Chapter 23: Celebration and Success

After arduous negotiations in Shanghai with Gu Yumin and her delegation, a total victory was finally secured. The next day, as Li Fengyu and his team prepared to return to Xingtai, Gu Yumin, accompanied by her secretary and a group of employees, came specifically to see them off. Just as the train was about to depart, Li Fengyu remarked in a playful tone, "President Gu, things were a bit unpleasant between us yesterday. I’m quite surprised you’d come in person with so many people to see me off today."

Gu Yumin smiled faintly and replied, "I believe what you said yesterday made sense. Business is about constantly generating ideas; one must be flexible, understand how to strike a balance, and then the profits will naturally follow. Besides, we are friends now. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to see a friend off?"

Li Fengyu couldn’t discern Gu Yumin’s true state of mind—whether this was merely a superficial gesture or if she genuinely meant it. But that mattered little; business was, by nature, a game of deception. Li Fengyu offered a perfunctory agreement before leaping onto the train. As Gu Yumin watched the train carrying Li Fengyu slowly recede into the distance, she felt a complex mix of emotions. Li Fengyu was the first person to ever drive her into a corner and reverse a situation she had once deemed an assured victory.

Just then, her secretary stepped forward to signal that it was time to leave. Gu Yumin climbed into her Bentley and fastened her seatbelt. As the secretary began to reverse, Gu Yumin suddenly remarked, "You know, this Li Fengyu really is a formidable person. To think he could turn the tide under such circumstances yesterday."

Gu Yumin spoke without ulterior motive, but the listener was sensitive. The secretary was terrified, fearing that the matter of the bribe yesterday had been exposed. Of course, Gu Yumin never discovered it, but the secretary spent the entire journey back in a state of nervous trepidation.

Returning to Li Fengyu’s perspective, having successfully resolved the major crisis, he was met at the station by Lin Chu, who hosted a grand banquet in his honor. Upon his return, Lin Chu promoted Chen Yuxuan three ranks in one go, elevating him directly to the second-in-command of the marketing department. During the meal, Li Fengyu teased, "You wanted to use a honey trap on her, but who knew she was not only beautiful but also incredibly wise? Truly, she possesses both talent and grace."

Chen Yuxuan, feeling embarrassed, signaled for Li Fengyu to stop. Everyone laughed at his shyness, and the entire dinner was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

During the afternoon meeting, Li Fengyu asked Lin Chu, "Were you able to handle the company’s affairs on your own during the two days we were gone?"

Lin Chu replied with a bitter smile, "I used to be a figurehead president. I rarely handled things personally; I just had to talk and sign orders. But now, with the vice president and the secretary both gone, I’ve had to oversee every minor detail myself—I even had to personally approve whether or not to install a new toilet."

Hearing this, Li Fengyu and Li Sen burst into laughter.

By the next day, the Huayu Group began to gradually withdraw its capital, and the stock price rally proceeded with remarkable smoothness. Even the shareholders were left thoroughly impressed. Over the following weeks, every phase—from the rally to the shakeout and finally the distribution—unfolded seamlessly, thanks to the meticulous preparation beforehand. In the end, according to statistics from Li Sen and the professional departments, they had earned over fifty million.

Li Fengyu and Lin Chu were overwhelmed with emotion. They had walked on thin ice, maintaining a careful and cautious balance, and after overcoming every obstacle, they were finally reaping the rewards. However, while the sum seemed vast at first glance, after deducting the portions for the Huayu Group, the shareholders' dividends, and the bonuses for the employees—which Lin Chu and Li Fengyu insisted on as they were in the midst of winning over the staff—the final amount remaining for the three of them was only a little over one million.

Still, one million was no small sum. It was the first time they had truly felt the joy of earning money. Lin Chu could finally prove to his father that he was capable, while Li Fengyu and Li Sen, coming from ordinary backgrounds, looked at the money and realized it was more than they could earn in a lifetime of working for others. At that very moment, the mindsets of all three began to shift.