Chapter 2254: BYD Shares

Zhou Andong held back his laughter and blinked. It was truly unexpected that such a good-natured person like Old Wu would be reported: "Who reported you?"

Wu Hongkang shook his head helplessly: "The leaders won't tell me who reported me. However, I can probably guess about seventy or eighty percent in my heart. It's likely Vice Factory Director Jiang Jingming."

"This person has mediocre ability and no real skills, but he is particularly good at drilling and playing tricks. Especially in recent years, the higher-ups have been advocating for the rejuvenation of cadres. He is just over forty this year, so he has a slight advantage in age."

"Moreover, he has quite a few leaders supporting him behind his back, and his momentum in the Hongxing factory is unmatched for a time. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that I have worked hard in the Hongxing factory for half my life and accumulated some prestige, plus earning tens of millions of US dollars following you last year, I'm afraid I would have really been suppressed by him."

Zhou Andong finally couldn't help but laugh, teasing: "According to what you said, this guy must be impatient to sit in the chair under your butt, which is why he reported you."

"Especially since he is good at drilling and has quite a few leaders supporting him behind his back. He reported you, he must have communicated with certain leaders, preparing to take you down in one fell swoop."

Wu Hongkang took a deep breath and continued: "When we invested in the Brave to the End project, he was the first to jump out and express opposition. Later, when we invested in Chuanfu's BYD, he opposed it even more strongly, and even slammed the table with me."

Wu Hongkang grabbed the wine glass with a depressed face, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, and then said with a chill in his heart.

"I have worked diligently and dedicated half my life to the Hongxing factory. No matter what I do, I have always been objective and fair. But I never expected that in the end, I would be reported by others!"

Speaking of this, Wu Hongkang sighed heavily again and continued: "Moreover, just before the New Year, I had already been reported once. The report letter was delivered directly to the hands of Factory Director Qin of the Light Industry Bureau. Fortunately, Factory Director Qin knows my character well, so he suppressed the matter."

"However, just after the New Year, several leaders in the Light Industry Bureau received report letters about me one after another. Faced with this situation, even if Factory Director Qin wanted to help me suppress this matter, he was powerless. So, yesterday afternoon, he called me to the office and asked about the situation in detail."

Zhou Andong smiled and said: "Fortunately, the top leader is on your side, otherwise you probably wouldn't have been able to get over this hurdle this time."

Hearing this, Wu Hongkang nodded repeatedly with a bitter face, couldn't help but sigh again: "Isn't that so? Brave to the End sales are not ideal, and BYD's batteries are still losing money, which is why the report letters say—I am engaging in a one-man show and have an overbearing style."

"They also say I am fond of grandeur and make blind investments. They even accuse me of being too willful and reckless in using power, not being democratic at all. Especially in some major investment projects, I neither seriously do market research nor carefully evaluate the risks involved, but make decisions at will, making random investments, which resulted in serious damage to the factory's interests."

Zhou Andong asked curiously: "What did the leader say?"

Wu Hongkang smiled bitterly and helplessly: "Some time ago, didn't I buy the shares of Brave to the End? As a result, the leader misunderstood."

"He thought that I realized myself that this investment was a failure and caused losses to the state, so I paid out of my own pocket to buy the shares to make up for the losses the state might suffer."

"This is a very beautiful misunderstanding," the expression on Zhou Andong's face became very strange. He blinked and said with a smile: "Did the leader also want you to buy BYD's shares, so that you could completely shut everyone's mouth?"

"There is indeed such an intention," Wu Hongkang nodded slightly after a moment of silence: "Now there are quite a few people in the Light Industry Bureau proposing to set up a special investigation team to launch an investigation into me regarding this matter."

Wu Hongkang sat up straight, rubbed his temples, and continued to narrate: "For the time being, Factory Director Qin has suppressed this matter, but he also clearly stated that there is no way to suppress it for a long time."

"So, he asked me to quickly find a way to properly handle the BYD shares held by the Hongxing factory. Only by doing this can the trouble in front of me be solved."

Zhou Andong reached out leisurely to pick up the cigarette case on the coffee table, pulled one out gently, lit it skillfully, and after taking a deep puff, the smoke was slowly exhaled from his mouth.

Immediately after, he threw another cigarette toward Wu Hongkang, who was sitting opposite him: "You said you wanted to pick my brain. Tell me, what do you want to learn? I will definitely tell you everything I know."

Wu Hongkang caught the thrown cigarette but didn't light it immediately. Instead, he was silent for a moment, then stared straight at Zhou Andong and asked seriously.

"Regarding the development prospects of BYD batteries, how much confidence do you have?"

Zhou Andong smiled, leaned back slightly, leaned against the back of the sofa, placed his hands casually on the armrests, and said unhurriedly.

"Didn't the leader ask you to properly handle the BYD shares held by the Hongxing factory? Since that's the case, let me take over."

Wu Hongkang was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then reacted, and a smile instantly bloomed on his face: "I understand. Tomorrow I will go to the Overseas Trust Bank for a loan and buy all the BYD battery shares."

Zhou Andong sat up straight, leaned forward, and said with a very serious expression: "Old Wu, do you trust me that much? What if I misjudged, and BYD battery's development is not satisfactory? What will you do if you lose everything, go bankrupt, and are left with a pile of debts?"

"I'm not afraid!" At this moment, Wu Hongkang's tense expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face: "As the saying goes, 'Wealth and honor are sought in danger'."

"As a man, if you don't even have that little bit of adventurous spirit, wouldn't this long life be too plain and boring? What is the meaning of living this life?"

Zhou Andong took a deep puff of his cigarette and exhaled a string of smoke rings: "Old Wu, don't forget, there is a second half to 'Wealth and honor are sought in danger'—'and also lost in danger'. One in ten succeeds in seeking wealth, but nine in ten lose it when failing."

"Only one or two in ten can truly succeed in seeking wealth, but once they fail, they lose eight or nine out of ten. So, I think it's better for you not to take such a big risk."

"It's better to sell the BYD shares held by the Hongxing factory to me. In this way, it can not only help you successfully get through the current difficulties but also help you avoid various potential risks you might encounter in the future."

Faced with Zhou Andong's 'earnest' persuasion, Wu Hongkang shook his head like a rattle, and responded decisively: "No, the more you persuade me like this, the more I feel that I must take these shares myself!"

Zhou Andong said slowly: "Why are you so stubborn? I've said all the good and bad things to you, why can't you listen? Since you are so unwilling to listen to advice, if there is a loss in the future, don't blame me for not reminding you."

Wu Hongkang chuckled: "The BYD shares you hold are more than mine. If there really is a day when there is a loss, you will definitely be the one who loses the most. Compared to that, mine is nothing. So I will definitely be very balanced in my heart and will never blame you, don't worry."

Zhou Andong sighed heavily: "Sigh, Old Wu, Old Wu, look at what you've become. You weren't like this before. You must have been corrupted by that Zhang Shenghui."

"The ancients said 'Near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black'. This sentence is really not false at all. From now on, stay away from him, don't always get close to him, you won't learn anything good from him."

Wu Hongkang's mouth twitched fiercely, and he immediately changed the subject: "Don't you want to know about the recording of today's disaster relief gala?"

Zhou Andong glanced at him nonchalantly, skillfully held the cigarette in one hand and took a puff, picked up the wine glass with the other hand and took a small sip, and then answered slowly.

"What's there to ask? A gala held by CCTV, it's impossible for anything to go wrong, not to mention it's recorded."

Wu Hongkang sneered: "CCTV's gala definitely won't have any mistakes, but some people just want to make trouble."

Zhou Andong raised an eyebrow: "Who wants to make trouble?"

"The Red Cross Society!" Wu Hongkang took two fierce puffs of his cigarette: "We donated a portion of the charitable funds to the China Charity Federation, which was just established by the Ministry of Civil Affairs not long ago, and another portion was donated to the Yugong Group Charity Foundation."

"Just before the gala recording, a person in charge of the Red Cross named Jia Mingdang ran directly to CCTV, saying that the Yugong Group's Charity Foundation was illegal, claiming that donating money to the Yugong Group's Charity Foundation was also non-compliant, and insisted that we take the money back and transfer it to their Red Cross!"

Zhou Andong couldn't help but laugh: "This guy is really a talent. Our Yugong Group's Charity Foundation is properly registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. How did it become illegal in his mouth?"

Wu Hongkang's tone was full of sarcasm: "Isn't that so? At that time, I also asked him, clearly telling him that the Yugong Group's Charity Foundation is properly registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so how is it illegal?"

"As a result, that guy didn't answer my question directly at all, but only kept emphasizing that the Yugong Group's Charity Foundation's operations are not transparent, including not publishing annual reports, audit reports, and project progress reports, etc."

Zhou Andong asked curiously: "How did you answer?"

Wu Hongkang was startled for a moment, then spread his hands helplessly and answered with a bitter smile: "What he said was all true. Faced with such a situation, how could I answer?"

Wu Hongkang took a puff of his cigarette and continued: "I had no other choice but to tell him firmly that our enterprise's donations are donated to whoever we want, and naturally it's up to us to decide."

Zhou Andong couldn't help but smack his lips and said gloatingly: "If it were a private enterprise, saying that would naturally be no problem. But you are the factory director of Hongxing Winery. I'm afraid you're in big trouble. Maybe there will be another person reporting you."

However, Wu Hongkang seemed indifferent to this. He straightened his back and retorted righteously: "Hmph, I have always acted openly and honestly, with a clear conscience. Could I be afraid of other people's reports?"

Wu Hongkang pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and then drank two more sips of wine: "I walk straight and sit upright, so why would I care about being reported? Besides, 'lice don't bite when there are many', even if someone really wants to report, let them go."

Zhou Andong stared at Wu Hongkang and reminded him earnestly: "You don't know, if a charitable institution established by an enterprise itself does not receive funds from the public, there is no need to disclose financial status and relevant audit information to the outside world."

"Ah?" After hearing this, Wu Hongkang was stunned for a moment. He widened his eyes, opened his mouth slightly, and said: "Yugong Group never accepts funds from the public, so there is no need to publish operating conditions."

Zhou Andong couldn't help but roll his eyes and said helplessly: "Previously, Yugong Group never accepted funds from the public, so there was no need to publish operating conditions."

Wu Hongkang suddenly felt his face heat up, and at the same time showed a rather embarrassed smile, saying sheepishly: "I really didn't know before that there was such a rule, otherwise how could I have let that guy be so arrogant!"

"What do you want me to say about you?" Zhou Andong scolded Wu Hongkang: "What do you want me to say about you? You don't even know such a basic thing, and you still have the nerve to stubbornly hold onto the position of factory director and refuse to let go."

"In my opinion, you might as well resign actively and quickly vacate the chair of the factory director under your butt. It would be just right to hand it over to Jia Mingdang to sit!"

Wu Hongkang curled his lips: "It's not that I look down on Jiang Jingming, but he can't sit in the chair of the Hongxing factory director. If one day he really sits in the factory director's chair, the fate of the winery and thousands of employees will be doomed. Within five years, the winery will definitely be ruined by him."

Zhou Andong didn't know Jiang Jingming and didn't understand this person, but he still trusted Wu Hongkang's judgment of people. He said this Jiang Jingming wouldn't do, so it was probably close to the truth.

The two were drinking and chatting. At the same time, in a coffee shop in Japan, Yuan Wanqi was stirring the coffee in her cup with a spoon.

"When are you going back to Xiangjiang?"

Zhang Xuan sat opposite and answered softly: "Signing tomorrow, back to Xiangjiang the day after tomorrow. The flight tickets are already booked."

"Your negotiations here are too fast," Yuan Wanqi shook her head with emotion: "I can't believe that in just over ten days, a cooperation project of several billion US dollars was negotiated."

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly: "Everyone's willingness to cooperate is relatively strong, so the negotiations became very simple."

At this time, Yuan Wanqi suddenly asked: "August 15th, what special day is it?" ===== CHAPTER 2255 =====