National Tide 1980.

In late April 1990, due to the EIE Group's continuous release of positive news to the market and the approaching opening date of the Group's first international golf tournament, the publicity became increasingly heated.

EIE Group's stock price has climbed to 22,000 yen, bringing its market value back above one trillion yen.

Especially given the current sluggish market trend, EIE's counter-trend rise stands out like a dazzling rising star, making it hard to ignore.

This directly triggered a buying frenzy among Japanese investors.

This naturally provides the behind-the-scenes bookmakers with a good opportunity to distribute shares at high prices.

For example, Ning Weimin began to gradually withdraw when the stock price broke through 20,000 yen.

Ultimately, in just over twenty trading days, Ning Weimin leveraged financing to turn the 87 yen principal from the sale of land by Pierre Cardin's Japanese branch into 32.7 billion yen.

He not only used the profits to fill the financial hole of more than 9 billion yen that had been formed in the Japanese company, but also used the remaining 20 billion yen to make the net assets of the Japanese branch more than double compared to its peak period.

This skill alone is enough to be called the Midas touch. Not only did it successfully win over the employees of the Japanese branch, allowing him to move forward with a lighter burden and promote the transformation of the Japanese branch to a new business model, but Pierre Carton himself, upon hearing the good news, also sent a commendation order from headquarters to Ning Weimin from France.

In gratitude for his efforts in reviving a Japanese company that was on the verge of bankruptcy, the master decided to give him five percent of his shares in the Japanese company as an equity incentive.

They also expressed their support for his idea of ​​merging the Japanese company and the Chinese company into one.

The master meant to completely delegate the specific operational methods and coordination work, letting him and Song Huagui discuss it themselves.

Once a feasible plan that both parties agree on is presented, it can be submitted to headquarters for approval.

This means that Ning Weimin's influence within the Pierre Cardin company system has increased exponentially once again.

He already owned some shares in the parent company and a small amount of equity in Huaxia Company.

With this addition, along with his 35% stake in the Japanese company, he has now undeniably become the number two figure within the Pierre Cardin system.

From the perspective of an employee, his remarkable transformation into a boss is undoubtedly an inspirational legend.

It's hard to imagine finding another worker in the entire world whose achievements can rival his.

However, this will inevitably produce some side effects.

Putting aside other matters, when it comes to actually merging the Chinese and Japanese companies into an integrated Pierre Cardin Asian company, after the asset valuation, his and Song Huagui's shareholding order in the new company will probably be reversed.

It's easy to imagine that most people in Huaxia Company will be shocked by this fact, and even Song Huagui himself will probably find it difficult to accept.

Furthermore, if the net assets of the Chinese company are less than those of the Japanese company, it may affect the bargaining power of both parties over the new company.

Therefore, the level of trust between Ning Weimin and Song Huagui may be the real test they will face in the future, and also the key factor in determining whether the Japanese company and the Huaxia company can truly merge into one.

There was no way around it; Ning Weimin, who was practically cheating, was moving just too fast. No normal person could keep up with his speed.

From a certain perspective, the pressure on his partners caused by the rapid expansion of his business was indeed a bit excessive.

Nevertheless, Ning Weimin does not regret his decision to acquire the Japanese branch.

There was absolutely no hesitation in using financial speculation to help Japanese companies get out of trouble as quickly as possible.

After all, through this incident, he not only gained financial benefits, but more importantly, he gained the trust of the EIE board of directors, which further strengthened his network of connections in the Japanese financial world.

In the process of both parties conspiring to do great things and reaping profits, Ning Weimin's business acumen and his commitment to keeping promises left a deep impression on the key members of the EIE board of directors, and they were convinced by him.

That's how trust is built in the business world.

After this incident, they were now considered to have "shared the spoils" among the "Four Ironclad Brothers," truly turning enemies into friends.

Now that both sides have established a positive foundation for cooperation and have both benefited from it, it's only natural to continue strengthening cooperation along this path.

Therefore, the benefits that result are countless.

Ning Weimin has not only broken free from the past situation of having only one financing channel and relying solely on Sumitomo Bank, but now he has more choices and more ways to make a living.

At the same time, the EIE board of directors, as a new ally with whom he could find common interests, facilitated his next step in settling scores with his enemies, increased his strength, and reduced the risks he needed to take.

In fact, Ning Weimin didn't even have to ask. After he liquidated his holdings and withdrew, the EIE board members took the initiative to ask him what he thought about the future trend of the market and whether there were any other speculative opportunities in the Tokyo stock market.

Ning Weimin didn't stand on ceremony and took advantage of the situation to use the stocks of Dentsu Inc. and Nomura Securities as targets for short selling.

Call him someone who can't distinguish between public and private matters, call him petty, or call him someone who has a weapon in hand and is driven by murderous intent.

In any case, he made the EIE Group submit to him with his undefeated record, and they were willing to join him in the encirclement and suppression for the sake of profit, continuing to beat down these two companies that had once aided and abetted him and offended him.

Ning Weimin didn't even spare the Guo Group, which was located far away in Southeast Asia but never forgot to dig pits for him behind the scenes.

Didn't Harunori Takahashi and the Kuk Group previously collaborate on a Shangri-La hotel project in Tokyo, Japan?

Now that Harunori Takahashi has fallen from grace and EIE Group no longer wants to invest, Ning Weimin simply conspired with the directors of EIE Group to make it appear as if he wanted to take over the hotel project at a high price.

According to the contract, the transfer of this business should of course be notified to the other partner, the Guo Group.

This move, however, terrified the Guo Group.

You should know that Ning Weimin was really wicked after he brought down Takahashi this time.

After forcibly seizing control of the two films and most of the rights to the entertainment agency from Haruki Kawakawa, he refused to even discuss the matter with the Guo Group, instead making a major overhaul of the Kawakawa Entertainment Agency's operations.

All available resources were completely drained, and there were no artists making money. As a result, the agency quickly became a losing proposition, used by him to train newcomers for the Fog Studio, resulting in monthly losses of tens of millions of yen.

It's obvious they're trying to keep the Guo family, who hold a small stake, as suckers.

The Guo Group wasn't stupid; seeing the situation was turning bad, they quickly fled.

Ultimately, they reluctantly sold their shares in Entertainment Affairs to Ning Weimin at a low price, exiting the business at a loss of more than half.

Given this, how could the Guo Group, having already suffered losses, dare to let the Shangri-La Hotel project in Tokyo fall into Ning Weimin's hands again?

Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble for themselves?

Therefore, the Guo Group firmly opposes this matter and refuses to accept Ning Weimin replacing EIE Group as their new partner.

They now only have two choices.

Alternatively, they could sell some of their own equity to Ning Weimin.

They either have to buy the portion held by the EIE Group at a high price.

With the hotel construction nearing completion and the Kuok Group eyeing Tokyo's central Asian location, they were unwilling to abandon this Tokyo hotel project, on which they had already invested considerable effort.

Otherwise, it's uncertain when they would be able to own another hotel like this in Tokyo. Therefore, after careful consideration, the Guo Group reluctantly opted to acquire it at a premium.

And so, the Guo Group was once again ripped off by Ning Weimin. This incident was enough to make the head of the Guo family feel disgusted for a year or two, but it earned Ning Weimin another favor from the EIE Group.

However, on the other hand, the Guo Group is still just a nuisance, not bankrupt yet.

Companies like Dentsu and Nomura Securities only bear the operational risks associated with a decline in stock prices.

These negative effects, while unpleasant and potentially damaging to businesses, are still manageable.

Of all Ning Weimin's enemies, those who have blindly gambled their futures, lost everything, and can no longer change their desolate fate are the most miserable.

For example, those old Japanese guys at Pierre Cardin Japan who were laid off by Ning Weimin.

On the surface, Ning Weimin gave them a lot of money in order to comply with Japanese law and legally lay off employees.

Their ability to retire early seems like a perfectly acceptable and wonderful thing.

However, there was one thing they hadn't figured out, but Ning Weimin had already thought of.

That is, in a society where extravagance still prevails and most people still fail to see that the Japanese economy has lost its future, the sooner the money is handed over to these old devils, the less likely they are to retain it.

If we wait a few years until the economic situation becomes clearer, these old devils might actually end up with a better outcome.

Indeed, that's exactly what happened. After getting a large sum of money, these old guys either went to the outskirts of Tokyo to hoard land.

Either blindly trust the developer's advertisements and invest in retirement apartments.

Many people still dream of getting rich and retiring by increasing the value of real estate.

These people either indulge in debauchery and even lose all their money at horse racing and pachinko parlors.

In reality, it won't be long before these people with weak willpower find it difficult to keep a severance package of ten or twenty million yen in their hands for long.

Many people are deeply mired in gambling every day, losing hundreds of thousands of yen at a time.

Moreover, there are so many financial companies on the streets of Tokyo willing to lend money to people in need, and the interest rate for every ten days is only one tenth.

In this way, without realizing it, most of these people will be exploited by the sex industry and pachinko, or deceived by women, and become trapped in a cycle of debt that they cannot extricate themselves from.

Finally, without anyone knowing when, someone came to his door demanding exorbitant debts, and he lost everything.

Or perhaps one day they will quietly disappear from this city...

This is all possible, and perfectly normal.

Who made these people live amidst so many temptations, yet lack a clear mind and self-control?

Being swallowed by the city's darkness is the inevitable outcome.

But this is still not the worst situation, because these people have been poor all their lives. After all, they squandered their money before they died, enjoying the highlight of their lives. Even if they die, they die happily.

Take Harunori Takahashi, for example. He had a brilliant life, but now he not only loses his freedom, but also suffers from both mental and physical abuse every day, and even his dignity is gone.

If Ning Weimin were to see him at this moment, he probably wouldn't recognize him.

He looked as if he had aged more than ten years, with unprecedented white hair appearing behind his ears, and his once unruly and arrogant eyes now filled with utter humility. No one knew what he had gone through in the detention center, except for the police inspector in charge of interrogating him.

In fact, on the very day Ning Weimin cashed out all of EIE's shares, Takahashi Harunori's life finally entered its final stage.

He confessed to all the charges and obediently signed all the evidence documents.

So even though it was late at night after finishing all these things, the inspector still treated Takahashi Harunori to a rather lavish eel rice meal as a farewell dinner before he left for court.

During the meal, the two faced each other. The inspector shoveled mouthfuls of rice drizzled with sauce into his mouth and sipped his tea with relish.

Harunori Takahashi's performance was even more exaggerated. He not only made satisfied noises while biting the eel, but he also almost licked the bowl of rice clean.

There was nothing he could do; he wasn't allowed to smoke here, and his daily meals of pickled vegetables, radishes, and brown rice were often stolen.

During the more than one month he was detained, he had not eaten meat for a long time.

Especially under the special care of the police inspector, he was transferred from a single cell to a multi-person cell, and every day he had to "play games" with other prisoners, and he would be beaten if he did not perform well.

The lack of nutrition and excessive physical exertion had long since turned this once pampered young nobleman into a rough man even more lowly than the average person.

Now he is no longer picky about food, and sometimes he will even swallow insects to fill his stomach. His willpower has long been destroyed.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up his insistence on freedom, unconditionally cooperated with the police, and "pawned" his freedom at a low price.

"Oh, you finished eating so quickly." The inspector looked at the bowl that Harunori Takahashi had licked clean, and seemed to be in a very good mood.

"Takahashi, how's it going? You're enjoying your meal, aren't you? Do you know why? It's because you don't have to worry about your future anymore, knowing you'll be in jail for more than ten years. That makes you feel more relaxed. Am I right?"

“Yes, yes.” Facing the inspector who was picking his teeth with a toothpick and panting heavily, Takahashi Harunori no longer felt disgusted by the vulgarity. He just instinctively pleaded, “I truly repent for the crimes I committed. I’m willing to go to jail. I only beg you, could you have some mercy and let me go back to my solitary confinement cell for today? I really can’t take it anymore…”

"What? You still dare to make demands of me? Takahashi, it seems you're still as arrogant as ever, haven't you come to your senses yet?" The inspector's expression immediately turned stern.

"No, no, I didn't mean to offend you."

Sweating profusely, Takahashi immediately rose from his seat and bowed deeply, pleading, "I really can't take it anymore. I'll die if I'm locked up with them any longer..."

"Oh, is it that serious?" the inspector asked jokingly.

"It's true, I'm not exaggerating. Please understand..."

"If that's the case, then making it sound so pitiful isn't entirely impossible. I'll think about it..."

“Really, thank you so much, you are so kind,” Harunori Takahashi said with heartfelt gratitude.

Unfortunately, he was too happy too soon, because the inspector later gave the following instructions after calling someone in.

"This idiot told me he wanted to go back to his single room. Well then, send him to the reformatory, handcuff him, and go see him in the morning to let him clear his head."

"No, no, Inspector, I won't do it again, I was wrong..."

As Takahashi Harunori's snot and tears streamed down his face, he howled like a pig being slaughtered.

Two guards had already forcefully bent his arms and handcuffed him without any hesitation. (End of Chapter)