Chapter 1706: An Earth-Shattering Press Conference
The press conference had been scheduled to take place at 3 pm this afternoon. Apart from reporters and other members of the press, the shareholders and board of directors of the Wen Corporation were also in attendance.
At 3 pm, Wen Xinya pushed a wheelchair-bound Old Mr. Wen into the hall. He was also accompanied by Lawyer Luo, a.s.sistant Yang and a medical professional.
Old Mr. Wen looked to be in rather good health. The moment he appeared, all the photographers immediately started snapping shots of him.
Old Mr. Wen exchanged handshakes and pleasantries with the various shareholders and directors before settling into his seat.
Meanwhile, Wen Xinya sat down beside Old Mr. Wen in her capacity as a shareholder and acting Chairman of the Board.
“Firstly, I want to welcome everyone here to this press conference, which I am holding in my capacity as Wen Corporation’s Chairman. I want to take this opportunity to clear the air regarding the recent hubbub surrounding the Wen Corporation and to hand down some edicts!”
All the reporters stirred. As the Chairman of the Wen Corporation, Old Mr. Wen controlled the entire management and operations of the company. Since Wen Haowen took over, he had not appeared much in public, not to mention doing something as high profile as to hold a press conference.
Everyone was full of curiosity over what this press conference would be about.
“Item number one: Wen Haowen, as a shareholder and CEO of Wen Corporation, caused substantial damage to the interests of the company. As the Chairman of Wen Corporation, I hereby discharge him from all corporate duties. He is banned from partic.i.p.ating in any of the management and operations concerning the Wen Corporation. This edict will come into effect immediately.”
Old Mr. Wen’s edict caused an instant commotion. Everyone was in disbelief.
Nevertheless, this outcome should be no surprise given that Wen Haowen had already been suspended and was under investigation by the shareholders.
As a result, Wen Xinya was not shocked at all.
All the shareholders and directors were very pleased. They already had enough of Wen Haowen’s reckless and willful behavior all these years. In the past, he could do whatever he wanted as he had Old Mr. Wen to bail him out. As a result, everyone else tended to close an eye to his actions.
However, this horrendous mess that Wen Haowen had created while Old Mr. Wen was in the hospital was just too much to endure.
“Item number two: in my capacity as Chairman, I have made a successful legal appeal to forcibly take back 20% of Wen Haowen’s shareholdings. The court’s verdict here is proof. I invite everyone here to bear witness to this.”
The first thing Old Mr. Wen had done when he regained consciousness was to get Lawyer Luo to make a legal application to forcibly take back Wen Haowen’s shares. The courts had already approved his request.
The court’s verdict flashed across the large screen, its bright red official stamp startling everyone at present. The reporters were in a frenzy. They didn’t stop clicking away on their cameras.
Even Wen Xinya was shocked. Grandpa had really completely given up on Wen Haowen this time.
The shareholders and board of directors were likewise astounded.
“Item number three: as the head of the Wen Family, I solemnly announce to the media that I will be cutting off all father-son ties with Wen Haowen, and will be casting him out of the Wen Family. From now on, Wen Haowen is no longer a part of the Wen Family, and neither party will have anything to do with each other in the future.”
Compared to the previous two edicts, this last p.r.o.nouncement was utterly earth-shattering. The entire hall was in an uproar.
After all, this p.r.o.nouncement held the most potential for scandal and gossip. It raised all sorts of questions, and at the core of it laid the dark, dirty secrets of the Wen Family.
Wen Xinya took a deep breath to soothe her own shock.
She totally didn’t expect Grandpa’s motive for holding this press conference was to discharge Wen Haowen from his corporate duties, rescind his shares, cut off all father-son ties and chase him out of the Wen Family!
Grandpa was more vicious than she imagined him to be.
She couldn’t help thinking of her previous life, when Grandpa had also stood in this very position, announcing to the press that he would be cutting off all family ties with her, and driving her out of the Wen Family.
The shareholders and board of directors were likewise flabbergasted. Nevertheless, this was a domestic matter concerning the Wen Family, and so they were not overly focused on it.
“Item number four: during the time when I was hospitalized, it was all thanks to my granddaughter Wen Xinya’s efforts that the Wen Corporation managed to stay upright. She will forever be the first in line to take over the leaders.h.i.+p of Wen Corporation. Nothing will ever change this fact.”
Old Mr. Wen’s statement immediately denounced all those vicious rumors attributing Yang Ziyu’s fall to Wen Xinya.
Camera lights flashed ceaselessly upon Old Mr. Wen and Wen Xinya.
Wen Xinya knew that Grandpa had purposely made this public p.r.o.nouncement to show that she had his full support. She was extremely touched.
“Item number five: I hope that the press will stop all baseless and salacious reports and speculations about the Wen Family and the Wen Corporation. Otherwise, I will make use of legal means to protect the reputation of the Wen Family and Wen Corporation.”
Wen Haowen had been discharged from his corporate duties and driven out of the Wen Family. All future news that pertained to him had nothing to do with the Wen Family.
When Old Mr. Wen was young, he had a fearsome reputation in the industry. He was also a highly respected senior figure and held much influence in the business world. As a result, none of the press dared to doubt his words, and they all knew that they would have to tread carefully from now on.
“Lastly, in my capacity as the Chairman of the Wen Corporation, I would like to offer the press and the public my most sincere apologies regarding all the things that have happened with the Wen Corporation and the Wen Family. I would also like to thank everyone for their continued support of the Wen Corporation.”
The continued drama that had plagued the Wen Family should now end with Wen Haowen being chased out of the family. And with Old Mr. Wen back to overseeing the Wen Corporation, it was a confidence booster for everyone.
Old Mr. Wen issued a concluding statement. “The above six p.r.o.nouncements covers the entire contents of today’s press conference. Now, I will have to trouble every reporter present to help me spread this news to the public.”
Having achieved its desired aim, this press conference ended on a successful note.
Wen Xinya smiled. “Next, we will invite the reporters to raise their questions. However, today’s press conference is limited to one hour. This is the maximum duration stipulated by the hospital for our Chairman.”
There was still half an hour before the press conference had to end. Wen Xinya saw that Grandpa still looked well and so finally relaxed a little.
At this point, Wen Xinya was filled with all sorts of conflicted feelings.
She had already made her own guesses as to what Grandpa would do regarding Wen Haowen’s matter. But she never imagined such an outcome.
Today’s press conference had a huge impact on both the Wen Family and the Wen Corporation. The media would be reporting on this matter for a long time to come.