Chapter 211: Some Things Aren't Convenient to Say Over the Phone

After handling matters for the two companies, Li Xiao finally had some free time again.

The renovation company worked quickly and successfully completed the project within the agreed-upon timeframe.

Li Xiao was quite satisfied with the results of the villa’s renovation.

Every corner of the villa was fully utilized. From the spacious and bright living room to the comfortable bedrooms and the fully functional kitchen, every space exuded a simple yet elegant aesthetic.

His private gym and entertainment area, in particular, were designed exactly to his specifications and suited his tastes perfectly.

Li Xiao was especially pleased with the villa’s backyard.

After being refurbished, the swimming pool looked even more refined.

The landscape designer had cleverly used plants and other features to create a tranquil and comfortable outdoor space, perfect for him to relax in during his leisure time.

The kitchen was so large that it wasn’t just a place for him to unleash his culinary skills alone; it could easily accommodate three or four more people.

Now that the villa was renovated, Li Xiao called the furniture supplier and had all the pieces he had previously ordered delivered.

As each piece of furniture was placed in its designated spot, the once-empty villa finally started to look like a proper home.

Li Xiao was just starting to consider whether he should throw a housewarming party one weekend when he suddenly received a text message on his phone.

[Dear Haitian Flavors Shareholder: We cordially invite you to attend the Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, XXXX, at 2:00 PM in the main conference room at the company headquarters. The agenda for this meeting will include the company’s annual financial report, future development plans, and other important matters. We will follow up with a phone call to ensure you have received this message. We look forward to your attendance as we discuss and shape the future of our company together. Sincerely, The Board of Directors, Haitian Flavors]

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After reading the text, it suddenly dawned on Li Xiao that he did, in fact, own 0.4% of Haitian Flavors’ stock.

It was just that he had never been short of money, so the thought of selling or doing anything with those shares had never crossed his mind.

‘But judging by this text,’ he thought, ‘it must be the end of the year, and the company needs to hold its shareholder meeting.’

‘But with only 0.4% of the shares, what difference could he possibly make?’

Just as he was debating whether he should go check it out, his phone rang. Seeing it was an unknown number, Li Xiao had a thought. ‘This must be the follow-up call they mentioned.’

Lost in thought, Li Xiao answered the call.

A very polite female voice immediately came from the other end of the line.

“Hello, Mr. Li? My name is Zhang Xiangying, a representative from Haitian Flavors. I was calling to see if you received the notification from our board of directors about the upcoming shareholder meeting?”

‘Just as I thought,’ Li Xiao said to himself.

“Yes, I received it. But I have a question. I only own 0.4% of the stock. With such a small stake, it shouldn’t make much of a difference whether I attend the shareholder meeting or not, right?”

The total shares amounted to 100%, so his 0.4% was, at best, a drop in the bucket.

With his 0.4%, even if he participated in a vote, it would have absolutely no impact on the outcome.

On the other end of the line, countless question marks practically appeared over Zhang Xiangying’s head.

She had a very strong urge to make a sarcastic remark right then and there.

She really wondered what kind of family he came from to be able to say that a 0.4% stake in Haitian Flavors was “a small amount.”

After all, at Haitian Flavors’ current market value, just 0.1% of the company’s stock was worth over two hundred million.

The man she was speaking to held 0.4% of the stock, which meant his shares alone were worth nearly one billion.

And that wasn’t even counting the annual dividends and various shareholder benefits that came with a stake of that size.

Zhang Xiangying could only sigh. ‘The mindset of the truly wealthy is something I’ll never understand.’

She quickly explained.

“Mr. Li, Haitian Flavors’ Annual General Meeting doesn’t just cover the annual financial report and future development plans. It’s also where we announce the stock dividends for the year. Furthermore, if any major decisions need to be made, they require a shareholder vote.”

“And while you may hold 0.4% of the shares, that is actually an exceptionally high percentage for an individual shareholder.”

Hearing her tactful explanation, Li Xiao immediately understood. ‘Ah, so it’s a case of being the tallest dwarf.’

For a company as massive as Haitian Flavors, even though its stock was publicly traded, the majority of shares were likely held by large institutional investors. In that context, his 0.4% stake was probably quite significant for an individual.

The mention of stock dividends piqued Li Xiao’s interest in attending.

He wasn’t short on cash, but with his shares being worth nearly a billion and Haitian Flavors being a highly profitable company, he was curious to find out how much he would receive in dividends this year.

“Alright, I’ll be there on time.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Xiao hung up.

In his past life, even though he’d been very wealthy, he had never participated in a shareholder meeting.

After all, he had never been particularly interested in the stock market of Xia Country.

Stocks were supposed to reflect a company’s market value. If a company’s prospects were good, its stock price should naturally rise. If its development was poor, the price should naturally fall.

However, in Xia Country, under the control of certain manipulators, it had become a special tool for profiteering.

But since the system had serendipitously gifted him these shares, he wasn’t going to fight it.

The system had previously rewarded him with a lot of food ingredients. The ones with a short shelf life he had mostly given away in batches to his livestream viewers.

However, for the portion that could be stored long-term, he had his assistant move everything into the villa’s storeroom and walk-in freezer.

That’s right. To keep his food perfectly fresh, Li Xiao had a walk-in freezer of over ten square meters installed on the first floor.

The days passed, and just three days before the Haitian Flavors shareholder meeting, Li Xiao suddenly received a phone call.

“Excuse me, is this Mr. Li?”

Li Xiao glanced at the unknown number and pursed his lips in annoyance. Every time the end of the year rolled around, he’d get endless calls about bank loans and real estate promotions.

“Sorry, I don’t need a loan, and I have no intention of buying a new property at the moment.”

With that, he prepared to hang up.

But the person on the other end was quick and spoke up to stop him before he could hang up.

“No, Mr. Li, please don’t hang up!”

“This isn’t a sales call. I’m with Haitian Flavors. There’s something related to the shareholder meeting that I need to discuss with you further.”

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Li Xiao was curious. ‘With the shareholder meeting only three days away, what else could there be to discuss in advance?’

But he had no experience with these things. ‘Maybe this is just how shareholder meetings work.’

So, he asked.

“What is it you need to discuss with me?”

The person on the other end replied immediately.

“It’s not something that’s convenient to discuss over the phone. I was wondering if you, Mr. Li, might be free to meet in person?”