The Heiress's Game

Bai Jingchuan was on a business trip out of town and had been in meetings for two whole days. The tug-of-war at the negotiating table was taking its toll on his old bones, and he didn't get back to the hotel until almost midnight.

The secretary called urgently, and after a brief report, Bai Jingchuan replied.

"I see."

He hung up the phone, and his hand holding the teacup remained suspended in mid-air for a long time.

How could Wenxiong, his most beloved youngest son, have caused such a huge mess?

He put down his teacup and dialed Zhou Zhaosen's number from Hang Lung Bank.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. Zhou Zhaosen's voice carried a distinct unnatural tone, clearly indicating that he had already guessed the purpose of the call.

Bai Jingchuan got straight to the point: "President Zhou, I'll pay Wenxiong's 500 million yuan deposit on his behalf. It will be credited to your account first thing tomorrow morning."

The Bai family has been established in Yunjing City for generations, and Bai Jingchuan's name is a living signboard. Five hundred million is an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but it is not something he cannot afford.

He was prepared for the other person to breathe a sigh of relief and express their gratitude repeatedly.

After all, once the money arrived, the pressure on Hang Lung would be relieved, and the pledge risk of Brilliant International would be temporarily stabilized, which would definitely be a good thing for the bank. But there was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Chairman Bai," Zhou Zhaosen spoke cautiously, "it's too late."

He said helplessly, "Listen to me, it's not that I don't respect you, nor that Hang Lung doesn't appreciate the Bai family's kindness."

The moment the banks made a move, the market reacted, and the news broke.

I don't know how the news leaked, but now the internet is flooded with reports about Brilliant International's high risk of collateralization and broken capital chain.

From the bank initiating its internal risk control procedures to the media releasing the news, the entire process took no more than a few hours, and something about this whole affair seemed off from the start.

"Chairman Bai, do you know how high the pledge ratio of Brilliant International is?"

Bai Wenxiong pledged almost all of his shares that could be pledged to us, maximizing the pledge ratio and exceeding the concentration limit by a significant margin.

The headquarters' risk control department immediately sounded the alarm, saying that the risk exposure of this debt had become too large to bear.

The stock price had previously been driven up to 120 yuan, but now that the news has come out, panic selling has begun. Headquarters has issued an order to immediately sell the shares pledged by Bai Wenxiong.

"Chairman Bai, it's not that I don't want to help, but this matter is no longer something I can decide."

With such a huge bad debt, the headquarters determined that the risk was out of control and that forced liquidation to stop the loss was necessary, and no one could stop them.

Our risk control department said that Brilliant International's stock price was artificially inflated by Pak Man-hung, and the price of 120 yuan has no fundamental support whatsoever.

The market is panicking now, and selling pressure is mounting. If banks don't step in, the amount of bad debt they're left with won't just be a few million or tens of millions, but hundreds of millions or even more.

This responsibility is something even our bank manager couldn't bear, let alone me.

Bai Jingchuan slowly lowered his hand holding the phone. Zhou Zhaosen was still saying something on the other end, but he could no longer hear clearly.

After hanging up the phone, he turned on his phone. The screen displayed the real-time stock price of Brilliant International. The stock price chart resembled a snake being strangled, plummeting straight down from a great height.

He leaned back on the sofa, staring at the constantly changing number, and suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous.

When he told Zhou Zhaosen, "I'll pay for him," his tone was so confident and his demeanor so composed, as if five hundred million was just a check he casually wrote.

But now he realized that even if he really handed over that 500 million, it would be like pouring another bucket of water into a leaky bucket.

Banks are already selling off, the market is already in panic, and stock prices are already plummeting.

What's the point of him paying 500 million? Does that mean the banks won't sell off their shares after he pays it?

Once the panic subsides, will the market stop panicking? Once the short sellers who rushed in because they smelled blood will stop, will they?

No way, if you throw in 500 million, you won't even hear a sound.

It's better not to pay at all.

When the thought came to him, he was startled by his own.

That was his own son, his most beloved youngest son, and he could never bear to say a harsh word to Pak Man-hung.

But at this moment, he was calmly calculating that this money was not worth investing.

It's not that I can't afford to invest, it's just that investing wouldn't make a difference.

He put his phone on the coffee table, picked up the now-cold tea, and took a sip.

The bitter tea melted on his tongue, and he suddenly remembered an afternoon many years ago.

Bai Junze and Bai Wenxiong were still teenagers when he took them to the horse farm to ride horses.

Bai Junze rode around twice and then said it was boring, so he got off the horse and read a book on the side.

Bai Wenxiong rode around and around, falling down again and again, getting up and getting back on the horse, refusing to move even with scraped knees.

He felt at the time that the kid had a stubborn streak, just like he did when he was young.

Now he understands that it wasn't that he was unwilling to admit defeat, it was that he wanted to win too much.

Those who are too eager to win often end up losing the most.

He had always thought that both of his sons were outstanding.

Bai Junze independently led his company into the Fortune Global 500, while Bai Wenxiong also took Brilliant International public, with its stock price increasing several times over.

When he talks about his two sons to his friends, his tone is always filled with undisguised pride.

He never seriously compared the differences between the two. Bai Junze's Fortune 500 company was built brick by brick from the foundation, while Bai Wenxiong's Brilliant International was a ready-made business that he took over from his father.

Bai Junze's every expansion was built on a solid cash flow and rigorous risk control, while Bai Wenxiong's glamorous exterior was nothing but leverage and bubbles.

Now, the constantly fluctuating stock price, the overwhelming news coverage, and the mess caused by the bank's forced liquidation are all telling him something.

It's not a matter of difference, it's a matter of essence; these two people have never been on the same level.

Bai Jingchuan stood up and walked to the French windows. The lights outside were bright and dazzling, yet also distant.

He stood there for a long time before picking up his phone and sending a message to Bai Wenxiong.

He typed a few words, deleted them, typed a few more, deleted them again, and finally only sent three words.

"understood."