Chapter 771 Sima Family Strikes Gold Again
"Hurry up and find someone, gather everyone! Use all your connections to apply pressure and find a way to resolve this matter."
Sima Hongtu couldn't sit still and immediately ordered.
The Sima family members began making calls, reaching out to various contacts. However, either the calls couldn't get through, or those who answered refused to help. It seemed as if the entire provincial capital had abandoned the Sima family in an instant.
Silence filled the hall.
The faces of the Sima family members were all ashen.
Sima Hongtu slumped onto the ground.
This was because one piece of bad news after another kept pouring in...
Shipped goods were unable to reach their destination normally. The consignor had sent a lawyer's letter, threatening a huge compensation if the goods did not arrive within the stipulated time!
Furthermore, at the docks, a crowd was causing trouble, and a large quantity of goods were being thrown into the sea!
Besides man-made disasters, there was also a natural disaster!
A Sima family transport plane suddenly crashed into the Pacific Ocean, with no survivors among the crew!
That was gold imported from the African continent, along with some important metals!
Excluding the aircraft, the loss exceeded three billion!
The plane was purchased with a loan, and the bank was pressing for repayment, while the families of the victims demanded their lives...
In the blink of an eye, chaos ensued.
"Who did this?"
Sima Hongtu asked with a grim expression.
"Is it the Wei family?" someone whispered.
"Is the Wei family that strong?"
Sima Hongtu remained skeptical.
While the Wei family possessed some influence, it was mostly at the official level. However, this situation involved both the martial world and the commercial sector.
Moreover, with Mr. Wei Er's intellect, could he have orchestrated such an event?
Just then, the main door was suddenly kicked open.
A gust of cold wind swept in!
Sima Hongtu, already in a foul mood, immediately cursed, "Who dares to kick down the door? Don't you want to live anymore? Get lost, all of you!"
The servant stammered, "It's not one of our people..."
Sima Hongtu's pupils suddenly contracted. A sound of footsteps approached, and he instinctively looked towards the door.
Wei Changzhe, dressed in a suit, walked in with a smile, leading a dozen imposing figures.
"Mr. Wei Er?"
Upon seeing Wei Changzhe, Sima Hongtu recalled his earlier suspicion, and his heart sank.
"Patriarch Sima seems to be in a rather foul mood!" Mr. Wei Er said with a smile.
"Why have you come, Mr. Wei Er?" Sima Hongtu asked coldly.
Wei Changzhe didn't say much, instead remarking nonchalantly, "Don't you even have a stool to offer me?"
Sima Hongtu waved his hand, and a servant quickly brought a rosewood chair and placed it in front of Wei Changzhe. Wei Changzhe then sat down.
He looked at the dishes on the table and chuckled, "Heh heh, the Sima family is having a gathering? The spread is quite lavish. You didn't even invite me for a drink!"
"Mr. Wei Er, you aren't here just for a drink today, are you?"
Sima Hongtu stared intently at Wei Changzhe.
Given the immense trouble the Sima family was in, Wei Changzhe's sudden appearance was certainly not a mere coincidence.
Wei Changzhe smiled and said, "I'm here today to discuss business."
"Oh? Discussing business in the middle of the night?"
Sima Hongtu frowned.
Wei Changzhe waved his hand.
A scholarly man in a suit with gold-rimmed glasses, who had accompanied him, quickly took out a contract from his briefcase.
He scurried over and handed it to Sima Hongtu, then adjusted his glasses and said with a smile, "Patriarch Sima, please take a look. We are very sincere about acquiring the Sima family!"
Acquiring the Sima family?
Sima Hongtu took the contract with a frown. After a few glances, he nearly slammed his palm onto the table, and the contract fell to the ground.
He pointed at Wei Changzhe and roared, "Wei Changzhe, you've gone too far! My Sima family is worth tens of billions, and you want to acquire it for a mere three billion!"
The Sima family members quickly retrieved the contract from the ground. Upon seeing its contents, they exploded in anger. The Sima family members were furious.
This was not an acquisition; it was blatant robbery!
"Mr. Wei Er, what kind of joke is this!"
"Our Wei family is one of the Four Great Families. You want to acquire us for three billion?"
"Three billion is even too much, I think!"
Wei Changzhe said haughtily.
"Damn it, you..."
These words nearly made Sima Hongtu explode.
Three billion was too much?
What kind of joke was this!
Mr. Wei Er was truly dense!
"Mr. Wei Er, I have no intention of selling the Sima family's assets. Please leave!"
Sima Hongtu did his best to control his emotions.
He was worried that all the troubles befalling the Sima family were orchestrated by Wei Changzhe, and provoking the Wei family with harsh words would be counterproductive.
"If you don't want to sell, I can't buy?"
Wei Changzhe said proudly.
Sima Hongtu was so angry he almost spat blood.
This was the first time he had encountered such an unreasonable person; it was clearly an attempt at forced buying and selling!
"My Sima family is worth hundreds of billions, why should I sell it to you for three billion?" Sima Hongtu sneered.
"Because your Sima family is in serious trouble, your assets have significantly depreciated, and you face massive compensation. The stock price of your Sima family has already begun to plummet!"
Wei Changzhe said with a smile.
Sima Hongtu took out his phone and almost fainted.
In the capital market, one scandal after another involving the Sima family was exposed, causing their stock price to hit rock bottom. Videos of these events were also circulating online...
"Is this the work of your Wei family?"
Sima Hongtu could no longer restrain himself. He slammed the table and roared at Wei Changzhe.
"So what if it's the work of my Wei family? If your Sima family didn't have so many dirty secrets, people wouldn't be able to seize your weaknesses!"
"Why are you doing this to my Sima family?" Sima Hongtu gritted his teeth.
"My Linlin was kidnapped by your combined efforts. What right do you have to ask me why?" Wei Changzhe said expressionlessly.
The Wei family's eldest daughter was kidnapped by your group. It was entirely reasonable for the Wei family to retaliate, and they were morally justified.
However, Sima Hongtu almost spat blood, because the Sima family had no knowledge of this incident at all.
"That entire affair was the work of the Gu family. It has absolutely nothing to do with our Sima family!"
"Nothing to do with it? Do you really think I, Wei Changzhe, am that foolish? I was tricked once, and I will never be tricked again!"
Wei Changzhe spoke with arrogance and confidence, appearing exceptionally clever.
"Do you really think my Sima family has no trump cards left? That we are just fish on a chopping board?" Sima Hongtu sneered.
"Oh? Does the Sima family still have a trump card?"
"To be frank, my Sima family owns a gold mine in Africa. That is the foundation of all our family's wealth and the source of our rise. As long as the gold mine remains, our Sima family will stand tall and endure forever!"
Sima Hongtu sneered. "A mere three billion, what is that?"
In fact, people in the provincial capital didn't know much about the Sima family. The Sima family's rise was very sudden. In the past, the Sima family was just a moderately sized family, but then it seemed to soar like a rocket, acquiring businesses in the capital of Jiangnan Province and on the stock market, reaching its current status.
The reason the Sima family could defeat all rivals and rise so rapidly in such a short time was precisely because of the vast gold mine discovered by the Sima family in Africa. This gold mine provided a substantial amount of funding to the Sima family every year.
For instance, during the 2008 financial crisis, many families suffered economic decline, and even families like the Li family saw their assets shrink significantly. However, the Sima family could still acquire businesses, all thanks to the gold mine in Africa!
Even though the Sima family was facing a severe crisis, as long as the gold mine in Africa remained, the Sima family could still stand firm!
Sima Hongtu was extremely confident in this regard.
Wei Changzhe frowned.
"Mr. Wei Er, please leave! To think you would try to acquire my Sima family for a mere three billion is truly overestimating yourself!"
Sima Hongtu sneered at Wei Changzhe.
But the next moment, his expression froze.
"Is that the gold mine in Madagascar?"