Chapter 269 - Who Dares to Make a Move

Although they had expected shareholders to cause trouble for the group, no one thought it would happen so soon.

“These little bastards, are they trying to rebel?

They dare to cause trouble?” Old Master Xiao flew into a rage and ordered the servants to let the people in.

Before long, a large crowd surged into the villa; when they saw Old Master Xiao, they burst into collective outrage, demanding the return of their hard-earned money.

“Silence, all of you!” Old Master Xiao suddenly stood up and shouted angrily.

All along, Old Master Xiao had an unparalleled prestige in front of the shareholders; his anger immediately intimidated them, silencing them out of habit.

However, there were still people who dared to provoke Old Master Xiao to his face.

“Old Master, aren’t you being a bit too domineering and tyrannical?” a voice rang out from the crowd.

Old Master Xiao followed the voice and his gaze sharpened, “Xiao Quan, in terms of seniority, I am your uncle.

Is this how you talk to your elder?”

Ye Haochuan’s gaze also fell on Xiao Quan.

He saw a man in his fifties or sixties, potbellied, with a round, smiling-Buddha face, slender eyes, and a hint of coldness flashing in them.

The impression he gave was that of a crafty and duplicitous small-time merchant, someone who smiled with a knife up his sleeve.

“Elder Xiao, I may not be well-educated, but I understand the principle of respecting one’s elders.

Otherwise, I would have already lost my reason and come to settle accounts with you,” Xiao Quan said with a forced smile that did not reach his eyes.

Old Master Xiao’s face turned an ugly shade of anger.

Xiao Quan was a youth from his own hometown, Xiao Family Village.

If it weren’t for Old Master Xiao’s support, letting him invest and become a shareholder, Xiao Quan wouldn’t have today’s success.

Now, he had turned out to be an ungrateful cur, biting the hand that fed him.

At this moment, Xiao Haimei could no longer stand by.

She stood up indignantly and said, “Uncle Quan, it’s shameful that you, my elder, would speak like this.

Other shareholders causing a stir can be understood, but what are you doing, meddling in this affair as a member of the Xiao Family?”

“Ah, Haimie, you can’t say that.

Although I’m a member of the Xiao Family, I’m also a shareholder of the Xiao Group.

I’ve got my hard-earned money in there too.

Isn’t it reasonable for me to ask for it back?” Xiao Quan laughed slyly.

Behind him, the other shareholders began to make a commotion, supporting Xiao Quan.

Xiao Haimei was so angry that she trembled.

This Xiao Quan really had no shame, still having the gall to mention hard-earned money?

“How much money did you actually put into your investment at the beginning?

If it weren’t for Grandpa’s soft heart, having given you a subsidy on account of being from the same hometown, you wouldn’t have a minor share in a subsidiary company of the Xiao Group.

Now you’re talking about hard-earned money, do you have no shame?”

Having been exposed on the spot by Xiao Haimei, Xiao Quan’s face alternated between green and white.

However, he quickly became brazen, retorting stubbornly, “Nonsense, when I bought shares of the Xiao Group, I used my hard-earned money.

When have I ever needed Elder Xiao to subsidize me?”

Xiao Haimei was about to refute, but just then, Old Master Xiao raised his hand to stop her from speaking.

Xiao Haimei had to hold back.

Only then did Old Master Xiao look coldly at Xiao Quan and say, “So, what brings you leading so many people here today?”

Having lived a lifetime, Old Master Xiao had seen all sorts of people.

He had long realized that Xiao Quan was the ringleader behind these shareholders.

Xiao Quan was taken aback but knowing he was seen through, he decided to lay his cards on the table, “Since Elder Xiao has asked, we might as well be honest.

Everyone knows that the Xiao Group’s capital has been drained by your son.

Therefore, you need to compensate us shareholders for our losses.”

“The shareholders’ losses will be compensated,” Elder Xiao scanned the room of shareholders with a grave voice, “However, I have already reported to the authorities.

Mayor Lin has also given instructions to resolve the case as soon as possible and recover the group’s losses.

So, we need everyone to be patient.”

“We can’t be patient!

Why should we foot the bill for your son’s grave mistake?” someone in the crowd shouted.

Following the voice, Ye Haochuan saw the person who, after speaking, quickly vanished, evidently not wishing to be identified.

Nevertheless, incited by that person, the shareholders began to clamor once again, their emotions inflamed, demanding that Old Master Xiao compensate for their losses.

Old Master Xiao was also provoked to anger and said furiously, “If it’s money you want, there is none, but if it’s my life, I have one to take, come and get it!”

The shareholders were intimidated.

These shareholders had actually been relying on the Xiao Group’s support for decades, and had long since earned back their investment with substantial profit.

Now they were causing trouble because they were incited by Xiao Quan, angered that Old Master Xiao hadn’t disciplined his son properly, allowing him to embezzle the assets.

They were only there for an explanation and didn’t truly intend to make things difficult for Old Master Xiao.

Moreover, over the past decades, they had personally witnessed Old Master Xiao weathering countless storms, and they had seen the Xiao Group rebound and be reborn from the ashes time and again.

Therefore, this time, they still hoped that Old Master Xiao could revive the Xiao Group from the brink of death.

At this moment, Xiao Quan, that villain, jumped out and said, “Old Master, we all eat from the same pot, let’s not scare each other.

The Xiao Group’s structure may still be intact, but without capital, it could collapse any minute.

However, before it does, we must try our best to recoup our losses.

Everyone, listen up, the items in this room, each and every one, is valuable so feel free to take them, taking one is better than none…”

Under Xiao Quan’s instigation, some shareholders began to shout, preparing to act, while many other shareholders who originally didn’t intend to go to extremes saw the others doing so and gradually lost their original intention, following the stream and clamoring to strip the villa of everything inside.

Old Master Xiao was so angry he was about to explode, yet Xiao Quan was still there making noise: “Nobody has to worry, the Old Master doesn’t have just this one villa, just in Haishan, there are more than ten others.

Once we’re done here, we can move on to the others…”

Damn, this Xiao Quan is simply a scoundrel!

Ye Haochuan couldn’t stand by any longer, a surge of anger rising in his heart, he sank his qi to his dantian, mustered all his strength, and shouted, “I would like to see who dares touch anything?”

His shout, tinged with a hint of the Lion’s Roar technique, caused all the shareholders’ ears to buzz, feeling a temporary tinnitus.

“Listen up, anyone who dares to make a move, this will be the consequences!”

As he spoke, Ye Haochuan flew up a kick and violently stomped on the rosewood tea table in front of him, cracking it into two halves with a snap.

“Ah!”

All the shareholders were shocked to their core, their eyes wide open, not daring to move.

Xiao Quan was the same, quiet as a cicada in winter, not daring to act arrogantly anymore.

Damn, what a coward.

Ye Haochuan snorted.

Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Old Master Xiao turned to the shareholders and said, “Gentlemen, the Xiao Group indeed faces significant issues, but it has not fallen.

Though we’re short on capital, the assets, human resources, and marketing channels of the group are still in our Xiao Family’s hands.”

He paused for a second and continued, “In the coming days, our Xiao Family will adopt a ‘cutting off one’s own limb to save the body’ determination and take measures to transfer these assets, human resources, and marketing channels to other group companies, to ensure that your interests suffer minimal damage.

Of course, we ask for your understanding that dealing with these matters will take time, and cannot be achieved in just a few short days.”

With Old Master Xiao speaking, the shareholders’ emotions gradually calmed down.

Ye Haochuan secretly admired him and also respected Old Master Xiao’s decisive strategy.

The bank debts were indeed troublesome but not impossible to resolve.

The main difficulty lay with the group’s shareholders.

If they came to make trouble every day, plunging the Xiao Family into chaos, the idea of the Xiao Family’s resurgence would be unlikely.

Rather than that, it would be better to transfer the Xiao Family’s shares to another enterprise, which would take over the management and secure shareholder interests, stabilize morale, and given the Xiao Group’s track record, there wouldn’t be a lack of companies willing to take it over.

The shareholders gradually dispersed.

However, when Xiao Quan was about to leave, Ye Haochuan suddenly stopped him: “Xiao Quan, you’ve caused trouble on behalf of the Su Family, how much did you receive for your troubles?”

Xiao Quan was stunned on the spot: “You…

how do you know?”