Chapter 195 The Price of Greed
Hongxing Canned Food Factory.
In the factory director's office, Wang Shengli, with his shiny beer belly, leaned back in a creaking rattan chair, holding a huge enamel mug and blowing on the tea leaves inside.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," he called out lazily, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.
The door opened, and two people walked in.
Wang Shengli's gaze was first drawn to the man. The man was dressed in all black, and his tall figure resembled an iron tower. Standing there, the light in the entire room dimmed, and a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay emanated from him.
But he only glanced at the man once before his gaze was completely captivated by the woman who walked in behind him.
It's so beautiful.
It's unbelievably beautiful.
She wore a perfectly tailored off-white women's suit, which accentuated her incredibly slender waist, making it seem as if it could be snapped in two. Her long hair was styled into an elegant updo, with a few wisps falling across her cheeks, making her face appear even smaller and more delicate. Her skin was as white as the finest mutton-fat jade. Especially striking were her pair of large, watery, almond-shaped eyes; a single glance from them seemed capable of stealing one's soul.
Wang Shengli was used to lording it over everyone in the outskirts of Beijing; he'd seen all kinds of women, but this one was truly exceptional. A greedy, calculating glint immediately appeared in his cloudy eyes as he squinted at Bai Shu from head to toe.
"Ahem." Qin Zheng took half a step forward, his imposing aura blocking Wang Shengli's sticky gaze.
Wang Shengli then came to his senses, slowly put down his teacup, and put on a fake smile: "Oh, this must be Boss Bai from Hong Kong Island, right? He's really young and promising, very promising indeed!"
He was polite to everyone, but he didn't leave his chair, acting like a local bully.
Bai Shu seemed oblivious to his rudeness, wearing a standard and sweet smile, and walked to the chair opposite him, but did not sit down.
"Director Wang, hello."
"My time is precious, let's get straight to the point."
"Good, good, good! Boss Bai is straightforward, I like it!" Wang Shengli slapped his thigh, and the fat on his belly jiggled three times.
Bai Zhu stretched out her slender finger and pointed to the abandoned factory area outside the window.
“I want this land, along with the factory buildings and all the equipment.”
"I want to build a pharmaceutical factory here."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shengli's eyes practically gleamed with greed. A big fish had taken the bait! And a plump, beautiful golden arowana at that!
His smile vanished instantly, and he sighed heavily, saying, "Alas, Miss Bai, you don't know this."
He put on a worried look: "Our factory is a state-owned enterprise, and we have social responsibilities! The business hasn't been doing well these past few years, but I, Wang Shengli, will sell everything I own to make sure the workers get their wages!"
"The factory is really struggling right now. The workers haven't seen their wages for months, and their families are waiting for food. It really breaks my heart!"
Bai Shu listened quietly, a perfectly timed smile always playing on her lips, neither interrupting nor agreeing.
Seeing that she didn't react, Wang Shengli assumed she was an innocent young girl who had been fooled by him, and he became even more smug.
He had laid the groundwork enough, cleared his throat, and revealed his true intentions: "Miss Bai, if you are truly sincere and want to do something good for our factory's workers, we can discuss it. But as for the price..."
He mysteriously stretched out his right hand, spread his five fingers, and waved them in front of Bai Shu.
"Five hundred thousand?" Bai Shu asked cooperatively.
"Hehe." Wang Shengli shook his head, his smile becoming increasingly lewd. "Miss Bai, you don't understand. Five hundred thousand isn't even enough to pay the workers their back wages. I'm talking about that amount."
He pulled all his fingers back, leaving only his thumb and index finger, making an "eight" shape.
"Eight hundred thousand?"
"No, no, no," Wang Shengli pushed his hand forward again, "It's eight million! And it's in US dollars!"
After he announced the number, he stared intently at Bai Shu's face, trying to see shock, anger, or hesitation in her expression.
However, Bai Shu's expression remained that sweet smile.
Wang Shengli was starting to feel uneasy. Why wasn't this young woman playing by the rules?
His eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice, hinting, "Of course, this is just the stated price. There are so many mouths to feed in the factory, and we need to bribe everyone from top to bottom. As for me personally, I'll have to run myself ragged to make this happen, won't I? As for the expenses involved... Miss Bai is a smart woman, she should understand."
After saying that, he gave a knowing look.
"I understand." Bai Shu nodded, her smile growing even sweeter.
Just when Wang Shengli thought things were about to go smoothly, Bai Shu slowly took out an account book from his briefcase.
She placed the ledger on the table and gently pushed it in front of Wang Shengli.
"What is this?" Wang Shengli asked, puzzled.
"Director Wang, take a look at this first, and then we'll discuss the price." Bai Shu gestured for him to proceed.
Wang Shengli picked up the ledger suspiciously, weighed it in his hand, and found it quite heavy. He pursed his lips, thinking, "What is this thing?" and casually flipped to the first page.
With just one glance, the fat on his face trembled violently.
"On March 12, 1978, 100 boxes of substandard canned goods were resold from the warehouse, with a profit of 320 yuan, which was deposited into personal accounts. The persons in charge: Wang Shengli and Li Si."
He suddenly looked up at Bai Shu, his eyes filled with terror.
Bai Zhu remained smiling, without saying a word.
Wang Shengli's hands began to tremble. He couldn't believe it and turned to the second page.
"In January 1979, under the pretext of equipment repair, I falsely reported the cost of parts as 1,500 yuan, which I shared with Zhang from the purchasing department."
Page 3.
"In June 1980, he privately sold two tons of scrap steel from the factory to a scrap yard and pocketed the proceeds of 800 yuan."
......
He remembers the date, place, people, amount, and even some details that only he knows clearly!
"You...you..." Wang Shengli's hands began to tremble, and he couldn't hold the ledger, which fell onto the table. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his shirt.
Bai Shu extended her slender index finger and pushed the ledger forward again, her smile becoming even sweeter.
"Director Wang, I have two prices to offer."
Her voice was still as soft and pleasant as ever, but to Wang Shengli at this moment, it was more terrifying than a death knell.
"One is the price you just quoted, eight million, plus a kickback. I'll buy your factory. The original copy of this ledger will be on Secretary Sun's desk at the Discipline Inspection Commission tomorrow morning."
Wang Shengli trembled upon hearing this.
Bai Shu paused, admiring his terrified expression, her smile deepening to reveal a set of clean, even teeth.
"The other price..."
She held up one finger.
“50,000 yuan. I’ll buy your factory, and you can voluntarily apply for early retirement, go home to take care of your grandchildren, and enjoy your old age. This ledger will just rot here and no one else will ever see it.”
She leaned forward slightly, her beautiful peach blossom eyes curving into crescent moons.
"Director Wang, which one do you choose?"
"thump!"
Wang Shengli could no longer hold on; his obese body slid off the wicker chair and collapsed onto the ground. He gasped for breath, sweat streaming down his forehead, his eyes filled with nothing but endless fear and despair.
Outside the office building, under the shade of trees.
Several elderly workers, dressed in faded work clothes, were squatting in the corner smoking pipes.
"Another businessperson has arrived. Look at that young lady, she's really pretty."
"What good is Jun? He just benefits that fat pig Wang Bapi!"
"Exactly, guess how much Wang the Skinflint is going to rip off this time?"
"I bet they'll be scared away in less than half an hour. Our factory is completely beyond saving..."
An old worker tapped his pipe and sighed with a worried expression.
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