The voices outside quickly drew the attention of the neighbors.
A richly dressed middle-aged woman stepped out from the house next door.
The moment she appeared, Liu Xiaoli, who had been about to speak again, reluctantly stopped.
"Chen, are you having guests over?"
Her eyes widened as she looked at the three luxury cars parked outside.
"Three **Rolls-Royce Phantom**s?"
"What a grand display."
Chen Guoli was momentarily stunned.
Then he forced out an awkward smile.
"It's… something like that, Mrs. Tom."
"We're just about to head out."
"Sorry if we disturbed you."
Mrs. Tom glanced at the cars again, unable to hide the envy in her eyes.
"Lawyer Chen, you really are something."
"No wonder your wife is so fortunate."
With that, she reluctantly returned inside.
Chen Guoli's face reddened slightly from the direct flattery.
Beside him, Luo Zheng and Liu Xixi exchanged amused looks.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoli's expression grew increasingly complicated.
Jealousy?
Disbelief?
Resentment?
Even she herself could no longer tell.
"Let's go, Uncle."
Luo Zheng didn't waste any time.
He took Xixi's hand and headed toward the middle car.
Chen Guoli followed immediately.
"Wait!"
Liu Xiaoli suddenly called out.
The three turned around.
Her expression was stiff.
"I can't leave Xixi alone."
"I'm coming too."
Luo Zheng looked at Xixi.
The girl's eyes were filled with pleading.
Then he looked back at Liu Xiaoli.
After a brief pause, he nodded.
"Fine."
"But please stay quiet."
Liu Xiaoli's face instantly turned red.
Before she could say anything, Luo Zheng had already entered the car.
Furious but unable to vent, she could only grit her teeth and follow Chen Guoli into the last vehicle.
On the Way to Marvel
Inside the car, the atmosphere was calm.
Liu Xixi sat quietly, secretly watching Luo Zheng as he spoke with Lilith.
Her eyes shone with admiration.
Her cousin really was amazing.
Dropped out of college—
yet now already the chairman of Marvel Entertainment.
To her, it felt almost unreal.
Lilith handed over a stack of documents.
"Boss, someone on the board intentionally leaked information."
"Oh?"
Luo Zheng took the file and scanned it.
As expected.
Age.
Race.
Nationality.
The board was using every possible excuse to pressure him.
Their goal was obvious.
Strip him of real authority.
Turn him into nothing more than a figurehead chairman.
A mascot who collected dividends while others controlled the company.
He casually tossed the file aside.
"Do we know who started it?"
Lilith answered immediately.
"Most likely CEO Bill Jemas."
A faint smile appeared on Luo Zheng's face.
"Interesting."
He tapped his fingers lightly against the leather seat.
Corporate politics.
Power struggle.
It had begun the moment he took control.
Lilith carefully observed him.
The more she interacted with this young chairman, the more shocked she became.
He was only twenty-one.
Yet his composure and decisiveness felt more like an experienced executive than a young man.
"Enough about that."
"I need something prepared before the meeting."
Lilith straightened immediately.
"Please instruct me, Boss."
"I've sent the document to your email."
"Get it to me before the board meeting starts."
"Yes, Boss."
She quickly opened her laptop.
On the screen, four large words appeared:
Shareholder Agreement
Marvel Headquarters
Marvel's headquarters was located in an ordinary commercial office building in Midtown Manhattan.
The moment the group entered—
the front desk receptionist immediately stood up.
"Good morning, Miss Lilith!"
Her eyes quickly moved toward Luo Zheng.
In an instant, everyone nearby fell silent.
The news had already spread.
The new king had arrived.
Employees who normally had no reason to be near the lobby had quietly gathered there.
Everyone wanted to see the new chairman.
The whispers began immediately.
"He's so handsome…"
"And so young…"
"Oh my God…"
Luo Zheng simply nodded and walked forward.
No speech.
No fake smiles.
No need.
Employees only cared about three things:
salary cuts
layoffs
delayed wages
As long as none of those happened, they would accept whoever sat at the top.
After arranging for Chen Guoli's family to rest in the reception room, Lilith stopped outside the boardroom.
She still had another task to complete.
Luo Zheng pushed open the conference room door.
Click.
The room instantly fell silent.
Four major shareholders sat around the table.
At the head was Carl Icahn.
The moment they saw Luo Zheng—
their expressions darkened.
He was too young.
Too calm.
Too confident.
Worse—
his eyes carried unmistakable disdain.
The board members exchanged glances.
Their impression of him immediately worsened.
This young Chinese chairman was arrogant.
Far too arrogant.
Luo Zheng walked straight to the main seat and sat down.
No greetings.
No pleasantries.
He looked directly at them.
"Good."
"It seems none of you enjoy wasting time."
"Your dissatisfaction is written all over your faces."
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Carl Icahn leaned forward.
"If Chairman William understands the current situation…"
"Then he should voluntarily hand over decision-making and appointment power."
"Otherwise, the newly reborn Marvel will head toward destruction."
Luo Zheng slowly stood up.
Then leaned both hands on the table.
His gaze swept across the room.
"Reborn?"
A sneer appeared on his lips.
"When exactly was Marvel reborn?"
"By selling off copyrights?"
His voice suddenly sharpened.
"Tell me."
"After selling Spider-Man, Hulk, and the X-Men…"
"What else is left?"
"What will fund the company in the second half of the year?"
Silence.
No one answered.
Because they all knew—
he was right.
Marvel's core issue was simple.
They were selling off their future to survive the present.
A middle-aged shareholder on the right finally spoke.
"If you understand the problem so well…"
"Then do you have a solution?"
Luo Zheng looked at him directly.
"Yes."
"I do."
The room stirred slightly.
Even Franklin Templeton, one of the major financial investors, leaned forward.
"What is it?"
Luo Zheng slowly raised two fingers.
"My plan has two steps."
"First."
"Layoffs."
"Cut the underperforming comic lines and eliminate the dead weight."
Before anyone could react, he raised the second finger.
"Second."
"Establish an independently operated Marvel Studios."
The room froze.
Then—
BANG!
Carl Icahn slammed the table.
His face turned red with rage.
"Absurd!"
"The comic lines are the lifeblood of this company!"
"You ignorant brat!"
"You're trying to kill Marvel!"
The tension in the room exploded.
The civil war had officially begun.