mingxi explained excitedly, "I just supervised the subordinates to finalize the share transfer procedures. The finance department has already transferred the first sum of money to Mingyi. The remaining two sums will be transferred to Mingyi's account within the next six months. So, he is now the richest man in our family!"

A total of 4.99% of the Zhou family business's shares were transferred at the closing price of the day, netting Chu Hengyi 2.5 billion in cash. He had originally acquired the Zhou family business's shares for 750 million. In just two months, Chu Hengyi had more than tripled his personal assets, becoming the wealthiest man in the Ye family.

Ye Mingxi felt that he had also contributed, so while giving Chu Hengyi the contract to sign, he playfully insisted on treating everyone to a big meal.

For some reason, Chu Hengyi surprisingly agreed.

Fully aware of the animosity Chu Hengyi felt toward the Ye family business, Ye Mingzhao gave him a deep, thoughtful look before breaking into a smile. "We're off work now. Should we let Dad know first?"

"You two go tell Dad," Ye Mingxi said excitedly, his voice tinged with an unexplainable lightness.

Although he was also a child of the Ye family, having lived in luxury since childhood, Ye Mingxi's annual allowance had always been limited. He had never experienced a windfall like having 2.5 billion in cash suddenly appear in his account. Not even he had experienced such fortune.

"I’ve never seen this much money in my life!" Ye Mingxi exclaimed, patting Chu Hengyi on the shoulder as he stood on his tiptoes. "No wonder you’re part of the Ye family. You’ve really made it."

Chu Hengyi side-eyed the hand on his shoulder, his expression briefly flickering with something unusual.

But only Ye Mingzhao picked up on this subtle shift. The other two brothers in the Ye family were still caught up in the joy of celebrating their younger brother's sudden wealth.

"You and big brother go tell Dad. I'll go home with third brother to pick up Mom," Ye Mingzhao suddenly said.

Ye Mingxi didn’t think much of it and nodded in agreement. "That works."

Chu Hengyi stared at Ye Mingzhao for a moment but said nothing.

Silently, he followed behind Ye Mingzhao, and the two took the elevator down to the underground parking garage.

Within three months of returning to the Ye family, Chu Hengyi got his driver’s license. Ye Mingzhao had transferred several of his supercars and a business vehicle to Chu Hengyi. The Ye family also bought Chu Hengyi a brand-new Maybach for commuting.

Lately, though, he’d been driving Ye Mingzhao’s old Maybach for some reason.

"After this, you’ll definitely solidify your position within the company," Ye Mingzhao said, buckling up in the passenger seat with a smile. "Congratulations."

Chu Hengyi gazed at Ye Mingzhao through the rearview mirror, his always harmless and charming face staring back at him. "Shouldn’t you be thanking me for stepping in at the crucial moment and selling the shares to the Ye family business?"

"You’re a part of the Ye family," Ye Mingzhao said, his eyes clear. "That’s exactly what you should do."

Chu Hengyi’s expression turned slightly cold. "I could have sold the shares to Zhou Heting."

"To reward him for helping his son cast Chu Qingyi as the male lead?"

Ye Mingzhao’s retort left Chu Hengyi speechless.

Before Chu Hengyi could respond, Ye Mingzhao continued, "In reality, as long as we can cash out smoothly, it doesn’t matter who we sell to. Selling to family is even better, a win-win situation. I know you suffered a lot in the Chu family for those eighteen years. But now that you’re back with the Ye family, Mom, Dad, and your older brothers want to make things right with you."

"Make it up to me?" Chu Hengyi repeated in a low, somewhat oppressive tone. His eyes darkened as he looked at Ye Mingzhao. "And what about you?"

Ye Mingzhao met Chu Hengyi’s gaze directly. "The real culprits who separated you from the Ye family are Hua Rui and the human traffickers. The real culprits who made you suffer are the families of the human traffickers. If you want revenge, you should seek it from them. Don’t betray the trust of your true blood relatives."

Chu Hengyi pressed on. "And what about you?"

Ye Mingzhao understood what Chu Hengyi was asking. But the experiences Chu Hengyi went through were, to Ye Mingzhao, nothing more than a fictional story that never happened.

He wouldn’t feel guilty for something that hadn’t occurred, nor would he fear Chu Hengyi’s revenge. "If you have a problem with me, you can come at me directly."

He deliberately misinterpreted Chu Hengyi’s meaning and asked bluntly, "Do you think I should feel guilty or uneasy for being the adopted son of the Ye family?"

"Do you think I’m a usurper, having taken over your life and family?"

Chu Hengyi had never thought that way. He averted his gaze first and silently started the car. The black Maybach slowly drove out of the underground parking garage.

The two rode in silence.

When they returned to the Ye family, Liang Huiwei was already dressed up, sitting elegantly in the living room waiting for her two outstanding sons.

She found out about tonight's family dinner from a call Ye Mingxi made an hour ago and put on makeup and changed clothes to show her enthusiasm. If time hadn't been so tight, she could have even had her styling team come over to do her hair.

"Congratulations, my child," said Ms. Liang, wearing a black mermaid dress and pearl necklace, with a smiling embrace for Chu Hengyi. "Mom is really proud of you."

After that, she hugged Ye Mingzhao as well. "You too," she said.

"Can family members attend the premiere on February 2nd?" Liang Huiwei asked with a smile. "Your dad and brothers have to go to an emergency shareholders' meeting at the Zhou family business. Since I have nothing to do at home, I can go support you at the premiere."

Ye Mingzhao thanked her with a smile. "Aren't you attending the shareholders' meeting?"

Liang Huiwei shook her head. "I've attended too many shareholders' meetings, but I've never been to a premiere. It's such a new experience, and you can't say no to me."

Liang Huiwei said seriously, "Even if the premiere doesn't allocate spots for family members, you need to talk to Mingze. He has to set aside an internal ticket for me."

Ye Mingzhao smiled warmly, hugged Liang Huiwei, and said softly, "Okay. I'll definitely ask him to reserve a ticket for the premiere."

Watching the interaction between mother and son, Chu Hengyi suddenly spoke up. "Two tickets."

Ye Mingzhao and Liang Huiwei both looked at him.

Ye Mingzhao raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you attending the shareholders' meeting? The acquisition of the Zhou family business by our family business went so smoothly, and you were the key player."

With this success, Chu Hengyi's integration into the Ye family business will definitely be smoother than in the original story. Ye Mingzhao was puzzled; he couldn't understand why Chu Hengyi would pass up the opportunity to stand out at the shareholders' meeting.