The richest man's parents were kidnapped, and his adorable son captivated the entire family.

"Our common and sole goal is to ensure that Mengmeng grows up healthy, happy, and safe."

"Please understand a mother's heart, and I also implore the media to be lenient and give Mengmeng a quiet space."

After speaking, she slowly put down the microphone, her eyes still firm.

In the old tea room deep within the quiet garden, the scent of sandalwood slowly rises.

Gu Mingyu wore a dark green silk cheongsam, her posture was straight, her hair was neat, and a jade butterfly brooch from Lao Feng Xiang was pinned to her chest, showing an undeniable air of nobility and majesty.

But her well-maintained face was tense with anger, and even her nostrils were trembling slightly.

She slammed her hand on the rosewood table, the sound crisp and jarring, causing the Longjing tea in the teacup to ripple gently.

The day's "Financial Morning News" was open on the table, and the front page featured a photo of Gu Yinshen standing under the spotlight, announcing the news to a room full of media.

The accompanying image shows Xie Yumin standing firmly beside him.

"Look at this!" Her voice was like needles scratching porcelain, shrill and piercing. "What kind of behavior is this! My Gu family has a century-old reputation, a family of scholars, and now it has become the talk of the town, a laughing stock in the streets! Front page headlines! Trending on the internet! The Gu family has lost all face in their hands!"

She enunciated each word heavily, her voice trembling. Anger mingled with deep humiliation, as if she were about to unleash the raging fire within her.

The three white-haired elders opposite them sat solemnly in their respective armchairs, holding prayer beads, teacups, or canes in their hands. They exchanged glances, but none of them spoke first. Finally, one of the elders sighed softly, his voice low and hoarse: "Yin Shen... that child is too willful. The old man shouldn't have..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Mingyu coldly interrupted him.

Her gaze swept over him like a blade: "Now is not the time to bring up the past! We need to look at the present! He's acting recklessly for his own sake, dragging the entire Gu family into this mess!"

“Do you know what people outside are saying about the Gu family? ‘Secrets of a wealthy family,’ ‘morally corrupt,’ ‘fake father-daughter relationship’… I’ve heard people gossiping about these things behind our backs at the club!”

As she spoke, she clenched her fists tightly, veins bulging, as if every word was filled with hatred and shame.

Another elder looked troubled and whispered in defense, "But...Yin Shen...does have ability. The group has expanded in recent years, its market value has doubled, and its finances are sound—isn't that a fact?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyu's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes filled with disdain and sarcasm: "Ability? If you truly had ability, how could things have developed to this point? How could you have been so easily manipulated by a mere actress and Xie Yumin?"

"Do you still think Gu Yinshen is the same calm and wise young master he used to be? No, he's a completely incompetent ruler driven by his emotions! If this continues, the entire Gu family will be destroyed in his hands sooner or later!"

As she spoke, she flicked her finger, and a pre-prepared petition was taken out of her bosom and shoved onto the center of the table with a "thud".

The paper was spread out on the table, with the title: "An Emergency Proposal to Temporarily Remove Gu Yinshen from His Position as President and Have Mr. Gu Hongtao Act as Acting Director of the Board."

One of the clan elders sat on the far right, leaning on a cane, his white brows furrowed, and hesitantly began to speak: "Mingyu, you mean..."

Gu Mingyu spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice low yet carrying an irresistible pressure: "Replace him. Hongtao will temporarily serve as president."

“Hongtao is steady, knows when to advance and retreat, understands how to consider the overall situation, and has never put personal feelings above the family honor.”

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sharp as a hawk's. "This is for the future of the Gu family! Will you sign or not?"

The three elders remained silent for a full half minute, exchanging glances with each other.

At this moment, the sky outside the window was gloomy, with dark clouds hanging low, and thunder seemed to rumble faintly in the distance.

Finally, under Gu Mingyu's unyielding gaze, they slowly reached out, picked up the pen heavily, and signed their names stroke by stroke with trembling hands.

Before the rosewood table, a signature was completed, and a plan to force the emperor to abdicate quietly began.

……

As night deepened, the city's neon lights shimmered and shone outside the glass windows.

Meanwhile, in Gu Hongtao's study on the third floor of his riverside mansion, Gu Hongtao, dressed in a dark gray home suit, sat upright in an Italian leather office chair, his expression refined and his movements gentle, as if he were simply enjoying a leisurely late-night conversation.

However, those eyes remained fixed on the directors without revealing their true intentions, concealing a calculating edge.

Gu Chengji stood behind him, excitedly handing over his tablet and pointing to a set of stock price charts. He spoke rapidly: "Dad, Chairman Zhang, Chairman Li, look at this candlestick chart! Yesterday, Gu Yinshen held a press conference and said something about a 'heartfelt confession,' and the stock price rebounded briefly, but it fell back down again at the opening today and even hit a new low!"

His tone was filled with barely suppressed excitement and sarcasm. "The market has completely lost faith in him! A president who relies on emotional appeals and playing the victim to maintain stability can't support a business as large as Gu's!"

Gu Hongtao shook his head slightly, slowly cut off a piece of cigar, and lit it next to the crystal ashtray.

He took a deep breath, exhaled a wisp of smoke, and pondered slowly, "Yin Shen is too sentimental and can't distinguish between public and private matters. He neglects the family business and treats the group's decades-old foundation as a joke for a woman and a child. This kind of behavior... is truly heartbreaking."

After he finished speaking, he sighed softly, the cigar in his hand twirling between his fingers, perfectly conveying his "heartbreak and indignation."

Chairman Zhang was a robust middle-aged man nearing sixty, his eyes filled with the shrewdness and anxiety of a businessman.

He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Brother Hongtao, you're right. Recently, the Fu Group has snatched away a lot of orders from my building materials factories. Fu Yanci has been spreading rumors in the industry that 'Gu Group's top management is in disarray, its reputation is unstable, and cooperation is risky'... Once this gets out, who would dare to discuss annual orders with us?"

He slammed the glass down on the table, his brow furrowed with anxiety. "This will directly affect my year-end bonus!"

Chairman Li, on the other hand, is a stylishly dressed venture capitalist in his forties with sharp eyes and a decisive manner.

He tapped rhythmically on the ebony conference table with his fingers, his voice low yet penetrating.

"We venture capitalists look at prospects! Right now, Gu's prospects are bleak! One wave of negative news after another, core businesses are being questioned, and the succession system is in complete chaos. Gu Yinshen, as the helmsman..."

He paused, the tapping on the table stopped, but his voice was clear as ice: "He is culpable! He must give the shareholders an explanation."