I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 206 Kidnapping
"The group also asked me to check the equity structure. How about I report it to you, Mr. Wang? What do you think?"

"Get up!"

"Is something wrong with you? Why don't you report yourself?"

"No, Mr. Wang, your firewall is too weak. The group can easily find out."

Su Cheng tentatively tried to absolve herself of some responsibility.

Wang Zhiying may not care, but it's unacceptable for Su Cheng to report it to the authorities!

"The company just sent you to investigate, so why don't you just say you didn't find anything?"

"Should I pretend I don't know?"

"Otherwise what?" Wang Zhiying rolled her eyes at Su Cheng. "You don't even want to take this little risk? Let me tell you, if you report me, I'll report you too. We'll both go down together."

Su Cheng: ???
OK OK.

I'm afraid I'm afraid.

It's actually acceptable.

Su Cheng weighed the risks. At most, he would be accused of negligence, and the worst that could happen was that he would not eat double-egg egg pancakes for a month and would not smoke cigarettes costing more than 20 yuan.

What else can we do?
Su Cheng will actually receive several million.

Worth it!

……

……

Jingzhou.

A villa.

Su Tianyan received the quote from Su Cheng.

2400 million.

12% stake in "Heart Signal".

"This is way too expensive."

"Are you asking for an exorbitant price?"

The more Su Tianyan looked at the quote, the angrier he became.

He told Su Cheng to talk to the person properly, and this is the result?
What's most infuriating is the wording in Su Cheng's report: "After careful discussion and negotiation, both parties have reached a temporary consensus: I believe that acquiring 12% of the shares for 2400 million is a very worthwhile transaction..."

Is it a good deal?

Su Tianyan couldn't see at all where it was a good deal.

This was completely contrary to his expectations.

He originally planned to acquire 100% of the shares for 3000 million, or at least 95%.

As a result of such a large sum of money, Su Cheng negotiated a 12% reduction.

If it's not a problem with ability, then it's a problem with thinking.

With over 20 million, he could recreate a similar software.

Moreover, these are shares that have been diluted and distributed, so there is no control over them.

"President Su, please don't be angry, calm down."

"As far as I know, it seems that Mr. Zhang has also given a quote."

"Hmm? Zhang Lekang?"

“Yes, President Su.” Bai Zihua tried to exonerate Su Cheng. “President Su, you see, the young master’s report also mentioned this point. Jin Hong Group’s offer is also very high.”

Su Cheng didn't write down the specific price quoted by Jin Hong Group in the report, only saying that the price was very reasonable, indirectly telling her father that there was a competitor.

If there are no competitors, the full acquisition is a sure thing, and no one will refuse the offer from the Emperor Group.

But if there are competitors, the situation is very different.

They'll definitely have to think about it.

The brand of the Dihao Group is very strong, stronger than that of most companies.

If the Emperor Group contributes 500 million, other groups would have to double that amount.

This is the true value of a signboard.

But this time their competitor is Jin Hong Group, also a super-large manufacturer.

"That old Zhang!" Su Tianyan muttered to himself, "He couldn't say he would take action, but he did it secretly."

Although Su Tianyan complained, she didn't hold a grudge against Zhang Lekang and didn't have any strong emotions.

That's just how people are.

Personal relationships are personal relationships, and business is business.

If it were Su Tianyan, he would have taken action as well.

"Mr. Su, what do you think... should we buy it or not?"

Su Tianyan didn't want to buy it at this price because it wasn't worth it at all.

Spending millions to copy one 100% would be the most cost-effective approach.

But that's not his style; otherwise, he wouldn't have quoted a price, he would have just pulled in a few programmers to do it.

"Let him bargain down the price again, 20 million, 2000%, I don't want it anymore, let Lao Zhang take it if he wants it."

"Yes, Mr. Su, I will have headquarters send a letter to the young master right away."

Su Tianyan looked at Su Cheng's report: "Wait a minute, what's the deal with this equity stake?"

The investigation report Su Cheng gave him showed that there were only two people holding shares in "Heart Signal".

First, Zhao Peng and others collectively account for 25%.

Second, Zhu Hua accounts for 75%.

I asked you to check the shareholder list, and all you gave me were two names?
Do I need you to tell me if Zhao Peng owns any shares?
What's the deal with this Zhu Hua?
They all knew that Zhu Hua was Wang Zhiying's agent, yet Su Cheng had no sense of vigilance whatsoever.

Is this the kind of attitude you use to serve the group?

Bai Zihua was actually a bit conflicted and hesitant here.

How should he speak up for Su Cheng?
If it wasn't discovered, it's a dereliction of duty and oversight.

Based on his intuition, Bai Zihua must have figured it out.

He knew Su Cheng well; with Su Cheng's abilities, it was impossible for her to be completely oblivious.

But if you find out the truth and don't report it, that's deliberately concealing it from headquarters.

The former is a matter of ability, while the latter is a matter of attitude.

After much deliberation, Bai Zihua concluded that Su Tianyan valued ability more than attitude.

So he continued on this point:

"That President Su... is it possible that the young master actually found out, but just didn't report it to us?"

"You mean, he accepted a bribe from Wang Zhiying?"

Although Bai Zihua didn't want to say it, he could only lie to Su Cheng like this: "It's possible that he took money from Wang Zhiying."

He quickly added, "President Su, actually, at the K7 level, one already has some power to engage in personal gain within the group."

"If we go by what you say, it's not that simple."

Su Tianyan keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Since Su Cheng can accept money from Wang Zhiying, will he also give him a dual contract (one for official purposes and one for private purposes)?
They might have gotten 50% of the 1000 million, but now they have to pay 2000 million.

They can divide the extra money among themselves?
"It's possible, but it might not be that exaggerated. Jin Hong Group's offer might also be very high. Even if the young master used a dual contract, the amount might not be that large."

Su Tianyan remained silent.

He is thinking.

Old Zhang has repeatedly failed in his online endeavors and has almost never succeeded.

Jin Hong Group urgently needs a product to establish itself on the internet, which is one of the reasons they are charging high prices.

Bai Zihua added, "President Su, seeing how much you value this product, President Zhang is likely to be even more determined to offer a higher price. So, Young Master's negotiation should actually be the best possible outcome."

Su Tianyan nodded.

Bai Zihua wasn't wrong.

Su Tianyan never fails when he approves of a product.

When Lao Zhang saw that Lao Su was so confident, and that Xiao Su was personally in charge of the product, he was sure he would offer double the price.

After all, there's little risk, and the success rate is over 99%. It's just a matter of earning a little more or a little less.

Seeing Su Tianyan's hesitation, Bai Zihua delivered the final blow: "President Su, if you're still worried, why don't we call President Zhang and ask him how much he's offered?"

"I won't make the phone call."

"Let's go with this price, 20 million, 20%. You can send the letter later." Bai Zihua was secretly delighted.

He was certain that Su Tianyan wouldn't call Zhang Lekang.

First, Su Tianyan, as a senior figure in the industry, couldn't bring himself to do it.

Secondly, even if they do pay, the other party won't tell them the real price, and might even quote a fake price.

This is business.

One step at a time, one step at a time.

Who cares about personal relationships?

As for Su Cheng's corruption and bribery issues, Bai Zihua tried to mitigate Su Cheng's punishment by citing her abilities and family ties.

"I didn't say anything about him embezzling or accepting bribes."

Su Tianyan's thought process is different from others.

They never intended to punish Wang Zhiying; this was a consensus reached long ago.

Even if Su Cheng reports it, they will turn a blind eye, pretend they didn't see it, or give a token minor punishment.

This is what Su Tianyan was thinking:
Su Cheng can accept bribes, but he cannot fail to uncover the underlying shareholding structure.

Su Cheng can use dual contracts, but she can't be completely incapable of negotiation and turn the acquisition into a complete mess.

"Anyway, the Emperor Group will be his in the future, so let him take the money."

Su Tianyan didn't care at all.

However, there was something Bai Zihua just said that he was quite willing to listen to.

Su Cheng must have embezzled and accepted bribes totaling at least several hundred thousand yuan.

When he goes home for the Chinese New Year, will he really buy himself a car?

What kind of car will you buy?
"President Su, it's getting late. Would you like to go back and rest? I can keep an eye on things here."

"Assistant Gu just said she has already filled the bathtub twice and asked if you are still going to stay tonight."

"go."

After seeing Su Tianyan off, Bai Zihua stood at the villa entrance and waited for a few minutes.

A black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of Bai Zihua.

He opened the car door and sat in the back seat: "Drive."

Besides the driver, there was another man in the passenger seat.

Both of these men were Bai Zihua's confidants.

After driving for about thirty minutes, the car stopped in front of a small villa.

The three got out of the car, and the driver skillfully opened the door with the key. The three then entered the closet on the first floor.

Pushing open the cabinet and pulling back the carpet, a small red-painted iron door was revealed on the floor.

Bai Zihua pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, covered his mouth and nose, and climbed the stairs one step at a time into the hidden basement.

The stairwell was pitch black, and two drivers, one in front and one behind, led the way for Bai Zihua with flashlights.

Bluish-gray water droplets meandered down the exposed brick wall, gathering at the base of the wall into a dark green puddle that gleamed with an oily sheen.

Rusty boiler pipes run across the ceiling, and the solid wood boxes stacked in the corners have swelled and deformed due to years of disrepair. Mycelium sprouts from the cracks in the boxes and condenses into grayish-white, hair-like flocculent matter in the air.

A whimper, like the collapse of lung lobes, emanated from the leaking vents, mingling with the putrid stench of sewage and swirling through the air.
A man wearing only trousers was blindfolded, gagged, and bound tightly to a chair.

It was early summer, and the nights were still chilly, especially in the cold basement, where the man shivered from the cold.

Beyond the physical implications, the terrifying atmosphere of the basement also had a profound psychological impact on him.
The man was brought here a few hours ago and had no idea what was going on.

Upon hearing footsteps, the man immediately started making "uh-uh-uh" noises, causing the chair to creak and groan.

The driver brought Bai Zihua a chair, and he sat down facing backwards, resting his hands and arms on the chair, observing the man's reaction.

The driver rudely shouted, "Quiet!"

The man did quiet down, but his breathing through his nose was rough.

The towel that had been stuffed into his mouth was removed, and the man began to speak.

"Brother, brother, don't be impulsive, don't do anything stupid."

"I'm telling you I work for the Emperor Group. Do you know the Emperor Group?"

“Our group is very powerful. I'm telling you, brother, if you release me now, nothing will happen. I won't…”

Bai Zihua watched the man beg for mercy repeatedly, his expression both mocking and disdainful.

He gave his confidant a look, and the yellow light bulb in the room was turned on, the sudden light glaring at the man's eyes.

Once the man's eyes adjusted to the light, he gradually saw the person in front of him clearly.

"Secretary Bai...?"

That's right.

Men are among the experts in "succession planning".

He was also the one who leaked Su Cheng's shopping receipts.

Bai Zihua had clearly given orders that no one was allowed to report Su Cheng's shopping list from that night to President Su, but someone still reported it anyway.

Although Xiao Cheng was not punished by President Su, Bai Zihua was very unhappy with this behavior.

Keeping this kind of person around could lead to all sorts of trouble in the future.

"President Bai, President Bai, President Bai, I was wrong, President Bai."

The man immediately realized what he had done wrong and quickly apologized.

"President Bai, I will listen to you from now on. I am your person from now on."

Bai Zihua, unusually, lost his temper and swore: "Get lost."

"I don't need you to listen to me, nor do I need someone like you."

"President Bai, I was really wrong!"

The man started crying as he spoke.

Bai Zihua didn't intend to do anything to him. He just kidnapped him here to scare him and expel him from the team.

Listen carefully.

"Tomorrow you will voluntarily submit your resignation to President Su, and then I will suggest to President Su that you be sent to the gold mines that the group is mining in Africa. When President Su asks about your wishes, you will gladly agree."

"Understand?"

The man cried even harder: "President Bai, President Bai, I don't want to go to Africa! I'll do anything as long as I don't have to go to Africa!"

Bai Zihua's face immediately fell.

"Oh."

"let's go."

"Let him rot in this basement."

Bai Zihua stood up, and the man panicked.

Going to Africa to suffer or dying in this tiny basement—it's an extremely easy choice.

Bai Zihua was fully capable of making him disappear from this world without anyone noticing.

In fact, they had already "disappeared" from the world when they joined the "succession plan".

Bai Zihua doesn't need to do anything; just leave him here, and no one will discover him for decades.

"No, no, no, no, Mr. Bai, I'll go."

"I'll go, I'll go, I'll go."

"I'll report to General Manager Su tomorrow! From now on, I'll do whatever you say."

Bai Zihua's expression softened considerably after he realized he had achieved his goal.

"You know about the confidentiality agreement. If you reveal even a single word about the succession plan, you know the consequences."

The man nodded solemnly.

"And also, about what happened today..."

"I understand, Mr. Bai, I understand. I will absolutely not utter a single word!"

Bai Zihua gestured to the two drivers to untie the ropes for him.

The man was moved to tears: "Thank you, Mr. Bai."

"get out."

The man fled the terrifying place in a panic without looking back.

(End of this chapter)