Chapter 62

After a day of meetings, Lin Yushu had managed to leave the office early and return home, only to find someone already busy in the kitchen.

“Back so early today?” Song Qiming, wearing an apron and oven gloves, said, “Dinner will take a while.”

From the entrance, the kitchen looked like a disaster area, with pots, bowls, and utensils scattered everywhere, and a few vegetable leaves on the floor.

But Lin Yushu had grown used to it. He loosened his tie, took off his suit jacket, and walked towards the kitchen, glancing at what Song Qiming was about to put into the oven, asking, “What is that?”

“Gong Bao Chicken Pizza,” Song Qiming closed the oven door and set the timer, “The perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine.”

Lin Yushu couldn’t be bothered to comment. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and leaned against the kitchen counter, asking, “You seem to have a lot of free time.”

Song Qiming took off the gloves, walked up to Lin Yushu, and placed his hands on both sides of him, looking pitiful as he said, “I do have some free time.”

“What? Are you trying to pull the ‘act weak to gain advantage’ trick on me?” Lin Yushu raised an eyebrow, “I’m not falling for that.”

“You’re right,” Song Qiming smiled, took a step back, and removed the apron, “How could I not know that it won’t work on you?”

Indeed.

Lin Yushu had long figured out Song Qiming’s personality; how could he possibly be fooled?

On the other hand, Song Qiming must also know that it wouldn’t work on him.

“What do you mean, then?” Lin Yushu sat down at the dining table, looking at Song Qiming, “Don’t you want to be the Chairman anymore?”

“Yes,” Song Qiming turned around, leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed, “I feel too restricted.”

Lin Yushu wasn’t surprised, “Because you did, in fact, rely on Shao Hexu to ascend to the position.”

Shao Hexu successfully secured the business from the 4S dealerships, and it was likely he would demand more in the future.

Because, without his support back then, Song Qiming would never have become the Chairman.

“My stake is too small, and that’s always been a problem. As long as it’s not resolved, my future decisions will be influenced by Shao Hexu.”

“Mm,” Lin Yushu thought for a moment and nodded, “No matter what you do, Shao Hexu will want to gain some benefit from it.”

Whether it’s establishing the race track, merging with Xunjie, or any other move, Song Qiming would be restricted because of his small stake, and he wouldn’t be able to make decisions independently.

“Before, I became the Chairman for self-preservation, but now Shao Hexu is also obstructing me,” Song Qiming said.

“So…” Lin Yushu pondered and said, “You’re willingly giving up the Chairman position to Shao Hexu?”

“Yes.”

Since Song Qiming couldn’t allow Shao Hedong to return as Chairman, the only successor was Shao Hexu.

“Did Fang Tian Real Estate agree with this plan?” Lin Yushu asked.

“I talked to Fang Lan, and she agreed with my idea. If Yong Xing doesn’t make changes, it will continue to decline,” Song Qiming replied.

“That’s true,” Lin Yushu contemplated, “Of course, you wouldn’t just give up the position without gaining something. So, your ultimate goal…”

As he thought about it, Lin Yushu came up with the only explanation, “Is to spin off Yong Xing Automotive’s business.”

He couldn’t think of anything else that Song Qiming might be after. Yong Xing Group’s business had become too vast.

Aside from real estate and entertainment industries, even Shao Zhenrui’s cosmetic company was supported by Yong Xing Group. Essentially, any Shao family relative trying to develop their own business would have ties to Yong Xing Group.

And among all the businesses, the most valuable and core asset was undoubtedly Yong Xing Automotive, which was Song Qiming’s initial target.

“Will Shao Hexu readily agree to this?” Lin Yushu inquired.

“He has already agreed. You might not know how tempting the Chairman position is for him.”

“But taking away Yong Xing Automotive would be a loss for the group.”

“I’m not completely taking it away. Yong Xing Automotive will be spun off and listed independently, and the group will still hold a stake, but I will be the largest shareholder. When it comes to matters related to Yong Xing Automotive, I will have the independence to make decisions.”

“…I understand now,” Lin Yushu sighed in relief, “So, you used the Chairman position to buy out Shao Hexu once and for all, so that you won’t clash in the future.”

“Exactly,” Song Qiming said, “Initially, Fang Lan disagreed with Shao Hexu becoming Chairman, but she supported my idea of spinning off Yong Xing Automotive for separate development. So, we reached an agreement on this matter.”

Lin Yushu added, “Without Fang Lan’s resistance, Shao Hexu can finally become the Chairman he has always desired. Naturally, he agreed to let you have Yong Xing Automotive.”

“Mainly because Shao Hexu doesn’t understand the automotive industry, and he has no experience managing such a business. It’s not something he is deeply attached to.”

“It’s not about attachment; it’s just that he wouldn’t be able to manage it even if given the chance,” Lin Yushu said, “Moreover, with the frequent changes in Yong Xing’s management, the stock price will definitely fluctuate. But Shao Hexu doesn’t care, which shows that he’s only concerned about his own interests, not the future of the group.”

“That’s true,” Song Qiming said, “Otherwise, it would be challenging for me to obtain Yong Xing Automotive.”

“But when your grandfather passed away, why didn’t you think of directly taking Yong Xing Automotive?” Lin Yushu asked.

“I thought that becoming Chairman would give me control over everything in the group. But later, I encountered many obstacles,” Song Qiming said, “Now, I’ve taken a step back, and the elders in the family are also more supportive. This way, we won’t trigger the additional conditions in the will.”

—The merger doesn’t meet Shao Zhenbang’s requirements, so Song Qiming can’t take 100% of the shares anymore.

From this perspective, it’s a win-win situation.

Shao Hexu gets what he wants, the Shao family members can rest assured, and they won’t cause trouble for Song Qiming anymore.

Song Qiming gains control over Yong Xing Automotive, including his own S-power. Next, he will merge with Xunjie and enter a broader market.

As for Xunjie, the merger with Yong Xing is beneficial without any harm, and Song Qiming even gave up the initiative in the merger, giving them more room for negotiation.

“So, you knew I was scheming, and you simply played along with it?” Lin Yushu asked.

If Song Qiming had voluntarily stepped down and tried to take the automotive business, those Shao family relatives would definitely not be happy.

—Why should Song Qiming get all the good things?

But if it appeared that he was forced to step down after losing the gamble, and with Shao Hexu’s support, he obtained the automotive business, the other shareholders might be more accepting.

—After all, this way, they can pacify Song Qiming and prevent him from making a comeback.

Moreover, Song Qiming himself was one of the driving forces behind Yong Xing’s rising stock price, so completely abandoning him would be a pity.

After the merger between Yong Xing Automotive and Xunjie Electric, the total market value of both companies would likely double, and that would also benefit the group. The other shareholders might not suffer much loss.

“If you didn’t have a chance of winning, would you have gambled with me?” Song Qiming smiled, “Although I don’t know what scheme you’re playing, I know I would definitely lose to you.”

“Is that losing?” Lin Yushu raised an eyebrow, “You clearly won everything.”

He had managed to gain complete control within the group, and now he could focus on his career without any hindrance.

“But you haven’t lost either, my dear,” Song Qiming said, “In the end, we found a balance.”

To be honest, Lin Yushu was quite satisfied with this outcome.

Perhaps the only one who wasn’t satisfied was Shao Zhenbang.

Excluding Shao Hexu and his son, no one in the family wanted to compete with Song Qiming. They were content as long as they safeguarded their own interests and didn’t have other ambitious plans.

But Song Qiming didn’t fulfill Shao Zhenbang’s wish to acquire Xunjie Electric.

Although he lost the Chairman position and became unemployed, he became the actual controller of Yong Xing Automotive. Whenever he wanted, he could find another job.

“By the way,” Song Qiming added, “The idea of spinning off the automotive business actually came from your brother.”

“His idea was to initiate a reverse acquisition, right?” Lin Yushu asked.

“Exactly. Yong Xing’s scale is too large to merge with Xunjie directly. But if we spin off the automotive business, the situation would be different.”

“Hmm,” Lin Yushu agreed, “As per my initial prediction, even if we won the gamble, we wouldn’t merge with the entire Yong Xing Group but negotiate cooperation with Yong Xing Automotive.”

Everything worked out perfectly.

The oven chimed with a “ding,” and Song Qiming put on his heat-resistant gloves to open it, taking out a charred mess from inside.

“…A perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine?” Lin Yushu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Uh, maybe we should just order takeout,” Song Qiming said as the doorbell suddenly rang.

“I’ve already ordered,” Lin Yushu replied and went to open the door. He received a large amount of food from the delivery guy.

Today was April 1st, a special day – Song Qiming’s 30th birthday.

“I thought you didn’t plan on celebrating my birthday,” Song Qiming’s eyes filled with an uncontrollable smile.

“How could I not?” Lin Yushu placed the cake and the Chinese takeout on the dining table, then went to the wine cabinet to get a bottle of red wine.

Song Qiming’s eyes darted around, and Lin Yushu found it odd. While opening the wine, he asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Aren’t there any gifts?” Song Qiming sat down at the table, “Did you hide something like a wedding ring in the cake?”

“No gifts,” Lin Yushu said, and he could almost see the ears of a certain someone drooping like wolf ears, “But I’ve prepared something else for you.”

Hearing this, those ears immediately perked up again.

Lin Yushu connected his phone to the home printer and quickly printed two contracts. He brought these documents, along with a pen and inkpad, back to the dining area and placed them in front of Song Qiming.

“Check if there’s any problem with the terms, and if not, sign it.”

“…A Love Contract?” Song Qiming looked surprised, then smiled, “One, Property: During the existence of the relationship between the two parties…enjoy equal disposal rights, jointly own the property…; Two, Status: Both parties have equal status at home, when making decisions related to the home, each has the power to decide; Three, Debts: During the relationship…; Four, Maintenance…; Five, Obligations…”

“If you want to sign, sign it,” Lin Yushu took a sip of the wine, feeling a bit awkward, “Stop stalling.”

“Shouldn’t you change the ‘Love’ to ‘Marriage’?” Song Qiming quickly signed his name, “Actually, if you want to propose to me, you can just say it.”

“Who said I wanted to propose to you?” Lin Yushu furrowed his brows and also signed the contract, “This is just your birthday gift.”

Preparing a contract was more in line with Lin Yushu’s sense of romance than hiding a ring in the cake.

“But you said there wouldn’t be any gifts?” Song Qiming didn’t mind how Lin Yushu put it. He had already decided that this was a marriage agreement.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the contract with both of their names on it. “Thank you, my wife. I really like it.”

“That’s good,” Lin Yushu didn’t bother explaining further about the gift, “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

 

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