Kang Tengda feigned composure. He first glared at Ling Tian, then surveyed his former colleagues.
"Haha, haha, this is truly hilarious.
I, Kang Tengda, have dedicated myself wholeheartedly to the Snow Lotus Pharmaceutical Group for over a decade. It can be said that without me, this company would not be where it is today!
I can honestly say that every day I've been here has been clean, and every transaction the company has made can withstand scrutiny!
How can you send me to jail!"
Kang Tengda's impassioned speech resonated with the other senior executives. On one hand, Kang Tengda had made significant contributions to the company. On the other hand, while he had profited, he had done so discreetly, making it difficult to find fault.
These executives also felt a sense of shared misfortune, fearing that Kang Tengda was just the beginning. They suspected that the board's decision to leave them untouched was merely a temporary measure to maintain stability. Once the company's transition was complete, they would likely be dismissed like Kang Tengda.
"I think Mr. Kang is right. He's been with the company for over ten years; even if he didn't have merit, he certainly put in the effort..." one executive said.
"Exactly. Before Mr. Kang joined, the company's market value was only a little over a billion. It was Mr. Kang's efforts that brought the company to its current state..." another chimed in defensively.
"I can attest that Mr. Kang is an upright person. Besides, Mr. Kang's income is not low; he wouldn't risk taking small amounts of money."
Seeing the former senior executives speak up for him, Kang Tengda gained more confidence.
"It's not that easy to fire me. I won't resign voluntarily. Instead, I will file a lawsuit and demand substantial compensation! Just you wait, we'll meet in court!"
As Kang Tengda spoke, he turned to leave the conference room, chest puffed out, head held high, aiming to leave a dashing impression.
"Heh!"
At this moment, Ling Tian let out a cold laugh.
"Kang Tengda, you claim to be clean, so explain to me what's going on with the twenty million yuan in referral fees from Chuangying Trading?
More precisely, it was a ten million yuan deposit. The deal wasn't even finalized, and the remaining ten million hasn't been paid!"
Upon hearing this, Kang Tengda's mind buzzed. His legs felt weak, and he trembled, nearly collapsing.
These twenty million yuan in referral fees were highly confidential. The only people involved in the negotiation were himself and a representative from Chuangying Trading.
He never imagined that Ling Tian would be aware of this transaction, let alone know its details so clearly!
"You... you... you're talking nonsense, you're slandering me!"
"Slander? Do you think that by depositing the money into an account opened under the name of your reclusive elderly uncle in the countryside, we wouldn't be able to trace it?
In this world, if you don't want anyone to know something, you shouldn't do it!"
At this point, Kang Tengda felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He was the only one who knew about opening a bank account under his elderly uncle's name.
Even his uncle had been plied with alcohol until he was groggy before accompanying him to the bank to open the account. The uncle himself didn't even know about the existence of such an account.
Over the years, Kang Tengda had indeed amassed illicit funds, but he had deposited them into this account, which was untraceable through conventional means!
To his astonishment, such a secret matter had been discovered by the other party. Kang Tengda began to question everything, racking his brain but unable to fathom how these details had been leaked.
Despite this, Kang Tengda tried to maintain his composure.
"Ling Tian, this is slander, naked slander!"
Ling Tian looked at him with a smile.
"Kang Tengda, this is your last chance. Cooperate with the handover. If you show good remorse and actively return the ill-gotten gains, I might consider not pursuing criminal charges.
However, if you continue to resist, then I apologize! Plenty of prison time awaits you!"
"You... you're slandering me, you have no evidence!" Kang Tengda still couldn't believe it and remained defiant.
"Alas, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"
As Ling Tian spoke, he reached into his pocket. With a flash of thought, a palm-sized Bluetooth speaker appeared before him.
Ling Tian placed the Bluetooth speaker on the conference table and pressed the play button.
The conference room fell silent, except for the voice emanating from the Bluetooth speaker. Everyone recognized the male voice; it was none other than Kang Tengda.
In the recording, a man asked questions, and Kang Tengda answered them cooperatively.
Although the recording had been edited, it played for over ten minutes. When it finished, almost everyone stared at Kang Tengda with their mouths agape. Some even shot him glares filled with anger.
It was hard to believe that they had trusted Kang Tengda so much, even speaking up for him earlier, only to realize they had been made fools of, completely manipulated by Kang Tengda's acting!
Meanwhile, Kang Tengda slumped in his chair, unable to move.
He knew that with the crimes he had confessed in the recording, he wouldn't be out for at least five years!
Worse still, once he was convicted and imprisoned, most of his assets would likely be confiscated as compensation, leaving him completely destitute!
After a long pause, he managed to stand up with difficulty, then rushed to Ling Tian and knelt down with a thud.
"Chairman Ling, I was foolish. Please be magnanimous and let me go!
I beg you. As long as you don't pursue my responsibility, I am willing to cooperate fully with the handover and not ask for a single cent from the company.
All the money I received, I will turn over to the company! Please spare me!"
Ling Tian reached out and patted Kang Tengda's cheek, a smile plastered on his face.
"Mr. Kang, I gave you a chance earlier, but you were too weak!
I don't have many virtues, but I always keep my word!
Since you've already made your choice, I can only respect it!
Reform yourself well inside, strive for early rehabilitation, and start anew when you get out!"
After speaking, Ling Tian waved his hand, and the company's security personnel came forward and escorted Kang Tengda out. Outside the conference room, government officials were already waiting.
Ling Tian was not so generous with those who tried to undermine him; he wouldn't give such people any opportunities!
The meeting continued. A team from Tianxi Group directly took over Snow Lotus Group.
Their operational policies remained largely unchanged, with the addition of a new rule: products would be preferentially supplied to Bing Tian Pharmaceutical.
Furthermore, the management allocated funds to Snow Lotus Pharmaceutical to significantly expand the cultivation area for snow lotus.
This was because Bing Tian Pharmaceutical's demand for snow lotus would increase exponentially in the coming period.