Chapter 101 Prioritizing Elders over Merit
"Oh, by the way, I just heard that Changqing Group used up a lot of money in the group's account to build that ' Evergreen Heaven Seal ' building in Shanghai, didn't it?"
Huang Fengwen added from the other end of the line.
"It's precisely because of the Group's tight cash flow that Shen Zekai dared to take advantage of the situation..."
Just then, Su Hao felt a faint electric current surge through the part of his phone that was pressed against his ear, which startled him so much that he almost dropped the phone!
" Ah-Hao? What's wrong? What happened?" Huang Fengwen keenly sensed that something was amiss.
That last slap was definitely not as simple as static electricity!
It was a tingling sensation that shot straight to his head, so intense that it even made his eardrums tingle slightly! It was as if some unseen force was guiding him!
"… Brother Huang," Su Hao composed himself, suppressing the unease in his heart, and asked in a deep voice:
"Generally speaking, what types of collateral are acceptable to us?"
"There are plenty of options: real estate, shares in other companies, or even pledging your subsidiaries."
"As long as the valuation is high enough, we can discuss anything..."
A sudden inspiration struck Su Hao, and he blurted out almost without thinking:
"What about the ' Evergreen Heaven Seal ' development they're currently building?"
"Wait! What did you say?! Evergreen Heaven Seal in Shanghai?!"
Huang Fengwen suddenly raised his voice on the other end, and Su Hao even felt the phone make a slight "sizzle" sound again.
Aha! This is it!
Su Hao suddenly felt enlightened. His damned yet always reliable intuition was now screaming wildly—take over the " Evergreen Heaven Seal " property!
Regardless of whether Shen Zekai agrees or not, let's just report it first!
"Do you even know how much money Changqing Group dumped on that dilapidated building?"
"Three hundred billion, if I remember correctly."
"That's right! Two or three hundred billion has been poured in! Now the building is valued at least four or five hundred billion!"
You're telling me now I need to use it as collateral for 10 billion worth of shares?! Do you think Shen Zekai would agree to that?
"Even a cornered dog will jump over the wall," Su Hao said quietly.
"He's in a desperate situation now, completely at my mercy. Maybe he'll just give in?"
"..." An eerie silence fell on the other end of the phone.
Huang Fengwen seemed stunned by Su Hao's wildly imaginative and ruthless idea.
"Okay, Su Hao," Huang Fengwen finally spoke after a long pause.
"How come I never noticed before? You're really ruthless!"
***
Meanwhile, in the Chairman's Office of Changqing Group, the atmosphere was so heavy it could be squeezed out of you.
Old Chairman Shen Chengjia has been feeling restless and his eyelids have been twitching these past few days.
Ever since his second son, Shen Zekai, met with that scoundrel-like boss of Fang Huan Investment, he felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, leaving him feeling extremely uneasy.
"Xiao Yang," Shen Chengjia said wearily to Secretary Yang beside him, rubbing his temples.
"Do you think... that brat second brother might really go crazy and buy all those shares regardless of the cost?"
To be honest, he was furious about what his second son, Shen Zekai, had done. In his rage, he even said some harsh words, saying he would leave him in the factory to fend for himself.
That was just something I said in anger.
In his mind, although the eldest brother was steady, his abilities were really mediocre.
Although the second son is ambitious and prone to causing trouble, he still has some skill and achievements.
Especially the European hotel industry project that the second son has been following up on, that's a lucrative business, and we're counting on him to take it on.
Therefore, his original plan was to wait until the storm passed, give the second brother a good talking-to, then have his eldest brother plead for him and give him a way out, and then reassign him to the company.
" Director, you are overthinking it," Secretary Yang said, bowing. "Even if the Second Young Master wanted to buy it, he couldn't."
"Oh? What do you mean? Didn't that kid hook up with a bunch of covetous equity funds?" Shen Chengjia raised an eyebrow.
" Director, you don't know this, but those people who run funds are shrewder than anyone else."
They were thinking about how to squeeze money out of the company, instead of putting real money into it.
To them, spending 10 billion to buy such a small number of shares is no different from being slaughtered like a pig; they are simply suckers.
They didn't have the guts, nor the confidence, to recoup their investment.
Equity funds sound prestigious, but frankly, they're just a bunch of "financial hyenas" disguised as "corporate investors."
Their goal was never to genuinely run a company.
On the surface, their acquisition of companies and so-called "structural optimization" are nothing more than squeezing every last drop of profit out of them and then throwing away the empty shell.
Of course, it's possible that one or two companies genuinely want to get things done, but the vast majority are like this.
" Secretary Yang." Shen Chengjia pondered for a long time.
"Yes, Director."
"Once this turmoil subsides, the Group's shareholding structure must be thoroughly reorganized."
"That's what I think too."
The reason Changqing Group created such a complex equity structure is, frankly speaking, for "money" and "power".
Starting from scratch, in order to expand rapidly, they sought investment everywhere, which resulted in severe dilution of their equity.
In order to maintain the family's control over the Group, they had no choice but to come up with this convoluted and bizarre "circular shareholding" model.
The problem is that this structure is several times more complex than that of other companies.
Moreover, this incident made him realize that those "allies" he once thought would always stand by his side could turn on him at any time for their own benefit.
You can't see into someone's heart, so you really have to be careful!
"The eldest son is a bit incompetent, but at least he's obedient."
From now on, he can just sit comfortably in that position and let his subordinates handle the specific tasks.
Shen Chengjia sighed.
"But what I'm worried about is that if something like today happens again after I'm gone, that would be a real problem."
Throughout history, both in China and abroad, why have most imperial families chosen to appoint the eldest son rather than the most virtuous?
Is it really because the eldest son is exceptionally capable? Bullshit!
Whether someone is capable or not is secondary; the key is to establish the primogeniture system, which can minimize the possibility of sibling rivalry and family separation among future generations vying for the throne!
This is a kind of order, a kind of rule!
Once the rules are established and everyone passes the position to the eldest son, there will naturally be far fewer disputes in future generations.
However, the equity structure, this "double-edged sword," must be re-sharpened and firmly grasped in our own hands!
"Also," Shen Chengjia's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, " send someone to contact Huang Fengwen of Fang Huan Investment."
"Huh? Director, you're looking for him..." Secretary Yang was a little puzzled.
"I'll buy those 10 billion shares!"
" Director! You...you want to buy?!"
"That's right! We all thought that the second son couldn't possibly afford it, but what happened?"
"Isn't it because of this carelessness that we were stabbed in the back and left with such a huge hole!"
A hint of annoyance flashed across Shen Chengjia's face.
"We have to resolve this before he does anything truly irreparable! Even if it costs more money, we'll accept it!"