Chen Guiyuan stared blankly at the phone, his eyes hollow and devoid of any light.
"Chairman Chen! The four major banks of the Dragon Kingdom have all called. I'll put them through for you one by one!"
The major banks cooperating with Chen's Pharmaceuticals had assessed the risks facing the company and were now cutting ties one after another.
The capital chain was completely broken!
It was utterly impossible to secure any loans!
"Chairman Chen, what's even worse is that all of Chen's Pharmaceuticals' products similar to Shang's Pharmaceuticals' Black Ginseng Jade Bone Ointment have been forced off the shelves, and we're even facing formal complaints!"
"On top of that, several of our major overseas clients have stopped cooperating and gone to talk to Shang's Pharmaceuticals instead!"
Several assistants looked as though they were on the verge of tears.
Chen Guiyuan remained completely silent.
So far, the unfolding situation was merely the ripple effect of the Black Ginseng Jade Bone Ointment.
The real cruelty was yet to come—Shang Hongwei's targeted assault!
"This is bad! Shang's Pharmaceuticals is starting to devour our market share! Shang Hongwei has made his move!"
To this, Chen Guiyuan felt not a shred of surprise.
Yet he was entirely powerless to resist.
"Chairman Chen! All members of the board of directors are waiting for you in the meeting room! They've been causing a huge uproar and are extremely disappointed by your inaction!"
Wang Pengfei rushed over once more.
Chen Guiyuan slowly closed his eyes.
Internal trouble and external invasion!
"Let's go to the meeting room."
Chen Guiyuan rose to his feet.
"Chairman! Chen's Pharmaceuticals has reached this point, and you haven't taken a single measure?"
The moment he walked in, board member Gao Chi immediately interrogated him.
"That's right, Chairman, think of something! Chen's Pharmaceuticals cannot be allowed to fail!"
The other board members chimed in at once.
"Do you all think there are any good solutions right now?"
Chen Guiyuan sneered.
"I actually do have a suggestion..."
Gao Chi raised his hand.
"What is it?"
Everyone turned their gazes toward him in unison.
"I think we should make peace with Shang's Pharmaceuticals. I believe that as long as we hand over Chen's Pharmaceuticals' ancestral Scar Removal Ointment formula and cede a portion of our market share, Shang's Pharmaceuticals will definitely agree!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was in shock.
"This is a decent idea! It really can preserve Chen's Pharmaceuticals!"
"There is no better solution than this!"
...
Several board members immediately began to voice their support for Gao Chi.
Chen Guiyuan laughed.
Such a scenario was already within his calculations.
In the face of the Chen family crisis, traitors were bound to emerge.
And Gao Chi was one of them!
What he was proposing right now was precisely what Shang Hongwei wanted!
Only by complying would Shang Hongwei spare the Chen family.
"No! How can we sue for peace with Shang's Pharmaceuticals?"
The majority still remained opposed.
"Then what do you propose we do about the current situation?"
...
The two sides argued fiercely and incessantly.
"As expected, what he wants is my ancestral Scar Removal Ointment formula!"
Chen Guiyuan sneered.
The reason he was able to become the Medicine King was entirely thanks to the ancestral Scar Removal Ointment formula.
Back then, He Wenqian had obtained two ancestral formulas: one was the Scar Removal Ointment, and the other was the Spirit Nourishing Pill.
The couple had agreed that each would take one formula and neither would interfere with the other; Chen Guiyuan had taken the Scar Removal Ointment.
Because the formula for the Scar Removal Ointment was relatively complete, Chen's Pharmaceuticals had risen to prominence on its strength.
The Spirit Nourishing Pill formula was severely incomplete, which was why He Wenqian's He Pharmaceutical lagged slightly behind.
Even so, it still ranked among the top five in Jiangcheng.
"Alright, meeting adjourned!"
After Chen Guiyuan left, Gao Chi walked over to a corner with a gloomy expression and dialed a number: "Chairman Shang, Chen Guiyuan hasn't responded to the demand to hand over the Scar Removal Ointment yet! He's hesitating!"
"Good! I'll make him hand it over obediently!"
A chilling, ruthless voice came from the other end.
Following that, Shang's Pharmaceuticals launched a frenzy of action.
They aggressively devoured the market share of Chen's Pharmaceuticals.
They poached Chen's Pharmaceuticals' herb suppliers, distribution channels, and business partners.
They aggressively forced Chen's Pharmaceuticals products off the shelves of pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
At the same time, cases alleging product quality issues at Chen's Pharmaceuticals began surfacing across various regions, accompanied by real-name whistleblowing reports.
This prompted the pharmaceutical regulatory authorities to directly suspend the listing and sales of Chen's Pharmaceuticals products, while dispatching a task force to station themselves inside Shang's Pharmaceuticals for inspections.
...
This was Shang Hongwei's ultimate move.
He intended to drive Chen's Pharmaceuticals to a dead end in one fell swoop!
Chen Guiyuan returned home looking like a walking corpse.
He Wenqian hurriedly asked him about the situation.
Chen Guiyuan sighed, "Shang's Pharmaceuticals is playing too ruthlessly; we can't hold out!"
"Guiyuan! How about I take out all fifty billion in investments? We still have the ancestral formulas for the Scar Removal Ointment and the Spirit Nourishing Pill, after all. If our two companies join forces, we can still put up a fight!"
He Wenqian possessed considerable resolve.
She was firmly opposed to surrendering to the Shang family!
Chen Guiyuan glanced at her and said, "With your money, we might temporarily resolve the predicament, but it's still not enough! The ultimate outcome will be the same!"
"Ah? It's that terrifying?"
He Wenqian was startled.
"The ancestral formula for the Black Ginseng Jade Bone Ointment is worth at least a hundred billion! The real terror is only just beginning to show!"
"This..."
The hearts of everyone present sank to rock bottom.
Chen Xiaoran bit her lip, her face filled with anxiety.
"Unless I can get my hands on an even more powerful ancestral formula! Other than that, there is no other way!"
Chen Guiyuan sighed.
Yet everyone knew full well—how could ancestral formulas be so easy to come by?
For thirty years, Chen Guiyuan had been searching for ancestral formulas.
He hadn't found a single one!
"Adoptive Father, do you want to make a comeback?"
Ye Lingtian asked.
He did not want to see his adoptive mother worry like this.
"Don't bother me!"
Chen Guiyuan didn't even raise his head to look at him.
Ye Lingtian said, "Shang's Pharmaceuticals is using low-cost herbs to replace the original ingredients of the ancestral formula! But I can use even lower-cost herbs as substitutes, and the finished product will be even more effective than theirs!"
"I can even improve your ancestral formulas for the Scar Removal Ointment and the Spirit Nourishing Pill to absolute perfection. Relying on these two, Chen's Pharmaceuticals can easily rise to prominence!"
Ye Lingtian had looked over their products and found that they suffered from too many deficiencies.
However, he was capable of improving them.
Yet no one believed him.
They simply regarded Ye Lingtian as someone spouting nonsense and making trouble.
Improve the ancestral formulas, of his own accord?
He had possessed these two ancestral formulas for thirty years, and after consulting numerous miracle doctors and experts, no one had been able to improve them!
How dare a wet-behind-the-ears kid like him open his mouth and make such a claim?
"Get lost to the side! When has I, Chen Guiyuan, ever needed a junior to teach me how to do things?"
Chen Guiyuan sneered.
"Fine then, I won't care anymore!"
For the sake of his adoptive mother, Ye Lingtian had given them a chance, but Chen Guiyuan had thrown it away himself.
Shang Hongwei's targeted assault continued unabated!
This time, the sanctions were aimed at the other members of the Chen family.
Chen's Pharmaceuticals and the Chen family were two different matters.
Chen's Pharmaceuticals belonged to Chen Guiyuan alone, and he had merely given Chen Guofeng and the others some shares.
Soon, every major enterprise belonging to the Chen family businesses was subjected to sanctions.
Suppliers, distribution channels, and capital chains all ran into trouble.
"Grandfather, a group of people just smashed up my car for no reason!"
"Dad! What are we going to do? All the assets under my name have been frozen!"
"Dad, the bank just called demanding repayment! The guarantor for my previous loan was Third Uncle! Third Uncle has been blacklisted!"
...
Every large and small enterprise of the Chen family was affected.
Without the towering tree of Chen's Pharmaceuticals to shelter them, dealing with the rest of the family was practically effortless.
Chen Guofeng's expression was icy as well. The three companies under his name had also been hit with sanctions, and within days, they would face the risk of bankruptcy.
"What do we do?"
His eldest son, Chen Guichuan, and second son, Chen Guihai, looked frantic.
Chen Guofeng sighed, "Even Guiyuan is helpless; what possible solutions could we have?"
Chen Guihai proposed, "If push comes to shove, we have no choice but to sue for peace with Shang's Pharmaceuticals! That's the only way to preserve our Chen family!"
Before long, Chen Guofeng contacted Shang Hongwei, proposed a truce, and asked him to state his conditions.
Shang Hongwei's conditions were—
First, present the ancestral formula for the Scar Removal Ointment;
Second, cede eighty percent of Chen's Pharmaceuticals' market share.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Guofeng immediately ordered, "Call Third Uncle and Xiaoran over here right now!"
A short while later.
Chen Guiyuan and Chen Xiaoran arrived.
"Third Son, tell me the truth, can you resolve our current predicament?"
Chen Guofeng demanded directly.
Chen Guiyuan shook his head. "No!"
"Since that's the case, we have no choice but to make peace with the Shang family! Everyone in the Chen family is facing sanctions right now, and if this goes on, we're all in danger!"
Chen Guofeng spoke bluntly.
He then laid out Shang Hongwei's conditions.
"But Dad, if we do that, my Chen's Pharmaceuticals will practically cease to exist!"
Ceding eighty percent of the share alongside the Scar Removal Ointment formula was too terrifying.
Chen Guiyuan was more than a little reluctant.
Wang Lixiu glared at him. "Are you an idiot, son? Doesn't your wife's company still exist?"
Chen Guofeng chimed in, "That's right! Our current goal is to preserve the Chen family! Then you can take the opportunity to take over Wenqian's company and seize the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula as well!"
The Chen family members all agreed in unison, "Right, this is our chance!"
For a long time, Chen Guofeng and the others had coveted He Wenqian's He Pharmaceutical, believing that a daughter-in-law of the Chen family should not hold supreme authority.
They had repeatedly suggested that Chen Guiyuan swallow up He Pharmaceutical.
They had constantly been searching for an opportunity to strip He Wenqian of her authority and her ancestral formulas.
Chen Guiyuan immediately refused. "No! A long time ago, Wenqian and I made an agreement not to interfere in each other's careers!"
"Absolute nonsense! We're all one family, why distinguish between yours and mine? Isn't He Wenqian a daughter-in-law of our Chen family?"
Old Master Chen Guofeng flew into a rage on the spot.
"That's right! If you don't take over He Pharmaceutical, our Chen family will exist in name only, and the crisis will still loom over us! Only by becoming strong can we avoid being bullied!"
"Besides, you and she are husband and wife; who controls He Pharmaceutical makes no difference!"
Under the relentless persuasion of his family, Chen Guiyuan's resolve wavered.
Even Chen Xiaoran felt it made sense.
"Dad, after all, we're all family, and Mom will understand!"
From her perspective, it didn't matter which of her parents held the reins.
At that moment, Chen Shihao and several other Chen family juniors rushed inside in a panic.
They were covered in blood.
Their bodies bore numerous knife wounds.
"Grandfather, for no apparent reason, a group of people came looking for trouble with us and slashed us! They even warned us to watch our steps!"
Chen Shihao and the others said with bitter frustration.
Clearly, this was Shang Hongwei's warning.
He was leaving the Chen family no way out!
"Third Son, you saw it! This is the time to make up your mind!"
"Tonight it's the juniors getting slashed; tomorrow it might be me."
Chen Guofeng sighed.
Chen Guiyuan was torn as well. True to his character, he would normally fight Shang Hongwei to the bitter end.
Yet now he had to consider the entire household of the Chen family!
Things had reached such a desperate impasse.
He didn't wish to see any member of the Chen family come to harm.
"I can agree to it!"
Pressed by these various pressures, Chen Guiyuan ultimately bowed his head.
"But Wenqian won't be easy to deal with! Especially since she holds the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula!"
Chen Guiyuan said.
Eldest brother Chen Guichuan immediately chimed in, "Don't worry, there's a way around that too!"
"Dad, as long as you open your mouth and ask Wenqian to hand over the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula, she certainly won't refuse!"
"Then we can hold a family meeting to make Wenqian surrender supreme authority over He Pharmaceutical!"
...
Chen Guofeng nodded, then looked toward Chen Guiyuan and his daughter. "Don't go thinking we're targeting Wenqian! I only want to preserve the Chen family!"
Chen Guiyuan and his daughter sighed.
How could they not understand the logic?
To preserve the Chen family, sacrifices had to be made.
Or rather, this couldn't even be called a sacrifice—it was only right and proper.
"Rest assured, we'll temporarily push Wenqian out, and once things stabilize, we'll welcome her back!"
Chen Guiyuan and his daughter nodded.
"Oh, and Third Son, find a way to get your hands on Wenqian's fifty billion in investments!"
"With that fifty billion, we can make a comeback!"
Chen Guofeng instructed.
"Right, okay, I understand!"
Returning home that evening, Chen Guiyuan said to He Wenqian, "Wenqian, take out your fifty billion! I refuse to take this lying down!"
If Chen Guiyuan had spoken plainly, he would have feared that He Wenqian wouldn't agree.
He had no choice but to use this trick to swindle the money over first.
Hearing that Chen Guiyuan hadn't given up, He Wenqian was overjoyed.
Without a second thought, she immediately contacted finance and transferred the fifty billion funds into Chen's account.
The next day.
The plight of Chen's Pharmaceuticals grew increasingly dire.
Large batches of employees began to resign.
Some of the high-level technical personnel were poached by other enterprises.
People came to wreak havoc, smash things up, and set fires at their directly affiliated pharmacies and production plants.
The Chen enterprise descended into utter chaos.
No matter how powerful Chen's Pharmaceuticals once was, it couldn't hold out for many more days at this rate.
Up to this point, besides stubbornly enduring, there was simply no other way out.
Shang Hongwei's targeted assault continued.
As long as Chen Guiyuan refused to sue for peace for a single day, the attacks would not cease for a single day.
This cemented Chen Guiyuan's resolve to sacrifice He Wenqian in order to preserve the entire Chen family.
In the evening.
Chen Guofeng summoned all members of the Chen family to the Chen Residence.
Ye Lingtian and He Wenqian accompanied them there.
"I've called everyone together urgently for only one reason!"
"At this juncture, I believe we must all unite!"
"We haven't been defeated yet! As long as we have the Scar Removal Ointment formula and the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula, we still have hope!"
...
Chen Guofeng looked at He Wenqian. "Wenqian, back then you and the third son each took one ancestral formula, agreeing not to interfere with each other! But now that the Chen family has reached its most critical moment, you must hand over the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula! And you must also hand over supreme authority over your company to Guiyuan!"
"With these two ancestral formulas and your company, we still have hope! We won't force you; let's hold a family vote! All those in favor of Wenqian handing over the ancestral formula and the company's authority, raise your hands!"
"Swish, swish, swish..."
The dozens of people present raised their hands in unison.
What shocked Ye Lingtian beyond measure was that Chen Guiyuan and his daughter raised their hands as well.
Sure enough, Chen Guofeng's family was devoid of any good stock.
First, they had embezzled his mother's ring, and now they were pulling this stunt.
They had actually united to bully his adoptive mother?
He Wenqian let out a desolate, miserable laugh.
Chen Guiyuan and Chen Xiaoran kept their heads bowed, not even daring to look her in the eye!
"Wenqian, it's the general trend—hand over the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula and supreme company authority!"
Chen Guofeng stared fixedly at He Wenqian!
"Fine! I can hand the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula over to you! But supreme authority over the company must be decided by the board of directors! It's not something you can just arbitrate at whim! Especially not you people!"
With that, He Wenqian handed the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula over to Chen Guofeng.
She turned and left, taking Ye Lingtian with her.
"Wenqian, I'll explain this to you later!"
Chen Guiyuan immediately called out.
Only, He Wenqian's heart was practically dead.
"Look at how the third son is henpecked! In truth, she should have handed it over long ago! As a daughter-in-law of my Chen family, how could she hoard things for herself?"
The gathered crowd sneered.
That night, He Wenqian did not return to the Genting Villa with Ye Lingtian, but went instead to He Pharmaceutical.
Yet the plotting of the Chen family members continued.
"Third Son, this is also a golden opportunity to drive that little bastard Ye Lingtian out!"
Chen Guihail proposed another suggestion.
"Taking advantage of this opportunity, we can drive Wenqian to a dead end! Force her to choose between the Chen family and Ye Lingtian, and she will definitely abandon Ye Lingtian."
Upon hearing the proposal to drive Ye Lingtian away, Chen Guiyuan and Chen Xiaoran readily agreed without hesitation.
This was a rare opportunity indeed!
The next day, Shang's Pharmaceuticals made a sudden announcement—they would launch a new product within a week: the Scar Removal Ointment.
Moreover, its pricing would be lower than that of Chen's Pharmaceuticals.
As soon as this news was announced, the Jiangcheng pharmaceutical industry exploded once more!
Who could have imagined—aside from the Black Ginseng Jade Bone Ointment formula, Shang Hongwei had now gotten his hands on the Scar Removal Ointment formula as well.
"Boom!"
When He Wenqian heard this news, her pupils constricted and she collapsed limply to the ground.
Shang Hongwei had obtained the Scar Removal Ointment formula?
Did that not mean—Chen Guofeng and the others had sued for peace with the Shang family.
Getting her formula yesterday...
It had all been a plot!
The Chen family had sacrificed her!
This would also be the final straw that broke the camel's back!
What she never expected was that both her husband and her daughter had gone behind her back to commit such an act—sacrificing her to preserve the Chen family.
He Wenqian was practically on the verge of a breakdown!
Soon, another piece of news arrived: He Pharmaceutical was going to hold a board of directors meeting.
This time, all the board members were present, and Chen Guofeng had come as well.
Back then, both Chen's Pharmaceuticals and He Pharmaceutical had given Chen Guofeng and Chen Xiaoran portions of their shares.
Currently, He Wenqian was the majority shareholder of He Pharmaceutical, followed by Chen Xiaoran, and then Chen Guofeng and the others.
Without wasting words, Chen Guofeng stated his purpose directly: "Following discussions among multiple members of the board of directors, it is recommended that He Wenqian be dismissed from her position as director!"
"Agreed, I consent!"
"I consent as well!"
...
One board member after another immediately agreed.
He Wenqian knew they had all been bought off by Chen Guofeng.
"I consent too!"
Crucially, Chen Xiaoran also voted in agreement.
In Chen Xiaoran's view, it didn't matter which of her parents held the reins anyway.
This left He Wenqian incomparably shocked.
Her own daughter had joined in to vote for her dismissal?
The crux of the matter was that their combined shares outweighed her own, giving them the absolute right to depose her.
Chen Guofeng cast a ruthless glance at He Wenqian and said coldly, "Since everyone feels there is no problem, let's put it to a vote!"
The outcome was glaringly obvious: He Wenqian was kicked off the board of directors.
She finally understood.
Taking advantage of this opportunity!
The Chen family had taken her ancestral formula, stripped her of her supreme authority, and even looted her fifty billion in investments.
Sacrificing her alone to preserve the entire Chen family.
Aware of the situation, He Wenqian wept uncontrollably. Why had things turned out like this?
Why had her husband and daughter both betrayed her?
Furious, He Wenqian returned home, wanting to demand an explanation from Chen Guiyuan.
Only, Chen Guiyuan was nowhere to be found.
Chen Guihai and the others, however, were still there.