Chapter 334 — The New Shareholder

"Oh?" Gu Pengzhan was overjoyed at Wei Zhao's words. "You've already sent him home? That's wonderful! I never would have guessed — Xiaoyi, you're my lucky star! Ever since you arrived, every one of my troubles has melted away!"

"Ha... Uncle Chu, you mustn't let your guard down. Jin Gubang is nothing but a clown capering about on the stage; the people behind him are what really matter," Wei Zhao warned. "Even Li Cihua is just a front man they pushed out to speak for them..."

"I know that well enough. But it's not as though they've only been scheming after my Gu Group for a day or two. Without insiders working hand in glove with them, they'd never have succeeded! This time that old bastard Jin Gubang nearly got the better of me — just wait till I deal with him!" Gu Pengzhan nodded, a cold smile on his lips. Naturally he understood that a tall tree catches the wind, but if all the shareholders had stood together as one, how could any outsider have found a crack to exploit?

"If Uncle Chu already knows, then I'll say no more." Wei Zhao had little interest in company affairs anyway. "Uncle Chu, you're simply too kindhearted. I think that after this business is settled, you shouldn't let Jin Gubang stay on at the company at all. Make him surrender his shares, then send him packing."

"This time I won't be so foolish as to rear a tiger and court disaster!" Gu Pengzhan sighed. "In the past, out of respect for his father, I turned a blind eye. But now the company has reached the point where it must be cleaned up, come what may... Xiaoyi, rest easy. Uncle Chu won't cause you any more trouble..."

"It's hardly trouble... My old man sent me here to take orders from my employer..." Wei Zhao smiled sheepishly. He was taking this assignment very seriously; one job and he could retire for good, and he was looking forward to it.

"By the way, what did Xie Guangbo say? He won't be backing Jin Gubang any longer, will he?" Only after the pleasantries were done did Gu Pengzhan raise one of the questions closest to his heart.

"Of course not — he's given me all his shares." With that, Wei Zhao handed Gu Pengzhan the share transfer document. "This is the transfer agreement I signed with him. We can draw up a new one and transfer them into your name."

Gu Pengzhan was startled. He hadn't expected Wei Zhao to actually get his hands on Xie Guangbo's shares! Wei Zhao had mentioned it before, but he hadn't taken it seriously. That old fellow Xie Guangbo might want for nothing, but the one thing he could never let go of was his son — would he really hand over every last share without keeping a single one?

As far as Gu Pengzhan could see, Xie Guangbo would sooner die than leave his son with nothing.

"He really gave you the shares?" Gu Pengzhan was both astonished and delighted. His best-case plan had been for Xie Guangbo to join forces with him against Jin Gubang, but Wei Zhao had exceeded all his hopes! Now there was no fear of Xie Guangbo turning coat, for he had nothing left to do with the company. "But Xiaoyi, let the shares stay in your name. You've earned them — you got them back with your own skill. How could I take them from you?"

Gu Pengzhan waved his hand, declining the shares Wei Zhao held out.

"Me?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. He hadn't expected Gu Pengzhan to give him the shares.

"Consider it part of your payment... haha." Gu Pengzhan laughed. "All right, enough of that — you'd best keep this share transfer document yourself! But right now, there's something you need to do for me!"

"What is it?" Wei Zhao asked. "Uncle Chu, just say the word..."

It had never occurred to Wei Zhao to keep the shares for himself. After all, he could tell well enough who treated him well and who did not. If it had been Liu Tianyi and his family, Wei Zhao would not only have taken the shares but squeezed another commission out of them besides. With Gu Pengzhan, however, there was no need for that.

"Ha — attend the shareholders' meeting!" Gu Pengzhan said with a smile. "Li Fu, go send word that a temporary shareholders' meeting is to be convened at once. I'm going to introduce them to the company's new third-largest shareholder!"

"Yes, Mr. Gu!" Uncle Qing nodded and turned to carry out the order. Usually so steady and unruffled, even Uncle Qing could not help wanting to laugh; he was eager to see what expression would come over Jin Gubang's face when he learned that Xie Guangbo's shares had all been transferred to Wei Zhao.

Jin Gubang was indeed puzzled. Gu Pengzhan was demanding a temporary shareholders' meeting? Had he lost his mind? For days now Gu Pengzhan had been finding excuses to refuse convening shareholders' and board meetings — so why, today of all days, had he reversed course and called one himself?

Could he have won Xie Guangbo over, or was he preparing some new trick? Xie Guangbo shouldn't even be at work today; with the company's third-largest shareholder absent, what was the point of holding a shareholders' meeting at all?

Yet baffled as he was, Jin Gubang still arrived at the meeting room on time. At the very least, appearances had to be kept up.

A shareholders' meeting drew more people than a board meeting, and some of the minor shareholders would attend as well. After nodding greetings to the shareholders he knew, Jin Gubang took his seat on Gu Pengzhan's left — the seat that was always his.

That was where he had always sat; it had become the symbol of his standing as the company's second-largest shareholder. The seat to Gu Pengzhan's right belonged to Xie Guangbo.

Jin Gubang glanced over and saw that Xie Guangbo's seat was empty. His brow furrowed at once. Could Gu Pengzhan mean to bypass Xie Guangbo and hold the meeting anyway? But with the third-largest shareholder absent, no shareholders' meeting could be validly held!

The minutes ticked by, and ten had already passed since the time Uncle Qing had announced for the meeting. Jin Gubang sat motionless in his seat, his face dark, unable to fathom what trick Gu Pengzhan was up to.

Was all this really just to summon every shareholder for a farce?

He was still bowed in thought when the meeting room suddenly fell quiet. Jin Gubang looked up and saw that Qing Bo had already come in. This was the prelude to every one of Gu Pengzhan's arrivals; Qing Bo would always enter the meeting room first to set out Gu Pengzhan's documents and teacup...

Before long, Gu Pengzhan walked in, and at his side followed a young man. The other shareholders paid him little mind, taking him for a newly hired secretary of Gu Pengzhan's, but Jin Gubang's eyes narrowed sharply!

Wei Zhao! How could Jin Gubang fail to recognize this man? The very one who had repeatedly ruined his plans! Jin Gubang wished he could hack him to pieces! Yet what astonished Jin Gubang was this: how had he come to appear here?

Had he become Gu Pengzhan's bodyguard? Was he not Gu Mengyao's bodyguard?