DASFAM_55
"……"
Who?
Who came?
Everyone present, except for Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu, had looks of disbelief on their faces.
Old Madam Shang stepped in slowly from outside the door. She had her hair all combed back behind her head, wearing a plain black sweater dress, draped with a dark embroidered shawl.
Although the years had left their marks on her face, they had also settled into an air of noble elegance about her.
Old Madam Shang still clutched a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand. Her characteristically gentle gaze fell on each person's face in turn, "Everyone, I'm truly sorry. I was a little delayed on the way here, which is why I arrived late."
Qi Shanshui had not expected this turn of events at all, and voiced everyone's question, "Old Madam, why did you come?"
As everyone knew, during the first decade or so after the group was founded and consolidated, Old Madam Shang did attend every large and small meeting. But later, as she reached middle age and fell ill frequently, she gradually stopped attending the group's various meetings.
Before today, Old Madam Shang had not appeared at any formal occasion like this for quite a long time.
Old Madam Shang calmly shot back, "Why? Am I not entitled to come?"
She was a few years older than Qi Shanshui, and in the earlier years, she had outranked him in her company position as well.
Qi Shanshui quickly corrected himself, "Old Madam, that's not what I meant at all."
Shang Keyi stood up and walked quickly to Old Madam Shang's side, "Mother, where's Father?"
Old Madam Shang looked at her eldest daughter, and the words that came out next carried a deeper meaning, "How thoughtful of you to still have the mind to worry about your father."
"……"
Shang Keyi had never heard Old Madam Shang speak to her in this tone before, and a vague sense of unease welled up inside her for no apparent reason.
Her evasive gaze happened to land on Bai Xu's face, and without a second thought she seized on him as a pretext to attack, "Bai Xu, you knew perfectly well that Old Madam's health is poor and that she needs to rest at home. Why did you bring her to the group?"
"If some blind subordinate were to offend her, could you bear the responsibility?"
Every word she said was a pretty speech entirely 'for Old Madam's sake,' yet with it she easily dropped a heavy blame squarely on someone else.
"Auntie is right!" Shang Songming chimed in, not forgetting to glare at Shang Yanxiao beside him, "The way I see it—"
"The third branch had Bai Xu bring Grandmother to the shareholders' meeting. It's obviously just stirring up trouble!"
"……"
Shang Yun's alarm bells went off. He hissed sharply, "Shut your mouth! Who do you think you are to be speaking here!"
Old Madam Shang stopped turning the prayer beads in her hand, "I came here on my own. What, do you think my being here is just stirring up trouble?"
The father and son of the second branch looked visibly embarrassed. Shang Yun immediately rose to his feet, "Mother, that's not what Songming meant."
Shang Songming tried to explain through gritted teeth, "Grandmother, I meant- I meant Bai Xu…"
Old Madam Shang saw through it all very clearly, "Ordinarily I'll let it go when you younger ones bicker and squabble at home, but a shareholders' meeting is not a place for you to indulge your personal agendas and let your tongues run wild!"
"I've been far too lenient with all of you over the years, and now every single one of you has lost all sense of propriety!"
By the time she finished, even her characteristically gentle expression had cracked with a trace of steel.
"……"
"……"
The blunt rebuke came crashing down, and the father and son of the second branch instantly fell silent.
Seeing this, Shang Qishun courteously extended an invitation, "Grandmother, please take your seat first."
Old Madam Shang gave a slight nod, then turned to look back at Bai Xu behind her, "Xiao Xu, you and Attorney Xiao at the door, come in with me. With me here, no one will dare stop you."
Bai Xu nodded obediently, "Yes, Old Madam."
Old Madam Shang took the head seat at the top, and with her tacit approval, Bai Xu sat down beside her.
The shareholders in the back rows noticed this and could not help but whisper curiously among themselves, "Who exactly is this young man? How did he end up sitting right next to Old Madam?"
"Isn't he just the third young master's nominal marriage partner? The one who was adopted by the Bai family."
"Oh right, I remember now. I thought he'd been driven out of the Shang family long ago. Didn't expect he's still around."
"Driven out? I think he went abroad together with the third young master."
"I heard he used to constantly make a fool of himself and get on everyone's nerves. Doesn't look like that now."
"Ah, you don't know about this. For the chairman and his wife's wedding anniversary earlier this year, Bai Xu had someone travel from far away to make a bowl of yellow croaker noodles as a gift. It really touched the hearts of both elders."
"Times change. Look at him now, sitting right next to Old Madam. He's already overshadowed all the other Shangs in one move."
Shang Queyan faintly caught the whispers drifting from the back rows, yet felt not even a trace of bitterness, "Brother, this must be Bai Xu's scheming again, right?"
"Grandfather is seriously ill and can't be here, so he actually went and invited Grandmother instead?"
To think he came up with that!
Shang Yanxiao's fingers interlaced and rubbed together, and the amusement in his eyes deepened by another degree, "Is that not good?"
Old Madam Shang was destined to overshadow both the first and second branches. With her presiding here, who would still dare to compete for the position of 'acting chairman' and so brazenly expose their own ambitions?
Ever since Bai Xu brought Old Madam Shang into the conference room, the first and second branches had been struggling to keep their expressions in check!
Shang Queyan shifted back in her seat to enjoy the show, "Very good indeed."
On the other side, a shareholder who caught Qi Shanshui's meaningful glance spoke up, "Old Madam Shang, forgive my presumptuousness, what exactly is your purpose in coming here today?"
She was already an elderly woman of advanced years. What use could she possibly be by coming?
Old Madam Shang faced this unfamiliar face and caught the unspoken implication behind the question.
She turned her prayer beads at an unhurried pace before finally speaking with composure, "I have not involved myself in the group's affairs for some years now, and there are quite a few shareholders present who are unfamiliar faces to me. I imagine many of you are equally unfamiliar with me."
"Outsiders now call me 'Old Madam Shang,' previously called me 'Madam Shang,' and even earlier called me 'Miss Shang'—never because my husband is Shang Hong."
"I, Shang Yanan, have a name of my own. This Shang Group was built from the ground up by Shang Hong and me together!"
"……"
With those words, the entire conference room was struck into dead silence.
Old Madam Shang sat steadily in the head seat, her bearing carrying the ease and composure of someone who had weathered many years, yet her firm and resounding voice allowed a glimpse of the pride and integrity she once carried.
Bai Xu could not help but cheer inwardly, his admiration for her growing even deeper.
Outsiders all said that the Shang family's eldest daughter, Shang Keyi, was a famously formidable woman. Seeing things now, she was in all likelihood a reflection of Old Madam Shang's own temperament.
What a pity, though. She had inherited her mother's proud spirit, yet had never learned her mother's grace and warmth in dealing with others.
Old Madam Shang glanced at the lawyer beside her, "Attorney Xiao, I'll trouble you."
"Of course."
The accompanying lawyer, Attorney Xiao, took a thick document from her briefcase and announced before everyone present, "Shareholders, in accordance with relevant national regulations, the Shang Group was originally established with joint investment by Mr. Shang Hong and Madam Shang Yanan. The shares currently held by both parties constitute marital joint property."
"In addition, the couple has signed a relevant agreement on the independence of personal assets, which has not been commingled with the group shares they hold, meaning their respective share percentages remain in effect."
"Most importantly, Chairman Shang Hong signed a relevant agreement five years ago—"
"Stating that should he in the future encounter serious illness, loss of conscious will, or similar circumstances (excluding death), his position as Chairman of the Shang Group and all corresponding rights and interests shall be placed entirely under the authority of his wife, Madam Shang Yanan."
Attorney Xiao explained the relevant contracts in the most concise and straightforward manner, then stepped back.
A shareholder who had followed the general outline made an uncertain guess, "Is Old Madam having the lawyer say all this to mean that she has the authority to designate the acting chairman?"
"And who would that be?"
"The third young master, surely? Old Madam was after all brought here by Bai Xu and the third young master."
Whatever the shareholders could think of, the Shang family members could naturally think of as well.
Shang Keyi and Shang Yun exchanged glances. Both siblings could not quite suppress a rising unease—
If Shang Yanxiao were truly made acting chairman, would the other two branches still have any foothold left in the group going forward?
Shang Keyi ventured carefully, "Mother, so what is your intention?"
A shareholder chimed in, "Yes, Old Madam. You are surely aware of the purpose behind today's shareholders' meeting. If you have a suitable candidate in mind, you might as well say so directly."
Bai Xu noticed the hostile gaze Shang Songming was shooting his way and smiled without a care.
How foolish.
Would he and Shang Yanxiao really expose their ambitions in a setting like this?
Both second sons in their respective families—and yet Shang Songming and Chu Yate were worlds apart!
Old Madam Shang spoke, "Until Shang Hong recovers and wakes up, his position will be assumed by me in full. As for the other three branches and their respective affairs, everything shall proceed as usual."
Those words sent another wave of shock across the room, and everyone's expressions shifted.
Shang Songming, who had guessed wrong, turned his head toward Shang Yanxiao—only to find that the latter's expression was completely unchanged, without the slightest trace of disappointment one would expect from being passed over.
A shareholder aligned with the first branch spoke up, "Old Madam, forgive me for saying something unpleasant. You have been behind the scenes for quite a few years now. To personally manage the group again at this point, I'm afraid it may prove too much for you."
Old Madam Shang was well aware there was an element of deliberate condescension in those words, yet she was in no hurry to respond.
Bai Xu spoke in her place, "With all due respect, managing the group has never been a burden that falls on the chairman alone. With so many department general managers, each overseeing their own projects and staff, how could that possibly prove too much for Old Madam?"
He looked over at the first branch, then at the father and son of the second branch, "Unless someone is deliberately trying to make things difficult for Old Madam."
Old Madam Shang turned to Qi Shanshui, "Old Qi, you have the longest standing among all the shareholders present. What do you think?"
"……"
Qi Shanshui, who had originally aligned with the first branch, weighed his old ties and changed his tune, "If Old Madam is willing to preside, then naturally– naturally that is a fine thing."
Taking advantage of the silence, Shang Yanxiao was the first to declare his position, "I have no objections."
Shang Queyan followed his brother's lead, "I have no objections either."
Bai Xu curved his lips and turned the pressure directly onto the first and second branches, "And what do the rest of you think?"
Shang Keyi met the question with silence.
Shang Qishun beside her read the situation clearly and had no choice but to abandon the confrontation before it had even begun, "I have no objections."
It was evident that the third branch had never had any interest in the position of acting chairman to begin with, but equally had no intention of letting the others have their way. So they had brought out Old Madam Shang, and done so on the most justifiable grounds imaginable.
If the first and second branches still insisted on fighting to the bitter end, they would likely end up with far more to lose than to gain.
Seeing that everyone else had already declared their stance, Shang Yun had no choice but to go along with it, "We will defer to Old Madam."
A farce that should have been a fierce scramble for power came to an end in the most unexpected way imaginable.
The shareholders filed out one after another.
Old Madam Shang sat upright in her seat without moving, and the rest of the Shang family, seeing this, had no choice but to stay and keep her company.
Soon the conference room was free of outsiders, and only then did Old Madam Shang instruct Bai Xu, "Xiao Xu, would you trouble yourself to close the door."
"Of course."
Bai Xu obediently closed the door and instinctively made his way back to Shang Yanxiao's side.
Shang Yanxiao murmured to him, "What took you so long?"
Bai Xu explained in brief, "Old Madam anticipated that her arriving unannounced might meet with objections from some shareholders, so she made a special trip to the law firm beforehand to have Attorney Xiao bring the agreements and contracts along."
Persuading Old Madam Shang to attend the shareholders' meeting and take control of the situation had indeed been an idea Bai Xu came up with in the early hours of the morning.
The Old Master had praised and affirmed his wife's business acumen and capabilities multiple times in his memoir, even saying that Old Madam Shang had been the brightest guiding light on his entrepreneurial journey.
He had also mentioned in the final chapter that if the position of group chairman had belonged to Old Madam Shang from the very beginning, she would surely have managed it brilliantly.
Bai Xu's original plan had been to persuade Old Madam Shang to participate in the vote herself. After all, as long as Shang Yanxiao and the third branch declared their stance, combined with Old Madam's own share of the stock, the first and second branches would have no way of outcompeting them no matter how hard they tried.
Yet Old Madam Shang had thought further ahead than Bai Xu, and found a simpler path.
As it turned out, the moment something with legal force was produced, the outcome spoke for itself.
While the two were briefly exchanging words, Old Madam Shang, still seated at the head of the table, spoke up, "Keyi, A' Yun, both of you come before me."
Shang Keyi and Shang Yun, upon hearing themselves called, felt the unease deep within them sink another layer.
Bound by the word 'filial duty'.
The two had no choice but to walk forward one after the other, apprehensive, "Mother."
"......"
Old Madam Shang did not respond. She simply rose to her feet, slowly.
Her gaze moved back and forth between the two siblings, and the sorrow she had suppressed for so long began to seep out little by little, swallowing whole the gentleness and warmth that had defined her face for decades.
—Slap!
Without warning, right before every member of the Shang family, Old Madam Shang summoned all her strength and slap Shang Yun full across the face.
For the first time in her life, she set aside every ounce of the tolerance and tenderness a mother carries, and screamed, "You unfilial wretch!"
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