I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 787 The building is about to collapse, and there is no way to save it.
Wang Zhenxi had no choice but to recount the whole story, and finally sighed, "President Xiao, there's really no other way, otherwise I don't know what kind of trouble Fang Qingye would cause."

Thinking about all this gave Wang Zhenxi a huge headache.

Xiao Jianhua was even more furious upon hearing this: "Wang Zhenxi, you're afraid of Fang Qingye causing trouble, but aren't you afraid I'll remove you from your position as chairman and president of Baoshang Bank?!"

Damn it...

Wang Zhenxi then realized that the big boss was truly angry this time!

He quickly explained, "President Xiao, please calm down. Even if Fang Qingye requests a board meeting, with only his one vote against it, we can force the loan approval without delaying our business."

"Sigh... what do you know?" Xiao Jianhua sighed. "Fang Qingye is being polite first, then resorting to force! Do you think he really cares about holding a board meeting? I guarantee that within two days, this will be on the front page of all the major financial media outlets! At that point, it would be strange if the China Banking Regulatory Commission didn't get involved!"

Wang Zhenxi was speechless for a moment and could only listen silently.

"Alright, alright, let's put this on hold for now," Xiao Jianhua said and hung up the phone.

He slumped onto the sofa, lit a cigarette, and was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

命啊
Sure enough, the next day, Toutiao, a leading Chinese emerging media platform under ByteDance, pushed a financial report by "Donghai Diaoke" to all its financial users in a pinned position, with an extremely eye-catching title:
Shocking Inside Story: Baoshang Bank Plans to Inject Capital into Longwei Media – Another Case of a Ponzi Scheme Under the Shadow of 14.99 Billion Yuan?

The article, with its sharp and incisive writing, details how the 14.99 billion yuan stock-pledged loan that Baoshang Bank plans to provide to Longwei Media is essentially a highly risky regulatory arbitrage scheme.

Longwei Media used this bank funding as leverage to complete its "snake swallowing an elephant" acquisition, which completely violated the basic principle of prudent operation of banks and was a crazy act that put depositors' deposits under huge risks.

The article directly points out that the transaction has a complex structure, potentially concealing improper transfer of benefits, and strongly questions why the bank's internal risk control is practically non-existent. The report concludes by urging financial regulators to intervene immediately and conduct a thorough investigation to prevent this "toxic asset" from triggering a double shock to the capital market and the banking system.

The news was quickly reprinted by major financial websites.

"Who is this 'East China Sea Angler'? How could his article be pinned to the top of Toutiao?!" Xiao Jianhua stared at his phone screen, both shocked and furious.

He anticipated that Fang Qingye might leak the matter to the media, but he didn't expect her methods to be so direct and brutal.

Toutiao... I heard it gets hundreds of millions of views!
Assistant Chen Mo, standing to the side and also looking at his phone screen, whispered a reminder: "I suspect that 'Donghai Diaoke' is Fang Qingye himself. According to public information, he is also the chairman of ByteDance—that is to say, ByteDance is his company."

Xiao Jianhua was stunned.

He took a few puffs of his cigarette in silence before slowly speaking: "Tell me, what deep-seated grudge do I have against Fang Qingye? I don't think I've ever offended him, have I?"

"Some time ago, Hengtai Securities and Jinghai Bank were vying for the underwriting rights of Yongjiang City Investment's 30 billion yuan corporate bond. Hengtai interfered by force," Chen Mo reminded. "With Fang Qingye's influence, it's impossible that he couldn't find out that Hengtai Securities is a company controlled by the Mintian Group."

"Just for this? Is it really worth going to such lengths to destroy me?" Xiao Jianhua still refused to believe it.

Chen Mo did not respond.

He suddenly remembered the Phoenix Cumulative Options Contract he had signed before—that woman named Xia He might also be part of Fang Qingye's scheme!

Even... several years ago, when Fang Qingye acquired Nanxin Rural Bank and proactively filled the 100 million yuan hole left by Baoshang Bank in exchange for a seat on the board of directors, wasn't he already making plans then?
Chen Mo couldn't help but shudder, and dared not think any further.

"Chen Mo, what's wrong?" Xiao Jianhua noticed his unusual behavior.

"No...it's nothing." Chen Mo quickly shook his head. He knew in his heart that Xiao Jianhua was already in a desperate situation and could not withstand any more stimulation.

What can I do even if I know?

The Mintian Group is on the verge of collapse, and there is no way to save it.

As expected, public opinion quickly escalated, and regulatory authorities followed suit. The Inner Mongolia Banking Regulatory Bureau issued a regulatory notice to Baoshang Bank, requiring it to provide a detailed explanation of the situation and carefully assess the risks.

Before Baoshang Bank could respond, Longwei Media proactively issued an announcement: "In view of changes in market conditions, we have decided not to acquire any equity in Wanjia Culture."

Meanwhile, Wan Jia Culture also issued an announcement stating that its largest shareholder, Wan Jia Group, and XZ Longwei Culture Media Co., Ltd., controlled by Zhao Wei, decided to terminate the share transfer and signed a termination agreement. Wan Jia Group will return the original deposit of 2.5 million yuan, and neither party will pursue breach of contract liability.

Wanjia Culture's stock price plummeted in response!

A chain reaction ensued.

The ashtrays in the suite at Four Seasons Place Hong Kong were already overflowing. Xiao Jianhua stood with his back to Chen Mo, gazing at the view of Victoria Harbour, but the dazzling spectacle before him seemed irrelevant to him.

Chen Mo practically staggered in, his voice trembling: "President Xiao, the defenses... have completely collapsed! Wan Jia Culture's stock price has fallen below 10 yuan. According to the 'Phoenix Options' contract, we must buy 100 million shares today at 20 yuan per share! More than 2000 million yuan in cash has evaporated in just one day, and this is only the beginning; the amount will double tomorrow!"

Xiao Jianhua turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse: "How much working capital do we have left?"

"It's almost completely drained! What's worse, Huazi Industry has also gone under!" Chen Mo tried to remain calm, but his voice was still trembling.
"It looks like their long-planned 316.8 billion yuan private placement to acquire a controlling stake in Huaxia Life Insurance is also going to fall through. The institutions that had previously agreed to subscribe—Jiuzhou Securities, CITIC Securities, Qianhai Golden Eagle… have all backed out and are unwilling to take over at this critical juncture, seeing the market situation!"

Xiao Jianhua swayed slightly. This move by Huazi Industry was one of the key moves he made to inject capital outside the company and maintain his cash flow.

On Chen Mo's tablet, bad news kept popping up, and he continued his incoherent report:
"It's over, it's all over! The chain reaction has already begun! Haitong Securities has issued an ultimatum. The 30 million shares of Hengtai Securities that we pledged with them were valued at 15 yuan per share, raising 3 billion yuan. Now the share price has fallen below 10 yuan, and they are demanding an additional 5 million yuan in margin within 48 hours, or they will force liquidation!"

"Huarong International is also demanding repayment!" Chen Mo's voice trembled as he read the name. "They're invoking cross-default clauses, demanding that we repay that 15 billion yuan private placement bond that's due next month! This is a devastating blow!"

“CCB Asia has also changed its mind.” Chen Mo almost dared not look Xiao Jianhua in the eye. “The 20 billion yuan bridge loan that we had previously agreed on was just rejected by their credit approval committee on the grounds of ‘excessive risk exposure’.”

One by one, former partners who called each other brothers and organizations that had cooperated for many years turned away and left.

The failed share issuance by Huazi Industry became the final straw that broke the camel's back. The financial empire meticulously constructed by Mintian Group is collapsing layer by layer under the trigger of the "Phoenix Options" scandal.

The suite was deathly silent. Xiao Jianhua slowly walked to the wine cabinet, poured himself a glass of red wine but didn't drink it. After a moment of silence, he gave Chen Mo an order, his tone icy:
"First, use all your connections, even if it's just your 'life savings' with a 3% or 5% return, to get Haitong 200 million yuan by noon tomorrow to keep them from liquidating their positions!"

"Second, contact Vice President Zhang of Huarong and arrange to meet him tomorrow so I can talk to him in person. Tell him that as long as Mintian is given a chance to breathe, we can discuss any terms."

“Third…” He paused, his sharp gaze shooting towards Chen Mo, “You personally investigate that Xia He, and the Anxin Future Trust behind her—where the funds really come from. I finally understand now, this is a poison pill wrapped in sugar.”

What to check?
Xia He is definitely Fang Qingye's person! That Anxin Future Trust is probably also Fang Qingye's!

But this time, Chen Mo still didn't say it aloud, only replying in a low voice, "Yes, President Xiao."

However, to Xiao Jianhua's surprise, mainland legal authorities suddenly arrived that evening and he was immediately taken into custody.

(End of this chapter)