“What’s going on? Is it about the class reunion?” Song Siqing asked with eager curiosity in her big eyes.

“Yeah!” Yao Jing nodded and said, “She said she’s organizing a class reunion tomorrow night and wants me to come. She even mentioned bringing my husband along.”

“A reunion is one thing, but bringing Lin Zhiming! This must be some kind of scheme! That woman is definitely planning to humiliate you and Lin Zhiming at the gathering! How insidious!” Song Siqing gritted her teeth.

“Don’t think so badly of people,” Yao Jing replied.

“Why don’t we make a bet? I bet she’ll take the opportunity to embarrass you and Lin Zhiming at the reunion! If I win, you’ll have to divorce him!” Song Siqing proposed.

“I’ve told you before, don’t bring up the divorce thing again. I’m really angry about it this time. I’m leaving,” Yao Jing said, her face cold as she stood up and turned to go.

“Hey, Jingjing, don’t be mad! You really are angry! I was just joking!” Song Siqing hurried after her, grabbing her arm and trying to coax her back to calm.

“Are you really not going tomorrow?” Song Siqing asked.

“I’m not going. Zhiming and I don’t like those kinds of occasions. Regardless of whether we’ll be humiliated or not, we’d both feel uncomfortable. Since that’s the case, it’s better not to go. You can go, though. She asked me to pass the message to you,” Yao Jing said.

“Look at her; she won’t even call me! Hmph, but even so, I’m going. I want to see what kind of rich husband she has and whether he can resist temptation!” A mischievous smile appeared on Song Siqing's face.

“I’m warning you, he’s married. Don’t mess around!” Yao Jing said sternly.

“Married is good! I can help test whether our classmate He Shuhui’s husband is faithful! It’s the least I can do as a classmate!” Song Siqing replied with a grin.

“You!” Yao Jing poked Song Siqing’s forehead lightly. Song Siqing’s personality was always lively and carefree; she had been like this since childhood. Back in high school, she had the most conflicts with He Shuhui. If Song Siqing really went to the reunion, it would certainly be lively tomorrow night.

“Alright, I’m done shopping. I have to get back to work! See you tomorrow!” Song Siqing smiled as she waved goodbye to Yao Jing and bounced off with her bag.

See you tomorrow? Not a chance!

Yao Jing pouted and turned to walk in another direction.

On the other side.

In the office of the chairman of Lin Group, Lin Zhiming’s phone suddenly rang.

Lin Zhiming glanced at the phone and answered it.

“It’s me, Song Siqing,” came Song Siqing’s voice on the other end.

“Yeah, I know it’s you. What’s up?” Lin Zhiming asked.

“I wanted to tell you something. Tomorrow night is our high school class reunion, and Jingjing is also my classmate. She was invited to this gathering,” Song Siqing said.

“And then?” Lin Zhiming inquired.

“This reunion is the first one after many years. We hope more classmates can come, but it seems like Jingjing doesn’t plan to attend... She might be afraid you’ll get jealous. So, I hope you can help convince her to come. Of course, you’re welcome to join us as well!” Song Siqing said.

“I got it. I’ll talk to her later,” Lin Zhiming replied.

“Thanks! Oh, I have a small question I hope you can answer,” Song Siqing added.

“What question?”

“I heard you spent ten billion to buy Lin Group. Is that true?” Song Siqing asked curiously.

“It’s true.”

“Wow!” Song Siqing gasped on the other end of the line.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up for now,” Lin Zhiming said before ending the call.

On the other end, Song Siqing's face displayed a mix of emotions.

She had just heard more rumors, and they sounded credible, which was why she had asked. She didn’t expect Lin Zhiming to confirm it.

How could this be?

Where did Lin Zhiming get ten billion?

Song Siqing couldn’t wrap her head around it.

This question wasn’t just on Song Siqing’s mind; many people in Haixia City were puzzled as well.

The news of Lin Zhiming’s extravagant purchase of Lin Group for ten billion began to spread.

By the afternoon, a significant number of people were aware of the situation.

Many, like Song Siqing, couldn’t understand how Lin Zhiming could afford ten billion, and various speculations started to circulate.

Some guessed Lin Zhiming had been supported by a rich woman, while others speculated he was some kind of kept man. After all, Lin Zhiming was handsome, and not only women liked him; some men did too.

There were also rumors that Lin Zhiming was just a puppet, placed on display by someone else, whose main aim was to take over Lin Group.

Regardless of how wild these speculations were, the core content was that the money Lin Zhiming used to buy Lin Group wasn’t his own.

However, it didn’t matter whose money Lin Zhiming used to buy Lin Group; it was destined to be a losing deal. Lin Group was facing fines and compensation that were conservatively estimated to exceed the total assets of the entire company.

In everyone’s eyes, Lin Zhiming’s moment of glory was merely temporary. Once the fine was imposed, Lin Group would surely collapse.

The next morning.

Lin Zhiming arrived at the company early.

“Boss, as we discussed earlier, ninety percent of the management team didn’t show up today,” Wang Hai said with a smile.

“Since Shen Hongyue and Lin Zhixing have been running the company for years, it’s only natural that their people wouldn’t come. Fire all of them,” Lin Zhiming said calmly.

“Seventy percent of those people didn’t show up because they took Shen Hongyue’s orders. The remaining twenty percent are just watching. Should we fire them too?” Wang Hai asked.

“The company doesn’t need fence-sitters. Let them all go,” Lin Zhiming replied.

“Understood!” Wang Hai nodded.

“Also, promote those people we’ve been placing in lower-level positions over the years. It’s time for them to step up,” Lin Zhiming instructed.

“Shen Hongyue will definitely be confused,” Wang Hai chuckled.

“No, she won’t be confused. She’ll just think that since we chose management from the lower-level staff, we’re already at our wits’ end,” Lin Zhiming said with a smile.

“The more she thinks we’re at our wits’ end, the worse she’ll feel when everything turns around. Boss, this move of yours is really heart-wrenching! Brilliant, brilliant!” Wang Hai exclaimed.

Lin Zhiming smiled but didn’t say much.

At nine in the morning, a huge announcement echoed through Lin Group.

Ninety percent of the mid to senior management were fired.

In an instant, the management structure of Lin Group was left in ruins, causing the company’s operations to come to a standstill.

Somewhere in Haixia City.

“You’re still young!” Shen Hongyue sneered at a group of Lin family members. “Youth brings passion, especially for someone like Lin Zhiming who has been suppressed for over twenty years. Now that he’s in power, he probably thinks he can do anything. Anyone who stands in his way will be eliminated. I can’t believe he dares to fire ninety percent of the executives at once! I can’t wait to see how he manages the company with this!”

“Madam, your strategy of cutting off the source is simply brilliant!” the people around her chimed in.

“Lin Zhiming is nothing against me. As long as he can’t hold on, the people behind him will surely intervene. I’ll be waiting to see which fool dares to strike at me!” Shen Hongyue said, her expression murderous.

Just then, Dong Jian walked over.

“Madam, I just received news that Lin Zhiming promoted some people from the lower levels to become the new management team,” Dong Jian reported.

“Lin Zhiming seems to be at the end of his rope, resorting to promoting from the bottom directly to management. Let’s just watch the show. Lin Group is such a large entity; without rich operational experience, it won’t take long for everything to collapse. Those lower-level employees only know how to take orders; how can they manage operations?” Shen Hongyue laughed.

Everyone around nodded in agreement.

On the other side, within Lin Group.

Due to the mass resignation of management, panic swept through Lin Group.

This panic remained even with the new management in place because the employees realized that the new management was almost entirely made up of their former colleagues!

Former colleagues suddenly becoming their bosses created emotional and ability-related doubts.

However, this panic soon began to dissipate. Many noticed that the new management team was quickly organizing the company’s work efficiently!

These individuals were well-acquainted with the company’s operations, even knowing each employee's capabilities inside and out. They assigned tasks based on skill, ensuring everyone maximized their contributions!

With these measures in place, Lin Zhiming then issued a welfare notice, significantly increasing the benefits for all employees.

Thanks to these two actions, the previously anxious Lin Group stabilized in an instant!

When Shen Hongyue heard this news, she was completely dumbfounded.

“Are you sure the company is running smoothly?” Shen Hongyue asked again, looking at Dong Jian. She had always trusted her son’s secretary, but what Dong Jian said was hard to believe.

“Yes!” Dong Jian nodded. “The company is operating well, and the relationships with several partners are stable.”

“Damn it, I made a mistake!” Shen Hongyue clenched her fists in frustration. She was a clever woman and instantly realized her decision was flawed when she heard what Dong Jian said.

From Lin Group’s current situation, it was clear that Lin Zhiming and his backers must have laid the groundwork within Lin Group long ago. Meanwhile, she had caused those management members not to show up to work, inadvertently giving Lin Zhiming the chance to fire those people and replace them with an entirely new management team!

This was a monumental error. Had she not allowed those management members to leave, she would have still been able to keep a close eye on Lin Group’s every move. Often, she could have used those managers to her advantage. Now, however, almost all of her obedient people had left, and she had virtually lost all control over Lin Group.