A carefree soldier king in the city

Chapter 717: Before fighting against the outside world, one must first make peace with the inside

“Grandpa, I also don’t agree with making Dawei the next successor. After all, I am a PhD student from Cambridge University in the UK. Not only is my academic background superior to that of my elder brother and Dawei, but I am also better at interpersonal relationships than the two of them. You know that. Therefore, I think it is most suitable for me to be the next successor.” Tian Yaozu also spoke up, not to be outdone.

"Keep bragging! Yaozu, although you are a PhD student from Cambridge University, I am still a top student from Oxford University. Your academic qualifications are not much higher than mine. As for interpersonal relationships, ha, my network of connections is far superior to yours! I am the best candidate to succeed you. Besides, I am the eldest, so I am the rightful successor." Tian Guangzong strongly advocated for himself.

The two brothers each expressed their own opinions, neither willing to concede to the other.

As the chairman of the group company, Old Tian was at his wit's end seeing his two grandsons so unhappy about the succession issue. However, being a wise man who had seen much of the world and knew his grandsons' temperaments well, he had anticipated their objections. So he said, "Alright, look at you two brothers. What's wrong with Dawei? Dawei is my nephew, and you are my grandsons. In my eyes, grandsons and nephews are the same. Today we are only deciding on candidates for the next successor, not finalizing the official successor. Therefore, the selection criteria are naturally different from those for a confirmed successor. As long as someone has good potential, we will nominate them. And today, everyone has included Dawei in the candidates; I don't see anything wrong with that." Old Tian spoke in a calm and even tone. Then, he asked Ge Dawei's father, "Youcai, what do you think?"

Ge Youcai replied, "Dad, Dawei is my son. Logically speaking, I would be happy to include him in the candidates. It's just that Dawei is really a worry, always doing nothing productive. I'm worried about him..."

These were Ge Youcai's heartfelt words. After all, he was genuinely worried that if his son really became the company's chairman, the company would definitely be ruined in his son's hands, which was something he absolutely did not want.

Old Man Tian laughed and said, "You Cai, have you forgotten that when we select candidates, we do not only consider their current achievements, but also their potential and future prospects?"

"Grandpa, do you mean Dawei has more potential than us and will achieve more in the future?" Tian Guangzong growled indignantly.

“Exactly,” Tian Yaozu echoed, also speaking out in defense.

"What I mean is, whether it's Dawei or you two brothers, the future of the three of you is a very promising unknown. So for now, we'll treat all three of you as candidates, observe you for a few years, let you compete fairly, and then, when the time is right, we'll select and determine the next successor. Do you understand?" Old Man Tian truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran of the business world; his words were eloquent and insightful.

The two brothers were bewildered by their grandfather's explanation. "But Dawei—"

"If he remains the same or even worse a few years from now, he will naturally be abandoned, and you will no longer need to worry."

"But--"

"No buts, this is settled, meeting adjourned!" As expected of an old man, Tian shut down his two grandsons' arguments with a single sentence, ending the debate cleanly and decisively before leaving the meeting room.

"Everyone..." Tian Guangzong tried to persuade the other directors to change their minds, but they all left in a flash, following Old Tian.

"Damn it!" Tian Guangzong was furious and slammed his fist on the conference table.

Although Tian Yaozu, a key figure in the "radical faction," was angry, he still had hope as long as the successor was not clearly identified. Seeing his elder brother so angry, he was actually very happy. "Brother, it seems that the old man has ulterior motives!" he said, his tone slightly inflamed.

"Hmph!" Tian Guangzong snorted coldly.

Tian Yaozu laughed and said, "The old man and the board members strongly recommended Ge Dawei as a candidate for the next successor. It's impossible that he didn't have his own thoughts. It seems that my brother and I will have to step aside!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Guangzong frowned, then sneered and said, "Second brother, stop making sarcastic remarks. If Ge Dawei really becomes the successor, it won't benefit either of us."

Tian Yaozu shrugged: "I don't care anymore. Anyway, no one can change the old man's decision. Brother, in my opinion, we should join forces for now, kick Ge Dawei out of the game, and then compete for the successor based on our own abilities."

Tian Guangzong nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it that way."

To quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability; the two brothers have joined forces in a rare instance.

When Tian Guangzong was the only one left in the meeting room, he angrily swept all the ashtrays, vases and other decorations on the meeting table to the ground to vent his anger.

After venting his anger, he calmed down and thought about his next move. He had to be the one to take the throne as the next successor, so he had to think about how to make each move so as not to lose the whole game if he made a mistake.

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The Ge Youcai couple, who shared a ride with Lao Tiantou, remained silent and preoccupied throughout the journey.

Old Tian smiled before asking his worried daughter, Tian Shuyan, "What are you thinking about?"

Ge Youcai and his wife stared at the shrewd and wise old man for a long time before finally replying, "Dad, it's nothing."

"Nothing? You two have been looking so uneasy ever since you got in the car, and you call that nothing?"

"I--"

"Are you worried that the two brothers, Guangzong Yaozu and his brother, will be detrimental to Dawei?" As a grandfather, how could he not know what kind of personality his grandson had and what kind of things he would do?

Tian Shuyan initially wanted to deny it, but then he realized that no matter how beautiful the lie was, it wouldn't escape his father's sharp eyes, so he gave up on pointless arguments and honestly confessed: "Yes! Guangzong and Yaozu have been having a lot of disagreements about who will be the next successor. You know the current state of the company, and now you and the other directors have brought Dawei into the list of successor candidates. They will definitely..."

Tian Shuyan didn't continue speaking, because there was no need to say anything more at this point.

"You don't need to worry too much. I think those two brothers will know what they're doing. Besides, Dawei isn't someone to be trifled with. Have you forgotten that he has several good friends who share his joys and sorrows and are just as good as him? I've met these people; they're all rare talents, a group of formidable geniuses. Even if those two brothers really wanted to harm Dawei, they probably wouldn't succeed so easily and would likely get a rude awakening. But that's fine too. If they don't suffer a little, they won't know what it means to be outmatched."