Chapter 39

The shareholders present were all experienced, and they quickly realized this was a power struggle.

Regardless of their positions, when Jiang Yunjuan revealed that the land in question had already been acquired by the company, the previous turbulence seemed like a false alarm. Even more so, the Jiang family stood to benefit from this entire plan.

Everyone in the room immediately relaxed, and their spirits lifted with the anticipation of the upcoming profits.

Jiang Zhide had anticipated all possible outcomes after the plan failed, thinking of every unfavorable possibility.

He had considered the possibility that his adopted son might take action at this moment. The successor he had raised was ambitious and would never let such a good opportunity pass by without fighting for it.

But what he never expected was that, from the very beginning, his good son had already set the stage, watching him walk into the trap.

Jiang Zhide glanced at the document. After confirming its authenticity, he spoke in a low voice, “This is truly absurd. If the plan was so meaningful from the start, you should have used your insight to convince us to change the location. Instead, you watched the company suffer losses and then tried to fix it.”

“Indeed, looking at the results, we’ve technically gained in the end, but your actions, driven by personal motives, disregarded the company’s interests. Do you think such narrow and reckless behavior can lead the company?”

Jiang Yunjuan looked at him deeply, thinking to himself that Jiang Zhide was still the old fox—able to turn things around with just a few words even at this point.

He replied, “It’s not about personal desire. If you think I would risk tens of billions, even watching so much money go down the drain just to create this situation, then you really underestimate me, Dad.”

“To be honest, the reason I let the plan go forward is because it was necessary. Without real capital inflow, the Zhou family isn’t stupid. If we didn’t keep them firmly locked in on that land, we wouldn’t have been able to monopolize the development profits.”

“Just like why the Zhou family united with us from the beginning—it wasn’t because of a lack of funds, but because they knew that in this situation, they couldn’t handle all the competitors on their own. They couldn’t take it all.”

Jiang Yunjuan took out a stack of documents and placed them in front of Jiang Zhide. “You might think this explanation is still insufficient, but it was precisely because of that tens of billions that I was able to buy the planned land at the lowest price when I integrated and acquired it. Everyone thought it was a lost cause.”

“So, by now, I’ve already controlled most of the risk costs, and since there isn’t a Zhou family to take a share of the profits—”

“And even if my plan failed and the land you operated was chosen, I bought it at a price far below market value. There’s no loss involved.”

“Dad! This is considering every possible factor, doing everything I could, and then leaving the rest to fate,” Jiang Yunjuan smiled.

“And you, you didn’t do it.”

These words made the shareholders and directors in the room fully understand, no matter how the father and son spoke.

In the end, this plan was one where the old man had been outplayed by the heir, from the results to the entire process. The power players of the two families had truly been manipulated with ease.

Businesspeople don’t care about family ethics, father-son conflicts and sibling rivalries are irrelevant to them.

What they care about is who will lead them to long-term profits, and right now, it was clear that the young and capable heir had a much better chance than the stubborn and aging patriarch.

Jiang Zhide watched the expressions of the people around him and knew that there was no turning back for him now.

Jiang Yunjuan had indeed remained calm. He had never done anything underhanded before, but when he took action, it was a thunderous blow.

He sat back down, feeling as though he had aged considerably. He looked up at Jiang Yunjuan, standing at the head of the table, tall, energetic, and full of life.

The younger generation always surpasses the older one!

Then, Jiang Zhide spoke again, “When did you realize the plan had problems?”

Jiang Yunjuan glanced around and said, “Everyone, my father and I have some private matters to attend to. For today, let’s adjourn the meeting. We’ll continue the discussion on the development of the land tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged knowing glances and stood up to leave, complying with the unspoken command of the new powerholder.

Although they had arrived with heavy hearts for what was supposed to be a crisis management meeting, they left with optimistic news about impending profits. As they walked out of the meeting room, each person appeared relieved and in good spirits.

No one was concerned about the patriarch’s decline.

Soon, the large meeting room was empty, leaving only Jiang Zhide, Jiang Yunjuan, and Jiang Muti, who remained seated.

At the start, Jiang Zhide hadn’t paid attention to her presence, and as events unfolded, he completely forgot that she was still in the room.

Now, noticing that she had stayed behind, Jiang Zhide frowned and said, “Who told you to stay here? Your brother and I have matters to discuss. Go outside and wait.”

Jiang Muti stood up slowly and walked to sit across from Jiang Yunjuan. The three of them now occupied the top seats at the table.

Jiang Muti finally spoke, “Aren’t you supposed to review the events that happened and see where things went wrong? Although my role was minor, at least I contributed a bit, so I might as well stay and listen too.”

“You?” Jiang Zhide turned around in surprise, his expression showing disbelief, as though he was seeing his daughter for the first time.

In his mind, this daughter lacked talent, had an unlikable personality, and had no value even for a marriage alliance. He had always thought she would live a mediocre life, relying on the dividends from her shares.

To be honest, she had made great progress in the past year, but he had never expected her improvement to surpass his expectations.

She was actually teaming up with her brother to seize power.

He wasn’t angry, and even as his power collapsed, he maintained his composure. He certainly wouldn’t lose his temper over a young girl.

Curiously, he asked, “I can understand why your brother is doing this. As the heir, if he never thinks about moving forward, that would be a failure on my part as his mentor.”

“But what does this have to do with you? Does it matter to you whether your brother takes power or I do?”

Jiang Muti shrugged. “It doesn’t matter! Anyway, I want to get involved with the company, so whoever’s in charge doesn’t make a difference.”

Her response only left Jiang Zhide more confused, but then she gave an even less plausible reason: “It’s because I like my brother more. Everyone has their biases.”

“You always use interests to speculate on other people’s motives, which is usually accurate. But in your case, if there’s no difference in power between you two, I naturally choose to follow the person I like.”

Jiang Zhide was speechless. He was about to respond when he noticed Jiang Muti turn her head and look at him.

Her expression had shifted from casual to serious, her eyes dark and stern. “At least my brother wouldn’t be in such a hurry to sell me off for money, right?”

Now Jiang Zhide understood, but he sneered at his daughter’s reasoning.

“If you’re trying to accuse me of selling you off for personal gain, at least find out the market first. Objectively speaking, what’s wrong with that Zhou kid? Forget his wealth and power, don’t you like his looks?”

“Ask girls your age from respectable families, who would say I’ve wronged you by choosing him?”

Jiang Muti raised an eyebrow. “But he already has a girlfriend, and she doesn’t want to break up with him. You want me to shamelessly insert myself into their relationship?”

Jiang Zhide didn’t think much of it. “An outstanding young man naturally has more than one person who can appreciate him. A little competition is nothing to be concerned about. If no one cares about him, then he’s just mediocre.”

This reaction was exactly what Jiang Muti had expected. Her father genuinely believed he had found a rare and good match for her and didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

In his view, it was completely normal for a man with talent and charm to have women around him, and if a woman couldn’t win him over with something unique, it was her own lack of ability.

Even if the woman was his daughter, he would not let his views be swayed.

Jiang Muti shrugged. “So, I never expected to convince you from the start. It’s quicker and more thorough to just pull you down.”

She smiled at him again. “You’ve always looked down on girls and never put much thought into them, so you probably won’t understand— even if it’s a good choice, the real thing that suffocates people is your self-righteous control, right?”

“Oh no! In your eyes, children have no self-respect or self-awareness, don’t make it sound so nice. Zhou Lu looks okay, but I dare say, if he were to partner with a family whose son is a scumbag, you wouldn’t hesitate to put me on the matchmaking table.”

“Now, your partnership has broken down, and I heard in the meeting earlier that the Zhou family is already in contact with the Huo family.” Even though she usually didn’t like Zhou Lu, Jiang Muti genuinely felt sorry for him now.

“It seems like the Zhou family is intent on unilaterally breaking the engagement, so Zhou Lu is about to be sold off again. Tsk, tsk! Dad, if it weren’t for my brother having a backup plan, what are you going to do now with the situation in our family? Who are you going to sell to raise some huge liquidity?”

Jiang Zhide remained silent for a while, not responding.

When he finally looked up, he glanced past Jiang Muti and asked Jiang Yunjuan, “What about you?”

“Not everyone can foresee the future and know when there might be an unexpected obstacle. Where did you get this information from?”

Jiang Yunjuan nodded at his sister. “Muti’s right. If it weren’t for this news, I wouldn’t have chosen such a bold plan.”

“You don’t think highly of the girls in the family, but Muti, although not gifted in business, is an extremely sharp and meticulous person. As the saying goes, ‘^[1]“A single clue reveals the whole picture” means that by observing a small detail or piece of information, a person can infer or understand a much larger situation. It suggests that keen … Continue readingA single clue reveals the whole picture.’ Many things that others might overlook, she can piece together and find value in.”

“Dad, you only see Muti as a pawn to stabilize relationships, but you’re underestimating her.”

Jiang Muti blushed a little at her brother’s praise. She had basically done nothing but still managed to take credit, and she was a bit embarrassed by the compliments.

Jiang Zhide glanced at the two siblings and nodded noncommittally.

Jiang Yunjuan continued, “You and Zhou’s man, the moves you made were truly impressive.”

“From managing things at the top to jointly investing in the middle, and then using public opinion to cause that group of disorganized people to fall into chaos, that car accident, and the uproar caused by his parents and wife’s lawsuit, followed by kicking out the one who actually made a move and left behind compromising evidence.”

“You two, you really played a beautiful game. I haven’t seen you use such unscrupulous methods in years, but once again, you did it so cleanly, never dirtying your hands.”

By this point, Jiang Muti was genuinely shocked.

Although she wasn’t naïve enough to think that such a high-stakes battle for billions of profit could be conducted without some gray-area tactics.

Even her brother had taken advantage of the increasingly heated public sentiment to intentionally suppress the land development’s prospects, buying it up at the lowest possible price, causing many who originally planned to take a share of the cake to lose heavily.

But she hadn’t expected there to be human lives involved, and from what she was hearing, it seemed that the loss of life wasn’t an accident—it was part of the two old foxes’ manipulation of public opinion.

They were clever, their methods clean, and they never personally handled the dirty work, which is why they were seen as dignified business moguls.

However, how many discarded pawns there were beneath their success remained unknown.

Jiang Zhide laughed. “Old foxes, yet it’s you, calmly watching from the sidelines, who caught everything.”

He looked at Jiang Yunjuan, his expression mixed with a variety of complicated emotions, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Jiang Zhide suddenly burst into laughter. “Ah Juan, you brat! You can really endure. I used to regret our lack of descendants, but it turns out, cultivating you was not in vain.”

“Now it seems that, even if my two sons were still alive, you would still be the best choice. The Jiang family has a successor, and I am very happy.”

“As for what happened back then, I still insist that your father was wrong. Time has proven that my choice was right, and I won’t regret it.”

Once these words were spoken, Jiang Yunjuan, who had always been composed, suddenly became dark and cold. His deep black eyes locked onto Jiang Zhide, and for the first time, he didn’t hide the hatred and danger in his gaze.

The posture of revenge was unmistakable, but Jiang Zhide, as though letting go of something, seemed relaxed.

He stood up, patted Jiang Muti’s shoulder, and said, “You are indeed a smart child. I underestimated you before. With your sharp wit, insight, and decisiveness, you will never have a bad life.”

He then turned to Jiang Yunjuan and said, “Ah Juan, the company is now in your hands. Do a good job. Reviving the Jiang family’s business is not only my responsibility but also your father’s dream. You must carry it on, no matter what happens over there.”

After finishing, he grabbed his coat and left the meeting room.

As usual, this patriarch, who had ruled with authoritarian dominance all his life, remained composed and dignified even at this moment.

Although Jiang Muti and her brother had achieved their goal, it felt like landing a punch into cotton.

They could only admire Jiang Zhide for being a man who had weathered many storms. His strictness and his insistence on maintaining dignity in front of his children had been etched into his bones.

But he would never truly understand the dignity of his children.

She shrugged at her brother. “So, does that mean the company is ours now?”

Jiang Yunjuan felt a chill deep in his heart at how Jiang Zhide showed no remorse. His blood seemed to flow backward, and the accumulated anger and resentment over the years had nowhere to go.

When he saw his sister approach, he immediately pulled her into his arms, pressing her face down so she wouldn’t see the expression he wore at that moment.

After taking several deep breaths, he said, “Dad is very smart. To him, the company is the most important thing. He wouldn’t tolerate his stubbornness ruining it, so he knew it was time to step back.”

Jiang Muti sighed. “To be honest, I’m starting to admire him. It’s rare for someone to consistently uphold dignity and decisiveness throughout their life.”

But it was also because he was too heartless that he could only be a cold-blooded ruler, facing the dissatisfaction and backlash of his children.

As for the last few words exchanged between the father and son, Jiang Muti was even more convinced that there were other matters—likely legal disputes—between them.

But since both of them had chosen to bury these matters in the dust, she wisely decided not to dig into it directly.

When they left the meeting room, they were informed by the assistant that Jiang Zhide had taken a helicopter and left, certainly not heading home.

However, now that he had lost his power, it made sense for him to go somewhere quiet to reflect, so Jiang Muti and her brother didn’t make an issue of it.

When they returned home, although Mother Jiang was restricted from traveling, as the matriarch of the Jiang family, she certainly had her own means of gathering information.

Before the siblings even returned, she already knew what the meeting was about and how it had ended.

Of course, from her standpoint, Jiang Zhide being in power was more beneficial to her.

But now, with the situation having reached this point, even Jiang Zhide couldn’t reverse it, and she certainly couldn’t change the outcome.

So this smart woman immediately made plans for herself. As soon as Jiang Yunjuan returned, she expressed a desire to talk to him.

Jiang Muti said, “Mom! My brother has been in meetings since noon, and you’ve already had your meal. The people doing the work haven’t even had a drop of water, so what’s this nonsense about needing to talk now? Let’s eat first, then we’ll talk.”

Mother Jiang choked, thinking to herself, “Eat my foot, I’m already full from being angry with you. Who else, other than you, a complete idiot, isn’t sitting here with an empty stomach?”

Jiang Muti ignored her mother’s expression and made sure her brother had dinner first. Old Yun had already prepared the meal, and it was laid out as soon as they entered the dining room.

Jiang Muti had asked her younger cousin to sit with her brother and eat. Earlier, because the atmosphere at the dinner table was tense, her aunt’s family hadn’t eaten much, which had made the child feel wronged.

Once she had arranged everything, Mother Jiang finally pulled the person out of the dining room.

With a somewhat complicated look, she turned to her daughter and said, “You two really made it happen. Recently, I haven’t been involved in your father’s case, so could you tell me exactly what’s going on?”

Jiang Muti smiled faintly. “You’ve been busy arranging things for my cousin, so how could you have time to care about the company’s turmoil and losses?”

Mother Jiang was so angry that she almost slapped her. “Will you talk or not?”

Jiang Muti shrugged. “The situation is simple. It’s just about the location of that project in the city. There are two suitable places. As long as we determine which location to choose first and buy it, there will be huge profits later.”

“Then the Zhou family set their sights on it!”

“But this obvious business opportunity wasn’t only noticed by the Zhou family. They realized that they alone couldn’t handle so many competitors, so they wanted a partner to share the risk, and that’s when they chose our family.” She looked at her mother with a teasing expression. “I’m telling you, your daughter is about to marry into someone because of this. You don’t even know the full story?”

Mother Jiang awkwardly responded, “I know about this, and that’s enough. The business of the company has nothing to do with me, so go on.”

At this point, Jiang Muti really understood why the original owner had become so desperate and given up on their body—her biological father didn’t look at her properly, and her biological mother was practically the same. It was clear that they thought the eldest daughter had no worries living in a wealthy family, while they felt an immense sense of guilt toward the younger daughter, constantly wanting to compensate her.

But now that she had started, she continued, “So the two families hit it off, began working together, and while spreading all sorts of rumors, they pointed the other competitors to a different piece of land. Meanwhile, both families secretly bought the land they actually planned to develop.”

“But who would’ve thought that fate would play a trick? A higher-level notice came down, and the land that was supposed to be used as bait for us ended up being the one that was actually planned for development. That’s when our two families’ investments went to waste.”

“But my brother outsmarted them. Before the city issued its documents and everyone was pessimistic about that land, he had already bought it at a low price from those people, so in the end, it’s us who profit.”

Of course, Jiang Muti was only outlining the general process. As for how public opinion was manipulated, how the city’s choice aligned with their wishes, and the other shady tactics involved, these were the old tricks of the Zhou family and Father Jiang, which remained unspoken.

Mother Jiang wasn’t foolish, she thought for a moment and, observing her two children’s attitudes, she realized that they must have figured out the problem halfway through.

But instead of telling Jiang Zhide, they had taken the opportunity to overthrow him and take control themselves.

Mother Jiang sighed deeply for a while. “I really don’t understand what good it does for you to be involved. Your brother, I can understand, but I’ve never seen you so eager for your own parents to fall. How did I end up with such an ungrateful child?”

Jiang Muti quickly responded, “Don’t say that, there’s definitely more than one way to look at it. Try to understand!”

Mother Jiang didn’t initially catch her meaning, but by this time, Jiang Yunjuan had finished eating and came out of the dining room.

She didn’t have time to bother with her daughter, so she said to Jiang Yunjuan, “Ah Juan, I need to talk to you. Come upstairs with me.”

Jiang Yunjuan didn’t refuse and nodded, following his mother upstairs.

After hearing only bits and pieces of the conversation, Xuanxuan, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly asked Jiang Muti, “I just heard Aunt say you didn’t benefit from this. Why is that?”

She really couldn’t understand how a young lady who never had to lift a finger, lived in luxury at home, didn’t have to work, and wasn’t at the age to compete for power, could be so restless all the time.

Earlier, Xuanxuan thought this person was constantly picking on her, almost like a crazy dog that wouldn’t let her live in peace.

But now, compared to her own little disputes, this was nothing. This person had silently been involved in determining who would have the final say in the family.

Jiang Muti didn’t use her usual way of brushing off Mother Jiang. Instead, she directly replied, “Well, of course, it’s so I can be in charge and make my own decisions.”

“For example, not having to marry someone I don’t want to, not having to see people I don’t want to see at home, and not having to think about driving anyone away, while still having to smile and deal with stupid, and pointless questions.”

Xuanxuan’s expression immediately darkened. “What do you mean by that?”

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Muti snapped her fingers, and then several bags were thrown down from upstairs.

Xuanxuan looked over and recognized that those were her own suitcases. Suddenly, her anger flared, and she stood up—

“Jiang Muti, don’t push it too far. Your parents are still alive! Your cousin’s in charge of the company now, and it’s not your place to call the shots.”

Jiang Muti smiled but didn’t pay her any attention. Instead, she spoke to the servant behind her, “What’s the matter? Is my desire to not see her and not hear her voice not clear enough on my face? Why is she still standing here?”

The servant immediately responded, “Sorry, Miss, we’ll handle it right away.”

Then, downstairs, chaos erupted.

When Mother Jiang closed the study door, she faintly heard some commotion and thought someone must have knocked something over but didn’t pay much attention to it.

Instead, she entered and said to Jiang Yunjuan, “Ah Juan, I know that tomorrow’s meeting will decide who will be the leader of the company, but don’t underestimate the connections and influence your father built up over his lifetime.”

“I can stand by your side, but you have to promise me one condition.”

Jiang Yunjuan raised an eyebrow. His foster mother truly—

But he casually said, “Oh? I’d like to hear more.”