Chapter 106: Verbal sparring
In the Gu Group's largest conference room, the air was stagnant. A large circular light panel emitted a pale glow, illuminating the complex and varied expressions of each participant.
There were no usual pre-meeting greetings or pleasantries, only a deliberately subdued murmur. Everyone knew that this meeting would determine the future course of the Gu Group, and perhaps even its survival.
The heavy double doors of the conference room were pushed open, breaking the solemn atmosphere inside.
Everyone's eyes instantly turned to the door.
Gu Ye and Chu Yan walked in side by side. Gu Ye walked slightly ahead, seemingly lazily walking towards the reserved seat in the first row, casually leaning back on the chair, even taking out a pen from his pocket, twirling it nonchalantly between his fingers, his eyes downcast, as if brewing the last calm before the storm.
Chu Yan sat quietly at the back. He was wearing a low-key yet luxurious grey suit and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His eyes behind the lenses were calm. In front of him was an open laptop and a thick stack of documents. His posture was calm.
At the last moment before the meeting was about to begin, Chairman Gu Hongyuan finally entered.
He wore a meticulously ironed dark suit, his hair slicked back, and walked with deliberate slowness, appearing calm and dignified. He even wore his usual, slightly arrogant smile as he chatted and laughed quietly with several trusted directors beside him, as if this was just an ordinary shareholders' meeting, nothing to be afraid of.
However, a closer look reveals that his slightly tense jawline and the occasional quick glances around the audience reveal his deep inner nervousness.
The chairman of the meeting banged the gavel, announcing the official convening of the special shareholders' meeting.
After routinely reading out the meeting agenda, the chairman jumped straight to the point: "The main topics of this meeting are: considering the proposal to remove the current chairman, Mr. Gu Hongyuan, and some directors from their positions, and electing a new board of directors."
Gu Hongyuan gave a presentation first.
He stood up, walked to the podium, and passionately reviewed the brilliant achievements the company had made during his tenure. His tone was full of pride and responsibility for Gu's "century-old foundation."
He then shifted gears, bitterly accusing "certain external investors with ulterior motives" and "deceived internal members" of colluding to undermine the company's stability and development, saying their actions were tantamount to "digging up ancestral graves and destroying the foundation." His highly provocative remarks sought to awaken the sentiments and sense of honor of the veteran shareholders present.
"The Gu Group is more than just a company; it's the product of generations of our hard work!" His voice suddenly rose, and his gaze swept across the audience, pausing slightly at Chu Yan's position, hinting, "We can't, and will never, hand it over to a speculator whose only concern is cold-blooded profit!"
Some of the older shareholders in the audience seemed touched and started whispering to each other.
Chu Yan, however, seemed oblivious to the accusations leveled against him. He maintained his usual smile, his fingers tapping away on his laptop. In his eyes, this was merely a final howl before defeat was certain.
Next, we will enter the shareholder question and statement session.
Chu Yan was the first to raise his hand. After receiving the chairman's signal, he stood up and walked calmly to the podium.
He spoke into the microphone, his tone clear and steady: "Chairman, fellow shareholders. I am Chu Yan, speaking on behalf of Jinshi Investment and its concerted parties."
He first presented relevant shareholding certificates and authorization documents to prove the legitimacy of his statement. Then, without any greetings, he directly tore through Gu Hongyuan's carefully constructed disguise in a calm tone:
"Chairman Gu just spoke at length about his passion, his honor, and his dedication. While these are certainly moving, as investors, we should focus more on facts and data."
He picked up a document and looked sharply at Gu Hongyuan on the stage: "According to our detailed investigation, over the past three years, the three major investments that you, Chairman Gu, personally led and promoted have accumulated losses totaling 1.7 billion RMB."
There was an instantaneous gasp and even greater commotion from the audience.
Chu Yan didn't pause and continued to drop a more powerful bombshell: "In addition, we have sufficient evidence to suspect that the board of directors, through a series of complex related-party transactions, has improperly transferred benefits to the affiliated companies actually controlled by you, the chairman. This move has seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of the company and other shareholders."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Shu, who was sitting next to him, immediately stood up and distributed the detailed investigation reports and data materials that he had prepared long ago to the important shareholders and directors in the front row.
There was a complete uproar in the conference room.
Gu Hongyuan's face suddenly changed, and his heart sank to the bottom. He thought those related transactions were extremely secretive and his methods were superb. How on earth did Chu Yan find out?
He stood up abruptly, not even caring about etiquette, and interrupted the conversation directly, his voice a little sharp due to his urgency: "Everyone, please be quiet, and please don't be misled by these one-sided data!"
He tried to drown out the commotion in the meeting room with his voice: "Business is like a battlefield, where victory and defeat are commonplace. Investing inevitably involves risk, and it's normal to have gains and losses. These so-called evidences are nothing but figments of the imagination. I, Gu Hongyuan, have been at Gu Corporation for so many years, when have I ever done anything to let the company down?" He forced himself to calm down, his eyes sweeping across the fluctuating expressions of the Gu family's collateral shareholders below the stage, his tone slowing down but hinting at a threat:
"We're all family, connected by blood. Only when the Gu Group thrives can everyone thrive. Prosper together, and suffer together. At this critical juncture when outsiders are trying to take advantage of our situation, we should unite as one and point our guns outward! As for the company's internal management and decision-making issues, after we successfully repel the external enemies, we can discuss them behind closed doors."
The chairman of the meeting had to bang the gavel again to maintain order: "Please remain silent! Now, let's move on to the most crucial part of this meeting—"
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
"Now, let's begin voting on the motion to remove the current chairman, Mr. Gu Hongyuan, and some of the directors."
The moment that determines the fate of the Gu family has finally arrived.
The massive electronic vote tally screen lit up, its cold light illuminating every tense face in the audience. The three options of "support," "oppose," and "abstain" were like three gates of fate, determining Gu Hongyuan's fate and the future of this vast business empire.
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