Chapter 8

"Ah, my dear Uncle Obadiah, we certainly don't have a rule about kicking an important shareholder out of the shareholders' meeting, and being late is such a minor issue, isn't it?" Tony Stark, of course, wouldn't let the boxer he had worked hard to bring in be kicked out without even getting a chance to step onto the ring, so he immediately began to defend Zhou Yi.

And his reasoning, everyone knew, was that Mr. Stark was absolutely the person who had the most tardy appearances at the shareholders' meetings, with no one coming close.

"I agree with Mr. Stark's point. Mr. Zhou is an important shareholder, and his opinion is absolutely indispensable for our corporate strategy." With Tony Stark leading the charge, others naturally followed. When Obadiah saw the person who spoke up, his already gloomy face darkened even more.

Stark Industries, a munitions company founded during World War II, became one of the world's most famous multinational giants in just two generations due to the unparalleled inventiveness of the two Stark generations.

In the field of high-tech, only a few giants like Osborn Industries, Hammer Industries, and Japan's Shizutani Industries could rival Stark Industries. Stark Industries was, without a doubt, the leader.

Such a massive enterprise, with financial power that could crush nearly half of the European countries, naturally had a very complex structure. First was its owner, Stark, with Tony Stark holding about 23% of the company's shares, making him the largest shareholder and the owner of many patents essential to the company's survival. These patents belonged not only to Tony Stark but also to his father, so his position in the company was virtually unshakable unless Stark Industries' stock plummeted.

But even that, the U.S. government wouldn't allow to happen.

Next was Obadiah Stane, the founding member who started the company with Tony Stark's father. He was undoubtedly the second-largest shareholder, holding about 11% of the shares. He was also the controller of Stark Industries, of course, under the condition that Tony Stark allowed it.

Then came Zhou Yi, who initially held only 2% of the shares. However, with the surge in IT stocks, he traded his IT shares with people on Wall Street and other shareholders, gradually increasing his holdings to 6.7%, making him the third-largest shareholder.

The remaining shares, about 5%, were held by scattered individual investors. The financial tycoons of Wall Street collectively held 7%, the U.S. Air Force and Army held 10%, Osborn Industries and Shizutani Industries held 4% and 5% respectively. This was a mutual holding arrangement, which was common in large enterprises.

The remaining 28% of the shares were held by over twenty different companies and families. According to Stark Industries' rules, shareholders with less than 1% of the shares did not have the right to participate in the shareholders' meeting. Therefore, only about six or seven people could attend this meeting.

Among these six or seven people, no one would dare to offend a giant like Obadiah, and most of them followed his lead. So, the person who spoke up naturally came from the others, and the U.S. military was the most eager to see some disruption.

Seeing the U.S. military speak up, Obadiah knew there was no point in continuing the argument. He could only say with a stern face:

"Then, let's move on. Mr. Zhou, as we discussed, the company plans to formally conduct transactions in sixteen regions in the Middle East. According to our financial analysts, the annual profit is estimated to be about $20 billion. The Middle East is at war, Africa is at war, the more they fight, the more we profit, and our country's control over this region will be stronger. I believe everyone understands this. If this plan succeeds, the dividends for everyone will be substantial, won't they?"

Obadiah was making a final effort, trying to win over the shareholders with the promise of money. Hearing about the profits and dividends, some people were indeed restless.

$20 billion was a lot, but everyone in the room knew that this was the figure on the books, used for tax purposes. The actual profit would be at least double, if not more. As a financial giant, Stark Industries would never engage in tax evasion; doing so would be suicidal. For the American people, the IRS was the most powerful government agency, and even Stark Industries wouldn't want to provoke such a beast.

In fact, the U.S. was known for its high taxes, especially for multinational corporations. To legally avoid taxes, every company and wealthy individual in the U.S. had dedicated accountants to calculate how to do so. The most common method for large enterprises was charitable donations. Whether it was for fire victims, military families, African children, or even the death of a dog, there was always a reason to donate, and the primary purpose was to avoid taxes.

Tony Stark's reputation as a philanthropist came from his role as the head of Stark Industries, where he accumulated it through one charity gala after another. Everyone in the room had such a title, and their primary purpose was to avoid taxes.

So, the dividends and the reported profits had nothing to do with each other. For example, if Zhou Yi agreed to the plan, he would only receive a few hundred million in dividends on the books, but in reality, he would receive at least a few billion. This was the difference, and the kind of profit that could make one's head spin.

"OK. We understand Mr. Stark's point. No one wants to cross Mr. Franklin. But I have a small question," Zhou Yi said, sitting next to Tony Stark and looking at the documents Obadiah had prepared.

"The list of regions we are selling arms to doesn't seem to include only our friendly forces. What if one day our missiles hit our own people?"

"We have no 'own people,' Mr. Zhou! We are businessmen!" Obadiah said, suppressing his irritation, emphasizing each word.

"Of course, I understand!" Zhou Yi smiled. "But don't forget, we are businessmen, but the American people only see us as Americans. If my worst fears come true, who will take responsibility for the angry American people? I want to make it clear, I veto this proposal!"

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, Tony Stark immediately added, "Hey! I also want to make it clear, I don't oppose it, but I don't support it either. In short, I won't take responsibility for this, definitely not!" He seemed to emphasize the importance by repeating it twice.

The military, of course, would not support this proposal, and Wall Street also didn't want to get involved in this mess. While these people were all money-hungry, most of them were Jews, and they had no reason to support the Muslims. After all, the most likely and justified conflict in the Middle East was between Jews and Muslims.

While they didn't care much about the Middle Eastern people, they wouldn't support the enemy and then come out to take the blame. These shrewd individuals wouldn't do such a thing.

As for Osborn and Shizutani, they were happy to see their old rivals lose a big deal.

In a moment, Obadiah's plan had lost most of its support. For the remaining half, even if Obadiah used the fattest part of his body to think, he knew it was almost impossible. So, he just sat in his chair with a gloomy face, remaining silent until the end of the meeting.

Of course, everyone understood that this wasn't a sign of resignation but a silent volcano. Even Tony Stark, being quite wise, didn't provoke this old man.

As soon as the meeting ended, Obadiah left the Stark building with a group of people in his private car. It was clear he didn't want to see the two troublemakers for a while.

Watching Obadiah's car disappear from his sight, Tony Stark raised his glass and sighed, "This is really frustrating, Yi. Did we go too far?"

"Too far? That's your problem, Obadiah is your uncle, not mine." Zhou Yi rolled his eyes and drank the champagne in his hand.

"Hey, buddy! Can't you understand my feelings? That's the person who raised me!" Tony said, his expression suggesting he was genuinely upset, though anyone who didn't know better would think he was still upset about his Uncle Obadiah.

Tony's thick-skinned nature was something Zhou Yi was well aware of. Anyone who could suggest a champagne toast after such an event shouldn't be expected to show much sympathy. So, Zhou Yi just chuckled to express his feelings.

"What does that chuckle mean? Buddy, can I take it as you're looking for a fight?" Tony, not one to back down, immediately confronted his comrade.

And Zhou Yi wasn't the type to back down either. He replied, "Oh, you can bring Hogan along, I don't mind a two-on-one, really!"

After considering Zhou Yi's combat skills and estimating his own and Hogan's combined strength, Tony wisely changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, buddy, we haven't seen each other in so long. Shouldn't we have a party to celebrate? I'm sure those lovely ladies will miss us. Of course, the old rules apply, I get to choose first, and this time I'll let you off easy, Hogan isn't someone to mess with."

"Let's talk about it in a few days, old buddy!" Zhou Yi put down his glass and stood up. "Unlike you, I have a difficult parent-teacher meeting to deal with!"

"Oh, a problem that makes you envious." Tony raised his glass, a mischievous smile on his face. "You know, I've always wanted a cute little sister or something."

"Go to hell, Tony." Zhou Yi couldn't help but curse, making a gesture and heading towards the elevator.

Mr. Stark just returned the gesture and reminded him, "And buddy, don't forget about the party. I'll have Jarvis notify you once it's set up."

"Don't worry, I won't forget. But, are you going to invite Pepper? I'm really curious." With that, Zhou Yi got into the elevator and left Tony's private floor in the Stark building.

"Wow, he really doesn't want to take any losses, does he?" Tony smiled, his eyes drifting to a holographic image of the lovely Pepper Potts. "But why don't I want to invite her?"

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