Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Today, the Li Group building was especially busy.

The shareholders gathered in the conference room, chatting and murmuring among themselves, discussing the day's meeting.

In the lounge, Li Yi stood by the window with his hands behind his back, watching as the shareholders nearly all took their seats, his expression stern.

"Dad, are you sure this will work today?"

Li Wenguang lounged lazily on the sofa, acting like he couldn't be bothered, as if today's meeting had nothing to do with him.

"Don't worry. Even if I have to go scorched earth with Li Yanchuan, I can still push him out of the group's inner circle."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as Li Yi said in a deep voice.

At this shareholders' meeting, he planned to bring up a motion to appoint the group's president, and then leverage his current stake to put his younger son up as a candidate and groom him as successor.

By his calculations, he now held 35% of the equity, while Li Yanchuan should have 30%.

Originally, he had 40%, but he had to transfer 5% of the equity in exchange for working capital to cover the losses from his younger son's failed investment.

But that minor flaw was harmless, because he had specifically investigated the buyer of that portion of the equity, and the buyer had no ties to Li Yanchuan.

Overall, his stake still gave him an edge.

That was the source of Li Yi's confidence.

During the first vote, he failed to secure the support of other shareholders, allowing Li Yanchuan to enter management. This time, as long as he argued his health made him unfit for the position, he could rally the other shareholders and let Li Wenguang take over.

In fact, as a father, Li Yi shouldn't have been so biased against his own son, Li Yanchuan, after all, blood is thicker than water.

But whenever he saw Li Yanchuan, he was reminded of Zhuang Yan and those days of feeling inferior.

Li Yi admitted that he had truly loved her back then. Especially when he learned that Zhuang Yan was willing to start a business from scratch with him, he was moved to tears.

Love alone was enough to get them through hard times, and on his wife's meager start-up funds, he managed to carve out a career.

But after finally getting through those tough days, he still couldn't walk with his head held high.

Everyone who met him would tease him, saying he only succeeded because of his wife's family, and many even mocked him behind his back as a freeloader, always beneath the Zhuang family.

Given the disparity in their family backgrounds, Li Yi had indeed married way above his league. Even after some achievements, he couldn't bridge the gap with the Zhuang family, or other old-money families.

This constant sense of being second-rate bruised his manly pride.

Especially later, when he discovered that the Zhuang family had indeed given support behind the scenes, he totally lost it.

Gradually, his feelings toward his wife soured into resentment.

After his wife passed away, every time he saw Li Yanchuan, it seemed to him a reminder of those days.

In contrast, Qiu Shi, who knew how to sweet-talk him and had an affair with him after he became successful—Li Wenguang's biological mother—gave him a completely different feeling.

—She was like a parasitic vine; in front of her, he was always the wealthy, powerful, and all-important man.

The former symbolized a time of dependence and being propped up, while the latter represented a period of high status and power.

He naturally preferred the latter.

In the end, it was all about that pathetic, fragile pride.

"Dad, do you think he’ll show up today?"

Suddenly, Li Wenguang's question snapped him out of his thoughts.

"It doesn't matter whether he comes or not."

Li Yi snorted, full of confidence.

Seeing that time was approaching, the two entered the conference room.

When their figures appeared, a brief silence fell over the room.

Then, murmured whispers broke out.

"Then, let's begin the meeting."

Acting as if he hadn't heard them, Li Yi swept his gaze over the seated attendees and declared.

"Chairman Li, shouldn't we wait for the person who's still missing?"

A bold shareholder reminded him.

Everyone present knew exactly who that missing person was.

"He probably won't be attending."

Li Yi answered for him, unhurriedly.

No sooner had he spoken, the door to the conference room was pushed open from outside.

a man's calm voice rang out:

"Who said I wasn't coming?"

Hearing this, everyone present turned to see Li Yanchuan.

He was still in his wheelchair, but he didn't look the least bit defeated. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, he exuded a leader's commanding presence, making others instinctively yield.

Seeing him, the conference room erupted into even louder discussion, like a stone tossed into a still pond, sending ripples through the room.

Li Yi and Li Wenguang both frowned slightly.

When their eyes met, the air grew thick with tension.

"Do you think coming here will change the outcome?"

Li Yi said coldly.

"How else would I find out?"

But it wasn't Li Yanchuan who answered him; it was another person following right behind him.

Upon seeing that person, Li Yi's face went rigid, his expression one of utter shock, and he stood rooted to the spot.

Old Master Zhuang, wearing a traditional Chinese long gown, hands clasped behind his back, stood tall and energetic, stepping into the conference room alongside him.

"You—Why are you here?"

Li Yi instinctively stepped back and asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm a shareholder too. Is there a problem with me attending the meeting with my grandson?"

Old Zhuang gave him a cold glance and countered unhurriedly.

Somehow, when he saw the composed expression on the man's face, an inexplicable unease crept into Li Yi's heart, making him feel he’d missed something.

But he quickly reassured himself.

—It doesn't matter. Even if Old Master Zhuang shows up, after years of equity dilution, he doesn't hold many shares now—nowhere near 5%. He won't be able to help Li Yanchuan much.

As long as he could secure the support of other shareholders, he could still succeed.

With that thought, Li Yi pursed his lips, forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor, and announced the start of the meeting.

"Since the group president role has been empty for a while, which is bad for long-term growth, I propose that we elect a candidate today to fill the vacancy."

He paused, then added his nomination of Li Wenguang, emphasizing to the shareholders just how much he had achieved during his tenure as general manager.

—Of course, those achievements and impressive figures were all bought with his own money.

"I disagree. Compared to Li Wenguang, Yan Chuan is more suitable for this job."

Old Zhuang was the first to voice his opinion.

"But he's no longer in good enough shape for the job."

Li Yi retorted.

"Who says that? During Yan Chuan's tenure at the subsidiary, the company's profits and market share both increased significantly."

With that, Old Zhuang presented evidence proving that the man was still capable of handling the job.

It was a branch that had been nearly abandoned by the headquarters, yet under Li Yanchuan's management, it had been brought back to life with new energy.

This far outperformed what Li Wenguang had done.

Seeing neither side would back down and were clearly ready to fight it out, Li Yi narrowed his eyes and said in a half-threatening, half-warning tone:

"It seems you're determined to fight me to the end today. With the equity you hold, do you really think you can win against me?"

"Hmph, whether it's equity or anything else, do you honestly believe you stand a chance against us?"

Li Yanchuan sneered.

Watching the confident look on the man's face, Li Yi felt an inexplicable panic.

Then he heard the man speak in a slow, deliberate tone:

"The 5% equity you transferred is with me."

His tone was unhurried, but his words hit like a thunderclap, freezing the man onstage in his tracks.

How is that possible? He had specifically investigated at the time, and the person behind the company that bought it wasn't Li Yanchuan.

Wait—had he deliberately hidden it?

At that thought, Li Yi jerked his head up to look.

Meeting the man's smug expression, he knew his guess was correct.

So now, adding it up, Li Yanchuan held 35% equity.

Tied.

Still a chance. If he got the rest of the shareholders on his side, the proposal would pass.

Bracing himself, Li Yi felt there was still hope.

But when he met the man's icy gaze, as cold as a viper's, he couldn't stop trembling.

An even stronger wave of unease hit him.

Right on cue, Li Yanchuan spoke again:

"Before the vote, I have something important to show everyone."

Then, the projection screen changed to a new display, showing a stock ownership certificate and a transfer certificate.

Upon closer inspection, the former recorded the number of shares held by Zhuang Yan before her death, while the latter transfer document proved that most of those shares had been transferred to Li Yi.

"Back then, you embezzled so much of my mother's equity. Now it's time to hand it over."

Li Yanchuan said in a deep voice, his words carrying a cold, unyielding tone.

Because that transfer certificate was a forgery.

It turned out that after Zhuang Yan's death, Li Yi had deliberately fabricated transaction records, embezzling the majority of her shares, leaving just a tiny scrap for Li Yanchuan to inherit, thereby creating the illusion of harmony.

With absolute equity in hand, he then sought opportunities to whitewash the ownership and cover up the truth from back then.

Li Yanchuan was too young at the time to know anything about shares or equity, so the matter was buried where no one could find it, only to be exposed today.

For a moment, the shareholders in the room were stunned.

Seeing that transaction record, Li Yi, who knew the truth behind it, stood frozen, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

There was still a chance to turn things around—as long as he insisted it was a setup...

He struggled to remain calm and was about to make excuses, but Li Yanchuan preempted him:

"That's fine. You don't have to admit it now. I have tons of other evidence of your crimes."

Then, all of Li Yi's shady dealings were laid bare on the table, including but not limited to forging official stamps, illegal fundraising, bribery, and taking bribes.

As well as, harboring a criminal.

The truth behind that car accident was also exposed, making public the fact that Li Wenguang had committed intentional murder.

Much of the evidence against Li Yi came from Old Zhuang, who had spotted some clues years ago and kept them for just such a moment.

All the evidence proved that the father and son were total criminals!

At this, the culprit Li Wenguang trembled like a leaf, his face pale as a ghost, nearly collapsing to his knees.

He thought he'd covered his tracks perfectly, and with his father's concealment, there would definitely be no traces left.

But he never expected to be caught red-handed.

"Utter nonsense! This is slander!"

With his dirty secrets laid bare, Li Yi slammed the table in rage and cursed loudly.

"Keep making excuses all you want. I've already submitted the relevant evidence to the police; they will make their own judgment."

As Li Yanchuan finished speaking, the door to the conference room was opened again.

This time, Zhuang Linyan burst in with a large group of police officers.