Chapter 33: Chapter 32: If You’re Not Convinced, Suck It Up

When Zhu Yun saw this, her expression turned grim. She was about to say something, but Ye Ling, who was beside her, simply shook his head with a cold smirk.

"You have a problem with me?"

With an indifferent expression, Ye Ling sat down in the chairman’s seat as everyone watched.

At that moment...

The entire room fell silent.

"Zhu Yun."

At that moment, Ye Ling spoke up.

Zhu Yun turned her head respectfully. "President Ye, I’m here."

"Take down the names of everyone who just spoke."

A slight smile touched Ye Ling’s lips as his gaze swept over everyone present.

At this moment...

The expressions on Han Feng and the others changed. They clearly hadn’t expected Ye Ling to be so direct. This was a blatant threat!

"I now own sixty percent of the equity. According to the law, a stake of over fifty percent grants controlling interest in the company. In other words, I have veto power,"

Ye Ling stated flatly.

’You want to object?’

’Fine!’

’I’ll have your names taken down first. After this is over, I’ll deal with you one by one.’

’Got a problem with that?’

’Even if you do, you can just suck it up!’

"So, let’s begin the election process for the chairman."

Ye Ling smiled faintly and glanced at Zhu Yun.

"Yes!"

Zhu Yun nodded, her respect for Ye Ling deepening.

’This young man, despite his age, handles things like a seasoned veteran.’

’He doesn’t bother with fancy tricks. "I’ve got sixty percent of the equity. Do you?"’

’No?’

’Then get lost!’

With Ye Ling holding the majority of the equity, the outcome was a foregone conclusion, utterly devoid of suspense.

As for Han Feng and his faction, they no longer dared to voice any opposition after Ye Ling’s threat... In the end, the vote was unanimous!

"Following a unanimous board election, President Ye will serve as the chairman of our Shengding Group. Let’s have a round of applause!"

Zhu Yun announced, standing up with a faint smile.

Instantly, the room erupted in thunderous applause.

Though resentful, Han Feng and the others still clapped along.

’They were shareholders, and Ye Ling couldn’t forcibly strip them of their shares, but he could expel them from the board of directors!’

’If that happened, they wouldn’t have much power left!’

’In the face of such power, they could only submit!’

"Chairman, you’ve just taken office. Are there any instructions you’d like to give everyone?" Zhu Yun asked respectfully.

"As Director Han mentioned, it’s true that I have no experience in managing a company. Therefore, I won’t interfere too much in its operations,"

Ye Ling said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, the board members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The meaning behind his words was clear: they didn’t have to worry about him stripping them of their power. Things would carry on as usual, and he didn’t particularly want to manage the company’s affairs.

This was, in fact, exactly what Ye Ling was thinking. The idea of managing such a large company day in and day out was unappealing to him; it was just too much trouble...

If anyone knew what Ye Ling was really thinking, they would probably be angry enough to spit blood.

They schemed and fought tooth and nail for power, yet here was Ye Ling, who fucking didn’t even want it?! He was actually disdainful of it?!

"However, I need to make one thing clear. When I said I wouldn’t interfere *too much*, that doesn’t mean I won’t interfere at all."

Suddenly, Ye Ling spoke up again, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Seeing this, Zhu Yun thought to herself, ’Here comes the main event!’

’This must be Ye Ling’s main reason for coming to Shengding Group!’

"Which one of you is Li Tianmin!?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Ye Ling asked in a cold voice, slowly rising to his feet.

At that moment...

All eyes in the room turned to one man at the back.

As for Li Tianmin, he was utterly panicked.

The moment Ye Ling appeared—or rather, the moment Ning Ruoxi appeared—he realized something was wrong.

Ninety percent of the reason Ning Ruoxi had been given such a hard time, to the point of being sent a lawyer’s letter for breach of contract, was because he had been pulling strings behind the scenes.

He had originally thought of Ning Ruoxi as just a minor painter. She was talented, yes—even hailed as a "once-in-a-millennium genius" in the Painter Realm.

But... to him, that meant nothing. Because he possessed power—real, tangible power!

"Chairman, I am Li Tianmin."

Li Tianmin took a deep breath. Knowing he couldn’t escape today’s ordeal, he stood up.

"I heard something this morning. You issued a lawyer’s letter to Miss Ning in the company’s name, is that so?"

Ye Ling asked with a faint smile.

He was smiling, but the sight of his pearly white teeth sent a chill down everyone’s spines.

It was as if Ye Ling were a ferocious beast that devoured its prey, bones and all.

"Yes, I did it. Ning Ruoxi’s work did not meet the company’s operational requirements. Despite multiple requests for revisions, there was no improvement, so..."

Li Tianmin tried his best to keep his voice calm.

’He’d figured it out. He would deny having any ulterior motives to his dying breath and insist he was just handling official business impartially. He refused to believe there was anything Ye Ling could do to him.’

"What an old dog, spouting absolute bullshit!"

Ye Ling slammed his hand on the table, his eyes filled with an icy chill.

CRACK!

Beneath his palm, a web of cracks spread across the solid mahogany conference table!

At that moment, everyone present sucked in a sharp breath, their pupils contracting in unison.

’Is he even fucking human?’

’He cracked a solid mahogany table with a single, casual slap!?’

’How much strength must that take!’

"Chairman, I don’t understand what you mean by that."

Li Tianmin’s heart was pounding with terror, but he struggled to maintain a calm facade.

’In his mind, he was already cursing that bastard Li Xin to death. Didn’t he say she was just some minor painter? How the hell did she get tangled up with a powerhouse like this?’

’And from the looks of it, Ning Ruoxi and Ye Ling seemed to have *that* kind of relationship!’

Li Tianmin had a sinking feeling that he was about to be finished, too.

It had to be said, the Li Family’s premonitions were usually spot-on.

"Ruoruo, pull up your original drafts and let the directors see them,"

Ye Ling said softly, his gaze like ice.

"Okay."

Ning Ruoxi nodded and quickly pulled up the drafts on her laptop.

One image after another appeared, each one flawless. They were more exquisite, more perfect, than the work of many top international artists!

At this moment...

A look of amazement crossed the faces of the directors. Even Han Feng found himself nodding in approval.

"Directors, what are your thoughts?"

Ye Ling scanned the room.

"I see no problem."

"It’s good. Very good."

Several directors spoke up. Though they weren’t experts, they had seen other artists’ drafts before. A simple comparison was enough to tell which was superior.

Ye Ling nodded, then his gaze settled on Han Feng. "Chairman Han, what are your thoughts?"