The straightforwardness of Qin Feng made the elder gentlemen unable to accept it. Eighth Zero Electronic Book The third person who felt uncomfortable stood up, slammed the table, and pointed at him, shouting, "Young man, you haven't inherited Qin Wei's shares yet—how can you act so arrogant? In the future, you'll surely have to pee and poop right on top of us!" Qin, the young heir, glanced at the elder with a look of disdain and said, "You really think highly of yourself. To me, you don't look much better than our family's toilet. If I'm riding on top of you, I'm certain I won't be able to pass anything. Rest assured—even if you're willing to offer your head, I won't need it." The elder was so angry he blew out his cheeks and stared with wide eyes, nearly gasping for breath, his chest heaving: "You dare speak to me like this? Even Qin Wei used to bow and scrape when he saw us. Without us, he was still just a poor man. How could you, a second-generation rich kid, ever have a chance?" Qin Feng had heard Hou Bao recount Qin Wei's rise from the ground up. In the early days of the company, things were indeed very difficult—these shareholders were all brought on board then, helping resolve the twin challenges of capital and network connections. By good conscience, these individuals have made significant contributions to the Qin Group. Starting any business is always tough; without their support, it's hard to imagine the company could have grown to its current state. Of course, over the years, they haven't gone without substantial returns—dividends alone have already multiplied their initial investments by several dozen times. Moreover, Qin Wei has never placed money first; he has also provided numerous benefits to the shareholders, including luxury homes and high-end vehicles. As the saying goes, "people with ambition grow greedy even after swallowing a giant elephant." Despite the wealth, homes, and cars, they remain unsatisfied and increasingly greedy. Once Qin Wei passed away, these individuals immediately stepped forward, eager to make life difficult for Mei Hui and Hou Bao. Now, they're passing the pressure onto Qin Feng—not just to give him a stern warning. Qin Feng remained composed and declared, "My father respects you not because of your stature, but because he is kind and unwilling to hold grudges against people lacking basic manners. Going forward, it will be me who runs the company. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt—respecting you is a courtesy. If I don't respect you, that's entirely fair, since you've never supported me. Isn't that right? Don't think that a little contribution you've made to the company gives you the right to act superior here. I, Qin Feng, won't accept that." Since you can't love the young, what right do you have to expect others to respect the old? Qin Feng says you're showing old folks' pride—does that make any sense?" Mr. Liu, the elderly man, flushed with anger, yet found no words to counter Mei Hui. He could only sigh angrily and sit down again. Qin Feng spoke with a cold smile, continuing, "Since we all belong to the same company, we should support one another. Yet you? For your own benefit, you're willing to twist facts and reverse principles. Today, I'm making my position clear: whoever dares to undermine their own colleagues or act against the company's interests, I will hold them fully accountable!" The bald man seated at the upper right, who had remained silent throughout, burst into laughter. Qin Feng remained completely unruffled, simply gazing at him without speaking. When the man finished laughing, he slammed his table and declared, "What a strong-willed Qin Feng—such a worthy son of Qin Wei! Since you're so firm, then I'll take my leave. I'm announcing my withdrawal of investment!" "Qin Feng hummed, saying, "That's fine—withdrawal is your right, but for the company, it takes some time." The second elder chuckled and said, "Young man, perhaps you haven't realized this yet? When your father, Qin Wei, signed the contract with us, he specifically stipulated that shareholders could withdraw at any time, and the company would settle at a price no lower than the average stock price over the past three months. The calculated amount must be transferred to the original shareholder's account within 48 hours. For every hour delayed, a one percent penalty of the total amount would be charged." Qin Feng looked stunned. He turned to Mei Hui, who nodded in agreement. How could his father, Qin Wei, be so generous? To sign such a contract that was clearly disadvantageous to him? Qin Wei was well known in the Pingyang City business circle for his integrity. He had originally drafted this very contract precisely to give shareholders confidence and encourage them to invest more funds. "I hereby announce my withdrawal of shares!" "So do I. With a company like this and a board chairman so attentive, we simply can't continue working together!" "I'm also stepping down. Without us—these founding shareholders who've always been the backbone of the company—the Qin Group won't know how to survive." These elders were all people who had firsthand access to the company's operations. They fully understood that they had now choked the company's throat. The more they protested, the more pleased they were, because then Qin Feng would have to offer even greater "commitment" to win their renewed support. Even if Qin Feng were considered naive, Mei Hui and Hou Bao weren't—clearly, they knew better than anyone which was more important: going bankrupt or making concessions. Qin Feng's attitude immediately reversed itself, smiling warmly and saying to the elders, "Please don't get excited. A moment ago, I was just joking with you. My greatest strength is respecting the elderly and cherishing the young. My own father holds you in high regard—how could I not? Please don't withdraw your investments. I'm sincerely apologizing to you all." "Too late!" the leading elder insisted firmly. "I'm withdrawing my investment—my decision is final!" "Yes, I've also decided to pull out—no matter how many times you kneel and bow, it'll make no difference!" "Boy, weren't you quite confident just a moment ago? Didn't you say we were being old-fashioned and stubborn? Well, we're truly going to show that stubbornness now—pulling out our investment!" The older executives had already reached a unanimous agreement. To make the move credible, some even announced they would go straight to the CFO to finalize the withdrawal calculations. They overlooked one crucial point: how could the usually astute Mei Hui have allowed Qin Feng to challenge them so consistently, especially without any intervention, as if this entire matter had nothing to do with her? Suddenly, Qin Feng slammed his desk and smiled. "If you're certain about pulling out, then I'll have the CFO come up right away. But before that, Mei Chairman has something important to announce. I'd ask everyone to listen to it before making their final decision." "No matter how much you explain, we're still pulling out!" "Then we're definitely pulling out!" Mei Hui ignored the group of elders, all flushed with indignation, and read from her fax with focused attention: "The Tong Yong Company, the world's leading automotive enterprise, has decided to jointly establish a manufacturing plant with Qin Group of the People's Republic of China to produce a new type of engine. Tong Yong will provide capital investment, while Qin Group will contribute technological equity. The two parties will operate according to..." Silence. Absolute silence—so complete that even the sound of a needle dropping on the floor could be heard clearly. The elders stared wide-eyed, their mouths open in sheer disbelief.