Chapter 309 Dead
Jiang Ning answered the phone.
"...Lu Junyan?"
She had just finished asking when Lu Junyan chuckled softly through the receiver.
"It was me...who else did you think it would be?"
Lu Junyan's voice remained as steady and confident as ever.
Jiang Ning realized that Lu Junyan was not under house arrest by Lin Jingcheng.
"Where are you now?"
"secret."
Lu Junyan's suspense made Jiang Ning frown.
"You've been absent from work for a day. I'll have HR fire you when you come to the company tomorrow."
Jiang Ning's words were firm and uncompromising, leaving no room for sentimentality.
She never wanted to have anything to do with Lu Junyan in the first place, and now she could find an excuse to get rid of him.
Lu Junyan on the other end of the phone fell into a brief silence.
"Now is not the time to fire me!"
Lu Junyan's words were tantamount to telling Jiang Ning that he already knew about the trouble that had happened to the Lu Group.
"So you called me to kick me when I'm down?"
"Can't I be the one to offer help in times of need?"
Lu Junyan's question startled Jiang Ning.
She didn't go upstairs, but sat down on a bench downstairs and patiently listened to Lu Junyan's story.
"The Lu family is currently embroiled in a major scandal, and its stock price has plummeted... You should keep an eye on a company called Shaman Technology, which is continuously and secretly buying up shares held by Lu family retail investors and small shareholders."
“I’ve noticed this company. It’s controlled by the EYSG Group, but EYSG is a company registered on H Island, so I can’t see its shareholding structure.”
"Hmm... The controlling shareholder of EYSG Group is Lischel Company of K Island."
The information Lu Junyan provided gave Jiang Ning an ominous feeling.
This kind of nested company structure is partly for the purpose of legally avoiding taxes.
On the other hand, most of them are used to operate illegal projects or to cover up their true intentions.
The company that Lu Junyan found registered in Lischel on K Island is probably not a top-tier company.
"Is someone shorting the Lu Group, trying to take a hostile takeover?"
As Jiang Ning uttered those words, the image of Gu Jinci unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
So, could Gu Jinci be a corporate spy sent by a hostile acquirer?
Just as Jiang Ning and Lu Junyan were making this phone call, in the United States, Joker was standing on a bridge enjoying the sea breeze.
He held his phone, watching as his shell companies acquired shares of the Lu Group layer by layer.
At this moment, he had shed his disguise as Gu Jinci.
"This time... let's see where you can run now?"
Joker squinted as the sea breeze blew, but the smile on his baby face gave off a creepy impression.
H Island.
Lu Junyan was standing in his bright and clean office when a stunning blonde woman with blue eyes walked in and handed him a folder.
“Mr. John, this is the working capital of all the companies under your name.”
"good."
Lu Junyan took the folder and flipped through it page by page, looking at it very carefully.
City A.
Sanhu Street.
Jiang Ning and Lu Junyan talked on the phone for a long time before going upstairs.
Before she even reached her doorstep, she could smell the strong aroma of pizza.
Jiang Ning looked up and saw Bai Yichen.
Bai Yichen stood at her doorstep, holding a pizza box that emitted an enticing aroma.
Jiang Ning's stomach immediately growled.
"Feel sorry……"
She scratched the back of her head shyly.
"Why are you apologizing to me? I came here because I guessed you hadn't eaten properly."
Looking at Bai Yichen's gentle smile, Jiang Ning felt a little less anxious.
She opened the door and invited Bai Yichen inside, where the two ate pizza together.
Bai Yichen had already learned about the current predicament of the Lu Group through online information.
He didn't mention a word about eating pizza in Jiangning.
While Jiang Ning ate, he told her jokes.
Bai Yichen is not a person who likes to tell jokes, nor is he good at it.
Jiang Ning knew that Bai Yichen did this for her sake.
Only after finishing both pizzas did Bai Yichen ask Jiang Ning:
"Lu's Group's stock price has plummeted. Those shareholders will definitely pressure you to give them an explanation. What are your plans afterward?"
Jiang Ning remained silent for a moment, not lying to Bai Yichen.
"Although the board of directors of the Lu Group underwent a major reshuffle when I took over the company, many of the shareholders still have some connection with the Lu family..."
Upon hearing "Lu family" from Jiang Ning, Bai Yichen couldn't help but frown.
"Just before I went upstairs, I received a call from Lu Junyan... He suggested that I bring in a white knight."
"Can't!"
Jiang Ning's words were met with strong opposition from Bai Yichen.
Bai Yichen said sternly, "Lu Junyan has no good intentions at all! Asking you to bring in the Lu family's capital at this critical juncture is clearly an attempt to take advantage of the situation..."
"But Shaman Technology is continuously buying Lu's Group's stock, I'm afraid..."
“Even if Shaman Technology’s acquisition was hostile, didn’t the Lu family also take it? Lu Junyan is just trying to take back the Lu Group. Aning, you can’t fall into his trap.”
Seeing Jiang Ning fall silent, Bai Yichen continued, "The company that Gu Jinci works for was cooperating with Lu Junyan from the beginning. Gu Jinci might be a corporate spy sent by Lu Junyan to push you into a corner so that he could bring in a white knight in disguise."
Bai Yichen's warning seemed to make a lot of sense.
In fact, many companies that are hostile takeovers bring in white knights end up becoming another hostile takeover party.
However, Jiang Ning believed that Lu Junyan was not as Bai Yichen described.
If Lu Junyan really couldn't bear to part with the Lu Group, he wouldn't have needed to leave with nothing and give her all his assets in the first place.
Bai Yichen scrutinized Jiang Ning's face.
Judging from his expression, he knew that Jiang Ning did not believe him.
In fact, he himself knew perfectly well that his words were full of loopholes.
“Ah Ning…”
Suddenly, Bai Yichen grasped Jiang Ning's hand.
Jiang Ning raised her eyes and saw Bai Yichen saying to her with utmost seriousness:
"Don't accept any advice or benefits from Lu Junyan... The more you ask him for help, the more you're giving him an opportunity..."
At this point, Bai Yichen's eyes revealed a heartbreaking pain.
"Don't you... still miss him?"
"Bai Yichen, I've already said it, I..."
"Then reject him!"
Quite unusually, Bai Yichen directly interrupted Jiang Ning before he could finish speaking.
The Bai Yichen before him had a resolute expression, a kind of domineering power that Jiang Ning had never seen before.
“Ah Ning, refuse him… I’ll help you figure out a way to deal with the crisis facing the Lu Group.”
Jiang Ning's hand was a little sore from Bai Yichen's grip, but she didn't pull her hand away.
The whole house was so quiet it was as if no one was there.
Jiang Ning remained silent for a long time before nodding.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
That night, Bai Yichen stayed overnight at his home in Jiangning.
However, neither of them slept; they worked through the night to devise a series of plans to save the Lu Group's stock.
Before these plans were officially implemented, Jiang Ning suddenly received a call from Officer Li.
"What?! Gu Jinci is dead?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
