Two days later, at Shunchang Tower.
The entire building had been under strict lockdown since early morning.
From the two-story underground parking garage all the way up to the forty-eighth-floor conference room, security personnel in black suits stood guard at every third step and every fifth post.
The scale of the operation rivaled—even surpassed—the pomp reserved for foreign dignitaries.
The plaza at the building’s entrance was packed with luxury cars.
There were local cars bearing Pearl City license plates, as well as numerous business vehicles arriving from the provincial capital.
In the first-floor lobby, attendees were gradually signing in and entering.
In the front were a group of young men and women in professional attire, carrying briefcases or laptops. They exchanged pleasantries and discussed business matters.
These individuals were professional managers and industry elites recruited by Wanlonghui Group through social hiring.
“General Manager Yao, long time no see! I hear your Wanlong Supermarket’s quarterly revenue hit another record high?”
“Not at all, not at all! General Manager Zhao, your Wanlong Plaza is the real beast. I heard the new city project in BS Province is progressing at lightning speed—almost ready for opening.”
“It’s mainly thanks to the group’s policy support. If the Chairwoman hadn’t poured major resources into BS Province back then, we wouldn’t have such a big operation today.”
“By the way, Manager Liu, that new squirrel-shaped mandarin fish dish from Yuyuefang is selling like crazy. I’ve got to try it sometime.”
“Haha, I’ll arrange it! I’ll save the best private room for you, General Manager Zhao...”
Behind them was a group with a completely different vibe.
These people were all uniformly dressed in black suits, each wearing a dragon-shaped badge on the left chest. Their aura was sharper and more intense than that of the professional managers ahead, and their gazes were keener.
“Old Sun, you came too?”
“No kidding. If The Young Lady summons a meeting, who dares not show up?”
“I heard there’s going to be a big shake-up this time—the group might restructure.”
“Whatever it is, we do whatever The Young Lady says. Even if it means risking my life, I’m in!”
“...”
Some among this group still carried a hint of a gangster atmosphere when they spoke.
These were the core executives of Wanlonghui’s inner circle, many of whom had once been brothers and sisters who helped Liu Yutong hustle lobster and seafood on the streets.
At the registration desk, Su Mansu was rapidly checking the attendance list with her secretarial team.
“Wanlong Supermarket, General Manager Yao, confirmed sign-in.”
“Yuyuefang Catering, Manager Zhou, confirmed sign-in.”
“Huangquan Internet Café, President Zhang, confirmed sign-in.”
“Group HR department...”
Su Mansu scanned the room until she spotted Ma Da waddling through the main door, his belly sticking out.
This head of Wanlong Group’s HR department had actually ditched his usual punk hairstyle today. He had slicked his hair back into a shiny, oiled pompadour, giving him a bit more of an executive look.
“President Ma, your look today is really something! Someone might think you’re going on a blind date.”
Ma Da grinned. “The Young Lady’s holding a big meeting. I had to look decent—can’t embarrass her.”
With that, he picked up the sign-in pen, scrawled his messy name on the list, and then joined the group in black suits, casually handing a cigarette to an old buddy nearby.
The sign-in process lasted a full half-hour.
At 9:50 AM, all attendees were in place.
In the large conference room, nearly a hundred seats were filled to capacity.
In the front row sat the core members of Wanlonghui, most of them founding veterans:
Yu Xin, Yang Xin, Li Xiaohui, Chu Yang, Zhao Tianyi, Zhang Tao, Zhang Dalong... and others.
In the middle row were the professional managers from various subsidiaries, including Wanlong Plaza’s Deputy General Manager Zhao, Wanlong Supermarket chain’s Deputy General Manager Yao Qianshan, Yuyuefang’s Operations Director, and more.
In the back row were department heads and key team members.
“Yu Xin, what do you think The Young Lady wants by gathering us so urgently?”
“I’m guessing she wants to integrate resources. Look at all these divisions now—supermarkets, real estate, catering, internet cafés—most of them are operating independently. There’s a lot of waste.”
“Makes sense. But no matter what changes, us old brothers will still be the core.”
“No doubt about it. When has The Young Lady ever shortchanged us? Back when we were hustling lobster with her, who’d have thought we’d get this big? She’s always had a sharp eye.”
“Sharp, my ass! It’s called ‘insightful’!”
“Right, right, insightful! Insightful! Haha...”
As the crowd chatted, the conference room door was pushed open from the outside.
Su Mansu walked in.
Everyone in the room immediately turned to look at her.
Su Mansu scanned the room, confirming everyone was present, and then said, “The Young Lady has arrived.”
At those words, the murmuring in the room instantly ceased.
In unison, everyone sat up straight, adjusted their clothes, and fixed their gazes on the door, waiting for the queenly figure to appear.
At exactly 10:00 AM—not a second more or less—the conference room door opened again.
First, two core members in black suits stepped in. After opening the door, they stood at attention on either side.
Then, a young woman everyone recognized walked in, flanked by a man and a woman.
It was Liu Yutong, with Yun Cheng and Lan Die.
Today, Liu Yutong was also dressed in a black suit, with a special crystal dragon-shaped badge pinned to her chest.
Her long hair was tied back, revealing a face so delicate it was nearly flawless.
The moment she stepped into the room, everyone shot to their feet.
“Greetings, The Young Lady!” dozens of voices rang out.
“Greetings, Chairwoman!” dozens more echoed.
Liu Yutong gave a slight nod to the crowd and walked straight to the front of the long conference table, stopping at the seat of honor.
“Sit.”
Everyone immediately sat down in unison.
Su Mansu took her seat beside her, opening her laptop to take meeting minutes.
Without any preamble, Liu Yutong addressed the room directly.
“Today, I’ve called you all back to make an announcement.”
“Wanlonghui Group will be restructured.”
At these words, the room began to buzz with whispers. Many had already guessed it—given the group’s size, change was inevitable. Still, some felt a pang of nostalgia. It had only been about a year since the last restructuring, hadn’t it? And now another one. The pace of growth was like a rocket.
“Our Wanlonghui Group is getting bigger and bigger. Similarly, our subsidiaries are multiplying—from the original Yuyuefang, to Wanlong Supermarket, Wanlong Plaza, Huangquan Internet Café… and the mobile phone division we’re currently setting up. Our business lines are incredibly fragmented, and most divisions are operating in silos.
If this continues, it will only waste enormous resources. Each subsidiary’s efficiency will keep dropping, and internal friction will only accelerate.
For example, the delivery services of Wanhui Select urgently need logistics support. However, even though the logistics company has idle vehicles, the cumbersome approval process prevents timely allocation, resulting in a rising order delay rate.
"Furthermore, subsidiaries that have introduced external funding, such as Huangquan Internet Cafe, Wanhui Select, and Yuyue Fang, are essentially managing their own affairs. They lack a highly unified development direction and planning, which even impacts the Group's future growth strategy."
"Based on the above circumstances, restructuring the Group is imperative!"
