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墨書 Inktalez
Whether it was Chen Rui or Chen Zijing, it was rare for them to curse directly at someone unless they were truly furious, just like the situation at hand.
Sometimes, a few swear words were necessary; after all, not everyone could handle the polite approach. Some straightforward and simple-minded individuals preferred this unrestrained way of speaking.
A middle-aged man sitting in the corner of the shareholders' seats slammed his hand on the table and shouted loudly, "Going against the state will definitely lead to dire consequences! Mr. Li! Stop it!"
Chen Rui glanced at the middle-aged man, and judging by his facial features, it was undoubtedly Zhou Peng. The actions of the others soon confirmed his identity.
Everyone in the shareholders' seats, except for Li Xue, stood up quickly and bowed deeply to Li Li. "Mr. Li—"
Li Li smiled slightly and clapped his hands on the table. "Sit down, sit down. This shareholders' meeting is turning into a rally. Our main agenda today is to report on the earnings of Dawn Group over the past year; let's put aside other matters for now. Moreover..."
Li Li casually remarked, "Who said I wanted to go against the state? Who made such remarks that could affect political and business relations? If I had that intention, I would have acted five years ago! Back then, although Dawn wasn't as glorious as it is now, the foundation had already been laid. Today's Dawn is no longer what it used to be; what are you all afraid of? Are you worried that I might expose something that would jeopardize your little shares?!"
"How could that be!" Zhou Peng retorted angrily. "The money I've made over these years with you, Mr. Li, is more than my entire family could earn in a lifetime. How could I question you over past wealth? I'm only considering your position; no matter how rich you are, it will never compare to the political iron fist of the state!!!"
Li Li seemed not to hear Zhou Peng's words and began explaining the annual earnings report for the past seven years. The Dawn Group's annual report meeting was held according to the Gregorian calendar, unlike other companies that followed the lunar calendar.
This method of holding meetings was well-received by all employees because it meant two annual vacations and two year-end bonuses.
In fact, this was also why there were rumors outside that Dawn offered better treatment; employees in directly affiliated companies earned better than civil servants.
"Mr. Li!" Zhou Peng shouted again, interrupting Li Li's report. "Please heed my advice!"
Li Li frowned slightly and coldly stared at Zhou Peng. All directors and shareholders involuntarily felt goosebumps because they knew this gesture was a true sign of Li Li's anger.
"Let's not discuss those baseless matters anymore. If word gets out, it will become a reality even if it isn't! Zhou Peng, are you questioning the authenticity of my words with your repeated statements?"
Li Li stared directly at Zhou Peng, his voice very low. "And when I speak, do not interrupt me casually."
Zhou Peng sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. If this were a few years after he joined Dawn Corporation, he would have unconditionally trusted anything Li Li said. But now, he began to doubt: was it his loyalty that was in question, or was it Li Li who had changed?
"This year's growth shows a clear trend of slowing down. The year-end return for six years is 117 times that of five years, with an increase of seventeen percent. The year-end return for seven years is 19 times that of six years, with an increase of nine percent—a drop of eight points. This means that the profits from these two years are actually quite similar. This is a matter worth pondering," Li Li pointed at the data chart.
"Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? This is a critical moment concerning future stock fluctuations. You must know that there hasn't been a single year in which pure growth has fallen below ten percent in recent years. This is the first time since the dawn of reform that it has dropped below ten percent. The situation is serious, everyone!" Li Xue sighed and pointed at the data chart.
No one spoke because they were all clueless. To them, these figures were just numbers; however, for the Li Family, they represented something much more significant. They truly did not understand why, at this level, there was still such reluctance to part with money.
"Ahem, no one? Then let me say a few words." Chen Rui smiled.
"As the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, I would like to express gratitude on behalf of all members of the Supervisory Board to all members of the Board of Directors. Your efforts over this past year are vividly remembered by the Supervisory Board, and I believe all shareholders and employees of the group will also remember your contributions."
As Chen Rui spoke, the entire conference room fell into an unusual silence. If one closed their eyes, they would hardly feel the presence of dozens or even hundreds of people around them. It seemed everyone was stunned by Chen Rui's shamelessness; yet they could do nothing about this unusually behaving chairman and could only protest through silence.
"Chairman Li, Sister Li, to speak frankly, the current slowdown in Dawn Group's earnings is merely temporary. As far as I know, the six venture capital companies under Dawn Group have made a total of 87 investments over seven years, with varying amounts—some in the tens of millions and others reaching billions."
Upon hearing this, both the board and shareholders began to murmur among themselves. Li Xue looked at Chen Rui with a face full of resentment, genuinely puzzled as to why Chen Rui had to bring this up.
A billion-level investment was simply impossible to achieve; after all, there were only a few companies in the world with assets exceeding one hundred billion Renminbi—definitely not reaching five digits. Even fewer had market values surpassing one trillion US dollars; monsters like Dawn Group were truly one-of-a-kind.
So then, which venture capital company could directly engage in billion-level investments? It was unprecedented. Based on the current uproar online regarding billion-dollar online games, the conclusion was quite simple.
Li Xue leveraged her authority and the company's resources for irregular investments. However, it would be unrealistic to arbitrate against her solely for this matter, especially since she had now ascended to become one of the world's wealthiest individuals and the largest shareholder of Dawn.
"Everyone, please calm down and allow me to continue," Chen Rui said with a smile. "As you all know, governments around the world are currently engaged in a cross-century research project..."
Chen Rui paused here. Although the shareholders before him were all billionaires, he was unsure if they were familiar with the Dream World Project. So, he turned his gaze toward Li Li.
Li Li nodded slightly, and Chen Rui continued, "I believe you all have heard about this project by now, but I won’t go into specifics. What I want to convey is that the fourth item of this project is an outsourcing initiative..."
"What!"
"How is that possible?!"
Surprised voices erupted, turning the conference room into a chaotic scene reminiscent of a market in a third-tier city.
Chen Rui forced a smile. No matter how many years had passed, these retired military personnel found it hard to change their straightforward nature. However, at least most of them were on his side; if outsiders knew that Dawn's shareholder meeting was like this, they would surely find it laughable.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Zhou Peng quickly rapped three times on the table, and the previously noisy conference room fell silent. It seemed that even after all these years, Zhou Peng still held a leadership position in their hearts.
"You don’t need to question the authenticity of this news or its source. But now... can you understand why there is such a massive investment?" Chen Rui smiled slightly, subtly elevating Li Xue's status.
Even a fool could see what was happening; it was clear that the Li Family had extensive connections and had prepared in advance after catching wind of things. After all, no game on the market could compare to Dream World at present, leaving them with no choice but to invest heavily in developing their own game.
In fact, most people present had tried out the beta version of "The World." They hadn’t noticed anything unusual during the first version but immediately recognized that this VR Terminal game was entirely different from others after an update. Yet, it was hard to pinpoint exactly how.
As Today One thought, this game was designed specifically to evolve into a dream-like experience, which gave them the impression that it was indeed an impressive game.
“Chairman Chen, may I continue my report?” Li Li asked with a smile.
Chen Rui chuckled lightly, teasingly saying, “Mr. Li just loves to save face. How many people here really care about the data you’re presenting? Everyone is just waiting to hear about the final dividend amounts.”
Chen Rui’s words caused several shareholders present to lower their heads, unable to meet the gazes of Chen Rui and Li Li, as his remarks hit a nerve.
“It’s part of my duty. Even if no one listens, I still have to finish!” Li Li smiled and continued with his report…
“Finally done. Honestly, after all this talk, what I really want to say is: everyone has sweated and bled for Dawn, and now we’re all sitting here enjoying the air conditioning, sipping hot tea, discussing how much money we’ve made this year.”
“Of course, I don’t mean to say that’s wrong. I just think that for Dawn, and for me, those who were there at the beginning hold more value. After all, they are the real driving force! This meeting is adjourned!”
Li Li’s style remained as decisive as ever, and no one had the ability to refute his words. After announcing the end of the meeting, he didn’t wait for anyone to reflect on his earlier statements and promptly exited the conference room.
The shareholders watched Li Li’s solitary figure retreat in silence. Over the years, they had risen to become shareholders of Dawn; while they enjoyed their positions, what about the person in high office?
Chen Rui didn’t care what these shareholders thought; after all, he didn’t hold any shares in Dawn. He shrugged on the coat draped over his chair and headed toward the elevator. Halfway there, he felt an arm wrap around him—he knew without thinking who it was.
As he entered the elevator with Li Xue, Chen Rui suddenly recalled something: Chen Zijing did not hold a position at Dawn yet was still the chairman of the supervisory board! It was clearly impossible for someone without a position or shares to serve as chairman and remain absent for so long without being dismissed!
So then… did Chen Zijing still hold shares in Dawn?!
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