Chapter 84: General Meeting of the Stockholders
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The next morning, Zhou Chao emerged from his room dressed in a sharp suit, exuding an air of handsomeness.
“Boss, walking out like this, won’t all those people have their eyes glued to you? You’re definitely going to be the center of attention in the crowd,” Lin Wu remarked as he gazed at Zhou Chao, who looked stunning in his well-fitted suit with a perfectly chiseled figure and strikingly handsome features.
“Quit buttering me up. It’s almost time; let’s go,” Zhou Chao replied. They both got into the hotel’s dedicated car and headed straight for Tencent’s headquarters, which was not far away and took just 5 minutes to reach.
“Yeah, it was the same last time,” Zhou Chao commented, observing the crowd waiting for the elevator.
“Boss, did you have to wait for a long time previously?” Lin Wu asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, it happened to be during peak work hours.”
“Boss, there’s an executive elevator over here, but it requires facial recognition.” Lin Wu pointed to the elevator closest to the inside.
Only then did Zhou Chao notice the vacant elevator at the back, and he promptly led Lin Wu towards it.
They stepped into the elevator directly, drawing the attention of the employees waiting for it.
Zhou Chao initiated the facial recognition process, and a beep followed. “Beep, recognition successful.”
He pressed the button for the 39th floor and prepared to visit Ma Huateng’s office first. The elevator quickly ascended to the 39th floor, where Zhou Chao and Lin Wu made their way to the office.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Come in,” a deep voice resonated as Zhou Chao pushed the door and entered.
“Uncle Teng, still busy, huh?” Zhou Chao greeted as he walked in.
“You’ve arrived. If you’re looking for tea, help yourself through the secretary. I’m busy preparing the meeting documents,” Ma Huateng said, his attention focused on organizing the materials, without looking up.
“Sure thing, take your time,” Zhou Chao said, settling onto a sofa and amusing himself. Lin Wu chose to rest in the waiting area outside.
After around ten minutes, Ma Huateng finally organized all the documents. At this point, his secretary entered the room.
“President Ma, the shareholder meeting is about to start.”
“Zhou, let’s go. We’ll head straight to the meeting right after getting everything in order,” Ma Huateng said, rising from his seat. Zhou Chao and Lin Wu followed suit, with the secretary trailing behind holding a folder.
On the 38th floor, Zhou Chao and Ma Huateng entered. Zhou Chao noticed several people were already seated in the conference room. He took his place according to his name.
Gradually, a few more individuals entered, including the two shareholders from M1H.
Soon, the shareholder meeting commenced, focusing on just three matters:
Firstly: Granting general authorization to the directors for issuing new shares, not exceeding 20% of the total issued shares.
Secondly: Granting general authorization to the directors for share buyback, not exceeding 10% of the total issued shares.
Thirdly: Directors Mr. K and Mr. S will retire at the shareholder meeting. Both directors are eligible for reappointment and are willing to stand for re-election.
The shareholder meeting lasted about two hours before concluding. Zhou Chao’s mind was now filled with various questions and matters discussed during the meeting. He rubbed his forehead, stood up, and exited the conference room.
“What’s wrong? You seem troubled.” Ma Huateng poured a cup of tea for Zhou Chao, looking at him intently.
“Uncle Teng, you’re asking as if you’re not to blame. 1 shouldn’t have fallen for your trick. 1 sat there for 2 hours, and I’m still feeling dizzy. I won’t come again in the future.”
“Hahaha, 1 won’t invite you next time.”
After sipping his tea and taking a brief rest, Zhou Chao gradually recovered.
“Uncle Teng, you mentioned dividends. When will they be transferred?”
“I thought you wouldn’t ask. It’ll be credited to your company account this afternoon. Just keep an eye out for it.”
“Yeah, it’s almost lunchtime. As the host, shouldn’t you take responsibility?” Zhou Chao glanced at his watch; it was already half past twelve.
“Let’s go, I’ve reserved a private room at the hotel you’re staying in.” Ma Huateng stood up and headed outside, with Zhou Chao and Lin Wu following suit.
“All, dining with these big shots is really exhausting.” At this point, Zhou Chao was already lying on the hotel bed. During lunch, practically all the shareholders and directors were present, engaging in drinking and chatting. Zhou Chao couldn’t escape the rounds of toasts and conversations, but thanks to his strong constitution, he managed not to get too intoxicated.
“Ding, ding, ding.” Zhou Chao reached out to his bedside table and grabbed his phone, which took a moment to locate.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Mr. Zhou. I’m from the Nanshan District Police Station. You found a child last night, right?”
“Yes, what’s the matter?”
“The situation has been resolved. I was wondering if you could come to our police station tomorrow.”
“Sure, no problem. I’ll come over tomorrow morning.” Throughout today’s meeting, Zhou Chao had been thinking about the child, so receiving this call eased his mind.
“Lin Wu, come in.”
“Boss, you called?” Lin Wu’s head peeked in from the doorway.
“Tomorrow morning, go to the police station. They just called; the matter from yesterday has been resolved. We’ll go there to understand the details.”
“Understood, boss.” Lin Wu’s slightly uplifted smile indicated his happiness as well.
“You can leave now. I’m going to rest a bit; I’ve had too much baijiu, and my head is spinning.” Upon hearing this, Lin Wu withdrew his head, gently closed the door, and left.
The next morning.
“Knock, knock, knock. Boss, are you up?”
“Just give me a moment; I’m in the shower.” It took a while before Zhou Chao’s voice echoed out.
At that moment, Zhou Chao was muttering to himself in the bathroom. Upon closer listening, it seemed to be, “Hang in there, my good friend.”
After finishing his shower and donning fresh clothes, Zhou Chao emerged from his room.
“Boss, I bought breakfast from the hotel.” Several small boxes were arranged on the table. Zhou Chao sat down.
“Let’s eat together.” Zhou Chao casually opened one of the boxes, revealing what looked like Cantonese-style breakfast. He dug in without delay.
“Boss, what’s the story with that little girl?”
“How would i know? We’ll find out once we’re there.”
“True.”
“Let’s go.” After finishing the last bun, Zhou Chao stood up and headed outside. Lin Wu quickly stuffed the two remaining buns into his mouth and hurried to catch up with Zhou Chao.
Thankfully, the hotel where Zhou Chao and his team were staying wasn’t far from the police station—about a five- to six-minute walk.
As soon as they stepped into the police station, they spotted the middle-aged officer pacing back and forth at the entrance.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re here.” The officer approached them.
“Last time was quite rushed; 1 didn’t even know your name.”
“I’m Liu, the captain of the Public Security Brigade.” Zhou Chao and Lin Wu exchanged a glance involuntarily.
“Captain Liu, how’s the little girl doing?”
“Come, come, come. Let’s go inside and talk. It’s not appropriate to stand here.” Saying that, Captain Liu led Zhou Chao and Lin Wu into a meeting room.
“Would you like water or tea?”
“Tea will be fine. Thank you, Captain Liu.” Captain Liu got up and headed outside.
“Here, taste the tea from our police station.” Captain Liu walked back in, carrying a teapot and cups.
He poured tea for both Zhou Chao and Lin Wu. Zhou Chao took a sip—it was slightly bitter but refreshing.
“Captain Liu, could you please explain what happened with the child from before?”