Chapter 101: Prioritizing Elders over Merit

"Oh, by the way, I just heard that Changqing Group used up a lot of its funds to build that 'Changqing Tianxi' building in Shanghai, didn't they?"
Huang Fengwen added on the other end of the line,
"It was precisely because of the group's tight cash flow that Shen Zekai dared to take advantage of the situation..."
Just then, Su Hao felt a faint electric current surge through the area where his phone was against his ear, making him jump and almost drop the phone!
"Hao? What's wrong? What happened?" Huang Fengwen keenly sensed something was amiss.
That was definitely not just static electricity!
It was a tingling sensation that shot straight to his head, so intense that it even made his eardrums tingle slightly! It was as if something invisible was guiding him!
“…Brother Huang,” Su Hao composed himself, suppressing the unease in his heart, and asked in a deep voice:
“Generally speaking, what kind of collateral can we accept?”
“There are plenty. Real estate, shares in other companies, or even subsidiaries under their umbrella.
As long as the valuation is high enough, we can discuss it…”
A flash of inspiration struck Su Hao, and he blurted out almost without thinking:
“Then… what about the ‘Changqing Tianxi’ development they’re currently building?”
“Wait! What did you say?! ‘Changqing Tianxi’ in Shanghai?!”
Huang Fengwen’s voice suddenly rose in pitch on the other end, and Su Hao even felt his phone crackle slightly again.
Aha! That’s it!
Su Hao’s mind cleared instantly. His damned, yet always reliable, intuition was now screaming wildly—acquire the “Changqing Tianxi” development!
"Whether Shen Zekai agrees or not, I'll just report it first!"
"Do you even know how much money Changqing Group poured into that dilapidated building?"
"Three hundred billion, if I remember correctly."
"That's right! Two or three hundred billion just for the initial investment! The building's current valuation is at least four or five hundred billion!
And you're telling me to use it as collateral for ten billion worth of shares?! Do you think Shen Zekai will agree?"
"Even a cornered dog will jump over the wall," Su Hao said quietly,
"He's in a desperate situation now, completely at my mercy. Maybe he'll just give in?"
"..." An eerie silence fell on the other end of the phone.
Huang Fengwen seemed stunned by Su Hao's wildly imaginative and ruthless idea.
“Alright, Su Hao,” Huang Fengwen finally spoke after a long pause,
“How come I never noticed before? You're really ruthless!”
***
Meanwhile, in the chairman's office of Changqing Group, the atmosphere was so tense it could drip water.
The old chairman, Shen Chengjia, had been feeling uneasy these past few days, his eyelids twitching constantly.
Ever since his second son, Shen Zekai, met with that thuggish Fang Huan Investment boss, he felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, making him extremely anxious.
“Xiao Yang,” Shen Chengjia said wearily to his secretary, Yang, rubbing his temples,
“Do you think… that brat of a second son might really go crazy and buy all those shares regardless of the cost?”
To be honest, he was indeed furious about his second son, Shen Zekai's, previous actions. In a fit of rage, he even uttered some harsh words, saying he'd leave him to fend for himself in the factory.
But those were just words spoken in anger.
In his mind, while his eldest son was steady, his abilities were mediocre.
While his second son was ambitious and prone to causing trouble, he did have some skill and achievements.
Especially the European hotel project his second son had been pursuing—that was a lucrative opportunity, and he needed his son to secure it.
Therefore, his original plan was to wait until this storm passed, give his second son a good dressing down, then have his eldest brother plead for him, give him a way out, and then reinstate him to the company.
“Chairman, you're overthinking it,” Secretary Yang said, bowing. “Even if the second young master wanted to buy it, he couldn't.”
“Oh? How so? Didn't that kid hook up with a group of covetous equity funds?” Shen Chengjia raised an eyebrow.
"Chairman, you don't understand. Those people who run funds are shrewd enough to calculate anything.
They're thinking about how to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the company, not how to invest real money.
Buying such a small stake for 10 billion is, in their eyes, no different from being slaughtered like a pig—a complete sucker.
They don't have the guts, nor the confidence, to recoup their investment."
Equity funds, while sounding sophisticated, are really just a bunch of financial hyenas disguised as "corporate investors."
Their goal is never to genuinely run a company.
On the surface, they acquire companies for so-called "structural optimization," but in reality, they're just squeezing every last drop of profit out of them, then discarding the empty shell.
Of course, there might be one or two that genuinely want to do something, but the vast majority are like this.
"Secretary Yang," Shen Chengjia said after a long pause.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Once this turmoil subsides, the group's shareholding structure must be thoroughly restructured."
"That's what I think too."
The reason Changqing Group created such a complex shareholding structure, frankly speaking, is all about "money" and "power."
Back when they started from scratch, in order to expand rapidly, they sought investment everywhere, resulting in severe dilution of their shares.
To maintain the family's control over the group, they were forced to adopt this convoluted, peculiar "circular shareholding" model.
The problem is, this structure is several times more complex than that of other companies.
Moreover, this incident has made him acutely aware that those "allies" he once thought would always stand by him could turn on him at any time for their own interests.
You can't see into someone's heart; you really have to be wary!
"That eldest son, he's a bit lacking in ability, but at least he's obedient.
From now on, he can just sit quietly in his position; let the subordinates handle the specific tasks."
Shen Chengjia sighed.
"But what I worry about is, what if something like today happens again after I'm gone? That would be troublesome."
Throughout history, why have most imperial families chosen to appoint the eldest son rather than the most capable?
Is it really because the eldest son is exceptionally capable? Nonsense!
Whether someone is capable or not is secondary; the key is establishing primogeniture to minimize sibling rivalry and family strife during the struggle for power!
This is order, a rule!
Once the rule is established, and everyone passes the position to the eldest son, future conflicts will naturally be much less.
However, the double-edged sword of shareholding structure must be carefully honed and firmly grasped!
"Also," a sharp glint flashed in Shen Chengjia's eyes, "send someone to contact Huang Fengwen of Fanghuan Investment."
"Huh? Chairman, you want to see him…" Secretary Yang was somewhat puzzled.
"I'll buy those 10 billion shares!"
"Chairman! You...you want to buy them?!"
"That's right! We all thought that second son couldn't possibly afford them, but look what happened!
It was precisely because of this carelessness that someone stabbed us in the back and created such a huge hole!"
A hint of annoyance flashed across Shen Chengjia's face.
"We must resolve this before he does anything truly irreparable! Even if it costs more money, we'll accept it!"