After a few minutes of silence in the conference room.

A board member spoke up: "I think Chairman Zhu, you should apologize to Chairman Gu in your personal capacity. You shouldn't let your personal matters affect the interests of the entire company."

With someone taking the lead, several small shareholders immediately echoed the suggestion.

"That's right, Chairman Zhu, the company's interests are paramount. We cannot let your personal issues impact the entire board and the thousands of company employees."

"Exactly!"

All the speakers were small shareholders sitting in the back row, while the major shareholders, who actually had a say in the company, remained silent and indifferent.

In fact, these small shareholders all depended on the major shareholders. Since the major shareholders did not oppose, it meant they tacitly approved of the suggestions made.

Having been in the boardroom's crafty conspiracies for a long time, Zhu Hongye was already accustomed to this situation and let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think an apology from me would still be effective now? If the stock market actions were really done by Gu Bai, then he must have already invested hundreds of millions or even billions of funds. If you think a single apology from me could make him stop, feel free to contact him, and I'll personally serve him tea and admit my mistake!

Do you think my face is worth tens of billions? If I had that ability, would I still need to sit here and listen to your directives?"

Although Zhu Hongye's words were impolite, anyone with a brain knew he was speaking the truth.

If it was really Gu Bai's doing, no one would withdraw at this point.

"Chairman Zhu, I believe the directors were just giving their opinions. There's no need to be so angry. The urgent task now is to control the situation."

"That's right, Old Xu and others are also considering the company's interests. They have no malicious intent, so Chairman Zhu, please don't take their words to heart."

Since someone was mediating, Zhu Hongye naturally wouldn't cling to it, after all, this matter was originally caused by himself.

"The most stable handling method at present is to use the 1 billion funds borrowed a few days ago to stabilize the market. After all, our company has accumulated credibility for so many years after going public, and it holds a certain weight in the minds of shareholders. There won't be a massive collapse in the short term. If we can stabilize the situation and keep the stock price between 1.5 and 1.8 yuan, we won't just break even; we might even make a small profit. But that's the best-case scenario, and we must prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"What is the worst-case scenario?"

"Stock market crash, forced delisting, hostile takeover!"

"???"

Seeing the incredulous expressions of the board members, Zhu Hongye slowly said, "Of course, that's the worst-case scenario. After all, Hongye Building Materials contributes a lot of taxes to Shanghai every year, and the government won't just watch us delist like that. Moreover, Gu Bai can't achieve this just by operating in the stock market; our company is fundamentally in the real industry."

Although Zhu Hongye said this with apparent confidence, he felt very insecure inside.

From the moment Wang Rengang openly supported Black Swan Group, it was clear that if things spiraled out of control, the top might favor Black Swan Group if they had to choose.

After all, the influence and power of a leader cannot be underestimated.

At this point, a shareholder proposed: "Why don't we directly complain to the Securities Regulatory Commission, accusing Gu Bai of maliciously manipulating the stock price and disrupting the market for illegitimate profits!"

Hearing this naive suggestion from a shareholder, Zhu Hongye sneered, "Where's the evidence? Do you really think the Securities Regulatory Commission is our company, and they will listen to everything we say?

Or do you think Gu Bai is a fool, and since he's already acted so ostentatiously, he would leave any evidence to be investigated by others?"

There was another thing Zhu Hongye didn't say out loud.

He even suspected that the Securities Regulatory Commission had tacitly approved this action, otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that Hongye Building Materials surged for so many days without any action or announcement from the Securities Regulatory Commission.

"If nothing works, are we just going to wait to be slaughtered like pigs by others?"

"When the stock market fluctuated a few days ago, I suggested applying for a suspension for investigation, but you all were blinded by interests, and no one listened to me. Now the initiative is in others' hands. Besides watching, what else can we do?"

"Chairman Zhu, in any case, this matter was caused by you. Are you criticizing us and evading responsibility by saying this now?"

Zhu Hongye's face was cold as he stood up and said, "I have already explained the causes and consequences of this matter. As for my responsibility, I will certainly bear it.

If you're still not satisfied, just convene the board again and remove me from my position as chairman. You can handle this mess yourself!"

With that, he slammed the door and left.

After Zhu Hongye left, the third-largest shareholder of the company, sitting in the position just below him, picked up the teacup in front of him and smashed it to the ground.

"That Zhu Hongye, it's not the first day he has disregarded us board members. The entire board is like his own fiefdom! His son caused such a big trouble, yet the whole company must join in digging their own graves with him!"

The second-largest shareholder, sitting opposite, slowly brought the teacup to his lips, took a sip of water, and smiled slowly, "Old He, is it worth getting so angry?" Look at the company's name, Hongye Building Materials. Isn't it natural that the company is his fiefdom?"

"Then what about us shareholders? Why even have a board? We might as well just dismantle it."

"Today's a one-man show, but it doesn't mean it will always be like that. Let's see how the situation develops first. After all, given the current state of the company, apart from him, who among us would dare step up?"

Facing the silent board members, Hongye Building Materials' second-largest shareholder chuckled and shook his head.

"Are you suggesting a vote and re-election of the chairman afterward?"

The third-largest shareholder, referred to as Old He, suddenly had flickering eyes.

"I didn't say anything, but what I'm thinking in my heart is probably similar to what's on your minds."

After speaking, the second-largest shareholder put down the teacup and slowly left the conference room.

The longstanding conflicts within Hongye Building Materials' board began to emerge due to Gu Bai.

...............

Time moved to 11:30.

After two hours of maneuvering, Gu Bai now had control over the whole situation of Hongye Building Materials.

"Chairman Gu, should we continue with the remaining 550 million shares?"

Hearing Gu Xin's inquiry, Gu Bai slowly stood up, stretched lazily, and said with a smile, "No rush, today's 250 million shares are just an appetizer, the real show is yet to come. If we fire all our shots now, how will we play later?"

"Understood."

When it came to Gu Bai's instructions, Gu Xin and Gu Si were absolutely obedient without conditions.

After stretching, Gu Bai went to the large floor-to-ceiling window, gazed into the distance at the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the soreness in his eyes vanished as he took out his phone and dialed Wang Jianling.

"Uncle Wang, how have you been these past few days?"

"Can't compare to you. Recently, my schedule got leaked online, and it's been a chaotic mess."

"You're doing big business. What I'm doing is just minor stuff, naturally, it's no match for you, Uncle Wang."

"Minor stuff? I doubt it. I just heard that Hongye Building Materials hit the limit-down, with its market value dropping from 13 billion to 10.5 billion, evaporating 2.5 billion. That doesn't seem like minor stuff to me."

"That's just Hongye Building Materials' unstable market value, nothing to do with me."

Wang Jianling chuckled, not exposing him, and asked with a laugh, "Since that's the case, is there something you want to tell me by calling?"

"Then I won't hide it. Uncle Xu has already agreed with me and will announce publicly to terminate the cooperation with Hongye Building Materials. How about you?"

Wang Jianling hedged, saying, "But Hongye Building Materials is one of our group's most important suppliers in the East China region. Terminating cooperation with them might affect our group's entire strategic deployment."

"Uncle Wang, just say it, what do you want?"

On the other end of the phone, Wang Jianling chuckled, "Xiaogu, I heard your group is considering building its own headquarters. Coincidentally, our group is transforming, and I think we could collaborate."

"No problem, of course."

"Our Wanda Group needs to have a share in this building."

"We can discuss this later since the construction costs are hundreds of billions, which I can't handle alone."

"Hahaha, alright, we'll talk about it later. As for terminating cooperation with Hongye Building Materials, this was already passed at the board meeting a few days ago. Our group had a construction accident some time ago, caused by low-quality materials supplied by Hongye Building Materials. Not only will we terminate cooperation, but we will also formally sue."

"Since Uncle Wang already has a plan, I won't say more. I'll have the principal bring me to visit you personally when I have time."

"I'll be waiting for you then."

After exchanging a few courteous words, they quickly ended the call.

The smile that had been on Gu Bai's face gradually faded as his gaze drifted into the distance.

Without interest at stake, how could people like Wang Jianling and other big shots get on my boat?

Meanwhile, at the faraway Wanda Headquarters in the Capital City, Wang Jianling also put down his phone with a broad smile on his face.

"Chairman Wang, are we really going to terminate the cooperation with Hongye Building Materials?"

The assistant couldn't help but ask.

Clearly, what Wang Jianling mentioned about the board resolution was just offhand, and it wasn't actually true.

Wang Jianling nodded.

"Have the PR department draft a statement to officially terminate the cooperation with Hongye Building Materials, and let the legal department formally sue them over the construction incident last June."

"But wasn't this matter privately settled at the time? And we've already accepted Hongye Building Materials' private compensation."

"Who notarized it?"

The assistant: "..."

Originally, there were no casualties in that construction incident, and the loss wasn't particularly significant, so it shouldn't have affected the cooperation between the two companies.

But if it's really pursued aggressively, it can definitely be considered Hongye Building Materials' breach of contract.

Even though Wanda Group's legal department isn't as powerful as Nanshan Pizza Hut's, it's still one of the top legal teams in the country. Even if the lawsuit isn't successful, just the public opinion can crush Hongye Building Materials.

Not to mention that now, under Gu Bai's targeting in the stock market, Hongye Building Materials is already teetering on the edge, and a single straw could break them!

"Alright, we don't need a board meeting for this. Let PR and the legal department prepare directly."

"Understood."

The assistant knew that at this point, he only needed to follow Wang Jianling's instructions. In this high-level game of chess, as a small assistant, he had absolutely no voice.

Wang Jianling shook his head and turned off the stock market chart of Hongye Building Materials on his computer.

At the height Wang Jianling stood, he could see more clearly than anyone else. This time, Gu Bai's offensive had the perfect combination of timing, location, and people.

Just titled a business leader, and named as a national charity representative, that's timing.

Comparing the scale and contribution to Shanghai of the past year between the two companies, Black Swan Group completely outshines Hongye Building Materials. That's location.

Hongye Building Materials caused such a stir in the stock market, yet there's no word from above. It's clearly suppressed, and in Shanghai, it's obvious even to a layperson who has that much influence.

Wang Rengang and Cui Hong's full support as number one and two, that's people.

Without a miracle, Hongye Building Materials couldn't withstand this wave.

This is also why Wang Jianling would rather be a fickle character and decide to stand on the same boat with Gu Bai. Gu Bai has no reason to lose!

A building project didn't matter much to Wang Jianling.

It was more about investing in Gu Bai on a personal level, and on this point, Wang Jianling believed Gu Bai understood too.

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