The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

After shopping in Wangfujing, Lingyun took the two beauties to the nearby Jingcheng Hotel for lunch.

When they arrived at the hotel, Zhang Lu was already waiting in the reserved private room.

Zhang's two assistant lawyers and full-time translator were eating at a table outside.

After entering the private room and exchanging greetings, everyone pulled out chairs and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, Attorney Zhang immediately started talking about his negotiations with Michael that morning.

"Michael's attitude seems very firm. He stated unequivocally that Hearst Corporation is unlikely to sell its shares to you and hopes you can find a different way to cooperate?"

"Upon learning that you were going to acquire fashion magazine publishing, Hearst Corporation had no chance at all. This guy immediately offered to license more fashion magazine copyrights to you in exchange for financing..."

As he introduced himself, Yanzi and Leilei looked at Lingyun with curiosity.

Swallow, in particular, was extremely concerned because it concerned her future grand ambitions.

Ling Yun picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and looked disdainful.

He then put down his teacup and gently shook his head.

"Hearst Corporation has no other choice. If they don't offer equity, they can forget about getting a single penny from me. I have no intention of being a Good Samaritan to these damn foreigners."

"Due to the impact of the financial crisis, the rise of the internet, and the impending reality of the intelligent era, Hearst Group must complete its diversification transformation as soon as possible, or it will face certain death."

"The most crucial step in their diversification transformation is this acquisition. If they miss this opportunity, Hearst's transformation will be forced to be delayed, or even never completed."

"Therefore, I am very confident that Hearst Corporation will eventually accept my terms, offering a portion of its equity in exchange for my financing, thereby completing the acquisition."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Another reason I am so confident is that Goldman Sachs holds controlling stakes in the eleven local television stations, one well-known channel, and Global Television Network that Hearst is trying to acquire."

"Just in the last few days, I've orchestrated a sniping operation against Goldman Sachs. I'm very confident I can hurt them badly and force them to the negotiating table. Once Goldman Sachs is at the negotiating table, I'm determined to get these media resources."

"For Goldman Sachs, these television media resources are somewhat of a double-edged sword; it wouldn't be difficult to get them to give them up. By then, if Hearst wants to complete this acquisition, they'll have to beg us on their knees."

Zhang Lu and Yanzi were stunned; they felt dazzled.

They never imagined there were so many twists and turns involved, never expecting Ling Yun to be playing such a grand game!

What they didn't expect was that Ling Yun had actually dragged Goldman Sachs, the world's largest investment bank, into the mess and dug a pit for Goldman Sachs to fall into.

In his words, Goldman Sachs was nothing more than a leek that could be harvested at will!

After a brief moment of shock, both Yanzi and Leilei were completely mesmerized!

Just then, Zhang Lu's eyes lit up as he said:

"This is getting more and more interesting. Just thinking about participating in such a grand game of chess is incredibly exciting."

"But I have a feeling that your attempt to acquire a stake in Hearst Corporation has ulterior motives. Am I wrong?"

Ling Yun turned to look at him, thought for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I do have ulterior motives, but there are some things I can't say right now; the time isn't right."

"One of the purposes is worth mentioning: Fitch, one of the three major international rating agencies, is a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation."

"In the international financial market, and even in the global political and economic game, Fitch is a very sharp and deadly weapon."

"For example, Fitch played a role in exacerbating the global financial crisis, and this weapon will only become more and more effective in the future."

"One of my goals is to infiltrate Fitch by acquiring a stake in Hearst Corporation. Even if I can only exert significant influence, it would still be a worthwhile investment..."

Zhang Lu and Yanzi were shocked again, looking at Ling Yun in disbelief.

Little did they know that this was merely a superficial reason!

If they knew that Lingyun's primary purpose in investing in Hearst Corporation was cultural export and ideological propaganda, they would probably be shocked to their very core!

Next, they continued their discussion on this issue.

They didn't stop talking until a restaurant waiter knocked on the door and entered the private room.

After lunch, it was nearly 2 p.m.

After leaving the Beijing Hotel, Ling Yun led Zhang Lu straight to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) to hold a meeting with Director Li and Chairman Lou, among others.

Yanzi and Leilei climbed into a luxury van, carrying their shopping haul from the morning, and under the protection of two bodyguards, drove home to visit their parents.

Fifteen minutes later, Yanzi, carrying several luxury shopping bags, quietly opened her bedroom door like a thief and tiptoed in.

The next instant, a very familiar voice suddenly came from the restaurant.

"Oh my god, who is this? They look shifty. There's been a burglar in the house. I'd better call the police right away."

Yanzi immediately turned to look at the restaurant, her face quickly plastered with a fawning smile.

"No, no! My dear mother, it's your precious daughter who's home! I've brought you a gift; I'm sure you'll love it."

As they were talking, the study door opened, and Swallow's father came out of the study.

Upon seeing his daughter return, a bright smile immediately spread across his face, but he kept complaining.

"You brat, so you finally know how to come home? If you don't come back today, we'll come to your magazine office and drag you away tomorrow."

Yanzi quickly looked at her father, continuing to smile ingratiatingly and apologize.

After a touching scene of maternal love and filial piety, she pulled her parents to sit on the sofa and presented them with the gifts she had just bought, as if they were treasures.

But she could only say that she bought it herself, and would never dare to say that it was a gift from Ling Yun.

Unfortunately, her parents were very strict and wouldn't tolerate any wrongdoing.

Upon seeing the two top-tier luxury watches displayed before them, her parents' eyelids twitched involuntarily.

"Snapped!"

Her mother casually slapped Yanzi, her expression instantly becoming much more serious, and began to question her on the spot.

"You brat, tell me the truth! What's going on with these two Vacheron Constantin watches? Where did they come from?"

"Don't tell anyone you bought them. We may not have eaten pork, but we've seen pigs run. These two Vacheron Constantin glasses are worth at least a million."

"With your meager salary and bonuses, even if you worked for ten years without eating or drinking, you still wouldn't be able to save enough to buy these two top-of-the-line luxury watches."

Immediately following, Swallow's father said with a serious expression:

"Yanzi, you must explain the origin of these two watches. No matter who gave them to you, we cannot accept them."

"You know the nature of my job. Would I dare wear a watch worth hundreds of thousands? That would just be asking for trouble."

"These aren't watches, they're two time bombs! They could blow our family apart, tear us apart, and kill us all!"

Hearing her parents say that, Yanzi suddenly felt a headache coming on.

She knew that her lie was too clumsy and couldn't fool her parents' sharp eyes at all!

More importantly, my father is a high-ranking official in the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Without an explanation of their origin, he wouldn't dare accept two such valuable luxury watches, even if he had the guts.

Thinking of this, Yanzi gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and confessed in a low voice with a flushed face.

"Okay, these two Vacheron Constantin glasses weren't bought by me. They were a gift from Yunzi."

"With Yunzi's astonishing wealth, buying two Vacheron Constantin watches is child's play for her, just a drop in the ocean. You can keep them without worry."

Her parents were stunned when they heard the answer.

The next instant, all four of their eyes suddenly lit up.

"Are you and Yunzi together? Tell me, how far have things progressed?"

Meanwhile, in the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) meeting room.

Ling Yun, who was speaking eloquently, suddenly paused, then reached out and touched his ear, which had suddenly become hot.