A Victory Won with the Force of Thunder

"Now that a matter seriously threatening the group has occurred, the group must make adjustments to protect the interests of all shareholders. Anyone willing to follow Director Gong Yaowu and willingly go down with him, please raise your hand."

Inside the conference room, Chen Che unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, his gaze sweeping over this group of clueless, ill-fated souls.

At that moment, from a position not far from him, a bald, middle-aged man frowned and looked toward him.

"No matter what, we must wait for the chairman to return so the three parties can discuss this together."

As soon as Ma Jingguo finished speaking, the other shareholders snapped out of their daze and chimed in, nearly having been swayed by Chen Che just moments ago.

That was right, there was no need to rush into this.

How could they simply listen to one side's story?

The mood in the room shifted abruptly. Chen Che looked calmly at Ma Jingguo, frowned slightly, and said,

"Since Director Ma is so fond of speaking, should we also discuss what your beloved son has been up to in recent years?"

"You..."

Ma Jingguo's pupils constricted. Meeting Chen Che's calm gaze, he clenched his fists and helplessly closed his mouth.

His reaction caught Chen Che's attention. He silently noted the matter in his mind, turned his head, and said,

"Everyone, we are trying to save ourselves. If we just sit and wait during a crisis, how is that any different from seeking death? Besides, even if you shareholders take a stand today, what harm does it possibly do to you? Think about it carefully. Furthermore, I propose a ten-minute recess. You all should prepare accordingly."

Ten minutes was a long time.

Yet Chen Che was not in a hurry. By now, the media should have already exposed the video of Gong Yaowu's suspected embezzlement.

His fingertips tapped lightly on the rosewood conference table as he glanced toward Ma Jingguo's seat, mapping out his next moves in his mind.

Fifty thousand for the dossier.

It certainly had to yield a return far exceeding its cost.

As a shareholder holding eight percent of the shares, Ma Jingguo was a stubborn opponent, which was why he had gathered such an extensive dossier on him in the first place.

However, Chen Che only knew that he had a son of the same age as himself, who likely behaved like an arrogant scion.

What crimes the man's son had committed remained unknown to him, but taking a shot in the dark had yielded a reaction from Ma Jingguo well worth investigating further.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly.

The shareholders returned to their seats, though this time each wore an expression of lingering anxiety and hesitation.

Chen Che did not say much more. Glancing briefly at Yang Qinghua, he signaled for the shareholders' meeting to resume.

"Very well, let us take a vote now. Those in favor of restoring Ms. Gong Bingyan's shareholder status, please raise your hand."

Following Yang Qinghua's sweeping gaze, Lei Yongping—one of the shareholders—exchanged a glance with Chen Che and raised his hand.

At noon, Chen Che had shared a meal with Lei Yongping. Hearing that the latter's mother was hospitalized, he had simply purchased some nutritional supplements for her.

Between human beings,

what was lacking most of all was communication.

Some matters were actually not as troublesome as they seemed.

"Very well, eleven votes in favor, exceeding the majority. I now announce that Ms. Gong Bingyan's formal shareholder status is restored. Upon completion of the change at the Administration for Industry and Commerce, she will enjoy the rights of a capital contributor."

Amidst the sound of applause in the room, Gong Bingyan smiled. To her, this was a very tangible benefit.

Although she remained a puppet for now, at least with her official title restored, she could legally fight for her own interests.

What she did not know, however, was that Chen Che's next step in his plan was called "Resurrecting from the Brink of Death."

Through persistent negotiation, Chen Che ultimately became the acting chairman of Bangyuan Real Estate Group, serving temporarily during the crisis.

He promised that once the group weathered the current crisis, a new chairman would be elected.

By that time, however, it probably wouldn't matter to these people anymore.

Because the moment Chen Che assumed the chairmanship and stepped out of Bangyuan Real Estate Group, the public security bureau raided the premises directly.

That was right, he was the one who had reported them.

Bangyuan Real Estate Group was implicated in tax evasion, numerous illegal related-party transactions, falsified financials, and a severe debt crisis.

Chen Che had promised not to take Gong Bingyan's shares, and he had also stated that the group would re-elect a chairman.

However, he had never said that he wouldn't first drive Bangyuan Real Estate into the ground, nor had he said that he wouldn't cause Bangyuan Real Estate's stock to hit its lower limit overnight.

What did it mean to conquer Bangyuan Real Estate?

It meant truly becoming its master,

rather than merely holding a puppet.

Bangyuan Group was plunged into its previous life's crisis ahead of schedule, and this time Chen Che was personally stepping in to rescue it.

Wu Zongliang and his associates were finally coming in handy. Using various methods such as pledging shares and mortgaging the headquarters building, they successively helped Chen Che and Gong Bingyan secure hundreds of millions in loans.

On the third day after media rumors spread, the stock hit its lower limit, and Gong Yaowu was arrested, with all factors aligning, Chen Che acquired 47 percent of Bangyuan Group's shares at a historically low price.

Combined with the 20 percent remaining with Gong Bingyan, Chen Che indirectly controlled 67 percent of Bangyuan, achieving an absolute majority stake.

Chen Che had been very busy that week, swimming against the current. While others dumped, he bought, spending money until his hands cramped.

Resurrecting from the brink of death.

The "resurrection" part was a long and arduous task.

There was no need to panic, though; he still had his old man.

Chen Che had no interest in managing the real estate industry, so he would simply leave it to his father to rebuild the group.

Gong Yaowu had been arrested, and most of the two companies' problems stemmed from him. Under the investigation of the public security organs, it was expected that the court would sentence him to fifteen years of imprisonment in the final trial.

Actually, in the strategy of "surrounding the enemy while leaving an escape route," Chen Che had intended to deliberately let the man escape.

Yet plans often lagged behind reality. Whether the police were too formidable or Gong Yaowu too foolish, he ultimately failed to escape.

Failing to escape meant Chen Che could no longer ensure the man received a life sentence, but it was of little consequence.

Even if Gong Yaowu was sentenced to only ten years, Chen Che would be only thirty years old by the time the sentence was served, leaving him with plenty of ways to handle things.

...

"Don't stay long."

"Thank you."

Stepping into the detention corridor of the public security bureau, Chen Che felt a slight sense of unreality as he watched the light streaming through the window at the end of the passage.

Half a month had passed since his rebirth.

He still found it hard to believe he had pulled it off.

In truth, his victory in this battle was somewhat unearned; after all, he knew everything about how it would unfold.

Just like the crossing of the Chishui River during the Long March, he possessed a unique foundation of confidence and courage, driven by a determination to burn his boats behind him.

Perhaps this was the charm of possessing a god's-eye view.

His intelligence had not changed upon rebirth, but compared to his previous life, his methods were noticeably more ruthless.

The reason his methods had multiplied was because in his past life, he was like a turtle stranded in the mud: no matter how he struggled, he remained trapped in the mire.

In this life, however, he had burned his boats.

Equipped with a god's-eye view, the impending doom of his family's bankruptcy had stripped away much of his indecision.

When a person is driven to the absolute edge...

Gao Qichang was like that.

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were like that.

Sometimes, if you don't push yourself to the limit, you never realize how formidable and clever you can truly be.

Yet everything has two sides; just like those driven to the desperate edge, ninety-nine percent of them meet a miserable end.

The beauty of dark vitality is enough to suffocate a person.

Before he could dwell on it further, Chen Che was led by an officer into the holding room, where Gong Yaowu was waiting for him.

At the moment of their reunion, Gong Yaowu appeared considerably more decadent, though the nearly venomous hatred in his gaze remained undiminished.

Over the past few days, the battles between them had been few, devolving almost entirely into a one-sided rout where Chen Che prioritized overwhelming, thunderous force.

Even so, Gong Yaowu had managed to learn what he needed to know; he simply could not comprehend why it had to be Chen Che.

"Hey, you called for me?"

Dropping heavily into the seat opposite Gong Yaowu with a table serving as a buffer between them, Chen Che appeared entirely casual.

After all, this could be considered the victor's MVP settlement screen. Since he had already won, he might as well be relaxed about it.

Besides, it was indeed Gong Yaowu who had used his lawyer to notify him, expressing a desire to meet face-to-face.

"Hmph."

In the otherwise quiet holding room, Gong Yaowu let out a long, nasal snarl, smiling with a mix of resentment and bitterness.

Chen Che simply watched him smile in silence, feeling neither pity nor regret, maintaining complete calm.

Anyone else might pity Gong Yaowu in his twilight decline, but Chen Che and ordinary citizens had no reason to do so.

In their previous lives, they had suffered far more terribly than Gong Yaowu ever had.

After finishing his laugh, Gong Yaowu sighed with deep emotion. He found it extremely difficult to accept falling into the hands of such a mere youngster.

Lifting his gaze to look at Chen Che, who still wore the demeanor of an arrogant young scion, he asked sincerely,

"When did you first set your sights on me?"

"Forgot."

Chen Che answered promptly.

That was a long story to tell; it probably started the moment Gong Bingyan took off her underwear—that was when he firmly committed to this path.

Initially, he had only intended to land Gong Yaowu behind bars, never daring to covet Bangyuan Real Estate Group.

Everything else had simply drifted along with the current.

Chen Che uttered those two brief words, leaving Gong Yaowu thoroughly dissatisfied with the answer as his brows furrowed deeper.

He loathed Chen Che's affectation of a privileged youth, and looking back now, it only made him realize how foolish he had been.

Nevertheless, Gong Yaowu maintained decent facial control. Without saying much more, he laughed once again and raised his hands slightly.

Only the restraints on his wrists prevented him from fully acting out his bravado. Giving his wrists a gentle flick, his eyes blazed with intense light as he said,

"I heard you acquired Bangyuan. My sincere congratulations—at such a young age, you've taken on tens of billions in debt."

Indeed, Chen Che was carrying debt.

In June 2007, Bangyuan Real Estate (Bangyuan Industrial) went public and was traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Before Chen Che's plan began, each share was worth 3.1 yuan, and he had acquired them when they hovered around 1.7 yuan.

Protected by lower-limit circuit breakers, the stock was still falling, with a forecasted risk of dropping to the lower limit and facing delisting.

However, that was not an urgent concern; Chen Che already had countermeasures in place to prevent delisting if at all possible.

To pull all of this off, Chen Che had borrowed money from banks step by step, using the shares as collateral to swap for even greater loans.

Currently, his personal debt stood at 300 million.

Pledged shares and other loans amounted to 3.2 billion.

The group itself carried 141 billion in debt.

Even so, as long as his father maintained his confidence and resolve, cleaning up this mess would be well within his capabilities.

Did this really count as tens of billions in debt?

Just as the thought crossed Chen Che's mind, he caught a flash of malicious gratification in the depths of Gong Yaowu's eyes as the man smiled sinisterly.

"My good niece probably never told you what documents she signed beforehand, did she?"