Time flew, and three days passed quickly.
For Xiangfeng Investment Company, these three days were tumultuous. After Hu Yuanyuan announced the company was seeking investment, investment banks from across Tianhai City swarmed in, eagerly offering to buy shares. Even Morgan Stanley sent representatives.
What they coveted wasn’t anything else but Xiangfeng’s Smart One core technology. In an era where Apple led the smartphone market, Xiangfeng’s development of a related smart chip stirred a storm in the industry. With their keen eyes, these venture capitalists could see the impact Smart One’s production would have.
Even without the investment announcement, these opportunistic investors would have come knocking. Who wouldn’t want a piece of the smartphone pie?
But for Xiangfeng and Hu Yuanyuan, the so-called investment call wasn’t about partnering with these firms. She’d never let control of the company slip away. The real goal was to lure out the mastermind behind the attacks on the company.
In Hu Yuanyuan’s president’s office, an arrogant man sat before her.
“President Hu, I never expected your company to fall so far in just half a month. Quite surprising,” he said.
“Does Young Master Su have business with me?” Hu Yuanyuan’s expression was sour. She’d been exhausted dealing with investment banks all morning, and now Su Xin appeared, mocking her. Even with her good temper, she struggled to contain her anger.
“Business, of course. Why else would I be here?” Su Xin smirked smugly. “Weren’t you so high and mighty before, Hu Yuanyuan? Now you’re like a stray dog. I heard your company’s in trouble, so I came to check.”
“What trouble could my company have? Young Master Su, I have much to handle and no time to chat. Please leave,” Hu Yuanyuan said with a cold laugh.
“President Hu, no need to put on a strong front before me. It’s pointless,” Su Xin said with a faint smile, his gaze lingering on her meaningfully. “A woman needs a man to shield her from the storm. Even the strongest woman can’t hold up forever.”
Hu Yuanyuan nearly threw a file at him. What was this nonsense? As if she were facing ruin, panicked and desperate, needing a man’s comfort.
“Young Master Su, still asleep, are you?” Hu Yuanyuan said.
“President Hu, acting tough in front of me is unnecessary,” Su Xin said, believing Xiangfeng’s stock market losses and factory shutdown meant Hu Yuanyuan was just holding on, desperate for his consolation.
“Young Master Su, I need to work. If there’s nothing else, please leave,” Hu Yuanyuan said coldly.
Su Xin’s face darkened, his gaze turning icy. “President Hu, since you put it that way, I’ll be blunt. I’m here to acquire your company.”
“Acquire my company?” Hu Yuanyuan looked up at him, laughing coldly. “Is that your purpose here today, Young Master Su?”
“Exactly,” Su Xin said, a glint in his eyes, his tone brimming with triumph. He’d been rejected when he tried to invest in Xiangfeng before. Now, he’d acquire it as a victor.
“Young Master Su, please leave. I have no intention of selling the company,” Hu Yuanyuan said, shaking her head. She thought Su Xin was capitalising on her investment announcement, making a bold move to acquire Xiangfeng.
Despite the company’s current struggles, they were temporary. Without the plan to draw out the culprit, she’d never have announced seeking investment. Even if some firms were optimistic about the company, she’d never partner with them, let alone let Su Xin acquire it.
“President Hu, think carefully. I’m the only one who can help you now,” Su Xin said, surprised by her refusal, a cold glint in his eyes. He sneered inwardly. Did she not realise Xiangfeng was practically finished?
Hu Yuanyuan glanced at him calmly. “Young Master Su, you’re joking. Every decision I make is well-considered. Besides, do you even have the money?”
“Money? I have plenty,” Su Xin said arrogantly.
“Didn’t know Young Master Su was such an entrepreneurial genius,” Hu Yuanyuan said, eyeing him curiously. Where did his confidence come from? She hadn’t heard of him running any company.
“Hmph, a few hundred million is nothing to me,” Su Xin said smugly. “President Hu, your company was worth over ten billion before, but now, apart from Smart One’s core technology, it’s worth less than a hundred million. I think two hundred million is more than enough to acquire it.”
“Nonsense. My company still has billions in financial assets, and Smart One’s value is limitless. Young Master Su, are you joking, thinking you can buy Xiangfeng for two hundred million? Impossible,” Hu Yuanyuan said.
“Hahaha…”
Su Xin laughed heartily, as if he’d heard the world’s biggest joke, before saying, “President Hu, are you pretending I don’t know, or do you still think Xiangfeng is what it was? Two hundred million is generous because of you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t offer even a hundred million.”
“Didn’t realise I had such face in your eyes, Young Master Su,” Hu Yuanyuan said, looking at him calmly. “How do you figure my company, apart from Smart One’s technology, is worth less than a hundred million?”
“Is that even possible? Your stocks were forcibly liquidated by the brokerage, and the Tianhai City Securities Regulatory Commission fined you three hundred million. Do you still think your company is what it was a month ago?” Su Xin said smugly.
A cold glint flashed in Hu Yuanyuan’s eyes. “Young Master Su, you seem to know everything clearly. So, you’re the mastermind behind the attacks on my company?”
