Ning Zhengkun was silent for a moment, then his voice was low and hoarse: "...Yes, Father."
The first rule of the Ning family law—
"If you're wrong, admit it; if you're going to be hit, stand firm (Cantonese: stand firm)."
It means: If you make a mistake, you must admit it, take responsibility, and accept the punishment!
This time he's confused!
Ning Zhengkun felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness and exhaustion spreading through his heart, and he closed his eyes.
Neither Ayu nor Manan listened to him.
The children have all grown up; perhaps he really is getting old…
Just then, Ning Bingyu calmly broke the suffocating silence—
“Grandpa, now is not the time to assign blame or discuss the transfer of inheritance. We are all family. The most urgent thing is to resolve the current crisis.”
He knew that his grandfather wanted his eldest uncle and sister to admit defeat in person, so they should accept their loss and assist him from now on.
But he didn't want to make things awkward, since it was time to work together.
Ning Zhengkun, after all, was the helmsman of the Ning family for many years. He was no ordinary person to have expanded the Ning family to its current size.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had regained its deep and sharp intensity.
“Ah Yu is right, Dad. The most important thing right now is to stabilize the situation. The Huangpu Garden project absolutely cannot be stopped!”
“Once construction stops and the pre-sale apartments cannot be delivered on schedule, those homeowners will definitely storm the company demanding refunds, which will only trigger a bigger storm and a break in the cash flow!”
The Ning family has invested a large amount of their working capital in Huangpu Garden, which is a real problem.
Ning Bingyu did not object this time because his uncle's strategy was correct.
He said, "That's right. The fact that Huangpu Garden has stopped construction at this time is practically announcing to the world that there are problems with the project and with the Ning family!"
Ning Zhengkun was pleased with Ning Bingyu's support and immediately proposed a solution: "We can appropriately delay the construction progress of the group's various projects to reduce the financial pressure. Then, we must immediately draw funds from other profitable projects to plug this hole!"
Ning Zhengkun paused, his expression turning grim: "We must stabilize the banks at all costs. Otherwise, if those banks panic and withdraw loans, or if their bond ratings are downgraded, triggering early repayment clauses... the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"To stabilize bank confidence, it is necessary to withdraw some of the working capital from overseas projects and sell some overseas assets."
This was also his problem; he trusted Man'an too much and didn't have his own people investigate Chen Jingsong's background!
However, upon hearing this, Ning Bingyu's brows furrowed even deeper with gloom: "I'm afraid... it's not that simple."
He placed a newly received fax on the table—
"Before I arrived, I received an urgent notification from the European branch that several of Ning's overseas assets and equity investments had been frozen by financial regulatory agencies in certain countries under the pretext of an 'anti-money laundering investigation'!"
Upon hearing this, the air in the office seemed to freeze instantly!
The expressions of those in power in the Ning family all changed!
Ning Zhengkun, his face ashen, snatched the document: "What?!"
The assets being frozen doesn't mean they've been confiscated, but they urgently need the money right now!
The old man's withered hands gripped the wheelchair armrests tightly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Ning Bingyu didn't stop, continuing to drop even more shocking news—
"Moreover, according to an urgent report from our trading department, several of the most aggressive top hedge funds internationally, such as Muddy Waters and Glaucus, are maliciously and aggressively shorting the stocks of Ning's Group and all our affiliated listed companies!!"
This is why Ning's stock price plummeted as soon as the market opened; this is not something that could be achieved solely through Hong Kong government business scandals!
The old man slammed his withered hand heavily on the armrest of his wheelchair: "Smack!"
His aged face and eyes held a terrifyingly gloomy and cold expression.
"Heh, this is a trap set up by the Ning family! They're attacking simultaneously, both domestically and internationally!"
(The explanation of short selling is like this: Xiaoming borrows a copy of "One Piece" worth 100 yuan from Xiaohong, sells it, and then buys it back when the price drops to 50 yuan, making a net profit of 50 yuan from the price difference. However, if the price rises to 150 yuan, Xiaoming has to pay an extra 50 yuan to buy it back and return it to Xiaohong.)
Ning Zhengkun's expression also changed drastically. As a seasoned businessman, he immediately understood the vicious intent behind this series of deadly moves.
"They're cutting off our lifeline! By freezing our overseas assets, we can't bring money back from abroad to tide us over!"
"In the stock market, scandals coupled with malicious short selling have shattered investor and retail investor confidence, and the sell-off will intensify!"
"Once the stock price falls below the warning line, our pledged shares will be liquidated!"
"At that time, in order to protect themselves, the securities firms will force liquidation and sell our shares at a low price to... to those covetous competitors!"
Simply put, the worst-case scenario—
The Ning family is likely to lose control of the company they founded!
If Ning Yuan were there, she would probably recall how Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was ousted from the company he founded.
Everyone present looked extremely solemn.
Ning Bingyu added with a grim expression: "This is not the worst. If we are unable to save the market, the scandal will spread globally, causing a collapse of trust among our international partners."
"For example, banks in other regions have tightened their credit lines to us across the board, and large clients have cancelled orders in a panic."
"Then, many of our overseas businesses will also suffer a severe blow and collapse rapidly."
He raised his eyes, looked at Ning Shi, and said in an icy voice, "By then, it will be a true case of 'fire burning down the entire camp,' and even a god couldn't save us!"
Ning Man'an, who had been silent all along, was now deathly pale, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
She finally understood that she had lost not only the right to inherit the family business, but also the possibility of dragging the entire Ning family into an abyss of no return!
Funds were stolen, assets were frozen, stock prices were shorted, credit ratings were downgraded, banks withdrew loans, and equity was liquidated...
After this series of blows, even if the Ning family manages not to collapse, it will definitely be severely damaged and reduced to a second- or even third-rate enterprise!
They might even suffer the same fate as the Cha family, which was destroyed in the past!
Outside the window, the wind and rain intensified.
The waves of Victoria Harbour surged and rolled, as if foreshadowing an impending massive storm.
The old man's cloudy eyes slowly moved, and he slightly curled his lips: "It seems that someone is determined to bring our Ning family to ruin. This is also a warning to other prominent families in Hong Kong: those who dare to block the way of foreigners will not have a good end."
The overseas capitalist forces, eyeing the Ning family like hungry wolves, will never let this opportunity slip by easily.
The Ning family has been operating overseas for many years, managing docks, oil fields, ports, and infrastructure companies...
Those are all highly desirable assets!
Ning Man'an's dignified face tightened, and her originally pained eyes slowly turned cold.
Cha Shenlou was just a third-generation rich kid who lacked ability but had great ambition. Otherwise, his father and grandfather would not have both obtained the title of Justice of the Peace, but he couldn't get it!
The Cha family's downfall was largely due to their own actions!
The Ning family was merely going with the flow; if it weren't the Ning family, the Li family or the Zheng family would have made their move to reap the benefits...
But the Ning family is now besieged on all sides, and may be facing an unprecedented strangulation by international capital!
Chen Jingsong, how dare he play her for a fool...
Ning Man'an lowered her cold eyes. Chen Jingsong had forgotten how she started her business!
Ning Bingyu looked down at the emaciated old man in the wheelchair, his almond-shaped eyes behind his glasses cold: "Grandpa, can we make our move now?"
Ning Man'an also looked at the old man in silence.
Under the gloomy sky, the old man sneered contemptuously: "We can't let those blond foreign devils think that the Ning family is a fish on a chopping board, at their mercy!"
He wasn't afraid of the Japanese devils back then, so why would he be afraid of them in this day and age? Ha...
...
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in the inland city of Shenzhen, in the Bagualing Industrial Zone.
Inside the huge factory, the machines were arranged neatly.
In the cleanroom, even the lights are industrial shadowless lamps, and the air conditioners blow out a suitable temperature and humidity.
This kind of workshop was something that no one in China had ever seen before, and it broadened the horizons of many leaders.
It felt much more upscale than where I lived.
Ning Yuan, dressed in a gray-blue worker's jumpsuit, was leading a group of people to carefully inspect the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) process along the production line.
She wore a matching work cap, which covered her hair, and a mask, revealing her smooth, full forehead and a pair of bright, clear eyes.
He looked just like any other worker.
Ning Yuan would stop every now and then to consult with the foreign engineer next to her in fluent English.
These days, she has been working hard to learn theory while also practicing with engineers in the field.
She doesn't seek the most advanced technology; she simply feels she can't be completely ignorant about the things she invests in.
Just then, her secretary, Peishan, hurried over to her side and leaned down to whisper a few words in her ear.
The focus on Ning Yuan's face quickly faded, replaced by a cold and solemn expression.
Hong Kong government... Ning Group... stock price plummeted... malicious short selling... assets frozen...
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