My Virtual Girlfriend

Chapter 603

At this point, Lao Du glanced around the office.

Most of the people in the office were younger than him.

The group, consisting of both men and women, were all dressed in black suits and red ties, exuding a formidable righteousness.

He continued, "Now, it's time for us to close the net."

"I have already reported the specific matters to Elder Li, and after reviewing the materials, he has agreed."

"However, there are a few points I still need to mention."

"This matter is rather significant. We will also face tremendous pressure."

"So, we must be cautious, cautious, and cautious again."

"Moreover, the Zhao Group has been involved in too many industries over these years; various related departments, as well as provincial and local authorities, have personnel involved in the case."

"We must ensure that no troublemakers slip through, but we must not wrong a single innocent person."

At this, everyone in the office shouted in unison, "Understood!"

Lao Du nodded, then patted the documents in his hand, "Alright, I will then proceed to group everyone as we previously discussed."

"Xiao Pan, Xiao Yuan, you guys..."

Meanwhile, while Chen Yan and Lao Du were slowly preparing to close the net,

In Tiandu, Zhao Group, Chairman's Office.

Zhao Qingtian paced the office with his hands behind his back.

Whether it was the pressure or not, his aura was hardly contained, his walk giving off a domineering presence akin to a dragon or tiger.

During this time, Zhao Qingtian was actually under a great deal of pressure.

He didn't understand why, as everything seemed to be going very smoothly, yet he felt an ominous premonition.

No matter how he investigated, he couldn't figure out the source of this premonition.

"Who exactly is preparing to harm me?"

Zhao Qingtian's hawk-like eyes were fiercely sharp.

Having been in the business world for so many years, he may have developed an instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm, making him feel as if he was in some sort of danger.

He had not ruled out Chen Yan as a suspect, but... at this level of crisis, the list of candidates in his mind far exceeded Chen Yan.

Chen Yan hadn't been too formidable an enemy during the twenty-plus years he has been in charge of the Zhao Family.

"Who could it be then?"

As he paced back and forth in the office, Zhao Qingtian couldn't pinpoint this adversary.

Even to eliminate the possibility of a political crisis, he had utilized his networks extensively recently to conduct investigations, yet all efforts had been fruitless.

"Could it really be that I'm overthinking?"

Despite countless speculations that it was just his oversensitivity, Zhao Qingtian still felt there was something more.

After a long thought, suddenly, an idea struck him.

He stopped abruptly.

Then, after standing still for over twenty seconds, he suddenly spoke harshly, "I really underestimated him. No wonder I didn't see this coming."

"Chen Yan, Chen Yan. I can't believe I overlooked such crucial information!"

As if realizing something, Zhao Qingtian lowered his head, paced quickly again, and thought about the "countermeasures."

After a moment, he gritted his teeth, looked up, and made a decision.

He walked briskly to the door of the Chairman's Office, pushed the door to verify it was closed, then locked it and pulled out his mobile, making a call.

The call connected in less than two seconds.

A man's voice came from the other end, "Dad, what's up?"

Zhao Qingtian spoke, "I have something for you. Move the over 100 billion we have stored domestically to Hong Kong."

The man on the phone sounded clearly surprised, "Dad? What's happened?"

Zhao Qingtian responded, "Nothing particular. I'm just a bit uneasy. I want to back up, to be safe."

The man asked, "Is something happening domestically?"

Zhao Qingtian paused for a moment and said, "I don't know. But there seems to be some danger."

The man on the phone, evidently a son Zhao Qingtian greatly valued, replied after his father's explanation, "You remember, we've been battling the Chen Group for a year, right?"

At Zhao Qingtian's words, the man laughed, "That's hardly a battle. Isn't it just a one-sided crush?"

"Since Zhao Group withdrew from the domestic market and expanded internationally, how can he pose any threat?"

Zhao Qingtian scolded, "Naive!"

"I initially thought the same."

"But having thoroughly thought about it today, something feels off."

"If Chen Yan really were defeated by us and decided to exit the domestic market, why hasn't he shut down his domestic companies?"

The man hesitated, then suggested, "Maybe he hasn't had the chance yet?"

Zhao Qingtian scoffed, "He's been stirring things up overseas for over a year."

The man suggested again, "Maybe he meant to leave something behind?"

Zhao Qingtian countered, "His group's seven or eight companies haven't launched any projects or products this year, yet they haven't laid off a single employee."

"Spending so much money just to hold on to memories?"

"Is he running a charity?"

With that, Zhao Qingtian stated definitively, "He has never admitted defeat! Nor has he ever thought about giving up the domestic market!"

"The biggest proof is that his headquarters are still in China, and haven't moved overseas."

"Until now, it's the domestic company that holds the shares overseas. Is this the approach of a company truly aiming to go global?"

"He definitely has something up his sleeve domestically, and his actions abroad this year were meant to distract me, aiming to strike a fatal blow when I'm not paying attention."

The revelation visibly shook the man on the phone.

"Is Chen Yan... really that scheming?"

Zhao Qingtian hummed affirmatively, then said with some emotion, "That's the youngest and most successful tycoon in recent years."

The man fell silent for a moment, then said, "I understand, Dad. I'll transfer the money to Hong Kong right away."

As he spoke, he paused, as if a thought had struck him, then asked, "But Dad... Considering how strong Chen Yan is overseas, have you considered that keeping our money overseas might be less safe?"

Zhao Qingtian's response was icy, "No."

"You should know, overseas at least, our private property is protected from damage. But domestically... well..."

He left his sentence unfinished, but the man on the phone understood.

Domestically, sometimes just leveraging some relationships could cause private assets to change hands.

This type of robbery was something Zhao Qingtian had done plenty when starting his empire.

The son himself remembered an instance when Zhao Qingtian discovered a small company had produced a very interesting product that seemed highly marketable. Wanting to acquire it, he was ruthlessly refused by the company.

In a fit of anger, Zhao Qingtian made a few calls, fabricated a reason, and had the company's owner jailed.

After several years, by the time the owner was released, the company had turned into a shell, with all relevant patents and products transferred to the Zhao Group's name.

The small company's owner was utterly devastated, fought in court, appealed to higher authorities, but ultimately Zhao Qingtian suppressed everything.

Though these incidents occurred more than a decade ago when regulations weren't as robust, they still illustrate the nature of some domestic affairs.

That's why, upon realizing that the opposition might have kept a card up their sleeve domestically, it was understandable why Zhao Qingtian was considering fleeing abroad.

After clearing his thoughts, the man asked, "Dad, after the money is transferred to Hong Kong, where should it be kept?"

This time, Zhao Qingtian hardly hesitated before responding, "Put it into our crude oil fund."

"Make sure to set it as a priority fund."

"That fund was specially designed by someone I hired, it's 100% loss-proof, only profits, and holds the money for me and your uncles as a fallback."

As Zhao Qingtian said this, Lao Du glanced around the entire office.