Half an hour later, Shen Xian attended the shareholders' meeting as well.
Before she left, Chen Nuo pulled her aside for some urgent advice, "Don't speak at the shareholders' meeting without Gu Chen's instruction, and if necessary, take notes on the key points of the leaders' speeches. Although Ma Qi will be taking the minutes, you can't come away from the meeting knowing nothing..."
She went on to list many more precautions.
Shen Xian assured her she would follow each one, feeling very grateful for Chen Nuo's thoughtful care.
It was at this meeting that Shen Xian first saw the Second Uncle Gu, Gu Cheng, who was so anxious that he had suffered a heart attack.
He was an exceptionally refined middle-aged man, in his forties, maintaining an outstanding figure and appearance. His bearing exuded a profound scholarly presence, with a demeanor both reticent and charismatic, giving people the impression of extensive knowledge.
Had he not appeared at Shen Fei's shareholders' meeting, Shen Xian might have mistaken him for a history professor at a university.
Shen Xian followed Gu Chen and Ma Qi into the Meeting Room, where all the shareholders were already present.
As Gu Chen had instructed, Shen Xian mimicked Ma Qi, distributing the standardized meeting materials to each shareholder, then she herself sat down at a table to the right of Gu Chen.
Gu Chen had not made any specific seating arrangements, so Shen Xian found a quiet spot to the right and below Gu Chen, holding a notebook and pen, ready to record the leaders' speeches.
To the left of Gu Chen, in the first seat, was the Second Uncle Gu Cheng, while the Third Uncle Gu Heng sat at the opposite end of the meeting table.
Shen Fei Group was the blood and sweat of several generations of the Gu Family, so naturally, in terms of shareholder percentage, each member of the Gu Family had their own authority.
The current seating arrangement clearly displayed the positions of the three members of the Gu Family within Shen Fei.
Shen Xian had a rough understanding of the other shareholders from company records, and at that moment, each one had a worried expression, uncertain whether this meeting would resolve the current turmoil.
"I'm sure everyone is aware of what has happened in the past two days," Gu Chen said in a deep voice, serious, unhurried, "Today, we've gathered to discuss the matter."
As the shareholders flipped through the material in front of them and saw the shocking demands for contract termination and compensation amounts, a few with weaker composure started whispering among themselves.
"Slam!"
Suddenly, a table was struck, followed by a voice filled with extreme anger.
"This Sheng Hong Jewelry is really opening their mouth too wide! They want triple the breach-of-contract fee, it's a pipe dream!"
The one who slammed the table and spoke was the Third Uncle, Gu Heng. He held the materials in his hand, trembling with anger, crumpling the papers quite badly.
The whole room fell silent immediately, with everyone looking at Gu Heng and then turning their gaze to Gu Chen, who was in the main seat.
"They say it's because of the addition of a new round of inspections that delayed their delivery time, but it wouldn't have been delayed by more than two or three days! This is opportunism!"
Gu Heng could hardly contain his anger, and a neighboring shareholder quietly pulled at him, hoping he could calm down. However, Gu Heng paid it little mind.
Shen Xian quietly looked over at Gu Chen, only to see him remain silent and unangry, his expression usual, lightly glancing at the Third Uncle before looking away.
It was Second Uncle Gu Cheng, observing the ugly scene, who gave a chilling look, and Gu Heng, about to speak out, instantly lost his bluster, placed the documents back on the table, took several deep breaths, and clenched his fists to suppress his anger.
"I've met the chairman of Sheng Hong Jewelry a few times," said Gu Cheng slowly and steadily, conveying a strong sense of reliability, "and he doesn't seem like a person who would abandon principles for profit. He probably isn't very clear about the current situation, which is why this has happened."
Gu Cheng paused briefly before continuing to address Gu Chen, "In that case, I will see Mr. Sheng as soon as possible. There's still room to maneuver in this situation."
Gu Chen nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you, Second Uncle."
The shareholders proposed what they believed to be the best solutions for dealing with the incident, with a variety of opinions and even some conflicts due to disagreements.
During all this, Gu Chen occasionally asked questions, his tone genteel, but his queries often left those giving their opinions speechless.
Shen Xian listened attentively but felt there wasn't much worth noting down, writing only a few words in her notebook now and then. Meanwhile, Ma Qi's fingers danced quickly across her computer keyboard, pausing occasionally, seemingly also discerning the recordability of the content.
Whenever Shen Xian wrote something down, Gu Chen occasionally looked over. She didn't understand his intentions, but as he remained silent, she continued at her own pace.
After lengthy explanations and arguments, everyone seemed fatigued, and there was no consensus in sight. All eyes turned in unison towards Gu Chen, waiting for his final decision.
Shen Xian was equally anxious to hear how he planned to resolve these issues.
Sitting at the head of the meeting table, Gu Chen remained as composed as ever, unfazed by the recent shareholder disputes, his impatience imperceptible. He straightened up in his chair, backed against it, and finally began to speak.
"For all these businesses, those that should have been shipped out on the day of the incident, logistics costs will be re-negotiated at eighty percent of the original rate," Gu Chen said, his gaze shifting to the head of the legal department, who nodded immediately, taking notes.
Shen Xian lowered his head and quickly jotted down the key points.
Gu Chen continued with unwavering confidence, "For the next day, it will be eighty-five percent, and so on. Those that pass the re-inspection and are still scheduled to ship on the original date, no discount will be offered. Tell them to withdraw their termination contracts or we will proceed with legal action."
"But Mr. Gu, this might not work. If we treat shipments from the same warehouse differently, and they exchange information, wouldn't that put us in a difficult position both internally and externally?"
"Mr. Gu, offering such a large discount is going to cost us a lot of money!"
Another shareholder who agreed with Gu Chen's approach retorted, "But isn't this the most effective and stabilizing solution? What we need to do now is to negotiate with the businesses and make them understand the deadlines and reasons for the security department's re-checking. I believe this approach is feasible!"
"Do you have a better solution? Can't you see that Mr. Gu is cutting off the tail to save the body? If we let these businesses cancel their contracts en masse, will Shen Fei Logistics even be able to continue? Do we still care about Shen Fei Group's reputation? If we don't conduct logistics, could it impact our other businesses? Can you take responsibility for that?"
The shareholders voiced diverse opinions, debating fervently.
Shen Xian hadn't expected Gu Chen to have thought of a solution so quickly. When had he figured it out? At the meeting table?
In the half hour following the call to convene the shareholder meeting?
Or even earlier?
But what she cared about more was something else—the broken porcelain.
How would that be compensated?
Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Gu Chen.
This business, which had suffered real losses, wasn't on the termination list. She was very curious about how Gu Chen would resolve it.
Uncle Gu sat to one side, glancing at Gu Chen, who looked calmly at everything in front of him, and coughed lightly a few times.
Those shareholders who had been arguing incessantly heard the noise and gradually quieted down.
When it was completely silent again, Gu Chen spoke once more, "There was indeed damage to goods in this accident, namely a batch of porcelain heading overseas."
The crowd, suppressed by the previous debate, didn't dare to stir the pot again, watching Gu Chen quietly to see how he would handle these damaged goods.
Shen Xian's eyes sparkled as she watched Gu Chen's profile silently. She, too, was eager to know.
"For this batch of goods, Shen Fei Logistics will compensate at full price and provide free delivery. For the next three years, all exported goods from this company will receive a ten percent discount on logistics fees," said Gu Chen, without a moment's pause. His words were fluent and indisputable.
His statement had barely ended when the shareholders, silent for just a few minutes, erupted in fervent discussion once more.
However, Gu Chen had already risen. Fastening his suit button with one hand, he scanned the room with a look that brooked no opposition and delivered his final order in a tone that allowed no argument, "I want results within three days."
With that, he walked swiftly out of the Meeting Room.
The hours-long shareholder meeting was finally over.
Ma Qi followed gracefully behind him, and Shen Xian quickly rose and hurried after them.
Watching Gu Chen's upright figure leading the way, Shen Xian felt an involuntary admiration stir within her.
She could never have imagined that Gu Chen could devise such a detailed, differentiated, and planned approach for the various damaged goods within such a short time—a solution so thorough and effective.
Indeed, he was the decision-maker of such a large conglomerate.