Chapter 1917

Chu Jingnan didn’t expect things to happen that fast.

On the very day of the Xiao Family father-son duo’s press conference, the Lin faction, which had been suppressed by Chu Jingnan all along, launched a retaliation against the Chu faction. The Lin faction had been planning their ambush for a long time, and their attack was fierce and unstoppable. Chu Jingnan had to retreat, and those board members who formerly supported him started to switch sides over to the Lin faction. The shareholder side also underwent a major overhaul.

The Lin faction, led by the Lin Family, colluded with the board members to strip Chu Jingnan of his position as the company CEO.

The reason given was that Chu Jingnan was acting purely for his own self-interests, with no consideration for the other shareholders. He had tried to dilute the Xiao Corporation’s shareholdings in order to strengthen his own power over the company. He had wanted quick profits and launched an overly-ambitious expansion campaign, completely neglecting the interests of the Xiao Corporation. He had brought major hidden dangers into the company’s operations.

The series of events hit him consecutively and Chu Jingnan felt somewhat at a loss for what to do.

He had thought that even without the support of the other Xiao Corporation shareholders—he still had his 25% shareholdings, the support of the board of directors, as well as those few shareholders whom he had a good relationship with—and so he would be able to withstand against the Li faction’s attack. But he never expected for those board members to be all so profit-minded and easily swayed. On seeing that Chu Jingnan was destined to fail, they all turned on him mercilessly.

“Chu Jingnan, you are a disgraceful illegitimate son. What right do you have to strut around the Xiao Corporation giving orders? In the past, I had tolerated you on account of the Xiao Family. Without the Xiao Family, you are nothing.”

“You are just an illegitimate son, but you still tried to scheme to overthrow the Xiao Corporation. You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror.”

“Pfft. You are not even fit to wear my shoes.”

Disdainful remarks echoed around Chu Jingnan’s ears. Their words of ridicule were like sharp blades slicing his heart.

Those board members and shareholders who had been his allies and who had fawned all over him—they were now glaring down imperiously at him as if he was just an ant. Their vicious faces and harsh words were a major wake-up call for him.

He was Chu Jingnan. An illegitimate son who was looked down upon by all. No matter how exemplary he was, he would never be able to wash away that stain.

These board members had looked down upon his illegitimate son status all along.

There was no way they would let an illegitimate son lord over them.

Xia Ruya had already lost all sense of reason. She screeched. “Didn’t you say the Xiao Corporation is already in your hands? How did things end up at this stage?”

The Li Corporation was gone. It had even ended up being a bridge for the Wen Corporation to enter the global market. Grandpa had abandoned her. She was no longer the Young Mistress of the Li Family. Her only hope was the Xiao Corporation and she had already planned out how she was going to use her remaining resources to help Chu Jingnan take complete control of the company, to grow it exponentially. She never expected such a major upset to happen at the Xiao Corporation.

At this point, Xia Ruya was experiencing the taste of total defeat.

Chu Jingnan could no longer maintain his flawlessly composed expression, and his face was as dark as thunder. “How would I know that the Xiao Family father-son duo would attack so quickly and so mercilessly? That they were willing to abandon the entire Xiao Corporation to enable the Lin faction to gain control and the support of the majority of the board of directors?”

He never expected the Xiao Family father-son to pull such a drastic stunt.

After losing the Xiao Family’s support, he paled in comparison to the Lin Family in terms of management experience and connections. That was why he had lost so terribly.

The Xiao Family had been willing to support him only because of the shares he held. They needed him to maintain the Xiao Family’s position within the Xiao Corporation. They were just making use of him to handle the board members and suppress the shareholders. After he successfully clamped down on the board members and shareholders, they had immediately plotted to have him kicked out of the Xiao Corporation.

The Xiao Family had beat him at his own game. They were truly a formidable force.

As much as he had kept his guard up, he still fell for that Old Man Xiao’s trick.

Xia Ruya’s body went limp. She felt very indignant. “Don’t you hold 25% of the Xiao Corporation’s shares? How could you have been so easily defeated by the Lin Family?”

She was more or less shouting now. Her face was totally crazed and filled with grievance and disbelief toward Chu Jingnan.

Previously, Chu Jingnan had confidently told her that the Xiao Corporation was as good as his. But in just a few short days, he had been kicked out of the Xiao Corporation’s board and stripped of his position. How could she accept this?

“The Lin Family colluded with the board to strip me of my authority in the company. I have already lost all say as a shareholder. The Lin Family bought over all my shares on behalf of the Xiao Corporation. If I disagree, they would make a legal appeal to take my shares away.”

At this point, Chu Jingnan already knew that he had lost everything. There was no way he could get any benefit from the Lin Family.

His shares had been bought at an extremely low price, which he was very unhappy about. But if he didn’t agree to the sale and the matter was taken to court, he might not get anything at all then. The Lin Family had him forced to a tight corner.

Xia Ruya widened her deep, dark eyes which were filled with venom. “Chu Jingnan, I did all I could to help you take down the Xiao Family. I did my best to fulfill all your requirements, as I thought you were capable of taking them down. But now, we have ended up with nothing. How are you going to answer me?”

The consecutive blows to Xia Ruya had already caused her to lose all reason.

This miscalculation with the Xiao Family had really left her with nothing.

Chu Jingnan raised his brows slightly, extremely unhappy at Xia Ruya’s denouncements. But he suppressed his anger and tried his best to explain. “The main reason is that the Xiao Family…”

Xia Ruya interrupted him angrily. “Don’t give me excuses. You previously told me that you already had that Old Mr. Xiao in the palm of your hand and that you wouldn’t let him spoil our plans. In the end, you didn’t even realize he had recovered from his illness. I think you are just useless!”

If not for Chu Jingnan’s uselessness. If not for his failure to control that Old Mr. Xiao. Would she have fallen into such a sorry state?

The more she thought of it, the more her hatred brewed, the more coldly she glared at Chu Jingnan.

Chu Jingnan’s face darkened with obvious rage and malevolence. He smirked. “I’m useless. I don’t have a great family background. I don’t have your cunning and shrewdness. If you are so capable, why didn’t you manage to hold onto the Li Corporation? Instead, you let the Li Corporation turn into a stepping stone for the Wen Family!”

Xia Ruya’s words had struck a nerve with Chu Jingnan. All that sense of inferiority that he had tucked deep inside his heart burst through at that moment.

“You…!” Xia Ruya was fuming as she pointed a finger at him. Her face was glazed over with rage.

Chu Jingnan snorted. “Xia Ruya, I have tolerated you for a very long time.”

With that, he turned and strode toward the door. He then swung it open viciously and left.

They were lovers that came together solely based on mutual benefits. At the end of the day, when things turned out badly, all that was left were their own self-interests.