Xu Xiaoya pointed downstairs and said, "Uncle Luo, have you looked at the finance department's accounts?"
Luo Wanfeng said indignantly, "After reading it, I really should show the account book to my dad so he knows what Luo Wanjiang and his gang have done!"
Luo Wei reminded her father, "Dad, my grandfather knows about these things."
Xu Xiaoya interjected, "Old Master Luo knows the company's secrets, but the shareholders and ordinary people don't. Our first step is to expose their dirty laundry."
Luo Wanfeng was startled: "Exposing family scandals? Absolutely not! Haifeng Group is already teetering on the brink of collapse. Doing that would be like kicking it again; it would collapse whether it wanted to or not!"
Xu Xiaoya slammed her hand on the table and stood up, bringing with her a gust of cold air. "I'm going to make it fall over!"
Luo Wanfeng and Luo Wei were both somewhat surprised and puzzled. Xu Xiaoya then added, "Without breaking down the old, there can be no building up. We cannot create a new situation without breaking the old one!"
Luo Wanfeng seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline. He stood up firmly and said, "Xiaoya, I believe in you. Do whatever you want. I'm old and not as bold as you young people. I'm only good at maintaining the status quo and don't know how to make progress. As long as I'm in Haifeng Group, you're in charge here!"
Luo Wanfeng's self-assessment was quite fair. He was only suited to guarding the status quo and not good at expansion because he lacked ambition. He was too concerned about the feelings of his family and others. Xu Xiaoya, on the other hand, did not have this burden. She only needed to listen to one person. Once that man pointed out a goal for her, she would do it without hesitation, sweeping away everything like autumn leaves in the face of difficulties along the way!
Xu Xiaoya was very satisfied with Luo Wanfeng's attitude. If he didn't support her, the work below couldn't be carried out. Zhang Lingfeng was also getting impatient. He had been trying to calm down for the past two days, but it was still too difficult to learn. So he broke the silence and shouted, "Tell me quickly, tell me quickly, I can't wait. I get angry just thinking about how those three looked yesterday. I want to see them cry right now."
Xu Xiaoya said to Hu Qian, "Sister Qian, you have to take the first step. Immediately mobilize the power of the internet to spread rumors about Haifeng Group's financial crisis on major forums. It's best to have solid evidence. Go to the finance department and take some photos of the accounts. Hmm, since Liu Qiheng and the others are still in our hands, find a henchman and write an autobiography for him, so that he can expose his criminal history. This will indirectly prove that Haifeng Group's finances are completely rotten."
Hu Qian nodded: "Okay, no problem. I need a plan to arrange the publicity schedule for how long this phase will last."
Xu Xiaoya rubbed her forehead and said, "This is also what's giving me a headache. The key is that we can't figure out how long it will take Luo Wanjiang to deal with those five directors. We must act before them, but we can't be too hasty, otherwise the effect will be very slight and won't make any impact on them at all."
Zhang Lingfeng said, "Why don't we try to distract Luo Wanjiang? Ideally, we should keep him from meeting with the five board members for the next few days, or put the five board members under house arrest so they can't negotiate with Luo Wanjiang."
Xu Xiaoya said, "But I haven't been able to come up with a proper and feasible solution. Why don't you do it?"
Zhang Lingfeng was also a bit troubled. "Ah, I've only thought about it this way, but I haven't come up with a feasible solution."
Xu Xiaoya said, "I don't care, it's you. Whether you use a woman or a man, you must stall them. You need to give us at least three days to complete the operation. During these three days, Luo Wanjiang must be unable to find those five people! Only in this way can we ensure that Luo Wanjiang cannot persuade them to exercise their board power. Of course, you can't use force, otherwise, after we take over their shares, we will easily be counterattacked. You must be kind and friendly, understand?"
Zhang Lingfeng said with some regret, "Alright, I should have kept quiet. You know I'm not the kind of person who knows how to be kind and approachable."
Xu Xiaoya said to Hu Qian, "In that case, I'll give you a day and a night. You need to create a huge uproar online, and Uncle Luo, you need to make a public statement tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing that he still had a task to complete, Luo Wanfeng immediately became extremely attentive: "Okay, what do you want to declare?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "It is right to disclose the rumors circulating online to shareholders, and then to make the company's accounts public."
Luo Wanfeng said, "Does this not require a board decision?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "To hell with the board of directors! We'll do whatever we want! If the board makes a decision, they should come and talk to us personally! Zhang Lingfeng, you're also responsible for assisting the government in its relationship with us. I don't want to see any negative impact on Uncle Luo!"
Zhang Lingfeng laughed and said, "This will make things much easier. Don't worry, I guarantee no one will gossip in S Province. If it's any further away, I think we should let Lao Yang and Hu Qian help out."
Xu Xiaoya asked, "Yang Shiqi, are you confident?"
Yang Shiqi said, "This is a matter. You should assign me something useful and important to do."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Of course I do. Do you think I'd let you be idle? I've looked at the accounts, and it seems that Haifeng Group used to have a considerable amount of business with the military, providing them with a significant number of televisions, refrigerators, and other items. Some of these televisions were even for military use, serving as monitoring screens."
Yang Shiqi said, "I don't know about this matter, but since you've seen the accounts, it must be correct."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You have another task: to find fault."
Yang Shiqi said, "Stirring up trouble?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Yes, even if there's nothing wrong, they'll find something wrong with me! We must demand an exorbitant compensation from Haifeng Group!"
Yang Shiqi laughed and said, "Are you trying to ruin Haifeng? Fine, I'm not good at other things, but I'm better at being tough than you."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Alright, that's all we can do for now. We'll have to see how these things go before making any decisions. Everyone, get to work. I need to see results by tomorrow, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain, and we'll have no chance of getting control of the board of directors!"
Volume 2 [289] It's good that he's dead.
Large companies are generally trusted. Although many retail investors know that Haifeng Group's stock price is declining and its performance is decreasing, as the flagship of the home appliance industry, most people still have hope for it. However, this hope was suddenly dashed that morning.
It started as a post on a large forum, but within hours it suddenly spread throughout the entire internet, with high click and reply rates. Moderators also pinned it to the top of their feeds, making it impossible for anyone to miss it. As a large number of portal websites also reposted and commented on it, Haifeng Group was exposed for a financial scandal!
A few hours later, Tencent conducted an exclusive interview with a mysterious employee who had worked in the finance department of Haifeng Group. He spoke at length to netizens about how a once-mighty company was brought down from its high position. He claimed that the Luo family children were the most deserving of credit. Netizens were immediately outraged, especially after Luo Juanjuan's deeds were exposed and a large number of indecent videos were circulated online. The entire internet was in an unprecedented frenzy, and even people who did not usually go online were eager to do so.
Luo Wanjiang was pondering how to deal with those five ruthless scoundrels when Luo Wanhai suddenly burst in. Luo Wanjiang said unhappily, "Wanhai, how come you still can't learn to be calm? Why can't you knock before entering?"
Luo Wanjiang's words had a bit of an old man's air about them. But Luo Wanhai completely ignored him: "What's there to calm down? The company's accounts have been exposed! It's all over the internet now. Just a few minutes ago, Tencent, NetEase, and Sina all reposted and commented on it. I think the next step is for CCTV to come and interview us. You still have the mind to stay here and reflect on your mistakes?"
Luo Wanjiang immediately opened it, and after just one glance, he felt dizzy. His first words were a curse: "That damn Liu Qiheng! He's going to ruin Haifeng Group!"
Luo Pingping, Liu Heping, and Luo Juanjuan also rushed home. How could they not care about such a big matter? They held the majority of the company's shares, and any reduction or collapse would be a fatal blow to them.
"Second brother, what should we do? What should we do?" Luo Wanjiang's younger brothers and sisters kept asking him.
Luo Wanjiang was in a terrible headache: "Once these financial scandals are confirmed, we will be targeted by the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Even if the board of directors wants to protect us, it will be difficult. I, I, will go to jail, possibly for decades."
Luo Wanhai suddenly calmed down. He patted his second brother on the shoulder and said, "Second brother, this must not be confirmed. You are still the company's vice president. You must stand up and refute the rumors. We must not let anyone take advantage of us!"
Liu Heping sneered: "This scandal was fabricated by someone with ulterior motives. What do you mean by being used?"
Luo Wanjiang slammed his hammer on the table: "That's right, it must be that scoundrel Luo Wanfeng. He's trying to take us all down with him!"
Luo Juanjuan said, "Let's go and fight him to the death!"
Luo Pingping reminded her sister, "Can you beat him? I heard that all of Luo Wei's friends are living there recently. There are police and military personnel. Going there is suicide. I don't know where that slut got her connections. She has so many influential people helping her."
Luo Juanjuan said, "Then what should we do? Second brother, just tell me."
Luo Wanjiang said, "Go find Lu Tiannan and the others! After something like this, it's impossible for the company's stock price not to fall. The shareholders might even file a joint lawsuit demanding an audit of the accounts and compensation for their losses. It's impossible for Lu Tiannan and his buddies to make money from the stocks they hold. If they don't sell them to me cheaply, they'll be stuck with them. This is an opportunity."
Luo Juanjuan said, "But second brother, have you thought about this? Even if we get the shares from them, do you think the company can turn things around after such a big problem? It will definitely be liquidated and go bankrupt. Wouldn't all those shares be worthless then?"
Luo Pingping also realized, "Yes, why don't we just sell it now? We can earn back whatever we can. We can't risk our retirement savings just to argue with that outsider Luo Wanfeng and ruin our happiness. It's not worth it."
Luo Wanjiang was so anxious that he almost ripped off his black hair. This matter was indeed too thorny. At present, he had no say in the company, and if he wanted to regain his say, he needed the support of the board of directors. But even if he got the shares from those people, Haifeng Group would collapse with a bang, and wouldn't he be worthless?
It was Liu Heping who woke us up with his words: "Why think so far ahead? Forget about whether those five people will sell their shares. First, get them to agree to hold a board meeting, then take back power before making a decision. If the company collapses, they'll be the ones losing money!"
Luo Wanjiang said, "Yes, yes, brother-in-law, you really know how to handle big situations. Go find them quickly, make a phone call, and tell them to exercise their board power immediately. Or, if you can get two of them to agree, the five of us directors can vote. I think the stock price should have hit the daily limit down by now. At this point, they should be begging me to buy their shares, not me begging them."
But to Luo Wanjiang's surprise, none of the five directors were in the service area. After hanging up the phone, he was stunned. "How is this possible?"
Liu Heping suddenly realized, "Oh no, have you thought about who leaked the company's financial secrets?"
Luo Wanhai said, "Of course it's Liu Qiheng. That bastard's phone is off, and no one answers the phone at home. Otherwise, I would have come over and chopped him up this morning."
Liu Heping said, "Are you all confused? Liu Qiheng was involved in everything we did. Do you think he would do something so suicidal? Doesn't he know that if the financial secrets are exposed, his crime will be serious? Is he stupid?"
Luo Wanjiang said, "It must be Luo Wanfeng deliberately targeting us under Liu Qiheng's name."
Luo Pingping said, "Yes, it's Luo Wanfeng. He doesn't own a single share, so the stock price dropping to zero won't affect him. Besides, he's not a blood relative of the Luo family, so what does the collapse of Haifeng Group have to do with him? He must have done this."
Luo Wanjiang said, "That makes sense. Who would oppose us? Of course, it's Luo Wanfeng. But we can't refute this. We're the ones in the eye of the storm right now. If we speak out to criticize Luo Wanfeng, we'll be accused of trying to cover up the truth."
Liu Heping said, "I know what you mean, but what I mean is that those five directors might also be under Luo Wanfeng's control! That's why we can't contact them. Think about it, with Zhao Qiang's arrogance, it wouldn't be difficult for him to control those five people, right? I would believe it if you said he secretly killed them! Don't forget that Leng Qinghu was chopped into a human stump by him!"
Luo Wanjiang jumped up and said, "Go out and search immediately! We need to find them alive or dead!"
After searching all afternoon, the five directors were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. The staff of Donghai Hotel told Luo Wanjiang that they had all gone out with women separately, one after the other, but had not been heard from since. If Luo Wanjiang still did not understand that these five men were controlled by Luo Wanfeng, he would be a pig-brain.
Luo Wanhai was truly panicked: "Second brother, what do we do now? Should we call the police? But it's not even 48 hours yet, I'm afraid the police won't file a case. Besides, that scoundrel Zhang Lingfeng is definitely involved in this, and he will only obstruct justice."
Luo Wanjiang pretended to be calm and said, "Let's go back and find the old man first. He has to take charge of this matter. I don't believe he can sit still after all this."
Old Master Luo was indeed restless and had already lay down to sleep. However, Luo Wanjiang and his three siblings acted like madmen, pushing over three waves of servants who tried to stop them. Luo Wanjiang even lifted the old man off the bed! This showed just how anxious he was.
“Dad, I’ll call you Dad one more time. Do you know what happened? Luo Wanfeng has made Haifeng Group’s finances public! It’s all over the internet now, and there’s no way to stop it!” Luo Wanjiang said to his father with a hint of disappointment.
Luo Xin was a little out of breath. He had always been in poor health. His son had been woken up from his sleep and then lifted up like that, leaving him barely alive. It was Luo Pingping who felt sorry for her father and pushed her second brother out of his frenzy: "Let go of Dad and let him sit down to talk."
Luo Xin lay half-reclined on the bed, coughing a few times. His health was deteriorating day by day. Fortunately, he had started working on the project early, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to read the documents at all these past few days. After catching his breath, Luo Xin said, "Have the finances been made public? It should have been done a long time ago. That messy account must be settled. If it can't be settled, the business can't continue. Good, at least you've shown some effort."
Luo Wanjiang was taken aback by his father's words. He shouted, "Dad, do you know that the stock market crashed this morning after the financial statements were made public? Our Haifeng Group, our Luo family, is about to collapse! If you don't step in and stop Luo Wanfeng, our Luo family will be ruined by him! Your son and daughter will die! Can you bear to do that?"
Luo Xin said, "It's good that you're dead. Death is the beginning of life, and life and death are the natural cycle. I'm old and can't manage anything anymore. You young people should handle your own affairs. Don't bother me anymore; it's useless."
Luo Wanjiang said, "Okay, then give me your 30% stake, and I'll be the chairman and make the decisions!"
Luo Xin said, "I already have a will. The distribution of these 30% of the shares is not something I can take away in advance. Just wait patiently. You will receive them on the day I am buried, and everyone will be satisfied."
A fierce glint flashed in Liu Heping's eyes, but seeing that Luo Wanhai and Luo Juanjuan still clung to their father, he said and did nothing. After all, this family wasn't his; he was, in a sense, an in-law.
Luo Wanjiang said, "Fine, you're making it clear you don't want me to take over the Luo family's assets..."
Luo Xin, panting heavily, said, "Family property? What does the Luo family have left? Besides debts and loans, what do you think the Luo family has left? Insolvent... Waaah... How can I face your mother after I die?" Old Man Luo actually started crying!
Luo Wanjiang had no time to appreciate his father's good intentions. "I'm not reconciled! Luo Wanfeng isn't a descendant of the Luo family! I'd rather destroy the Luo family than let him succeed!"
Suddenly, Old Master Luo spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it all over Luo Wanjiang's face and body. Startled, Luo Wanjiang stopped screaming and fled from Old Master Luo's bedroom in a flash. Liu Heping, with a smile on his lips, followed Luo Pingping out as well. The servants rushed into the bedroom, wailing and crying, as if he were their father.
Volume 2 [290] Another victim
Luo Wanjiang couldn't find Lu Tiannan and the others. Actually, Lu Tiannan and the women had been having a blast all day, but cell phone signals were blocked in the area, so Luo Wanjiang couldn't call them. The five of them stayed out until midnight, exhausted, and planned to return to the Donghai Hotel with the women. But the driver seemed to have gone mad and took them to the outskirts of the city. All five of them had drunk quite a bit and were a little tipsy. By the time they realized something was wrong, the woman next to them had already put a knife to her chest. It was over; they had been kidnapped.
The five men arrived separately in their own vehicles, some even by taxi. They had flown in, so it was impossible for them to bring their cars along; they simply didn't have the means. Therefore, they were each taken to a large warehouse outside the city. The scenery there was beautiful, but that was outside; the warehouse itself was quite deserted. Fortunately, the temperature was pleasant, so they didn't feel uncomfortable inside.
Lu Tiannan and his four companions were led into the warehouse one after the other. Their eyes had been blindfolded on the way there, and when the blindfold was pulled down, they were already inside the warehouse, so they had no idea where they were. The warehouse didn't have a single window, and the few ventilation holes were only big enough for a rat to squeeze through. There were a few doors, but each one was guarded by a tall man in black. It was obvious that they had machetes and even guns tucked into their waistbands. It was unclear whether they were police or bandits, but it seemed more likely that they were bandits.
Gong Linsheng cursed, "What kind of world is this? We've been kidnapped! I thought it was just me, but I didn't expect the other four to arrive before me."
Lu Tiannan scratched his forehead and said, "That's not right."
Ning Zichen said, "Of course not. Those women are too ruthless. I just said one more word, and look at this arm. She actually cut it. He's really unlucky. He should have known better than to come to Donghai City. He was hoping to make some money, but he'll have to pay the price this time."
Lu Tiannan said, "What I meant by 'no' is why you kidnapped the five of us? There are plenty of people richer than us."
After a half-minute silence, everyone suddenly exclaimed in unison, "Luo Wanjiang!"
They misunderstood, but this misunderstanding was in Zhao Qiang's favor.
Gao Tian jumped up and cursed, "Luo Wanjiang, you son of a bitch, come out here!"
Lu Tiannan led the charge towards the warehouse door: "Charge out and find that bastard to get revenge!"
Bang! The black-clad gatekeeper drew his gun and fired a shot overhead, then turned the muzzle on Lu Tiannan and his group. The running footsteps immediately stopped—it was a real gun! A headshot would kill them in no time, and neither Lu Tiannan nor Gao Tian wanted to die.
The five retreated to the center of the warehouse, where there were tables, chairs, beds, computers, televisions, and even a toilet—they were really prepared for a protracted battle. Lu Tiannan, being the quickest-thinking, said, "Let's call for help via the internet!"
But when they turned on the computer, they were dumbfounded. It had restricted software installed, allowing them to browse only a few limited websites. They couldn't even find a way to bypass the restrictions. Gao Tianzhi, who was knowledgeable about computers, sat in front of the screen and fiddled with it until dawn... Finally, he sighed and said, "Damn it, I can't figure it out either. It's impossible to report to the police through the internet. I can't even log into my email, let alone QQ."
Lu Tiannan, who was drowsy, stood up and took two steps toward the warehouse door after hearing that Gao Tian had failed. He didn't dare to go any further, fearing that they might shoot again. He shouted from a distance, "Hey, guard, please pass on a message to Luo Wanjiang. We are willing to talk to him and ask him to release us first. His actions are useless and will only get him into trouble in the future."