25: Chapter 25 Chen Group

"Develop a system? And conduct tests? What kind of joke is this?"

"If she can organize an engineering team to master this technology within fifteen days, I'll eat this ring!"

A Young Man noisily threw a diamond ring onto the coffee table in front of him, lounged on the sofa, and said with a look of disdain.

Opposite him sat a Middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses; the large frames added a touch of elegance to his appearance. His steady eyes flashed with an unreadable light. He didn't seem to care much about what young man said and replied calmly, "If you act like this in front of Mr. Tanaka, I will have to consider sending Xiao Yang in your place."

young man jumped up immediately and shook his head frantically.

"Don't, Father. You know me. I'm very good at putting on a show in front of outsiders; I certainly won't lose face for you."

"I hope so." The Middle-aged man glanced at him: "This matter is very important, and your task is extremely arduous. Do you understand what you need to do?"

"Understood!" young man sat down obediently and repeated what his father had told him word for word: "First, I need to build a good relationship with Mr. Tanaka. After arriving in W City, I must actively communicate and coordinate the technology transfer matters, trying my best to make Mr. Tanaka have a good impression of Chen Group so that the contract can be concluded smoothly."

"But… why do we have to do this?" young man asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Middle-aged man glanced at him: "Continue."

"Oh." young man instantly dropped the question and continued: "Second, deliver your handwritten letter to Chen Group Chairman Chen Zhongxuan. And find an opportunity to give the ring to the second young lady of Chen Group, Chen Xin. I like this part. Father, are you agreeing to let me hit on Chen Xin?"

"It's not just giving it to her; it's a formal marriage proposal." The Middle-aged man corrected him calmly.

"A marriage proposal?" young man immediately lost interest and curled his lip: "Hitting on her is fine, but a marriage proposal? Forget it. I don't want to tie myself down so early."

"That is not up to you." The Middle-aged man glanced at young man: "This is the only opportunity. You must handle this matter well. Even if the proposal doesn't succeed, you must leave a good impression on the second young lady of the Chen family to facilitate the next meeting."

"But Father…" young man said with a bitter face: "I'm really not good at proposing. I've given many rings to others, but this is my first time proposing. I… I'm not mentally prepared."

"You don't need to be prepared. I will explain the marriage proposal in the letter to Chen Zhongxuan. You just need to find an appropriate occasion to do it." The Middle-aged man seemed to know his son very well and continued: "And don't try to be clever with me. Although your little tricks are immature, they are still effective on young girls. Work hard at it. If you need anything, go directly to the finance department and charge it to the company's account."

"Can I spend as much as I want?" young man became interested.

"As long as you can win over Chen Xin, I will cover whatever you spend." The Middle-aged man nodded and said very calmly.

"Fine." young man agreed readily, "But Father, I have one more condition. Even if the proposal is successful, I hope to set the wedding date for four years from now. After all… I am still young, and I haven't had enough fun yet."

"Very well."

"Thank you, Father!" young man lay back on the sofa, looking a bit bored, "But Father, why must you insist that I get Chen Xin?"

The Middle-aged man said calmly: "Because Chen Zhongxuan is a matrilocal son-in-law."

"Matrilocal son-in-law…" young man suddenly realized, giving a thumbs up: "Father, you are truly amazing. I was wondering why, out of so many companies in all of China, you were fixated on Chen Group. So that's why."

"Now that you understand, go and do it properly. Whether we can restore our surname depends entirely on you this time." The Middle-aged man's expression suddenly darkened: "I don't care what method you use; you must win over Chen Xin, no matter how long it takes. But be careful not to arouse the vigilance or suspicion of the Chen family, especially avoiding any misunderstandings. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood." young man waved his hand boredly, seemingly impatient: "Father, don't worry, I… Oh, Young Master Liu is inviting me to a party."

young man looked at the Middle-aged man opposite him with an inquiring gaze.

"Father, can I go?"

"Go. End it early, and be careful."

"Alright."

Having received a definitive answer, young man cheered, grabbed the clothes and car keys nearby, and ran out the door.

A moment later, the Middle-aged man heard the roar of an engine, which quickly faded away.

"This kid." The Middle-aged man shook his head slightly, picked up the still-burning cigar next to him, took a deep drag, and exhaled rings of ethereal smoke.

"Chen Group, oh Chen Group… I have…"

The rest of the voice was too low to be heard.

"Chen Xin wants to develop a new system? Heh, do you believe it?"

In the headquarters of Chen Group in Beijing, several shareholders were sitting together, drinking tea and chatting. One of the shareholders suddenly let out a sneer.

"If a new system were so easy to develop, our group wouldn't have been stuck on this small piece of software for three years without any progress, almost dragging down the entire group's cash flow. So, just listen to it; it's just a little girl's naivety."

"Chen Xiao, you can't say that. After all, our little niece is still working hard for the group. Although I think her conditions this time are very immature, if we don't do this, how can we discuss technical cooperation with Japan W Company?"

"Speaking of which, we really owe it to Chen Xin this time; otherwise, that old fox Chen Zhongxuan wouldn't have given in so easily."

"Chen Xin has really dug a big hole for Chen Zhongxuan this time. Heh, thinking of Chen Zhongxuan's stifled look at the Board of Directors meeting, I really want to laugh out loud, hahaha."

"Me too." Another director on the side chimed in: "That old fox Chen Zhongxuan has controlled the group for so many years; it's time to change to a new person. I propose that we take this opportunity to strike while the iron is hot, completely drive that old fox Chen Zhongxuan off the position of Chairman, and truly return Chen Group to the hands of the Chen family!"

"I agree."

"I also agree."

"Seconded."

"I object."

The sound of the discussion stopped, and everyone collectively looked in the direction the voice came from. The person sitting in the middle showed a look of displeasure.

"Director Chen Yuren, you object?"

"I object." The one called Director Chen Yuren was a Middle-aged man. At this moment, he raised his eyebrows slightly, showing no fear of the dissatisfied gazes of the people around him.

"Why do you object?"

"Everyone, don't forget that the person you are discussing how to deal with is the Chairman of our group! It is the Chairman who developed Chen Group from a small real estate company to the current Chen Group with a market value of over a hundred billion!" Director Chen Yuren scanned the people present, his voice serious: "My brothers, sisters, and siblings, let me ask you: whose shares were not persuaded to be bought by the Chairman himself when he visited you? Who among you was not brought to this position step by step by the Chairman? Who among you… has not taken a single cent of dividends from me and my sister?"

"Back then, when my father passed away unexpectedly, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. My sister and I went to each of you to beg you to put up money to save the company. Who among you voluntarily put up money? If it weren't for the Chairman coming to visit personally to plead, giving you shares, and promising to return the losses in full, who among you would have put up money to save the company?"

"No one!"

"Even my good eldest brother…" Director Chen Yuren suddenly looked at the person sitting in the middle who had asked the question, "Chen Yuqiong, shut me and my sister out! Shut his own younger sister and younger brother out!"

"Now, under the leadership of the Chairman, the company's performance is booming. The shares in each of your hands have risen dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times! You have lived a noble life, living in the best villas, driving the most expensive cars, eating the best food, and buying the most luxurious goods. Who gave you all of this? You tell me!"

The crowd was embarrassed, seemingly afraid to meet Director Chen Yuren's gaze, and lowered their heads one after another. Only Chen Yuqiong was not afraid at all, instead revealing a hint of sarcasm.

"Second brother, what you said is correct. All of this was indeed given to us by the Chairman, given to us by my dear brother-in-law! However, you have also seen the current situation of the group: R&D is restricted, funds are short, large amounts of land are hoarded but cannot be developed, various assets are tied up, and even bank loans have shrunk. All of this shows that today's group has reached a dead end. If we don't reform, there is only one way to die!"

"Everyone, by then, it won't be as simple as losing our fortunes; it will be debt! Huge debt! Everything we have now will disappear overnight! Thousands of employees who rely on us for their livelihood will be laid off and unemployed!"

"I and the other directors agree that Chairman Chen Zhongxuan can no longer grasp the direction of the group, and the investment in technology companies has already hurt the group's foundation. If the group is to survive, the strategy must be changed."

"What strategy?" Director Chen Yuren sneered: "Let the group develop according to your plan, right?"

"The current plan is to introduce technology to save the group from fire and water." Chen Yuqiong's gaze was cold, "The long-term plan is to completely withdraw from the technology field, fully invest assets into the real estate field, and strengthen the speed of capital return, in order to give the group a chance to be reborn!"

"Withdraw from the technology field?" Director Chen Yuren looked disdainful: "And then what? Withdraw from the transportation field? Withdraw from the service industry? Withdraw from the retail industry? My brother-in-law spent decades to help the group get rid of its reliance on real estate, and now with one sentence, you want to beat the group back to its original shape?"

"This is the only way to save the group!" Chen Yuqiong looked around and stated: "According to my calculations, the demand for real estate in all of China is still rising, the market is still expanding, and this is an excellent dividend period! If we can pour into the real estate market with full force now, we will quickly harvest a wave of dividends, enough to let the group rise to another level!"

The shareholders nodded in agreement, and for a while, the noise was endless.

"Enough!" Director Chen Yuren shouted, "You are all short-sighted people! Only looking at the benefits on your own plates, while turning a blind eye to the gold and silver mountains in the distance! You used my niece to save the group; I didn't object, as it was for the good of the group; you united to pressure the Chairman to agree to product testing and negotiations, and I didn't object either. But now, regarding your proposal to ask the Chairman to step down, I firmly object!"

"To save the group, the most basic thing is to stick to the group's current direction. This is the tone set by the Chairman himself! Before your goals are achieved, no one can change it!"

Everyone seemed to be stunned, and for a while, no one spoke, even Chen Yuqiong sat back with a calm expression.

"Director Chen Yuren, if you are finished, let me say a few words." A middle-aged woman stood up, "Whether it's short-sighted or far-sighted, that's not what we are discussing today. What we are discussing today is the product test in half a month and the upcoming consultation meeting with the Japan company. The Chairman has already gone to W City to preside over the consultation, but I think we should also pay attention to the test. What if our little niece succeeds? Can't we take the opportunity to make a name for ourselves and open up the market?"

The crowd burst into laughter, as if what the middle-aged woman said was a joke. Chen Yuqiong stood up again and signaled for the middle-aged woman to sit down.

"Xiaoling is right. People cannot live without dreams, and the same goes for doing things. You have to have dreams. After all, if… what if it succeeds?"

The crowd laughed again.

"For the product test in half a month, if anyone has any ideas, you can say them."

As soon as the voice fell, a shareholder stood up.

"I propose that on the basis of summoning company engineers and experts, we can also summon some media, and even invite some friendly merchants and potential customers. If it succeeds, can't we place orders on the spot?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's right. I also propose that we can also invite notary personnel and patent appraisal personnel to the scene. If it is really a new type of system, we can fully apply for a patent on the spot, haha."

"Good idea, I also propose…"

"I propose…"

Director Chen Yuren looked at these so-called shareholders in front of him, his heart full of anger but not knowing who to vent it on, he could only snort, turned around, and left the conference room.

Chen Yuqiong watched Director Chen Yuren's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth slightly revealing a sneer, as if mocking someone's overestimation of their own capabilities.