Chapter 163: Shareholders' Meeting

Private equity firms only handle buying and selling; they never participate in operations.
But this time, Su Hao might have to make an exception.
“So what are you planning to do next? Although the stock price has gone up, you and I both know that Xia Hua Shipping is a mess right now and won't last long.”
Qin Han said slowly, “However… I can give it a lifeline.”
“How so?”
“That positive news about signing a contract with Kintetsu Group that we released before… I’ll make it a reality.”
“Really?” Su Hao was somewhat surprised.
But he knew very well that a big shot like Qin Han wouldn't extend such a huge act of goodwill for no reason.
In the business world, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
"Don't overthink it. This isn't entirely business; it's more about personal matters." Qin Han seemed to see through Su Hao's thoughts.
"You avenged a grudge I've never been able to settle. This is a small token of my gratitude.
Besides… my late father was terribly wronged by those bastards at Elliott. He suffered a lot."
At this point, Qin Han's eyes welled up slightly. He quickly picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.
"If my father were watching from heaven, he would surely applaud this scene today.
So, this is… my way of repaying you on his behalf."
But this repayment was truly substantial.
"Oh, right, this is for you." Qin Han took a document from his drawer and handed it to Su Hao.
"A list of all shareholders, institutional investors, and the senior management team of Xia Hua Shipping. Personal resumes and backgrounds are all detailed."
"Chairman Qin, thank you so much, this… I can't accept this."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Since things have come to this point, we can't just let your 10 billion go down the drain, can we?
We have to find a way to save it, don't we?"
Su Hao no longer refused, took the list, and quickly browsed through it.
As expected of Jiang Jin Group's intelligence network, the level of detail was astonishing.
The original management team of Xia Hua Shipping had basically sold off all their shares.
These guys, seeing the situation was bad, ran faster than anyone else.
The ridiculous thing is, they still have the audacity to remain comfortably seated in their senior management positions.
"These guys, should we cooperate with them, or take them all out? Go back and discuss it with Chairman Huang."
Qin Han reminded him,
"This company is already a mess; turning it around won't be easy. But getting rid of all these old hands might not be a good thing either. After all, they're familiar with the company's operations."
Su Hao understood this perfectly.
How could he tell who was a good guy and who was a bad guy just from this list?
If he could, he really wanted to take down all these parasites...
"...Hmm?"
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
As Su Hao's gaze swept across the entire list, a faint light quietly shone from his fingertips on the paper!
It was as if an invisible paintbrush, dipped in vibrant colors, began to rapidly paint over the list!
Most of the executives' names were instantly stained a rich, blood-red.
However, amidst this blinding crimson, one name consistently emitted a stable and pure blue light.
'What's different about this person?'
Su Hao's gaze was fixed on that name.
The other executives on the list were either relatives of the original group or parachuted in with connections.
But this man named "Du Yuanhang," according to the records, was a true high-ranking executive who had climbed his way up from the bottom of the company, step by step, through his own hard work and talent over more than twenty years.
'He didn't even sell his shares; he held on until the very end!'
The records showed that while all the other executives were frantically cashing out and fleeing, only Du Yuanhang, even with a pitifully small number of shares, held on tightly, not selling a single one!
Su Hao could almost feel, from that blue hue, a clumsy yet tragic determination to protect the company he had dedicated his life to.
"It's hard to judge a person's heart just by looking at the records. Think it over carefully and make a prudent decision," Qin Han's voice sounded from the side.
"Yes, I will. Thank you, Chairman Qin."
Su Hao could barely hear the rest of the words.
His entire mind was completely occupied by the list "marked" by his intuition.
Who should be eliminated, and who could be used by him… the answer was crystal clear.
'Thanks to this list… I know what's going on.'
Su Hao's eyes gradually sharpened and turned cold.
The feast was over.
Next came… the time for a major purge!
***
A storm that swept through the capital markets finally came to an end.
But after the storm, only chaos remained, and someone had to clean up the mess.
And this shareholders' meeting was the beginning of that cleanup!
"Hey, this script isn't right."
"Exactly! According to our plan, Xia Hua Shipping should have already entered bankruptcy reorganization by now."
"Hmph, I'd like to see how long this wrecked ship can hold on. I heard Fang Huan Investment gave it an oxygen tank?"
"It's just a tube, at most an oxygen mask. Remove the tube and it'll be dead. It'll never amount to anything."
To be honest, no one in Xia Hua Shipping's upper management could understand what had gotten into those finance guys at Fang Huan Investment.
They actually went crazy and salvaged Xia Hua Shipping, a ship that was clearly sinking.
Even if they signed a deal with that "Kintetsu Group," could that really set this battered ship afloat again?
They probably messed things up with Jiang Jin Group to annoy that foreign company "Elliott," and ended up getting themselves into trouble.
Now, those bastards at Fang Huan Investment are definitely kicking themselves!
"I bet those bastards originally planned to buy low and sell high, make a killing, and run.
But instead, they've inadvertently become 'national heroes' saving stock market investors from disaster.
Now look what's happened! They're stuck in a bind, unable to move forward or backward, it's hilarious, hahaha!"
Li Guozhong, the former general manager of Xia Hua Shipping, although extremely annoyed that a troublemaker had barged into his meticulously planned "sinking ship operation," thought about it again and realized it wasn't so bad after all.
Thanks to these fools, it seems he can hold onto his general manager's seat for a while longer.
Currently, Fanghuan Investment is the largest shareholder of Xiahua Shipping.
Although it's called a shareholders' meeting, frankly, it's a one-man show by Fanghuan Investment.
They can appoint or remove whomever they want.
Logically, a new broom sweeps clean, and they could easily use this opportunity to completely overhaul the management team.
"But everyone knows," Li Guozhong picked up his teacup, calmly blowing away the foam,
"The shipping business isn't like selling cabbages. You can't just grab anyone from the job market.
More importantly, without us seasoned veterans at the helm, without the Xiahua Group backing them up, their dilapidated ship wouldn't even set sail for a day!
So, in the end, they have no choice but to rely on us!
(My darlings, sorry, I was busy today and it's late. The three chapters for today have already been posted, just refresh the page to see them! Thank you everyone, love you all!)