Chapter 161
That afternoon, Jiang Nuo indeed saw the press conference that Gu Jiangkuo mentioned in the morning.
Not only was the news reported, but many interview clips were also included, which was quite efficient. However, except for insiders like Jiang Nuo, most of the onlookers would probably regard this press conference as a major upset of the century.
Whether from the written press release or the live video, it seemed as though Chairman Gu, despite his illness, had dragged himself to the press conference to stabilize the stock price. However, the reporters started with some rather provocative questions. Chairman Gu's grandson, perhaps too young and inexperienced, was also overly honest, revealing the truth directly, personally confirming that the Gu Group had indeed just suffered a massive loss.
And then Uncle Gu suddenly forced the palace, which was simply too exciting! Who was right or wrong can't be believed based on one side of the story. Anyway, it was very dramatic. It can be seen that the younger generations of the Gu family are not harmonious, and they have even begun to covet Chairman Gu's inheritance!
The video was edited very cleverly. The quarreling part stopped when Uncle Gu loudly asked his father who would inherit the family business after his death. Gu Jiangkuo was furious and scolded his uncle for being obsessed with the inheritance and not caring about the old man's health, saying how heartless and ungrateful he was.
Then there are photos of Gu Jiangkuo comforting and supporting Mr. Gu with heartache.
The old man in the photo still looks sick and haggard, and the caption reads, "Old Chairman Gu Zhonghong was so angry that his old illness relapsed."
With this kind of public opinion...it would be strange if Gu's stock price didn't fall.
Jiang Nuo felt that the photos and videos must be real, but he suspected that the actual situation at the scene was definitely not like that.
President Jiang didn't care about the actual situation on the scene. He picked a few representative portals and clicked on the web pages. On the financial websites, netizens were generally discussing the previous forced liquidation battle in which the Gu Group lost 59 billion, and the expected future trends. They listed the impact on the stock price and future development of similar family-owned enterprises if the descendants of the family fought over the family property. Some even posted curve analysis charts.
The focus of non-financial sectors is much more gossipy:
"That Uncle Gu is so filial! His father is still alive, but he's already thinking about the family property! I heard that he made his own father sick with anger. As soon as the press conference ended, he was taken away by the 120 ambulance."
"Brother, that's Nanyang, there's no 120."
"The old chairman is so pitiful because his descendants are unfilial. Look how haggard he is, his skin is gray. My grandfather was in this state before he passed away. I hope the old man is safe [prayer][prayer][prayer]"
"Luckily, his grandson really cares about him. From the very beginning of the press conference, he was very careful to show concern for his grandfather. I didn't know why he kept looking at his grandfather. Now I know. He must know that his grandfather is not in good health, so he is always concerned. They have a really good relationship between grandfather and grandson. It reminds me of my grandfather [tears]"
"This tall and big Master Gu looks a little familiar."
"It looks like the couple I've seen before, but it shouldn't be the case. Their status is too different."
"You girls, you can be a fan of anyone, how superficial."
"He's very handsome, very manly. I don't understand what's wrong with those defensive men in the comment section. He has regular features and a great body. He looks so good in a suit. He must have muscles. He's tall and he's the son of a wealthy family. What's wrong with saying he looks like the male lead in an idol drama? I don't understand why you're being so sarcastic."
"Grandpa probably wanted to leave the family fortune to him, right? Have you noticed? The way Grandpa looks at the young master is different. It's a look filled with love and affection! [Tears]"
"Don't fight with that sickly Uncle Gu! With that kind of health, he might die even earlier than the old chairman [dog head]"
"??? I went to look up some information just to see some gossip. The Gu Group only has one son and one grandson. Where did the two grandsons come from?"
"Isn't Master Gu an illegitimate child?"
"How is that possible? He keeps calling that sickly middle-aged man uncle. Perhaps Young Master Gu's father passed away? That's why he wasn't recorded in the family tree?"
"No wonder Grandpa dotes on Master Gu so much! He's the eldest son and grandson! And his father has passed away!"
"Grandpa, hurry up and write your will! Don't let Uncle Gu take away our family fortune!"
“…”
The more Jiang Nuo watched, the more bewildered he became. If he hadn't known Gu Jiangkuo and had been to Gu's house, he would have almost believed it! Netizens are truly talented. Clearly, this footage was carefully edited by a professional team hired by Gu Jiangkuo. How did they see the "motherly love" in such ordinary eye contact?
There was also something about "eyes can't lie", and then he confidently started praising Gu Jiangkuo and Old Man Gu's "touching grandparent-grandchild relationship".
Mr. Jiang’s mind was filled with only:???
However, he did not understand the direction of public opinion, but he predicted the market trend very accurately.
President Jiang glanced at the closing price and, as expected, Gu Group's stock price had hit the lower limit again.
He couldn't help but call Gu Jiangkuo: "Hello, are you busy?"
"My wife called me, I'm never busy." Gu Jiangkuo's cheerful voice came over.
Jiang Nuo also smiled: "I'm asking you, is it convenient to talk?"
"Wait a minute." Gu Jiangkuo moved to a quieter place and guessed, "Have you finished watching the press conference?"
"Not only that," Jiang Nuo said, "I also read the comments from netizens at home and abroad. Everyone is amazed at the deep love between you two."
Gu Jiangkuo laughed out loud, "I saw it too, hahaha. They said the old man looked at me with eyes full of pity and love. Hahahaha, he didn't wear glasses that day because of presbyopia."
I never expected the answer to be so outrageous. Jiang Nuo also laughed for a long time before saying, "I thought you hired some water army."
"I did buy it," Gu Jiangkuo said honestly, "but it didn't have much of an impact. The video was already generating strong public opinion, and netizens are so good at making up stories."
"Anyway, the impression of your deep affection for grandparents has been established. No one will suspect you of holding Old Man Gu hostage in the ancestral home. The Gu Group's stock price is also continuing to fall. You're killing two birds with one stone."
"Kill three birds with one stone." Gu Jiangkuo corrected, "I will get my father's name back sooner or later."
Hearing this, Jiang Nuo couldn't help but fall silent.
Gu Jiangkuo's father, Gu Min, was originally the eldest son of the Nanyang Gu family. Later, he ran away from home in fear after he caught Gu Zhonghong telling the truth about murdering his wife. By chance, he fled to China and was adopted by Old Lady Wang. He married her daughter and gave birth to Gu Jiangkuo. Because the character "Min" was difficult to write and did not sound like the name of an ordinary country child, Old Lady Wang changed his name to "Gu Min".
Uncle Gu was originally named "Gu Min," but later, because Old Master Gu wanted to protect his reputation, he had Maoming replace the eldest son, and his name was simply changed to "Gu Min." The fact that the illegitimate son and the legitimate son have the same pronunciation but different characters makes it hard not to suspect that Gu Zhonghong was trying to switch princes from the beginning. He clearly didn't want to grow old with the Fang family's daughter, but he coveted the Fang family's resources.
No matter what, Gu Jiangkuo's father and Uncle Gu both have misplaced lives.
It's really sad.
Jiang Nuo didn't know how to comfort Gu Jiangkuo, so she said directly: "Next, if you need more funds, please let me know at any time."
As the saying goes, "It is better to give a huge sum of money than to ask about your boyfriend's well-being." Ms. Jiang can use leverage to pry out funds in the billions to comfort her boyfriend.
Gu Jiangkuo laughed and said, "Didn't you transfer all the 50 billion to me? Where do you have the money?"
Jiang Nuo: "I can use Jiang, Xingxu, and Shengchen as collateral."
"No need!" Gu Jiangkuo said hurriedly, "Not really, Nuonuo, please don't! This is our retreat. If I don't succeed here, I can still count on returning to Yanlin and having you support me."
Who would have thought that Mr. Gu, who was so calm and noble in front of the media, could say the words "I'll let you support me" so fluently in front of her boyfriend.
Jiang Nuo was indeed amused by him: "Okay."
But then he became worried: "But do you have enough funds?"
"That's enough," Gu Jiangkuo said. "The fifty billion you gave me, plus the debt and margin loans I leveraged with NUO and other industries... plus convincing the Fang family, that should be enough."
"The Fang family?" Jiang Nuo asked, "Are they willing to help you?"
"Not yet. I plan to go again soon."
Some things are not convenient to say on the phone, for example, how many shares the Fang family has and to what extent they can help him, for example, the specific amount of financing Gu Jiangkuo has done.
...Although he didn't know how much it was, Jiang Nuo estimated that the above three together would not exceed 200 billion. This huge amount of money could buy out most of the group companies in the world. However, this did not include behemoths like the Gu Group. Otherwise, Gu Jiangkuo would not have to repeatedly suppress the stock price of his own company and delay taking action.
But it was not appropriate to say too specific numbers over the phone, so Jiang Nuo asked, "When will you return to Yanlin?"
"Missing me again?" Gu Jiangkuo said with a smile, "Wife, you are so clingy."
Jiang Nuo: “…………”
Gu Jiangkuo: "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. But there might not be any way in the near future. It's busy here."
"You should focus on your work," Jiang Nuo said hurriedly, "I was just asking casually."
.
However, what Mr. Jiang did not expect was that the opportunity to meet Gu Jiangkuo would come soon. A few days later, he received a fairly formal invitation inviting him to Nanyang.
On the other hand, just as Jiang Nuo expected, Gu Jiangkuo began to make a high-profile offer to acquire Gu Group's shares.
The so-called tender offer refers to the acquirer issuing a takeover announcement to the target company (that is, Gu Group) and making a public offer to all shareholders, generally with the goal of controlling the target company (Gu Group)①.
In other words, it means publicly announcing to everyone: I want to buy shares of Gu Group, until I buy more than 51% and can control the group.
Tender offer is a very common form of acquisition. However, when facing a company of the size of Gu Group, or an individual against a company, the probability is extremely small. The rarer the event, the more likely it is to make the news.
What's more, the video of Uncle Gu angrily scolding Gu Jiangkuo in front of the media at a press conference a few days ago is still circulating online, and the popularity has not subsided. It is difficult for this matter not to be speculated by the majority of onlookers.
"I smell the big melon of the rich family!"
"Could it be that Uncle Gu, after failing to retrieve the will, resorted to some trickery, forcing Young Master Gu Jiangkuo to resort to this desperate measure?"
"Gu Jiangkuo's background is very confusing."
“…”
However, public opinion could not influence the pace of mergers and acquisitions. Although the acquisition price announced by Gu Jiangkuo was far lower than the previous average level of the Gu Group, it was 20% higher than the current stock price. For some small shareholders, it was quite a bargain. Soon some people were shaken and signed equity transfer contracts with Gu Jiangkuo in order to stop the loss.
The board of directors and shareholders, both large and small, also began to panic.
Many board members went to Chen Zhigu, the executive director overseeing the company, to inquire about the current situation and what had happened to the Gu family. Was the old chairman, as the rumors had it, truly ill after the press conference, and on the verge of death? Some even asked if Gu Jiangkuo's aggressive approach warranted a poison pill plan.
The so-called poison pill plan is a delaying tactic to prevent hostile takeovers, and the company will not activate it unless it is absolutely necessary.
"It's far from that point! Everyone, please be patient." Chen Zhigu said it lightly on the surface, but he was actually panicking in his heart.
Ever since he contacted Gu Zhonghong through Uncle Zhong, he hadn't seen Old Man Gu again! He had personally visited him several times, but was always turned away. Chen Zhigu suspected that his boss was being held under house arrest by his grandson. However, he had no evidence, and he didn't dare to make a big deal about it.
After all, Gu's stock price can't fall any further! The entire group is in a panic.
"Why are you being so calm? There's no news at all. Should I sell my stocks or not?"
"Yes, Mr. Chen, you have to show us a clear way."
“…”
Chen Zhigu was cornered and finally had to promise: "I will go to the Gu Family Manor tonight to check the situation and then get back to you. Is that okay?"
.
After finally appeasing the board members and shareholders, Chen Zhigu did not actually go to the Gu family manor - it would be useless to go there, Gu Jiangkuo would not let him in - but instead stayed alone in the room and thought all night.
Chen Zhigu ran through all the possibilities in his mind. The more he analyzed, the more he felt that Mr. Gu must still be alive and well. Otherwise, his estate would automatically go into trust, making Gu Jiangkuo's continued efforts meaningless. Furthermore, Gu Jiangkuo's funds probably weren't enough to buy out 51% of the shares. It wasn't that he looked down on Gu Jiangkuo, but a merger like this, even a company-to-company one, would be difficult against a behemoth like the Gu Group. Even if Jiang Nuo was truly willing to give Gu Jiangkuo all the 50 billion yuan he'd received in compensation, it still wouldn't be enough.
With only the support of the Jiang Group, even if Gu Jiangkuo raises the leverage, he cannot achieve the goal of "an ant swallowing an elephant".
So, he was just bluffing!
Chen Zhigu came to this conclusion and prepared to announce it to the board of directors to appease people first!
.
"The board of directors is not composed of netizens who believe everything they hear. They will definitely think I am bluffing." At almost the same time, Gu Jiangkuo said this to his confidant Donggu.
"Then what should we do?" Donggu said worriedly. He actually didn't quite understand what Mr. Gu said, nor could he figure out those obscure financial terms and the complicated social etiquette. He just could tell from the tone of his elder brother's voice that he was worried.
"Prepare a gift," Gu Jiangkuo instructed, "I'm going to visit the Fang family again in a few days."
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The trigger condition for today's extra chapter is also to leave a lot of comments! Good night, my dears!
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