Ning Zichen asked, "What do we do now?"
Lu Tiannan said, "What else can we do? We can't find the people who kidnapped us, all the evidence has been destroyed, and we even paid the police for their travel expenses. Of course, we should all go home and go back to our own mothers. Let's just pretend that he was robbed on the street!"
So those who drove back to the hotel parking lot to get their cars, while those who flew went directly to the airport to buy tickets and wait for their flights. These past two days have been chaotic, like a dream. After waking up from the dream, Haifeng Group was no longer relevant to them. Life is truly a load of bull, gone in an instant. This was the common thought of the five of them. They still couldn't figure out who had lied to whom along the way.
Late at night, in a bedroom in Donghai City's government district, passion was palpable. A soft voice whispered from under the covers, "You've got them completely fooled. They'll hate you to death later."
"What do you mean by being completely outmaneuvered? I actually saved their lives."
"What do you mean by saving someone's life? You bought 20% of the shares for the price of garbage collection?"
“If they were here tomorrow, they probably wouldn’t be worth a penny. You know, I saved their lives, and at least I made some money from selling them. Right now, they’re happy and probably still think I’m a fool who’s been cheated.”
The girl said, "But the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, the stock price will skyrocket, and they'll regret it so much they'll want to vomit blood."
The male voice said, "If they had the ability to anticipate the enemy's moves, they wouldn't need to buy stocks."
"Hehe, my strong husband is still the best. Come here, let me pamper you..."
Early in the morning, birds chirped in the trees by the roadside, and clouds drifted across the sky. Zhao Qiang, carrying his schoolbag, was on his way to school when Luo Wei called out to him as soon as he left the district. "Zhao Qiang," she said shyly, her head down, her long legs trembling, revealing her inner unease.
Zhao Qiang asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Luo Wei said, "I'll wait for you."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll take the bus to the university. You go ahead with your work. Xiaoya offered to give me a ride, but I declined. I need to get some exercise."
Luo Wei was a little stubborn: "Then I'll exercise with you too."
Although walking alongside a long-legged beauty like Luo Wei was pleasing to the eye, Zhao Qiang didn't want to attract attention from passersby. With no other option, Zhao Qiang stopped arguing and said, "Then forget it, I'll just ride in your car."
The BMW 7 Series is so comfortable to sit in. Zhao Qiang closed his eyes and recalled the events of the past two days. Everything about Haifeng Group's development was under Xu Xiaoya's control. Now, they had successfully acquired 20% of the shares at a low price. In addition, with the portion acquired from the stock market, they could completely compete with the Luo siblings. Of course, this was on the premise that Old Master Luo Xin would not be biased. Now, Zhao Qiang's biggest worry was that Luo Xin would suddenly launch an attack.
Luo Xin's initial intentions were quite clear, as Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya had calculated. They genuinely wanted to use Zhao Qiang to reorganize the company and teach their good-for-nothing son and daughter a lesson. However, as events unfolded, Luo Xin began to consider taking back the shares held by outsiders. Now that he has achieved his goal, will he continue to watch his own children fight with someone else's son for the inheritance?
Zhao Qiang was now very uneasy. Now that he had done the previous things for Luo Wei, he had to continue with the next steps, which was to successfully transfer the Luo family's assets to Luo Wei's name! Of course, he also had to take what he needed and bring some of the branch factories that he could use under Qimingdeng Electronics' name. In fact, Luo Wei would also have a share in this. In short, Zhao Qiang had been incredibly good to Luo Wei. No wonder Xu Xiaoya said she envied her that night.
Suddenly the car screeched to a halt. Zhao Qiang was startled. It shouldn't be this late when they arrived at the university. The sudden braking didn't seem like a red light. He opened his eyes, but before he could see anything, someone jumped into his arms.
"Zhao Qiang..." Luo Wei released the steering wheel and leaned into Zhao Qiang's arms in the passenger seat.
Zhao Qiang was confused and could only hug her, asking, "What's wrong? What happened?" Had Luo Xin said something to Luo Wei again? If Luo Wei and Luo Wanfeng couldn't help at this crucial moment, Zhao Qiang, as an outsider, was powerless to do anything.
“It’s nothing,” Luo Wei sobbed, “I just feel like you’re too good to me.”
Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you saying? We're good friends, and you're my subordinate. If I, as your boss, don't care about you, who will?"
Luo Wei didn't say any more empty words of gratitude. Zhao Qiang was holding her so tightly that she was almost dizzy with happiness. She finally managed to ask the question she wanted to ask: "Zhao Qiang, if Xiaoya and I ever have a fight, whose side will you take?"
Zhao Qiang had a headache. This question was similar to asking whether to save his wife or his mother first; no matter how he answered, it was difficult to say anything. "Hehe, why are you asking this? Are you planning to have a fight?"
Luo Wei said, "No, let's ask first, in case we end up arguing one day."
Volume 2 [295] Praise
Zhao Qiang said, "If you two really fight, I won't take sides, because you're good friends and shouldn't be fighting in the first place."
Luo Xiaowei chuckled sweetly, her skirt riding up slightly with her body's movements, revealing her snow-white thighs to Zhao Qiang. "Okay, I'll remember that. Even if we argue, I won't let you know."
After the hug, nothing exciting or romantic happened. The two chatted for a while before the BMW 7 continued on its way. However, when Zhao Qiang got out of the car at the school gate, he bumped into his senior, Li Tianwen. Li Tianwen had probably just returned from having breakfast outside. Upon seeing Zhao Qiang, he joked, "Hey, junior brother, you've changed girlfriends?"
Zhao Qiang had been getting along well with Li Tianwen these past few days, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, watch your mouth. This is my junior from Donghai University. She's only a junior this year."
Li Tianwen glanced at Luo Xiaowei's figure a couple more times and said with some envy, "How about you introduce me to someone else, not your girlfriend?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, as long as the teacher approves." Li Tianwen stuck out his tongue; the teacher's requirements were too strict, he dared not do that.
Luo Xiaowei gave Zhao Qiang a coquettish glare, then waved and got into her car to leave. Li Tianwen said, "You see, she got angry when I said I'd introduce her to me. She's still a little interested in you. Oh, I almost forgot, I tried what you told me yesterday, and it really reduced the radiation by 10%. Do you think if we increase the amount of additives, we can create a radiation-free mixture?"
Zhao Qiang feigned ignorance: "Who knows? Science is all about experimentation. Let's try it and we'll find out!"
Li Tianwen said with some regret, "Unfortunately, we still can't find the method to purify 'G' substance. Even if we can reduce the amount of radiation in the mixture, it won't have much to do with the final experimental goal."
Zhao Qiang thought to himself, "It has nothing to do with you, but it has a lot to do with me. Even with energy protecting me, I'm still worried about safety. So, creating a radiation-free mixture is the first thing to do. With the current level of technology, you can try to purify it yourselves and slowly boil it down."
Li Tianwen's regret was only temporary; he quickly returned to his cheerful nature: "Let's go, let's go straight to the lab."
Zhao Qiang said, "I have class this morning."
Li Tianwen said, "What class are you talking about? I know your knowledge level. It's already higher than those lecturers. Come on, if the teacher asks any questions, I'll answer for you. Just say you helped me with the experiment."
Zhao Qiang was even more reluctant to go to class, so the two of them turned around and went to the laboratory. Here, Zhao Qiang could do many experiments that he couldn't do in his other laboratory, but he had to do them secretly, as he didn't want Zhang Zhen and the others to misunderstand him as some kind of freak.
When Luo Xiaowei returned to the general manager's office in Haifeng Building, Xu Xiaoya had also arrived. Feeling a little guilty, Luo Xiaowei tried to avoid Xu Xiaoya, but Xu Xiaoya took the initiative to greet her: "Xiaowei, let everyone come in for a meeting. We need to turn around Haifeng Group's current predicament, otherwise it will create a deeper bad impression on the public, which will be detrimental to us."
Luo Xiaowei felt guilty. She had just been wondering if she would quarrel with Xu Xiaoya, but Xu Xiaoya was busy with her family's affairs. Luo Xiaowei blushed and lowered her head: "Oh, I'll go and inform them right away."
Luo Wanfeng took the initiative to sit next to Xu Xiaoya. Now Xu Xiaoya was giving orders because she had successfully acquired the shares from the five directors of the board in just one day, which greatly accelerated the progress of the whole matter and fully proved her ability!
Xu Xiaoya asked Luo Wanfeng, "Uncle Luo, have all the branch managers arrived?"
Two days ago, I issued a notice to the heads of branches in various regions to attend a meeting at the headquarters in Donghai City. Although many major events have occurred in the past two days, the meeting must be held as soon as possible. This is an important event for stabilizing the entire group, and we must not allow it to collapse from within due to external pressure.
Luo Wanfeng said, "The number of people who reported is already 70%, another 10% of the responsible persons are away on business, and another 20% have not responded at all. They should all be my second brother's loyal supporters. In fact, many of the branch managers who came are my second brother's confidants."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Don't worry about that. As long as they are willing to come, that's fine. After all, the head office is currently in a precarious situation. Their coming is already a sign of their trust in the head office. Once the situation is settled, they will naturally have no choice but to support the new leadership team. So we must treat them well and make sure the money doesn't go through the head office's account to avoid it being frozen by the bank."
Luo Xiaowei said, "I'll take care of the reception." This job is quite tiring, since there are people from all over the country.
Xu Xiaoya said, "It's more appropriate for men to do this kind of thing. Zhang Lingfeng, you take care of it. Xiaowei isn't really suitable."
Zhang Lingfeng said, "Alright, I'm always a poor soul. I haven't even been credited with yesterday's victory yet."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Now, let's commend those who gave a perfect performance yesterday. First, we need to commend Zhao Qiang for his outstanding performance. He played a leading and driving role in the whole play, using his third-party identity to communicate with the five directors and finally successfully eliminated their possibility of taking the opportunity to raise prices. He completed the task in the shortest time. Second, we need to commend Yang Shiqi. He provided us with the perfect identity of the Third Young Master and also persuaded the chief accountant of PetroChina to cooperate with our act. Without this play, it would have been almost a delusion to easily and quickly obtain the shares from the five directors, and it would not have been at such a bargain price."
Yang Shiqi smiled faintly: "It's nothing. Sun Yingqiang is my aunt's third son. I know his temperament, so Zhao Qiang can imitate him. And Chief Accountant Zhang Guoliang and I have a good relationship. Helping him out is nothing."
Xu Xiaoya said, "The third person I want to praise is Luo Xiaowei. Her performance was excellent, especially her solo dance, which, according to someone, was truly captivating..."
Luo Xiaowei blushed so deeply it looked like ink was about to drip from her face! "Sister Xiaoya, please stop talking. I was just doing it according to your instructions."
Zhang Lingfeng stood tall, waiting for praise. He thought he would be the first to be praised, but he was disappointed. He thought he would be the second, but it was Luo Xiaowei again. He wasn't the third either. Zhang Lingfeng was getting impatient and finally couldn't wait any longer. "Hey, President Xu, you're not going to stop here, are you? There's still me!"
Xu Xiaoya chuckled: "Don't rush, there's one more. Our General Manager Luo behaved very well in front of the media, remaining calm when he needed to be and expressing indignation when he needed to be. The next one is Liu Qiheng from the Finance Department of Haifeng Group..."
Zhang Lingfeng banged his head against the table: "I might as well just die."
Xu Xiaoya suppressed a laugh with a straight face: "The last one is our great and handsome Zhang Lingfeng. We thank him for providing women to 'invite' the five directors to the warehouse, and then sending people to destroy the evidence in the warehouse."
Zhang Lingfeng led the applause: "Everyone, let's applaud!"
No one cooperated; almost everyone present was a woman, and no one seemed interested in Zhang Lingfeng. Zhang Lingfeng patted the table twice and sheepishly gave up. Xu Xiaoya continued, "We still have an important task at present. Haifeng Group is like a wrecked ship in a vast ocean. We sank it completely yesterday. Now we need to salvage the usable timber from it. We'll use what we can and discard what we can't."
Luo Wanfeng reminded her, "Xiaoya, now is not the time for restructuring. There are still many big problems to solve."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You're right, Uncle Luo, but the restructuring work must be treated as the most important task, because everything is about to change."
Luo Wanfeng said, "Oh, are you sure you can quickly turn the current unfavorable situation around? Right now, Haifeng Group's credibility is at its lowest point, and both public opinion and government trust are at a disadvantage for us."
Xu Xiaoya nodded: "I just can't figure out what Grandpa Luo is really thinking right now, and I'm afraid he might suddenly interfere and cause us trouble."
Luo Wanfeng stopped making comments at this point. He had already seen the equity transfer agreement that Zhao Qiang had brought back, which clearly stated Luo Xiaowei's name. If Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya didn't consider their daughter a friend, why would they do something so thankless?
Hu Qian said, "If Grandpa Luo really has any ideas, we'll just have to adapt to the situation. I think we can start clearing out the negative news online. Shouldn't we release some positive news next? Maybe we should hold a press conference?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Yes, it's time. First, Uncle Luo should announce that Haifeng Group will hold a board meeting to restructure the company. Then, Jiayuan Investment should release its investment plan, injecting 1 billion RMB into Haifeng Group in the first phase. Next, Qimingdeng Electronics should also release a message that it will jointly develop a new generation of intelligent voice controllers with Haifeng Group and showcase samples to attract people's attention to this high-tech remote control. Then, Hongwang Technology should also cooperate. The initial cooperation plan is to install the China Red operating system and antivirus software on Haifeng Group's computer products for free. In the future, it will also conduct a large number of server purchases from Haifeng Group. Zhang Lingfeng, Yang Shiqi, and Hu Qian, the three of you should also actively use your government influence to support Uncle Luo. This is the time to build his prestige. If we succeed, the leaders of those branch factories will naturally recognize him as the general manager. If they don't, our plan will lose its effect."
"Understood," everyone responded. Once they boarded the aircraft carrier of Haifeng Group, Zhao Qiang's empire would expand rapidly, much faster than he could develop it little by little. Therefore, everyone regarded this matter as an important task to be completed.
Luo Wanjiang and his three siblings were completely isolated. Luo Wanfeng had used his salary to bribe all the employees at the head office, and now most people were willing to listen to him. Although Haifeng Group was still in chaos, many things were beginning to get back on track. After searching for a day and a night without finding Lu Tiannan and the others, Luo Wanjiang was now truly convinced that Zhao Qiang had already disposed of their bodies.
Luo Wanjiang seemed to have aged twenty years overnight. When Luo Wanhai came in, he hardly recognized his second brother. Was this still the same spirited second brother he once was? His face was full of worry and wrinkles, his hair seemed to have turned yellow overnight, and his skin was drooping. He needed to get a facelift.
Volume 2 [296] Turning the Tide
Luo Pingping and Luo Juanjuan, who arrived later, were also surprised: "Second brother, don't be like this, take a rest. Anyway, the company is already in such a state. If the old man isn't worried, why should we be? The money we transferred out is enough for our retirement."
Luo Wanjiang said bitterly, "I'm not reconciled! Why have I been led by the nose by Zhao Qiang all this time? I'm no worse than him!"
Liu Heping had to admit, "But the power behind him is too strong, and we have no outside support at all. We finally managed to gather those directors together, but they disappeared without a word. Should we report this to the police?"
Luo Wanhai reminded him, "But it's not even 48 o'clock yet. Would that bastard Zhang Lingfeng let his subordinates handle this?"
The secretary knocked on the door from the outside to remind him: "Mr. Luo, please pay attention to the sounds. It seems that Luo Wanfeng has something to announce."
When the television was turned on, Luo Wanfeng was already speaking. His face showed no sign of panic or impending collapse; instead, he appeared remarkably calm. "...The company will hold a board meeting tomorrow to discuss the future of Haifeng Group. Personally, I believe that the current difficulties do not signify Haifeng Group's impending failure, but rather present it with an opportunity for rebirth. I sincerely hope that all sectors of society will give our company greater attention and confidence..."
Luo Pingping snorted: "What's the use of saying all this now? He's ruined Haifeng's reputation! Dad's really senile, indulging him like this, and yet we can't eliminate him. It's infuriating!"
Luo Wanhai said, "Big sister, why are you in such a hurry? Although Luo Wanfeng has received some financial support from his daughter, reviving Haifeng Group is not a matter of tens of millions, but hundreds of millions or even billions! Even if Qimingdeng Electronics is sold off, it will not be enough to sustain it. So in the end, he will still fail. Want to reverse the bad situation he created? He's dreaming."
Liu Heping suddenly nudged Luo Wanjiang and said, "Look, who's that woman? I don't recognize her. Is she a well-known figure in Donghai City? She's not very old. Is she from Jiayuan Investment Company?"
Luo Wanjiang glanced at the screen and said, "Xu Liming's daughter, the district head of the development zone, seems to be quite prominent lately thanks to Professor Gu Yu's influence. She usually gets very close to Rednet Technology and Qimingdeng Electronics. She should be Zhao Qiang's girlfriend. She is currently still studying, and it is unclear when she will start a home investment company."
Xu Xiaoya on TV: "...I personally still have great hope for Haifeng Group. As a leader in the industry, it has made great contributions to the production and sales of home appliances in China. It should not just sink like this. Although it has taken a detour in the past, it will eventually return to the right path. In particular, I have great trust in General Manager Luo Wanfeng. I believe that under his leadership, Haifeng Group will surely have a brilliant future!"
Hearing this, Luo Juanjuan snorted: "What's the use of saying all this? Trying to make Luo Wanfeng look good? No matter how much you try to make him look good, it won't help. His stocks have all hit the daily limit down, and his accounts have been frozen. The next step will probably be to investigate his assets. Hehe, luckily we acted quickly, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get that little bit of pension money. We really shouldn't have listened to the old man, otherwise we would be starving by now."
On the television, Xu Xiaoya continued speaking, accompanied by Luo Wanfeng, Luo Wei, and Hu Qian. This was a local television station in Donghai City, which didn't have much influence, but this news segment would be broadcast on the provincial and national television stations and would soon be widely publicized across the country.
"...Currently, Haifeng Group is facing unprecedented pressure, with a broken capital chain, financial chaos, and substandard product quality. However, in just one day, General Manager Luo Wanfeng has led a team to clean up most of the accounts, find out where the lost funds went, and will demand a thorough investigation from the board of directors. A meeting of the leaders of each branch will also be held soon to focus on strictly addressing product quality issues and the chaotic management of the branches. Of course, all of this requires sufficient funds as a prerequisite. As the person in charge of Jiayuan Investment, I am very optimistic about the future prospects of Haifeng Group, so I have decided to invest in Haifeng Group!"
Someone stood up and asked, "Ms. Xu, what kind of company is Jiayuan Investment? Why is it so little known, yet now it's claiming to invest in a behemoth in the home appliance industry? Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?"
Xu Xiaoya remained calm and said, "I only need to ask Director Liu of the Provincial Industrial and Commercial Bank to explain your problem to you."
A man in his forties stood up, bowed to everyone, and held up a document, saying, "I hereby confirm to everyone, through the bank, that Jiayuan Investment's registered capital of 5 billion and its liquid assets of over 5 billion are completely legal and genuine! Furthermore, this is proof of the 1 billion RMB transfer that Jiayuan Investment initially injected into Haifeng Group. Just now, the Provincial Industrial and Commercial Bank of China unfroze Haifeng Group's bank account, and the transferred funds have been received. All procedures comply with national financial regulations!"
Most of the people invited to the press conference were unaware of the inside story and were completely stunned when they heard the news. Just yesterday, it was announced that Haifeng Group was suffering serious losses and had even reached the point of having to go bankrupt. But now a bright future has appeared, and some people are even willing to spend 1 billion yuan in cash to support it. Isn't this chaos?
Someone stood up and asked again, "We no longer doubt Jiayuan Investment's strength, but we don't understand what Haifeng Group has to offer that's worth investing in. This is too strange. Sister Xu, can you explain it to us?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "As I said, an industry leader must have its advantages. What I value is Haifeng Group's solid foundation in the domestic home appliance industry, as well as its large number of professional and technical personnel and its branches and sales outlets all over the country. As long as it gets the helm right, it will sail smoothly and set sail again!"
The man pressed on, "But multiple sources indicate that the quality of Haifeng Group's electronic products is so bad that it's indescribable. Even the military is preparing to prosecute them. Sister Xu, aren't you being a bit too optimistic?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "No one can guarantee 100% on quality issues. It's unscientific to dismiss a product based on just one or two mistakes. When Haifeng Group is facing a huge financial crisis, even a trivial matter can be magnified many times over. Which domestic manufacturer dares to say that their electronic products are 100% free of quality problems? Which factory hasn't encountered return issues? In addition, Jiayuan Investment's huge investment in upgrading Haifeng Group's production lines aims to improve product quality and avoid more quality disputes in the future. At the same time, Haifeng Group will also cooperate with other companies to further improve its technological content and strive to avoid quality problems caused by outdated products. I think it's more appropriate for President Luo to announce this matter."
The camera returned to Luo Wanfeng, who coughed slightly to confirm the microphone was on: "Yes, everyone, we have just reached a cooperation agreement with Qimingdeng Electronics to jointly produce a new voice-controlled system. This system is based on the most advanced voice control database and can be controlled by most languages across the country. The advanced version even supports multiple languages. It is no longer just a simple voice-controlled light, but extends to many areas of home appliances, such as turning the TV on and off, adjusting the volume, changing channels, and even controlling kitchen appliances, completely freeing your hands and allowing you to control appliances simply by speaking."