Back to the teenage years

Chapter 582 Soul Break
It rains incessantly during the Qingming Festival.
The pedestrians on the road were heartbroken;
May I ask where I can find an inn?
The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village in the distance.

Xie Yungao sat in the center of the main stage at the Xiangtai Pharmaceutical shareholders' meeting, holding a pen and writing Du Mu's poem "Qingming" on the thin cover of the annual report. Outside the door, a continuous drizzle was falling, and the cold, damp air seemed to penetrate the thick glass curtain wall of the conference hall, making it particularly eerie.

The meeting room was actually bustling with activity.

There were over a hundred retail investors from the Xiangnan region alone at the scene, and seven or eight others had come from other provinces. The retail investors who took the stage to speak seemed like peasants during the land reform denouncing landlords, each one tearfully recounting their painful experiences of buying Xiangtai stock.

As for the huge crowd below the stage, they weren't shareholders; they were a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

"Three years! Three whole years without a single dividend, and the stock price has plummeted faster than my life savings!" An old man in faded overalls shouted hoarsely, spitting almost onto the faces of the directors in the front row: "You sit up there eating and drinking like royalty, and what about us? All our hard-earned money has gone to waste!"

His accusations were like a dull knife, cutting everyone on the stage until their faces turned pale.

Next came a frail old woman. She wasn't using a microphone; her hoarse voice drowned out the noise in the hall: "I...I bought all my money in Xiangtai, and now...now...my husband doesn't even have money for medical treatment..."

She shakily pulled out a crumpled bank statement, its pages covered in shocking red ink. Tears instantly streamed down her deeply lined face: "Give me back my money! Reorganize the board of directors! Remove that Han guy!"

Her withered arm shot up suddenly, pointing at the sensible managers sitting in the dock, like an unyielding javelin.

"Reorganize the board of directors! Replace the general manager!"

"Give me back my hard-earned money! Give me back my hard-earned money!"

A wave of angry slogans quickly engulfed the entire venue, and feelings of despair and betrayal spread through the air!
The light rain was still falling outside the window.

Xie Yun put down his pen, his gaze sweeping over the faces below the stage, contorted with anger, before finally settling on Han Changjun beside him.

Han Changjun is the general manager of Xiangtai, and he was nominated to take this position. So, isn't criticizing Han Changjun the same as criticizing him?

At this moment, the general manager whom Xie Yun had promoted faced the criticism from retail investors, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, his tightly pursed lips trembling slightly. Xie Yun thought to himself, what did he have to complain about? Objectively speaking, his report just now was evasive! Every three sentences revolved around macroeconomic difficulties and structural adjustments, which was undoubtedly like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil.

But what can be done?

The deal is done!

As the chairman, he bears ultimate responsibility!
Xie Yun withdrew his gaze and looked out the window. "It's the Qingming Festival, and the rain is pouring down. The travelers on the road are heartbroken."

The meeting proceeded arduously for several hours amidst chaos, and unsurprisingly, no substantial results were achieved before it was hastily adjourned.

Xie Yun didn't return to his office; he needed to get some fresh air and, more importantly, to make a decision.

The rain was fine and dense, weaving a cold net.

He left the office building through the back door, walked into an inconspicuous public phone booth on the street corner, and dialed the number he knew by heart.

Lu Yuanzhou's voice, tinged with amusement, quickly came through the receiver: "Hall of Thanks? The venue must be lively."

"old place."

Xie Yun spoke concisely and hung up the phone.

******
The usual place is the Qinyuan Hotel on Xiangjiang North Road.

After Xie Yun arrived alone, he walked through the lush courtyard and pushed open the door to a hidden tea room at the far end of a passageway.

The tea room has an antique feel and is filled with a faint fragrance.

Lu Yuanzhou had already arrived. He stood up and invited Xie Yun to sit opposite him. He personally poured a cup of hot tea and pushed it over, saying with a smile, "Has Director Xie made up his mind?" After a pause, he added, "Actually, it's normal for the shareholders to make such a fuss. After all, who wants to watch their money go down the drain?"

Xie Yun looked up at Lu Yuanzhou. He was well-dressed, handsome, and had a clean smile.

To be honest, the young man in front of me is young, handsome, and has both talent and ability.

His business is thriving. Qingwu Street, the largest commercial pedestrian street in Lijin City, has already fallen into his hands. I heard that he has recently entered the VCD industry and is relentlessly pursuing Zhang Yunqi's Aihua Electronics. Now he is preparing to take over Xiangtai. Moreover, he is in love with his niece Li Yufei. He can indeed be considered a young talent among the best. He is a good match for Yufei.

However, he didn't have much affection for Lu Yuanzhou.

However, circumstances are beyond human control. Since things have come to this point, Lu Yuanzhou had anticipated all the problems and situations at each stage regarding Xiangtai. Therefore, whether he had a good impression of Xiangtai or not was not important. What mattered was how to solve the problem.

Xiangtai is currently on the verge of collapse and is not eligible for a rights issue. However, as a listed company, bankruptcy liquidation is very difficult. Not to mention that the shareholders who are taking advantage of us today will not agree, the secrets behind the scenes are also hard to cover up. Therefore, restructuring is the only way out.

Lu Yuanzhou had this in mind, and he set his sights on Xiangtai several months ago.

He wanted to swallow Xiangtai whole.

This may seem ambitious, but it is actually quite normal and not too difficult to carry out, because Lu Yuanzhou's family business, Xiongsen Group, already has a pharmaceutical business. Although it is a private enterprise, it is very powerful. Xiongsen's acquisition of Xiangtai is also in line with the current market-oriented economic policy.

The problem is that this young man has too big an appetite!
He not only wanted to swallow Xiangtai whole, but also to exploit it to the bone, squeezing out even the last shred of hope from retail investors. This went beyond a mere commercial merger; it was blatant plunder, yet his plan was legal and compliant.

That's where Lu Yuanzhou's brilliance lies!
This guy has a shrewdness and investment and financing skills that far surpass his appearance. He's like a lurking shark that sensed Xiangtai's impending doom months ago and bit down precisely!

Seeing that Xie Yun remained silent, Lu Yuanzhou put down his teacup and said, "Director Xie, as you know, Xiongsen's acquisition of Xiangtai is inevitable. If you don't do it, others will push you to do it, so why shortchange yourself? As for those retail investors... the market is risky, so be cautious when entering."

Xie Yun glanced at Lu Yuanzhou. This guy had too much information about Xiangtai, which put him at a disadvantage. This was not the situation he wanted. He said, "You can go see Han Changjun tomorrow."

Lu Yuanzhou nodded and said, "We'll arrange it for you. You can designate a 'reliable' relative to deposit five million in a securities company. The process will be absolutely clean. The law only prohibits you from trading stocks, but it doesn't prohibit your relatives and friends from value investing."

Xie Yun knew that Lu Yuanzhou was telling the truth.

The higher a person stands, the wider the gray area they can see, with opportunities to make money everywhere. He has become numb to these things, but he is unwilling to be controlled by others, because as long as these five million are deposited, his escape route will be cut off by Lu Yuanzhou.

How is this possible?
Xie Yun waved his hand: "No need. After all, Xiangtai is a type of Chinese medicine enterprise with the Xiangnan label. It shoulders the important responsibility of promoting the spirit of Chinese medicine culture and serving the people. The only purpose of this restructuring is to introduce high-quality resources and assets, so that it can stand up again, revitalize itself, and better serve its shareholders and society."

Lu Yuanzhou looked somewhat surprised; he clearly hadn't expected Xie Yun to reject this "win-win" deal so readily.

He smiled and said, "Director Xie has a truly broad vision and a far-sighted perspective. His vision and sense of responsibility are truly admirable. Rest assured, after Xiongsen Group takes over Xiangtai, we will definitely keep in mind Director Xie's earnest instructions, vigorously promote the spirit of traditional Chinese medicine culture, and wholeheartedly serve the people!"

Xie Yun could sense a hint of sarcasm in Lu Yuanzhou's words, but how many people in this world don't live behind a mask? The important thing is to take the initiative, force the other party to play along with this farcical drama, and then walk away unscathed!

He picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip: "Xiao Xie is quite perceptive. I hope you remember what you just said and run Xiangtai well."

Lu Yuanzhou smiled and said, "That's for sure."

He paused for a moment, then said, "By the way, Director Xie, there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with. I heard that your niece, Miss Yufei, seems to have returned from Yanjing. Could you help me organize a gathering?"

Xie Yun glanced at Lu Yuanzhou, who was smugly pleased with himself. He put down his teacup and said, "You can ask Zhang Yunqi about this. He's the one who organized this event, and my niece will definitely be there."

Lu Yuanzhou's smile froze instantly!

Xie Yun stood up, not glancing at Lu Yuanzhou again, and pushed open the heavy door of the tea room.

Outside the gate, the rain of the Qingming Festival continued to fall in a drizzle, and the air was filled with the salty smell of earth. Under the dim streetlights in the distance, pedestrians hurried along the street, their expressions tired and numb.

******