Chapter 138: The Ugly Visage

Liu Shihui stopped struggling and simply allowed the two police officers to place him in handcuffs. As the cold metal locked around his wrists, he could not help but close his eyes. He knew that this time, there was truly no turning back; the path that led him to this point was entirely of his own making.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Seeing Liu Shihui being led away, Chen Feng sat back down and looked at everyone present with a smile. "Now that the Qingxue Group is taking over the Liu Group, I wonder, do you have any objections?"

"Of course, we have no objections. We have great confidence in Chairman Xiao's abilities!" Wang Zhong spoke up quickly. He could be considered the first to have defected to Xiao Yu, and it was with her help that he had caught his daughter-in-law cheating on his son. Wang Zhong had kept that matter under wraps, harboring plenty of his own schemes, waiting for his daughter-in-law's belly to grow before forcing a divorce between them. It had to be said that the old man was filled with malice.

Chen Feng’s gaze swept across the faces of the others. The people around him quickly chimed in with agreement; no one cared about the unfortunate Liu Shihui. They only cared about who would provide them with higher dividends. Xiao Yu taking over the Liu Group seemed like a very good choice—her capabilities were far superior to Liu Shihui's, and they would likely earn more by following her.

Looking at everyone, Wang Zhong couldn't wait to stand up. "Mr. Chen, now that the Liu Group belongs to Chairman Xiao, I think the first thing we must do is get the company running again. If we continue like this, we will keep losing money; it’s not worth it!"

Chen Feng clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them, smiling. "You’re right. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Wang Zhong replied promptly, "For starters, I think the company needs a major internal overhaul. We can no longer use some of Liu Shihui’s former subordinates. I happen to have a few candidates in mind who are quite skilled in finance. Mr. Chen, at a time like this, we must get the company back in operation quickly. How about we let them take over the finance department? I guarantee they will have the Liu Group running normally in no time!"

Wang Zhong’s mind was racing. Chen Feng was essentially Xiao Yu’s representative. Although Xiao Yu hadn't appeared, this was the perfect opportunity for him to intervene. When Liu Shihui was in charge, the company’s finances had never been under Wang Zhong’s control; now, it was the perfect chance to seize them. Seeing how young Chen Feng was—not even eighteen—he figured it would be child's play to hoodwink him.

"This seems a bit troublesome," Chen Feng said, spreading his hands helplessly. "Sister Xiao has already arranged for her own candidates. If I suddenly replace them with your people, I... I really don't know how I would explain this to her!"

Chen Feng wore an expression of deep difficulty.

"Mr. Chen, you are still young and don't quite understand. A company’s operation isn't what you think it is, and Chairman Xiao isn't exactly a veteran of the Liu Group," Wang Zhong pressed. "The people I recommend are all veterans of the company; they know how things run. The priority now is stability. We can let Chairman Xiao’s candidates stay in the finance department temporarily, but how about we deal with the specifics later?"

"This..." Chen Feng hesitated. Beside him, Qi Sisi grew anxious. Unlike Chen Feng, she immediately saw through the old man's intentions. It was clear he was trying to wedge his way in before Xiao Yu could fully consolidate control. The old man was truly ruthless—going straight for the finance department.

"Mr. Chen, we can't, we really can't..." Qi Sisi said, blinking at Chen Feng repeatedly.

"Miss Qi, are you the representative sent by Chairman Xiao?" Wang Zhong glanced at her and sneered. "If you aren't the representative, then please keep quiet. You have no right to speak here, and you are not the one making the decisions, are you, Mr. Chen?"

"You..." Qi Sisi glared at Wang Zhong in anger. Chen Feng, however, smiled slightly and looked at her. "Sister Qi, leave it to me. Since Sister Xiao entrusted everything here to me, she naturally has her reasons. You don't need to worry!"

Qi Sisi looked at Chen Feng, muttering to herself, "You’ve been fed their sweet talk and are so puffed up with pride you don't even know who you are. You tell me not to worry? How can I not? You're still too green to be dealing with these old foxes!"

"So, there are some people in the finance department," Chen Feng said with a smile, looking at Wang Zhong. "Then, Elder Wang, I have noted your suggestion. The finance department is indeed a very important department; we must not be careless."

Wang Zhong laughed heartily. "Mr. Chen, you are absolutely right. The finance department is of the utmost importance; we must pay close attention to it!"

Chen Feng picked up a pen and scribbled on a piece of paper, his gaze sweeping over the remaining people while he maintained a naive smile. "So, who else has a suggestion?"

"The personnel department needs to be changed too!" another man, Li Feng, one of the larger shareholders, piped up. "The personnel department is very important; we must keep it in our own hands. We have to replace Liu Shihui’s people there as well!"

Following that, the group began to chime in, each trying to install their own people into various departments. The conference room turned into a chaotic vegetable market, with everyone scrambling to seize greater benefits.

Chen Feng remained unhurried, taking a sip of his tea while wearing an expression of earnest attention. Qi Sisi watched, secretly anxious. In her view, while Chen Feng had some ability, he was far less cunning than Xiao Yu, and these old men had already spun him around with just a few words. She worried that Xiao Yu had worked so hard to lay the groundwork and seize the Liu Group, only for Chen Feng to foolishly hand the company's vital departments over to outsiders.

*Clap! Clap!*

Chen Feng suddenly clapped his hands, and the room fell silent instantly. Wang Zhong turned to him, smiling. "Mr. Chen, what do you think of our suggestions?" He had even started using the honorific "you," showing just how polite he was being toward Chen Feng.

"Are you all finished?" Chen Feng looked at them with a faint smile.

"Finished, of course we're finished!" Wang Zhong replied with a polite smile. "Mr. Chen, Chairman Xiao has entrusted all matters to you. You must make sure to handle this properly and avoid any slip-ups!"

"Then it is my turn to speak," Chen Feng said, smiling at everyone. "You keep saying 'Liu Group, Liu Group.' Have you forgotten? The Liu Group is no longer the Liu Group; it belongs to the Qingxue Group. It is the Xiao Group!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the Xiao Group. We misspoke, we misspoke!" Wang Zhong bowed and scraped. "Then, Mr. Chen, have you considered our previous proposals? If you have, we can let the company start operating immediately!"

"No rush. Before that, I have one thing to handle. If you would be so kind as to sign this contract," Chen Feng said, taking several documents out of his bag. His gaze met Qi Sisi’s, and she picked up the papers. After just one look, she was slightly shaken, thinking to herself, *I didn't expect Chen Feng to actually do this. Hmph, these old bastards! Did they really think Chen Feng was just some naive kid who didn't understand anything?*

As she thought this, she forgot that she herself had just considered him naive. She then smiled and delivered the contracts to each person.

Wang Zhong picked up the contract, his expression shifting. He furrowed his brows and looked at Chen Feng. "Chen Feng, what is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning is simple. I think it’s written quite clearly on the contract. If you can't even understand this, I suggest you go back to elementary school and have your language teacher teach you word by word," Chen Feng said, his gaze sweeping over the shareholders. "Starting today, the shares you hold are converted into non-voting shares. You may continue to enjoy the dividends from the Liu Group, but you no longer have any say in the company’s affairs!"

Chen Feng’s smile was innocent, but that very smile gave everyone the urge to smash his face in. They suddenly realized that Chen Feng was not so easy to deal with after all; the man’s cunning was not a whit inferior to theirs.