Within a single day, CEOs from across the country rushed over. No one dared to be careless. The boss had established a new headquarters and summoned them all for a meeting. Missing it—or showing the slightest negligence—could mean being replaced the very next day.
Since every company present ultimately belonged to Jason, the meeting itself proceeded with extreme efficiency. There were no debates. No objections. The CEOs were there to receive instructions.
Lewis was fortunate enough to be seated beside Jason, yet he barely spoke a word throughout the entire meeting. Looking around the long conference table—filled with CEOs from technology, media, luxury, manufacturing, culture, and tourism—his throat went dry.
Jason's business empire had expanded to a scale that genuinely terrified him. Any one of the subsidiaries present was already far stronger than New Vision Media—some by more than ten times. Infinity Media. Classical Heritage Innovation Park. Either one alone could completely crush New Vision Media without effort.
But the most terrifying presence was Starline Luxury Cruises. A behemoth valued at over eight billion dollars. And yet, here it was—merely one subsidiary under Nine Continent Group.
Lewis suddenly felt unqualified to be sitting beside Jason as an independent director. In his heart, he felt he belonged at the very end of the table. At the same time, he felt immense relief. Choosing to align himself with Jason back then had been the right decision.
Not only had it resolved the immediate crisis, but it had also given him access to a level of capital and influence he could never have reached on his own. Without Jason, even if the initial downturn had been survived, the later joint strike by Infinity Media would have been impossible to withstand.
Jason now held 66.7% of New Vision Media and had absolute control. Lewis had no real decision-making power anymore. But so what? Through equity dilution alone, he had gained far more than he ever had before.
After the meeting, Jason noticed several messages. Ethan, Lucas, Tony, Caleb, and others from the Supercar Alliance wanted to host a welcome banquet for him. Jason declined. Instead, he extended a different invitation—the annual meeting of Nine Continent Group.
All subsidiary CEOs were already present, so Jason decided to take the opportunity to hold the group's first official annual gathering. There was no need for extravagance. A dinner would suffice. At the same time, it would serve as a public signal—the official debut of Nine Continent Group.
An annual meeting with only executives would be dull. After receiving Jason's approval, Lewis invited several female streamers and hosts. Everything was voluntary. Some of them also hoped to meet new connections through such a high-level gathering.
That evening, Mia, Grace, and Angela attended as well. Naturally, they stayed by Jason's side. In addition, Charlotte, Infinity Media's most alluring anchor, volunteered to attend after hearing the news. Charlotte had an outstanding figure and elegant temperament. More importantly, she had no ex-boyfriends—something exceptionally rare in her circle.
Jason was mildly surprised by her initiative. Her favorability toward him remained unchanged.
That night, one luxury car after another arrived at the Grand Hotel, stunning the other guests attending unrelated banquets. When the business owners who came to show support—Ethan, Lucas, Tony, and Caleb—saw the sheer lineup of CEOs, they involuntarily held their breath.
Before today, they had only felt there was a large gap between themselves and Jason. Now they realized something even more frightening. There was an enormous gap between them and even the CEO of a single subsidiary under Jason.
Normally, a company owner outranked a CEO. But when the difference in company scale became vast enough, hierarchy no longer followed simple rules. For example, the CEO of Starline Luxury Cruises, a company valued at eight billion, held a far higher real status than these small-to-mid business owners.
They quickly tried to estimate Jason's wealth. The number they arrived at made their scalps tingle. At least twenty billion dollars. And that was only his visible personal assets. His background? Still completely unknown.
After Mia, Grace arrived, they naturally stood beside Jason. When Charlotte entered and saw three stunning women already surrounding him, she gave Jason a playful, flirtatious glance and stepped forward without hesitation. She fit in seamlessly.
Soon after, other female anchors from New Vision Media arrived as well—Angela, and others. The hall gradually filled with laughter, conversation, and restrained awe. For everyone present, one thing was already clear. This was no ordinary gathering. This was the unveiling of a capital empire.
Some of the streamers had both participated in the Starlight Fashion Model Competition and attended the Infinity Media Annual Meeting. They already knew the truth. Jason hadn't gone bankrupt. Not only had he survived—he was stronger than ever. So when they saw the scene at the annual gathering, they weren't shocked. What they felt instead was regret… and a faint sense of melancholy.
One streamer, however, was a completely different story. She stood frozen, staring at the scene before her in disbelief. She couldn't understand it. Back then, when the bankruptcy news broke, Mia, Angela, and Grace had still stayed firmly by Jason's side. That alone had baffled her.
But now? Not only were they still there—two more stunningly beautiful women had joined them. And more than that… there were simply too many powerful figures present. And every single one of them treated Jason with excessive respect. It made no sense.
Just then, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Her pupils shrank. Isn't that… the CEO of Infinity Media?
New Vision Media had been working closely with Infinity Media lately, sure—but why would Infinity Media's CEO appear at Jason's company annual meeting? What stunned her even more was the man's attitude. It was almost deferential.
She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Am I seeing things? That's really the CEO of Infinity Media, right?"
The others exchanged a look. In her confusion, they saw reflections of their own past ignorance.
One sighed softly and explained patiently. "If the CEO of Infinity Media is attending Jason's annual meeting, and you combine that with Infinity Media's sudden deep cooperation with New Vision Media recently… can't you guess what that means?"
Her breath caught. "You're saying… Infinity Media was acquired by Jason?"
Her pupils contracted sharply. So the bankruptcy news back then… it had been fake?
"It's not just Infinity Media," another added quietly, her gaze drifting toward Jason. "Starlight Fashion, CloudWeave, Porcelane, OmniCraft… all the companies behind the CEOs here today were acquired by him."
Her tone carried unconcealed regret as she looked at Mia, Grace, and Angela standing beside Jason.
The realization was stunning. All the goodwill she had lost after believing the bankruptcy rumors surged back instantly. Nearby, the other female anchors also looked at Jason differently now. Their eyes softened. Admiration crept in.
The news spread rapidly through New Vision Media. Soon, all the anchors learned the full story. At this point, every bit of goodwill lost due to the fake bankruptcy—except Emma's—had been restored.
Just as Jason had predicted. Losing favorability this way was easy to recover. And more importantly, it revealed people's true nature. It allowed him to clearly see who stood where.
Outside the Grand Hotel, a girl standing quietly in a corner watched as luxury cars arrived one after another. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She quickly opened a group chat, then tapped on the private chat of the group owner.
"Sister," she typed eagerly, "you were right! Even if Jason ran into trouble, a fallen giant is still a giant. He just returned to Riverport City, and big figures from all sides came to congratulate him. He's definitely nowhere near bankrupt like that report claimed."
She hesitated for a moment, then added, "It's just a pity… Emma refuses to listen to you at all."
The message sent. And somewhere inside the grand hall, Jason Carter stood calmly at the center of a storm he had already seen coming.
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