Chapter Thirty: Swift and Decisive

Shu Jinghan sniffled and said with grievance, “If Sister Peishi hadn’t told me, I’d still be in the dark. You mustn’t keep things from us like that in the future—whatever happens, you have to tell us.”

“All right!” Shu Yiming nodded, and after a good deal of comforting, only then did Shu Jinghan and Shu Miaoyan feel reassured enough to head upstairs to bed.

Watching the two of them go up, Shu Yiming felt the taut string inside him finally relax. He leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and rested.

“Hey, Ming, how confident are you about tomorrow?” Ouyang Zhuo asked with undiminished excitement, smiling broadly.

“We’ll talk about tomorrow when it comes. For now, go get some rest—there’s still a lot to handle then.” Shu Yiming replied with his eyes closed, surprisingly calm rather than nervous.

After a night’s rest, dawn brought a torrential rain, yet it did nothing to delay the board meeting.

Seated in the chairman’s place, Shu Ji was brimming with self-satisfaction. Today’s meeting, he was sure, would end in his victory.

Before long, Shu Yiming and Ouyang Zhuo arrived at the company. Most people were already present. As soon as the door opened, the majority of eyes on Shu Yiming were unfriendly—save for a few who’d had close ties with his father.

“Well, late again? Someone like you should’ve been thrown out of the company long ago. Not that I’m saying you’ve got a chance, but if you apologize to me now, I might just let you off—depending on my mood.” Shu Ji sneered, his gaze full of derision.

Yet Shu Yiming didn’t get angry. He strolled nonchalantly to the projector, inserted his flash drive, and pressed play.

“Gentlemen, I won’t say much. Please view the evidence. Since the passing of my parents, our family matters have relied greatly on my uncle, Shu Zucheng. I thought his son would make something of himself, but I never expected that, while my uncle lay unconscious, his son would try to seize power!”

As he finished, an intolerable scene unfolded on the screen.

“Moreover, Shu Ji repeatedly colluded with my uncle’s secretary to transfer company assets. I won’t belabor the point—these documents should be self-explanatory.”

As soon as Shu Yiming finished, Ouyang Zhuo began handing out files, one to each person.

Shu Yiming had thought it all through the night before: he wasn’t yet a match for Shu Zucheng. For now, he had to borrow another’s blade—create confusion by making Shu Ji the scapegoat. That way, Shu Zucheng’s prestige remained intact, and the others wouldn’t dare stir up too much trouble.

Otherwise, if all the evidence spilled out, chaos would reign.

Just then, Shu Yiming received a message from Vivian: “Handsome, it’s done. The public opinion you wanted is out—don’t forget to treat me to dinner!”

“Of course, I promise.” Shu Yiming replied, then pulled up the news on his phone and cast it to the big screen.

“Gentlemen, things have come to this point. Mingtai Group is on the brink of crisis. If we don’t take a firm stance, the pressure of public opinion will do immense harm to the company’s reputation, and all your interests will be at stake.” Shu Yiming’s words had barely fallen when the conference room erupted into chaos.

Shu Ji, watching the videos, turned ashen and was momentarily at a loss—he stood there stunned for quite a while, but he knew the situation was lost. With his father absent, such overwhelming evidence surfacing together, plus public opinion turning against him, he had no advantage left.

If he backed down now, perhaps his father could still be preserved. Once his father recovered, there might be hope. But if he insisted on resisting now, then...

At that thought, Shu Ji gave a cold snort, stood up, and looked at Shu Yiming with a chilling smile. “Shu Yiming, you’ve won this time. But remember: this isn’t over.”

“Oh? Is that so? Whether it’s over or not, you can explain it to the enforcement officers first.” As he spoke, several uniformed men entered and escorted Shu Ji away.

The room fell silent. Without giving Shu Ji any chance to explain, the matter was settled. Not even the shareholders had time to react or plead on his behalf. While they were still in shock and hesitation, he was simply taken away.

Shu Yiming had decided last night—this needed to be swift and decisive.

“Gentlemen, this shareholders’ meeting is now concluded. If anyone has opinions or ideas, you may speak with me privately.” With that, Shu Yiming left, not bothering to gather his things.

The same principle applied: end it before they fully understood, leaving them no room to object or question.

Without the chairman, the meeting couldn’t continue. With both Shu Ji and Shu Yiming gone, the others could do nothing but complain and speculate.

Back in his office, Shu Yiming let out a long sigh, checked the time, and soon looked to Ouyang Zhuo.

“Any news from Shu Zucheng?” Shu Yiming was uneasy—no news from that front made him restless.

“My people are watching. Nothing so far. Those who went in won’t wake up any time soon,” Ouyang Zhuo replied.

But fate seemed to play its tricks. No sooner had Ouyang Zhuo finished speaking than his phone rang.

It turned out that after Shu Ji’s blunder, Shu Fang had gone to the hospital. Shu Zucheng, who had been recuperating in the ICU, was now out, being pushed in a wheelchair and heading their way.

Though still unable to walk unaided, Shu Zucheng’s mind was clear. It had only been a severe shock, not a grave illness; after a few injections, he was as he appeared now.

“That was fast! Let’s wait—by now, all the directors must have heard. I suppose they’re eager for a spectacle,” Shu Yiming said, eyes narrowing, planning to rest a while. The prolonged tension was giving him a headache.

“So, will all our efforts go to waste now?” Ouyang Zhuo asked, a little disheartened. Too much had happened lately, too complicated to see through.

It wasn’t just Ouyang Zhuo—Shu Yiming himself had managed to come this far only by treading carefully. In his previous life, Shu Yiming had been raised useless, solving every problem by running to his uncle. Even reborn, his experience was still sorely lacking.

Soon, Shu Zucheng arrived, and the just-concluded board meeting was reconvened.

When Shu Yiming entered, Shu Zucheng was already seated at the chairman’s seat, face dark as thunder.

At Shu Yiming’s arrival, Shu Zucheng snorted coldly, his gaze icy. “You insolent boy! How could you do such a thing—framing your own brother?”

“Uncle? What do you mean? It seems you haven’t checked the news yet.”

Expressionless, Shu Yiming placed the file before Shu Zucheng.

On its cover were the words: “Uncle, if you insist on this, I’ll have no choice but to send my brother to prison. If you let this go, I can give him a chance to clear his name.”

Shu Zucheng’s eyes darkened as he opened the file; his face grew uglier by the second, his gaze more menacing, fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged on his hands...