Chapter 488

Changes in company equity should logically be notified to the Board of Directors in advance, but it's okay if they aren't notified; this involves some clause issues.

The President was stunned for a while, his expression gradually cooling down, "I know."

He said this and hung up the phone.

Two percent is not a small amount. If calculated according to the normal stock price, two percent is about twenty-five million.

The Vice President does not have that much money to buy these stocks.

Even if the stock price has been cut in half now, this is still more than ten million.

Basically, all shareholders will not sell the shares in their hands; at least when the stock price is clearly undervalued now, they will not sell.

Based on his understanding of the Vice President, the other party also lacks the courage and ability to buy these stocks at the original price at this time.

And the shareholders who can transfer two percent of the shares at once can be counted on one's fingers.

The total number of shareholders in the entire Liji Group is about a thousand.

Let alone two percent, even two ten-thousandths is not a small amount for many people.

The people who can come up with these shares are few and far between, including the recently deceased Chairman of the Board.

He sat there blankly for a while, then dialed the phone of the Chairman of the Board's manor, but no one answered.

He could only call the Vice President; he wanted to talk to him, but no one answered either.

This gave him a bad feeling in his heart. He rubbed his face to calm himself down.

People are sometimes not unintelligent; it's just that habits and past experiences make them not think in a certain direction.

In the President's eyes, the Vice President works wholeheartedly for the company. The small group within the Board of Directors had already discussed the result before, which was to let the Vice President continue to increase his holdings of stocks.

On one hand, increasing stock holdings will make the Vice President short of funds, so he will cherish his current job even more.

After signing an agreement to increase holdings with the company, he will be required not to reduce holdings or transfer them within three or five years, and he must comply with the agreement that shares will not flow out.

This means that as long as he increases his holdings, then regardless of whether it is from his heart, he must fully safeguard the company's interests.

The company's operating situation is good, his stocks have appreciated, he has made money, and at the same time, the job can also bring him generous returns.

If he doesn't work well, the company's efficiency decreases, dividends become less, his salary becomes less, and he may have to face many problems of being unable to pay bills.

Even if he is not truly loyal to the company, as long as he is loyal to the money in his hands, he must contribute to the company.

As for not being willing to increase holdings of company stocks?

That is too simple; just let him get out. If you don't even want to stand with us, why would we need you to continue to occupy this high position?

The Vice President has been increasing his holdings of stocks in his hands. He also heard that the Vice President mortgaged his own stocks to the bank and exchanged them for a portion of funds to purchase real estate, luxury cars, yachts, and the like, so the President, and even the Board of Directors, are extra assured of him.

If the company is good, then everyone will be good.

If the company is bad, then everyone will be unlucky; they have no reason not to trust the Vice President.

And this kind of trust, even a trace of looking down and contempt hidden in arrogance, made him never think that there would be a problem on the Vice President's side.

But now, he calmed down and thought seriously, and he discovered some things that were not quite right.

But to say it was completely wrong clearly doesn't make much sense, because he definitely needs to spend money to increase his shareholdings outside the agreement, which shows that he actually values the company very much, but why...

He needs to talk to the Vice President face to face.

He picked up the phone and dialed the company's front desk number, "If the Vice President comes to the company, let him come directly to my office."

He sat on the chair, his eyes unfocused, as if staring at something people couldn't discover, lost in deep thought.

At this time, the Vice President was attending a small gathering.

"This is our Chairman of the Board..."

"This is the company's Chief Legal Counsel..."

"This is..."

Mr. Boman was introducing the senior management personnel of the Bailide Company to the Vice President.

Actually, he didn't need to introduce them; the Vice President could basically recognize all these people.

They had met at the annual agricultural conference, or he had seen the information on these people.

As the hegemon of the industry, the Liji Group would not look down on a part of itself—Bailide and Nongda.

They also have to study the management of these companies, and even study their social networks, so as to be able to make timely responses when necessary.

Just as he knew these people, the people Mr. Boman introduced also knew him.

"This is our first time meeting in an informal setting, Mr. Vice President!"

The Chairman of the Board of Bailide is also an old man. He has a hooked nose and high cheekbones, which gives people a very mean and rigid feeling.

When he smiles, the wrinkles on his face are as stiff and deep as if they were split by an axe, making it very difficult to associate this old man with kindness.

But now he is smiling, and smiling very gently, because this will be the first huge development opportunity for Bailide after it becomes independent from the Liji Group.

The Vice President appeared a bit awkward, but he hid all this awkwardness deep in his heart, and then socialized with these people.

"Calling you over this time is because when I was communicating with Mr. Lans, he put forward a suggestion."

The Vice President looked at Lans beside him, somewhat confused; he hadn't heard the other party say it.

But he still nodded politely and said, "Please speak."

"We intend to let you hold five-thousandths of the company's shares."

The Vice President was stunned for a moment; he was a bit suspicious and uncertain, "I... I don't know, it's too sudden."

"Will this have the risk of unfair competition?"

He doesn't understand this, but the legal counsel understands. He shook his head and said, "It's not that you hold it personally, but that you hold this part of the shares through other means."

"So it won't trigger any risks!"

Mr. Boman smiled and introduced, "After this matter is over, Bailide will definitely usher in a process of rapid development and growth."

"Now it may only be worth three million, but after a period of time, it may be worth six or seven million, or even more!"

Once the Liji Group is hit hard again, Bailide can use the opportunity of "foresight" to gain more benefits and advantages from commercial competition.

Market share increases, company revenue increases, then naturally the stock price will also increase accordingly.

In fact, Mr. Boman and the others also used some indirect means to start holding stocks of the Liji Group.

After the former Chairman of the Board died, he also left behind 3.7% of the shares. Now 2% is in the hands of the Vice President, and in the remaining 1.7%, the old Lady left one-thousandth, and her children each left three-thousandths.

The extra 1% has already signed a transfer agreement, but it just hasn't been reported to the company yet.

Clearly, they want to tie the Vice President to the chariot as well.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Mr. Boman smiled and said, "This is crucial for us to deepen our friendship!"

In the end, the Vice President still couldn't refuse Mr. Boman's request. He knew very well that these five-thousandths of the shares were actually a "ticket" and also a "handle."

If he wants to enter this circle, he must pay more.

Obedience brought by fear will decay as fear decays; only the binding of interests can keep him loyal!

The next morning, when the Vice President just arrived at the company, the front desk told him that the President wanted him to go over.

The Vice President returned to his office, put away his briefcase and other things, and then pushed open the door of the President's office.

He showed an energetic appearance, and his emotions and expressions were very much in place.

In large companies, there are actually many unspoken rules that no one will tell you. For example, if a person wants to get promoted and get attention, they must show that they are full of drive.

On one side is a dead-looking lazy person who can't even lift their eyelids and whose body seems to be growing on the chair.

On the other side is a vibrant, energetic person who seems to have a small motor full of energy in their body.

When an opportunity for promotion appears, all leaders will choose that vibrant person.

This is the workplace, this is work, this is society.

No one will take care of your little temper; instead, they will make you take care of other people's emotions and thoughts.

The lower the position, the more people you need to take care of.

If you feel that fate is unfair to you, it's just because your position is too low, and it has nothing to do with fate.

"I heard them say you were looking for me?"

After the Vice President entered the door, he closed it casually, walked to the desk, and sat opposite the President.

The President nodded and asked very directly, "When did it start?"

The Vice President didn't react for a while. This question was very abrupt and had no head or tail. He shook his head and asked curiously, "When did what start?"

"I mean, when did you start selling out the company's interests?"

The smile on the Vice President's face gradually froze, revealing a suspicious and uncertain expression, "Why would you think that?"

The President picked up a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

With a lighter in one hand and shielding the wind that shouldn't exist in the room with the other, "Electric lights can illuminate very far places, but they just can't illuminate the things under the base."

"You are hiding under the base."

Actually, the President now very much hopes that the Vice President can defend himself. Defending himself means that things haven't reached the point of no return that he thinks.

But the Vice President didn't defend himself, just remained silent, which made the President's heart sink continuously.

The calmer the Vice President performs now, the deeper the depth of his participation, so deep that defense is already meaningless.

"The equity on his wife's side, did you take it away?", the President asked.

The Vice President nodded, "I took two percent."

"Where did your money come from?"

"I didn't know you had so much money!"

The President asked this also to guard against the speculation that the Vice President might have misappropriated company funds, but this possibility is not great, because such a large amount of funds could not have been transferred through finance without his signature.

The Vice President's expression was a bit strange, "I got a loan."

The President was still a bit incredulous, "Did she transfer the shares to you so easily?"

He had met the wife of that old gentleman, the Chairman of the Board, and knew that beneath her outstanding appearance was an independent personality and soul!

She has her own circle and energy, and also her own thoughts; she is not a pure family woman.

If the Vice President didn't use some means, he couldn't have gotten these shares so easily.

The Vice President stared at him, "Do you want to know?"

The President nodded, "If you are willing to say it."

In his eyes, the expression and eyes of this person who had been cooperating with him for several years were constantly changing—struggling, hesitating, doubting, a little unease, some regret, and some ruthlessness.

Finally, it turned into flatness.

"This is actually quite complicated, and I can't explain it clearly for a while. Shall we find a place to have a drink tonight?"

"Talk while drinking."

The President flipped through his schedule and nodded, "Okay, go to your place or mine?"

This kind of private content certainly cannot be said in those bars or clubs; people are talkative, and maybe someone will spread it out. You have to go to a more private place.

Both the President and the Vice President have extra residences in the city. Sometimes when they work late and don't want to run back, they will live in apartments near the company.

The price of apartments in the center of New Jincheng is not cheap. Whether renting or buying, it is very expensive, several tens of thousands per unit, and larger ones are over one hundred thousand.

The Vice President's eyes flickered slightly, "Go to your place, I'll bring a friend over."

The President agreed.

After the Vice President left, both of them threw themselves into work, working with full concentration, so that when the President leaned on the chair to relax, the sunset sunlight had already shone through the window.

The bright red light carried some of the tragedy of the sun about to set. It was like a hero who had fought all day in the sky, finally heading towards twilight and the curtain call.

Full of sorrow.

He looked at the sunlight, which was no longer dazzling, like a red fireball, and sighed softly.

At 6:45 in the evening, he tidied himself up, carried his briefcase, and came to the parking lot. The Vice President was already here.

"I'll go pick up a friend first, and then go over directly."

The President nodded, stepped on the gas, and left the parking lot. He needed to go back and prepare first.

And the Vice President picked up Lans on the way and arrived outside the President's apartment together.

"He already suspects me... no, saying suspect is too light; he is already certain that I am selling them out."

The car had already stopped. His hands on the steering wheel kept adjusting their posture back and forth, looking a bit restless.

"Someone has to go first, as long as that person isn't you!"

"Let's go, let's go up."

When Lans got out of the car, many people also got out of the cars in front and behind. They quickly dispersed, and only Lans and the Vice President were seen going upstairs.

When the door opened, the President was still wearing an apron with a carrot pattern, "I made some food casually; we can have a drink later."

The Vice President nodded and came in with Lans. He didn't introduce Lans directly, and the President didn't take the initiative to ask. He felt that he would know who this person was later.

This was one of the few times the Vice President had contacted the President outside of work, which also made him discover that the President was completely different in life than in work.

He introduced his cooking method while serving the food to the dining table, a total of four dishes.

The one with the largest portion was pan-fried beef cubes. The pinkish little beef cubes looked extremely tender. They were clearly cooked, but they gave people a feeling of melting in the mouth.

He took off his apron, opened a bottle of whiskey, and the three of them sat at the dining table.

"For a sumptuous dinner, let's have a drink first."

The three raised their glasses and took a small sip.

After drinking a little alcohol, even though Lans hadn't felt the alcohol taking effect yet, the Vice President seemed to have entered the state.

"Where should I start talking about this?"

"Let's start from... Steven's death..."

He said a lot, and told everything he knew, everything that had developed to the present, in great detail, which made the President fall into a shocked silence!

He held the wine glass and forgot to drink. It was only after a long while that he remembered to take a sip.

"I... I don't know what to say; it's too shocking to me. It seems I thought wrong."

He thought the Vice President might have stood on the opposite side of them a long time ago; he didn't expect that he was only "bought off" recently.

It didn't even count as being bought off; under the threat of death, anyone would probably make the same choice as him. The President himself might have done the same.

He took a big gulp of alcohol, and the alcohol stimulated his desire to talk more.

"You are telling me this now, aren't you afraid that I will destroy your plan after knowing the truth?"

The Vice President didn't speak and stood up, "I'll go to the restroom."

Only Lans was left in the dining room.

Lans ate dinner while saying, "A very good dinner, not even worse than what the chefs of those well-known restaurants make."

Hearing this, the President laughed out loud, "I know you are flattering me, but I like your flattery."

He paused, "What do you plan to do next?"

Lans swallowed the food in his mouth slowly. He picked up a napkin and wiped the oil stains on his lips, "You will fail in your gambling agreement with those independent investors."

"This will instantly pierce the confidence of all stockholders and investors, and at the same time, it will completely drain the company's working capital."

Hearing this, the President nodded continuously and added his own point of view, "It is indeed a good way. After the company has no working capital, all problems will pop up at once. Apart from bankruptcy, there is only the fate of lying on the chopping block and letting you cut it."

"Whether it is dismembering it or other methods, it's all up to you."

"However, sir, I have one point I don't understand."

"That is, the stock of the Liji Group has started to climb now, and we are expected to complete this gambling agreement on January 15th."

"Even if we don't complete it, we need to pay more funds to redeem this part of the shares, but our losses are still within the acceptable range!"

"Your plan, wouldn't it fall through?"