Dispute over inheritance
Three days later, Zhiwei received a call from Zhao Youlin. Zhao Youlin, sounding slightly panicked, told Zhiwei that Qian Dayou, who had accompanied Li Fuqiang on his business trip to Europe, had called to say that Mr. Li Fuqiang had suffered an accident at the gym, falling from a treadmill and hitting his head on the ground. Despite being rushed to the hospital from the hotel, he could not be saved. A private charter plane was being arranged to transport his body back to China, and Li Jiaqi had already arranged for people to go to the airport to receive him and handle the aftermath.
The phone slipped from Zhiwei's hand, making a dull thud on the carpet. She stared blankly at the newly lightening sky outside the window, her mind a complete blank. Just two or three days ago, they were talking on the phone; that voice still carried its usual all-encompassing authority, but now they were separated forever. She instinctively clenched her hands, her nails digging deep into her palms; the slight stinging sensation confirmed to her that this wasn't a bizarre dream.
Before Li Fuqiang's body could be returned, undercurrents were already surging within the Fumao Group. Li Jiaqi, as the only child, with the support of some senior executives, was preparing to take over the business empire left by her father. When she appeared at the Fumao headquarters, dressed in a custom-made black suit, her eyes held an barely suppressed sorrow, as well as a hint of excitement at soon-to-be-in-power.
Just then, the secretary rushed in and whispered a few words in Li Jiaqi's ear. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Half an hour later, Zhao Meijuan appeared in the conference room, leading sixteen-year-old Li Chenyu by the hand. The boy's features vaguely resembled Li Fuqiang's, and he clutched a document tightly in his hand.
"This is a photocopy of the paternity test results; the original is in the safe." Zhao Meijuan's voice was soft, yet it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. "Chenyu deserves what he's entitled to."
Li Jiaqi was furious. She couldn't accept that a suddenly appearing "bastard" was going to take half of her father's assets, including crucial shares in the Fumao Group. However, the legal director reminded everyone that Ms. Shen Zhiwei, as Li Fuqiang's legal wife, owned half of his fortune. The inheritance they could receive was only half of Li Fuqiang's net worth.
"Shen Zhiwei is just a pretty face; why should she take half of my father's fortune? My mother is the wife who fought alongside the old man to build this empire!"
"I don't understand," Li Jiaqi's voice trembled with suppressed emotion, "My father was always so thorough in his work, how could he not have left a will? He couldn't possibly watch his life's work, Fu Mao, be destroyed!"
A vice president who had worked for Li Fuqiang for over twenty years adjusted his glasses: "Mr. Li is in his prime, in excellent health. At his age, and in his position, it's indeed...inappropriate for him to bring up his will."
Another senior director chimed in, "Last year's medical report showed all indicators were ideal. We all thought we had at least another ten years."
Silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone knew the truth; it wasn't that no one had thought of it, but rather that no one dared to bring up this unlucky topic in front of Li Fuqiang. Moreover, since Mr. Li was secretly keeping a young master, if there really was a will, the outcome was uncertain.
Just when the situation reached a stalemate and it seemed that a lawsuit was imminent, potentially leading to a dispersion of the group's shares and shaking its very foundation, Qian Dayou, who was usually low-profile, stepped forward. He first privately confirmed to Li Jiaqi and several core executives that Li Chenyu's identity was indeed beyond doubt.
Li Fuqiang had a paternity test done many years ago, and has been paying child support and arranging for him to receive a good education. This is not a secret among some of the veteran officials.
After much persuasion, he saw Zhao Meijuan and her son off. "Don't rush to divide the family property. Let's make sure Mr. Li's funeral is held properly. Miss must be tired today, so I'll take her home to rest." Back at the Rong residence, he instructed Shenping to pour some wine for Miss so she could relax.
In Li Fuqiang's study, Li Jiaqi drank some red wine, his tense forehead relaxing slightly due to a dazed look. He dismissed all the servants, closed the door, and took out a long-sealed photocopy of a prenuptial agreement with extremely harsh terms.
“Madam Zhiwei is not supposed to participate in the distribution of the inheritance.”
Li Jiaqi's eyes lit up. "Oh? That's great. This woman really did try to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead."
Qian Dayou calmly said, "Back then, before the boss got married, he signed a prenuptial agreement with Mrs. Zhiwei. It was Mrs. Zhiwei's own suggestion that they maintain financial independence after marriage."
Before Li Jiaqi could even rejoice, Qian Dayou continued, "But this means that the inheritance will be divided equally between the eldest daughter and Li Chenyu."
"Don't even think about it! A bastard like him dares to try and take my place!"
"Young Miss, I can use this agreement to help you retain control of Fu Mao—"
Seeing his cryptic tone, Li Jiaqi coldly asked, "What are your conditions?"
Qian Dayou held Li Jiaqi's hand: "I have long admired Miss Li and hope that she will marry me. We are a community of shared interests, and I will naturally do my best to secure the greatest benefits for us. Otherwise, if this agreement falls into the hands of Zhao Meijuan and her son, they will definitely use it to demand half of the family property."
Li Jiaqi angrily shook off Qian Dayou's hand, wishing she could slap him across the face. But he wasn't in a hurry. He picked up the wine glass Li Jiaqi had placed on the table, took a sip of red wine with her lipstick mark on it, and leisurely waited for her to come to her senses.
After a long pause, she spoke: "How do we do it?"
"Miss, please allow me to analyze the current situation for you. The paternity test results presented by Zhao Meijuan and her son are genuine; I can confirm that. According to statutory inheritance laws, Young Master Chenyu is indeed entitled to claim half of the inheritance."
He opened the prenuptial agreement and lightly touched the key clauses with his fingertips:
"The beauty of this is that Madam Zhiwei knows about this agreement, but for her own benefit, she won't reveal it to Zhao Meijuan and her son. And because she knows about this agreement, she can accept our terms. We can't really take half of the old man's estate and then try to steal the inheritance."
"We can argue that before calculating the total estate, we should first confirm Ms. Shen's rights to the marital property based on the marriage."
Qian Dayou took out a piece of paper and wrote down a few numbers:
"Assuming the total assets are 100 units. First, by claiming the division of marital property, Ms. Shen can receive 50 units. The remaining 50 units will then be distributed as Mr. Li's estate."
"According to statutory inheritance, you, Young Master Chenyu, and Miss Shen are all first-order heirs, each receiving one-third, which is approximately 16.7 units."
He looked up at Li Jiaqi, his gaze meaningful:
"The key is that we can reach a secret agreement with Ms. Shen: she voluntarily relinquishes all asset claims beyond the 2 billion in cash. Through this arrangement, the final distribution will be: Ms. Shen receives 2 billion in cash, you receive approximately 66.7% of the assets, and Mr. Chenyu will only receive 16.7%."
Qian Dayou paused briefly to allow Li Jiaqi to process the numbers:
"More importantly, we can ensure you receive controlling shares through equity structure. The inheritance for Young Master Chenyu will primarily consist of cash and other non-core assets."
"Why give that woman so much money?! It's too easy on her."
"Although there is this agreement, Miss Shen and the old man have been married for more than ten years. There are risks in whether the prenuptial agreement is fair and valid. If you insist on going to court, it may drag on for several years. By then, how much will Fumao be worth? Moreover, once the agreement is made public, if you win the lawsuit, it will be like giving money to Li Chenyu."
"Therefore, the agreement must absolutely not be made public!"
"Besides Mr. Li, Ms. Shen, only Ms. Shen's lawyer and I know about this agreement. Of course, Ms. Shen's lawyer wouldn't ruin her plans."
Qian Dayou's voice was even lower:
"For this plan to be implemented smoothly, it requires deep trust and cooperation between us. The simplest way is through marriage, so that I can legitimately assist you in handling these...domestic matters. Interests are the strongest bond, aren't they?"
After the funeral, Qian Dayou and Li Jiaqi invited the senior executives of Fumao Company, Zhiwei, and Zhao Meijuan and her son to Li Fuqiang's office at Fumao. Before the meeting, Qian Dayou and Li Jiaqi met with Zhiwei privately.
Qian Dayou restated the proposal. He emphasized, "Ms. Shen, according to this plan, you will receive 2 billion yuan in cash. If you insist on adhering to the original agreement, you may receive nothing and face a lengthy legal battle."
Zhiwei listened quietly, then nodded gently: "I agree."
Li Jiaqi finally looked at Qian Youda: "Are you sure no one else has seen this agreement?"
Under the combined pressure and persuasion of Qian Dayou and the top management of Fumao, Zhao Meijuan and her son could not raise any objections to the seemingly standard division of assets. Although they were dissatisfied with not being able to occupy a core position in Fumao, they knew that as a massage girl and a minor child, who was also an illegitimate child raised outside the company, even if they received shares, they would be completely taken advantage of by the shrewd senior executives. They had no choice but to agree reluctantly. After all, this was a huge fortune that ordinary people could hardly imagine.
Zhiwei signed her name on the last page of the document, the scratching sound of the pen on the paper marking the end of this ten-year marriage. Two billion. This figure lay quietly in the designated account, unlike anything she had ever possessed before—it belonged purely to Shen Zhiwei, without any conditions attached, and without bearing anyone's expectations.
Li Jiaqi sat at the other end of the long table, looking at her with a complicated expression. "There's one more condition," she said, her voice unusually clear in the quiet conference room, "Father has just passed away. I hope you'll respect his dignity and not rush into a second spring. I don't want to hear any gossip about you for the next three years, and after that, I hope you'll stop acting as Mrs. Li."
Zhiwei looked up and met Li Jiaqi's gaze. To her, this request sounded more like a relief. "I agree," she replied crisply, as if what the other party was offering was not a constraint, but the freedom she had longed for.
As Zhiwei left the law firm, a light rain began to fall in Beijing. She didn't use an umbrella, letting the fine raindrops fall on her shoulders. She went directly to the Fumao Building and announced to her colleagues at the Women's Care Foundation that she was still recovering from her trauma and could not continue as chairperson. She stated that the company would arrange a successor, and she believed everyone would continue to carry forward the charitable initiatives established by Mr. Li.
"Are you really leaving?" Wang Jingnan was waiting for her downstairs.
Zhiwei nodded, the dampness of the rain making her look exceptionally clear-headed: "I want to travel to Europe. France, England, Switzerland, Italy… I want to give myself a long vacation. Usually, I just rush through, but this time I don't have a planned itinerary; I'll just go wherever I feel like and see what I see."
"How long will it take?"
"Three years, or longer." Zhiwei smiled slightly. "I'll leave the domestic affairs to you to keep an eye on for me, and Accountant Li will assist you. As for me, don't worry, I'll take Xiaoyu and recruit a team specifically to accompany me in eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring—wherever there's fun to be had, that's where we go."
They said goodbye in the rain. Jingnan watched Zhiwei get into the car and suddenly felt that this friend of more than ten years was finally about to start a life that truly belonged to her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
