Chapter 517: 513. Huamei Turns Against Its Allies (Please Subscribe and Vote)

Cheng Mei curled her lip upon hearing this and said, "It's just so-so, nothing special in terms of tea."

Even so, a glimmer of amazement could not help but flash in Cheng Mei's eyes; this was tea she had never tasted before, sweet and delicious, leaving her mouth watering after she finished it.

It also carried the faint bitterness unique to tea, but this bitterness was very light, and combined with the sweetness, it gave one an even more lingering aftertaste.

Zhang Ran was not offended when he heard this, but merely feigned a look of regret and said, "Sigh, I was going to bring some back for you both, but since you've said so, Sister Cheng, I won't make a fool of myself."

Cheng Mei opened her mouth, but seeing Zhang Ran's playful expression, she huffed in annoyance and said nothing more.

Don't think that Cheng Mei was constantly picking on Zhang Ran to make him uncomfortable; in reality, she was doing this entirely to buffer the atmosphere between Zhang Ran and Huang Lin.

After all, what Huang Lin had done was not a good thing; he had, after all, betrayed Zhang Ran.

Zhang Ran had said he wouldn't pursue it, but Cheng Mei did not believe that he felt no anger at all in his heart.

Her main purpose was to ensure that Zhang Ran and Huang Lin did not develop resentment over previous events, which would be bad for the upcoming negotiations.

Both Huang Lin and Zhang Ran understood this, though it was clear that Cheng Mei had overthought it.

Huang Lin was also a very straightforward person; since he had chosen to concede, he would not use the remaining capital in his hands to negotiate with Zhang Ran.

Doing so would be meaningless and would only make Zhang Ran look down on him even more.

Therefore, Huang Lin said quite readily, "Mr. Zhang, I have lost. Do with me as you will, and I will cooperate with you in taking over Huamei Group."

Cheng Mei stared blankly at her husband; she had not expected Huang Lin to truly give up on everything, just like that.

Zhang Ran smiled and poured him another cup of tea, saying, "I have always known you are a smart man."

There was more to these words than met the ear, and Huang Lin could understand them, "Yes, of course I'm not stupid. I know what kind of character you have, Mr. Zhang. At a time like this, not setting conditions is the greatest condition of all."

Huang Lin seemed to have completely let go, saying whatever came to mind.

Zhang Ran chuckled and said, "Since you are a smart man, why choose to concede at this time? You actually still had a chance; at the very least, looking at the current situation, it's not as if you had no chance."

"If you had been ruthless enough to let Iron Fir Capital and those people take over Huamei Group, the possibility of you losing would have been very, very small. Even if I won in the online shopping market, the losses for you wouldn't have been that great."

"By then, perhaps letting Iron Fir Capital and those people integrate the existing resources and merge those platforms into your Huamei Group would have allowed you to reach an even higher level. I believe you surely understand this."

Huang Lin took a deep breath and said, "Of course I know this. In fact, someone had already contacted me two days ago."

Zhang Ran asked curiously, "Then why didn't you choose that? For you, that would actually be better than conceding. After all, no matter how magnanimous I am, I won't truly let everything go, and you should also understand that I am actually a petty person."

Huang Lin said, "To you, Huamei Group is just one of the businesses under your name; it's not even that important."

"But for me, Huamei Group is something I built with my own hands. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it my child. Perhaps people like you cannot understand, but Huamei and I have depended on each other for over thirty years."

"I don't want to end up selling my own child to secure a bright future for myself, and that future might not even be that bright."

Huang Lin's words came from the heart; he knew he could have made that choice, but if he had, Zhang Ran would never have been polite to him again.

From beginning to end, perhaps Zhang Ran understood his feelings, or perhaps he had other thoughts, but regardless, Zhang Ran had kept his original promise to face him head-on.

He did not contact their shareholders in private, nor did he use other means; it was a head-on confrontation.

So, if Huang Lin had chosen not to keep his word in the end, Zhang Ran would not have remained idle.

Zhang Ran nodded, indicating he understood his feelings.

"Then take a guess, how will I deal with you?" Zhang Ran said with a hint of amusement.

Cheng Mei wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Huang Lin, "I guess you will still let me manage Huamei Group, but you won't give me as much power as before."

"And rest assured, when you need me to, I will step down."

Huang Lin spoke of his thoughts quite candidly, which was exactly what he guessed Zhang Ran would do.

Zhang Ran clapped his hands and said, "That's right, you really are a very smart man. Yes, you are still the best choice for Huamei right now, and since you came today, I don't intend to replace you."

Having said that, Zhang Ran smiled again and added, "But don't be too happy too soon. You will hand over all the shares you hold to me, keeping five percent for your retirement; that way, you won't be lazy in your work in the future."

Huang Lin had owned more than five percent of the shares previously, but at this moment, he didn't say a single word of opposition and said quite readily, "Fine, thank you, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Ran was left speechless by his readiness. He rubbed his temples and said, "Sigh, you really don't give me any chance at all. I was even thinking of finding an opportunity to beat you up."

Huang Lin laughed, "I'm much older than you now, and my body is right here. If you dare to beat me, I'll dare to sponge off your family."

"After all these years, you've actually learned to be a rascal," Zhang Ran said, speechless.

When Cheng Mei heard Zhang Ran say this, the tension in her eyes dissipated; she knew that things were just about over.

This was the best outcome she could have imagined. Although Zhang Ran had taken back many of the shares from the two of them, it had already exceeded Cheng Mei's expectations.

One had to know that people like Tian Yaohui had become completely penniless, while their family still had five percent of the shares.

Of course, Huang Lin would still need to continue working for Zhang Ran, and he would also need to accept a certain level of supervision, no longer having the power he once held.

But actually, this was fine; with restrictions, Huang Lin wouldn't have to be so tired.

At noon, Huang Lin had lunch here, and at the table, they only talked about interesting anecdotes, no longer discussing matters regarding Huamei Group.

In the afternoon, Huang Lin hurried back and began to arrange various matters.

On December 10th, the business world was shaken once again; Huamei Group turned against its allies, severely sabotaging those platforms and standing completely on the side of Fengli Group.

This was something no one had expected. After all, Zhang Ran's main target had previously been Huamei, but now Huamei had turned against its allies without any warning; this was something no one had anticipated, especially those who knew the inside story.