Ning Man'an asked casually, "How's the stock market doing?"
Axiang replied, "After the press conference started, Jialin's stock price did stop falling and rebound, and even rose slightly. It seems that his words did have some effect."
Ning Man'an picked up the coffee cup on the table and gently blew on the rising steam: "At least he has some brains. He knows that the only way to protect himself and stabilize market confidence is to stick close to the Ning family."
This approach, though crude, is indeed an effective means of dealing with the current crisis.
Ning Man'an put down her coffee cup and glanced at the TV screen: "The Huangpu Garden project cannot afford any mistakes."
The screen above was replaying Chen Jingsong's spirited and eloquent speech at the press conference.
Her gaze turned slightly cold as she instructed Ah Xiang, "He still has some issues. We should continue to investigate. Keep a close eye on him, especially Jia Lin's financial movements. Investigate every single transaction thoroughly and don't give Ah Yu any opportunity to cause us trouble."
Ah Xiang respectfully replied, "Understood, Miss."
However, the good times didn't last long, and the market calm didn't last long either.
Two weeks later, the latest issue of the Hong Kong Government Weekly dropped a bombshell, once again putting the Jialin Group in the spotlight!
Ah Xiang practically burst into the office, his face more grim than ever before.
He placed an open copy of the Hong Kong Government Weekly on Ning Man'an's desk, his voice trembling slightly: "Miss! Something's happened! You need to see this!"
Ningman frowned and picked up the weekly magazine.
The shocking headline dominated the entire cover: "A Shocking Scam! The Deep Dive into the Financial Scandals of Jialin Group!"
She quickly turned to the inside pages, her pupils suddenly contracting.
The weekly magazine detailed the various financial frauds committed by Jialin Group and attached clear photocopies as evidence!
The audit report clearly pointed out that the Huangpu Garden project had a large number of records of duplicate payments for construction work! The same payment was made two or even three times!
—The company's accounts show obvious signs of tampering; many key data points have been altered beyond recognition in an attempt to conceal the true destination of funds!
—The land used for mortgage loans was maliciously overstated, with its actual value far lower than the appraised price, nearly three times higher!
— Several contracts signed with suppliers are suspected of being forged, with signatures and official seals suspected of being counterfeited!
Each accusation was accompanied by corresponding photos or screenshots of evidence, presented in a clear and logical manner, and did not seem to be baseless at all!
Her voice was unusually calm, without the slightest hint of emotion, but the air in the office suddenly seemed to drop to freezing: "What's the situation with the stock market?"
Ah Xiang swallowed hard. "The market opened... Jialin Group's stock immediately hit the daily limit down! Besides Jialin, even our Ning family's stock was affected... and it's still falling! We've already received calls from several of our partner banks, all inquiring about the situation..."
Ning Man'an stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Tell Chen Jingsong to get over here and see me right now!"
This time, she wanted to see how that old fox Chen Jingsong could still try to argue!
Chen Jingsong arrived very quickly; in less than half an hour, he appeared at Ning Man'an's office door.
His chubby face still bore that signature smile, tinged with a touch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws), laced with a familiar complaint—
"Oh dear, my dear niece, you're calling too hastily! I'm currently dealing with the slander from those unscrupulous media outlets!"
Ning Man'an slowly turned around, pointing to the open Hong Kong Government Weekly on the table, her gaze cold and sharp—
"Chairman Chen, is this what you call 'soon-to-be-resolved'? Is this what you call 'minor trouble'?! How do you plan to explain this to me now?"
The overwhelming pressure emanating from her made Chen Jingsong instinctively take a half-step back.
Chen Jingsong frowned and sat down in front of Ning Man'an: "Niece, don't be angry. This...this is a complete frame-up! Someone is deliberately trying to ruin me and Jialin!"
He slammed his fist on the table, his fat trembling: "That bastard Li Baoshu! I trusted him so much, treated him like a confidant, and he actually did this behind my back!"
"He stole company documents and forged some of them, just to drag me down! He must have taken bribes to bring down Jialin!"
Chen Jingsong became increasingly agitated as he spoke, appearing heartbroken and devastated by betrayal: "It would be better if he were dead! But I'm left to clean up this mess he left behind! Miss, think about it, if it weren't for this mole tampering with things, how could these so-called 'confidential documents' have been leaked?!"
Ning Man'an watched his performance coldly, unmoved: "You mean, he did all of this by himself? Does he have that much ability?"
Chen Jingsong nodded immediately, his tone resolute: "Of course! He's in charge of all the company's legal affairs and some financial matters, so he knows best which documents can be manipulated!"
"And don't you find it strange? Why did the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) choose this moment to investigate, of all times? And why make such a big fuss about it?"
"I've heard that Young Master Ning has extensive connections within the Independent Commission Against Corruption... If something goes wrong with the Whampoa Garden project, you should know who will be the happiest."
The Ning family was able to become the richest family in Hong Kong because they had extensive connections in both the political and business circles. As the heir, Ning Bingyu naturally took over these political connections early on.
Ningmanan mainly develops in the Australian government.
Ning Man'an remained expressionless, simply picking up the half-cold coffee on the table, gently swirling it, and taking a sip.
Chen Jingsong continued to defend himself, his tone sincere: "Of course, my dear niece, I also admit that when it comes to doing business, sometimes in order to get a loan, I do use... well, special methods."
"But think about it, how much profit has Jialin Group generated for major banks since its establishment? The rate of return has always been very high! Most banks turn a blind eye, everyone's just trying to make money!"
"Why are only people from RAB Bank in Malaysia speaking out? This is clearly someone stabbing me in the back and trying to kill me!"
Just then, the office door was knocked on again, interrupting Chen Jingsong's long speech.
Ah Xiang stepped forward and whispered to Ning Man'an, "Miss, the young master is here. He says he has something urgent to discuss with you."
Ning Man'an frowned almost imperceptibly and said to Chen Jingsong, "Chairman Chen, please wait in the lounge next door for a moment. I have some family matters to attend to."
Chen Jingsong immediately understood and put on a smile: "Okay, okay, Miss, you go ahead with your work. I won't disturb you and your brother's conversation."
As he spoke, he followed Ah Xiang into the adjacent lounge!
After watching Chen Jingsong's figure disappear through the side door, Ning Man'an said to A Xiang, "Let him in."
Soon, the office door was pushed open, and Ning Bingyu walked in with Chu Hongyu, his face cold and stern.
He didn't even bother with pleasantries, walking straight to Ning Man'an's desk, his voice carrying a suppressed chill—
"Big Sister! Immediately stop injecting funds into the Huangpu Garden project! Initiate risk isolation immediately and completely kick Jialin Group out! We can't delay any longer!"
Chu Hongyu stood behind him, her expression equally solemn.
Ning Man'an looked at her usually calm younger brother's aggressive demeanor and glanced at the summary report on the table, which was clearly about the latest negative information about Jialin Group.
Her gaze towards Ning Bingyu was calm and unwavering, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Ayu, are you... pleased to see this happen today?"
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