Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 251 An Ambitious Woman (6k views, please subscribe)

The night seems particularly perfect for storytelling.

Especially after they had just experienced a thrilling battle, the atmosphere conducive to storytelling was at its most intense.

So Lü Yao leaned against Monia's car, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and asked, "What do I have to envy?"

Lin Yongzhen also moved closer to Monia's car, right next to Lü Yao. She crossed her arms and reached out to Lü Yao, who then took out a cigarette and offered it to her, placing it between Lin Yongzhen's slightly bent index and middle fingers.

"Ding~"

The crisp sound of the Dupont lighter was particularly pleasant in the night.

As she lit her cigarette, Lin Yongzhen slowly said, "I admire your courage. You actually dared to offend Jian Xiaojie's principles. I could tell that Jian Xiaojie was genuinely angry at that time. But the way you chose and the timing were both excellent. It was a successful showdown."

Lu Yao smiled and said, "After all, she was in the wrong first."

Lin Yongzhen smiled and said, "Most people wouldn't think that way. Many people would only think that everything you have now is given to you by me, and that your life and death are in my hands. Why are you so arrogant towards me?"

Lu Yao shrugged: "Even if someone like that manages to climb very high, they'll eventually fall, and maybe even fall hard. There's a saying, 'Those who act justly gain much support, those who act unjustly find little.' Sister Jian really wants that kind of person; they can't possibly go that far."

Lin Yongzhen tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right."

She had actually met the kind of person she was talking about, and then she destroyed that person with her own hands—a woman he had always looked down on, a woman he treated like a toy.

It's just...

If she had been braver back then, would the ending have been different?

However, thinking about these things now is meaningless, because even if she were to go back in time and choose again, even with the blessing of foresight, she would most likely still choose the path she had already chosen, only the process might be more relaxed.

After finishing her cigarette, Lin Yongzhen threw it on the ground, stubbed out the cigarette with her red Balenciaga cigarette, and said, "Alright, let's go back."

Lu Yao also threw away his cigarette butt and stubbed it out, then got into the car and returned to Yinhua with Lin Yongzhen.

……

The next day, morning.

Lü Yao and Wang Shu drove to Huasheng Life.

Yesterday, we hosted a welcome dinner for Lee Yong-jin from Samsung. Today, we're here to discuss how to cooperate in the future. The meeting place was, of course, the better one, upstairs in the China Resources Shopping Mall.

After Lü Yao arrived, he and Wang Shu walked into the large conference room together.

Rong Nianqing, Gan Xiaoxi, and Jian Xiaojie were all present. In addition to the management team, there were also translators, legal personnel, and other staff members.

Not long after Lü Yao arrived, Samsung's Lee Yong-jin came over. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they began to discuss the details of their upcoming cooperation.

In fact, there aren't many options for cooperation methods at present.

Although Lee Yong-jin was quite capable and the first female president in the Samsung Group, she enjoyed good prestige within the group, especially at the Shilla Hotel. However, Shilla was, after all, a country that placed great emphasis on hierarchy and favored men over women.

After the former Samsung chairman was hospitalized with a heart attack, the eldest son of Samsung quickly took action.

Two years ago, Lee Jae-young used various means to acquire shares of Samsung IT Services and Cheil Industries at below-market prices. These two companies were key points of cross-shareholding, and through the acquisition of shares in these two companies, Lee Jae-young's shareholding in Samsung Electronics increased rapidly.

Lee Jae-young then pushed for the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, and through a share swap, rapidly increased his shareholding in Samsung Electronics, thereby indirectly controlling Samsung Electronics.

During that year, Lee Yong-jin was almost completely suppressed, to the point that she had to diversify her business and actively seek to establish an overseas fund pool in order to avoid being swallowed up by Lee Jae-yong.

Rong Nianqing seized on this point and began to put extreme pressure on Li Rongzhen. She hoped to control the entry of capital into Samsung Group through the establishment of an international investment company and take a dominant position in it by means of equity structure.

Even Lü Yao felt that Rong Nianqing's initial expectations were too high.

However, this is also a classic negotiation tactic.

Set a seemingly high and almost impossible goal at the beginning, then apply maximum pressure to that goal and take control of the situation; if you can reach an agreement, everything is fine, if not, then be more flexible with your principles.

To put it bluntly, I'm asking for an exorbitant price, and you're trying to haggle.

Many people gamble on the other party not daring to haggle, or not haggling too much.

This set of transaction methods is used by both ordinary people and the government, but it is mostly used when the two parties sit down to talk for the first time. Once they become familiar with each other, this method becomes less effective.

Unfortunately, some blond-haired guy in the future won't understand this principle.

Li Rongzhen also understood this principle well, so she began to counter Rong Nianqing's words one by one, using the gentlest tone to say the toughest words.

After Lee Rongzhen finished speaking, Rong Nianqing put pressure on him again: "President Lee, the situation I see is not as simple as you say. From our perspective, your side is more like a bottomless pit that requires unlimited investment. In the end, it is very likely to become a financial contest between us and the entire Samsung."

"This is a huge burden for us. Without a clear prospect of profit, it would be difficult for me to convince my people to continue investing until now. As for the other options you mentioned, we don't think they have sufficient market potential."

Ultimately, the problem lies with Samsung's eldest son.

As the eldest son of the family, Lee Jae-young has long been groomed as the successor by the former head of Samsung, and people throughout the group have a high degree of trust in him. The benefits that Lee Yong-jin can offer are too few.

All Rong Nianqing wanted was a future that couldn't be realized at the moment.

Not to mention that Lee Jae-young has already established a close partnership with the current Silla government and, through the votes of the Silla Pension Fund among Samsung shareholders, has supported the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.

Lee Jae-young now controls more than 22 percent of Samsung Electronics shares through his family holding company.

Lee Yong-jin currently controls less than 7 percent.

The power gap is too great.

After pondering for a long time, Lee Yong-jin suddenly said, "What if... I could temporarily suppress Lee Jae-young's control over Samsung Electronics?"

Rong Nianqing immediately raised an eyebrow: "Suppression?"

Li Rongzhen glanced around cautiously and said, "I hope only the core attendees will remain. I hope everyone else can leave the meeting room for the time being."

Rong Nianqing thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay."

Rong Nianqing then began clearing the area.

In the end, only Rong Nianqing, Jian Xiaojie, Lü Yao, and Li Rongzhen remained in the venue, along with the legal representatives and translators from both sides.

The legal and translation staff are trustworthy and indispensable for this meeting.

After the area was cleared, Li Rongzhen pulled up a news article on her laptop and showed it to Rong Nianqing and Lü Yao.

This news came from a Facebook tweet featuring a selfie of a female university student from Silla riding a horse. Below the tweet was information about the student, stating that she was admitted to Ewha Womans University as a student with equestrian skills, but that she had falsified her grades and that the university had even changed the course rules for her.

The picture and information released by Li Rongzhen are nothing special.

Such things happen all the time in different parts of the world. Not to mention modern times, even in the ancient imperial examinations, all kinds of cheating were common and could not be stopped despite repeated prohibitions.

How much trouble can such a small thing cause?

Rong Nianqing frowned as she looked at the tweet, her mind racing.

Having spent so much time online with Lü Yao, she had developed a keen sense for many online public opinion events. The moment Li Rongzhen took out this thing, Rong Nianqing smelled a conspiracy.

However, she didn't know much about the political landscape next door, so she didn't know what would happen next.

It's unclear how much of a deal Li Rongzhen intends to make with this.

Li Rongzhen said, "This female student is a clue. The public opinion she sparks can be used to my advantage. I'm currently trying to find more substantial evidence. If I succeed, I can bring down my brother's important ally."

Lu Yao listened silently from the side, while pondering the subsequent developments of this matter.

Lu Yao was well aware of this matter.

This incident caused such a huge stir online back then that even though it didn't happen at the University of Tokyo, it became known to many people around the world.

The twists and turns and absurdities of the story have led countless netizens to exclaim, "This world is too magical!"

The saying "The whole world is a giant makeshift operation" also became popular around that time.

This incident later became known worldwide as the "best friend incident."

Because of this incident, public opinion in Silla was almost exploding. Not only were people in Silla extremely indignant about it, but netizens all over the world were also watching the spectacle.

When Lu Yao was studying abroad, he was just a casual observer who thought his neighbor was being ridiculous.

Unexpectedly, after returning from the future, he was able to personally participate in this incident...

Fate is truly wondrous.

What's even more surprising is that there are traces of Lee Rongzhen behind this incident.

This was something Lu Yao never expected... but now, thinking about it, it seems very reasonable. The "best friend incident" broke out very abruptly. It seemed like the confrontation was in the Silla officialdom, but in reality, the person most affected by that incident was Samsung's new owner, Lee Jae-young.

What followed was a series of actions by Lee Yong-jin. Although she was unable to control Samsung Electronics in the end, she still gained control of a significant number of shares in Samsung C&T, Samsung Life, Samsung Insurance, and Samsung IT Services, making her a force to be reckoned with within Samsung Electronics.

She eventually gained a foothold within Samsung and achieved a certain degree of balance with her brother.

If all of this change is due to this woman, then this woman's methods are truly terrifying; at the very least, her vision has never been limited to the Samsung Group alone.

Seemingly afraid that Rong Nianqing wouldn't believe her, Li Rongzhen continued to escalate the situation.

She said, "In Silla, there are two powerful groups with enormous influence. One is the prosecutors of Silla. They can decide to start or terminate an investigation at their own will. They are a force that can disregard even the highest levels of government." "The other force is the media."

"Because of the freedom of the media, its power of discourse, and its control over communication channels, it is, to some extent, even more powerful than the prosecutor. And I hold a trump card in the media."

When Lee Yong-jin said that, Lu Yao couldn't help but think of two Silla movies—"The King" and "Inside Men."

These two films are undoubtedly excellent. Although the stories are fictional, many of the rules they depict actually exist in Silla.

Listening to Li Rongzhen's story, Lü Yao was momentarily lost in thought, feeling as if a movie had come to life... No, movies are derived from reality. Only stories and plots rooted in real life have flesh and blood and a solid framework.

No wonder Silla's movies have received rave reviews in recent years.

Because they're really willing to dig up their dirty secrets and film them for you to see.

After adding to her offer, Li Rongzhen looked at Rong Nianqing solemnly: "If you are truly sincere in wanting to cooperate with me, I earnestly hope that you can reconsider your previous proposal. In the newly established company, I should hold at least 33.4% of the shares."

A 33.4% shareholding is a safety control line.

In matters of life and death, a 33.4% stake grants a veto right.

As for how Rong Nianqing will distribute the remaining shares, that's Rong Nianqing's business.

After Li Rongzhen finished speaking, Rong Nianqing fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Rong Nianqing looked at Li Rongzhen and said, "Could you go to the lounge next door to rest for a while? I'd like to chat with our people for a bit."

"Ok."

Lee Rongzhen got up softly and went to the next room to wait quietly.

Once only their own people were left in the meeting room, Rong Nianqing looked at Lü Yao and Jian Xiaojie: "What do you think?"

Jian Xiaojie said seriously, "What she said sounded very convincing, and it didn't seem fake to me, but I'm not sure if it can be done. After all, I don't know much about that area."

"But... even if Lee Yong-jin has a trump card, I'm rather pessimistic about whether it's big enough and whether it can influence the overall situation. So my suggestion is that we should stop worrying about controlling Samsung Electronics and just take over the assets of the other Samsung companies."

"Then we'll use these assets to gradually erode and control more of Samsung's businesses."

For example, by shorting Samsung's stock through various events, and then taking the opportunity to acquire a large number of shares, thereby increasing the shareholding ratio.

When Jian Xiaojie mentioned this, Lü Yao suddenly realized that Li Rongzhen might also be behind the Samsung explosion incident next year.

Both occurred in October of the following year, and both dealt a huge blow to Samsung. During that period, Samsung's stock price plummeted, dropping by nearly 35% in just one month.

In a possible future, Lü Yao was certain that Li Rongzhen was secretly acquiring stocks, but her financial resources were limited, and in the end, she could only barely gain a foothold.

But this time.

Because of Lü Yao's presence, Li Rongzhen gained the attention of Rong Nianqing from Shangnan. With Rong Nianqing's support, she should be able to acquire more stocks this time, allowing her to obtain more shares.

wrong.

While pondering, Lü Yao suddenly realized something was amiss. Given the inferiority complex that the Silla people next door had towards Dongdae, if the people on Samsung's side really found out that Li Rongzhen was cooperating with them, they would only unite to boycott Li Rongzhen.

Therefore, this needs to be carefully considered further.

While Lü Yao was silently pondering, Rong Nianqing looked at Lü Yao after listening to Jian Xiaojie's analysis: "Young Master Lü?"

"what?"

Rong Nianqing smiled and said, "What are you thinking about so intently?"

Lu Yao laughed and said, "I'm wondering if Li Rongzhen can make this happen. What Sister Jian just said is actually a good idea, but we need to make it a bit more complicated."

So Lü Yao said what he had just thought of.

After listening, Rong Nianqing smiled and said, "Actually, it's simple. Our family has many funds overseas. We can have our overseas funds cooperate with Li Rongzhen's side. No matter how capable Silla is, they won't be able to find out."

Lü Yao leaned back in his chair and said, "That would be even better. Why don't we have President Li put on a show for us? We'll agree to her request, but she has to cooperate with us in this performance."

Rong Nianqing thought for a moment and nodded, "That works too."

Rong Nianqing quickly called Li Rongzhen back, and this time the person she was communicating with was Lü Yao.

Lu Yao agreed to Li Rongzhen's previous request on Rong Nianqing's behalf, but Lu Yao also said, "After we leave here, I hope you can release the news that the cooperation has broken down, and at the same time express your dissatisfaction with us. It would be best to portray us as as despicable as possible."

"Once you return to China, we will follow you there. We will then launch attacks on Samsung in the fields of entertainment, medical and pharmaceutical industries. All you need to do is cooperate with us from the inside and outside."

"When Samsung's situation becomes unstable in the future, you can step forward and act as Samsung's savior. In this way, you will create a very good image within the Samsung Group."

Lü Yao's words were very moving.

But Li Rongzhen's face, which was noble yet somewhat heroic, appeared rather solemn.

She wasn't sure if Lu Yao was telling the truth or not. Given the opportunity to defeat Samsung, would they really stop short of victory?
The Silla Group isn't just comprised of Samsung. Under Samsung are Hyundai, SK, and LG, all of which are powerful conglomerates. Who can guarantee that they won't join forces with other conglomerates to take over Samsung?
This is a hidden crisis.

But a crisis is called a crisis precisely because it contains opportunities hidden beneath the danger.

If that situation really happens, then she might be able to take advantage of this opportunity to truly seize control of the entire Samsung Group... So this matter cannot be rushed, it must be done slowly, as discreetly as possible, and she must remain as uninvolved as possible.

After some internal struggle, Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "I am very willing to cooperate with you."

Rong Nianqing, Lü Yao, and Jian Xiaojie all stood up and said, "That's great!"

"Wish us happy cooperation."

"Wish us happy cooperation!"

……

After reaching an agreement with Li Rongzhen, Li Rongzhen managed her expression slightly and then left Huasheng Life Plaza with a cold face.

Afterwards, local financial reporters from Shangnan went out to interview key personnel from both sides.

Before the restrictions on Shilla were implemented in 2015, Shilla still had many cooperative projects in China, including LG's factories, Lotte supermarkets, Samsung's semiconductors, and Hyundai's cars. Due to the influence of Korean dramas and idols, Shilla's products were still very popular among young people.

Once the restrictions are issued, these collaborative projects will be immediately halted, resulting in a loss of over 50 trillion Silla won for Silla.

However, before the restrictions were issued, the cooperation between the two sides was quite good, so the visit of Samsung's eldest daughter, Lee Yong-jin, to Shangnan attracted a lot of attention.

According to the pre-arranged script, both sides expressed pessimism about the collaboration. Rong Nianqing said that they had a friendly exchange of opinions, but had not yet found a basis for cooperation.

Lee Yong-jin stated that she will continue to work hard and hopes to achieve a pleasant collaboration.

The next day, Li Rongzhen, accompanied by her entourage, went to the location of Lü Yao's company building to give Lü Yao a private visit.

From the outside perspective, this was an attempt to persuade Lü Yao to convince Rong Nianqing to cooperate with him.

Once Li Rongzhen arrived at Lü Yao's private office, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I didn't expect the reporters here to be so enthusiastic. When I came here, all sorts of reporters almost blocked my way."

Lü Yao laughed and said, "Isn't this great? The more people who pay attention, the more viewers we'll have. What would you like to drink?"

Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "Water is fine."

Lu Yao poured Li Rongzhen a glass of water, then sat down on the sofa in the reception area: "Then stay here for a while and then go back?"

What needed to be discussed was actually discussed yesterday; coming here today is just going through the motions.

Li Rongzhen suddenly brought it up: "I heard from Ms. Jian the other day that you are writing a movie script. May I take a look? I really, really want to read your work."

Lü Yaoren was immediately captivated.

Gan!
What's so interesting about this?
He politely declined, saying, "It's all in Chinese, you won't be able to understand it."

But Li Rongzhen insisted, "My translator not only speaks Chinese well, but also has a very good command of Chinese characters. She can read to me. I think I should also strengthen my Chinese learning. It will be useful for our future cooperation! So let's start from here."

Looking at the persistent look in her eyes, Lü Yao cursed Jian Xiaojie a hundred times in his heart before reluctantly getting up to hand the notebook to Li Rongzhen: "This is the document. You can just look at it on my computer."

Li Rongzhen said gratefully, "Thank you for sharing."

Then Lee Yong-jin read the script with the help of a translator.

This script includes an outline, character designs, and a storyline.

The script itself is not as immersive as the novel. The script is designed for filming or performance and needs to consider factors such as camera angles, scenes, actors, and sound effects. It focuses more on visual effects and dynamic changes, so reading it alone will not be very comfortable for the senses.

In addition, Lee Yong-jin herself does not understand Chinese, so she can only listen to the editor's translation.

However, it must be said that Li Rongzhen is very clever. She figured out what the story was just through the translation, and with her constant discussions with Lü Yao, her understanding of the story became more and more profound.

Li Rongzhen sat on the sofa, crossed her legs and leaned against the armrest, her left hand tucked into her hair. After a moment of reflection, she said, "President Lü, you really are a very talented person."

"The contrasting elements in this story, such as poverty and wealth, fantasy and reality, parasitism and invasion, struggle and giving, make this script a profound and controversial story. It also shows that you have a deep understanding of Silla... But isn't the story itself a bit too unrealistic?"

Lü Yao was ashamed.

What do you mean by saying the story itself is somewhat distorted?
I'm just a kept man, and this story is something I copied from the future! You really want to have a deep discussion about this with me?
At this moment, Lü Yao realized the hardships of being a plagiarist.

(End of this chapter)