As Liu Yutong announced the transformation of the Wanlong Association into a corporate group, the office fell into a brief silence.
Soon after, excitement and enthusiasm lit up everyone’s faces.
Yun Cheng and Ma Da, the two veterans who had followed Liu Yutong the longest, exchanged a meaningful glance. They understood better than anyone the weight behind those words, and their hearts swelled with emotion.
Back when they had driven a beat-up minivan to Wushui County in search of their young mistress, who could have imagined they would achieve such success?
At that time, their future had been uncertain—some had even prepared to disband and find menial jobs in some city, resigned to a life of toil.
Yet, in just over half a year, under Liu Yutong’s leadership, they were now on the verge of establishing a full-fledged corporate group.
Liu Yutong observed their reactions but did not interrupt the chatter. Only when the noise subsided and all eyes returned to her did she continue, "Becoming a corporate group isn’t just about changing our name. Starting today, we must operate as a unified, coordinated, and disciplined force!"
With that, she drew an umbrella-shaped organizational chart beneath the words "Corporate Group" on the whiteboard.
"The future Wanlong Group will establish a headquarters and form a board of directors."
"I will serve as Chairwoman, while also holding the roles of CEO and CFO."
Her gaze then turned to Yun Cheng.
"Yun Cheng, representing the employee shareholders of the Wanlong Association, you will take the positions of Employee Director and Executive Director, occupying two seats on the board. The former Security Department will be officially renamed the Group Safety and Compliance Department, under your leadership."
"Your primary responsibilities will be ensuring the safety of the group headquarters, key subsidiaries, critical assets, and the personal security of senior executives—all while operating within legal and regulatory boundaries. This department will report directly to me!"
"Yes, Young Mistress!" Yun Cheng acknowledged the order.
Liu Yutong proceeded to announce the appointments of other board members.
Ma Da would oversee Group Human Resources as the HR Director, responsible for establishing unified HR policies, performance evaluation systems, and building a talent pool for the group and its subsidiaries. He would also handle the recruitment, appointment, and assessment of core executives.
Additionally, he would manage the selection and oversight of the Wanlong Association’s elite "Black Suit" members—a unique division exclusive to the association.
Of course, all appointments, especially for key positions, required her final approval before taking effect.
Li Xiaohui would head the Group Investment Department as its Director, also reporting directly to Liu Yutong.
With these appointments, the initial four core members of the board were confirmed:
Liu Yutong, Yun Cheng (two seats), Ma Da, and Li Xiaohui.
The board would bear the responsibility for the group’s highest-level strategic decisions, major investment approvals, and executive appointments and evaluations.
As for why figures like Yu Xin were not included yet—first, because others would be managing separate subsidiaries and not stationed at headquarters.
Second, no matter how many directors there were, the final say would always rest with Liu Yutong. The veterans understood this well.
Once the board appointments were finalized, the focus shifted to leadership assignments for the newly structured subsidiaries:
- Wanlong Retail Co., Ltd.: Managing all existing Wanlong supermarkets and potential future expansions into convenience stores and fresh produce community shops. Yang Xin would serve as General Manager, with Yao Qianshan as Deputy General Manager.
- Wanlong Catering Co., Ltd.: Overseeing the Yu Yue Fang chain of restaurants and any future acquisitions or incubations of other dining brands. Yu Xin would take the role of General Manager.
- Wanlong Technology Co., Ltd.: Responsible for the Wanlong Group-Buying Platform, with Yu Xin concurrently serving as General Manager and Xiao Bin as Chief Operating Officer of the group-buying project.
- Wanlong Logistics Co., Ltd.: Initially handling internal group logistics, including food delivery, supermarket instant delivery, and group-buying store pickups. It would later expand into a third-party delivery platform.
- Wanlong Information Technology Co., Ltd.: Managing the Huangquan Internet cafes and potential future ventures like e-sports hotels and clubs. Li Xiaohui would temporarily act as General Manager, with Liu Yutong providing guidance.
- Tianyi Law Firm: Funded by the Wanlong Association but officially remaining an independent partner. Zhao Tianyi would continue leading it separately.
With each subsidiary named, Liu Yutong marked it on the whiteboard. When the entire structure was clearly laid out, she turned to the room and declared,
"Today, I announce the official launch of the Wanlong Group!"
"All subsidiary General Managers and department heads—immediately gather your teams after this meeting. Begin the registration and restructuring processes according to the group’s strategy, and set your first-year targets!"
"Let’s get moving!"
"Yes, Young Mistress!"
"Yes, Chairwoman!" Over twenty executives responded in unison.
Liu Yutong waved her hand. "Meeting adjourned!"
Shortly after, Liu Yutong met with Xue Qian, an artist who had just finished a promotional event and returned to his studio—also located in the same building, courtesy of Liu Yutong, who had provided him with an entire floor.
Perhaps out of gratitude or other reasons, Xue Qian readily agreed to the Wanlong Association taking a controlling stake in his studio. Together, they established Wanlong Media, with Xue Qian as the nominal General Manager (though uninvolved in operations, with management handled by the Wanlong Group).
In the following days, Liu Yutong met with Yu Mo to discuss the construction of the Wanlong Group headquarters.
They agreed that Yu Mo’s side would fund the bidding process, adopting a phased construction approach to avoid prolonged delays. This way, the group could occupy the premises as soon as the first phase was completed while easing financial pressure.
After all, building and furnishing a headquarters comparable to a small campus would require an investment of at least several billion yuan.
Later, Liu Yutong arranged another meeting, bringing Lin Muyang and Yu Mo together to finalize the transfer of the West District development project.
In the end, the project was sold to the Yu Group for approximately 40 million yuan.
Lin Muyang also shared news with Liu Yutong: Zhao Weixiang had agreed to take over his liabilities.
Liu Yutong was surprised Zhao Weixiang would accept Lin Muyang’s mess, but it was for the best—once cleared, Lin Muyang’s risks would no longer be a concern.
Still, to be safe, she advised Lin Muyang to hire a lawyer to patch any legal loopholes, preventing Zhao Weixiang from exploiting them.
After resolving Lin Muyang’s issues, the conversation turned to the Mingcheng Chamber of Commerce.
Liu Yutong had already prepared the necessary documents.
Soon, Zhao Tianyi arrived.
"Tianyi, how are the registration and legal framework preparations coming along for the private equity fund under the Mingzhu Chamber of Commerce’s name?"
Zhao Tianyi promptly handed her the files his team had prepared.
"Miss Liu, the foundational framework and draft registration documents have been completed. As per your request, the company will be named Pearl Capital, initially positioned as an equity investment fund. The application materials for the manager qualification are also being prepared concurrently."
Liu Yutong nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent work, very efficient."
Then, she turned her gaze to Yu Mo and Lin Muyang.
"This Pearl Capital will be our key investment platform moving forward. After joining, both of you will become GP partners. Initially, we will inject seed capital, but in the later stages, we’ll need to leverage the connections and credibility of the chamber to attract more LP funding. In this regard, I hope you both can fully utilize your respective networks."
"Don’t worry, Yutong. Several of my friends have already expressed interest in hopping on board after hearing about the establishment of the Pearl Chamber. I’ll make sure the Pearl Capital name gains prominence in the industry as quickly as possible."
"No problem on my end either."
