Xu Zifan's abrupt departure after uttering a single sentence was a direct slap in the face to Xu Hao, and his almost commanding attitude clearly showed he didn't treat Xu Hao as an uncle. Xu Hao was seething with anger, but to prevent any unforeseen complications, he had to do as Xu Zifan said, making him extremely resentful. He also saw the shareholders' attitudes; their faces were very gloomy. This was the last thing he wanted: his reputation severely damaged, his character questioned, and people unwilling to cooperate with him.
Even a ruthless and vicious person will find it difficult to continue developing in the business world and will be ostracized by other bigwigs. He had been dealing with Xu Zifan in private in order to make his reputation as good as possible. Now, not only does he have to spend a lot of money to buy shares, but he also has to clean up the mess. It is unknown how long it will take to restore his image. You can imagine how Xu Haofeels.
Fortunately, both sides had made the necessary preparations in advance, and the press conference proceeded smoothly the following morning. A large conference room was packed with prominent media figures, all eagerly awaiting the event. Security guards and staff members from Xu Corporation's public relations department were on high alert, ready to handle any potential problems.
Xu Zifan and Xu Hao met outside the door. Xu Zifansmiled and gestured for the elders to go first.
Xu Hao glanced at him expressionlessly, then walked in first. Xu Zifan followed behind with a smile, and as soon as he entered, he raised his hand to greet everyone, "So many people? Is anyone live-streaming?"
Xu Hao's secretary whispered, " Young Master Xu, there was no live broadcast. The recording will be reported out later. "
Xu Zifan waved his hand, sat down on the stage, and crossed his long legs. "Why isn't this being broadcast live? Everyone's been paying close attention to our Xu Family lately, and now that it's resolved, everyone should know as soon as possible." He smiled at the audience. "Don't you agree?"
"Yes! Young Master Xu is right!"
The media professionals, naturally unafraid of making things worse, quickly started live streaming after a flurry of responses. Xu Zifan nodded in satisfaction, "Let's begin. Today's press conference is to address, or rather, to bring to a close, the various rumors circulating about me and my uncle. I have decided to sell all my shares in Xu Corporation to my uncle. It's a fact that my uncle returned to Xu Corporation a few years ago to protect it after my parents passed away, and I am very grateful to him for that. Therefore, even though I've discovered some unpleasant things recently, I don't intend to pursue them further. After today's share transfer, this matter will be considered closed."
Xu Hao's expression changed slightly. Didn't Xu Zifan's words confirm the rumors that he was targeting Xu Zifan? Normally, reports from the outside world could be reversed as long as there was no concrete evidence, but now Xu Zifan's ambiguous "not a good thing" directly convicted him. Xu Zifan's attitude was solid evidence in everyone's mind! No wonder Xu Zifan insisted on holding a press conference; he was waiting for this.
Xu Hao gave a wink to someone nearby, and one shareholder said awkwardly, " Young Master Xu, do you think we should begin?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "Give me the documents."
There were many documents, and more than a dozen lawyers and staff members from the notary office were present. Xu Zifan quickly glanced through the documents, and the atmosphere in the room graduallybecame serious. After reviewing one document and confirming that there were no problems, Xu Zifanreadily signed his name, showing absolutely no hesitation or reluctance.
The media present had countless questions they wanted to ask, but there was no Q&A session at this press conference. They could only witness the event firsthand, take photos and videos to post later, and were incredibly eager to see what was happening. Meanwhile, countless netizens watching the live stream were also discussing the event enthusiastically, expressing their opinions. If you were looking at a screen at that moment, it would be completely covered by a dense barrage of comments.
Xu Zifan's fans have become accustomed to hispersonality and unanimously support all his decisions. However, knowledgeable observers generally disagree with Xu Zifan's choice. They argue that Xu Corporation is a behemoth, and relinquishing it so easily, regardless of the amount of money involved, is inappropriate. They worry that if he lacks the capacity, the money won't be used wisely and will only depreciate. Furthermore, they fear that if Xu Zifaninvests the money in his lab, it will all be wasted.
Haters once again brought up Xu Zifan's decision to leave Zifan Live and the esports club, mocking him as a brainless rich kid who would probably squander his money soon, calling his choice stupid. Some uninformed bystanders just enjoyed the spectacle, thinking Xu Zifan was incredibly cool, showing no drama or pain, simply and calmly respecting his elders and expressing gratitude to his uncle by relinquishing Xu Corporation. Many others lamented missing out on a clash between two big names. In short, there were all sorts of opinions, but none of them seemed to affect the speed at which Xu Zifan and Xu Hao signed the agreement.
According to the financial staff's tally, Xu Hao paid Xu Zifan a total of 30 billion! With the formalities completed, Xu Zifan rubbed his wrist and smiled at the media, saying, "From now on, Xu Corporation has nothing to do with me. My personal businesses will all bear my name. I hope everyone will continue to support me as always." He stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and laughed, "Alright, from now on, Chairman Xu and I are going our separate ways. Remember, when you report on the two of us, don't mention our uncle-nephew relationship."
Xu Hao's expression changed drastically, and he stood up to rebuke Dao: " Xu Zifan!"
Xu Zifan didn't even glance at him, smiled and waved to the media before walking out. The reporters all stood up, and one young reporter couldn't help but shout, " Young Master Xu, are you severing ties withChairman Xu?"
Xu Zifan walked to the door, glanced back at him, snapped his fingers, and laughed, "That's right, just what you said. There are so many people with the surname Xu in the world, from now on we're two families. Remember not to associate me with any vicious people, or I'll be unhappy."
Xu Zifan winked his left eye at the camera, smirked, and pushed open the door to leave, leaving Xu Hao on stage with a grim expression.
Xu Zifan stabbed him in the back before leaving, and it happened live, making the impact even greater than the previous online controversy. When a reporter asked him what he thought of Xu Zifan's words, XuHao knew nothing he could say and could only leave quickly under the protection of security. The shareholder awkwardly smiled at the media: "They had some misunderstandings, but they are family after all, things will be fine in the future."
No one believed this forced explanation anymore, because Xu Zifan had been too high-profile for the past six months, and his decisive personality had deeply impressed people, making them more inclined to believe his words. If they were treated like that by their uncle, they wouldn't consider them relatives anymore. Don't be fooled by Xu Zifan's smiling face; he's quite assertive! The internet was filled with applause, everyone thinking this was a well-deserved slap in the face. At a press conference, Xu Hao was thoroughly humiliated by Xu Zifan, and XuCorporation's image in the public eye plummeted once again.
Immediately afterward, Xu Zifan announced he would invest 10 billion yuan in each of his two laboratories. Don't be fooled by his seemingly large sums of money; R&D is incredibly expensive, and it burns through funds rapidly. Selling his shares, besides trying to take advantage of Xu Hao, was also to ensure his laboratories had sufficient funding. But when this announcement came out, almost everyone thought he was crazy! Researching high-tech intelligence and novel drugs—is that so easy? Calling him a spendthrift is an understatement; what's the difference between this and simply throwing money away?
Xu Hao, still seething with anger, immediately contacted several well-known media outlets to reporton Dao's actions. Soon, accusations of Xu Zifan being incompetent, arrogant, and irresponsible spread like wildfire. The media, too, were selective in their approach. In their eyes, Xu Hao was the rightful leaderof Xu Corporation; despite the financial difficulties, he was certain to weather the storm and remain standing. Xu Zifan, on the other hand, was different. What did he have besides money? A livestreaming platform? An esports club? These were minor matters compared to Xu Corporation. Therefore, they naturally sided with Xu Hao, and even the general public believed that Xu Zifan was on the decline.
Media outlets blocked Xu Hao outside to interview him, asking, " Chairman Xu, what are your thoughts on Young Master Xu investing a large sum of money in the laboratory?"
Xu Hao declined to answer several times, but after being pestered repeatedly, he said regretfully, "I was too busy with work and neglected him. I didn't teach him well, which led to this series of events. I hope everyone can be more tolerant of him. No matter what he becomes in the future, I will not let him end up on the streets starving."
Xu Hao's statement only fueled the pessimism surrounding Xu Zifan, but just days later, American tech tycoon Mr. Lawn suddenly visited China. He was warmly received by relevant government departments, and surprisingly, on his very first day, Mr. Lawn visited Xu Zifan's laboratory!
When the media photos from that day were released, it was discovered that the pictures included not only Mr. Lauen, but also Mr. Li, a domestic tech tycoon, as well as well-known R&D personnel and department heads from relevant national departments, and evenCapital City. Vice Mayor! And all of them were so friendly and approachable towards Xu Zifan, as if they were very familiar with each other. What kind of bizarre development is this? Wasn't Xu Zifan's lab just a hobby? What are these people, who can shake the tech world with a single stomp, doing at Xu Zifan's lab?
The following day, major national official media outlets simultaneously released a message: Warmest congratulations to Mr. Xu Zifan on developing a world-class highly intelligent system. This technology has epoch-making significance in the field of intelligent domains, with applications not only in daily life but also in military, political, scientific, and many other domains. Mr. Xu Zifan has made a tremendous contribution to the nation and, effective immediately, has joined the Ministry of Science and Technology as its Director of Research. Mr. Xu Zifan will present his research results at a science and technology exhibition three days later, where Mr. Lao En, Mr. Li, and Mr. Lin, among others, will be present to celebrate. Congratulations again to Mr. Xu Zifan on such outstanding research achievements! We hope Mr. Xu Zifan will continue his efforts and make even greater discoveries in the field of technology!
This dramatic reversal left everyone completely unfamiliar with the name " Xu Zifan "! A world-class high-intelligence system? What is that? Is Xu Zifanreally that amazing? While they were oblivious, constantly mocking Xu Zifan for starting a lab as a sign of adolescent delusions, Xu Zifan quietly achieved such a major achievement? So, Xu Zifan's investment of 10 billion in the lab wasn't just a frivolous act, but rather a means to continue researching even more advanced technologies?
The haters were thoroughly slapped in the face, while everyone else cheered for Xu Zifan. The more of this kind of national glory, the better! As for Chairman Xu,who said in front of the media that he hadn't taught his nephew well, the Chinese people are truly grateful to him for not teaching him properly!