Chapter 628: Who Can Withstand My Onslaught?

On a gradually warming Monday, Feng Corporation underwent some internal changes as Cai Ming officially became the interim head of Hurricane Investment.

The handover of duties between the two was harmonious, yet from Cai Ming’s perspective, he sensed a cloudy aura around Feng Shihua.

“Director Cai, Hurricane Investment is now in your hands.”

“President Feng, that’s not entirely accurate. I’m just temporarily filling in—a caretaker appointed by the shareholders. I aim for no faults, not necessarily achievements.”

Sighing, Feng Shihua responded to the last eight words, “Indeed, the Super Delivery mishap was my strategic error.”

Cai Ming shook his head. “Group-Buy is too strong. Alibaba and Tencent are stumped too. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.”

“I never make excuses for my failures. That’s a sign of weakness.”

“Yes…”

Nodding, Cai Ming thought to himself, “Returning only to face three failures — two in investments and one in decision-making. Excuses do seem insufficient.”

Feng Shihua sat in his executive chair, gazing out the window with a sense of unfulfilled heroism.

The city in front of him was both familiar and strange.

He grew up here; that was the familiar part.

Yet, after spending years abroad for overseas investments during the fastest years of domestic economic growth, he felt out of touch; that was the strange part.

Like a foreign monk who can’t recite the scriptures well, he felt this disconnect.

At that moment, the door opened, and Duan Ying entered, placing a thermos on the table.

“Husband, I’ve made you some soup.”

“Hmm, just leave it there for now.”

Duan Ying nodded, stepping aside to join Feng Shihua in gazing out the window.

Her expression remained calm without much disturbance, but inside, she felt immense disappointment.

The ‘Hungry Yet?’ platform she had high hopes for was easily crushed by Group-Buy, even without a chance to retaliate, significantly devaluing hers and Duan Wenzhao’s shares and costing her personal savings.

More distressingly for her, Hurricane Investment was no longer under her husband’s control.

Remembering her triumphant return earlier in the year, moving into Sheshan Manor and announcing Feng Shihua’s comeback forced Qin Jingqiu to sever her own “arm” by separating Qin Real Estate, which was quite glorious.

Yet, in less than half a year, consecutive investment failures caused Feng Shihua to lose control of Hurricane Investment, similar to losing half of the Feng Corporation.

What was the point of her arranging those high-society gatherings now?

She wanted to be involved in the Feng business, thinking she wouldn’t do worse than Qin Jingqiu, yet things had escalated to this extent.

At this moment, Cai Ming stood up, intending to leave, “President Feng, since Mrs. Feng has arrived, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait a moment.”

“Is there anything else, President Feng?”

Feng Shihua pointed towards a construction site not far away, “What project is that?”

Cai Ming walked to the floor-to-ceiling window for a closer look, “That’s the Group-Buy Industrial Park.”

“…”

Looking out from the headquarters’ window, Feng Shihua saw a far-off construction site where the main building and park were well underway, intrigued by its size.

But the answer from Cai Ming made him pause abruptly.

Duan Ying also approached and stared at the construction, clenching her fists tightly.

Pointing, Cai Ming explained, “That central building will be Group-Buy’s headquarters, expected to be completed by the end of the year.”

“Such a large scale?”

“Group-Buy now employs over fifty thousand staff. News, social networking, group buying, delivery, supply management, investment management, and big data research — all these major departments need lots of office space. So, a large scale is not surprising.”

Hearing this, Feng Shihua didn’t react much, whereas Duan Ying’s mouth fell open, stepping back involuntarily.

Internet companies’ assets aren’t like real estate; they can be invisible, but when spoken about, their enormity is evident.

Never having been involved in business, Duan Ying always thought that websites and real estate weren’t comparable, until she saw the scale of the construction site opposite.

However, Feng Shihua’s focus was elsewhere.

“Why is the contractor Wanzhong Group?”

He pointed out the prominently displayed “Wanzhong Group contractor” sign above the already constructed main building.

Cai Ming glanced at him, “Didn’t you know? President Jiang of Group-Buy is the second-largest shareholder of Wanzhong Group.”

“?”

Stunned, Feng Shihua insisted, “I’ve seen documents showing that Wanzhong Group has thirty percent of its SHARES controlled by a foundation called Golden Phoebe.”

Cai Ming smiled slightly, “That’s just a façade. In reality, the Golden Phoebe Foundation is also controlled by President Jiang, using this method for shareholding. River Hotpot, Burger King, and Qinghua Pepper Grilled Fish are among the prominent brands he has invested in this way.”

“Golden Phoebe…”

“You guessed it. The ‘Nan’ in that name should be from Miss Feng Nan’s name. It’s the biggest fund under President Jiang, named after her.”

Cai Ming looked towards the building complex, “During the group-buying wars, many thought Group-Buy was too small and lacked funds. But when Golden Phoebe was revealed, it really shocked everyone.”

Cai Ming, previously Qin Jingqiu’s right-hand man, knew this information from her.

Yet this news struck Feng Shihua hard, leaving him struggling to comprehend for a long time.

Listening to their conversation, Duan Ying asked with some confusion, “Director Cai, which is Wanzhong Group?”

“They’re a project partner of Qin Real Estate, and Wanzhong Mall, which you and my wife often visit, is theirs. Their group’s CEO, Mr. He, is from Linchuan.”

“Jiang Qin is also in real estate?!”

Cai Ming shook his head, “President Qin once mentioned that President Jiang only holds shares and decides on development directions; he doesn’t get involved in day-to-day management.”

Turning to him, Feng Shihua asked, “So the idea of integrated commercial real estate was his?”

“Exactly. All current Wanzhong Malls follow the directions and business strategies outlined in his mall handbook.”

“So, was Group-Buy supported by Qin Real Estate?”

“I’m not sure about the details, but it doesn’t seem so. President Qin met President Jiang when Group-Buy was already taking shape. Seeing the potential in the integrated commercial real estate project, she partnered with Wanzhong Group.”

Duan Ying stood frozen in front of the window, feeling as if something slammed against her face.

Real estate, internet business, financial institutions, and the construction site in front—everything was Jiang Qin’s.

And the stepdaughter she had oppressed for years was now repeatedly mentioned in news as Mrs. Jiang.

And herself? She was Mrs. Feng…

What terrified her was that her status as Mrs. Feng seemed entirely insignificant compared to Feng Nan’s role as Mrs. Jiang, especially after the division of powers within Feng Corporation, which halved the authority in Feng Shihua’s hands.

It wasn’t her imagination; during recent mahjong games, the respect from high-level ladies and shareholders’ wives towards her had noticeably diminished.

After years of effort to reach her current position, she found it unbearable to accept this outcome.

“President Feng, please have your soup as a token from Mrs. Feng. I’ll excuse myself now.”

“Thank you for clarifying, Director Cai.”

“You’re welcome.”

Cai Ming smiled, then bid farewell and got up to leave the CEO’s office.

Before exiting, he couldn’t help but give Feng Shihua another look, sighing inwardly.

The Feng Corporation was single-handedly established by Old Master Feng.

Back then, the favorable winds of the nation’s policies had just begun to blow, allowing various businesses to bloom uncritically—much easier compared to now.

The former Madam Feng had some official background, and the Feng family had savings, so it wasn’t unexpected for them to establish a business.

At that time, as long as one had some initial capital, it was possible to become wealthy by investing in any industry—hence the investment boom.

Thus, the Feng Corporation gradually expanded, diversifying into more industries.

Back then, it was wholly under Old Master Feng’s command; the developments were steady and progressive.

Unfortunately, his two sons seemed to lack business acumen.

Feng Shihua was more passionate about arts than commerce, showing no interest in business, but fortunately, his wife was the formidable President Qin, so the Feng Corporation remained robust even as Old Master Feng and Feng Shihua sought overseas investments.

Feng Shihua was keen on doing business and had an aggressive style, but despite his enthusiasm, his ability fell short.

Thus, the current mess within the Feng Corporation wasn’t without reason.

Cai Ming felt that Feng Shihua still didn’t quite grasp or understand the domestic developments.

Previously, when information wasn’t widely available, simply claiming a piece of land for a pig farm could result in profit, prompting further similar investments as wealth naturally accumulated.

But now, with widespread access to information and transparency in many industries, business isn’t confined by region anymore; the trend towards nationalization is intensifying.

Wealthy businessmen and elites from various regions are joining this competitive environment; a single leading trend can attract thousands of competitors. Without the strength for a fierce battle, how could one expect to establish a successful business?

In other words, times have changed, and competitive relationships have evolved.

Starting a business is difficult; sustaining one is even harder.

This isn’t a world where sheer size can assure continued development.

With that thought, Cai Ming closed the door softly, planning a visit to Xiangti Villa to see Feng Shihua and inquire about how Hurricane Investment should proceed.

Meanwhile, Feng Shihua opened the thermos and silently started sipping the soup, slowly digesting the recent revelations.

“No wonder it was so hard to attract merchants to Joy City. No wonder Meal Point was specifically targeted. No wonder Super Delivery went bankrupt. All that talk of supporting Nan Shu sounds nice, but I see it’s really Qin Jingqiu he’s supporting.”

Duan Ying pressed her lips tightly, her hands clenched.

“Poor daughter, perhaps just a tool for an arranged marriage.”

She spoke, her hands tightly clasped.

She couldn’t say anything else. She just couldn’t…

Group-Buy is too big, so large that she felt as if thunder exploded right next to her ears when she heard this. Hence, she couldn’t allow Feng Nanshu to become Mrs. Jiang; otherwise, she couldn’t imagine what would happen to her.

That Jiang Qin is ruthless. Seeing how he dealt with Meal Point, she knew she couldn’t rely on luck.

Feng Shihua glanced at him, remained silent, and lowered his head to slowly sip the soup.

Meanwhile, Duan Ying turned to gaze out the window at the vast construction site, still feeling an overwhelming sense of oppression.