Wen Ying had pinpointed exactly what Qin Jiao intended to do. Qin Jiao smiled broadly. “Checks and balances foster self-reflection. ‘Prawn King’ is important, but you all are even more important.”
Shock was unmistakable on Qin Yi’s face.
He was willing to transfer his shares partly out of shame, and partly because they were going to his own sister, not an outsider.
Little did he know that before Qin Jiao had even received his shares, she was already playing the generous benefactor!
Before Wen Ying could speak, both Tang Yifeng and Geng Xiao refused, and Wang Shuang did not want them either.
Qin Jiao’s decision was firm. Their refusals did not sway her.
Yet Wen Ying was the first to nod. “Sister Jiao, if this is a decision you’ve carefully considered, I support you… Being your friend is my greatest luck!”
Qin Jiao beamed, her smile radiating a confidence no one could ignore.
Shares were sometimes crucial, sometimes not so much.
If a manager could earn the trust of all shareholders, what fear was there in holding only 1%?
When Qin Yi misappropriated company funds for stocks, Qin Jiao remained unflustered.
When Qin Yi relinquished his shares, she accepted calmly.
Then came the bold move of distributing them to the other shareholders.
Since they attended university in different cities, Wen Ying had not realised Qin Jiao had grown to this extent.
Qin Jiao possessed greater boldness and leadership than Qin Yi.
With Wen Ying’s affirmation, Qin Jiao was delighted. “Xiaoying, being your friend is my greatest luck too. Thank you for understanding me.”
Wen Ying laughed heartily. “If we’re distributing shares, giving them all to us wouldn’t be right. My suggestion is that each of us takes only 5%, and you keep the rest. Sister Jiao, don’t interrupt yet. Let me finish. ‘Prawn King’ needs everyone’s efforts to grow. There are outstanding management talents in the company. We can give them some shares.”
Qin Jiao considered it and nodded in agreement. “As you say, there are indeed two managers who have poured their hearts into ‘Prawn King”s development.”
Though Qin Jiao did not name them, everyone present knew who they were.
Yang Xi and Deng Juan!
Deng Juan had accompanied Qin Jiao to open the Beijing market, while Yang Xi held the fort in Rongcheng, coordinating everything. Both were major contributors to ‘Prawn King’.
“We can give them some shares first, with a time lock. If they don’t leave within the period, the shares vest.”
This was standard practice for granting management shares. No company vested them immediately.
Everyone agreed on giving shares to Yang Xi and Deng Juan. The exact amounts required further discussion.
After lengthy debate, they settled on 1% for Yang Xi and 0.5% for Deng Juan.
Thus, Qin Jiao ended up with 48.5% of the shares, while Wen Ying and the other four shareholders each held 10%.
In the office, Wen Ying and the others discussed animatedly. Qin Yi quietly slipped out. He felt downcast, yet clearly aware: ‘Prawn King’ might not have truly belonged to him before, and now it genuinely had nothing to do with him!
So be it. Since he had decided to transfer the shares to his sister and fully exit ‘Prawn King’, how Qin Jiao allocated them was no longer his concern.
Qin Yi had just convinced himself to accept the situation when he ran into Yang Xi downstairs.
Yang Xi knew Wen Ying was at the company today and wanted to discuss Shulu and Wen Hongyan with her. Wen Ying was really squeezing one sheep for all its wool, making her oversee two troublemakers at once. That was a bit much!
“President Qin, the meeting ended so quickly?”
Yang Xi peered behind Qin Yi, seeing only him emerge alone.
Qin Yi nodded. “My meeting is over. Yang Xi, I’m no longer a ‘Prawn King’ shareholder. From now on, ‘Prawn King’ is under my sister Qin Jiao. I know you’re very capable. Please help her more.”
Yang Xi’s mouth fell open.
Qin Yi was no longer a shareholder?
Sister Xi’s mind instantly spun wild scenarios.
It must be a sibling power struggle. Qin Yi lost to Qin Jiao!
Yang Xi interacted more with Qin Yi. Internally, the company saw her as his person. If Qin Yi lost the power struggle to his sister, Yang Xi should first worry about her own position.
Yet Yang Xi’s thinking was anything but ordinary.
She did not see herself as Qin Yi’s person. She saw herself as Wen Ying’s.
As tactfully as possible, she asked, “President Qin, if you’ve stepped down, what about the other shareholders?”
Qin Yi had expected Yang Xi to show regret or reluctance. Instead, she was so detached. So he had been deluding himself, thinking he controlled ‘Prawn King’, when he had not even won over Yang Xi?!
“The other shareholders have some changes. Two new shareholders have been added…”
Qin Yi teased her deliberately. Yang Xi’s expression shifted dramatically.
A Qin sibling power struggle, dragging in innocents?
Yang Xi lost interest in small talk. “President Qin, let’s chat another day. I’ll head up first.”
She breezed past Qin Yi like a gust of wind.
As she hurried, she cursed inwardly: The Qin siblings truly inherited the family knack. In business, they have more cunning than most!
By the time Yang Xi rushed into the office, Wen Ying and the others had just wrapped up the meeting.
Wen Ying immediately grinned. “Speak of the devil. Our Shareholder Yang has arrived!”
Seeing Wen Ying’s smiling face, Yang Xi relaxed halfway. Even with shareholder changes, the one losing out was probably someone else. Wen Ying had not suffered.
Wait, hold on. What did Wen Ying just call her?
Yang Xi looked bewildered.
Qin Jiao summarised the meeting. “…In short, though shares are granted to you and Deng Juan, for five years you only have dividend rights. Only after five years can you freely dispose of them.”
Dividend rights? Freely dispose?
Yang Xi seemed to understand, yet not quite. Pointing at herself, she asked everyone, “I’ve become a ‘Prawn King’ shareholder?”
Wen Ying nodded vigorously. “Not just you. Deng Juan too.”
The money Qin Yi lost in stocks was covered by Qin Xianming. With funds back in ‘Prawn King’ accounts, Qin Jiao kept her word and distributed dividends.
For dividends, they no longer followed the 5% ratio. Except for Qin Jiao, every shareholder received based on 10%.
Wen Ying got around 300,000 yuan.
Even new shareholders like Yang Xi and Deng Juan received dividends proportional to their shares.
Yang Xi got over 30,000, Deng Juan just under 20,000.
Yang Xi knew her and Deng Juan’s shares were fought for by Wen Ying. Before, she thought Wen Ying was overworking her by overseeing two troublemakers. Now she felt she could handle more.
If Wen Ying asked, Yang Xi could immediately drag Shu Guobing in to wash dishes too!
Wen Ying had no such intention. Overwhelmed by gratitude, Yang Xi brainwashed Deng Juan daily, reminding her not to forget Wen Ying’s kindness.
Deng Juan was straightforward. In front of Yang Xi, she hid nothing. “I know. Miss Qin Jiao is our boss, but Xiaoying is our friend.”
Qin Yi actually misappropriated company funds for stocks.
Would Qin Jiao ever do something like that?
From Deng Juan’s understanding, Qin Jiao and Qin Yi had vastly different characters.
“Miss Qin Jiao wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Yang Xi’s angle was sly. “If one day Boss Qin Jiao’s orders conflict with Wen Ying’s, who would you side with?”
Deng Juan thought seriously, then whispered, “At work, Miss Qin Jiao is the big boss. We listen to her. In life, Xiaoying is our best friend. I’ll always stand with Xiaoying. If they ever conflict… I’d quit the company job first, then stand with Xiaoying.”
Yang Xi burst out laughing. “Good, good. Us江湖 folks value loyalty. You’ve got high awareness!”
Deng Juan smiled without replying.
Receiving ‘Prawn King’ shares naturally delighted her.
She also knew the shares were restricted. If she left within five years, the company would reclaim them.
So what?
For the sake of 0.5% shares, would she become an ungrateful person?
Qin Jiao had indeed taught her much, and Deng Juan was deeply grateful.
But she understood clearly: without her, Qin Jiao could find Li Juan or Wang Juan as right-hand aides. She was not that indispensable to Qin Jiao. Xiaoying was different. Whether as the current Deng Juan or the former Deng Yaomei, Xiaoying treated her as an important friend!
Without Xiaoying, there would be no Deng Juan today.
Deng Juan changed the subject, asking Yang Xi’s plans. “From now on, we have salaries, bonuses, and share dividends. With so much money, what do we do with it?”
Yang Xi pursed her lips. “Worried about spending it? If you save too much, just buy more properties.”
Even rich people like Wen Ying were buying properties. It must be the right move.
Yang Xi was cautious. “Even if not buying properties, don’t give money to your family. Don’t let them know you’re earning well. Got it?”
“Got it. I definitely won’t say.”
…
Wang Shuang received unexpectedly high dividends and immediately paid off the balance for his New Year gift.
Wen Ying recounted the events to Xie Qian, offering a fair assessment. “What Qin Yi lost wasn’t just ‘Prawn King’ shares. If I were Uncle Qin, this incident would reveal Qin Yi’s character. I’d hand the Qin family business to Qin Jiao. She’s a born leader!”
