I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

He's always been the boss...

They're all bosses...

Boss...

Chen Sheng felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and gripped the edge of the table tightly to keep from falling.

Looking at Chen Sheng's expression, Ishikawa Takashi felt particularly puzzled.

He sensed that Chen Sheng was a very unusual person. If a normal person found out that their son was the founder of Beichen—of course, a normal person wouldn't be oblivious to what their son was doing—their first reaction would definitely be, "Wow! I've won!"

Suddenly becoming the father of the founder of Beichen is a joy akin to Obama's mother hearing that her son has been elected President of the United States—an extremely rare experience.

Of course, Obama's election as president was not achieved overnight; everyone climbs the ladder step by step. However, even if Chen Sheng was not prepared, his current reaction is still intriguing.

He wasn't ecstatic like a normal person, nor was he joyful, nor did he even show any positive emotions. All Ishikawa saw in his eyes was bewilderment and… a hint of regret.

Chen Sheng suppressed his trembling and asked, "What do you mean by 'boss'? Does he have an official position? What is his post in Beichen?"

"What position?" Ishikawa Toru was taken aback by the question, then frowned.

"Indeed, what is Brother Ya's position again?"

He and Zhao Yuanhai looked at each other, and then both fell silent.

Ishikawa Takashi is the CTO, and the other two members of Beichen are the CEO and CFO.

CTO is the Chief Technology Officer, CEO is the Chief Executive Officer, and CFO is the Chief Financial Officer.

Finance, technology, and execution – these three people have divided up the leadership positions in the company, each with their own responsibilities. I really don't know what kind of O Chen Ya is, but I'll just do whatever Chen Ya says.

Even in the branch office in Beijing, he was respectfully addressed as "that person." Moreover, only a small number of high-ranking officials knew "that person's" real name.

In other words, Chen Ya is Chen Ya, the person who has always led them. This is a deeply ingrained and obvious fact that needs no further proof; it has become a kind of life habit.

"What's the title of the top leader in Beichen again?" Shi Chuan Dong asked.

“Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Board, decision-maker,” Zhao Yuanhai replied calmly.

Chen Sheng stood there, stunned.

"Yes, it's a specific position, right? It's not just something you do casually during your student days..." His voice grew weaker and weaker.

“We didn’t play around during our school days.”

"That, that, that's not right," Lu Qianzi stammered, "Doesn't that mean Chen Ya is the boss of Beichen?"

“Yes, he’s Beichen’s boss,” Ishikawa Dong blinked. “He’s the chairman, what’s wrong with that?”

Now, not only Chen Sheng, but Lu Qianzi is also a little dizzy.

She never imagined that Chen Ya was Bei Chen's boss. How could such a thing be possible?

In their minds, Beichen Enterprise's status can only be described as transcendent.

Even a random middle-level manager is considered a god in their eyes.

Now they're telling her that the person who's always hanging around her is Boss Beichen?

Lu Qianzi could sense that not only Chen Sheng, but even her mother Lu Ruixiang was acting strangely.

I feel like I'm having a mental breakdown.

Chen Sheng stammered, "That...that still doesn't make sense. Aren't all of Beichen's shares held by the three Beichen heroes? How could he be the chairman?"

Shi Chuan Dong glanced at Zhao Yuanhai, hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak or not. But then he thought, since this was an open secret within Beichen, and besides, Zhao was Chen Ya's family, it wouldn't hurt to say it, so he said:

"According to the law, Beichen Company's shareholding assets must be transparent. However, due to certain reasons, Ya Ge's identity cannot be disclosed, so his shareholding is a loophole that bypasses the scope of disclosure."

After saying that, Ishikawa Toru added:

"Moreover, according to the company's articles of association, he is the 'permanent chairman,' possessing full power to decide the company's development, regardless of his shareholding percentage. Even if he only owns 1% of the shares, as long as he remains in the company, he must decide on the company's affairs, and no one can impeach him."

Chen Sheng felt like he was having trouble breathing. It was as if he was walking down the street when he was suddenly hit by a car he thought was a Passat. Only after landing did he realize that it wasn't a Passat, but a Volkswagen Phaeton.

Of course, neither a Passat, nor a Phaeton, nor even a Ferrari could adequately describe the seriousness of the situation. He stood up, swaying unsteadily, wanting to go outside for some fresh air, but found the air too thin, and then plopped down on the ground.

……

……

A man in a suit with a buzz cut stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the main hall.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, full of vigor and seemingly at the prime of his career. When Mrs. Yu Shuning saw him, a smile appeared on her face.

"President Zuo, it's such an honor to have you come in person!"

The man smiled slightly and came over to help Old Mrs. Yu up.

"When my father was young, how much help did he receive from Old Master Lu? If my father can't come, how can I, as his nephew, not come? Is that proper? Also, please just call me Xiao Zuo. If you call me President Zuo, I don't even dare to breathe."

Great-Grandma's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, making the wrinkles on her face appear even more pronounced: "You know, you've helped our Lu family a lot, and we really should thank you!"

"What are you saying? You're with me, so let's not talk about thanks or anything like that!"

Committee member Gao looked at the man, nodded slowly, and smiled.

Like everyone else who attended the birthday banquet, the man was no ordinary person; he was the kind of person who could overshadow many others if he moved out.

The man's name is Zuo Wenzong, president of Taimei Group.

Furun once compiled a list of the ten highest-paid people in China, and Zuo Wenzong was one of them.

Moreover, he was the youngest person on that list.

Among the four major families, apart from the Xia family in the military, the Gu, Qin and Lu families in business all started from the real economy and also control several core sectors of the real economy in China, such as energy, transportation and infrastructure.

If you want to start a business, you can't avoid these three established families. However, the emerging IT and technology industries have little overlap with these three families.

Zuo Wenzong's Taimei Group, as a newly emerging industry giant, maintains a good relationship with the Lu family, which is rare among founders of new industries.

The reason is that Zuo Wenzong's father was once a coal miner in Shanxi Province, while Old Master Lu had been in charge of a coal mine in Shanxi Province for many years.

In other words, Zuo Wenzong's father was an old subordinate of Master Lu.

Because of this relationship, and because Old Master Lu had invested money in the Taimei Group when it was first established, Zuo Wenzong and the Lu family have always maintained a good relationship.

In fact, due to the reform movement in the 90s, Old Master Lu helped many of his former subordinates and gave them a lot of money, most of which never came to fruition.

Giving Zuo Wenzong this money was simply a habit of his. He was used to giving money to unemployed workers, even though this time it was the son of a worker.

However, that was after the turn of the millennium, when everything became more standardized, and Zuo Wenzong handled the money as an angel investment.

Unexpectedly, after the collapse of Aihua Company's commercial building, this investment became the Lu family's lifeline. A seemingly insignificant move made many years ago became the key piece in maintaining the large group of stones on the chessboard.

The reason the Lu family can still maintain a certain standard of living is largely due to the dividends from the Taimei Group. Without Taimei's dividends, the Lu family's business would be much more difficult than it is now.

After exchanging pleasantries, Committee Member Gao's expression turned slightly serious as he asked, "Did you watch the strategic planning press conference that Beichen announced yesterday?"

Zuo Wenzong's face, which had been smiling, slowly vanished upon hearing these words, like the condensation on a window after the weather warmed up.

But he quickly replaced the numbness on his face with a slightly deliberate "whatever" expression, and said in a deliberately relaxed tone:

"I've seen it, and the situation is more optimistic than I imagined."

Great-Grandma glanced at Zuo Wenzong, then at Committee Member Gao, and said tactfully, "Old Gao, you two chat first. When the banquet starts, take Little Zuo to sit across from me. I have something to talk to him about."

Committee Member Gao nodded, then glanced at Zuo Wenzong and, noticing something in his eyes, said in a low voice, "Come with me."

The two walked along, passing Chen Chi's dressing room. After glancing inside, they turned into the small room next door.

"What's wrong? Is the situation bad?" Committee Member Gao asked in a rather serious tone.

Zuo Wenzong put his hands in his purse and shrugged: "No, no, don't worry about it."

"At yesterday's press conference, Beichen announced its full-scale entry into the group-buying field. This is your territory. How do you plan to respond?"

“I’ve taken a look, and their plans are not aligned with ours. In the short term, there will definitely be an impact on Thai-American, but overall the impact will not be significant.”

Committee Member Gao stared at him, thinking that Zuo Wenzong's ideas were too optimistic.

Beichen Group basically destroys a whole sector wherever it enters. This time, it is in direct competition with Taimei Group. Even if, as Zuo Wenzong said, it is a case of misalignment, the impact will certainly not be as small as he said.

After staring at Zuo Wenzong for a while, Committee Member Gao relaxed a little and said:

"Of course, Xiao Zuo, we all trust you and hope your judgment will not betray our trust."

"Uncle Gao, of course. The thing I, Zuo Wenzong, hate the most in my life is to betray the trust of those close to me. It is more painful than my own business failing."

The old man and the young man addressed each other with the respect due to a teacher and mentor, addressing each other warmly, which instantly raised the temperature in the room.

After Gao finished speaking, his expression suddenly turned serious, and he said, "By the way, I recently heard a rumor."

"What rumors?" Zuo Wenzong asked, his expression awkward.

"Rumors about you. Bad rumors."

"is it?"

Zuo Wenzong's hands were in his pockets, his fingers clenched tightly.

Of course he knew what the rumor was; he knew perfectly well what it was. However, even if he knew, he could only pretend not to.

Seeing that he did not enter the port, Commissioner Gao said, "I heard it from others, but I don't believe it. They say that you, Zuo Wenzong, have colluded with the enemy for personal gain?"

Zuo Wenzong forced a bleak smile, his eyes narrowing into slits, but through those slits, his dark gaze held no hint of amusement: "Colluding with the enemy? Haha, in peacetime, what enemy could there be?"

Committee Member Gao stared at him: "You didn't actually do something, did you?"

“Uncle Gao,” Zuo Wenzong’s expression suddenly turned serious, “you know me. I can almost say that I grew up under the watchful eyes of the Lu family. How could I possibly be colluding with any enemy, as they say? That’s just the nonsense of the ignorant.”

"Is that so?" Committee Member Gao narrowed his eyes.

He scrutinized Zuo Wenzong for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Little Zuo, I don't think you really collude with the enemy, but you have to know that the old master is devoted to the country, and he absolutely cannot tolerate the kind of situation described online."

Zuo Wenzong nodded solemnly: "I know that. The old master is a man who hates evil. Even if it's for his sake, I can't do anything that would betray the country."

Committee Member Gao continued, word by word, "Furthermore, let me tell you, if the old master is really certain that you did that kind of thing, he might even withdraw the Lu family's investment from Taimei Group."

He paused, then said, "Moreover, as you know, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Those rumors seem to have legs, and some of them may have reached the old man's ears. He's been sulking about it for a long time."

Zuo Wenzong feigned surprise: "Really?"

“That’s right,” said Committee Member Gao. “He goes to the pond every day with a fishing rod. But he never catches a fish, and there aren’t any fish in our Lu family’s pond. What else could he be but sulking?”

"I swear to God, I really didn't do that! I must explain this to the old man later, and please don't believe those people's slander against me!"

Committee Member Gao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, I believe you didn't do it, but more importantly, don't let the old man know!"

When Commissioner Gao finished speaking, he patted Zuo Wenzong on the shoulder with the last word, conveying the weight of his words through the gesture.

Zuo Wenzong looked at him with slight surprise, then slowly nodded.

His meaning was already quite clear.

Even if you do it, don't let the old man know.

“Those social media platforms are already working hard to crack down on these rumors, and our company’s legal department is also sending lawyer’s letters to those who spread these rumors,” Zuo Wenzong said. “I will handle this farce.”

"That's good." Committee Member Gao nodded.

The Lu family cannot afford to lose the dividends from Taimei Group, just as Cao County cannot afford to lose Jerusalem.

The Lu family and Taimei Group are now inextricably linked.

If one can no longer function, the other will also be dragged down.

"Uncle Gao, there's something else," Zuo Wenzong said. "The influence of Beichen Group cannot be ignored. To get through this crisis, our cash flow may be affected to some extent."

Committee Member Gao immediately asked, "Will our dividends this year be delayed?"

“Well, the dividends will not be delayed. However, Uncle Gao, I have some good news,” Zuo Wenzong said with a smile. “Actually, the main problem with Taimei is a lack of confidence, which is reflected in the stock price. I just happened to exchange a batch of shares from the market at a low price.”

"Oh?" Committee Member Gao was still unclear about his meaning.

“I want to sell these shares to raise funds to counter Beichen’s attack,” Zuo Wenzong said. “Uncle Gao, do you know any quality investors?”

"Or is it that the Lu family is willing to be the investor again?"

Zuo Wenzong's hands were in his pockets, his fists clenched.

The true intentions were revealed in the last scroll of the map; every day there are elderly people celebrating their birthdays in this world, and his purpose in coming to the Lu family today was not to eat at Old Master Lu's banquet.

His purpose in coming here today was for this last sentence.

In fact, of all the things he said to Committee Member Gao today, only half of them were true.

Beichen has had a significant impact on Taimei Group.