Chapter 444: Zheng Qiudong, Shangguan Qiuya

Star Garden Residential Complex.

"Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye~, Senior, take care on your way."

Watching the Bentley Continental disappear from sight, Yao Lingling slung her tote bag over her shoulder and walked into the building entrance with her head bowed.

Gradually, her footsteps grew faster and faster.

"Clack, clack, clack—"

The voice-activated lights in the stairwell lit up one by one, and she soon reached the 5th floor.

Standing before the front door, Yao Lingling rubbed her burning cheeks and took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down.

Yet, the scenes from inside the car kept flashing before her eyes.

In the pitch-black cabin, those long, fair, and supple hands, gently kneading.

Although it only lasted a fleeting ten seconds or so, and was through her clothes and a 4cm cushion, it made both her body and soul tremble.

That feeling was indescribable, as if her heart were about to jump out.

"Click—" The front door was suddenly pushed open a crack.

Two heads poked out.

"Ah!" Yao Lingling was startled, stepping directly backward, her hair even jumping up.

"Hey, what are you two doing! Don't you know that scaring people can actually kill them? Seriously!"

Li Shumin blinked, saying with a teasing look: "We've been waiting for you for several minutes, why wouldn't you come in? Could it be you were doing something shameful?"

"Get lost! You're the one who did something shameful!" Yao Lingling pulled the door open with a flushed face, pushed the two of them aside, and walked in quickly.

She changed her shoes and went to the living room.

Zhang Jiahong asked with a dazed expression: "Lingling, Minmin said Senior Tang Song is a billionaire and also the boss of the Lanfeng International Hotel. Is that true or false?"

She had originally thought Li Shumin was joking and hadn't taken it seriously.

But just now on the balcony, seeing Senior Tang Song really driving a Bentley Continental to drop Lingling off, her brain went "buzz" and crashed.

She still hadn't recovered from it yet.

"It is indeed the case..." Yao Lingling made a helpless gesture. "Actually, when he sent Su Yu concert tickets and birthday gifts before, didn't we guess blindly? It's not exactly unexpected."

After receiving the luxury Qixi gift box last time, Zhang Jiahong had joked that Senior Tang Song might be a hidden billionaire.

After all, casually giving away gifts worth over a hundred thousand—if he didn't have a net worth in the tens of millions, it wouldn't make sense any way you looked at it.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!" Zhang Jiahong widened her eyes. "I... I was just spouting nonsense before, who knew... this... no wonder he could help me secure the offer from Huashang Apparel!"

Looking at Yao Lingling, she also felt things were a bit magical.

Before, they had been raising Tang Song like an electronic pet; who would have thought this electronic pet was actually a dragon.

The key was, Lingling's luck really had no equal.

Li Shumin nodded seriously in agreement: "It really is holy crap! But it's a fact."

After a moment, Zhang Jiahong rubbed her brow. "No, no, my brain is a bit messy, let me slow down."

Li Shumin smacked her lips and said excitedly: "From now on, does that mean we also have top-tier connections? The boss of Lanfeng International Hotel is our friend; how much face would that give us if we said it out loud!"

Yao Lingling quickly said: "Hey, hey, hey, don't go spouting that outside! Be low-key! Low-key!"

"Don't worry, I'm just fantasizing." Li Shumin suddenly leaned in, looking lecherous: "Lingling, tell the truth, you two went out for a drive for over an hour tonight, did really nothing happen?"

"Nothing!" Yao Lingling shook her head seriously.

Li Shumin sighed with regret: "Sigh, I wanted to ask you what it felt like to have intimate contact with a male god like Senior Tang Song, what a pity."

"Anyway, I've been busy all day, I'm so tired, I'm going to go lie on the bed for a while." Yao Lingling said, and quickly ducked into the bedroom.

She closed the door and dropped her bag casually.

Yao Lingling collapsed directly onto the bed, twisting her body with her eyes closed, her mind full of yellow thoughts.

She let her mind wander like that for a while.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—" The phone on the bedside table began to vibrate.

Yao Lingling quickly sat up, picked up the phone and glanced at it, the smile on her face gradually fading.

【Xiao Mingxuan】

After hesitating for a moment, she answered the call.

Soon, Xiao Mingxuan's low, hoarse voice came through the receiver: "Hello, Lingling."

Yao Lingling quickly said: "Xiao Zong, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Xiao Mingxuan's voice paused. "I'm sorry, about today's matter... it was all because of me."

Yao Lingling said in a light tone: "Oh, it's fine, it's fine, wasn't it all just a misunderstanding? It's already in the past. Let's prepare with peace of mind for the big event next Wednesday, I look forward to our Qimeng spreading its wings!"

Through the receiver came Xiao Mingxuan's somewhat rapid breathing.

Yao Lingling asked with concern: "Hello? Xiao Zong? Are you alright?"

After waiting for a while, Xiao Mingxuan's voice came through the receiver again: "Thank you, Lingling, you are a very good girl, especially your personality. Every time I interact and chat with you, I can gain full emotional value, I..."

Sensing the meaning in Xiao Mingxuan's words, Yao Lingling interrupted with a giggle: "Wow, I didn't expect I was so excellent in Xiao Zong's eyes! Thank you for the praise, leader, I will continue to work hard in the future!"

Xiao Mingxuan was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Alright, as long as you're fine, bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Yao Lingling let out a long breath.

She truly treated Xiao Mingxuan as a friend.

And she could tell that the other party had his own hidden difficulties.

So even though Wen Qiuyue had gone too far today, she wouldn't hold a grudge against Xiao Mingxuan.

She lay on the bed and spaced out for a while.

The phone screen lit up again.

【Tang Song: "I'm home, goodnight, sleep early."】

After quickly replying to the message, Yao Lingling jumped off the bed, tied her hair into a neat ponytail, and walked with long strides toward the bathroom.

She had an open-minded and cheerful personality by nature; she didn't take many things to heart and always looked at the future in a positive light.

Now what she needed to do was work hard to improve herself and strive to become a well-known fashion designer as soon as possible!

Hmm, and by the way, build up her gluteus maximus!

September 11, 2023, Monday, overcast, 21~28°C.

Huashang Apparel headquarters office building, 8th floor, Chairman's office.

He Zhihui leaned lazily on the sofa, spinning his phone on his fingertips. "Dad, President Lin talked with me for a long time last night. He hopes to push for cross-shareholding between Yingqu Media and Huashang Apparel."

"That's impossible." He Jingping took a small sip of tea and shook his head. "Let's talk about this issue after the joint venture has some performance. Are their conditions still the same?"

"Yes." He Zhihui spread his hands. "Their bottom line is a 51% stake; they must control the joint venture, but they are willing to let me serve as CEO. Traffic is king now; our supply chain and equipment don't stand out in their eyes, and the production lines in the south aren't bad either."

He Jingping put down his teacup, his brow slightly furrowed, and fell into deep thought.

He Zhihui leaned forward. "Dad, are you worried about Tang Song?"

"Yes." He Jingping nodded. "I've had people contact him several times these past few days, but the replies I've received have been very perfunctory."

"Heh, he really thinks highly of himself!" He Zhihui crossed his legs and sneered. "He rejected our cooperation and still wants to choke us. At least at Huashang Apparel, he can't stir up any waves."

He Jingping pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Let's wait and see for now, harmony is precious."

Tang Song held a 35% stake and possessed two board seats, holding veto power over major matters.

He didn't want to make things too ugly with the other party.

If it really came to it, they could avoid it by not involving core businesses or assets in the early stages of the joint venture, but that would slow down the development of the joint venture company.

Just at this moment.

"Knock, knock, knock—" A knock on the door sounded.

He Jingping said in a loud voice: "Please come in."

Immediately after, company President Wu Wei walked in quickly.

"President Wu!" He Zhihui stood up to greet him warmly.

Wu Wei nodded in acknowledgement, sat down beside He Jingping, his expression serious: "Chairman He, Chairman Tang just sent 6 people to the company, requesting to audit the financial data and asking us to cooperate."

"Oh?" He Jingping's brow furrowed slightly. "What does he mean? Does he think the company has harmed his shareholder interests? He wants to come and audit the accounts?"

Wu Wei shook his head: "Among them is Lawyer Zhao Xingzhi from the Quanjing Law Firm; I am familiar with him. According to him, Chairman Tang just wants to understand the company more deeply."

He Zhihui complained in a low voice: "This is a critical moment for our Huashang Apparel; auditing the accounts with such fanfare will only slow down the company's operational efficiency, and if it gets out, it will also affect our market image!"

"There's no way around it, we cannot refuse." Wu Wei said sternly: "As a shareholder and director, Chairman Tang enjoys the right to know."

He Jingping tapped the armrest of the sofa and said in a low voice: "Then notify the finance department to cooperate with the investigation, and have Director Li follow up personally."

"Understood, Chairman He, don't worry, I will arrange it properly." Wu Wei nodded and stood up to leave.

As the office door closed again.

He Zhihui couldn't help but mutter a few curses.

His impression of Tang Song was extremely poor; besides Lin Mu Xue, it was mainly because the last time they met, Tang Song was extremely disrespectful to him, and even didn't put him in his eyes at all.

Now was the critical period for him to take over Huashang Apparel, and he was thinking of making achievements with the joint venture.

Tang Song, who was blocking his progress, had undoubtedly become an "enemy" in his eyes.

"Dad, do you think he wants to find something out so he can take the opportunity to make things difficult for us and demand that we give the production lines to Songmei Apparel?"

"Then let him audit slowly, our financial data is fine." He Jingping waved his hand. "Alright, stop standing there like a fool, go and follow up to receive the people Tang Song sent, and see what exactly they want to do."

"Alright, leave it to me!" He Zhihui responded, casually picked up the cigarette his father had left on the coffee table, and walked out of the office with long strides.

4:00 PM.

Yan Province Financial Center, 50th floor.

In the conference room.

"Chairman Tang, we have conducted a preliminary analysis of Huashang's financial statements for the past 3 years..."

"We plan to use the DCF method and relative valuation method for cross-verification. The core variables of the DCF model have been determined, including revenue growth rate, net profit margin, capital expenditure, and WACC..."

Geraint (Liu Zhengping), the person in charge of the Huashang Apparel equity acquisition, stood in front of the projection screen, reporting on the progress of the project. Tang Song wore glasses, listening attentively, occasionally raising his own questions.

Although he had mastered a large amount of financial and economic knowledge during the 【Scholar Badge】 period, he only knew it; he couldn't flexibly apply it to real-world examples.

This acquisition and controlling stake was also an exercise for him.

Moreover, he trusted the professional team of Rongliu Capital very much; after all, the Tang Jin Family Office was among the shareholders.

After the meeting, which lasted nearly an hour, everyone left one after another.

Tang Song pushed open the office door and saw Assistant Lin sitting on the sofa waiting quietly at a glance.

Wearing a women's suit, she was in such an environment, and she really did have the air of a financial elite.

"Chairman Tang, you're here." Lin Mu Xue stood up quickly, a bright smile appearing on her face.

Tang Song closed the door casually, smiling and nodding slightly.

Lin Mu Xue handed over the documents in her hand. "The due diligence team has already moved into Huashang Apparel and will focus on investigating assets and liabilities; it will all be completed this week."

"Thank you for your hard work." Tang Song took the documents and sat down opposite her.

!

While breathing in the fresh, moist fragrance on the female assistant, he flipped through the materials.

In order to gain control of Huashang Apparel as quickly as possible, he had adopted a three-pronged strategy.

On one hand, in his own name, he was re-conducting due diligence on Huashang Apparel to find the best plan for diluting equity.

On the other hand, in the name of Rongliu Capital, he was contacting Dingyun Investment and Chengrong Group.

On yet another hand, in the name of Juqing Juqing Hui Jin, he was contacting 6 small shareholders to negotiate equity acquisition.

The biggest advantage of Juqing Juqing Hui Jin was its concealment; as a trust company, those small shareholders couldn't find any information about him, which could maximize the avoidance of alerting the enemy.

Once all transactions were completed, he could directly reorganize the board of directors.

Once Tang Song finished flipping through them.

Lin Mu Xue hesitated for a moment, then said in a soft voice: "Chairman Tang, He Jingping has managed Huashang Apparel for many years, and everyone from top to bottom is his direct subordinate. Even if you control the board of directors, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to truly control the company. I think we need to prepare in advance and formulate a plan for a blood transfusion."

Tang Song raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly: "Not bad, Assistant Lin, your thinking is very clear."

Lin Mu Xue smiled slightly, a flash of excitement in her eyes: "It's all thanks to Chairman Tang's good teaching."

Actually, she only half-understood most of these material organization and work arrangements.

To ensure nothing went wrong, she often asked Zhang Lili for advice.

This friend, who had once worked at a foreign investment bank, had outstanding ability and had given her a lot of help.

Tang Song smiled and pointed to the desk: "Go to the leftmost drawer of my desk and bring over the folder inside."

"Alright!" Lin Mu Xue stood up and walked toward the desk in her high heels.

Her posture was elegant, her waist swayed slightly, and paired with today's outfit, she exuded a cold yet charming temperament.

She placed the folder gently on the coffee table in front of Tang Song, then did not return to her original position, but stood quietly beside him.

Tang Song opened the folder, which contained individual resumes.

At the very top was 【Huashang Apparel Co., Ltd. - President - Wu Wei】.

Wu Wei, graduated from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management with a bachelor's degree, then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States to pursue an MBA.

After graduation, he joined McKinsey & Company, focusing on the consumer goods and retail industry, accumulating rich experience in strategic planning and operational management.

In 2014, he met He Jingping at an industry summit, then joined Huashang Apparel, initially serving as Strategy Director, leading the company's digital transformation and supply chain optimization. In 2017, he was promoted to Vice President, responsible for brand operations and marketing, and in 2022, he succeeded He Jingping as President.

Although He Jingping had stepped down as CEO, he still controlled the company's daily operations, and Wu Wei had to report many things to him.

According to internal data from Deju Renhe, Wu Wei was good at weighing pros and cons, had outstanding ability, and was ambitious in his career.

However, He Jingping was grooming his son, He Zhihui, to gradually take power, which posed a huge threat to Wu Wei's position.

At 42, he was at the peak of his career and craved a greater say and a bigger stage.

This was the biggest point of contradiction.

Besides Wu Wei, all the middle and senior management of Huashang Apparel were being targeted by De Ren's headhunting team, and they were currently conducting comprehensive background checks.

Those who should stay would stay, and those who should be replaced would be replaced directly.

"This is... President Wu's resume." Lin Mu Xue pursed her lips, surprised: "The data is so detailed, and there's even a personality analysis?"

"Hmm, the first target is him." Tang Song nodded lightly, then took a business card out of his pocket and handed it over. "Tomorrow, help me go to the airport to pick someone up and settle him into the Lanfeng International Hotel."

Lin Mu Xue responded quickly: "Alright!"

Taking the high-quality black and gold business card, Lin Mu Xue looked down to check it, her gaze dazed.

【Deju Renhe Consulting Co., Ltd., Chairman, Zheng Qiudong】

As Tang Song's assistant, and having worked at a financial company for so long, she naturally knew about Deju Renhe.

And many employees, including Zhang Lili, had been recruited by De Ren.

It was the largest human resources consulting and headhunting service company in the country, and had been selected for three consecutive years as one of "Fortune's" most valuable consulting service brands in China.

Of course, with the expansion of business in recent years, De Ren now covered the entire consulting ecosystem.

It even had a Government and Public Affairs Consulting Department, directly participating in the planning of national special economic zones.

The status and position of the chairman of such an enterprise could be imagined; he was a true social celebrity, a big shot who often appeared in various news reports.

Looking at the business card in her hand, Lin Mu Xue's heart surged, and she once again felt the glory of being Tang Song's assistant.

She must get a photo together tomorrow and share it on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Shen Yu Yan.

By then, she would definitely be able to raise her own status again.

Tang Song put down the folder and suddenly asked: "By the way, Assistant Lin, do you have Liu Liu Jia Yi's phone number?"

Lin Mu Xue quickly collected her thoughts and said in a soft voice: "I do, I specifically asked Liu Jia Yi for her contact information before."

"That's good, have her drive to accompany you to pick up Zheng Qiudong tomorrow."

"Ah?" Lin Mu Xue was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, thank you, Chairman Tang!"

Yay! (^. ^)yya!!

In tomorrow's photo post, she could unobtrusively add the Rolls-Royce Phantom, raising her status another level!

Hahaha.

Thinking of this, Lin Mu Xue's emotions ran high, and a faint blush appeared on her face.

Noticing her abnormality, Tang Song raised his eyebrows, reached out to wrap his arm around her waist, and used a little force.

Lin Mu Xue's body trembled, and she sat down accordingly.

Immediately after, her lips were blocked, and her clothes began to become messy.

Situated nearly 200 meters in the air, outside the window was the prosperous city scenery.

Tang Song, while feeling Lin Mu Xue's compliance, was thinking about the overall plan for Huashang Apparel.

To ensure the plan was foolproof, he specifically shook Zheng Qiudong over.

By the way, he would also meet this "close friend in the game" of his.

Imperial Capital, Smile Holdings headquarters.

In the busy office area, the sound of keyboard typing and telephone ringing intertwined.

Crisp and rhythmic footsteps approached from far to near.

Everyone stopped their work one after another and took the initiative to greet her.

Shangguan Qiuya had a shallow smile with affinity on her face, her gait light, walking straight toward a corner of the office area.

Sensing the movement, Xiao Jing, who was slacking off and surfing the group chat, quickly raised her head and said with a smile: "Assistant Shangguan! Good afternoon!"

Shangguan Qiuya nodded lightly, her tone gentle: "Xiao Jing, come with me to the small conference room."

"Alright." Xiao Jing quickly stood up and followed quickly.

The two walked one after another into the temporary conference room on the edge of the office area.

The room was not big, but the layout was simple and bright, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the prosperous street scene of the Imperial Capital.

Shangguan Qiuya signaled for Xiao Jing to sit down, while she sat down elegantly opposite her.

Xiao Jing blinked and said sweetly: "Sister Shangguan, your outfit today is really beautiful, and your makeup is also very nice, you are simply the model of a workplace goddess!"

"Thank you." Shangguan Qiuya smiled, looking at her with bright eyes. "Xiao Jing, your group training is over, congratulations, your performance was very outstanding."

"Ah!" Xiao Jing stood up immediately, bowing sincerely to thank her. "Thank you, sister! Really thank you very much for your help and guidance all along! Not only in work, but you also gave me a lot of help in life! I really don't know how to express my gratitude!"

"No need to be so polite, sit down."

"Sister, I bought you a gift, but I didn't bring it today. How about we have a meal together after work, and then go to where I live to get it?"

"Alright, then thank you, little sister Xiao Jing."

Shangguan Qiuya looked at her with a smile, keenly capturing the change in the other party's form of address—from "Assistant Shangguan" to "Sister."

This little sister was indeed clever.

Even if she had no ambition in her career, she could still make the most appropriate choice at a critical moment.

Having left Smile Holdings, the two essentially had no superior-subordinate colleague relationship.

Calling her "Sister" at this time clearly meant she wanted to take their relationship a step further.

The two chatted for a while longer, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.

Halfway through the chat, Shangguan Qiuya suddenly said: "By the way, I'm going to Yancheng on a business trip for a period of time tomorrow. When you go home in two days, we can get together in Yancheng."

"Really? That's great!" Xiao Jing's eyes curved. "I'll treat you well when the time comes, sister. By the way, is your accommodation arranged?"

"Hmm, I'll be staying at the Lanfeng International Hotel."

"Oh, oh, that's great, my home is very close to there, I'll go find you to play, sister!"

"Hehe, alright." Shangguan Qiuya looked into her eyes, her tone serious. "There is one more thing, tomorrow morning, Director Jin will meet with you few people, I specifically recommended you to her, I hope you perform well."

"Hiss—" Xiao Jing took a deep breath, bright brilliance erupting in her eyes.

As a veteran two-dimensional fan, she worshipped Jin Meixiao, who was as illusory as an anime heroine, very much.

In her heart, Jin Meixiao was like the "Empress Boa Hancock" in anime, powerful, elegant, and impeccable.

Coming to the Imperial Capital for training this time, her biggest wish was to see this "Empress" of the business field with her own eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 445 =====