"That's not right! Old Huang, do you have a way to deal with this situation now?" Director Wang felt something was amiss seeing the smile on Huang He's face.
"This Huang He fellow, he's never been at a disadvantage in his life. He must have tricked He Chao instead!" Old Wang muttered to himself, "Should I warn the higher-ups?"
"Bah, they treat me like this, and I'm supposed to remind them? I don't even know if I'll survive!" Old Wang's mind raced with thoughts.
"What way could I possibly have? We'll deal with whatever comes our way!" Huang He waved his hand and said, "Old Wang, thank you for your honesty. For our future, I suggest you follow their orders and go to Beijing for training. After all, according to tradition, attending training in Beijing usually means a promotion upon your return!"
"Only if they don't get rid of me first..." Director Wang gave Huang He a deep look and then asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Yes!" Huang He nodded. "When you get to Beijing, attend classes diligently and study hard. That's the most important thing you can do for me!"
"Alright, I don't know what you're up to, but as long as you don't die, we're in this together. Neither of us can survive without the other!" Director Wang sighed and left, his mind full of worries.
After Director Wang left, Huang He's expression instantly turned cold, and Hu Jing emerged silently.
"Any news?" Huang He asked.
"There is some. This time it's directly ordered by the Chairman of GS Bank, so the pressure is immense and the intensity is very high!" Hu Jing replied.
"Is the highest level only up to this Chairman?" Huang He asked with a frown.
"Yes, at least according to the information we have, it stops at this Chairman. No one higher is involved!" Hu Jing said.
"Is this intelligence accurate?" Huang He countered.
"I called that person's secretary. He said no one would cut off their own limbs, so I believe it's accurate!" Hu Jing replied.
"This is strange. With the significant financial dealings between GH and us every year, they should be begging me and supporting me. Why are they using such tactics against me? Aren't they afraid that GH's reputation will turn to shit?" Huang He was even more puzzled upon learning the mastermind.
In fact, the whole situation was riddled with major inconsistencies.
Firstly, no normal bank would do something like this. Yes, Huang He had indeed violated regulations, and GH could use this as an excuse to seize Jiangnan Group. Legally and procedurally, their actions were justifiable.
However, this went against the unwritten rules between banks and enterprises. Banks and enterprises had a tacit understanding: as long as the borrowing enterprise repaid the loans on time, the bank should not delve into how the funds were used. This was the unspoken rule that maintained the relationship between banks and enterprises.
Now, GH had actively violated this unwritten rule, and even used it to seize Jiangnan Group.
No one was foolish enough to believe this wouldn't come to light. Eventually, all enterprises in China would know that GH had done such a deplorable thing. Would they still dare to seek loans from GH in the future?
Wouldn't they be afraid that GH would conduct audits on their fund usage at any time and then swallow their enterprises?
This wasn't a case of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys; it was a tiger eating people, forcing everyone to be too afraid to ascend Jingyang Ridge, or a Wu Song would appear in the future to beat the great tiger to death.
In short, the impact of this matter would be swift, and it would be a fatal blow to GH's reputation. This was a strategy where you hurt yourself more than the enemy. Huang He couldn't understand why the other party would do such a thing, especially since Jiangnan Group had never offended GH and had maintained a good cooperative relationship with them.
"This definitely wasn't the Chairman's own idea. There must be a force pushing him to do this. He's definitely not the real mastermind, as his actions yield no benefits," Huang He mused, tapping the table as he analyzed the situation.
"To figure out who the mastermind is, we need to determine who ultimately benefits."
"The biggest beneficiary, naturally, is the one who takes over my Jiangnan Group. So, whoever gets Jiangnan Group in the end is the mastermind."
"But since the Chairman mentioned that no one higher is involved, it shouldn't be an official mastermind. Could it be a domestic enterprise wanting to swallow my Jiangnan Group?"
"No, impossible. No domestic enterprise has the power to swallow Jiangnan Group on its own. Unless Jiangnan Group is broken up and sold, which would indeed enrich many people."
"Hu Jing, investigate immediately which major domestic enterprises have had very frequent dealings with GH recently, especially those with very good relationships with that Chairman!" Huang He instructed. "Also, send me all the intelligence you have on this Chairman. The key to this issue lies with this Chairman. I must find out who the mastermind is!"
"Yes!" Hu Jing nodded.
"Chairman, regarding He Chao, should we take action? Once the court approves his application and freezes our funds, our daily operations will be severely impacted!" Hu Jing said softly. "Why don't we just repay the money now? We have plenty of US dollars anyway."
"No!" Huang He shook his head. "If we repay now, the matter will be over, but I won't be able to expose the hand hidden in the shadows. That's the truly critical issue. I don't want to be constantly watched, ready for a hidden blow at any moment."
"However, if he really freezes Jiangnan's funds, that would be a problem too!" Huang He rubbed his nose. "Since this He Chao wants to play me, I'll play him to death first! Then we'll see how the person behind him makes their move. This should be very interesting!"
---
August 25, 2003, 10:00 AM.
Back in Beijing, having made all the necessary preparations, He Chao was ready to sue Jiangnan Group directly through the local court.
Originally, this matter should have been initiated in Wenzhou. However, everyone knew that Wenzhou was Jiangnan Group's stronghold, with complex relationships. If the lawsuit were filed locally, it might turn out to be a situation similar to "Nanshan Always Wins."
Therefore, He Chao filed the lawsuit in a Beijing court.
"In as little as three days, I'll make it so Huang He can't move a single cent!" After submitting the relevant evidence and the indictment, He Chao finally smiled.
As long as this mission was completed successfully, he would gain the Chairman's favor. When the Chairman moved up, he too could advance and obtain an important position at the head office. His life would be on an upward trajectory, which was simply perfect.
The only regret was that it would take at least three days for the court to receive the evidence and issue an order to freeze assets, meaning there was still a three-day wait.
But it didn't matter. Just as Huang He had analyzed, someone was already closely monitoring Jiangnan Group's financial transactions. Any attempt to transfer assets would immediately become evidence, solidifying Huang He's guilt.
This was a multi-layered stratagem, and He Chao didn't believe Huang He had the ability to break it. Unless he could somehow produce 1 billion US dollars right now, which was impossible. No one in all of China could produce 1 billion US dollars in cash in such a short period. Therefore, Huang He was doomed.
Just as He Chao was leaving the court contentedly and returning to his company, his secretary rushed in nervously and said, "Leader, have you seen today's news?"
"Today's news? Is there anything in today's news that concerns me?" He Chao was momentarily bewildered, his heart filled with doubt. If his secretary was this nervous, the news must be related to him.
"Yes, it's already spread online. Someone posted pictures and a short video saying there was a huge traffic jam at the entrance of Jiangnan Group, with security guards blocking vehicles from entering, resulting in a kilometer-long queue that blocked the road in front of the company!" the secretary said.
"Oh, that did happen!" He Chao nodded. He remembered the dispute between him and Jiangnan Group at the entrance, which indeed caused a long delay and a large number of vehicles to queue up. These were facts, but he hadn't expected them to be captured by passers-by and posted online.
"Leader, should I try to get this news deleted?" the secretary asked.
"No need! This news also has its benefits. It can perfectly solidify the charge of Jiangnan Group obstructing the investigation!" He Chao thought this was a good thing and shook his head, making a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life.
The rest of the day passed very happily for He Chao. The Chairman even praised him, implying that the position of branch manager of the Beijing head office was his. This made He Chao so excited that he couldn't sleep that night. Looking at his wife, who had become as fat as a pig, he even felt a slight impulse.
However, when He Chao arrived at the company the next day, he noticed that something seemed amiss from the company entrance. As he drove his car into the company gate, the security guard stared at him, his gaze filled with curiosity and a hint of disgust.
Wait, a mere security guard dared to show disgust towards him? How audacious!
He Chao got out of the car, feeling indignant, intending to find a reason to reprimand the guard. Then, as he entered the company's underground parking lot, he saw a few people sneakily looking at him.
When he got into the elevator, the gazes were even more peculiar. Upon reaching his office, his subordinates all looked like they had something to say but were hesitant.
He Chao couldn't stand it. He called his secretary over and asked him to find out immediately what was going on.
However, before the secretary arrived, he had already opened his computer and, as usual, logged into the QQ software to chat with a newly acquainted female netizen. He discovered that QQ had pushed a system message which read: "Bank officials resist law enforcement policies at the main entrance, refuse to register, details..."