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When Song Junhui remained silent, Li Qian rolled his eyes and turned to Jiao Jiao. "I'll just be a few more minutes; there's a report I need to finish. Take a seat."

She nodded at his cold tone and moved to sit on the couch. Song Junhui had already poured her a glass of water, and he nudged it over to her as she settled herself.

"Then, I'll just do some homework until you're done? Is that okay?"

Her hesitation squeezed Li Qian's heart, but now wasn't the time to discuss it. He looked back to his computer screen, only to see a display of gibberish that he backspaced in resignation.

Everyone sat quietly for a while, with the occasional rustle of Jiao Jiao's papers and the tapping of Li Qian's keyboard creating an atmosphere of concentration. Underpinning it all was a tight discomfort and a reluctance to be the first to shatter the moment.

The bubble burst when there was a loud thump on the door before it burst open. A burly man in a coal-black suit stormed inside, followed by a panting secretary.

"I'm so sorry, President Li; I tried to stop him from entering!" The woman was flustered and tried to usher the man out, but he brushed past her and stood like a thunderous beast in front of Li Qian's desk.

Jiao Jiao shrunk back as a palpable menace filled the room and edged closer to Song Junhui. At her slight movement, the man's eyes turned to her, his gaze sweeping over her with an intensity that froze her from the inside out.

Li Qian waved the secretary off, and he spoke when the door closed behind her.

"Why are you here, Uncle? I don't recall any meetings with Property Management on the schedule today?"

Li Jun tore his eyes away from Jiao Jiao with an evil smirk. It seemed as though the rumors about Li Qian's little girlfriend were true.

"I'm here, Nephew, because I want to know why Li Xiang's promotion request was denied. The will states that I will have full management rights over the Property Management and Services Division and my employees."

"That's correct, you do. However, Li Xiang applied to be promoted to the Investment and Finance Division, which is outside your purview. As CEO, I have veto rights on any movements outside your subsidiary."

"Are you insane, Li Qian? Investment and Finance is housed in my division, so I can promote him there if I want to!"

Li Qian tutted and said, "This is why attending the stockholder meetings is important, Uncle. Investment and Finance was separated into its own subsidiary last month, so it's no longer part of your jurisdiction. We got majority votes at the stockholder meeting, and you should have received a memo on your desk."

Li Jun's malice grew, and his face turned beet red. "You fucking bastard. You can't do that without my permission!"

"Actually," Li Qian bit tightly, "you'll find that I can."

A confrontation of this magnitude had been a long time coming. Although Li Jun was the older son, Grandpa Li knew well where his children's strengths lay. When he died and left the Li Group to the younger son, Li Hong, any semblances of familial relationships had shattered, leaving only a shaky facade behind. Li Hong was left to carry on the magnificent legacy of the Li Group, while Li Jun was handed the paltry Property Management Division.

Li Jun's bitterness grew exponentially after Li Hong died and his nephew took over the company. He'd hoped to manipulate the young and pliable Li Qian, however, he'd been foiled at every attempt. Li Qian was extraordinarily talented and managed the reins of the massive conglomerate with ease, even at the young age of twenty-two. Since Li Qian took over, the Li Group had become more successful than it had ever been under his father and grandfather.

The growing envy had been troublesome for Li Qian. His vicious uncle and cousin cunningly plotted against him time and time again, using various schemes to undermine him. They exploited every opportunity to undercut his decisions and initiatives, spreading rumors and questioning his leadership abilities. They'd tried to infiltrate his inner circle to funnel sensitive information for profit, but Li Qian had closed the net on their little subsidiary so tightly that their reach was limited. There had also been some suspicious transactions within their division, prompting the split of the Investment and Finance Division into a separate entity. Most recently, they'd tried to use the beauty trap, sending women after him shamelessly in the hopes that his model reputation as an upright businessman in Shanghai would be smeared.

Chen Fan and Li Qian had been quietly gathering proof against these two for a long time, and they were inevitably approaching the moment when they could remove their presence from the Li Group completely.