The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 54: Business

The next day, Yaoguang followed Su Chiming to the Buzhou Group's headquarters.

On the one hand, Yaoguang himself was curious about how the board of directors of a so-called hundred-billion conglomerate actually operated. On the other hand, Su Chiming needed to guard against anyone being driven into a corner.

Even the most honest people could lose their temper when pushed to the brink, deciding to gamble everything in a desperate fight. Let alone those who already stood at the top and lacked any real reverence for life or the law. Especially when such people also wielded formidable power.

With Su Hua at the wheel, the vehicle quickly arrived at the chairman's exclusive parking garage at the Buzhou Group's building. After getting out, they entered a private elevator inside the garage that led directly to the office floors.

By the time they stepped into the elevator, Lin Xia was already there to greet them. Su Huaigu and Su Chixin were with her. When they saw Su Chiming, along with Su Yaoguang beside him, the two revealed smiles and nodded in greeting.

"Director Wei, Director Yan, and Director Liu have already arrived," Lin Xia reported.

"Then let's start the board meeting," Su Chiming said.

"Understood."

Although Director Zhang Yushu had not yet arrived, Lin Xia carried out Su Chiming's order without the slightest hesitation. At once, the three Su family directors, led by Su Chiming, walked toward the conference room.

Everyone they encountered along the way bowed and greeted him. "Chairman."

Yaoguang watched the scene with some interest. What television often portrayed was exaggerated for visual effect, but here, the presence of a chairman of a hundred-billion conglomerate exceeded anything shown on screen.

Soon, the group arrived outside the conference room. Before entering, Su Chiming faintly heard someone say anxiously, "What's going on? Why can't I get through on the phone with him all of a sudden?"

"Probably stuck in traffic. There are still more than ten minutes before the meeting officially starts."

"That shouldn't be possible. Director Zhang has been looking forward to this day for a long time. He would definitely arrive first. Showing up half an hour or even an hour early would be normal. He would never be late."

Hearing this exchange, Su Chiming smiled faintly.

"No need to wait," he said as he pushed open the door. "Director Zhang probably won't be coming."

The atmosphere inside the conference room instantly fell silent. As the Su family group strode in with an imposing aura, everyone present, along with the assistants behind them, turned their eyes toward them.

Only when Su Chiming reached his seat at the head of the table and sat down did Wei Bolai react. He quickly said, "Chairman Su, what do you mean by that?"

He then added, "The board meeting hasn't officially started yet. With people still missing, isn't it against procedure for Chairman Su to begin early?"

As the man who had personally built the Buzhou Group into a conglomerate worth hundreds of billions, Su Chiming's control over the company far exceeded what most people imagined.

Previously, he had been wary of the forces backing Zhang Yushu, Wei Bolai, and the others, concerned that open resistance might affect the Buzhou Group's development. But now, with the Zhang family and the Yue family offering full support, and with Su Yaoguang as a martial force to prevent Zhang Yushu, Wei Bolai, and the others from making desperate moves, what did he still have to fear?

Currently, his only thought was to rid the Buzhou Group of all the internal parasites, like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves, and firmly seize control back into the Su family's hands.

"Lin Xia, show the documents to Director Wei," Su Chiming said directly.

After a brief pause, he added, "Let Director Yan, Director Liu, and Brother Ran take a look as well."

Having known in advance what was going to happen, Lin Xia immediately signaled the other assistants from the chairman's office to distribute the documents, placing them one by one in front of the four directors.

After glancing through them, every one of their expressions changed. These materials were unmistakable evidence of Wei Bolai, along with Directors Yan and Liu, siphoning funds from the Buzhou Group over the years to enrich their own private coffers.

Su Chiming waited unhurriedly for a moment before saying. "Have you looked at it clearly? If I hand these materials over to the police bureau, each of you will end up spending some time inside."

"Heh... The police bureau..." Wei Bolai sneered. "Do you really need to involve the police bureau over something this small?"

"Chairman Su, you're making a mountain out of a molehill," Director Liu said with a genial smile. "None of what's listed here even counts as embezzlement. They're just a few gaps that can be filled. Is it really worth you making such a fuss?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"I know where your confidence comes from. You think Zhang Yushu will protect you, don't you?" Su Chiming leaned back in his chair. "You can't get in touch with Zhang Yushu now, if I'm not wrong. I'd say you're praying to the wrong god. You should try contacting Zhang Mingde instead, see if you can still reach him. Or better yet, use your own connections to find out what's happened."

As soon as he said this, aside from Director Ran, the expressions of Wei Bolai and the other two changed drastically.

"Chairman Su, what do you mean by that?" Director Liu could not help but ask.

"No rush... Go check it yourselves."

Su Chiming glanced at the branded watch on his wrist and then smiled. "There are still ten minutes before the meeting officially begins. If I were you, I'd hurry up and make some calls."

Seeing Su Chiming so confident and composed, the others could no longer sit still. Disregarding ego and etiquette, they quickly pulled out their phones and started dialing. Su Chiming remained calm, while Su Huaigu and Su Chixin smiled discreetly.

Especially over the past half year, Wei Bolai and Zhang Yushu had joined forces and tripped up the Su family more than a few times. Many key positions had been filled with their people, causing those subordinates to obey orders superficially while undermining the practical outcomes.

On the way here, they had already more or less guessed how the board meeting would play out. Watching Wei Bolai and the others panicking felt like enjoying a performance.

While smiling, the two of them also cast a subtle glance at Yaoguang. They knew that all of this had been brought about by Yaoguang. Without him, Zhang Yushu's move would have likely forced the Su family faction to relinquish several more critical positions.

Wei Bolai's network naturally could not compare to Zhang Yushu's, who had a level 3 high official backing him, but he still had some influence within the local authorities.

Specifically, Wei Bolai could influence an elder who had risen to the position of deputy head of the provincial capital's Finance Department.

As he continued making inquiries, he soon learned that Zhang Mingde, the head of Tiannan's Development Bureau, had been taken away early that morning. In an instant, Wei Bolai's eyes widened.

When he heard that those who carried it out were from the Yue family, he immediately suspected the matter involved a struggle between the Yue family and Governor Wei, causing Wei Bolai's body to tremble uncontrollably.

The Yue family?! Within Tiannan, the Yue family was a giant no one could ignore. As for Wei Kongming, he was the governor of Tiannan, the undisputed number one figure in the entire province!

If those two giants clashed, let alone the head of Tiannan's Development Bureau, even the deputy governors would likely tremble in fear, watching their steps carefully to avoid being dragged down as collateral damage.

"Y-You actually managed to reach the Yue family..." After hanging up the phone, Wei Bolai looked at Su Chiming with sheer dread in his eyes.

It was not just that they had found a connection with the Yue family. The Yue family had acted with ruthless efficiency. Had the Su family completely thrown its weight behind the Yue family?

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm simply doing what a law-abiding citizen should do, reporting the illegal conduct I discovered. That's all," Su Chiming said calmly. "And now, I've discovered new illegal activity..."

His gaze settled on the men before him. In truth, as higher-ups of the Buzhou Group, how many of them were free of charges from crimes such as embezzlement or misuse of public assets? Most of the time, people turned a blind eye, unwilling to nitpick over small matters and damage relationships.

But now, this had already become a life-and-death struggle. In such circumstances, was there any room left for civility?

Thinking of Zhang Yushu, who still had not appeared, Director Liu and Director Yan immediately realized that the overall situation had already been decided.

Director Liu spoke up at once. "Chairman, I acted out of momentary confusion and did things I shouldn't have done. Please, for the sake of the years we fought side by side to build this company, give me one more chance to turn over a new leaf..."

"Director Liu didn't sound like that just now," Su Chiming said with a smile.

"My fault... My fault... I'll host a grand banquet and personally apologize to you, Chairman..." Director Liu stood up and made his pledge solemnly.

"I'll give you two choices," Su Chiming said evenly. "First, we handle this according to the law. I submit the materials, and whatever decision is made above will be carried out."

"Second, second. I choose the second," Director Liu said rapidly.

Let the authorities handle it? How they could handle it was far too variable. Even jokingly calling someone a "little bastard" could, if taken seriously, be treated as insult or disorderly conduct.

Now that the Yue family connection had already been secured, how this would ultimately be handled would depend entirely on their word. If they wanted to, there were a hundred different ways to turn this into a criminal case.

"The second option is this. We name a price and buy out your shares. From this day forward, we part on amicable terms." Su Chiming's tone remained calm.

"I'll sell it! I'll sell it!" Director Liu answered without the slightest hesitation. Director Yan also nodded immediately.

Su Chiming then turned his gaze to Wei Bolai. The expression on Wei Bolai's face shifted between pale and ashen. But when he thought of the terrifying power behind the Yue family...

A level 3 official could disappear just like that. If he dared to continue resisting, it would even implicate the elders in his family. In the end, he lost the courage to hold out any longer.

"I'm willing to sell my shares," Wei Bolai finally said.

The circumstances were far bigger than what they could handle; the directors had little room for choice. Even though the price Su Chiming offered was not particularly high, and even though the payments would be made in installments, they could only swallow the loss and accept it.

The flurry of work lasted the entire morning. By 1 PM, Su Chiming, smiling broadly, invited Yaoguang out for a meal, and the latter accepted the invitation. Eating was eating, no matter where it was done.

However, just as the group took the private elevator down to the garage, a figure hurried over from a distance. Wearing a baseball cap, a hoodie, and a black mask, the man moved with decisive speed as he rushed toward Su Chiming's group.

Just as Su Hua realized something and opened his mouth to shout a warning, a short saber appeared in the man's hand and stabbed straight at Su Chiming.