Chapter 842

Time is like a mischievous kid wearing open-crotch pants, not caring whether it'll tug at the eggs, running off every day, impossible to catch.

In the blink of an eye half a month passed, and the preliminary re-examination results of the Audit Bureau have come out.

The waters of Wuzhou are now boiling hotter and hotter; whether officials or businesspeople, everyone can feel its anger. Boiling water bubbles, and in a split second it could boil someone to death.

This morning at nine o'clock, the conference room of Mortal Group headquarters.

Ye Jiaying sat at the head of the oval conference table, wearing a dark gray suit, her hair neatly coiled at the back, as always elegant in demeanor.

Before her lay a thick acquisition agreement; beside her sat Mortal Group's legal counsel and financial team, plus the mergers-and-acquisitions expert summoned from Jingcheng.

Opposite the long table sat the negotiation representatives of Zhao Group.

A fifty-something manager with thinning hair, surnamed Liu, accompanied by Zhao Group's legal personnel.

Zhao Tianyu did not come today, reportedly due to "indisposition".

This "acquisition" drama pushed forward by Lin Dongfan ultimately entered its final stage—signing—under circumstances where no one could stop it.

"Manager Liu."

Ye Jiaying's voice was not loud, but each word was nailed to the tabletop like a nail, with no intention of yielding.

She emphasized solemnly:

This agreement, Mortal Group has already made the maximum concession. All seven ongoing projects of Zhao Group have been halted, total debt reaches 18.3 billion, assets frozen, audit uncovered numerous problems.

Under these circumstances,

Mortal Group is willing to assume all debts and inject three billion as restart funds; for you this is already the utmost benevolence and righteousness.

These words made Manager Liu quite displeased.

He thought, "What benevolence and righteousness in this world? It's outright extermination! As the saying goes, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; Zhao Group's real estate sits there. You're trying to buy Zhao Group with scrap-metal money—this shady move could be called robbery! Brazenly looting under a legal façade…"

At this moment Manager Liu really wanted to curse, but dared not.

As the saying goes, "When you're under someone else's roof, you must lower your head."

Now even Zhao Tianyu is hiding, not showing his face; I, Liu, am just a worker, what's there to contend over? Offending the government and offending the nation's richest woman for a pittance of salary isn't worth it.

But to show I am also a conscientious negotiator,

Manager Liu still gritted his teeth and raised an objection: "Ye General Manager, this price… is indeed low. Zhao General Manager means, could we perhaps…"

"No."

Ye Jiaying directly cut off Manager Liu's words.

She spoke without reservation: "This is the final quotation. Manager Liu, you are also a sensible person. You know Zhao Group's situation better than I do. If we don't sign the agreement today, tomorrow the banks will initiate bankruptcy liquidation proceedings. By then, Zhao General Manager won't even be able to cash out and leave, maybe not even keep enough for a plane ticket."

As soon as she finished speaking, the conference room fell into dead silence.

Manager Liu glanced at the legal staffer beside him; the staffer kept his head down, not daring to meet the gaze of the opposite legal team, obviously also accepting this harsh reality.

Helpless, Manager Liu let out a quiet sigh: "Fine, if I don't sign today, it would show I, Liu, don't understand things…"

Manager Liu picked up the pen.

The pen tip moved across the paper without a hint of hesitation, two swift strokes, the characters flowing, quickly signing his name on the agent's line, without a shred of doubt.

Then he affixed the company seal in one smooth motion.

Ye Jiaying looked at the signed agreement, the corner of her mouth finally curling into a relieved smile, thinking she had finally fulfilled her duty and completed the task entrusted by Dongfan smoothly.

She stood up, politely extending her right hand: "Manager Liu, pleasant cooperation."

"You're welcome."

Manager Liu wore a smile, though it was somewhat bitter.

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Mayor's office.

Lin Dongfan was reading an economic data bulletin issued by the province when Secretary Xiao Chen knocked and entered: "Mayor Lin, Ms. Ye is here."

"Let her in."

Ye Jiaying pushed the door open and entered.

She placed the acquisition agreement in front of Lin Dongfan: "From today on, Zhao Group officially becomes a subsidiary of Mortal Group. The debt package has been taken over, and the first tranche of three billion funds will arrive next week."

Lin Dongfan flipped open the agreement, quickly scanning the key clauses.

Upon seeing the two signatures on the last page, he looked up at Ye Jiaying: "Zhao Tianyu didn't come in person to sign?"

"No."

Ye Jiaying sat down opposite, smiling lightly: "He authorized Manager Liu to sign the agreement while he stays out of sight. However, this seal is genuine, and the agreement has legal effect."

"He's clever." Lin Dongfan closed the agreement: "Knowing that showing up would get him controlled."

Ye Jiaying said: "By the way, as you requested, the first thing after the acquisition is internal audit and compliance check. Mortal Group's audit team has already entered the site, fully cooperating with the work of Xu Seyuan over there."

Lin Dongfan nodded: "Action must be swift; Zhao Tianyu could flee at any moment."

"He can't run."

Ye Jiaying took out a document from her bag.

She added: "This is partial internal material from Zhao Group over the past five years; there are things inside that might keep you awake after reading."

Lin Dongfan received the document.

Upon opening the first page, his gaze sank.

This is not an ordinary ledger, but Zhao Group's bribery records.

Time, place, amount, recipient… clear as day, unambiguous. From lowly urban management captains to Bureau-level leaders, the list is astonishingly long.

Even more shocking are the following pages.

Private settlement agreements for violent demolitions causing injury, hush money for families of "accidental" deaths at construction sites, plus several blurred but discernible transcripts of audio recordings involving a murder case from years ago.

"Where did you get this material?" Lin Dongfan stared at Ye Jiaying in disbelief.

Ye Jiaying smiled:

Zhao Tianyu thought he was clever, believing he could destroy all evidence, but he forgot that Shen Mingyang, that old fox, had already kept a backup.

Before Shen Mingyang jumped to his death, he made a backup of these materials and sent them to a friend via email.

He also instructed the friend that if he were harmed, the friend should make the materials public.

That friend of his is also someone who profits and forgets righteousness; after Shen Mingyang's death, he did not immediately release the materials, but instead came to me to haggle, asking me to buy the materials he held with money.

Hearing Ye Jiaying say that, Lin Dongfan couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Dongfan asked: "How much money did the other side demand?"

"He demanded ten million, but I gave him one million to send him away."

Ye Jiaying felt she had also been lenient; if she had reported this to the investigation team earlier, the other party would have had to cooperate unconditionally and wouldn't have gotten any benefit at all.

"These materials, I have already made a copy and handed it over to Secretary Shi of the Discipline Inspection Commission." Ye Jiaying said: "Xu Shiyuan also got a copy on his side."

"Well done."

Lin Dongfan picked up the red telephone on the desk: "Connect me to Chief Luo of the Faction."