National Tide 1980.

The meeting rooms at the New Otani Hotel, designed for guests' business needs, feature a relatively bright and simple decor.

The room is filled with light-colored wallpaper and minimalist modern furniture from Europe. Even the tea set is plain and made entirely of white porcelain.

However, even such a room could not conceal the oppressive feeling in the room at this moment.

Ning Weimin, standing ramrod straight, silently gazed at Tsuchiya Yoichi, a faint smile playing on his lips at the rim of his cup, exuding confidence and dominance.

None of his subordinates had a gentle expression; their eyes were filled with indifference and solemnity.

Even the others in the EIE camp couldn't help but turn to look at this reckless guy, their eyes filled with reproach for Tsuchiya's unrestrained speech.

This immediately dampened the momentum of Yoichi Tsuchiya, who had just spoken, causing him to lower his head slightly to avoid looking directly into the other person's eyes.

It seemed that only then did he realize that he had said something wrong.

Of everyone present, only Tanaka Shigehiko, the representative of Changyin, was able to remain relatively calm.

As the current true head of the EIE board, he coughed twice, put down the coffee cup he had been holding, and finally abandoned his reserve, breaking the silence.

"I hope you don't mind. Tsuchiya's words might have been offensive, but he didn't mean it. What he really meant was that we're all victims. It was that guy Takahashi Harunori who dragged us all into this. In that case, we should all try to understand each other. There's no need for us to be hostile to each other and continue to stand on opposite sides because of that bastard Takahashi. What do you think?"

"As you said, I am here today for reconciliation. However, I am still very curious about Takahashi's fate. I wonder if you could tell me how you intend to deal with the culprit who caused this conflict and such damage between us?"

Ning Weimin's expression softened, and he affirmed Tanaka's words, which was considered giving the other party face.

It was only natural that he inquired about Harunori Takahashi's situation.

However, just as the atmosphere was beginning to ease, it was Tsuchiya Yoichi, who had probably lost a lot of money in the stock market and was obsessed with stock prices, who ruined everything.

"At a time like this, who cares about such trivial matters? Let's talk about the real issue first: are you willing to back down or not..."

That mercenary fool actually interrupted again without thinking!
"This is no small matter!"

Ning Weimin immediately retorted without hesitation, "Although this matter may be insignificant to you, it is completely different for me! You cannot imagine how much loss and humiliation Takahashi Harunori caused me. And how many concessions and forbearance I made to retaliate against that punch. For more than half a year, I have remained silent, unable to hold a grudge. Now that it's time for reckoning, you dare to say it's a trivial matter? What makes you think you can do that?"

Yoichi Tsuchiya was speechless after being rebuked. His recklessness and stupidity drew resentful glances from his companions once again.

However, as the primary representative in today's negotiations, Tanaka Shigehiko, though inwardly resentful of Tsuchiya's thoughtless ramblings, still had to clean up his mess and smooth things over, as it wouldn't be good to let the atmosphere of the negotiations really deteriorate.

"Oh, please forgive me, Tsuchiya was in the wrong; he was just worried. Of course, I understand your concerns perfectly. Alright, Tsuchiya, quickly apologize to Mr. Ning for your slip of the tongue..."

Yoichi Tsuchiya was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole in the ground with his foot.

But faced with Tanaka Shigehiko's imposing gaze and the disdainful looks of his companions, he still endured the hurt that hurt his pride and, amidst the disdain and ridicule, bowed his head and submitted to the Chinese man in front of him.

Moreover, even though Ning Weimin was much younger, he used honorifics just like Tanaka.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ning, I was too impatient. Please forgive me."

Only then did Ning Weimin finally look relieved and nod to indicate that the matter was over.

It must be said that in this situation, Ning Weimin's heart was also somewhat stirred, and he could even hear the background music of "After a century of slumber, the Chinese people are gradually awakening..."

Needless to say, many years ago he never imagined that he would one day be able to negotiate face-to-face with so many Japanese business elites, engage in fierce competition beneath the seemingly calm surface, and actually gain the upper hand.

Japanese upper-class people, in particular, find it very satisfying to bow to themselves.

This greatly satisfied his vanity and nationalistic sentiments.

His years of lurking finally paid off, and he harvested this bountiful harvest of Japanese leeks.

"As for Takahashi..."

Tanaka Shigehiko hesitated for a moment, not forgetting the information Ning Weimin had expressed his desire to know, and continued, "Currently, the board of directors has not given a clear decision on his fate, nor have they given me any specific instructions. But I can assure you that Takahashi will definitely not retain the title of president. He won't even have the possibility of continuing to work at EIE. Furthermore, his attempt to inflate the stock price likely involved borrowing a significant amount of money in his personal capacity, resulting in substantial financial losses. Even if he doesn't go bankrupt, things won't be much better. Even if the stock price recovers in the future, he will need to sell most of his shares to fill the debt hole. Therefore, he can only live as an ordinary person from now on. As for other aspects, I don't have concrete certainty, so it's really hard to say..."

Seeing that Tanaka had been very frank and open with him about Takahashi Harunori's situation, Ning Weimin was naturally grateful.

Unfortunately, he was not satisfied with the result.

Given what Harunori Takahashi did, the fact that he was able to escape the bubble economy unscathed and continue living an ordinary life is simply too lenient on him.

Especially considering the potential risks, this person comes from Keio University and has an eccentric personality. Even if he temporarily loses his wealth, it is hard to say whether he will let go of his hatred for Ning Weimin.

What if this guy still harbors malicious intentions and uses his past connections to secretly plot against Ning Weimin and seek revenge on his family?
As the saying goes, "If you don't kill the snake, you'll suffer the consequences," which is what Ning Weimin is most worried about.

So even if we can't kill him, we can't let him keep jumping around alive.

Ning Weimin scratched his temple and then bluntly expressed his opinion.

"No, it's not enough. Compared to the bullying Takahashi inflicted on me, this outcome is too lenient for him. If you are only going to handle this matter with such a lukewarm attitude and condone Takahashi's evil deeds, then I'm very sorry. I can only proceed with the original plan and carry out my revenge on my own."

"What? You mean..."

"I mean to drive EIE's stock price below 10,000 yen, I want to make Takahashi completely liquidate!" Ning Weimin's words startled all the representatives of the EIE board of directors.

If the stock price is 10,000 yen, it means that the current price still needs to drop by at least 40%.

If that were the case, not only would Takahashi be finished, but they themselves, and even the companies they worked for, would also be doomed.

This is, of course, something they absolutely cannot accept.

Even someone as composed as Shigehiko Tanaka couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the consequences of such a situation.

"No, absolutely not. Mr. Ning, if that happens, we're all finished. Mr. Ning, we already know about your conflict with Takahashi Harunori. He's a terrible person, given his excessive behavior. We all understand your dissatisfaction. Even if he weren't here, we could apologize to you on his behalf, but if you continue to suppress the stock price..."

At this point, he glanced around at the expressions of his companions, who seemed to have reached some kind of consensus.

His tone then hardened, and he turned back to Ning Weimin, saying, "...That would be going too far. If you insist on doing this, then bankruptcy awaits us. This is tantamount to forcing us to be your enemy. If things really develop to that point, there will be no room for reconciliation, and it will be an unbearable disaster for both of us. You should think this through carefully..."

The seemingly conciliatory attitude, tinged with a hint of threat, did not escape Ning Weimin's notice.

Therefore, in reality, Tanaka Shigehiko's words did not make Ning Weimin hesitate much; on the contrary, they further strengthened his belief that he would not give up until he achieved his goal.

"Since you don't want things to get to this point, then you have to show some sincerity."

Ning Weimin insisted on his conditions without backing down, "During Takahashi Harunori's tenure as president of EIE, there must have been many problems with the financial accounts. I want him imprisoned for illegal financial operations and make sure he loses everything! You should be able to do that, right?"

However, his tough stance also triggered a strong backlash from the opposing camp.

Perhaps it's a matter of saving face, or perhaps it's a feeling of shared sorrow, a sense of kinship.

Although Yoichi Tsuchiya remained silent this time, the other two board representatives were indignant and could no longer sit still, and they all expressed their protests.

“Mr. Ning, why go to such lengths! Even if Takahashi offended you, you don’t necessarily have to send him to jail. Forgive my bluntness, but we don’t have a habit of betraying our comrades. You’re really asking too much of us!”

“Exactly, this is just too inhumane. After all, Takahashi was once the president of EIE, and he's my junior. Now you want us to send Takahashi to prison? What’s the difference between that and asking us to slap ourselves in the face? How are we supposed to explain this to our colleagues who graduated from Keio? We simply can’t do it.”

Even Tanaka Shigehiko, speaking from Changyin's perspective, frowned and firmly denied any problems with EIE Group's economic operations. "Mr. Ning, EIE Group's financial situation doesn't have the problems you're talking about. I hope you don't believe those baseless claims. Changyin has always been very rigorous in selecting long-term business partners and in dealing with loan usage. What you're saying is tantamount to damaging Changyin's reputation. Besides, although Takahashi did something bad to you, from another perspective, he also helped you escape this stock market crash. You benefited from him. Think about it, if you hadn't shorted and he hadn't gone long, how much would you have lost now? You wouldn't have gotten rich, you would be in debt."

Seeing how protective they were of their own, Ning Weimin smiled, though he had expected it.

In particular, Tanaka Shigenori's belief that he avoided the stock market crash by chance benefiting from Takahashi Harunori's advice made him chuckle.

To him, nothing in the world had ever been so ridiculous.

On the other hand, this also gave him a plausible excuse to explain to the world why others couldn't escape the stock market crash, while he benefited from it.

If he could make everyone misunderstand that he simply got lucky, rather than having foresight and thus made a fortune, that would be something he would much rather have.

Moreover, even so, it was not enough to make him give up his relentless pursuit of Takahashi.

He didn't come to Japan to be a moral paragon, to do things in a way that makes people completely convinced and admire him.

He only needs to achieve his own goal, so why should he expose it?
Therefore, he adopted an attitude of "so what if that's the case," and continued to insist on his demands.

“Hey, Mr. Tanaka, you can’t say that. Luck is also a kind of strength. This time, God was on my side, which is why I was able to turn misfortune into good fortune and turn bad things into good things. Should I thank Takahashi, who was hostile to me, humiliated me, and forced me, instead of thanking God? That doesn’t make sense.”

"On the contrary, I probably see Takahashi Harunori better than any of you. He's a petty, easily angered, and arrogant maniac. Given his temperament, he's the biggest threat to me. Don't tell me that he won't hold a grudge against me now, that he'll obediently admit defeat and accept all the consequences he deserves. I don't believe it, which is why I need to make sure he will never pose a threat to me."

"Furthermore, don't rush to deny that EIE Group's financial statements are without problems. Given Takahashi Harunori's aggressive expansion strategy in his early years, his debts were enormous, a fact clearly stated in Lehman Brothers' short-selling report. Moreover, Morgan Stanley's recent short-selling report further confirms this. We are all sensible people; everyone knows that in this highly leveraged financial game, regardless of the circumstances, given Takahashi Harunori's style, he is absolutely not 'innocent'."

"So the crux of the matter now lies in your attitude, whether you are willing to show sincerity. That is the foundation of our cooperation. Yes, I can say this: whether we can ultimately understand each other and turn enemies into friends depends on whether you are willing to send him to jail. This is non-negotiable..."

Ning Weimin's sharp tongue and relentless pressure made the representatives of the EIE board of directors look increasingly grim.

To be honest, they seem to be in a difficult situation now.

Reject it. Ning Weimin has already demonstrated his clear mind, showing them that this young man is not so easy to deal with.

They couldn't help but worry that their statement would cause the negotiations to break down.

Monday is fast approaching, and what awaits them is an irreversible defeat.

But if I agree, it will be difficult to explain to myself, both in terms of saving face and upholding morality.

It's important to know that the Japanese business world also has its own set of rules.

As a graduate of Keio University and the former president of EIE, Harunori Takahashi enjoys a certain degree of immunity within the group. Even if he commits heinous crimes, according to unspoken rules, there is a limit to how far he can be held accountable.

Usually, dismissal or expulsion is the limit.

If we follow Ning Weimin's request and send Gaoqiao to prison, what kind of public opinion will it generate, both inside and outside the industry?
Reputation may be worthless to a person, or it may be more important than life itself.

They really didn't want to break the rules and become traitors in the eyes of most people in the Japanese business world. (End of Chapter)