Chapter 55 "Xiaoyu, come here for a moment..."
"Xiaoyu, come here for a moment."
Wang Yutong bumped into Huang Shiyu, who was walking around the corner, as soon as she stepped out of the elevator. She didn't expect that on her first day of work, before she could even sit down properly at her workstation, Huang Shiyu would call her away.
She glanced at the workstation in the corner and followed closely behind Huang Shiyu.
Huang Shiyu led Wang Yutong into the office. Hearing the door close, the employees at the workstations outside glanced over in an orderly fashion. Seeing that there was no sound inside, they lowered their gossipy eyes and went back to their work.
Wang Yutong glanced around the office, her gaze sweeping casually across the white walls and the rare brown wood veneer office furniture, which looked luxurious and grand. After looking at it for a while, she called out, "President Huang," as Huang Shiyu sat down.
Huang Shiyu sat at the head of the desk, gestured with his chin to the chair in front of him, indicating that she should sit down, and said, "Tell me your thoughts."
She sat down and looked at Huang Shiyu. Perhaps it was because she had been living abroad for a long time, but she looked at people with ease and without any formality. Instead, she looked at them as equals. “I know that Mr. Huang wants to take the Xinyu Xinsheng project public overseas. Perhaps we can learn from other people’s experience and leverage their strengths.”
"Leverage? That's too broad a scope!" Huang Shiyu said with a smile. "Besides the authoritative institutions you mentioned, what else?"
She delivered her prepared remarks in a reporting tone: "The national authoritative institutions I mentioned to General Manager Huang before are very comprehensive. We can distribute the documents approved and stamped by these authoritative institutions into people's daily lives. Give me twenty-eight days, and anyone who is familiar with the 'Heartfelt Words' product will gradually become deeply ingrained in their hearts."
Huang Shiyu didn't speak, looking at her with an indifferent gaze. Wang Yutong couldn't discern her meaning, whether it was good or bad.
Seeing that Huang Shiyu had no intention of stopping, she continued her report: "In addition to authoritative institutions, we can also cooperate with internet celebrities, stars, and experts, which broadens the scope even further. Of course, there are also journalists. I am confident that I can make the market aware of the Xinyu Xinsheng product."
"You said twenty-eight days, I'll give you a month. If you don't achieve anything, I'll replace you, you understand?" Huang Shiyu glanced at her.
"No problem, thank you Mr. Huang for giving me this opportunity."
After speaking, Wang Yutong's gaze unconsciously swept over other parts of Huang Shiyu's face. Today, her complexion was much better than on the day of the interview. The dark circles under her eyes were only faint, but the fatigue was nothing compared to the paleness on her face. She had never seen anyone whose complexion could be compared to that of crucian carp soup.
Huang Shiyu naturally felt Wang Yutong's undisguised scrutinizing gaze. She looked up at her, her eyes clearly asking, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Upon receiving this sharp look, Wang Yutong looked rather guilty, but maintained a polite smile: "That being said, I don't have any relevant experience, so I'll have to ask President Huang for his advice and decision."
Huang Shiyu picked up a report and looked at it without even looking up: "You're quite modest."
Wang Yutong smiled.
Huang Shiyu flipped through a few pages of documents, picked up a pen, and wrote: "Hmm, how about this, I'll give you five million first, is that enough?"
Wang Yutong looked at her with some surprise, but seeing that she wasn't joking, she immediately replied, "Okay."
She finished annotating the document and closed it: "If you need any further information regarding expenses, please let me know."
"good."
After reviewing the documents, Huang Shiyu checked his work emails to see if there were any that needed replying or annotation. He had just finished replying to one email when he noticed that Wang Yutong was still there.
Thinking the other person had something else to report: "Is there anything else? If not, you can go ahead and do your work."
But Wang Yutong just sat there, looking at her without saying a word, and Huang Shiyu only asked with her eyes, without saying a word either.
After hesitating for a moment, Wang Yutong met Huang Shiyu's questioning gaze and truthfully said what was on her mind: "I want to know why President Huang chose me, or rather, why he helped me?"
So that's what it was about.
Huang Shiyu turned her gaze back to the computer, her fingers tapping on the keyboard, "What brought you here?"
"I don't want to be involved in a lawsuit with U-Speed."
He was honest enough, not saying any opening remarks or pleasantries, Huang Shiyu thought to himself.
After dealing with a few issues, Huang Shiyu finally turned his gaze away from the computer and onto Wang Yutong's face. "I recruited you to make money, you should know that. Businessmen like to squeeze out every last bit of profit. I also know that you have high aspirations and would jump on any bigger stage you have the choice to take. Even so, I am happy to work with you as a springboard. I also trust my own judgment, so don't let me down."
After speaking, he looked back at the computer. The only sounds in the large office were the tapping of the keyboard and the starting of the photocopier.
Wang Yutong understood. Huang Shiyu's meaning was clear and straightforward: as long as you do a good job for me, I will not treat you unfairly.
Huang Shiyu reassured her once again: "You can choose the people in your department yourself. As long as you can create value for me, the non-compete agreement on you is nothing."
Huang Shiyu naturally noticed Wang Yutong's shock upon hearing her words. She always had a knack for winning people over and knew how to address the root of the problem, but sometimes being too confident wasn't a good thing.
As Wang Yutong stood up, she kept pondering Huang Shiyu's words, "The non-compete agreement is nothing." She felt the burden that had accumulated since she took on the non-compete agreement lighten considerably because of Huang Shiyu's promise. However, this joy didn't last long. When she opened the office door, Lu Xiao outside deliberately lowered her voice, adding a sense of crisis to the impending storm.
Wang Yutong looked in the direction of the sound and was taken aback.
All around was quiet. Five people dressed in dark blue clothes and wearing official hats were walking towards them. As they slowly approached, Wang Yutong noticed that the hat badges and shoulder badges of the two people in front were completely different from those of the three behind them.
Where is your boss?
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Lu Xiao asked cautiously, her surprise no less than Wang Yutong's.
She was clearly bewildered by the sudden appearance of the police.
The lead officer scanned everyone, his sharp, hawk-like eyes glancing in Wang Yutong's direction. Just one glance made her heart sink. Had something happened?
Police officer: "Call your boss out here."
Lu Xiao turned her head and glanced at Wang Yutong, but Wang Yutong knew that she wasn't looking at her, but at the person sitting in the office behind her.
The next second, what Lu Xiao said shocked her even more.
"Our boss isn't here; he just left fifteen minutes ago."
Wang Yutong thought this person was really bold, daring to openly deceive the police, and wasn't afraid of being framed later.
The lead officer did not give up or turn around and leave because of her words, but continued walking forward.
Lu Xiao reached out to stop him, blocking his way: "Hey, officer, I already told you the boss isn't here."
The atmosphere suddenly became strange. Everyone stared at Lu Xiao with incredulous eyes, their gazes clearly saying, "She's really bold, daring to stop even the police."
The police officer looked at Lu Xiao with sharp eyes: "Get out of the way."
Lu Xiao was not intimidated and stood her ground: "You are forcing your way in, and I have the right to refuse."
"Please cooperate. If you do not cooperate, you will be obstructing the police, and we can immediately take coercive measures against you."
When Lu Xiao saw the police officer produce a search and arrest warrant, she frowned, knowing that this matter was not simple.
Wang Yutong's eyelids kept twitching, and her hand on the doorknob unconsciously clenched.
Huang Shiyu looked up and saw that Wang Yutong had opened the door but was not going out. She stood there motionless. Although she was puzzled, she did not ask any questions. Instead, she got up and walked over.
Then she saw two police officers and three tax inspectors. Huang Shiyu had dealt with tax officials for many years and naturally knew that they were there to audit her accounts. However, her company had only been open for a short time and had not even generated any daily revenue yet. Why would the tax bureau need to make such a big fuss about it, unless someone had reported her?
Huang Shiyu was only stunned for a second before resuming his usual smiling expression. "Officer, what's the matter?"
The sound from behind made Wang Yutong even more stiff. Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she released her grip on the doorknob, turned to the side, glanced at Huang Shiyu, and prayed for her for a second.
Huang Shiyu glanced at Wang Yutong beside him, and walked straight to the group of people through the path cleared by everyone's gaze.
Having seen many dangerous situations, Huang Shiyu wasn't bothered by this kind of large-scale event at all. She even greeted Xiao Su, an old acquaintance of hers in the tax inspection bureau, with a smile. Xiao Su only forced a smile back, since it wasn't appropriate to be too intimate in such a business setting, as it could easily lead to trouble. However, because Huang Shiyu would bring her gifts during holidays, which weren't particularly expensive but mostly just fruits and vegetables, it wasn't exactly a bribe, but rather a thoughtful gesture. Besides, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and over time, their relationship became quite familiar.
So no matter what, she had to return Huang Shiyu's smile, though to outsiders it was just a very businesslike smile.
The lead officer glanced at Xiao Su, probably sensing something fishy about the two, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He then showed his badge: "Mr. Huang, we have received an anonymous tip that you are suspected of tax evasion. Please come with us."
Upon seeing the person at the center of the conversation, the employees at their workstations all turned their gazes to Huang Shiyu's face. At first, these gazes were discreet, but gradually they became bolder and more direct.
"Tax evasion?" Huang Shiyu smiled faintly. "You must have made a mistake. My company was only established less than a month ago and hasn't even started operating yet."
Police officer: "You are the legal representative of Yousu Technology, aren't you?"
Shouldn't the legal representative of Yousu Technology be Song Chaoye or one of the directors of Heita Group? What does she have to do with it? Her shares were already sold to Heita, and she's not in charge of anything.
This was Huang Shiyu and Lu Xiao's first reaction, and both of them looked puzzled.
“Yousu Technology?” Huang Shiyu said slowly. “I remember that Yousu Technology is a new company formed by the merger of Youshe and Speed Technology, subsidiaries of the Black Tower Group, and the new boss is Song Chaoye. It has nothing to do with me, right?”
The police officer looked at her calmly: "But you are still the legal representative."
Before Huang Shiyu could speak, Lu Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "No? What... what's going on?"
Lu Xiao's eyes widened, and she almost crumpled the document in her hand into a ball of waste paper.
“Officer, are you sure you’ve got the wrong person? She…” Lu Xiao glanced at Huang Shiyu, seeing her expressionless and fearless demeanor, paused for a moment, and then had a sudden inspiration, “Could you show us the complaint letter? It must be written incorrectly.”
"Don't you understand anonymous whistleblower letters?" He looked at Huang Shiyu. "Mr. Huang is a smart man. We'll trouble you to come with us. Things can't be explained clearly here."
Huang Shiyu cut to the chase: "Can you show me the evidence of tax evasion?"
Xiao Su from the tax inspection bureau exchanged glances with her two colleagues before handing the documents in her hand to Huang Shiyu.
Huang Shiyu took the document and read it with Lu Xiao. The more they read, the deeper their brows furrowed.
Upon seeing the last word, Huang Shiyu's expression became unusually solemn.
It turns out that he was issuing false value-added tax invoices, amounting to a considerable sum of 400 million RMB. No wonder Song Chaoye fled. This crime is very serious; if sentenced, he would basically face life imprisonment. Compared to that, owing employees wages is really nothing.
“We now have reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr. Huang has re-registered this company in Songjiang and changed the name to United Innovation.”
Even though Huang Shiyu was usually very good-tempered, she was furious. No, she hadn't done anything, so why were she and her company being falsely accused? She refused to accept it.
Huang Shiyu returned the documents to Xiao Su, then said with a forced smile, "Hey, comrade, you can't just say things like that. I'm a law-abiding citizen, and you've made such a fuss about me without any reason. With so many people here, gossip can be a real problem. Even if the truth comes out later, it will be hard to explain. Right now, you're just asking me to accept the investigation, and there's no evidence pointing to the fact that I did the tax evasion at Yousu Technology. Besides, I really don't know anything about this. Whether you believe it or not, I sold my shares before the merger of Yousu Technology. I can show you the contract. The legal representative's position should have been changed as well. I really have no knowledge of this whole thing."
She really wanted to curse, but these people were all law enforcement officers, so she didn't dare to. She could only curse in her heart. Right now, she wanted to curse Song Chaoye and the people from the Black Tower Group even more. Damn it, she had taken all the blame.
Xiao Su glanced at the two police officers, exchanged a few glances with her colleague, and then said, "Mr. Huang, we're old acquaintances. You really have to come with us."
Huang Shiyu thought: Xiao Su has already spoken, which means she really has to stay in prison for a few days, maybe more than a few days. Damn it, why is she so unlucky? It seems like nothing good has happened to her since Speed Technology was acquired.
Seeing that Huang Shiyu neither agreed nor made any move, Xiao Su said again, "Please don't make things difficult for us, Mr. Huang. Please cooperate with the investigation so that we can give an explanation to our superiors."
Xiao Su is pointing her out; if she doesn't cooperate with the investigation, these two police officers are there to arrest her, and the charges against her might be further complicated.
Huang Shiyu looked at the employees at their workstations, each face both unfamiliar and familiar. She hadn't even had a chance to get to know them all yet. She then looked at the ten big characters of United Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., which were still brand new and shiny. After looking at them for a while, she turned her eyes away without making a sound. "I can go with you."
Lu Xiao seemed somewhat surprised, staring at her with wide eyes: "Shi Yu!"
Huang Shiyu shook her head, interrupting her, and then gave her a deep look. Only Lu Xiao understood the meaning behind that look: she should not act rashly and should act according to the circumstances!
The tacit understanding between her and Huang Shiyu was honed through numerous events, both big and small. Usually, a glance, a gesture, or a deep or shallow breath was enough for them to communicate without words.
"I can go with you, but only if you let me use the restroom first. I'm afraid I won't be used to the restrooms in prison, and I don't know how long I'll be in there. There's a restroom in my office, so I won't make things difficult for you. After all, you're just following the law." She frantically winked at Xiao Su, one of the inspectors, "Please be lenient with me."
Xiao Su said to the two police officers, "Let her go. She hasn't been convicted yet, so she can still enjoy basic human rights."
The lead officer glanced at Xiao Su, then stared directly at Huang Shiyu. "Three minutes."
Huang Shiyu smiled slightly and nodded. In the instant she turned around, she gave Lu Xiao a suggestive glance, so subtle that no one noticed.
But Lu Xiao immediately understood and, taking advantage of everyone's attention being on Huang Shiyu, quietly slipped away.
She didn't go anywhere else, but returned to her own office. There was a hidden door in her office that led to Huang Shiyu's office. This design was something Huang Shiyu had insisted on, saying it would be more convenient to handle things sometimes. Unexpectedly, his words came true.
Lu Xiao slowly pushed open the door, only to see Huang Shiyu had just closed it. Her expression was very calm, unbelievably calm, but Lu Xiao felt that beneath that seemingly calm expression lay extreme pain.
Huang Shiyu asked Lu Xiao to sit down, but she herself was not idle either. She rummaged through a pile of printed documents, while a three-minute countdown hung over her head.
"Are you crazy, Huang Shiyu? You might not be able to get out once you go in."
Her anger and confusion paused when she saw the document Huang Shiyu pushed in front of her.
Huang Shiyu stared at the document in front of him for a long time before finally raising his eyes and smiling, "This is the equity transfer agreement. Once you sign it, you will become the legal representative and shareholder of this company."
Why would they suddenly give her the company?
Lu Xiao's eyes widened: "I won't sign."
"What are you doing?" Huang Shiyu glanced at her. "You're the only one I trust here. Do you still want to see United Innovation go public?"
The equity transfer agreement lay neatly on the table, and the clock on the wall ticked away, with one minute remaining until the three-minute timer expired.
"I don't know what the situation is yet. If I go into Xinyu Xinsheng, I'm finished. Lianhe might also face the risk of being liquidated and shut down. Only by separating it from me can we survive. Time is of the essence, sign it quickly. I'm begging you."
After saying that, he picked up a pen from the table and signed his name in a corner at the bottom of the document.
Her movements were quick and effortless, yet they brought tears to Lu Xiao's eyes.
Huang Shiyu instructed, "Also, remember to allocate five million to Xiaoyu. This is the amount I just promised her for marketing planning."
“You said you…” Lu Xiao paused, “I don’t even know what to say, what else?”
"There's also the AI competition on April 27th. You'll probably need to pay extra attention during that time and make sure you win first place." Huang Shiyu thought for a moment, "Remember to have my gold bars in the bank notarized, so they won't have any trouble explaining themselves when they investigate."
Just thinking about it gave Huang Shiyu a headache. These gold bars were money she had saved up for her future travels around the world and retirement. Now she didn't know if she would ever have that opportunity again. She really wanted to kill Song Chaoye and the people from the Black Tower Group.
Lu Xiao took the pen, hesitated for a moment on the contract Huang Shiyu handed her, and then signed her name. "Understood."
Although she was reluctant to sign, she knew that the company was Huang Shiyu's life's work, and the Xinyu Xinsheng project held special significance for Huang Shiyu. Huang Shiyu was entrusting her with his life and fortune.
Because of the time constraint, the moment Lu Xiao finished signing, she immediately picked up the official seal she had prepared earlier and gently stamped it on the place where their names were written.
The vibrant red quickly spread across the paper, neatly framing the two names.
Huang Shiyu held the official seal, his fingers twirling on the handle, and sighed softly: "I'm leaving the United Front to you. After I leave, remember to appease the troops and issue a public relations announcement or something."
From the moment Lu Xiao entered the room, she kept a close eye on all of her movements, expressions, and demeanor, taking in all the pain that she inadvertently revealed.
Her dejected expression seemed to bring back the image of Huang Shiyu she had seen at the coffee shop that day, as if everything had returned to square one.
She really couldn't bear to see Huang Shiyu looking so distraught yet forcing herself to behave. She tried to lighten the mood with a lighthearted approach, saying, "This whole thing is like we're entrusting our children to someone else. We're legitimate business people, we haven't evaded any taxes, and we're not afraid of them investigating us."
"You're right about being a respectable businessman."
Huang Shiyu smiled.
They stood facing each other, separated by a desk.
Huang Shiyu naturally saw Lu Xiao's forced smile, but she couldn't bear to look at her. She could only look past Lu Xiao's face and focus on the clock behind her. Two and a half minutes had already passed.
"Why are you looking so downcast? I'd think you were mourning someone." Huang Shiyu wanted to ease the atmosphere in a lighthearted way, but she was probably really too tired. Even when she smiled, it wasn't a cheerful smile, but rather a kind of exhaustion from the inside out. "I'm just cooperating with an investigation, not going to jail. Cheer up, okay?"
“How can you laugh?” Lu Xiao felt sorry for her. “But don’t worry, I won’t let you stay in there for too long. Trust me, Shen Nanfeng is a judge, he definitely has connections.”
Huang Shiyu smiled and said, "Okay."
Finally, Huang Shiyu got into the police car under everyone's gaze, while Lu Xiao stood not far away watching the police car drive away.
She will always remember this day. The weather was so clear, and the air was filled with a strong fragrance of flowers. She knew that spring had arrived and it was the season for tulips to bloom. But there was another flower that bloomed in a hurry and could not escape the arrival of winter. She didn't know if it would ever be able to bloom again.
Some are happy while others are sad; this saying is very apt for Li Xingzhou.
He invited Mr. Zhang from Qixing to go fishing at a well-known fishpond in Songjiang. However, it's more accurate to say that Zhang Jinheng invited him, because Zhang Jinheng always chose the location for the final meeting after he made several invitations.
The fishpond is small but beautiful, nestled in a meadow among the trees. It's perfect for fishing in early spring. Groups of two or three people, each with a fishing rod, are poised to cast their lines and wait for the fish to bite. There aren't many species of fish in the pond, about ten or so, but they're not easy to catch. The bite rate is low, and the fish are quite cunning. As business people, they know the owner is trying to make more money. If he caught a dozen or so fish on a single cast, he wouldn't be able to keep the business.
Li Xingzhou cast his line, and the lake surface made a splash. He glanced at Zhang Jinheng, who was also fishing, and after a moment's thought, he cut to the chase without further ado: "Mr. Zhang, you've been inviting me fishing or catching fish these past few times. Just get straight to the point: is it possible to cooperate with Sunac?"
Zhang Jinheng simply maintained his fishing posture, listening quietly. He seemed to be waiting for a fish to bite, or perhaps he was pondering what Li Xingzhou had said, before slowly saying, "This time catching fish is different. The previous times were in the countryside, but this time it's in a fishpond. The fish in this fishpond are not like wild fish; they are docile and difficult to train."
Li Xingzhou looked at the calm fishpond, where the fish were leisurely swimming around the baited area, unaware of the danger approaching.
"See that? The fish is about to take the bait."
Upon hearing this, Li Xingzhou frowned. Zhang Jinheng's words had a veiled meaning, implying that while Qidian was indeed booming, without the crucial chip, a large backlog of orders meant the goods couldn't be shipped. The platform's latest delivery time was one month, and if he couldn't ship all the goods within that month, he would face huge compensation costs. This was why he had been repeatedly meeting with Zhang Jinming; he had to secure the cooperation with Qixing today.
"Mr. Zhang..."
"Shh." Zhang Jinheng interrupted him, his hand suddenly moving as well, his gaze becoming incredibly determined. He lifted the fishing rod vertically upwards, having caught quite a lot, and his face was full of smiles. "The fish in the pond are really good. I can catch so many with just one bait."
Li Xingzhou wasn't interested in the fish, and even less interested in how many fish Zhang Jinheng had caught. His purpose this time was the same as the previous times: "Mr. Zhang, if the conditions offered by Sunac are not satisfactory, we can discuss it further."
"Wow, I only used so little bait and so many fish are fighting over it. What a great harvest!"
Zhang Jinheng's words were a subtle dig at him, implying that Qixing was competing with many other companies in the chip industry, not just Rongchuang. He was saying that there were only so many chips available, and he would consider cooperating with whoever offered the most benefits. Li Xingzhou was a businessman; what hadn't he heard? What kind of people hadn't he met? If it was just about money, that would be easy; things that could be solved with money were minor matters.
Li Xingzhou gently squeezed the fishing rod, his eyes fixed on the calm lake surface. "Just name your conditions, and we'll discuss anything that Sunac can do."
"Hiss... I'm still missing a carp." Zhang Jinheng put all the fish he caught into the bucket next to him, staring at the fish in the bucket as if talking to himself, "I wonder if they will willingly be caught by my bait."
Li Xingzhou understood Zhang Jinheng's meaning. Just then, his fishing rod also stirred, and a fish took the bait. "Mr. Zhang, how about this? I have a way to get this carp to come up willingly, and I hope you are willing to discuss this business with me."
Zhang Jinheng smiled: "You have a way?"
Li Xingzhou didn't say anything. He put the fish he caught into his bucket, then picked up the stainless steel harpoon next to him without saying a word. He went to another body of water not far away. This fishpond was shallower and clearer than the place where he had been fishing. He could see the fish swimming back and forth clearly. He took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs a few times, and stepped into the lake with the harpoon in hand.
But from the moment he stepped in, he held the harpoon but made no further move, as if he was planning something or taking a break.
Zhang Jinheng watched silently for a while, then cast the fishing hook back into the lake, muttering, "Young people are just young people, they lack self-control."
Not long after, Li Xingzhou was seen walking barefoot towards Zhang Jinheng, holding a leather shoe in one hand and a thrashing carp in the other. The renowned CEO Li didn't seem to care whether the sand on the uneven road would hurt his feet, nor did he care that his expensive suit trousers were soaked by the lake water and covered in mud, making it impossible to tell that the trousers were originally worth a lot of money.
Seeing Li Xingzhou's expression, Zhang Jinheng was at a loss for words. Li Xingzhou then handed the half-dead carp to the clearly surprised Zhang Jinheng.
Zhang Jinheng took the still-breathing carp, speechless with astonishment: "You..."
Li Xingzhou looked at him and said, "Mr. Zhang, would you like to sit down and talk?"
“You’re the one,” Zhang Jinheng said, giving him a thumbs-up. “You have guts.”
Then he turned around and put the carp into the bucket, and started talking about unrelated topics: "I have known your father, Li Mingsheng, for most of my life. He started out selling medical equipment. He went door to door to sell to customers and was rejected. But back then, who would have thought that someone who sold medical equipment could eventually make such a successful business? He has feelings for these things; they are all his hard work."
Li Xingzhou's heart sank: "What do you mean by that, Mr. Zhang?"
“I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to tell you not to point the blade at people.” Zhang Jinheng took a few steps forward and pressed down on the harpoon in Li Xingzhou’s hand. “Especially your own people, it’s not worth it.”
Li Xingzhou looked up at him.
Zhang Jinheng knew that he was manipulating the rise and fall of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets. Although he managed to acquire a lot of stocks at extremely low prices this time, he must have revealed a lot of clues. It seems that Li Mingsheng should have noticed something as well.
“I’ve fished with you so many times, but I still don’t know how to use this thing.” He pressed his hand firmly against the handle of the harpoon. “I don’t know how.”
He said this with only one purpose: to show that there was only sincere cooperation between them, and that there was no intention to stab each other in the face of shared interests.
Zhang Jinheng stared at him for a while before bursting into laughter. "You'll get the hang of it after a few tries." He took the harpoon from Li Xingzhou's hand and brandished it in front of him. "Like this, one shot is all it takes."
Li Xingzhou watched as Zhang Jinheng hurled a harpoon into the lake. As if timed perfectly, the harpoon landed squarely on the head of a bass, just as Zhang had said, a sure-fire hit.
Needless to say, the visual impact was immense. Zhang Jinheng's technique was ruthless enough. If this fish were replaced by a human, the blow would be terrifying. Zhang Jinheng was probably warning him not to try anything funny, or he would end up like this bass, killed in one blow.
Zhang Jinheng tossed him the harpoon: "Here, give it a try."
Li Xingzhou reached out and caught it, then followed suit, throwing the still-warm harpoon into the lake. His gaze followed the harpoon as it slid across the water and into the lake, followed by the sound of the harpoon piercing the water.
He asked, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
"Very good, truly surpassing the master."
Li Xingzhou looked straight at him and asked, "Mr. Zhang, do you think we can talk about the chip issue?"
Zhang Jinheng, however, gave a non-sequitur, saying, "Look at the fish in this pond. They used to live in the wild mountain streams, free and unrestrained, with the sky high and the sea wide. Everywhere was their territory. Now, they're just swimming around in this tiny pond. The road is so narrow and the track is so crowded. It's as difficult as climbing to heaven if they want to jump out."
Li Xingzhou understood what he meant and stated directly, "Just tell me your terms. In business, just tell me what you want to say. Sunac will do its best to meet your requirements. That's a promise."
A long silence.
Zhang Jinheng said, "I will add another 5% to the price of each chip."
Li Xingzhou didn't speak, but simply raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Jinheng assumed that Li Xingzhou's expression meant he thought the price was too high, and immediately laughed disdainfully: "What, is it not okay? As far as I know, the foreign chip company is offering you 3,000 yuan per chip, and that doesn't even include taxes and shipping."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Xingzhou readily agreed to his request: "Sure, with Qixing joining us, I think our country's enterprises will reach new heights."
Zhang Jinheng patted him on the shoulder: "Great, it really is the young people's world now."
Li Xingzhou smiled.
After saying that, Zhang Jinheng picked up the fish in his wooden bucket and left, saying he was going to take it home to make soup for his wife. Li Xingzhou watched as he walked out of sight, his beer belly swaying.
Just as he cleaned the sand off his feet and put on his shoes, he received a call from his secretary, giving him absolutely no time to catch his breath.
"Hello."
The secretary's voice on the phone was anxious: "Mr. Li, something has happened."
He patted the dried mud off his trousers and asked, "What happened?"
After asking the question, Li Xingzhou's hand holding the phone trembled a few seconds later, and his body swayed precariously.
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