Chapter 686 - The Fall of Guan Empire  

The matter of the Guan Empire's chairman getting arrested by the police spread fast like wildfire.

It was not just any chairman of any company that was arrested for criminal acts, but it was the chairman of the Guan Empire!

Some businessmen expected that there would be a situation that would heavily strike the Guan Empire in the future and compel for the appearance of a scapegoat, but they never thought that it would be that easy to subdue the chairman.

Despite all the rumours of the alleged crimes circulating around, the person involved was after all the chairman of the Guan Empire and the direct descendant of the Guan family. The government would think twice about condemning the chairman, after all, they would be afraid of the Guan Empire's retaliation.

So how was it that the police and the government got hold of him so early and openly?

The witty ones knew that there must be some kind of great power that gave the government and the police the courage to act against the Guan Empire.

However, whose power was it that was greater than the Guan Empire?

Actually, they over-thought too much.

The person who made this happen and gave a go signal to the police and the government was Guan Gu Ri himself.

***

In the Guan Empire building, the chairman's office.

Guan Gu Ri was sitting quietly on the chairman's seat.

His eyes were blank as he stared in the air. No one could read what was on his mind.

They were pacing around, making phone calls, and clamoring for the Guan Headmaster's presence.

"Family head! We need an explanation!"

"What will happen to our empire now?!"

"Since the chairman is arrested, we should cut off our relationship with him. Family head, it's not time to play brothers. He has committed a crime against the family laws and must be exiled from the Guan family! His surname must not be Guan anymore! Then, we could still salvage the situation!"

The quiet door opened.

The people who were shouting and crowding on the door turned quiet.

The door fully opened, showing Guan Gu Ri standing inside. He wore a faint smile on his face, but no one could tell if it was warm or cold.

"Head… Headmaster…"

"I know that all of you are panicking right now. However, what happened today is only the tip of the iceberg. Even if we banish him from the family register and let the public know that he would not be the chairman anymore, the fact that we housed such a person would still be tied together with the Guan Empire. This fact, we cannot change."

"..."

"I will be honest with all of you. From hereon, our company's stock price will continue to fall. Our partners will quit and would decrease. The general trend of the public is to not trust or buy from us anymore. It can be said that the Guan Empire will not be the same as before."

He spoke the words with calmness as if it was another person's business.

"...."

After digesting the implications of his words, everyone paled.

They understood what Guan Gu Ri was telling them.

If the family head was talking now about the fall of the Guan Empire, then...

Then all those charges against the chairman were true!

Such heavy crimes...

The public would not spare them any pity and bring them down with heinous accusations. If they tried to counter or defend themselves, they would only be accused of arrogant misuse of power and authority. The Guan Empire's enemies would take advantage of this situation and would do their best to attack the Guan Empire.

One thing was clear.

The long-standing empire would be dragged down to the bottom along with the chairman.

Like the family head had said, the Guan Empire was expected to decline because of this incident.

And this decline might not be the same as before.

The Guan family was tainted by such atrocious acts and illegal crimes. For the people in high society, fame and reputation were extremely important for them as it represented their face. If the company was deemed ugly and dirty, people would refuse to associate with them and distance themselves as much as possible, either in contempt or simply to avoid having their reputation get tainted as well.

With clients, consumers, and connections leaving them, it could be said that the Guan Empire would soon be kicked out of the legendary position, unless all three legendary families would step in to help.

However, none of the businessmen and even the shareholders themselves believe that the other three legendary families would be that kind, because they still secretly speculate that the four families must have a secret underlying rivalry.

The shareholders wanted to speak, but no voice came out from their open mouths.

They were speechless.

"The Guan Empire is bound to fall from its pedestal. As of now, the charges haven't been proven true yet on the court, and there are still some of our businesses that are thriving and a few partners believing in us. But once this matter is brought to the court and the government publicizes that all of the charges are true, then we will be left with nothing."

If it was another person, then they could have used the old strategy of utilizing the person as a scapegoat and making him shoulder all responsibilities.

But this was the chairman himself, the Guan heir. The symbol of the Guan Empire.

It was the Guan family falling, and so the Guan Empire was bound to follow.

Gunan: "If you want to let go of your shares, now is the best time to sell and transfer them while they still have their value."

"....."