Back to the teenage years

Chapter 605 The Second Showdown (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The sun shines brightly, and the summer breeze is warm.

Zhang Yunqi emerged from the Lijin City Hall in a pleasant mood. However, as he descended the steps, he unexpectedly encountered Lu Feng. Although Lu Feng disliked him even more than Xu Kai, Lu Feng was still a superior, and Zhang Yunqi had to maintain proper etiquette.

He took the initiative to greet him: "Mayor Lu, it's been a long time."

Lu Feng paused slightly, his gaze lingering on Zhang Yunqi's face for a moment. His eyes were devoid of warmth, and he simply gave a lukewarm "hmm," as if he had heard him.

Lu Feng made no attempt to exchange pleasantries, nor did he stop walking. As he brushed past Zhang Yunqi, he suddenly and abruptly remarked, "Young man, don't stretch your arms too far. It's windy; you might get hurt."

Zhang Yunqi paused for a moment, then replied quite sincerely, "Thank you for the reminder, Mayor Lu. But perhaps it's because I'm too young; I prefer another saying now."

Lu Feng asked, "What did you say?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "The stronger the wind, the more expensive the fish."

Lu Feng snorted and turned away.

Zhang Yunqi glanced at Lu Feng's retreating figure as he disappeared into the heavy entrance hall, smiled and shook his head. He had already offended Lu Feng to the point of no return last year, so one more time wouldn't make a difference. He turned around, went down the stone steps, got into his Mercedes, and headed back to Huarong Jinhuishan.

Back at the company, Wang Guibing was already waiting at the door. Before Zhang Yunqi could even speak, he said with a troubled expression, "Boss, that grandson of Zhou Wenbin is completely unreasonable. He said we can sue him all we want with the materials on the USB drive. His mother is eighty years old and bedridden. He'd love for the government to take care of her until the end."

Zhang Yunqi found this amusing.

This week, Wenbin's ideas are quite beautiful.

Of course, this is perfectly normal.

Since Lu Yuanzhou dared to plunder Jinzhao Industrial, he would never leave such an obvious loophole for him to exploit. However, this seems to have put his plan to control Jinzhao Industrial in a difficult situation once again.

Wang Guibing failed to get Zhou Wenbin to talk, nor could he obtain any useful information from Xu Kai. Currently, Lu Yuanzhou controls the company seal, financial seal, contract seal, and the original and duplicate copies of the company's business license. Xu Kai and the joint investigation team are covering up the core financial data, and the project construction team consists entirely of people from Xiongsen Group. It can be said that control is absolute from top to bottom, making it virtually impenetrable.

Now that Zhang Yunqi has acquired 50% of the shares, it's just an empty shell; he can't do anything and is at Lu Yuanzhou's mercy, just like Liu Mingde.

Of course, if this matter were easy to handle, why would Liu Mingde have given him the shares?

Zhang Yunqi took off his coat, hung it up, and sat down in his leather office chair. He asked, "I remember there were about 328 shops in the first phase of Qingwu Street?"

Wang Guibing nodded: "Yes."

After a pause, he couldn't help but ask again, "Boss, we don't have a list right now. How are we supposed to know which of these 300-plus shops have problems?"

Zhang Yunqi took a sip of tea and said, "No rush. Things always progress through twists and turns. If we can't break through head-on, then we'll attack from the side."

Wang Guibing was truly impressed by the boss's confidence: "So, what's our next step?"

Zhang Yunqi had actually already thought it through when he entered Xu Kai's office, otherwise he wouldn't have directly turned against Xu Kai: "Actually, some information doesn't necessarily have to be obtained through financial accounts. You can categorize and filter the 328 shops in the first phase of Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street on Huangxing South Road."

Wang Guibing immediately asked, "How do we classify them?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "First, let's leave the shops that are being sold and renovated normally untouched for now. Second, shops in good locations that are closed and have been vacant for a long time without renovations should be considered as prime suspects. Third, shops that have been listed for resale are 100% shops that Lu Yuanzhou transferred at a low price. Let Ma Shi find them, and then we can combine that with rumors on the street, clues from those affected by demolition, and the cases Liu Mingde gave us to identify a group of the most suspicious target shops."

Wang Guibing immediately understood Zhang Yunqi's meaning.

The Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project, a major undertaking that has garnered widespread attention, is under the watchful eyes of countless people at every stage. Those affected by the demolition, construction workers, material suppliers, and surrounding businesses—these individuals may not understand the complexities of capital operations, but they can see exactly which shop next door has been sold, to whom, and whether the shop remains closed.

Regarding Zhang Yunqi's mention of focusing on investigating shops with resale information, the logic is simple: most merchants who normally purchase shops wouldn't sell them immediately. Even if some wealthy individuals want to buy shops, they've certainly calculated their potential value and are unlikely to sell them before the street even opens. Lu Yuanzhou's situation is different. After reselling Jinzhao Industrial's shops at a low price to his affiliated company, he will inevitably have to resell them.

There are three reasons. First, to quickly liquidate assets and secure profits. Second, Xu Kai is currently eager to promote the opening of Qingwu Pedestrian Street and create an illusion of prosperity. Therefore, Lu Yuanzhou needs to cooperate with Xu Kai in promoting the opening and must sell as many shops as possible to ensure these shops are actually operational instead of remaining vacant. Third, the period leading up to the opening is undoubtedly the time with the greatest promotional effect, making it the best opportunity for Lu Yuanzhou to cash out. Based on this, his shadow shop owners will naturally release transfer notices!
Information about urgently needing to be resold for cash definitely needs to be widely publicized to attract buyers. While they may not have officially listed their properties publicly, clues can always be found through underground brokers, personal networks, and even small notes posted on shop windows. Therefore, finding these resold shops is relatively easy, and once control is established, it's like choking Lu Yuanzhou's urgent need to cash out; Lu Yuanzhou and Xu Kai can no longer operate their businesses normally!
Once Wang Guibing understood these key points, his spirits lifted.

His boss always managed to find a way out of seemingly hopeless situations. He said, "I understand, boss. I'll make the arrangements now. Even if it means turning the whole street upside down, I'll dig out every suspicious target!"

Zhang Yunqi nodded: "Three days should be enough, right? I need to get a detailed data and preliminary analysis report covering at least fifty key suspected shops in three days."

Wang Guibing nodded.

Zhang Yun glanced at him and said, "There's one more thing I need to do."

Wang Guibing asked, "What?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "We need to build good relationships with the district court. Once we find the problematic shop, we'll immediately apply for pre-litigation property preservation."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The reason is that Lu Yuanzhou, the major shareholder and legal representative of Jinzhao Industrial, is suspected of using related-party transactions to dispose of the company's core assets at a low price, which seriously damages the interests of the company and other shareholders. We request that the suspected target shops be sealed off and that they be prohibited from being transferred, mortgaged, or disposed of in any form."

Wang Guibing nodded and turned to leave.

Zhang Yunqi rested briefly in his office before returning to school to attend classes as usual.

Now, Zhao Yihan brings him textbooks to class and makes all sorts of notes for him. Although he hardly has any time to look at them, he has to admit that this little girl, who used to seem very willful and capricious, has become quite well-behaved after spending time with her.

School days were quite pleasant.

The tranquility of the classroom temporarily shielded us from the disturbances of the outside world.

There was no use in being anxious about the current situation. He needed the shop survey report of Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street to break the deadlock. It wasn't until June 2nd that Wang Guibing and Ma Shicai brought a thick stack of materials to the office.

While Zhang Yunqi was reviewing the materials, Ma Shi said beside him, "Boss, we've identified 159 problematic shops. Among them, 93 have excellent locations but are always closed and show no signs of renovation; 66 have been clearly listed for sale in the market or through intermediaries. We cross-verified with many residents who were relocated due to demolition and long-term business owners in the surrounding area. All of these shops were sold by Jinzhao Industrial around March of this year. At that time, Lu Yuanzhou had completely taken control of the actual operation of Jinzhao Industrial."

Zhang Yun nodded, then pointed to a bolded entry on one of the pages. It read: "Block B-102, 92 square meters, market price approximately 165 million yuan, rumored to have actually sold for less than 30 yuan." The buyer was a company called Xinyuan Trading, registered in Shenzhen, with Li Jianmin as its legal representative.

Zhang Yunqi asked, "Have you investigated this person?"

Ma Shi nodded: "This person is from Shaoyang. He went to work in Shenzhen in 1993 and registered Xinyuan Trading last year. The company has less than 100,000 yuan in cash on hand, so it's impossible for him to afford a shop worth more than one million yuan." Zhang Yunqi closed the report: "This is a nominee shareholding, and the person behind it must be Lu Yuanzhou's front man."

He paused, then turned to Wang Guibing: "Have all 159 shops undergone pre-litigation property preservation measures?"

Wang Guibing nodded and said, "The preservation list has been submitted, but we do not have enforcement power. The court has only issued a ruling."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunqi picked up a red pen and circled all 66 shops that had been resold: "No need to put up seals. Send someone over at 10 a.m. tomorrow to pry open the locks, change the locks, and post notices."

Zhang Yunqi put down his pen: "Remember to bring a video camera and record the whole thing. Also, contact major media outlets. Don't do it yourself; go through third parties to invite as many reporters as possible. The bigger the commotion, the better; the farther the news spreads, the better. When you get there tomorrow, if the other side makes the first move, don't hold back. If they don't move, continue to break locks, seal doors, and post notices! Remember, your actions must be professional, the notices must be posted correctly, and your words must be lawful. We're protecting shareholder rights, not street thugs!"

Wang Guibing and Ma Shi exchanged a glance and nodded: "Received!"

The two turned and left.

The night outside the window was deep and dark.

In the distance, Qingwu Street was brightly lit, like a road paved with gold, or a volcano about to erupt, but the sky above was a deep black, without moon or stars. Thick, leaden-gray clouds hung heavily over Lijin City.

The most clamorous moments always harbor unforeseen changes in the silence.

The sun did not rise as expected the next day.

The rain, which had been brewing all night, poured down at dawn.

Heavy rain washed over the brand-new granite pavement and glass curtain walls, making the whole street look dazzlingly new. Workers, wearing simple raincoats, were busy cleaning and clearing away debris in the pouring rain, with water splashing everywhere under their rubber boots.

By 10 a.m., the rain had not stopped.

Wang Guibing and Ma Shi led forty men in more than ten vans to the intersection of Huangxing South Road, Zhiji Street, and Xiaogudao Lane. All forty men were wearing black vests with the words "United Times Group Security Department" on them, and they were all tall, strong, and agile veterans.

Wang Guibing divided these people into ten groups, and assigned a locksmith to each group.

As assigned, they pried open the old locks on the roller shutters of each shop, replaced them with brand new stainless steel locks, and then pasted a pre-printed notice on the glass door:
[Notice]

This shop (No. 067, Block B, Phase I, Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street) is involved in a significant dispute between the shareholders of Jinzhao Industrial Co., Ltd. Shareholder Mr. Zhang Yunqi has now entrusted United Times Group to take temporary preservation measures. If the actual owner of the shop has any objections, they may bring the purchase contract and bank statements to United Times Group for negotiation. Before the dispute is resolved, no one may use or dispose of this asset without authorization.

Special announcement.

United Times Group
1996 January 6

……

Zhang Yunqi specifically added a compensation clause to the notice.

This was to prepare for the possibility of sealing off the wrong shops. After all, without the purchase contracts and bank statements for the shops, he couldn't be 100% certain that all 66 shops identified by Ma Shi were transferred at low prices by Lu Yuanzhou. If a mistake was made, he could appease the merchants with some compensation. If no merchants came forward with proper transaction records, it would prove that he sealed off all the correct shops.

Of course, Zhang Yunqi knew that Lu Yuanzhou had probably sold at a low price two hundred to three hundred shops, so the probability of sealing the wrong shop was close to zero.

Wang Guibing and Ma Shi didn't seem to be in a hurry.

The two men, along with their subordinates, slowly approached each shop one by one, pasting up their stickers.

The brand-new "Shareholder Dispute, Temporarily Suspended" notice attracted the attention of countless passersby.

The commotion quickly escalated.

Initially, reporters from several local metropolitan newspapers and television stations arrived, having somehow received the news, their cameras and microphones aimed at the group of men in black moving in the torrential rain. Then, the news spread rapidly, like water seeping into sand; provincial newspapers arrived in their mobile press vans, reporters from economic weekly magazines arrived, and even several figures carrying bulky video cameras.

Their microphones had CCTV labels on them!
In the gloomy rain, flashes of light went off intermittently, and the sound of camera shutters mingled with increasingly loud and noisy discussions, turning Qingwu Commercial Street into a chaotic news scene.

Lu Yuanzhou naturally received the news very quickly.

People from Jinzhao Industrial Project Department and Xiongsen Group poured out from all corners. At first, they were restrained, only grabbing keys, dragging and shoving the people who posted notices, and cursing. But as the two sides struggled in the heavy rain for longer, their patience gradually wore off, their anger grew, and their actions became more and more rude.

The conflict was eventually ignited in front of the largest shop located directly opposite the central square.

A project manager from Jinzhao Enterprises, along with seven or eight muscular employees, attempted to forcibly take a camera from a United Times employee, and the pushing and shoving suddenly escalated into fists and kicks.

It's unclear who started it, but the two sides quickly began fighting. Ma Shi soon arrived with his men and charged forward without a word. The figures in black and mixed colors quickly became entangled. The dull thuds of fists hitting bodies, the angry roars of pain, and the increasingly rapid shutter clicks of the reporters were all mixed in with the sound of the torrential rain.

I don't know how much time passed, but finally the sharp sound of police sirens came from the street corner.

However, what caught people's attention even before the sirens were two black sedans speeding towards them, one after the other. The BMW 740i in front braked suddenly to a stop, splashing up a wall of water half a person's height.

Lu Yuanzhou pushed open the door and got out of the car.

In the leaden light of the day, he looked terribly gloomy.

Almost simultaneously, the Audi behind also stopped.

The secretary opened the umbrella.

Xu Kai stepped out.

In the pouring rain, his gaze swept over the chaotic scene before him, his face as black as charcoal.

******
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