Chapter 596: Is This Also a Coincidence?

A flash of confusion crossed Liang Shiya's face.

Lin Sicheng was speaking Chinese; she could understand every word, but once they were put together, she found herself unable to comprehend them.

And it wasn't just her, but also Guo Yongxin and Chen Jiashan: it turned out that what Lin Sicheng wanted to earn wasn't just sixty million, but two sixty millions.

Zhang Zongxian was easier to deal with; business is business. If Lin Sicheng could truly help him save two hundred million, it was only reasonable for Lin Sicheng to earn a little.

What they couldn't figure out was: how did Lin Sicheng think of earning money from Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai?

If it weren't for Lin Sicheng stirring up trouble, that manuscript wouldn't have been bid up to the sky-high price of one hundred and sixty million. If it weren't for Lin Sicheng playing tricks, Zhang Zongxian wouldn't have breached the contract.

Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai already hated him to the bone; the two sides were more like enemies than actual enemies.

Where did Lin Sicheng get the confidence to think he could earn money from his enemies?

Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai not only couldn't figure it out, they even wanted to laugh.

They really wanted to ask Lin Sicheng: on what grounds should I pay two hundred million, and who has the ability to make me do it?

To be honest, if it weren't for the Contract and if it weren't for their concern for Zhang Zongxian's status, they would have already flicked their sleeves and left.

Breaching the contract—they were actually hoping Zhang Zongxian would breach the contract.

Thinking to himself, Li Chengkai's tone grew increasingly caustic, his face filled with heavy mockery: "General Manager Lin, are you playing the clown, or are you telling jokes to everyone?"

Lin Sicheng sighed; to be honest, he really didn't want to converse with Li Chengkai.

It wasn't out of fear of getting angry, but out of fear of lowering his own IQ.

As a senior Appraiser and auctioneer for an international auction house, why would Li Chengkai think that a pie falling from the sky would definitely land on his head?

Have you never been deceived, never seen a trap, or never witnessed the deceit and intricate scams in the antique and auction world?

Lin Sicheng dared to say that there was no other industry with more scams and tricks than the antique trade.

Of course, it wasn't just Li Chengkai, but also Zhou Zhilin, as well as He Jian. These two were relatively subtle; they weren't as arrogant or as rampant as him.

But the three of them had the same perception.

Lin Sicheng could only attribute this to the fact that these three were overly confident in their own judgment and overly trusting of those funds and art investment institutions.

He sighed: "Master Zhou, today is the fifth day since the auction ended; logically speaking, the funds should have arrived long ago!"

"For example, the Tong Chi Fund's domestic account could pay directly into Bonhams' domestic account. It's only over a hundred million; at the fastest, it would take half a day, and at the absolute slowest, two days. But now, it is already the fifth day—"

Lin Sicheng smiled, "Master Zhou, don't tell me the Tong Chi Fund doesn't have a domestic account?"

Zhou Zhilin was stunned for a moment: of course they did.

Not only did they have one, they had many: they had offices in at least Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and were registered with fund licenses.

Their main function was domestic and foreign exchange: promoting their funds to mainland clients and converting them into Hong Kong dollars at the current exchange rate for purchases.

Whether it was dividends or trading, everything was calculated in Hong Kong dollars; exchange was just one of the basic functions. He wouldn't dare say too much, but exchanging hundreds of millions or over a billion in a single day was not a problem.

But the Tong Chi Fund hadn't reminded them, and Zhou Zhilin hadn't thought of it.

Li Chengkai had thought of it, but he didn't really want the settlement procedures to be handled too quickly—

"Of course, it might also be out of consideration for the client, wanting to save you some handling fees, which is why they didn't remind you—but they must have reminded you:

If the seller and the auction house are pressing hard, you can find someone to pay on your behalf first. Then, once the funds are remitted domestically, they can repay the lender with both principal and interest—"

When he reached the first half, a few low laughs broke out in the room.

Fund institutions exist to make money, earning their keep through client handling fees and interest, so the logic didn't hold up.

Hearing the second half, everyone paused again: let Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai find someone to pay on their behalf?

Both of them were from Hong Kong; who could they find to pay on their behalf?

The key was that the amount was as high as one hundred and sixty million; how close would a relationship have to be to lend them one hundred and sixty million in one go?

Everyone looked at Zhou Zhilin, and Zhou Zhilin instinctively looked away.

Zhang Yuanfan had a flash of insight: "Does the Tong Chi Fund want my grandfather to pay on their behalf?"

The others suddenly realized: if Zhang Zongxian paid on their behalf, then it made sense.

From the perspective of Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai, they were entrusted by Zhang Zongxian to bid; it didn't make much difference whether they paid or Zhang Zongxian paid.

From Zhang Zongxian's perspective, it wasn't impossible to be flexible. But there was a prerequisite: that the manuscript was indeed Zhu Xi's Authentic Handwriting.

But why hadn't Zhou Zhilin mentioned it?

Because they were waiting for that sliver of hope: would Zhang Zongxian use the fact that they bid one million over the reserve price as a reason to breach the contract?

The possibility was indeed small, but what if?

Therefore, even though he knew the Tong Chi Fund had a domestic account, Li Chengkai chose to remain silent.

Therefore, as the final settlement date set by the auction house drew closer, and even though the Tong Chi Fund provided a compromise, Zhou Zhilin did not seek help from Zhang Zongxian.

This was normal business thinking; Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai were not afraid of Zhang Zongxian knowing.

Judge by actions, not by intent; they were just hoping, it didn't even count as thinking.

Only Guo Yongxin felt that something was increasingly wrong. Because among these people, she was the most professional and the most sensitive:

The reason the Tong Chi Fund guaranteed Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai was, first, to earn interest, and second, to use the "Zhu Zi Manuscript"

to expand their influence in the collecting and art finance circles.

Therefore, their suggestion that Zhou Zhilin seek help from Zhang Zongxian made no sense logically: not only did they earn much less interest, but it also caused a very bad impact.

It's only over a hundred million, and you're having such a hard time transferring it; if there were more rare collectibles with higher auction prices in the future, who would dare to cooperate with you?

When things happen contrary to the norm, there must be a demon.

She frowned, preparing to ask Lin Sicheng or Zhou Zhilin. But just as she raised her hand, Chen Jiashan pressed it down.

Chen Jiashan was not Li Keliang Shiya, who ignored the world outside and only studied technology. Although she was not as professional as Guo Yongxin, a Lawyer needs to understand human nature before they can talk about the law.

Although Zhang Zongxian hadn't said it explicitly, he was clearly already considering breaching the contract; otherwise, he wouldn't have listened to Lin Sicheng's nonsense for so long.

At this moment, no matter what Guo Yongxin had thought of or wanted to say, it was all helping Lin Sicheng.

Whether Zhou Zhilin's money could be earned was still hard to say. But as long as Lin Sicheng earned Zhang Zongxian's sixty million, it would be equivalent to solving half of the entry funds.

To help Lin Sicheng is to make things difficult for oneself—

Guo Yongxin realized it belatedly and secretly thought, "That was close." But just as she lowered her hand, Lin Sicheng said it for her: "Is Director Guo wondering why Tong Chi Fund isn't earning interest when it has the chance?"

Guo Yongxin denied it flatly: "I am not!"

But the denial came too late.

Everyone was stunned: Is there really such a good financial institution that would rather forgo business and interest just to consider the client's needs so intimately?

Zhang Zongxian frowned: "Lin Sicheng, why?"

"Because Tong Chi Fund never intended to pay this money from the very beginning. Their ultimate goal is to force Master Zhou to seek help from Mr. Zhang. To put it bluntly, they want you, Mr. Zhang, to pay this money—"

"General Manager Lin, what nonsense are you spouting?" Li Chengkai shook his head decisively, "Do you think the Technology Authorization Agreement is just for show?"

"The Technology Authorization Agreement is indeed not for show, but there are force majeure factors: for example, non-compliant filings, failure to register, or approval not being granted—"

Lin Sicheng paused: "Manager Li, you have presided over auctions; have you looked into what procedures are required for cross-border remittances for artwork transactions?"

Li Chengkai was stunned: He is an Appraiser and an auctioneer, but not a financial expert; why would he manage such things?

Besides, most of the auctions he presides over are in Hong Kong, followed by Singapore. Both places are free ports where financial policies are as loose as can be, unlike the Mainland: there are many procedures, and even more documentation is required.

"General Manager Lin, get to the point!"

"Fine! When a client initiates a remittance from an overseas bank, they must provide transaction background materials such as the Contract, invoices, and transaction confirmation to domestic monitoring agencies—the rest is easy to handle, but what about the invoice?"

Lin Sicheng stared at Li Chengkai, "If you don't make the payment, there is no real transaction flow. Without flow, there is no tax payment certificate. Without a tax payment certificate, how can the auction house issue you an invoice?"

"Strictly speaking, if you cannot issue an invoice, causing Tong Chi Fund to be unable to remit the funds, that is your responsibility. According to the Technology Authorization Agreement, Tong Chi Fund doesn't have to pay a single cent, but they will still collect interest, and might even claim liquidated damages from you—"

Zhou Zhilin was stunned: "The Technology Authorization Agreement didn't say anything about needing an invoice?"

"Since they were already planning to scam you, why would they write it in such detail? Master Zhou, open it and look; is there a sentence in there like this: 'Must comply with local laws and financial regulations; Party B must provide Party A with relevant vouchers required by regulatory agencies'—what are relevant vouchers? Invoices are—"

Lin Sicheng sighed, "But it's already been five days; has Tong Chi Fund ever asked you for any procedures? No, they haven't even sent a reminder—"

Zhou Zhilin shook his head violently: "Impossible?"

"You'll know once you try! Master Zhou, make two phone calls first—"

Lin Sicheng held up his fingers, "First, call the fund and say that Mr. Zhang has already arrived in Beijing, requesting settlement, and requiring the fund to fulfill the Technology Authorization Agreement and remit the funds as soon as possible.

If nothing goes wrong, they will tell you that they are processing it. If you press them further: about how long it will take. They should tell you: not entirely sure, but it basically won't delay the auction house's final deadline—"

"Then, ask them which bank they applied to. But I think they definitely won't say—"

"Second, call again after ten minutes: tell Tong Chi that you have sought help from Mr. Zhang, and Mr. Zhang has agreed to pay on your behalf through a domestic account, but he requires Tong Chi Fund to first transfer the equivalent value in Hong Kong dollars to Mr. Zhang's Hong Kong account—"

Zhou Zhilin was stunned and exchanged glances with Li Chengkai.

Lin Sicheng didn't explain it that clearly, but they could understand: the point lies in the second phone call.

Zhang Zongxian is willing to bridge the loan, which is doing Tong Chi a favor. The key is that Tong Chi is a Hong Kong fund and Zhang Zongxian is a Hong Konger; there are no procedural obstacles, so Tong Chi has no reason to refuse.

But what if Tong Chi refuses, or makes excuses to shirk responsibility?

Seeing Zhang Zongxian unmoved, Li Chengkai gritted his teeth: "Mr. Zhou, call!"

Setting aside character, Li Chengkai's personality is more decisive: since Zhang Zongxian trusts Lin Sicheng more, let him see if what the person he trusts says is bullshit.

Not knowing if it was because of Lin Sicheng's influence, Zhou Zhilin always felt a bit uneasy.

Therefore, this call really had to be made.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed on the spot.

Everyone held their breath.

It rang twice, the call connected, and a woman's sweet voice came through: "General Manager Zhou, hello!"

Zhou Zhilin was straightforward: "Manager Li, Mr. Zhang attaches great importance to the auction items and has already arrived in Beijing. Mr. Zhang's intention is, can we settle as soon as possible?"

The rest didn't need to be mentioned; the fund manager could understand: pay the money quickly.

"General Manager Zhou, let me report the latest progress to you: the procedures on the Hong Kong side are already complete, it's mainly the Mainland side: the requirements are too strict and there are too many processes; we are handling it at the fastest speed—"

"How much longer?"

"It's hard to determine an exact time, but General Manager Zhou, rest assured: it shouldn't exceed the auction house's final deadline. If it is overdue and causes you losses, we will bear it entirely—of course, when necessary, we will also need your cooperation—"

"Of course, no problem! Manager Li, tell me which Mainland bank it is; I'll see if I can ask Mr. Zhang to help facilitate it—"

"Oh, General Manager Zhou, the company has regulations; this cannot be disclosed to the client—"

After explaining, the other side hung up the phone. Zhou Zhilin's heart sank: it was exactly the same as what Lin Sicheng said?

Seeing his expression, Li Chengkai lowered his voice: "All banks and funds use the same set of training materials and the same set of scripts; it's just a coincidence!"

Zhou Zhilin didn't speak: he also hoped it was a coincidence.

No one spoke, and time passed second by second.

After about ten minutes, Zhou Zhilin dialed again: "Manager Li, we discussed the general situation, and Mr. Zhang agreed to help: he can pay on our behalf. The method is very simple: according to the real-time exchange rate, your company first transfers the equivalent value in Hong Kong dollars of 161 million RMB to Mr. Zhang's Hong Kong account. Once the funds arrive, Mr. Zhang will transfer it to the auction house through his Mainland account—"

Obviously, the other side was very surprised and paused for a long time.

"General Manager Zhou, please wait a moment; I need to ask for instructions—"

As the voice faded, a busy signal came from the phone. But it didn't take long, about three minutes, and the call was returned: "General Manager Zhou, hello. Finance replied: because it involves a three-party transaction and one of the parties is in the Mainland, this will trigger risk control and bring risks to our company and Mr. Zhang. So the suggestion here is: Mr. Zhang pays first, and then our company will remit it to Mr. Zhang's Mainland account through a Mainland bank—"

In an instant, Zhou Zhilin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: remitting to Zhang Zongxian versus remitting to him, what's the difference? Doesn't it still have to go through those procedures? Tong Chi is completely making excuses.

He gave a perfunctory reply and hung up the phone. Li Chengkai glanced at Lin Sicheng and leaned over again: "Mr. Zhou, don't scare yourself: it's just a coincidence!"

Zhou Zhilin was stunned, the flesh on his face twitching non-stop: Coincidence?

"Mr. Li, Tong Chi only said they are processing it and asked me to cooperate when necessary. But they didn't say how we need to cooperate."

"Why didn't she remind us that remitting to the Mainland requires providing payment vouchers, and even more so, providing invoices?"

Zhou Zhilin gritted his teeth: "Mr. Li, could this also be a coincidence? No, they are just stalling!"

Li Chengkai opened his mouth, speechless—