On January 9, 2006, Samsung Group Chairman Chen Kun-hee celebrated his 64th birthday. The Samsung Group Secretariat held a luxurious birthday party for Chen Kun-hee at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.
Before this year, Chen Jianxi usually spent his birthday with his family. But this year, Chen Jianxi suddenly changed his style and invited all the subsidiaries of Samsung Group to have a party. It is said that Chen Jianxi's birthday party has been included in the schedule of Samsung Group since Chennai.
On the day of the birthday party, Samsung invited many well-known Korean artists to perform and used precious ingredients airlifted from abroad. The expenses of this banquet, which cost 1 billion won, were all borne by the Samsung Group.
SA singers Kim Jong Kook, Baek Ji Young and Lee Hyori also received invitations from the Samsung Group Secretariat, but all three declined Samsung's invitation on the grounds that their schedules could not be changed.
Chen Zairong was very dissatisfied with this. "Xinyu is a senior executive of SA Soft after all. It is too coincidental that Kim Jong-kook and others rejected the performance invitation from the group secretariat at the same time."
Lin Zhiling knew why Kim Jong-kook and the others refused. The relationship between SA Group and Samsung has become somewhat tense. Le Xiyi from the Suwon Prosecutor's Office has been very active in Seoul recently. He visited SK Group Chairman Choi An-won, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Chen Jae-yong in succession. They are conspiring to join forces to deal with Song Yi.
The only link between Samsung and SA is Chen Xinyu. You, Chen Zairong, are ready to deal with Song Yi together with Le Xiyi. How could Song Yi agree to SA's singers celebrating Chen Jianxi's birthday? Isn't this asking for trouble? "There are so many singers in Korea, why are you targeting SA's singers? Are you interested in one of Baek Ji-young or Lee Hyo-ri?" Lin Zhiling asked Chen Zairong.
Chen Zairong was very displeased. "What nonsense are you talking about? I mean that since Song Yi became the richest man, even the artists under SA have become a lot more arrogant. In the public activities planned by our Samsung Group before, I have never seen any artist from any company dare to refuse."
When Lin Zhiling heard what Chen Zairong said, she felt that he had some truth in his words. As the largest financial group in South Korea, every Korean knew the weight of the word Samsung, and indeed no artist had ever refused an invitation from Samsung before.
"Didn't Xinyu ask for you? Lee Hyori and Kim Jong Kook went to mainland China to record Running Man. Many mainland college students uploaded photos of encountering the Running Man crew on Renren."
"Baek Ji-young was also invited to attend this year's Paris Spring Fashion Week. Her personal underwear brand YarSi.b has been quite popular in the past two years. She has frequently appeared in major fashion shows in the past two years. I almost forgot that she is also a singer." Lin Zhiling explained.
Chen Zairong felt even more unhappy when he heard Lin Zhiling's words. He snorted, "It seems that you pay close attention to SA's movements. You even know the whereabouts of SA singers clearly."
"Yes, the sales of Daxiang Group's condiments in the mainland have doubled through the Korean Pavilion on Taobao.com, and are about to catch up with the sales in the Korean domestic market. Sohan.com is now the God of Wealth for your Daxiang Group, and you can't help but pay attention to it."
"But I remind you, since you are marrying me, you are a member of our Samsung family. You must put the interests of our family first, don't stand on the wrong side, and don't do things that will hurt your loved ones and please your enemies. If one day you betray me, that will be a price you cannot bear." Chen Zairong said coldly.
Lin Zhiling's heart tightened, but her expression did not change. "As a son-in-law, don't you want to see the Elephant Group's performance grow and its stock price soar? Could it be that you have the intention of annexing our Elephant Group, so you hope that the Elephant Group will have operating problems?"
Not far away, Chen Fuzhen noticed the tension between Chen Zairong and Lin Zhiling, and hurried over to smooth things over, "Brother, sister-in-law, today is my father's birthday party. Is there anything that can't be discussed after we get home?"
"Brother, the Goryeo celadon jade-colored melon-edged pot that sister-in-law gave to our father today won our father's high praise. She gave it in the name of you and your wife, allowing you to shine in front of the executives of Samsung Group, and everyone praised you for your filial piety. Now that sister-in-law is pregnant again, can't you give way to her?" Chen Fuzhen began to persuade.
Chen Zairong's face lightened up a bit. Apart from other things, there was nothing wrong with the birthday gift that Lin Zhiling prepared for Chen Jianxi. However, the business cooperation between Daxiang Group and Sohan.com was indeed a thorn in his heart. His father-in-law Lin Yuchang had no son, so Chen Zairong had already regarded Daxiang Group as something in his pocket and wanted to swallow it up at any time.
Who knew that Lin Zhiling did not play by the rules. By leveraging her relationship with Sohan.com, she helped Elephant Group successfully expand its overseas market and brought new vitality to this old Korean brand.
Not only that, Lin Zhiling also suggested that her father Lin Yuchang choose a young talent from the Elephant Group to marry into the Elephant Group. When the child is born, he will take Lin Xiangyu's surname Lin, so there is no need to worry about Lin Yuchang's advanced age and the Elephant Group's huge industry without a successor.
Chen Zairong felt that Lin Zhiling was actually on guard against him, and that there was already a rift between the couple. He would not reflect on himself, but would only blame Sohan.com or Song Yi. He now only hoped that Le Xiyi could convict Song Yi as soon as possible, so that when Song Yi was imprisoned, he would have no time to worry about the affairs of the Elephant Group.
"Instead of persuading me, you might as well persuade your sister-in-law to keep her distance from SA. My father told me clearly that SA has entered the field of consumer electronics, and there is intelligence that SA Electronics is developing a new electronic product similar to the iPod. My father said that Song Yi is very ambitious and will become our number one rival of Samsung Electronics in two or three years. I don't want Zhiling to be unable to distinguish between friend and foe by then!" Chen Zairong left angrily after saying this.
Lin Zhiling was a little distressed. "You have also seen your elder brother's attitude. The last time Xiang Yu represented the Elephant Group to attend Song Yi's birthday party, he also complained about it for a long time, and even you were blamed."
Chen Fuzhen has a deep understanding of this. She was removed from her position as president of Samsung Everland because she was too close to the SA Group. She only retained the position of president of Shilla Hotel.
Chen Zairong actually hoped that Chen Jianxi could remove Chen Fuzhen from the position of president of Shilla Hotel, so that Chen Fuzhen would completely lose power and would not be able to shake Chen Zairong's position as heir.
However, Luo Hongxi woke up Chen Zaiyong, your sister Chen Fuzhen stayed in Shilla Hotel and was bound by the Samsung family. If you remove her position as the president of Shilla Hotel, Chen Fuzhen will directly join SA Group as the president of hotel business to compete with Samsung, which will make you more passive.
Now that SA Group's AXA Tokyo Luxury Resort has become famous, SA Group is also preparing to replicate the AXA Tokyo model in various parts of Asia to build top luxury hotels of different styles. China alone has selected Moganshan, Sanya, Chengdu, and Jiuzhaigou to build luxury resorts.
Sheng'an Real Estate, a subsidiary of SA Group, is now one of the top 20 large real estate developers in mainland China. SA Group's construction of luxury resorts in mainland China naturally requires the cooperation of Sheng'an Real Estate.
"Brother is right. If SA really enters the consumer electronics industry, then SA Electronics will become a competitor to Samsung, just like LG Electronics."
"In order to deal with SA's attack, father will definitely terminate the cooperation between Shilla Hotel and Sohan.com. Xinyu will not be able to keep her job at Yahoo Korea. The cooperation between Elephant Group and Sohan.com is already very in-depth, and you have no way to extricate yourself. If you are really asked to choose between Samsung and SA, what should you do, sister-in-law?" Chen Fuzhen asked Lin Zhiling.
"Sister-in-law, I heard that you suggested to Uncle Lin that he should find a son-in-law for Xiang Yu so that Xiang Yu's child can inherit the Elephant Group in the future."
"In fact, in addition to Xiang Yu's child, the child in your belly also has the right to inherit the Elephant Group. If you return to work at the Elephant Group, wouldn't it be okay to hand the company over to him when he grows up?" Chen Fuzhen suggested.
Lin Zhiling was slightly stunned when she heard Chen Fuzhen say this, but she understood what Chen Fuzhen meant. She and Chen Fuzhen played a three-person landlord game with Song Yi at The One Apartment, and she became pregnant not long after she came back.
It was because she knew that Song Yi was the biological father of the child in her belly that she was willing to take such a big risk and go to Le Xiyi's house to copy the entire content of the recording for Song Yi.
Lin Zhiling glanced at Chen Zairong in the distance and said to Chen Fuzhen, "Are you asking me to divorce your brother, take the child back to my parents' home, and let him take my last name Lin? You are crazy. How could the Samsung family agree to let the child take my last name?"
Chen Fuzhen said calmly, "It depends on what Big Brother thinks. If the child in your belly is confirmed as the only heir of the third generation of the Elephant Group and can inherit the family business of the Elephant Group, then what does it matter whether the child's surname is Lin or Chen?"
Lin Zhiling has given birth to a son and a daughter for Chen Zaiyong. The eldest son Chen Zhihao and the eldest daughter Chen Yuanzhu are the fourth generation heirs of Samsung. Even if the child in Lin Zhiling's belly grows up and joins the Samsung Group, at most he will take over the side industries of the Samsung Group like Chen Fuzhen did.
She had just gone to the hospital for a prenatal checkup a few days ago and had learned from the doctor that she was pregnant with a boy. Now Chen Fuzhen's words gave her a new idea, maybe her little son could really solve the problem of the Elephant Group's lack of successors.
Shortly after Chen Jianxi's birthday party ended, Suwon Prosecutor's Office Chief Prosecutor Le Xiyi said in an interview with a reporter from the JoongAng Ilbo that he had a recording of a secret conversation between Justice Minister Ha Mi-ae and the chairman of SA Group.
This recording can prove that Xia Meiai abused her power and SA Group Chairman Song Yi violated the law. He suggested that the South Korean National Assembly set up an independent investigation team to investigate Xia Meiai and Song Yi as soon as possible. Le Xiyi also said that Song Yi has the support of powerful figures in the political arena. In order to prevent anyone from interfering with the judiciary, he officially announced his withdrawal from the ruling party and the Open National Assembly, becoming a non-partisan.
Once the interview was released, it caused an uproar in the Korean media. Le Xiyi is now desperate, staking his career, and will not stop until he brings down Xia Meiai and Song Yi.
If the accusation of Le Xiyi is established, it will be a heavy blow to the current president Song Yuxi. It was with the support of Song Yuxi that Xia Meiai launched the reform of the prosecution system, took back the prosecutors' investigative power, and established the Korean Senior Public Officials Crime Investigation Office.
Now that the Public Mediation Office has been established for less than a year, its director, Li Guangxian, is about to initiate an investigation into Xia Meiai, the advocate of the Public Mediation Office. Isn’t this an irony?
In addition to Xia Meiai, the Korean public has paid more attention to the newly crowned richest man Song Yi. After all, the luxurious lineup of artists at Song Yi's birthday party last year made many netizens envious and jealous.
Many Korean netizens said that Song Yi's 29th birthday party was too high-profile, causing dissatisfaction among many people. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind, and a tree that stands out in the forest will be blown away by the wind. Song Yi, you have just surpassed Chen Jianxi and become the new richest man. You are so ostentatious. Where does this put other Korean conglomerates? Who else can they punish if not you?
Of course, there were many rumors about InSchool and Yahoo Korea. The most outrageous rumor was that Chen Jianxi invited SA's Kim Jong-kook, Baek Ji-young and Lee Hyo-ri to his birthday party, but the three of them followed their boss Song Yi's instructions and declined with excuses. Chen Jianxi felt that Song Yi didn't give him face, so he went to Le Xiyi in anger and prepared to teach Song Yi a lesson to let him know the majesty of the First Financial Group.
Most Korean netizens believe that Song Yi will pass smoothly this time. Koreans know that SA Group has a close relationship with the current president Song Woo-seok. It is with the full support of Song Woo-seok that SA Group has developed into a large conglomerate with assets of tens of trillions of won and hundreds of thousands of employees. Regardless of whether Song Yi is guilty or not, the final result is not guilty. Le Xiyi is destined to hit a wall this time. It is unknown whether he can keep his job as the chief prosecutor of the Suwon Prosecutor's Office.
However, to everyone's surprise, on January 19, the South Korean parliament voted to set up an independent investigation team to conduct an independent investigation into Song Yi's recording scandal.
The South Korean police quickly dispatched police forces to conduct a rare large-scale investigation of the SA Group headquarters and Song Yi's villa in Seongbuk-dong. However, the Seoul police did not find any substantial evidence against Song Yi in his home.
Song Yi said in an interview with ABS TV, "Le Xiyi's irresponsible remarks in the interview with JoongAng Ilbo have greatly damaged the reputation of SA Group and me personally, and even seriously affected the listing plan of SA Soft, a subsidiary of SA Group. The economic losses caused to our SA Group are difficult to estimate, and the initial estimate is as high as trillions of won."
"If Le Xiyi really has a secret recording of me breaking the law, please make it public. If necessary, I think a congressional hearing can be held, and I am willing to confront him one-on-one to prove my innocence. If the recording proves my guilt, I am willing to resign as chairman of the SA Group and apologize to the public."
"If the recording cannot prove my guilt, then I will hold Chief Prosecutor Le Xiyi responsible for defaming my reputation. I think this kind of official who takes revenge for personal gain is not suitable to continue to hold such an important position as Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon Prosecutor's Office!"
Song Yi's words pushed Le Xiyi into a desperate situation, and there was no room for maneuver between the two.
Desperate, Le Xiyi formally visited the Grand National Party leader Zheng Jinhui and handed the recorder to Zheng Jinhui.
The Grand National Party spokesperson announced that a hearing will be held on January 25, requiring Minister of Justice Ha Mi-ae and SA Group Chairman Song Yi to come to the National Assembly on time to answer the political questions initiated by the Grand National Party. At that time, Suwon Prosecutor's Office Prosecutor General Yu Seok-ik will release the recording content to the members of Congress at the hearing.
Zheng Jinhui's move further escalated the recording scandal. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zheng Jinhui was targeting Xia Meiai and Song Yi, but in fact, she had already targeted Song Yuxi, who was behind Song Yi. This hearing will be directly related to next year's presidential election. Before the Spring Festival, Seoul was shrouded in a tense feeling of impending storm. Thank you all for your monthly tickets, see you tomorrow!
(End of this chapter)