Chapter 31: Fu Jingchuan's Pregnancy Day...
Fu Jingchuan's pregnant belly was getting bigger and bigger, and her originally thin waist was replaced by a rounded curve, and her movements became more clumsy and cautious.
The fetal movements became more frequent. At night, Shen Shutong often placed his hand on Fu Jingchuan's abdomen, feeling the little guy's movements as he turned over or stretched his arms and legs.
"Hey, he's moving again." Shen Shutong laughed, "He's so lively, I'm afraid he'll be a naughty kid in the future."
Fu Jingchuan put down the book in his hand and placed his hand on the back of her hand: "Well, it's moving more vigorously than in the afternoon."
Occasionally, when Chen Shutong is in the mood, he will play a few songs for his child on the piano in the bedroom, under the pretext of cultivating the child's musical cells.
Fu Jingchuan felt the fetal movement in his belly and the breath of the people around him, and felt that all the achievements and victories he had pursued in the past had turned into concrete peace at this moment.
However, this peace did not last long...
The Fu Group's crisis was far more serious than the outside world perceived. Its core business was shrinking, and it was burdened by massive debt. Bank collection calls were practically overwhelming Fu Yannian's office. All conventional financing channels had been closed.
Fu Yannian sat in the chairman's office, looking at the latest report sent by the financial director with a gloomy face.
"Is there nothing I can do?" His eyes were bloodshot, and severe lack of sleep made him very irritable.
The CFO lowered his head nervously, "Mr. Fu, we've thought of everything we can think of... unless... unless we can find a large enough bridge financing, perhaps we can buy time to restructure some assets and attract new strategic investment..."
"Bridge financing? Who dares to lend it to us?!" Fu Yannian growled.
The office was dead silent.
After a long moment, a ruthless look flashed across Fu Yannian's eyes. He swept his gaze over the dejected people in the office, finally settling on his trusted assistant.
"All of you get out." His voice turned cold.
The others quickly withdrew as if they had been pardoned, leaving only the trusted assistant who had followed him for more than 20 years.
"Jingjing Capital..." Fu Yannian slowly uttered these words, filled with deep resentment. "Fu Jingchuan seems to be so prosperous now, with a huge fortune, but he sees the Fu family's ship sinking, and he has no intention of even trying to help."
The assistant didn't dare to answer.
During the five years since Fu Jingchuan returned to the Fu family, despite appearing to be obedient, Fu Yannian never felt he could truly control his son. He was too intelligent and opinionated, so in the early days, to stabilize the situation, Fu Yannian had to give him some real power, letting him handle several difficult, large projects. Looking back now, Fu Yannian regrets it deeply, feeling that Fu Jingchuan had already planted a nail in those projects, perhaps even secretly transferring some assets or leaving behind a handle that could be used against him.
More importantly, some of the clauses in the documents Fu Jingchuan signed when he "returned to his ancestral roots" were ambiguous under the circumstances at the time. Fu Yannian was anxious to have Fu Jingchuan legitimately take over some of Fu's businesses to stabilize the stock price, so he didn't dwell too hard on some details. Now, he sees them as loopholes that he can exploit.
And then there was the person he'd painstakingly planted at Jingjing Capital—not a senior executive, but a humble mid-level manager in the finance department named Sun Wei. Sun Wei had benefited greatly from Fu Yannian's early years, and his family also worked at Fu-affiliated companies, giving him a firm grasp on his weaknesses. Over the years, Sun Wei had regularly reported to him on Jingjing Capital's activities. While he didn't have access to the most confidential information, he still provided him with a good deal of useful information.
Fu Yannian turned around and said, "If he is unkind, don't blame me for being unjust. Since he won't take the money obediently, don't blame me for using some tricks to force him to take it!"
The assistant was startled: "Mr. Fu, what do you mean?"
"Go find the best legal team and polish up those 'loopholes' and 'handles' I just mentioned." Fu Yannian sneered, "Let's say that when Fu Jingchuan was handling the Fu's project in his early years, he took advantage of his position to improperly transfer benefits and assets, damaging the interests of the Fu Group. And now that the Fu Group is in trouble, it's inextricably linked to him!"
The assistant gasped, "This... Mr. Fu, I'm afraid there's a lack of substantial evidence. Jingzhi's legal team is very strong. If we go to court, our chances of winning are slim..."
"Who really wants to sue him?" Fu Yannian interrupted him. "What I want is to muddy the waters! I want to spread the rumor that 'Fu Jingchuan emptied the Fu Group'! What will public opinion think? What will those partners who might have been interested in Jingzhi think? Even if he is proven innocent in the end, the process will be enough to make him anxious and the stock price fluctuate! By then, I wonder if he is willing to spend some money to buy peace of mind, or is willing to watch Jingzhi's reputation and market value be damaged!"
He paused and added a more vicious move: "Also, get Sun Wei moving. Find a way to "discover" some traces of "undisclosed related-party transactions" or "financial guarantees" between Jingzhi Capital and some of Fu's subsidiaries that are on the verge of bankruptcy. Do it covertly, but leave clues that people can "follow the clues to find the source." When the time comes, I will hand these things over to the regulatory authorities, and with the media hype, even if the real problem cannot be found, Jingzhi will be in trouble during the investigation! I want to see how Fu Jingchuan can cope with all this while taking care of his pregnancy!"
The assistant felt a chill run down his spine. He knew Fu Yannian was going to fight to the death. But the Fu family was truly at their wit's end, so he could only bite the bullet and agree, "Yes, Mr. Fu, I'll arrange it right away."
"Do it cleanly." Fu Yannian gave his final warning, his eyes fierce. "This time, either the Fu family lives, or... we all die together!"
A few days later, rumors about Fu Jingchuan began to spread quietly within a small circle. The content was obscure, but it directly pointed out that his motives for returning to the Fu family were impure, and that he might have abused his power to harm the interests of the Fu family, which was subtly related to the current predicament of the Fu family.
These news have not yet caused a big stir, but they are enough to attract some people's attention.
Fu Jingchuan was the first to notice something was amiss. He was very sensitive to subtle shifts in the atmosphere. He noticed that in the last two high-level meetings, two elders had looked at him with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, and their private interactions seemed to have decreased.
He asked his special assistant, Amy, to keep an eye on it. Amy quickly responded, mentioning the vague rumors.
"Mr. Fu, does this need any help?" Amy asked.
Fu Jingchuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The source is unknown, and the content is vague. Ignore it for now. Strengthen internal information management, especially the departments handling Fu's old case projects. All document processes must be compliant, leaving no handle for others to make a fuss."
"yes."
A few days later, at a business cocktail party, Shen Shutong was tactfully asked by a familiar media person about his views on the "internal dispute within the Fu family", and his words seemed to hint at something.
Shen Shutong immediately became alert and blocked it back calmly, but her heart sank. After returning, she told Fu Jingchuan about it.
"I'm afraid Fu Yannian will be desperate." Shen Shutong frowned, "Is he trying to throw dirty water on you?"
Fu Jingchuan didn't seem surprised: "He's just a clown. He has nothing substantial in his hands, so the most he can do is spread rumors."
"I'm afraid he's doing more than just spreading rumors." Shen Shutong looked at his round pregnant belly worriedly, "You should try to reduce your public appearances recently and focus on taking care of the baby. I'll take care of the outside affairs."
Fu Jingchuan held her hand: "Don't worry, I can handle it. Jingjing's legal and public relations are not vegetarians." His eyes were slightly cold, "He just got anxious and bit people randomly. But... the more he does this, the more it shows that the Fu family has reached the end of its rope."
However, Fu Yannian's madness exceeded their expectations.
A week later, during a cost-benefit analysis conducted by the finance department, Sun Wei cleverly inserted some fabricated data fragments about a shell company under the Fu family into an internal preliminary evaluation report on an emerging technology investment at Jingjing Capital. These data fragments were made to appear insignificant, but they served as a skewer for the "related-party transaction" allegations that Fu Yannian was about to levy.
At the same time, Fu Yannian, through anonymous channels, released a carefully crafted "report" to several influential financial media outlets and online whistleblower accounts. The report, with its lurid content, directly alleged that Fu Jingchuan, during his tenure at Fu Group, had used complex methods to transfer assets and profit, resulting in massive losses for Fu Group. It also implicitly suggested that some of Jingjing Capital's funds might have come from unidentified sources and were linked to Fu Group's losses.
This material is a mixture of truth and falsehood, making use of some vague clauses and "evidence" that cannot stand up to scrutiny, but the arrangement is extremely misleading.
Almost at the same time, related explosive posts emerged on the Internet, and several financial media also released news flashes with intriguing wording in the early hours of the morning.
"Shocking news! The Fu Group is in trouble, and former heir Fu Jingchuan is accused of embezzling the family business!"
"Jingjing Capital is caught in a whirlpool of public opinion, suspected of being linked to the Fu family's massive losses!"
"Business legend or moral stain? A deep dive into the five-year feud between Fu Jingchuan and the Fu family!"
Early in the morning, Fu Jingchuan was awakened by Amy's urgent call.
Amy's tone on the other end of the phone was more serious than ever. "Mr. Fu, something's happened. A flood of extremely damaging information about you and Jingzhi has suddenly appeared online. Several mainstream financial media outlets have also published press releases accusing you of... damaging the interests of the Fu Group. The content is extremely vile and is spreading very quickly."
Fu Jingchuan woke up instantly. He glanced sideways at Shen Shutong who was still sleeping beside him and lowered his voice: "I see. Immediately activate the emergency public relations plan, have the legal department prepare a lawyer's letter, and collect all evidence of defamation. Notify all executives and hold an emergency online meeting in one hour."
As soon as he hung up the phone, Shen Shutong was awakened and asked sleepily, "What's wrong?"
Fu Jingchuan took a deep breath: "It's nothing, there is something urgent at the company and I need to take care of it. You sleep a little longer." Shen Shutong has been very busy recently, and he didn't want her to worry too much.
But Shen Shutong had already sat up and picked up the phone on the bedside table. There was no need to search specifically, as several pushed news headlines jumped out glaringly.
Her expression changed instantly: "Is Fu Yannian crazy?!"
She immediately called back to Shen's to make arrangements.
Fu Jingchuan held her hand: "Shutong, don't worry. This matter is directed at me, Jingzhi can handle it." His eyes were firm, "Trust me."
Shen Shutong looked at his determined eyes, and his anxious heart calmed down a little, but his brows were still furrowed: "He is slandering us! We can't just stand there and watch!"
"Of course not." Fu Jingchuan's eyes were cold. "Since he chose the stupidest way, he must pay the most painful price."
An hour later, the atmosphere in the conference room on the top floor of Jingjing Capital was solemn. All core executives gathered online and offline.
Fu Jingchuan sat in the main seat, wearing a loose suit jacket, but still unable to hide his pregnant belly. He quickly listened to the reports from the public relations, legal affairs, and finance departments.
"Mr. Fu, public opinion is very unfavorable to us. Although the revelations lack substantiation, the impact is extremely bad. Several partners have already called to inquire."
"The lawyer's letter is ready and can be sent immediately to the media and accounts that publish false information."
"An internal self-examination has begun, and no abnormal fund transactions or illegal operations have been found so far."
Fu Jingchuan issued clear instructions: "Public Relations Department, immediately issue an official statement strongly condemning the rumors and slander, and expressing our commitment to pursuing legal responsibility. At the same time, we will proactively invite a third-party authoritative agency to review Jingzhi's relevant accounts to prove our innocence. Legal Department, immediately issue a lawyer's letter and prepare to file a formal lawsuit, targeting Fu Yannian of the Fu Group! Finance Department, cooperate with internal self-inspections and third-party audits to ensure that all processes are absolutely transparent and compliant."
He paused, then added, "Notify the Investment Department to suspend all investment approvals for projects indirectly related to the Fu family and conduct a new risk assessment. Also," he glanced at everyone present, "conduct a thorough internal background and authority check of all personnel, especially those in positions with access to sensitive information. I suspect there's an insider involved."
The last four words caused the temperature in the meeting room to plummet. Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation.
After the meeting, everyone immediately went their separate ways.
Fu Jingchuan returned to the office and just sat down to take a breath when he suddenly felt a noticeable tightening sensation in his abdomen.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and held his stomach, trying to ease the discomfort.
The office door was pushed open, and Shen Shutong walked in with a cup of warm water and vitamins. Seeing him holding his stomach, he immediately stepped forward: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Fu Jingchuan opened his eyes and forced a smile: "It's okay, just a little tired."
Shen Shutong stuffed the water cup into his hand and said in a serious tone: "Fu Jingchuan, don't hide it from me. Do you have a stomachache?"
Fu Jingchuan knew he couldn't hide it, so he sighed: "It's a bit tight, maybe I was a little anxious just now."
Shen Shutong immediately squatted down, gently placed his hand on his belly to feel the movement inside, frowning: "You are heavy, don't get angry! Fu Yannian's methods are really despicable. He must have seen that you are pregnant and came here to cause trouble..."
Her tone was anxious and distressed. Fu Jingchuan grabbed her hand and comforted her, "It's okay, just take a while. Look, it's much better now." The tightness in her abdomen was indeed slowly easing.
At this time, Amy knocked on the door and came in, her face even uglier than before: "Mr. Fu, Mr. Shen. I just received news that the Fu Group... formally submitted "reporting materials" to the regulatory authorities, requesting an investigation into Jingjing Capital and us personally. Although the materials are full of loopholes, according to the procedure, a preliminary inquiry may be initiated..."
This means the trouble has just begun.
Both of their faces darkened completely.
"Good, very good." Fu Jingchuan said in a cold tone, "He is courting death."
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The author has something to say: I got up early today and finished the update, so I won't ask for leave. I will still update daily recently, but I may update later sometimes.
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