Chapter 1766 Strong Reactions

Unlike the open and covert struggles among Lee Kun-hee's siblings, Lee Maeng-hee's three children were relatively united.

Of course, there was also conflict between Lee Mi-jung and Lee Jae-hyun, but both of them understood clearly that only by supporting each other at critical moments could they go further.

So when Lee Mi-jung learned of Lee Jae-hyun's crazy idea, her first reaction was to dissuade him from taking such a risk.

But what she never expected was Lee Maeng-hee's next words.

"Mi-jung, your father may not have long to live."

Lee Maeng-hee looked at his eldest daughter and said slowly.

"Father!"

Lee Mi-jung was stunned; a woman in her decades instantly reddened her eyes. Her mother had died early, and for so many years, her father had lived alone in a foreign country.

They had finally met today, but Lee Maeng-hee's words brought her devastating news.

Not only Lee Mi-jung, but also Lee Jae-hwan was dumbfounded, staring at Lee Maeng-hee in shock.

"Brother-in-law, you..."

Son Kyung-ji looked at Lee Maeng-hee, his voice trembling.

"Kyung-ji, my days are numbered. From now on, you'll need to support these siblings." Lee Maeng-hee patted his brother-in-law's shoulder and said to him.

"Brother-in-law..." Son Kyung-ji immediately broke down in tears.

Although Lee Maeng-hee was not highly regarded by the outside world,

he was quite good when it came to treating his family.

Not only his children, but also his wife's family, he took care of them as much as he could.

This was also why, despite his long absence from South Korea, there had never been any major problems within CJ Group.

In a sense, this was also because Lee Maeng-hee had been relatively successful in his personal conduct.

Of course, being a good person does not mean he is a qualified business operator. The logic is simple: if being good could decide everything, there wouldn't be so many good people being taken advantage of.

Murderers and arsonists ride in gold-belted carriages, while those who build bridges and repair roads die without a burial place.

The ancients said this for a reason.

"Father doesn't have much time left."

Lee Jae-hyun then looked up at the people in the room, especially his sister Lee Mi-jung: "Big sister, I know you think this idea is too crazy, but tell me, besides this, what other way is there for Father to stand before Uncle with dignity before he dies?"

This was no joke, but the truth.

Lee Mi-jung, Lee Jae-hwan, and even Son Kyung-ji and the others all fell silent.

Lee Jae-hyun's words were like a slap in the face, making them lose all face.

They had to admit that although CJ Group had developed well in recent years, compared to Samsung, there was still a considerable gap.

More importantly, as Lee Jae-hyun said, they had no way to help Lee Maeng-hee win the lawsuit against Lee Kun-hee.

On this point, the group's internal legal meetings had been held many times, but the final results were always unsatisfactory.

"But you can't just give away all your shares to others."

Lee Mi-jung looked at Lee Jae-hyun and said solemnly: "I disagree."

As she spoke, she looked at Lee Maeng-hee: "Father, let's discuss it again. Isn't there any other way?"

It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with power; the most important reason was that the risk of doing so was too great.

Lee Jae-hyun didn't say anything, but looked at his father.

Lee Maeng-hee sighed. He knew that his eldest daughter had a strong personality and had always felt that even without Samsung, she could develop CJ Group better. In recent years, she had even been secretly competing with Lee Boo-jin.

But the problem was that this was a thorn in his heart.

In Lee Maeng-hee's view, he no longer cared about how many Samsung assets he had or how much he should get; what he cared about more was that the half-lifetime feud between him and his younger brother Lee Kun-hee had to be resolved somehow.

Thinking this, Lee Maeng-hee looked at his daughter: "Mi-jung, this is the last resort."

Lee Mi-jung frowned slightly; clearly, she was not convinced.

In her view, both her father and brother were being a bit rash in this matter.

Although the news of her father's impending death had thrown Lee Mi-jung into turmoil, she quickly calmed down and began trying to find a better solution.

But unfortunately, some things cannot be changed just because she wants them to.

Just like now, Lee Maeng-hee and Lee Jae-hyun had already made up their minds, so it was naturally impossible for Lee Mi-jung to easily persuade them.

In fact, Lee Jae-hyun even thought that his sister was doing it deliberately.

After all, once the Future Group became a major shareholder of CJ, the person most affected would be Lee Mi-jung.

Zhao Fusheng would certainly not let her continue as vice chairman of the company; even if she stayed, her power would likely be suppressed.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

Lee Mi-jung stood her ground, and Lee Jae-hyun believed he was right.

Each had their own supporters, and soon they began to argue.

Time passed minute by minute, and the debate grew increasingly heated.

"I have no selfish motives; I just don't want Father to have regrets!" That was Lee Jae-hyun's voice.

"I understand, but is it worth taking such a big risk?" That was Lee Mi-jung's voice.

When two stubborn people meet, the most troublesome thing is that they both try to convince the other to accept their own ideas.

That was the hardest part.

It was like a needle against a pin; neither would give in.

Unless one side compromised or gave way, this debate would never end, and naturally, no result would be reached.

"Actually, it's not that complicated, is it?"

Just then, a voice suddenly spoke up.

Among the many voices that were almost shouting, the person who spoke was not loud, but it made everyone pause.

"What did you say?"

"How is it not complicated?"

Lee Mi-jung and Lee Jae-hyun both looked at the speaker at almost the same time.

Because the speaker was none other than Lee Jae-hwan.

Lee Jae-hwan, who usually acted timidly in front of them, now looked calm and said flatly: "I think you're overcomplicating things. Perhaps for the Future Group, they are more worried than we are, aren't they?"

"Worried?"

Everyone looked at each other, clearly not understanding what Lee Jae-hwan meant.

Lee Jae-hwan shrugged: "Of course. Don't forget, there's a saying in China: 'A mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake.' Perhaps the Future Group is worried that once they acquire our CJ shares, they might run into trouble."

Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at Lee Jae-hwan in shock, but upon reflection, they had to admit that what he said made some sense.

Many times, business matters cannot be simply categorized as one side doing this or that; it's actually about mutual checks and balances.

In other words, interlocking and mutual wariness is the real way to do business.

The concerns of Lee Mi-jung and the others were not unfounded, but they had overlooked the most important point: the Future Group was probably also worried at this moment—worried about being taken advantage of after acquiring CJ shares.

"In that case, I think we might consider a different way of cooperating." Lee Mi-jung was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"A different way?"

Everyone looked at each other, turning to the woman known within CJ Group as a female Zhuge Liang.

Lee Mi-jung smiled slightly and said: "What if each of us contributes a portion of our shares to jointly trade with the Future Group, and make them promise not to interfere with CJ's normal operations? What do you think?"

Then she looked at Lee Maeng-hee: "Father, I think this approach is worth trying. What do you say?"

Lee Maeng-hee was silent for about ten seconds, then looked up at Lee Jae-hyun: "Jae-hyun, what do you think?"

Lee Jae-hyun had been silent all along, just sitting there, constantly calculating.

After a long time, he nodded in the expectant eyes of the others: "It's worth a try."

He paused, then added: "But to be honest, I can't guarantee whether Zhao Fusheng will agree."

"I think he won't refuse."

Lee Mi-jung said slowly to Lee Jae-hyun: "If he is truly a businessman as you said, he should know that this approach is the best choice for his business."

Lee Jae-hyun nodded; he agreed with his sister's words.