The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Beijing, East Third Ring Road, Jubao Pen Financial Building.

A huge gilded statue of Guan Yu stands in the lobby, and the backdrop of the reception desk is a single piece of white marble relief with the four characters "汇通天下" (meaning "Connecting the World") engraved on it.

The chairman's office on the top floor.

Tang Jun sat slumped in a large, imported Italian leather boss's chair, a valuable Cuban cigar tucked between his fingers.

He was wearing a well-tailored custom-made suit, but even the most expensive fabric couldn't hide the strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) about him.

Opposite him was a reporter from Time Finance who was conducting an exclusive interview.

The light shone on his face, making his somewhat greasy face appear exceptionally rosy.

"Mr. Tang, it's widely said that Jubaopen is about to go public in the US, with a valuation exceeding five billion US dollars, becoming the first Chinese internet finance company to go public."

The female reporter, with a professionally admiring smile, posed a question she had already rehearsed: "As a leader in the industry, what are your thoughts on the current market skepticism surrounding the risks of P2P lending?"

Tang Jun exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke and arrogantly flicked off his cigarette ash.

"Risk? What is risk?"

He tapped the table with the finger holding the cigar, making a firm tapping sound. "At Jubaopen, there is no risk. We have the most advanced risk control model and a fund pool of tens of billions to back us up. Those who doubt us are either envious of our returns or simply do not understand what 'financial innovation' is."

He stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looked down at the bustling traffic below, and struck a pose with his back to the camera, as if "giving orders".

"I can tell you with certainty that Jubaopen is the industry's anchor. As long as I, Tang Jun, am still here, investors will not lose a single penny of their money. As for those so-called 'collapse' rumors..."

Tang Jun turned around and gave the camera an aggressive smile. "That's the excuse of the weak. Lions never change their hunting routes because of the panic of the flock."

"Click."

The sound of the shutter captured that moment.

……

After seeing the reporter off, Tang Jun's smile vanished instantly.

He loosened his slightly tight tie and irritably stubbed out his half-smoked cigar in the crystal ashtray.

"Old Liu, has the money arrived yet?" he asked without turning his head.

The CFO, Lao Liu, who had been standing silently in the corner, wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered, "President Tang, we just deposited 400 million yesterday, but... a new shortfall has appeared. There have been a lot of people withdrawing money recently, and with 'Weiguang Payment' suddenly cutting off some illegal channels, our cash flow has slowed down by at least 30%."

"A glimmer of light..."

Tang Jun chewed on the name, his eyes filled with malice.

This name has been appearing far too frequently lately.

That young man named Lin Che has only been around for two years, yet he dares to challenge banks and even managed to get the central bank's online payment system sorted out.

"This kid's a bit strange," Tang Jun said, narrowing his eyes.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

Secretary Xiao Zhao pushed open the door and came in, her face looking rather grim, holding a thick stack of photocopies of invitations.

"President Tang..." Xiao Zhao's voice was barely audible, as if he was trying his best to suppress his panic.

"What is it? Why are you hesitating?" Tang Jun frowned, sat back down in the boss's chair, and took a sip of his tea.

"It's...it's a message from Microlight Technology."

Xiao Zhao put the documents in his hand on the table, his hands trembling slightly. "Tomorrow morning, Weiguang Technology will hold the 'Weiguang Financial Security Ecosystem Conference' at the Four Seasons Hotel, and will also release some kind of 'Financial Security White Paper'."

"Oh?"

Tang Jun raised an eyebrow. "Lin Che is quite the troublemaker. Is he trying to build a reputation for virtue?"

He reached for the stack of documents. "Did they send me an invitation? If it's the center seat at the main table, I'll reluctantly go and support him. After all, he's a young man, and I should give him some face."

In his mind, he was the undisputed leader in the industry.

Without Tang Jun presiding over this industry-wide conference, it would just be a shabby gathering, utterly unworthy of respectability.

However, Xiao Zhao did not hand him the invitation. Instead, he stood there awkwardly, his fingers gripping the hem of his clothes tightly.

"Um...Mr. Tang..."

"What's wrong?" Tang Jun's hand hovered in mid-air, his face darkening.

"We...did not receive an invitation."

Xiao Zhao's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, "I just checked. Besides our 'Treasure Trove,' all the top 50 platforms in the industry have received them, even 'Credit Loan,' which only has tens of millions in transaction volume, received VIP invitations..."

"What did you say?"

Tang Jun's hand froze.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze instantly, and even the sound of the air conditioner blasting out became jarring.

"You mean, you invited everyone in the industry, even the stray cats and dogs on the street, but not me?" Tang Jun's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, carrying a dangerous undercurrent.

"Yes...yes." Xiao Zhao lowered his head, not daring to look his boss in the eye. "I just called the Weiguang conference organizing committee to inquire, and they said...the list was personally decided by President Lin, and there were no omissions."

"Snapped!"

Tang Jun slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground, splashing scalding tea everywhere, and expensive shards of purple clay splintered at Xiao Zhao's feet.

"fart!"

Tang Jun suddenly stood up, veins bulging on his neck, like an enraged bulldog. "Who does Lin Che think he is? A worthless payment idiot, daring to give me attitude? No omissions? He's slapping me in the face in public!"

He paced back and forth in the office, his leather shoes making a dull thud on the floor.

This is not just a matter of an invitation.

In this circle, face is credit, and credit is money.

Tomorrow, all the media outlets in the industry will be watching this conference closely.

If everyone is present except for the industry leader, "Treasure Bowl," how would the outside world interpret this?

—Is Jubaopen non-compliant? Is Jubaopen being sidelined? Or is Jubaopen about to run into trouble?

At this critical juncture, any slight disturbance could trigger a fatal run on the bank.

Lin Che's move was extremely insidious.

"Good, good, good, Lin Che is something else."

Tang Jun, enraged, laughed coldly. He walked to his desk, grabbed the phone, and shouted, "Get the car ready! I'm going to the Four Seasons Hotel myself tomorrow morning!"

Old Liu was startled: "President Tang, since they didn't invite us, is it really a good idea for us to go? What if things go wrong..."

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Tang Jun glared at him fiercely. "I'm the vice president of the industry association! I'm a benchmark for internet finance in China! I'm attending his meeting to give him face! I don't believe that Lin Che would dare to stop me from entering in front of all the reporters in the world!"

He straightened his slightly disheveled collar, and the anger in his eyes gradually cooled into a cold, calculating look.

"Not only should we go, but we should go in a grand manner. We should notify the public relations department and contact ten... no, twenty media outlets to come with me."

Tang Jun picked up the half-smoked cigar on the table, lit it again, and took a deep drag.

"He wants to hold a big meeting, right? I'll go teach this young man what 'rules' are. In this area, no one dares to treat the treasure bowl like it doesn't exist."

……

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing.

Despite being a top-tier business hotel, it was unusually noisy today.

A huge banner hung at the entrance of the banquet hall: "Micro-Light Financial Security Ecosystem Conference and White Paper Release Ceremony".

Luxury cars were everywhere, and groups of well-dressed financial elites chatted and exchanged pleasantries at the registration area.

The media area was already set up with cameras and microphones, and flashes of light were going off one after another.

Lin Che stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the second-floor lounge, holding an iced Americano, quietly looking down at the entrance below.

Today he wore a dark gray custom-made suit with a minimalist cut, yet it exuded a cold and aloof aura that kept strangers at bay.

"Boss, the fish is here."

Xie Yu stood behind him and pointed to the corner of the street downstairs.

A convoy of black Maybachs was lined up and drove in a grand procession toward the hotel entrance.

The license plate number was all consecutive leopard numbers, so arrogant that it seemed as if the words "I'm rich" were written all over its forehead.

That was the Tang army's convoy.

Behind his convoy followed two vans, from which a group of reporters carrying cameras got out; they were clearly Tang Jun's personal "official media."

"That's quite a grand affair."

Lin Che took a sip of coffee, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever, as if he were watching a pre-rehearsed monkey show.

The lobby downstairs instantly erupted in commotion.

The guests who were originally queuing to sign in quickly made way for them.

Tang Jun emerged from the extended Maybach, dressed in a gleaming white suit, surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black, looking like a local tyrant inspecting his territory.

Instead of heading to the registration desk, he led his men straight towards the banquet hall entrance.

The security personnel at the entrance were about to reach out to stop him when Tang Jun's bodyguard shoved them aside.

"Get out of the way! Are you blind? Don't you even recognize President Tang?" the bodyguard roared, trying to intimidate the bodyguard.

The flashbulbs were going off like crazy.

The reporters swarmed forward like sharks smelling blood.

"Mr. Tang! It seems that Weiguang didn't invite Jubao Basin. Did you come uninvited?"

"Mr. Tang, what are your thoughts on the white paper released by Weiguang this time?"

Tang Jun stopped and straightened his bow tie in front of the camera, a signature arrogant smile on his face.

"Young people are inconsiderate; they forgot to send out the invitations for a conference. As a senior in the industry, I naturally can't hold it against them."

He waved at the camera, his voice booming so everyone in the hall could hear, "I'm here today to support President Lin, and also to see what this so-called 'Safety White Paper' really is. Without my Treasure Bowl's name on it, this white paper is probably just a piece of waste paper, isn't it?"

After saying that, under everyone's gaze, he swaggered open the heavy mahogany door of the banquet hall.

Second floor lounge.

Xie Yu looked at the surveillance footage and couldn't help but click his tongue: "This guy really doesn't know what 'death' means. Boss, should we have security throw him out?"

Why are you chasing him away?

Lin Che put down his coffee cup, turned around and walked to the dressing mirror, straightening his cuffs.

The young man in the mirror had a calm gaze, yet it exuded a chilling murderous aura.

"Since he has delivered himself to the altar, then we need not be polite."

Lin Che pushed open the door to the lounge, which led to a private passageway to the banquet hall stage.

"Let's go, it's time to close the net."