Back to the teenage years

Chapter 593 Greedy Wolf (Please Subscribe)

The morning light appears.

But the sun did not rise as usual.

Thick clouds turned the horizon into a leaden gray.

Huarong Jinhuishan Building stands on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, towering above the city in the morning mist. Its sharp lines resemble a sharp scissor, cutting through the still-awakening sky. The glass walls, like an iron curtain of ice, look down with indifference at the countless ants struggling and crawling on the ground, seemingly unaware of their way home.

Zhang Yunqi met Liu Mingde and Lin Lin in the top-floor office.

Since Liu Mingde thinks Song Junxian has so much influence that he's resorting to such shameless tactics, Zhang Yunqi is now a little curious about what conditions Liu Mingde can offer to persuade him.

Liu Mingde was wearing a designer suit that was clearly well-pressed, and he stood up straight, seemingly trying to maintain the demeanor of a Hong Kong business elite.

Lin Lin followed beside Liu Mingde, wearing a simple white dress. Her pretty face was expressionless, but when she met Zhang Yunqi's gaze, her eyes flickered slightly.

As soon as Liu Mingde entered, he forced a stiff smile: "Zhang Sheng, thank you for giving me this face."

Zhang Yunqi remained seated behind his desk, gesturing to the chair opposite him. After Liu Mingde sat down, he said, "This favor belongs to Song Junxian."

That was a very impolite statement.

Liu Mingde's smile froze for a moment, and he said dryly, "Please thank him for me, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Yunqi glanced at Lin Lin, then looked at Liu Mingde. His eyes were heavy with bags, and a faint bruise from yesterday's beating lingered at the corner of his mouth. He smiled and said, "President Liu is truly impressive. You managed to steal someone else's talent and still get them to do things for you. I genuinely admire your shamelessness. No wonder you were able to secure two major projects, Jiangxinzhou and Qingwu Street, in such a harsh business environment in Lijin."

Liu Mingde's facial muscles twitched slightly as Zhang Yunqi mocked him. After a long while, he said, "Mr. Zhang, you're too kind. In business, everyone relies on their own abilities."

Zhang Yunqi nodded: "Each relies on their own abilities; these four words are very convincing."

At this moment, Wang Guibing walked in from outside. He silently poured tea for the two of them, then stepped back and stood to the side of Zhang Yun, like a silent door god.

The office fell silent for a moment.

Liu Mingde held the cup of hot tea in both hands, licked his slightly chapped lips, and said, "Zhang Sheng, you know my situation..."

Zhang Yunqi leaned back in his chair and didn't reply.

This silence put even more pressure on Liu Mingde. He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Zhang Sheng, as long as you're willing to help me deal with Qiao Zhiwu and stabilize the situation, it will only take six months, just six months! Once Qingwu Street opens and the funds are back, I'll immediately give you a generous reward."

Zhang Yunqi pressed his advantage, asking with a smile, "Give me 130 million?"

Liu Mingde's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he said with a forced smile, "Mr. Zhang is joking. How about sixty million?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "I have no interest in bargaining."

Liu Mingde unconsciously clenched his fist over the teacup.

Even before he stepped inside, he knew that, given Zhang Yunqi's character, he wouldn't leave here without suffering a severe beating. But Zhang Yunqi's appetite was still too great for him to handle; this figure represented the exorbitant interest rate demanded by Qiao Zhiwu!
He swallowed hard. "This, 130 million is too much. How about this, Mr. Zhang, are you interested in the Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City project?"

Liu Mingde believed he had offered a very tempting offer. The Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City project was the foundation upon which he started in Lijin City and was currently his most successful business in southern Hunan. Although it was far less promising than the Qingwu Commercial Street on Huangxing South Road, it had the advantage of stable cash flow and good profitability.

Zhang Yunqi smiled: "President Liu, you're joking with me, right?" Liu Mingde was stunned: "What... what do you mean?"

Zhang Yunqi leaned forward slightly, his voice low but clear: "In order to raise start-up capital for Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street, you mortgaged Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City to the bank last November. If I'm not mistaken, you got a loan of 60 million, right?"

Liu Mingde nodded.

Zhang Yunqi stood up and said, "To be frank, after deducting the mortgaged portion, I have serious doubts about whether Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City is worth 60 million. However, these days banks are burdened with a lot of bad debts and non-performing loans from state-owned enterprises, coupled with inflation and tight monetary policy, so life isn't easy. But you still managed to borrow so much money, Mr. Liu. You are indeed a master at leverage. They say that these days, the bold get rich, and the timid starve. You've really mastered that saying. Don't you really know what kind of person Qiao Zhiwu is? Probably not. In my eyes, Mr. Liu is a very smart businessman. You're actually gambling. You think that with Xu Kai as your backer, Qiao Zhiwu won't dare to act recklessly. More importantly, you understand the value of Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street. This is a highly profitable business, worth going all in on, even with high leverage."

Zhang Yunqi took a sip of tea and continued, "Unfortunately, Xu Kai treated you like a prostitute. Not only did he not pay you after using you, but he also felt disgusted and wanted to stab you in the back. In addition, although the initial investment for Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street was only 100 million yuan, as far as I know, the actual development cost has already reached 500 million yuan! Most of this money was borrowed from the bank through Xu Kai's connections, right? I don't know what kind of magic tricks you used to spend so much money."

Liu Mingde hadn't expected Zhang Yunqi to know so much about him; every word he uttered hit his weak points precisely, and for a moment, he couldn't find a reason to refute him.

Sitting on the leather sofa in the back, Lin Lin's face had turned pale. She was clearly shocked by the problems Zhang Yunqi had revealed. She had never known that Liu Mingde had so many problems and that they were so serious!

Zhang Yunqi put down his teacup and continued, "There are just too many problems here. You could say that every single one of them is very unfavorable to you, Mr. Liu. But you should be well aware of these things and have no interest in listening to me. So I'll just ask you one question: After the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street on Huangxing South Road opens, will the funds recovered be used to cover the 5 million yuan shortfall? Moreover, this funding involves Xiongsen Group and Lu Yuanzhou. Can you make that decision? And how much will you get? In addition, as far as I know, your main company will also have to bear 10% of the initial costs for the development of the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street!"

Zhang Yunqi changed the subject: "So, Mr. Liu, here's my question. All these things combined amount to a huge sum of unpaid bills. How will you deliver on your promise of 60 million six months from now? And Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City is burdened with such a large loan. Even if I get the operating rights, if I can't repay the debts on time, the bank could take it back at any time. Doesn't this mean there's a very high chance that the two rewards you promised me won't be delivered in six months? Or are you treating me like a sucker, trying to get something for nothing?!"

"No, no! That's absolutely not how it is. I swear I've never thought of that!" Liu Mingde's forehead was already covered in fine sweat from Zhang Yunqi's words, and his back felt cold. This young man really knew his situation too well, and his business acumen was meticulous enough. Every word he said hit his weak points. But no matter what, Zhang Yunqi hadn't turned on him yet, and he felt that he still had a chance.

He said, "I admit, Mr. Zhang, what you said may indeed be true, but if you are willing to lend a helping hand, with your strength and my project, we can definitely solve these problems by working together! Mr. Zhang, how about... you name a condition."

Zhang Yunqi leaned forward slightly and looked at Liu Mingde: "President Liu, we are all businessmen. Of course I understand what you are saying. But you should also understand how difficult it is to get involved in your matter. Not only do I offend both Qiao Zhiwu and Lu Yuanzhou, but I also have to help you resolve a huge debt crisis."

Liu Mingde nodded quickly: "I understand, Zhang Sheng, please tell me..."

Zhang Yunqi reached into the cigarette pack on the table and shook out a cigarette: "I only have one condition."

Liu Mingde's Adam's apple bobbed: "What?"

Zhang Yunqi gently flicked the cigarette ash into the crystal ashtray, his voice clear and calm: "Transfer all 50% of your shares in Jinzhao Industry to me."

The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Liu Mingde froze, then the color drained from his face at a visible speed. He seemed not to have heard clearly, or perhaps he couldn't understand: "What, what did you say?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "I said, I want all the shares of Jinzhao Industrial that you hold."

"impossible!"

Liu Mingde sprang up from his chair like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. The chair legs screeched as they scraped against the floor.

His face flushed red, and he pointed at Zhang Yunqi, his fingers trembling with extreme anger and disbelief: "Zhang Yunqi! You're taking advantage of our misfortune! Jinzhao Industrial is the project company for Qingwu Pedestrian Street! You can't possibly be unaware of the project's enormous commercial value, and you're asking for all the shares? Why don't you just rob us?!"

Faced with Liu Mingde's loss of composure, Zhang Yunqi didn't even raise an eyebrow: "President Liu, do you still have a choice now?"

A casual remark, like a bucket of ice water, extinguished all of Liu Mingde's arrogance.

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