Chapter Sixty-Five: No Longer Reserved (4)

At this moment, Will was gritting his teeth so hard he thought they might shatter. He wanted nothing more than to kill Xiao Tianci on the spot—sitting here was more torturous than death itself. Yet, he had no choice; if he left, he’d truly be as good as dead.

Meanwhile, the audience below was growing restless. Unlike usual, no one had stepped up to open the proceedings, and everyone was eyeing the empty seat, wondering if they were all waiting for this mysterious figure.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m very pleased that you could all come here today. On behalf of the Xiao family, I wish to express my gratitude.” The voice rang out from the speakers around the room, but no one could spot its source. The crowd murmured; some reporters were already leaning toward Will and the others in front, asking who was speaking and what was going on.

“Don’t be surprised, everyone. As journalists, your job is to report the truth. Now, let me tell you a story. This story begins about thirty years ago. My father, the then-head of the Xiao family, was the founder of the Meihua Group.”

A collective gasp swept the room. That single sentence was explosive news. According to all existing records—including materials provided by Meihua itself—Meihua was established as a partnership among several parties, with no mention of this so-called Xiao family.

“And then, some time ago, my father passed away and left his estate to me, his son. That would be me. Heh… I now own thirty-four percent of Meihua’s shares. Rest assured, the Xiao family has been a prominent clan for centuries. The only reason I’ve stepped forward to lead Meihua is because I feel its progress has been too slow. I want to guide Meihua to a new level. Don’t worry, everyone—Meihua is just a part of the Xiao family’s assets. I don’t even know the full extent of the rest of the inheritance, but it’s certainly worth more than Meihua, so there’s no cause for concern. That’s the end of the story. The Meihua executives here, as well as the renowned lawyer Mr. Xu Guowei, can all vouch for my words. All right, goodbye for now—next time, if there’s an opportunity, I’ll tell you another story.”

This was truly a test of anyone’s nerves—especially for the Meihua Group executives seated on the stage. Will’s face had turned the color of an overripe eggplant, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his body trembling.

Xu Guowei thought to himself, “As expected, he’s taken an unconventional approach… I wonder what the boss will do next. May the ancestors of the Xiao family bless us—there has never been a weakling among them. Let’s hope the boss’s ‘unorthodox’ methods open up a new world. Let’s hope…”

Zhou Ao’s heart was a storm of anger and jealousy. Though his own Zhou family was powerful, compared to the Xiao family, they were nothing—after just a few decades. As for the Xiao family’s assets beyond Meihua, who could fathom their true extent? It was said that even the inheritance paperwork had required over a hundred lawyers working separately. Now, hearing Xiao Tianci casually claim that the rest of the inheritance was worth more than Meihua, Zhou Ao’s heart nearly leapt from his chest. What did that even mean? Tens of trillions? Just how much was the Xiao family worth?

This thought was on everyone’s mind except Xu Guowei’s, for he alone understood that, when all the Xiao family’s assets were combined, they truly weren’t much different in value from the thirty-four percent Meihua stake. This, precisely, was the effect Xiao Tianci wanted.

After a brief moment of collective shock and mental shutdown, the reporters exploded into a barrage of questions aimed at those on stage.

In situations like this, experienced hands knew that answering the reporters would be a never-ending ordeal. None of those forced onto the stage wanted to say more than necessary.

First, Xu Guowei stepped up to confirm that the Xiao family had indeed held shares in Meihua for years—though distributed among several relatives—and that these had now been inherited by the present generation, thus providing accountability to shareholders.

Xu Guowei’s words left Will a tiny scrap of dignity. Will himself stepped up to say a few words as well, expressing support for Mr. Xiao’s leadership and assuring all shareholders of Meihua’s bright future.

By now, every reporter had recovered from their shock and was frantically getting to work. The internet, as always, was the fastest medium. Recordings from earlier, along with statements from the Meihua executives, were instantly uploaded to the world’s largest news sites, splashed across their homepages. The most sensational headline came from a publication that changed its entire front page to a single character: “Xiao.” Many initially thought it was a virus attack, but then the reports began, drawing in countless readers.

Meanwhile, Xu Guowei, Will, Zhou Ao, and the others, having finished their token remarks, hurried offstage. The reporters were so desperate for answers, it was as though they wanted to pry open their heads to see what was really going on.

Most absurd of all, everyone present felt a burning sense of shame and embarrassment at the day’s proceedings.

And as for the mastermind behind it all—Xiao Tianci—he sat contentedly in the monitoring room at the back, watching the chaos outside and chuckling, “Heh, this is exactly the effect I wanted. Chief Steward, go inform them—the press conference is over. I want a meeting; all senior management must attend. I have an important announcement to make. This will be my first major action since taking charge at Meihua, and it needs to make an impact.”

“Yes, sir. But moving so abruptly, I fear the M government will come knocking soon. This is a major event, and we didn’t notify them beforehand. Plus, Meihua’s headquarters is in M country. The repercussions could be significant—not just for M, but for the global economy. And then there are all the international and Meihua partners to consider…”

Xiao Tianci rose from his seat, and Chief Steward Lin Jian draped his overcoat over his shoulders. In high spirits, Xiao Tianci shrugged his shoulders arrogantly and declared, “The greater the impact, the better! Let’s go out and boost morale. I’ve just taken the helm—if everyone’s spirits are this low, how can we operate?” He pointed to the screen, gesturing at Will and the others. “Look at them—all of them look like they’re in mourning. It’s absolutely ruining the company’s image.”

Lin Jian nodded and followed behind Xiao Tianci as they walked out. Although Xiao Tianci had never said it outright, Lin Jian understood in his heart: “If I went into acting, I’d be a pop idol, but the boss—he’s a true heavyweight.”

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