Hidden Shareholder

Qin Ran clinging to Yu Shuman, crying and wailing as if she didn't want to part, was a common occurrence at home. Each time, Yu Shuman's routine was the same: first, she'd comfort Qin Ran, then, with great reluctance, realize that if she didn't leave soon, it would be too late. At that point, she would decisively pull Qin Ran away and say goodbye.

However, if Sister Li was around, the situation would be different. Yu Shuman didn't have the face to be so clingy with Qin Ran in front of her. Unfortunately, today Sister Li was there. After all, this was the first time an artist under her management was filming a movie. Even if Sister Li usually allowed Yu Shuman some autonomy, she still had to accompany her for the first few days.

Qin Ran, shameless as ever, clung to Yu Shuman even in front of Sister Li, but Yu Shuman couldn't bear to do the same. So today's farewell was particularly swift. In just five minutes, Yu Shuman had switched into her cold-blooded and ruthless mode. She pulled Qin Ran's hands away, told her the filming would be over soon, and waved goodbye.

Only after watching her leave with Sister Li did Qin Ran sigh deeply, lamenting that she was like a stone waiting for her wife's return.

She knew Yu Shuman wouldn't be gone for long this time. Film shoots vary in length, and sometimes they're done in just over ten days. However, getting a movie into theaters is another matter. Fortunately, while the political drama was still filming, the director, screenwriter, and producer had already started the approval process, and they had long secured the necessary permits. The producer didn't even have to worry about funding. All they had to do was tell Qin Ran, "This is a movie Yu Shuman wants to do," and the money would flow into their pockets.

The director had great connections, and since the movie required skilled actors, the assistant was able to skip auditions and quickly recruit a cast. Everything was ready for filming.

The real time-consuming part comes after the shoot, during post-production, approvals, and negotiating with theaters.

Luckily, these problems can often be solved with money. Especially in post-production, the more you spend, the better the quality. If the budget is too small, the results will be noticeably poor. Yu Shuman's production crew didn't have this worry. Besides the funding from 99 Entertainment, Qin Ran also had a group of companies following her lead in investing.

Once Yu Shuman left for filming, Qin Ran didn't sit idle either. She had her own matters to handle.

Most importantly, she was dealing with the Ling and Pei families. The former richest man in the country was no longer a threat. Mr. Zheng had been toppled from his position, and now, with so many big domestic enterprises vying for the title of richest, his funds were tied up in an overseas project. Without policy support in China and being relentlessly targeted by a real estate tycoon, all of his group's projects were suffering.

Though this wasn't enough to ruin him completely, it was clear he wouldn't return to his former glory. A single major decision mistake wouldn't be enough to destroy him, but it would certainly keep him too busy to meddle in others' affairs. Qin Ran, being mischievous, sent him an email with sincere words: "If I cannot repay your great kindness in this life, I shall repay it in the next, even if it means dying to do so."

Mr. Zheng fancied himself a cultured man, so Qin Ran responded in a similar manner. The phrase she used was a modified version of one from Feng Menglong's Stories to Awaken the World, in which a woman promises to repay the kindness of the man who saved her, Zhao Kuangyin, even in death, after he refuses her offer of gratitude.

With just one sentence, Qin Ran managed to mock two people: she ridiculed Ling Miaohan for using her past favors to manipulate the former richest man and implied that Mr. Zheng's debt could only be repaid in the next life.

Qin Ran had no idea how much her words hurt Mr. Zheng. She also didn't expect her words to awaken something within him. Perhaps, after being targeted, Mr. Zheng began to regret helping Ling Miaohan and withdrew all the previous benefits he had extended to the Ling and Pei families.

During her routine meeting with Miss Zhao and the female tycoon, Miss Zhao laughed, saying, "It's a dog-eat-dog situation now, so we shouldn't get involved in the drama." Although she said not to watch the spectacle, Miss Zhao was the most eager one to gossip.

"I'll tell you this: Didn't they talk about getting engaged over New Year's? It's been half a year, and we haven't heard a peep. Recently, Pei Group's shares have been plummeting, and Pei Qi's father is so anxious that he's already set him up on a blind date. Unfortunately for them, someone took pictures of the date. The Pei family better buy those photos from the paparazzi, or there'll be a big scandal soon."

As they sat in Miss Zhao's office, Miss Zhao called for her secretary to bring up coffee. After taking a sip, Qin Ran chimed in, "You're in for a good show."

Sensing there was more to Qin Ran's words, Miss Zhao smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Because I've already bought the photos from the paparazzi. In a few days, you'll see this on the trending topics."

Miss Zhao's smile grew even wider. With this scoop, she could enjoy the drama of two families. How could she not be pleased?

Sure enough, two days later, the hashtag #PeiGroupCEOBlindDateLingPeiMarriagePossiblyCanceled# shot to the top of the trending list. No need to thank Qin Ran—she'd bought several days' worth of exposure. Pei Qi's attempt to pull the hashtag down was unsuccessful, and he was left fuming in his office.

While Qin Ran didn't know how Mr. Zheng reacted to her email, she was well aware of Pei Qi's outburst, especially since Pei Group and Ling Group's headquarters had been infiltrated by Qin Ran like a sieve. Not only was Qin Ran digging in, but other companies had followed suit, purchasing Pei Group shares.

However, after buying in for a while and seeing no progress, these investors started dumping their stocks to cut their losses, benefiting Qin Ran in the process. They were still curious about what was happening and kept their contacts in Pei Qi's company in place, ready to report any news for the right price.

Qin Ran estimated that the time was ripe. It was time to reel in the net. She didn't want to drag this out any longer, so she decisively attended the shareholders' meeting.

When Pei Qi saw her, he paused, immediately realizing the passive position of Pei Group's shares. His expression darkened, "What are you doing here, President Qin? We didn't invite you to observe our meeting."

Qin Ran didn't come alone. She arrived with an entourage, including Assistant Wu, several aides, and bodyguards, occupying the Pei Group's boardroom. With a slight smile, Assistant Wu pulled out a pile of agreements and acquisition contracts from his bag.

"I assume President Pei is familiar with the concept of a hidden shareholder?"

A hidden shareholder typically refers to someone who provides the capital but is not listed on official records, instead using another person's name. In contrast, a named shareholder is officially registered but may not have invested in the company. Hidden shareholders often form agreements with named shareholders to protect both parties' rights.

In short, Qin Ran was the hidden shareholder, and the people she used to acquire shares in the Pei and Ling groups were the named shareholders. While their names were on the records, Qin Ran was the one exercising control.

Moreover, she hadn't broken any laws. Her rights as a hidden shareholder were legally protected. Qin Ran looked at Pei Qi and chuckled, "I'd like to exercise my rights now. I will be proposing to the shareholders' meeting that we convene to vote on your removal."

Pei Qi was stunned by her words. He instinctively asked, "What did you say?"

"I'm proposing your removal as CEO. During your tenure, Pei Group has suffered significant losses, and just a few days ago, you were embroiled in negative news, causing widespread public criticism. You've also repeatedly misused company resources to promote your girlfriend. As such, I have the right to dismiss you, don't I?" Qin Ran sat confidently in the center of the conference room, arms crossed, fully aware that this time, she had won.

It wasn't just her who wanted Pei Qi removed. Several other shareholders in Pei Group, including Director Sun, who Qin Ran had been feeding information to, were eager to see him gone. Qin Ran didn't care who took over the Pei Group, as long as it wasn't a member of the Pei family.

At the Ling Group, Qin Ran used the same strategy. Ling's eldest brother never expected this turn of events. Their situation was even worse than Pei Qi's because Ling's third brother, after spending so much time in prison, had begun to regret everything. When Ling's eldest brother visited him a few days ago, he warned him: "If you don't get me out, I'll expose everything I did for the Ling family. At the very least, I'll get a reduced sentence."

He may not have said it so directly, but that was the implication.

Even his beloved sister, Ling Miaohan, couldn't escape his bitter words during her visit, as he coldly dismissed her.

With internal conflicts brewing in the Ling family, when Qin Ran barged into their boardroom, demanding a shareholders' meeting to vote on removing both the chairman and the CEO, Ling's eldest brother was so enraged that he swept everything off his desk.

Qin Ran was calmly preparing to deal with both families when Ling Miaohan suddenly came knocking. She showed up at 99 Entertainment's front desk, asking to see Qin Ran.

Ling Miaohan wasn't foolish—at least not enough to think that asking her former teammate Yu Shuman for help would do any good. She knew she had to go straight to Qin Ran.

Since their last encounter, on the day Ling's third brother was sentenced, they hadn't seen each other. Qin Ran had only occasionally glimpsed Ling Miaohan on TV. Off the screen, Ling Miaohan looked much more haggard. The two of them sat across from each other in the top-floor meeting room of 99 Entertainment, with coffee brewed by Assistant Wu beside them.

Before Qin Ran could speak, Ling Miaohan opened her mouth, and to Qin Ran's surprise, the first thing she said was: "I really hate you. Ever since I met you, my life has taken a turn for the worse, becoming more and more miserable with each passing day."

Qin Ran's face remained expressionless, but inwardly she thought, Is Ling Miaohan out of her mind, saying something like that out of the blue?

If anyone's life had taken a turn for the worse, it was Yu Shuman's. Her ending hadn't even been worth writing in detail. It was summed up with a single comment from Ling Miaohan: "Oh, is that so? She's actually quite pitiful."

For Yu Shuman, meeting Ling Miaohan had been a disaster.