The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 319 'Mom's News'
Zhao Xiaochui definitely overestimated himself.

But he also underestimated his choice—Zhou Yaqin.

As a former senior executive in the treasury business of an international investment bank, Zhou Yaqin's early retirement was by no means due to a lack of ability.

On the contrary, her professionalism and shrewd methods still have a good reputation in the industry.

The real reason she left was that she hit that invisible ceiling—an upward path that had already set its destination for her.

She is different from Zhang Minghua.

That relaxed and leisurely accounting supervisor had reached the limit of what he could achieve by following the established procedures and relying on his own abilities, landing safely and retiring on time.

Zhou Yaqin, however, is not.

Her vision, courage, and achievements should have propelled her to a broader platform.

However, in an arena that increasingly values ​​"resources" and "background," even the sharpest professional skills seem pale and powerless when she faces young faces with strong backgrounds.

So, Zhou Yaqin, in her fifties, chose to withdraw from the world and put aside her life's struggles to truly begin enjoying her later years.

Until she met Zhao Xiaochui.

…………

Zhou Yaqin precisely controlled the rhythm of her operation.

She deliberately maintained a certain subtle pressure.

This approach creates a false impression on the opponent, making them believe that there is still room for negotiation and maneuvering; at the same time, it clearly conveys a stance of resolute counterattack at any cost, forcing the other party not to act rashly.

The image of the street-smart old lady is how she came to be after meeting Zhao Xiaochui and being easily and slowly rehired. She uses her street-smart wisdom to understand the young boss's personality and maintains the store with a carefree attitude, which is the real reason why she can sit firmly in charge.

She was well aware of her opponent's mindset.

Faced with the "easy and slow" approach, the other party did not assemble a professional core team to manage the operation.

The forces of Yuanfang Capital, Ugly Donkey Media, and Six Fingers Club are essentially still acting independently, prioritizing their own interests, and are unable to form a united force.

More importantly, due to recent changes in public opinion and regulatory trends, these parties are hesitant to take more drastic measures.

Based on their past experience, closing such a small shop would have been as simple as making a phone call to put pressure on them. But now, that simple and crude approach no longer works.

It was precisely this underestimation of the enemy, laxity, and apprehension that gave Zhou Yaqin ample room to maneuver.

This gave Zhou Yaqin ample room to maneuver.

…………

The afternoon sun shone through the blinds onto Zhou Yaqin, who was sitting in the main seat.

Several tables showing the use of funds were spread out in front of me, and there was still half a cup of tea left in my thermos.

The huge projection screen was displaying Jin Dayang's intraday chart—a steep upward curve accompanied by astonishing trading volume, with the stock price being pushed up by certain institutions and the funds they had brought along.

The constantly fluctuating numbers on the screen meant that for every percentage point the other party increased their lead, the cost that Easy Slow would have to pay to complete the acquisition would increase by tens of millions.

In the conference room, several young finance specialists kept glancing anxiously at the screen and then stealing glances at the old lady.

They were puzzled, and online stock market investors were even more puzzled.

"This price movement is too unpredictable! Who is buying? Are they trying to trick us small investors into buying in at the top?"

"Such a large volume doesn't seem like retail investor behavior. The slow and steady trading has also stopped, so it's likely that other speculative funds or institutions saw an opportunity to enter and try to profit from a rebound."

"Good move! Who cares who's pushing it up? Keep pushing it up so I can break even and make a small profit! I'll run if it hits another limit up."

"I don't understand it, but something feels off. They went on a shopping spree that day, talking about acquisitions and then nothing happened? That doesn't make sense. Something's off about both sides."

"Stop guessing, this is a classic case of the main players manipulating the market to pump and dump! They bought in at the limit down the day before yesterday, they're pumping the price up today to lure you in, and tomorrow they'll open low and dump you! Just wait and see!"

"Heh, you only just realized this? Go check out the Xueqiu Forum, someone has already filed a formal complaint."

"Questioning whether EasySlowMove has sufficient funds to complete the acquisition, accusing it of making false statements and potentially manipulating the market, and having already filed a formal complaint with the regulatory authorities?"

"It emphasizes that Jin Dayang's main business is sluggish and its debt is heavy, and that the cost of privatization is huge. It criticizes Zhou Yaqin for 'using the name of supply chain to carry out capital speculation,' with the aim of driving up the stock price and letting retail investors take over?"

"It's all just netizens' speculation, there's no official announcement. By the way, that netizen from earlier, are you a paid shill for some organization?"

"..." A few minutes later, the buying pressure on the screen suddenly intensified, with huge orders of thousands and tens of thousands of lots appearing one after another, sweeping away the scattered sell orders above. The intraday chart line began to surge towards the daily limit up, almost forming a vertical 90-degree line!

At 13:14, a super large order of over 50,000 lots was finally placed, firmly locking the stock price at the daily limit.

Zhou Yaqin stared at the glaring red line on the screen, a barely perceptible sarcastic smile playing on her lips.

At that moment, Ou Xiaokui hurriedly walked in, carrying a tablet computer.

"President Zhou, the preliminary plan for the JH district is out." She spoke quickly but clearly. "Besides the medium-sized industrial park, the other six companies are offered to be packaged together for us for a symbolic price of one yuan."

She paused briefly, shifting her gaze from the data on the tablet to Zhou Yaqin:

"The condition is that we need to assume all related debts in full. According to the list they provided, and after our preliminary verification, the total debt is approximately RMB 240 million. Among them, the bank mortgage debts of Xinsheng Spinning Mill and Biyuan Biotechnology account for the highest proportion, exceeding 60%."

Ou Xiaokui gently turned the tablet in her hand toward Zhou Yaqin, and on the screen was a rather alarming list of debts.

"The government's point is that the creditor-debtor relationships for these debts are clear, and as long as we agree to take them over, they can coordinate with the banks and the debt committee to strive for the best restructuring and extension plan."

Zhou Yaqin looked up from the tablet and asked two questions.

"What about the property rights?" She tapped the table lightly with her finger. "Especially the equipment from Biyuan, the textile machinery from Xinsheng, and the things in those laboratories from Koteno, are the property rights clear and clean?"

“Second,” she paused, “money is not a problem; we can pay on the spot. But the government’s ‘cooperation’ cannot just be empty words.”

"For the renovation and reconstruction of the industrial park, can they open a green channel to ensure seamless connection of processes such as construction permits, environmental impact assessments, and fire safety inspections?"

"Furthermore, after taking over the company, the layoffs of redundant staff will inevitably cause turmoil. Can they fully assist in maintaining stability and help us attract high-end talent, providing substantial policy support in terms of settlement, housing, and children's education?"

Ou Xiaokui nodded: "I'll go check it out right away."

She turned and left quickly, tablet in hand, and the meeting room returned to silence.

Zhou Yaqin stared at the stock prices and numbers flashing on the projector for a moment. After a while, she took out her phone, swiped the screen, and found that familiar number.

This is the fourth time she has pressed the dial button today.

All that came through the receiver was the same monotonous shutdown tone.

Sudden……

"Hello? Aunt Zhou?"

A young woman's voice came from the receiver.

“…Liu Li?” Zhou Yaqin’s tone was clearly surprised.

"Yes, it's me." Liu Li's voice sounded a little embarrassed.

"..." Zhou Yaqin's lips twitched. "How did you end up with the little hammer phone? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I only discovered it while packing my luggage today," Liu Li quickly explained. "Aunt Zhou, is there something urgent on your end?"

"It's nothing," Zhou Yaqin answered instinctively, but then a thought flashed through her mind, "Wait a minute, can you turn on Xiao Chui's phone?"

“Sure,” Liu Li replied quickly, “His phone doesn’t have a screen lock.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yaqin immediately sat up straight: "Could you help me see if there is any important information or clues inside?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, with only the faint sounds of Liu Li operating her phone audible.

After a while, her voice rang out again, tinged with uncertainty: "Most of the messages are from old customers asking when he'll open, nothing special seems to be happening... wait..."

Liu Li paused for a moment, then spoke again with obvious doubt: "Aunt Zhou, I remember Little Hammer... he's an orphan, right?"

Zhou Yaqin answered affirmatively, "That's right."

“That’s strange,” Liu Li said, her voice full of confusion. “How come there’s a message here labeled ‘Mom’? Judging by the time, it was sent on the day we went on our group trip.”

Zhou Yaqin's gaze sharpened instantly: "What is the content of the information?"

"..."

"...Child, if you're bullied or wronged outside, come home. There's always a hot meal you love to eat at home :)..."

(End of this chapter)