Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

after an hour.

In the top floor of the Lianxiang Group headquarters building in Beijing, the air in the conference room seemed to have solidified into lead, even heavier than the conference room at Dazhong Electronics, which was filled with the smell of cigars and sweat.

Old Liu practically burst through the conference room door, the veins on his forehead still bulging, his suit jacket draped haphazardly over his arm, the wind from his hurried steps whipping up several pages of reports scattered on the floor, filled with silent accusations of Lianxiang's disastrous performance in Hong Kong stocks that day.

He had just suffered a lot of humiliation at Zhang Dazhong's hands, and then he was left feeling suffocated by Li Zekai's insincere and evasive behavior. Finally, the joint statement from Haier and Century Group on "joint technology research" and the launch of "True Hundreds of Cities and Thousands of Stores" hit him like a heavy hammer, making him feel dizzy.

At this moment, he faces a situation even more challenging than that of his business rivals:
The backyard caught fire, and it was a raging inferno.

The conference room was packed with people.

On both sides of the oval table sat the core senior executives and veterans of Lianxiang.

Beside the main seat, two middle-aged men dressed in dark Zhongshan suits with serious expressions stood out. They were representatives sent by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, representing the will of Lianxiang's largest shareholder and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Their gazes were sharp as knives, making no attempt to conceal their questioning and disappointment.

The faces of the other executives were also a mixture of anxiety, unease, and even a hint of schadenfreude. Several veteran core members who had followed Liu Chuanzhi in building his empire also had ashen faces and complex expressions.

"President Liu!"

The representative from the Chinese Academy of Sciences was the first to raise the issue, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Hong Kong stocks halved in one day!

"Billions of dollars in market value vanished into thin air!"

"There are rumors outside that Lianxiang is going to go under. Shouldn't you give everyone, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and all the shareholders an explanation?"

"How could someone be in charge like this? Should they even continue in this role?!"

His words were like a fuse that ignited an uproar in the conference room.

"that is!"

"That's right. The decision-making error led to a panic sell-off in the market. Who should bear the responsibility?"

"We previously partnered with that Hong Kong businessman on the '100 Cities, 1000 Stores' project, investing huge resources. Now that the other party's funds are not in place, we have been caught off guard by Century Group, and our strategy has completely failed!"

"President Liu, we believe that for the sake of the company's overall interests, you... need to carefully consider the issue of responsibility."

Another representative from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, though speaking in a seemingly tactful tone, was clearly implying that he was about to "step down."

A chorus of agreement rose and fell, pointing the finger directly at Lao Liu's leadership responsibility.

After everyone had finished speaking.

The leader of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) delegation cleared his throat. “Comrade Liu Chuanzhi, the CAS leadership is highly concerned about Lianxiang’s unusual fluctuations. This not only concerns the preservation and appreciation of state-owned assets, but also the stability and development confidence of the domestic computer industry. With the Hong Kong stock market crashing, market panic, and competitors closing in, where is Lianxiang’s response? The leadership demands that you immediately come up with a practical and feasible plan to stabilize the situation and mitigate losses! Otherwise…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken implication made the temperature in the entire conference room drop a few degrees.

Faced with this surging wave of pressure to resign, Liu Chuanzhi did not fly into a rage as he had when he was at Dazhong Electronics.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and exhaustion. His eyes, which had once been bloodshot with anger, now held a chilling calmness and shrewdness.

He slowly walked to the head seat, but instead of sitting down, he placed his hands on the edge of the table, looked around the room, and finally fixed his gaze on the representative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"Explanation? Responsibility?"

Liu Chuanzhi's voice was low and hoarse, yet exceptionally clear, carrying an undeniable penetrating power. "I, Liu Chuanzhi, am sitting here because of the greatest responsibility. The stock price crash is only temporary. It is caused by the current situation in the international and Southeast Asian countries. It is a malicious attack launched against us by international speculators led by Soros, taking advantage of the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, in conjunction with our competitors! It is a conspiracy. I suspect there is a mastermind behind this, but I have not yet found out who is behind it."

He paused, not giving anyone a chance to interrupt, then abruptly changed the subject, his tone filled with unwavering determination: "But now is not the time to assign blame, it's the time to turn the tide! The leaders of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are asking for a solution? Fine, my solution is three steps!"

He held up three fingers, his eyes blazing: "First, deepen the shareholding reform and bind the core! I promise to immediately launch the detailed plan for deepening the shareholding plan for the group's management and core backbone! Let those who truly work hard for the company become the owners of the company, with their interests deeply aligned! The plan will be submitted to the board of directors and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for review within a week!"

Upon hearing this, some of the previously vocal veterans and executives subtly shifted their gazes; self-interest is always the most direct form of reassurance.

"Secondly, let's resolve the troubles and move to the next level! I will take full responsibility for resolving the current crisis! The Li family's funds are about to arrive, and our '100 Cities, 1000 Stores Plan' will be launched immediately, using market scale to counter our competitors' 'New 100 Cities, 1000 Stores'! We also have contingency plans on the technical front! Colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences!"

He looked at the two representatives, his tone sincere and firm, "Please give me some time, three months at most! I not only want to bring the stock price back up, but also increase Lianxiang's market share in the PC market by another fifteen percentage points! I want to lead Lianxiang to a new level! This requires the Chinese Academy of Sciences to give us greater support and trust in terms of policy and technological resources!" "Third, we must first secure our internal stability before we can fight external threats!" Liu Chuanzhi's voice suddenly turned sharp, sweeping over those faces that were trying to force him to resign, "With a formidable enemy at hand, those who throw themselves into disarray are the sinners of Lianxiang. I, Liu Zhi, have already said that I can overlook the past, but from now on, anyone who still has the mind to engage in internal strife should get out of here as soon as possible!"

His gaze was so intense that it made the most boisterous elders lower their heads in embarrassment.

Most importantly, his promises of "management shareholding" and "turning things around in three months" precisely mitigated the pressure.

The two representatives from the National Academy of Sciences exchanged a glance. The reformist nodded slightly, while the conservative, though frowning, saw that his reformist colleague seemed to have been persuaded and temporarily refrained from using harsher language.

Liu Zhi cleverly exploited the factional differences within the Chinese Academy of Sciences, temporarily suppressing the voices of the conservatives with those of the reformists.

A high-level storm that seemed poised to overthrow his power was abruptly suppressed by his combination of carrot and stick tactics, along with his precise promises and empty promises. Only heavy breathing and Liu Zhi's unquestionable voice remained in the conference room.

He waved his hand wearily: "Meeting adjourned! All departments, get to work immediately according to the directions I just gave you!"

The crowd dispersed with varying expressions.

The crisis is temporarily over.

But Liu Zhi knew that the real test had only just begun.

He stood alone in the now-empty conference room, looking out at the twilight over Beijing, his eyes filled with an unyielding solemnity and a hint of weariness from surviving a catastrophe.

I hope it's the second young master of the Li family.

Yes, we need to bring him some good news next, otherwise things could get really bad.

To be honest, Lao Liu wasn't too concerned about the sharp drop in the share price of Lianxiang Gangcheng's listed portion. Even if it fell drastically, it was only temporary, and it would eventually return to its original share price.

Even out of personal motives and confidence in himself and the future of Lianxiang, he secretly had his relatives take this opportunity to buy a lot of Lianxiang shares.

Conversely, if investors lose confidence, and the second son of the Li family becomes afraid, backs down, and chooses to unilaterally withdraw from this tripartite cooperation, then...

The consequences would be truly severe.

At best, Lianxiang will lose its say in the terminal electrical appliance retail channel, and its future market leadership will decline sharply. At worst, even Lao Liu's current position in Lianxiang may be in jeopardy.

But can the second son of the Li family, the "Little Superman" who has been touted by the Hong Kong media as having inherited Li Ka-shing's mantle, really bring him good news?
Unfortunately!!!
After returning to Hong Kong, Li Zekai, affectionately known as "Little Superman," was immediately summoned by his father, Li Ka-shing, to the Li Family Estate in Fuquan Bay, Victoria Peak, for a reprimand.

Li Ka-shing sternly warned him: "Someone is riding high and has already established a strong image of 'supporting national industries' and 'resisting international capital,' and public opinion is soaring."

If the Li family were to become deeply involved in a direct conflict at this time, it would be extremely easy for the opponent to use public opinion to label them as "suppressing national enterprises" and "colluding with Wall Street," placing the Li family in an extremely awkward or even dangerous situation.

He demanded that Li Zekai immediately cease this tripartite cooperation with Lianxiang and Dazhong, maintain distance, and reprimanded him for learning from his brother Li Zeju, emphasizing the need to calmly weigh the overall interests of the family in all matters, and not act impulsively due to momentary emotions.

"Go down. Remember to think twice before you act in the future. As for our partners in the mainland, try to appease them. In my opinion, the home appliance chain industry in the mainland is far from its peak. The market potential is not yet exhausted. We will have another chance next time. Do you understand?"

Li Zekai felt deeply humiliated by his father's reprimand, and was especially resentful of being compared to his elder brother.

He believed that his pioneering spirit was not something that should be compared to that of his elder brother, who was content with maintaining the status quo.

Driven by a strong sense of rebellion and anger at his perceived defeat, he made a dangerous decision after leaving the manor:

On the surface, they suspended the injection of funds into the "100 Cities, 1000 Stores" project, but secretly they used personal and related channels to contact Soros's Tiger Fund and invest huge sums of money to short Lianxiang's stock!
His logic was: since the cooperation had failed and his father did not approve, he might as well take advantage of the collapse of Lianxiang's stock price to make a fortune, make up for the losses, or even make a big profit.

As for the future?

Will anyone discover his betrayal of his allies this time?
He hadn't even thought about it.

Well, it's possible he thought about it, but didn't really care.

After all, in the world of capital, there is no room for sentimentality; it's common for allies one moment to become enemies the next...

It's not like we'll make a difference if we do it again!
As a result, under the joint short-selling by multiple parties, Lianxiang's stock price suffered another sharp drop. Compared to the previous drop of 50%, this time it dropped by another 70%, and its market value was cut again and again. From the peak of HK$70 per share at the beginning of the year, it fell to single digits and less than double digits after several sharp drops, which aroused widespread concern in Hong Kong media about whether Lianxiang would voluntarily delist in the future. When the news spread to the mainland, the financial circles were in an uproar.

Group President Liu Zhi is once again facing scrutiny.

Of course, Lu Yang also played a part in this, but compared to Li Zekai's straightforwardness, he did it more subtly and was less likely to attract criticism or resentment.
On the contrary, Old Liu, upon learning the truth, might actually be grateful to him this time! (End of Chapter)