Back to the teenage years

Chapter 588 Borrowing a Route to Destroy Guo
Qingming Festival.

The rain has been falling.

Moon Heart Lake Villa was shrouded in a misty haze.

In the cold night wind, raindrops tapped against the French windows of the villa, making a soft, dense sound that sounded somewhat oppressive.

After Zhang Yunqi left the Li family villa, Li Jilin, as the host, may have felt helpless and embarrassed, but he still forced himself to stay cheerful and tried to liven up the atmosphere. The other guests chimed in, saying some trivial things, trying to cover up the embarrassment and rekindle the sour soup.

Lu Yuanzhou had already returned to his polite demeanor, occasionally exchanging a few words with Li Jilin and Xie Jing, as if the incident from earlier had never happened.

Xie Yun glanced at Li Yufei, his intelligent niece, who silently lowered her head and ate her food in small bites, her long eyelashes seemingly concealing the emotions in her eyes.

Xie Yun sighed, picked up his chopsticks, and listlessly poked at the food in his bowl. But he was extremely uneasy. Zhang Yunqi's words were like a needle piercing his heart!
Borrowing a route to destroy Guo.

The old story Zhang Yunqi told might be interpreted by others as him implying that his sister Xie Jing was pushing her daughter into a fire by having Li Yufei and Lu Yuanzhou get together.

This explanation makes perfect sense; young people are all the same, it's perfectly normal for them to fight with their rivals for the girl they like. But Xie Yun didn't think so. He naturally connected it to his collaboration with Lu Yuanzhou to promote the restructuring of Xiangtai.

Sometimes, seemingly powerful allies are actually wolves using a pretext to destroy others. Some people think they are using someone else's strength against them, but little do they know they are doing all the work for someone else's benefit. By the time they realize it, their city has already fallen and their home is destroyed, leaving them with nothing but regret.

This is the meaning of "borrowing a route to destroy Guo".

Could it be that Zhang Yunqi has already grasped the true intentions behind his scheme in Xiangtai?
Of course, he also knew that this was not difficult to find out. As long as one was willing, one could get a general idea by investigating Xiangtai's situation in recent years.

Xie Yun lit a cigarette, his face dark and inscrutable amidst the swirling smoke. The guests around him seemed oblivious to his strange behavior, including Lu Yuanzhou, who was chatting and laughing with Xie Jing and the others. However, a hint of doubt and wavering had already seeped into his heart like the cold rain outside the window.

Xie Yun couldn't help but wonder if Lu Yuanzhou's supposedly flawless restructuring plan was truly flawless.

Thinking of this, Xie Yun suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with self-mockery and bitterness. Things had already reached an irreversible point; even if Zhang Yunqi had warned him, what difference would it make?

The reason is simple: we are currently in a critical period of state-owned enterprise reform. Since 95, the state has been strictly investigating and cracking down on issues related to the "loss of state-owned assets." Last year, the Audit Law was introduced, and the audit efforts are unprecedented. As a result, Xiangtai suffered losses year after year after its listing, which led to it being included in the annual audit plan formulated by the Provincial Audit Office without any surprise.

The audit team's impact on the restructuring of state-owned enterprises is enormous.

It's like a sword hanging over their heads, freezing all of Xiangtai's major decisions and forcing a halt to the restructuring. Secondly, it will expose financial holes and management problems, revealing hidden transfers of benefits. Local state-owned enterprises like Xiangtai are often deeply entrenched, where a single move can have far-reaching consequences! Most importantly, the audit results will determine the final restructuring plan—if the problems are serious, Xiangtai could very well go from a "rescue-style restructuring" to a "liquidation-style restructuring," with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) taking direct control!

In this situation, he had no choice and no way out!
Xie Yun picked up the Moutai and drank it in one gulp; the spicy, warm current flowed from his throat straight down to his stomach.

The banquet was drawing to a close, and under the bright crystal chandelier, the table was littered with messy cups and plates. After Zhang Yunqi's incident, everyone was polite and courteous, greeting Li Jilin and Xie Jing one by one before dispersing in a tacitly understood atmosphere.

Xie Yun and his wife Liu Huihui drove home.

Neon lights flickered outside the car window, casting blurry streaks of light on the wet street, much like his tangled and unresolved thoughts.

Liu Huihui was still immersed in the excitement and envy brought by the luxury of her brother-in-law Li Jilin's villa, rambling on about how much money her son would need to study abroad, and how expensive apartments and cars were overseas...

Xie Yun remained silent, lighting a cigarette and quietly exhaling smoke in the cramped space. He had originally intended to tell his wife, Liu Huihui, about Lu Yuanzhou's plan, but Zhang Yunqi's words that evening had dispelled that idea.

The restructuring of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical is inevitable. Faced with such a huge temptation, who can remain unmoved? He knew very well that sending his son to university in the United States was Liu Huihui's biggest worry! Now that she had the opportunity to raise money to fulfill this dream, she wouldn't let it go!

Because this money comes too easily; with just a thought, one can obtain millions of dollars. Is it possible to expect someone to remain calm and composed under such circumstances?
Lu Yuanzhou's money is absolutely off-limits.

His original plan was for Liu Huihui to use her savings to secretly buy some Xiangtai shares in the stock market, and then quietly sell them when the restructuring news was announced and the stock price surged. It would be done discreetly, and making a million or so wouldn't be difficult. Moreover, this was a clean and efficient operation, and the anti-corruption bureau wouldn't be able to find fault with him.

That's the allure of a seat!

But Zhang Yunqi's words tonight pierced his mind like a cold needle. He had to re-evaluate his options.

He knew better than anyone that if he made up his mind to do this, no one could stop him. He could arrange everything discreetly without risking breaking the law!
However, he now demands that he handle this matter flawlessly. Using his own money to buy shares in Xiangtai Pharmaceutical, while difficult to classify as illegal under the regulatory environment of the mid-90s, could still leave him with a rather unsightly stain, especially if the shareholders who lost everything found out; they would be bombarded with criticism.

He has to be wary of that.

It seems there's no way to make that money now.

Liu Huihui must not be informed about the restructuring of Xiangtai!

Having made up his mind, Xie Yun felt much more at ease. After returning home, Liu Huihui washed up and then called Xie Yun, who had been staying in the study, to come back to the bedroom to sleep together. Xie Yun replied that he still needed to look at some materials.

At that point, how could he possibly focus on the materials?
The lights in the study weren't even on.

He sat in the chair, unwilling to think about anything, his eyes closed, listening to the wind, the rain, and the thunder.

Just then, the phone rang. It was Director Wang's secretary, who said, "Director Xie, the Party Committee meeting is next Monday. Director Wang would like to hear your report on the progress of the Xiangtai restructuring first. Also, there are questions regarding the audit team."

"understood."

Xie Yun hung up the phone.

He opened the safe and took out a yellowed paper file. It was the original record of the internal share issuance of Xiangtai Pharmaceutical, with several signatures of people who are now in important positions.

Outside the window, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

The world lit up for a fleeting moment.

The world is darkened forever.

The thunder rumbled incessantly, and the rain of the Qingming Festival continued to fall, as if trying to cover up all the secrets of the world.

Xie Yun lit a cigarette and paced back and forth alone in the study, the scarlet flame flickering in the darkness.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the phone, and dialed the number of Xiangtai's general manager, Han Changjun. He asked directly, "Changjun, regarding the Xiangtai restructuring you mentioned the other day, what are the specific conditions on Lu Yuanzhou's side?"

Han Changjun seemed to ponder for a while on the other end of the phone before replying, "Director Xie, his meaning is very clear: he wants to take over Xiangtai. That's the premise. Everything else... is negotiable."

Xie Yun asked, "What about the positions of the directors?"

Han Changjun hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "How about... we invite Lu Yuanzhou to the company for a meeting on Monday, so he can talk to the board members in person about his plans and ideas?"

Xie Yun said, "Okay, I have to go to the hall on Monday and won't be able to attend this meeting. You can discuss it with Lu Yuanzhou. You also know the specific time when the audit team will be stationed, but such a big matter as the restructuring of Xiangtai cannot be decided by any one person. The procedures must be legal and compliant, and the accounts must be standardized! We will hold a board meeting next Tuesday to hear everyone's opinions and views, make democratic decisions, and promote the project in accordance with the law!"

After saying that, Xie Yun hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Han Changjun pondered the deeper meaning behind Xie Yun's words for a while before hanging up the receiver, turning to look at Lu Yuanzhou, who was sitting opposite him sipping tea, and said in a low voice, "President Lu."

Lu Yuanzhou put down his teacup: "What does Xie Yun mean by making this call?"

Han Changjun's voice was hesitant as he repeated Xie Yun's original words, finally saying, "He wanted to push this matter away, but also wanted to stay out of it. He specifically asked about the audit team's entry and mentioned the need to ensure that the accounts were... standardized."

“Director Xie is always cautious.” Lu Yuanzhou smiled, his tone completely calm. “The audit team will be stationed on July 1st; this was planned long ago. President Han, as long as you proceed with the restructuring according to our agreed plan, there won’t be any problems.”

Han Changjun nodded.

He didn't really trust Lu Yuanzhou's words, but he knew very well that things had developed to this point and no one had any other choice.

Lu Yuanzhou stood up and walked to the window.

A night breeze blew past the window, slightly chilly, and fine rain streamed down the tiles, forming a beaded curtain under the eaves.

"Borrowing a route to destroy Guo..."

He suddenly murmured those four words, as if Zhang Yunqi's words at the banquet were still echoing in his ears.

He laughed, then picked up his phone and dialed a number. Without trying to hide it from Han Changjun who was present, he said directly to the person on the other end of the line, "Tomorrow when the market opens, continue to buy up Xiangtai's circulating shares. Be discreet and operate through multiple accounts."

The reply came from the other end: "Understood."

Lu Yuanzhou said, "Also, transfer one million into Liu Huihui's stock account first!"

******
(End of this chapter)