Back to the teenage years

Chapter 581 Desire
Qingming Festival.

The night was chilly, with occasional thunderclaps echoing across the sky and lightning flashing across the night sky above Lijin, illuminating the speeding cars on Xiangjiang Middle Road.

Xiao Wu drove Zhang Yunqi to Baizhupo.

After spending eight or nine days in the dry capital, Zhang Yunqi suddenly returned to Tianjin and found the streetwalkers on Jiefang West Road to be exceptionally beautiful. In such gloomy and cold weather where rain could come at any moment, they wore only two pieces of cloth on their bodies, with their curves in all the right places, exuding a professional spirit and the charm of the Jiangnan water towns.

Zhang Yunqi admired the charming scenery outside the window for a while, then flipped through the documents that Wang Guibing had given him.

The information is about Xiangtai Pharmaceutical.

Zhang Yunqi's main concern is its shareholding issue.

The shares of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical were issued seven years ago by the Provincial Research Institute to the provincial health system at one yuan per share, raising more than 20 million yuan, which was a huge sum of money. All of it was invested in the research institute's Chinese medicine factory. The problem is that all the money was poured in, but there has been no return.

Zhang Yunqi was well aware that things were complicated here.

When state-owned assets are involved, the accounts are definitely impossible to audit.

An investigation would bring down a whole bunch of people!
Leaving aside the social impact, the prestigious reputation of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical will also be ruined.

Li Yufei's maternal uncle took office as chairman of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical at this time. Faced with such a mess, he was somewhat of a scapegoat pushed up by his superiors.

He dared not check the accounts, and the financial hole could not be plugged. What was worse was that the original stock buyers were full of resentment, and many of them could not hold on and flowed into society. Because there was no way to receive dividends, the price of each share traded on the over-the-counter market had fallen to more than 50 cents.

Xie Yun must have been like an ant on a hot pan, jumping up and down in a panic. However, he was a technical expert in the health system, with a master's degree from the Capital University of Medicine. He had a high level of knowledge in medicine and strong professional skills. After he became the chairman of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical, he led the application for a national-level project, using Xiangtai Baoshen Dan as a breakthrough, and developed a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, which promoted the successful listing of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical.

Xie Yun managed to turn Xiangtai Pharmaceutical from a small, dilapidated company into a thriving enterprise, enjoying unparalleled success for a time. Within two years, he was promoted to deputy director of the Health Department.

However, Xiangtai Pharmaceutical's development was like a roller coaster ride. The good times didn't last long. After its successful listing, its traditional Chinese medicine products didn't sell well. The investment was too large and the returns were poor. It could never compete with the more famous Huiren Shenbao. Basically, it was in a state of huge losses every year. Its stock price kept declining, and after a few years, it lost everything again.

Xie Yun, as the deputy director of the Health Department and chairman of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical, was severely criticized by shareholders at the shareholders' meeting this year. In addition, schistosomiasis broke out in the southern Hunan region, which is his area of ​​responsibility. His life must be very difficult.

Zhang Yunqi couldn't help but think of the floods of 98. Schistosomiasis was spread by snails through the water. He couldn't even imagine how many people in southern Hunan would suffer then.

At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly said, "Boss, you recently went to Yanjing. Well, Lu Yuanzhou has been making quite a stir in Rita."

Zhang Yunqi paused for a moment, then put away the materials and said, "You mean his entry into the VCD industry and his competition with Aiwa Electronics?"

Xiao Wu nodded: "In our great motherland, every inch of land is precious. Someone like him, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has plenty of capital. What can't he do to make a fortune? Joining forces with Xinke Electronics to do this is clearly aimed at you."

At this point, he continued, "Lu Yuanzhou recently organized a 'fake product challenge,' offering a 10 yuan reward for unsuccessful attempts to sell Aihua Electronics VCDs. This is blatant provocation against Aihua and against you! The reward alone is 10 yuan, a huge sum, probably equivalent to more than ten years' wages for an average worker. The ordinary people in the city have gone crazy. I went to the event once, and it was packed with people, even more extravagant than a lottery draw. Moreover, the evaluation process for that challenge was quite professional, with on-site power-on testing, chip disassembly, and comparison with the serial number database. This has had a significant negative impact on the Aihua Electronics brand. Those citizens who want to win the big prize are slandering and defaming Aihua Electronics in various ways! Coupled with the media's instigation, negative news about you and Aihua Electronics is now everywhere."

Zhang Yun lit a cigarette and said, "I have to admit that Lu Yuanzhou is quite capable. You're making it sound so exaggerated. I need to find out what's going on. When is his next anti-fraud tournament?"

Xiao Wu said, "Saturday."

Zhang Yunqi nodded.

As they were talking, the Mercedes-Benz quickly arrived at Baizhupo.

Zhang Yunqi got out of the car and went to Ji Ling's house alone.

He walked through the quiet forest path. The large iron gate to the front yard was not closed. He went in and opened the door to Ji Ling's house. Warm and soft light shone from the spacious living room. The air was filled with the faint smell of turpentine and paint. An easel stood in one corner of the living room. Ji Ling was wearing loose cotton loungewear and was painting on the canvas with a paintbrush in hand. A gentle breeze came in through the door, and a few strands of hair swayed on her forehead.

Ji Ling seemed to have heard the noise. She turned her head and saw Zhang Yunqi standing at the door, looking travel-worn. Her clear eyes blinked a few times. "You're back? I thought you were so captivated by the prosperity of the capital that you forgot about our little place."

Zhang Yunqi walked in, took off his coat and hung it by the door. He seemed to have shed some of the fatigue from his days of travel and said with a smile, "That's impossible. I just arrived in Rizin this afternoon and came back. Besides, no matter how bustling the capital is, it can't compare to the taste of home-cooked meals. Is there anything to eat at home?"

Ji Ling said, "Instant noodles."

Zhang Yunqi said, "You haven't eaten yet either, have you? Where are our aunt and uncle?"

"Hey, that's a sweet way of calling you. I have a business dinner tonight."

"What about the nanny?"

"Sister Huihui went back to her hometown for a blind date." Ji Ling said with a smile, her eyes narrowed. "I heard that her blind date is a very tall, handsome, and rich guy."

Zhang Yunqi laughed: "A tall, handsome, and rich guy like you would be interested in your little nanny? Don't be fooled and end up counting money for someone else."

Ji Ling didn't like hearing this: "What's wrong with Sister Huihui? She's beautiful, has a sweet voice, is gentle, hardworking, and kind-hearted."

Zhang Yunqi never liked discussing these kinds of issues; they were pointless. He also knew that Ji Ling was just having some kind of good wish for someone close to her and might not really mean it. He smiled and said, "That's true. Even wild lilies have their spring. Are you hungry? I'll make you a bowl of instant noodles too."

Zhang Yunqi took two packs of instant noodles from the cabinet, boiled water, opened the packaging, and cooked the noodles. Thinking back, at this time in his previous life, he couldn't even afford instant noodles. He was a poor student, and the cafeteria food was mostly bland radish and cabbage soup. It would take him half a month to save up enough money to buy a pack of instant noodles. Back then, he really thought it was delicious, a delicacy. Now, he could never find that feeling again.

It is said that the purpose of life is to experience things, but the more experiences you have, the higher your threshold for happiness becomes. Even with sex, if you have sex too often with a beautiful woman you once longed for, you might feel nauseous. Humans are so contradictory, constantly generating new desires in contradictions and falling into inexplicable pain.

He prepared a bowl of instant noodles and handed it to Ji Ling. His gaze swept over the easel, taking in the colorful paintings that brought him great joy: "What masterpiece are you painting now?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just... the feeling of spring?" Ji Ling put down her paintbrush, stretched her hands, and said, "By the way, did your trip to the capital go smoothly?"

Zhang Yunqi, shoveling food into his instant noodles, said, "It's alright, the business is done. Just meetings, meeting people, reviewing documents, and then showing Chujian around the capital. How about you lately, are you busy with your studies?"

Ji Ling said, "My hand ached from drawing in the basic sketching class, but it was quite interesting."

"You two are eating instant noodles for two nights in a row? If you don't want to cook, you can have a nearby restaurant deliver your food." Zhang Yunqi heard the voice outside the door, turned his head, and saw Zhang Jing walk in. She was wearing a fitted white suit, and her beautiful hair was tied up, making her look elegant and noble.

Zhang Yunqi called out "Auntie".

Zhang Qing nodded: "Yun Qi, come to the study for a moment."

Zhang Yunqi put down his instant noodles, glanced at Ji Ling sticking her tongue out at him, smiled, got up, and followed Zhang Jing through the living room to the study.

Zhang Yunqi had entered Ji Zhong's study several times, and each time it was never anything good. The couple were both very upright people.

Zhang Jing made Zhang Yunqi a cup of tea and said, "You called me this afternoon saying you needed to talk to me. I had an important social engagement tonight and got back late. Tell me what it is now."

Zhang Yun nodded and said directly, "Auntie, I'd like to borrow some money from your bank, for my personal use."

Zhang Qing's voice was surprised: "You're short of money?"

Zhang Yunqi hummed in agreement.

Zhang Qing asked, "How much do you want?"

Zhang Yunqi was completely at ease: "Of course, the more the better, fifty million would be ideal."

Zhang Qing frowned: "That's true, you're short of money and it won't be a small amount, but your house and car assets can't possibly be worth fifty million."

Zhang Yunqi said, "I understand that. We'll take as much as we can."

Zhang Qing said, "Actually, you can consider listing your companies for financing. You control the vast majority of the equity, so a few hundred million won't be a problem."

Zhang Yunqi had no intention of going public at all. He wasn't interested in the A-share market or even NASDAQ: "It's too late to talk about going public now. Aunt, can you do equity pledging?"

Zhang Qing said, "It's difficult, there are policy restrictions. But mortgaging isn't a problem, I'll handle it for you." She paused, then added, "I'll talk to Mayor Lu tomorrow."

Zhang Yunqi said, "Lu Feng has a lot of opinions about me."

Zhang Qing said, "Then your loan is not easy to approve, mainly because the amount is too large. It must be approved by Lijin Investment Holding Group and the superior authority, Lijin Municipal Finance Bureau. The Finance Bureau needs Lu Feng's signature of approval. Secretary Jiarong can't influence this part. After all, he has only been here for a few months and is not stable."

After a pause, she continued, "Even if Secretary Jiarong pushes it hard, Mayor Lu is very likely to bring it up at the meeting. Once it's at the meeting, many things will be hard to say. You should know better than me what the city's financial situation is right now. We need to plug holes everywhere. Your private financing to raise such a large sum of money is justified."

Zhang Yun nodded: "Understood."

Zhang Jing glanced at Zhang Yunqi: "There's something else I might need to tell you."

Zhang Yunqi asked, "What?"

Zhang Jing said, "The social gathering I attended tonight was organized by Xu Kai, the local tycoon. There were Lu Feng, Hong Kong businessman Liu Mingde, and Lu Yuanzhou from Xiongsen Group. Coincidentally, these two were also there for the loan."

Zhang Yunqi asked, "Is it nominally for the Qingwu Commercial Street project?"

Zhang Jing nodded: "Your uncle and I both know that you really want the Qingwu Commercial Street project, but don't you think it's a fait accompli? Moreover, the forces involved are deeply entrenched, and getting caught up in it would be extremely dangerous. Besides, I've also read the newspapers; recently, that Lu Yuanzhou has been launching a massive attack on your Aihua Electronics! Your situation is not good."

Zhang Yunqi was about to speak.

Zhang Jing waved her hand to stop him, put down her teacup, got up and walked to the French windows. A thunderclap suddenly exploded in the night sky outside the window, and it seemed that the drizzle of the Qingming Festival was about to start.

She said, "I know you have many ideas you want to realize, but you are already successful enough. Climbing any higher will only mean touching the cakes of more and higher-ups. It's a nerve-wracking process. If I advised you to focus on managing your own little plot of land and not to compete for the Qingwu Pedestrian Street project, would you listen?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "No."

Zhang Jing turned to look at Zhang Yunqi, the most promising young man in Yunxi, a place that had been around for over a century. His expression was calm, but his tone was exceptionally firm. Just then, a pale bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. A cold wind blew in through the window, carrying with it a light drizzle.

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