Clearly, the issue now is not whether to fight or not, but whether these people will be able to stay next year.
Everyone felt this day would come, but no one expected it to come so quickly. If the majority of shareholders had stood with Lu Feng, it would have been nothing more than a tug-of-war that would have torn the company in two, with no other outcome.
Judging from the current situation, it's impossible for this to drag on for too long. John is sowing discord among the people within the company, and there will only be more people like Yang Fuqun, not fewer.
The atmosphere was a bit tense. Lu Feng addressed the crowd, saying, "Tomorrow's dividends definitely can't be too large. Everyone, please feel free to share your thoughts."
At this moment, Lu Feng could no longer act as before, directly making decisions for everyone. If even one of these people was unhappy and betrayed him at a crucial moment, it would mean total defeat.
Du Guoying chimed in, "President Lu, if there are no dividends, will this money still be invested heavily in R&D like it did last year?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lu Feng. Clearly, no one was confident about the bottomless pit that was research and development.
“We won’t be investing in R&D as heavily as we did last year. The main focus will be on stabilizing the current situation. The phase of large-scale investment can come to an end.” Lu Feng looked at everyone and said, “I’m not very optimistic about the future economic situation, so holding a lot of cash on hand is not a bad thing.”
"How much will the dividend be?" Wei Yandan asked with some concern. "Everyone is paying special attention to the dividend issue this year. If it's too low, I'm afraid there will be a strong backlash. Plus, with Goodley joining the company, next year's board meeting will be troublesome."
Lu Feng thought for a moment and said, "Five hundred million!"
Half an hour later, the group left the reception room and headed towards the dining room. Among them were people who were on good terms with Zhu Lidong and his group, who quietly came over to inquire about how much money they would be split.
As everyone entered, the banquet officially began. There were ten tables in total, with fewer than one hundred people. Lu Feng, John, Su Yourong, Feng Zhiyao and others sat at a table in the front row, while Wei Yandan and her group of executives sat at another table. Next to Wei Yandan sat Goodley.
The executives present were all shrewd and could sense even the slightest change in the top management. They knew they could never surpass Zhu Lidong, Wei Yandan, and other executives who had risen through the ranks with Lu Feng.
But now that John, the major shareholder, has arrived, Goodley is practically John's alter ego. He will become the second force in the group. As long as they follow him, Schroders will control the company in the future, and they will be just like Zhu Lidong.
As for the company's development and future prospects, they can't see that far ahead. They just want to climb higher, get higher salaries, higher bonuses, or even just take a stroll through a subsidiary company to earn more. Jiafeng's life or death is really not important.
Simple, and pure working life!
People kept coming to toast Goodley, and the atmosphere at the table was wonderful.
Lu Feng put down his chopsticks and stared at the table. John also turned his head to look. Feng Zhiyao turned his head back and glanced at it, saying, "It's so lively here. Let's have a drink too."
No one echoed his words, leaving Feng Zhiyao slightly embarrassed. Su Yourong smiled teasingly at Lu Feng and said, "That's really like killing someone by attacking their spirit."
"I don't quite understand what you're saying. Come on, let's have a drink." Lu Feng raised his glass, clinked it with everyone's, and then drank it all in one gulp.
John put down his cup and said, "Tomorrow is the day to announce the profit-sharing plan. I wonder if President Lu has any ideas in mind?"
"Still talking in your head? Let's discuss it together. I'm caught in the middle now. If I get a lot, will the company even continue? If I get a little, some idiots are plotting behind my back. I hate people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back. After all, you're a human being, not an animal." Lu Feng was quite unhappy and started cursing at the dinner table.
The entire dinner table was silent. Su Yourong ate her food in silence, while Feng Zhiyao had no idea what was going on. Brother Feng inexplicably lost his temper.
The representative from Goldman Sachs' Hong Kong branch said, "Mr. Lu, companies make money to benefit shareholders. Dividends are necessary, especially since the company has already achieved stable development, rather than investing money in bottomless pits."
"Is it your turn to speak? You're just a minority shareholder, and this is a debt-to-equity swap. A company needs to grow, not just distribute profits as soon as it makes a little money. You need to look at the future. According to you, Goldman Sachs should have distributed all its profits every year when it made money, instead of growing into a global giant." Lu Feng reprimanded him.
The Goldman Sachs representative, after being scolded, looked at John, who coughed and said, "Mr. Lu, you need to calm down. All shareholders are equal. Since you say that minority shareholders have no right to speak, are you a minority shareholder in front of me?"
“I am a minority shareholder, but I am also a member of the board of directors. Okay, let’s not talk about that. I disagree with the large dividend payout. This year’s dividend can be more than last year’s, but it should not exceed 500 million.” Lu Feng glanced around at the other people at the table and said, “I can say this: I am fully responsible for the company. If this plan is not implemented, the consequences will be serious. I hope you will all consider it carefully.”
John understood the implication and said, "President Lu, the board of directors is a place for discussion, not a place for one person to make a dictatorial decision. There's no need for threats. I think we should have a big dividend distribution, taking out 90% of the funds in the account and distributing them. When the company needs funds in the future, everyone can inject capital."
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