Chapter 1462: 1462 Arrangements

Chapter 1462: Chapter 1462 Arrangements

Yang Qingyin got into the car, and the Audi A4 driven by Xiaoli soon left the residential area.

After the Audi A4 disappeared into the night, Luo Ziling turned back and walked into Ling Ruonan’s villa.

When he entered the house, Ling Ruonan and Luo Yuqing were still chatting.

Luo Yuqing told Ling Ruonan everything that happened today. When she saw Luo Ziling return, she exaggerated and complained about him.

“Mrs. Ling, Ziling keeps bullying me, he doesn’t treat me like an older sister at all.”

“Aw, I’m more wronged than Dou E,” Luo Ziling sat down next to Luo Yuqing, looking aggrieved as he complained to Ling Ruonan, “Today, Yuqing bullied me all day, but I didn’t expect her to complain about me in front of you.”

“You’re a man; you need to let women have their way,” Ling Ruonan glared at Luo Yuqing, “Don’t always quarrel with women.”

“Fine,” Luo Ziling reluctantly responded, “But, my two beautiful ladies, can you tell me what you were just talking about?”

“Yuqing was telling me about you meeting Zhao Lijing and Yan Ying today,” Ling Ruonan didn’t hold back and shared what they were discussing, “I really didn’t expect Yuqing to come up with this approach to recruit people—it surprised me.”

“Yuqing is naturally very capable; she has quite a reputation at school,” Luo Ziling said with a smile, praising Luo Yuqing, “Without talent, could she have remained in the position of Yan University Student Union president for so many years?”

Hearing Luo Ziling speak well of her, Luo Yuqing couldn’t help but feel a little smug, and her gaze toward Luo Ziling became more friendly.

“I hope to see you bring us some surprises,” Ling Ruonan said sincerely to Luo Yuqing, “Ziling and I will do our best to help you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Ling!” Luo Yuqing expressed her gratitude sincerely.

After chatting for a while longer, Luo Yuqing also prepared to leave. As before, Luo Ziling escorted her out.

“I really enjoyed today,” Luo Yuqing giggled after stepping out of the house, “Your mom is treating me better and better.”

Luo Ziling rolled his eyes at her, “I thought you were happy because of me!”

“If you hadn’t bullied me today, I would’ve been even happier,” Luo Yuqing retorted, somewhat annoyed, linking her arm through Luo Ziling’s, “From the moment we met, you’ve been bullying me. Now it’s gotten even worse.”

“I must be Dou E reborn!”

“Hmph, from now on, you’re not allowed to bully me anymore. You have to protect me and keep me happy.”

“Alright, as long as you don’t bully me, I’ll keep you happy.”

“You’re the only person I’m willing to and want to bully. If I didn’t bully you, life would be less fun. So, I’ll keep bullying you. Being teased by a beauty like me—you should feel honored.” As she said this, Luo Yuqing looked completely smug.

“I’d rather not have this honor!”

“But you must!”

“I won’t!”

“You definitely will!” Luo Yuqing said, suddenly turning to hug Luo Ziling, “Once I fully adapt to this new role, I’ll stop bullying you!”

“…”

“Alright, let me hug you—it’s giving you a little advantage, so don’t feel so wronged anymore!”

“…”

Triumphant after verbally defeating Luo Ziling, Luo Yuqing left with a smug expression on her face.

Luo Ziling knew Ling Ruonan would still have something to say to him, so after sending Luo Yuqing to her car, he returned to the villa.

“This afternoon, Ling Zhengping came to the Northern Group looking for me,” Ling Ruonan started talking as soon as Luo Ziling sat down.

Luo Ziling looked a bit surprised, thought for a moment, and asked, “Mom, did he come on his own initiative, or did you ask him to come over?”

“He came of his own accord. I haven’t contacted him since the New Year,” Ling Ruonan smiled but didn’t elaborate further.

“Mom, if I’m not mistaken, Ling Zhengping must have been reprimanded by Great Grandfather and Grandfather before coming to talk to you, right?”

“Exactly,” Ling Ruonan’s smile widened, “He came to formally apologize.”

“So, is he willing to make amends?”

“He wouldn’t take the initiative to offer compensation,” Ling Ruonan shook her head, “But his act of coming over to apologize already implies his intention to concede.”

“Mom, what’s your next move?” Luo Ziling asked curiously.

“At the very least, they shouldn’t think about getting hold of the Northern Group,” Ling Ruonan’s tone turned serious, “This afternoon, the Northern Group held a board meeting. They accepted the resignations of several directors and elected new board members.”

Although Ling Ruonan didn’t explain clearly, Luo Ziling knew the directors who had resigned were not people Ling Ruonan trusted, and those newly elected to the board were likely individuals she intended to promote and consider her allies.

After this board restructuring, the Northern Group was likely consolidated, turning into an impregnable entity under Ling Ruonan’s control, leaving outsiders no room to interfere.

Ling Zhengping could only accept this outcome helplessly, and Ling Jinhua as well as Ling Mingrui likely didn’t object either.

Luo Ziling thought for a moment and asked again, “Mom, besides this, have you fought for anything else?”

“Currently, the Northern Group’s market value is 210 billion. The shares I actually control amount to 15%. The Ling Family recognizing my control over the Northern Group and consenting that the shares belonging to me are fully mine already satisfies me,” Ling Ruonan said with a smile, “Although we could use the current situation to push for more demands, that would likely irritate Great Grandfather and your Grandfather. Ling Zhengping and Ling Zhenghui conceding is already a victory for us. So, it’s better to take what we have and not overreach. Some things can be fought for gradually in the future—we’ll still need to engage them in a battle of wits going forward.”

With a market value of 210 billion, Ling Ruonan’s 15% stake was worth over 30 billion.

Even if there weren’t other assets to speak of, just the shares in the Northern Group represented an astonishing wealth.

30 billion was enough for a family to live lavishly for several generations—thinking of this, Luo Ziling couldn’t help but sigh.

Ling Ruonan continued, “I don’t personally hold all the Northern Group shares in my name. The total share capital of the Northern Group is 10 billion shares. My personal holdings only account for 200 million shares, which is just 2% of the total. Shares in your name total 490 million, your dad owns another 490 million, and 320 million shares are temporarily held under Wuyue’s name. I plan to use the board restructuring to transfer some shares held by Wuyue to Yuqing, but don’t let her know just yet. For now, keep it to yourself. Understood?”

“Got it,” Luo Ziling nodded, then asked with some doubt, “Why don’t all these shares just stay under your name?”

“If an individual’s holding exceeds 5%, it crosses the threshold for official disclosure rules, which is significant. The Northern Group’s shares are dispersed, and there’s no controlling shareholder.”

Although Luo Ziling didn’t fully understand Ling Ruonan’s explanation, he knew her strategic allocation of the shares meant she had secured control of the Northern Group.

To dominate a listed company worth hundreds of billions and wield control over shares worth tens of billions—that was already an extraordinary achievement.

In all of Huaxia, women with this level of wealth were surely few and far between. Luo Ziling couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration for his mother.