novelhk Chapter 159 The Changes in the Gu Family (2)
Chapter 159 The Changes in the Gu Family (2)
Gu Mingqian's gaze towards Gu Jinxing suddenly sharpened.
Gu Mingqian suddenly realized that the grandson he had raised with his own hands had long since broken through the world he had been in, and had grown into a towering tree.
After a long silence, Gu Mingqian finally spoke.
"What if Qinglan isn't what you think, and she knows when to stop?"
Gu Jinxing looked at Gu Mingqian for the first time.
In the past, Hong Kong Island practiced polygamy, and Gu Mingqian had several half-brothers.
The power struggle among the Gu family leaders of Gu Mingqian's generation was no different from the struggle for succession among princes in ancient times.
If Gu Mingqian had shown even the slightest mercy, the Gu family would not belong to their branch today.
But the Gu Mingqian before Gu Jinxing had aged. Time had left its mark not only on his face but also on his heart, making him no longer cold and hard.
Gu Jinxing countered with a question to Gu Mingqian.
"Grandpa, what do you think is the right time to stop? Is it kicking me out of the company and letting her take over, or is it letting the Gu family share power and no longer have absolute say?"
A large corporation is not a royal throne; power will only be concentrated in one person's hands. If the shares of a family-controlled corporation are divided between two people, and these two people are not of one mind, it is extremely dangerous for the family.
It is easy for outsiders to gain a leading shareholding, and eventually the family loses control and say over the group.
Both grandfather and grandson understood this principle, and they would never allow such a thing to happen.
Therefore, the two scenarios of knowing when to stop that Gu Jinxing hypothesized are both very bad situations and cannot be considered knowing when to stop at all.
Gu Mingqian wanted to refute, but his reason actually agreed with Gu Jinxing.
The hurdles I can't get over are emotional ones.
At this moment, Gu Mingqian truly realized...
He is old.
But if a person has no selfish desires, then he is a saint.
Gu Mingqian still hopes for harmony among his children and grandchildren.
Furthermore, before Gu Mingqian focused on cultivating Gu Jinxing, Gu Qinglan was always his most beloved daughter.
That's why Gu Qinglan sought a husband while Gu Qingnian married outside the region.
If Gu Jinxing, whom Gu Mingqian favored, hadn't emerged later, the Gu family would definitely have fallen to Gu Qinglan.
This shows Gu Mingqian's fondness for and high regard for Gu Qinglan.
Gu Mingqian asked again.
"Can't we give her another chance?"
“I have been giving her opportunities.”
Gu Jinxing said bluntly.
“If it weren’t for you, Grandpa, who saved me from almost losing half my life on the mainland, I would have taken action when I returned to Hong Kong Island.”
Gu Jinxing nodded with his hand resting on his lap.
"If Gu Qinglan had known when to stop, there wouldn't have been this farce after her leg was ruined."
Gu Mingqian's inner turmoil gradually cleared up when Gu Jinxing mentioned his leg.
Gu Jinxing increased his stake again.
“Grandpa, I’m getting married next month. Gu Qinglan won’t just be a threat to me anymore.”
Gu Jinxing had promised Shen Wancheng that he would stand up for her when they got married and give her a perfect wedding.
Whether Shen Wancheng cares about this or not, Gu Jinxing does.
Gu Jinxing originally planned to secretly provoke Gu Qinglan to take action after the engagement, then lure her into a trap and wait to reap the rewards.
However, Gu Qinglan seemed even more intolerant than Gu Jinxing had anticipated, and she was prepared to break off all pretense of civility at the engagement banquet.
Although the farce at the engagement banquet was Gu Jintian's fault for being foolish, if Gu Qinglan had no ulterior motives and was only concerned for the good of the Gu family, she would have tolerated it without complaint.
But in the end, Gu Qinglan still stood up to protect Gu Jintian instead of trying to smooth things over and taking Gu Jintian away.
This means that Gu Qinglan will no longer tolerate it.
Although Gu Qinglan hadn't originally planned to make trouble today, now that things have escalated, she'll definitely not sit idly by when she gets back to the Gu Mansion.
So, in the three hours before Gu Mingqian and Gu Jinxing returned to the mansion, Gu Qinglan was bound to make a big move.
Therefore, Gu Jinxing didn't need to take the initiative to deal with Gu Qinglan's matter. The purpose of Gu Jinxing stopping the car and talking to Gu Mingqian was simply to give Gu Mingqian some advance preparation.
After all, Gu Mingqian was getting on in years, and he was the person Gu Jinxing had been closest to since childhood. Gu Jinxing didn't want Gu Mingqian to get sick because of this.
Gu Jinxing spoke to Gu Mingqian in a seemingly gentle manner.
“Grandpa, I can promise you that how I deal with Gu Qinglan is up to her.”
Gu Mingqian's tense expression eased slightly, and he immediately agreed.
"it is good."
Then he asked again.
When do you want to make your move?
A cold smile suddenly appeared on Gu Jinxing's face.
"Grandpa, you're really too close to the situation to see things clearly."
"It's not that I should be looking for an opportunity to make a move; it's that Gu Qinglan has already taken action."
What can Gu Qinglan do in two or three hours?
Gu Mingqian didn't ask the question aloud.
Because a truly normal person with no ulterior motives cannot do anything for two or three hours.
However, if Gu Qinglan launches a full-scale attack on Gu Jinxing after they return, it means that Gu Qinglan had long been prepared to deal with Gu Jinxing.
Gu Jinxing answered the question that Gu Mingqian hadn't asked.
“Then, Grandpa, let’s go back now and see what Gu Qinglan can do in three hours.”
As soon as Gu Mingqian and Gu Jinxing arrived home, the Gu family butler, who had visited the Gu family mansion that morning, came up to Gu Mingqian and said that Gu Qinglan had been kneeling in the Gu family ancestral hall for an hour.
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingqian knew that Gu Jinxing's prediction was accurate, and Gu Qinglan was indeed about to make trouble.
With a cold face, Gu Mingqian walked straight to the Gu family ancestral hall, while Gu Jinxing was pushed by Cheng Ming to follow behind him.
Gu Mingqian walked into the ancestral hall, looked at Gu Qinglan kneeling there, and asked directly.
"Gu Qinglan, what are you trying to do by going to all this trouble?"
Seeing Gu Mingqian's indifferent expression, without any doubt or anxiety, Gu Qinglan had a bad feeling, but now the die was cast and there was no turning back.
Gu Qinglan glanced at Gu Jinxing in the wheelchair and then stood up.
She calmly said to Gu Mingqian.
“Dad, I don’t think Jinxing is fit to be the head of our Gu family and to manage the Gu Group. But he is, after all, the eldest grandson of the Gu family, so I think we should kneel down and inform our ancestors before questioning him.”
Gu Mingqian's expression remained unchanged, and he asked in a cold tone.
"What do you think is wrong with him, and who is worthy to be the head of the Gu family?"
Gu Qinglan's heart was pounding, and she tried her best to control her nervous and uneasy emotions as she spoke.
"First: Gu Jinxing has been managing the group for less than three years and has made several decision-making errors, causing unnecessary losses to the company. The company's shareholders are already dissatisfied. I have asked Zhiming and Jinhao to contact all the shareholders and hold a shareholders' meeting tomorrow to solicit their opinions."
"Second: Gu Jinxing misappropriated group funds to develop his personal assets. According to my investigation, Gu Jinxing's company in the United States has a market value of US$10 billion, which is less than HK$20 billion less than the market value of our Gu Group. You can imagine how much Gu Jinxing has embezzled in the past three years. I also have detailed evidence of this."
"Third, Gu Jinxing is disabled in both legs and does not have a healthy body, which is not conducive to the continuation of the Gu family line."
"Fourth: Gu Jinxing disregarded the Gu family's reputation by marrying Shen Wancheng, severely damaging the Gu family's image. He is unworthy to be the head of the Gu family."