readease Chapter 955 A Deep Embrace
Chapter 955 A Deep Embrace
"Do you think your dad listened to what I just said? Will he hand Huade over to you?" Chen Caiyue asked.
"No." Chen Xi shook his head without thinking much.
"Why? You're his son! If the company isn't handed over to you, who else is it supposed to be handed over to?" Chen Caiyue's eyes widened.
“People who are afraid of being poor usually don’t trust others, so he will most likely keep Huade in his hands. As for what he will think when he gets old and can’t work anymore, I don’t know. If it were me, I probably wouldn’t give the company to my family. There’s not much of a future in running a family business in China, and he always says that wealth doesn’t last three generations…” Chen Xi took a sip of water.
"So that means your dad will stick to controlling Huade? He used to always say that perseverance leads to success, but he ran off to get into finance halfway through the factory's establishment," Chen Caiyue teased.
“I think perseverance is important, but success still depends on talent. Take his painting, for example; he has no talent for it, so he's only at that level so far. It's the same with the factory; even though it's a high-tech business, he doesn't focus on the technology. But, most importantly, it depends on luck. His luck seems to be really bad right now…” Chen Xi sighed.
At this moment, a storm suddenly swept across the internet.
On major social media platforms, several lengthy exposés questioning the authenticity of Evergrande's car manufacturing venture have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, their popularity skyrocketing and heading straight for the top of the trending topics list.
"Don't be fooled by the collaboration between Hengxiao and Tesla. Doesn't this look familiar? Jia Riting's Ferrari has been building in America for so long, and he hasn't even produced a wheel yet. He keeps saying on Weibo that he'll be back in China next week. I think he'll be more likely to be back in his next life." A well-known influencer with a dog emoji posted Jia Riting's classic quote at the beginning of the post.
"That suffocating dream back then eventually suffocated investors' wallets. Various financial frauds and boastful fundraising, then setting up an empty shell company on the other side of the ocean to continue playing dead. Hengxiao's tactic of only making empty promises and not actually releasing any cars is simply a direct inheritance from Jia Yueting." In the highly-rated comment section below, netizens started frantically building up the thread.
"Who says otherwise? Other companies invest real money in land and equipment to build cars. Future and Dapeng next door even showed up their kitchens and toilets at the auto show, at least they actually had cars on display. Hengxiao hasn't even dared to post a real photo of the factory interior yet. So the whole company is just relying on a few dozen executives sitting around a few PPT slides to build cars online?" Another car review blogger followed up with a rant.
"This is hilarious! There isn't even a purchase order for the stamping machine and the robotic arm. Does Mr. Xu intend to generate electricity out of love and have his employees sculpt the chassis by hand in the workshop?"
"I'm just guessing, there are only a few security guards playing cards in Hengxiao's workshop right now. They haven't even bought enough wrenches to tighten screws. They've really figured out how to use shell companies to go public and cheat on subsidies."
The internet's joke writers went wild, with all sorts of memes about "PPT car manufacturing 2.0" and "suffocating for dreams" flying everywhere, completely exposing Evergrande's hype and leaving nothing behind.
Next, Dadao's car manufacturing was also subtly criticized, but it didn't generate as much buzz as Hengxiao's.
Soon after, the two car companies announced that they had purchased equipment from well-known manufacturers, and in huge quantities.
The day after the message was sent out, Chen Yifeng was summoned to the leadership office of Xinlu.
Song Quan personally poured him a cup of tea, then said with a smile, "President Chen, I heard that Dadao Group wants to purchase equipment from Huade, and it's causing quite a stir online."
"We couldn't reach an agreement. Their price was too low. I'm not a sucker. Why would I work myself to death for a few pennies?" Chen Yifeng took a sip of tea.
“Your thinking is wrong. Dadao Group is a big factory. The profit margin is low, but the volume is large and there are stable orders, so they can still make a lot of money. Most importantly, if your cooperation is successful, Dadao Group is very likely to set up a new production line in Xinlu, the largest electric vehicle production base in the country. Moreover, shouldn’t we all have a responsibility to support new national brands?” Song Quan waved his hand.
“There are quite a few suppliers across the country who cooperate with large factories. They seem glamorous on the surface, but in reality, they are all suffering. More orders mean larger factories with higher costs. And they don’t even get paid after delivery. Large factories usually give IOUs first, like Hengxiao! Suppliers who can’t get paid have to take out bank loans. According to normal procedures, profits should cover the loan interest. But now, as you know, without kickbacks, banks won’t give you low-interest loans.” Chen Yifeng deliberately mentioned the Xu family to divert attention from Songquan. After all, the other party hadn’t even finished building the house yet, and hadn’t even come to visit.
However, Song Quan only paused for a moment before recovering and continuing, "That's why the city previously tasked General Manager Chen with supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Since you don't have any funding issues, why not cooperate with them? Besides, with Dadao Group moving here, you can better support those companies."
"Dadao Group has always squeezed suppliers' profits very low, turning them into slaves of the big factories in the long run. In the end, the big factories will keep lowering prices to fight price wars, and the suppliers will eventually go out of business. In the past two years, my financial company's bad debt rate has been very high, and I can't collect the money at all. I finally found that the source of this problem is the big factories like Dadao Group, followed by the banks. If Dadao Group sets up production lines here, a large number of new suppliers will appear in Xinlu. It seems like rapid development, but it will directly drag down my financial company because I can't collect the money at all. Every leader of yours is like this, only looking at GDP! They are all thinking about how to bring big factories to this city." Chen Yifeng became more and more angry as he thought about it, and his words became less and less polite.
He had been tricked before, thinking he could make money by lending to those companies and collecting interest, but he ended up becoming a tool for his superiors to boost their performance.
"President Chen, isn't Huade's success today thanks to the city's help? Now that you're successful, shouldn't you give back?" Song Quan tapped the table with his hand, his expression extremely unpleasant.
"This kind of development isn't a good thing. You say you want to turn Xinlu into a technology capital, but I think this kind of development will only turn it into a sweatshop like Suzhou. Eventually, all the major factories in the country will move their production lines here, boosting GDP, but that's just a fancy number. In the end, when poorer places issue better policies, those major factories will flock to relocate. Xinlu will be without those major factories then, its industrial chain will be locked up, and even transformation will become difficult!" Chen Yifeng retorted.
From Qin Feilong to Song Quan, each of them was driven by a desire for results, and they tried every means to lure these entrepreneurs into pursuing development.
When they're almost done using them, they're thrown away like chamber pots. Chen Yifeng felt he had seen through the petty thoughts of these leaders.
"Look at the Xu family, can't they have any sense of social responsibility? They're still doing poverty alleviation work and giving back to society!" Song Quan sneered.
"Learn from him? Just talk nice words and shout slogans. What did he give back? A bunch of unfinished houses in Xinlu?" Chen Yifeng laughed after hearing this.
"How many Hope Primary Schools has the Xu family donated across the country? Can't you see it in the newspapers? That's a grand vision, a heart that cares for the world!" Song Quan's face darkened.
"If the Xu family truly had a sense of social responsibility, they should first pay back the real money they owed to suppliers, instead of just shouting slogans and making empty promises every day. Dadao Group is the same; they keep saying they want to make the national car, but when it comes to bargaining, they're more ruthless than the old ladies at the market, even trying to deduct the cost of the lubricant for the robotic arm. This so-called 'shining light of national products' is like deadly ultraviolet radiation shining on the suppliers."
"Chen Yifeng! Your thinking is the epitome of extreme selfishness! Xinlu needs industrial clusters, it needs giants like Dadao that can create tens of thousands of jobs. As a leading local technology company, instead of taking the initiative to lead, you're here haggling over a few percentage points of profit. Do you think you're worthy of the support this city has given you?"
"Support? You call forcibly shoving these bloodsucking bastards into my hands support? Xinlu's GDP looks good, and the leaders' resumes are impressive, but if Huade's lifeblood is drained, who will pay my thousands of employees' salaries? In the end, the big company will just pack up and leave, leaving a mess behind, and I, Chen Yifeng, will be left to clean up the mess. Are you only satisfied when you see everyone become a debt-ridden dry cell battery, burning to ashes in this city?"
"You are questioning our long-term plan! The paths taken by Suzhou and Shenzhen have proven that only the agglomeration of large-scale industries can sustain long-term prosperity."
"Prosperity? That's just an illusion of prosperity. It's sacrificing the dignity of a generation for a few impressive statistical reports. Those guys keep R&D at headquarters and move the hardest, most tiring, and most undignified assembly work to Xinlu. This so-called 'tech capital' is just a slightly more upscale cage for factory workers. And what kind of high-tech companies were brought to Xinlu before? Some were just junk companies masquerading as tech enterprises. Are they going to package even live-streaming e-commerce as high-tech imports in the future...?"
Chen Yifeng's outburst grew more and more intense, and he completely forgot where he was.
An hour later, Chen Yifeng returned to his car angrily, and received a phone call as soon as he sat down.
"Hello, is this Chen Yifeng? This is the police station. Has something been stolen from you...?"
"Have."
"Do you remember any information about the stolen items?" "Good mood!"
"Huh? Mr. Chen, are you joking with me?"
"You were the one who joked with me first. Are scammers so sophisticated these days that they even dare to impersonate the police?"
After saying that, Chen Yifeng hung up the phone.
He had just argued with Songquan for so long, and now he didn't want to say another word.
At this moment, Chen Yifeng was in a terrible mood. He knew that he would definitely be targeted and made things difficult for others later.
Meanwhile, inside Chen Yifeng's villa.
Zhang Xuan was lying on the sofa watching TV like a dead fish, holding a face mask, when suddenly a large hand covered her mouth.
"Xuanxuan, don't shout, it's me." A familiar voice rang in her ears, and Zhang Xuan finally relaxed.
"Are you sick? How did you get in here? Why didn't you call before coming here? Did you make a lot of money selling things and want to surprise me?" She peeled off her face mask and rolled her eyes at Wu Yan, who was wearing a mask and hat.
"I climbed over the fence into the yard. Those things were seized, and my brother was arrested. I sneaked back here..." Wu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What? What happened?" Zhang Xuan asked, then cautiously glanced at the stairs, afraid of attracting the attention of the children upstairs.
"Shh~ I'm telling you something..." Wu Yan made a shushing gesture.
"Damn it, what are you doing here? Don't get me into trouble..." Zhang Xuan was so frightened that she jumped up from the sofa and took a few steps back to create distance between herself and the other person.
"Xuanxuan, how could you do this to me? I did all this for you... I came to find you today because I wanted to take you with me. Let's go abroad." Wu Yan stared at the woman in front of him with some sadness.
"I understand now. You sneaked over here to threaten me. You were afraid that if you called me out, I would refuse." Zhang Xuan looked enlightened.
Wu Yan blushed immediately after his thoughts were seen through; that was indeed what he was thinking.
If he called Zhang Xuan directly, she would probably sever ties with him. It would be better to go to her house; there might still be a chance.
“Xuanxuan, let’s go. We can still make it if we leave now. Even if we lose those antiques, the money we moved earlier is enough for the rest of our lives.” Wu Yan grabbed her hand.
"I'm not leaving. If you want to leave, go ahead. That little bit of money isn't enough for you..." Zhang Xuan tried to break free from the other person's hand, but found that the fat man was much stronger than her.
It wasn't that she didn't want to leave, but she felt that following Wu Yan now would be suicide.
Once Wu Yan's cousin implicated him, Wu Yan became a wanted criminal.
If I were to leave the country with a wanted criminal, how would I possibly get out?
"Why aren't you leaving? Do you still want to stay with Chen Yifeng? What will that old man do to you if he finds out that the antiques and money in his house have been moved?" Wu Yan was getting anxious and almost frantic.
“I was thinking you should go first, and I’d follow. You’re right, this can’t be kept a secret forever, and I can’t stay here forever. But we need to have a plan. If we just leave like this, he’ll get suspicious when he gets home and finds I’m not there. So we need to pretend we’re going on a trip and sneak away. Your arrival today was too sudden; I wasn’t prepared.” Zhang Xuan explained patiently.
"That makes sense." Wu Yan nodded after listening, and gradually released his hand.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and then told him to leave first.
"Xuanxuan, you must come find me soon. How can I live without you in the future? Remember to bring our daughter with you..."
"Okay, let's go. Be careful on the road." Zhang Xuan suppressed her impatience and forced a gentle smile.
However, she was thinking something else entirely.
Go to hell, you fatso! You can't even handle such a small matter.
They even came here trying to drag me down with them; they're really brainless.
How to do how to do.
If Wu Yan gets arrested, will he expose me?
Thinking of this, Zhang Xuan quickly hugged Wu Yan from behind as he was opening the door.
"Ayan, if you get caught, will you betray me?"
This was the first time Zhang Xuan had taken the initiative to hug him, and Wu Yan immediately froze.
The sadness I felt earlier vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of joy.
"Xuanxuan, what are you saying? Even if a gun were pointed at my head, I wouldn't say a word to you. Take care of our child!" Wu Yan, his eyes red, removed Zhang Xuan's hand from his body and walked away without looking back. (End of Chapter)