The entire conference hall was buzzing with tense activity as people busied themselves with preliminary preparations. They would need to work here for at least five to ten days, during which time no fewer than twenty people would be stationed in front of computers, with meals specially delivered to them.
Everyone was excited, yet tinged with nervousness. Every move they made inside would cause dramatic changes outside.
Nie Yan sat on a chair in the corner with his father and mother.
Dozens of companies had sent representatives to the hall, but three groups attracted the most attention: the Xie family from Zhengrong Group, the Liu family from Longyue Group, and the Tianxia Group. Zhengrong and Longyue were established conglomerates, while Tianxia was undoubtedly the rising star. Among all these people, the most eye-catching was Nie Yan. As the leader of the Niuren Tribe, known as Kuangzei Nianyan, and specially mentored by the Tianwang Organization’s leader, Mo Yuntian, Nie Yan already carried a dazzling halo of prestige. What astonished people even more was the news that both families had already arranged the marriage. As the only son of the Nie family, Nie Yan would inherit all the family assets. Once married, he would control 100% of Tianxia Group’s equity, 12% of Zhengrong Group’s, and 28% of Longyue Group’s. And that was only the current situation. Once power transitions occurred within Zhengrong and Longyue, Nie Yan’s influence would grow even greater. If they successfully absorbed Century Group, the implications were unfathomable. Everyone could sense that a super conglomerate was rising. And the central figure of it all was Nie Yan.
Many company executives approached Nie Yan’s family, trying to strike up conversations and build good relations with Nie Yan. Nie Yan stood up politely to greet them. He believed that making more friends than enemies was always better, so he naturally wouldn’t push people away.
Xie Jun was the operation’s mastermind. He had assumed a serious demeanor, supervising everyone’s work. The usually amiable Xie Jun now exuded an air of authoritative leadership.
As the time approached, the hall gradually fell silent. You could hear a pin drop on the floor. Especially the traders in front of the computers, all of them were staring intently at their screens. After five major reforms, China’s capital market had introduced a short-selling mechanism. After centuries of evolution, the market had matured into one of the world’s most important capital markets.
“How is the preparation going?” Xie Jun asked, scanning the people in front of the computers.
“We’re ready.”
“Have the three major shareholders of Century Group agreed to act?” Xie Jun glanced at the senior representatives from Zhengrong and Longyue.
“They haven’t directly agreed. These people are fence-sitters. If Century Group’s situation turns unfavorable, they’ll likely switch sides. If Cao Xu can hold his ground, convincing them to support us might be difficult,” said an elderly man dressed in plain clothes. Though short and thin, he radiated energy and vitality. Everyone in the room recognized him as Liu Hongzhe, the legendary leader of Longyue Group and Xie Yao’s grandfather.
“Start the operation. First, post the news online, then begin short-selling the stocks!” Xie Jun ordered solemnly. Though his words were simple, everyone in the hall felt their breath catch.
It was finally beginning. Outside, a storm was about to erupt.
Shortly after Xie Jun issued the order, financial websites began posting scandals about Century Group—corruption among top executives, falsified financial reports, and so on. If these allegations were false, Xie Jun and his team would face legal consequences. But if they were true, the situation would be entirely different.
After Xie Jun and his team released these messages, regulatory authorities launched a comprehensive investigation into Century Group. Naturally, this was the result of efforts by Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups. Otherwise, an investigation wouldn’t have started immediately after the financial scandals surfaced.
In addition to the investigation, a flood of negative news unfavorable to Century Group emerged. Century Group’s projected revenue for the fourth quarter was expected to drop by more than 80%, with losses reaching 1.7 billion yuan. Century Group was fully withdrawing from the virtual industry, which had accounted for about 35% of its profits. This sector was now collapsing, with massive investments unrecoverable.
The news immediately triggered market panic. With large sums of capital intentionally shorting the stock, Century Group’s share price plummeted.
Within moments, Century Group’s stock price dropped by 12%. A large amount of capital entered, attempting to stem the decline, but it was quickly absorbed.
After all, several major conglomerates were acting in unison. Any resistance was instantly crushed. Although Cao Xu had previously had ample cash flow, after suffering investment losses in Faith, he was now struggling financially. He had even sold part of his shares to raise funds. A year ago, his stake in Century Group had dropped to around 30%, nearing a dangerous threshold. But he had no money left to buy back shares.
As a conglomerate with a market value exceeding 500 billion yuan, a 12% drop in stock price meant an immediate loss of over 60 billion yuan in market value.
It was a terrifying disaster, but the real catastrophe had only just begun.
Tonight, Century Tower was also brightly lit. Standing over 600 meters tall, the tower had stood in East China City for decades. Once untouchable, the aging building now looked somewhat worn.
The top-floor meeting room, like the one in the Rycord Hotel, was bustling with activity.
Cao Xu sat in his office chair with his eyes closed. Once full of vigor and ambition, he now seemed desolate.
“Chairman, are you okay? I’ve brought your medicine,” said a female secretary in her early twenties. Cao Xu had just suffered a heart attack, which startled everyone.
“Just leave it there,” Cao Xu waved weakly, not even bothering to glance at the attractive young secretary in front of him.
He understood that everything had only just begun. In the next few days, the enemy would certainly launch an even more aggressive attack. He had called several old friends, but seeing how formidable his enemies were, none of them were willing to help. How fickle the world was. However, he understood that those friends were only connected by interests, not friendship. Not turning against him was already quite considerate.
The next day, an even more violent downturn began. When investors woke up in the morning, they found Century Group’s stock price had plummeted. After reading the financial news on major websites, they began frantically selling their shares. Once a legendary blue-chip stock, it had now turned into a terrifying monster in their eyes, and only after discarding it could they feel at ease.
Century Group’s stock price had fallen by another 32% from its peak, then fluctuated slightly. Some people, seeing how drastically Century Group’s stock had dropped, began considering buying in. After all, Century Group still had strength. Although it had withdrawn from the virtual industry, its profitability in other areas was still significant. The poor performance was largely due to recent investment failures.
On the third day, Century Group’s stock price dropped another 11%, and it continued to fall.
The battle between the two sides was intense, with every fluctuation testing their psychological endurance. After three rounds of steep declines, most Century Group shareholders were already psychologically fragile. Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups would certainly not miss this opportunity, continuing to relentlessly attack Century Group.
On the fourth day, another steep decline occurred. Four consecutive days of drops had a psychological impact that was easy to imagine. Many people endured the pain and sold their stocks, which had significantly decreased in value.
On the fifth day, Century Group’s stock price had plummeted nearly 75% from its peak.
Xie Jun and his team had not slept for several days, eating and resting in the conference hall. The rest of the time was spent staring intently at the computers. Under their relentless assault, Century Group’s stock price had dropped by a full 75%. They still maintained an aggressive posture outwardly.
“What do you think now?” Xie Jun asked Liu Hongzhe and others.
Liu Hongzhe nodded, and others also did not express opposition.
Xie Jun finally began absorbing Century Group’s stocks, doing so subtly to avoid detection. In addition to large-scale purchases, they also persuaded several major shareholders of Century Group to sell their shares at prices 50% higher than the market value. The shareholders regretted their decisions. They hadn’t expected Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups to strike so hard. They estimated that Century Group would take a long time to recover from the impact. If only they had sold at the peak price. Now selling to Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups was also a good way to extricate themselves, as the three conglomerates offered quite favorable prices. If they didn’t sell, these three groups might have other tricks up their sleeves, making the situation even worse.
Over ten days, the three conglomerates acquired nearly 22% of Century Group’s shares. They also bought 25% from several major shareholders of Century Group. Century Group had completely changed hands.
After signing agreements with several major shareholders of Century Group, the entire conference hall erupted in celebration. These major shareholders had selling rights, but Cao Xu could only watch helplessly as 25% of the equity fell into the hands of Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups, as he had very limited funds to mobilize.
From this moment on, Zhengrong, Longyue, and Tianxia Groups could demand Cao Xu to resign as chairman and officially take over Century Group’s operations. Century Group complemented their conglomerates to some extent. Once integrated, their future development was certain.
Upon learning this news, Nie Yan was also very excited. From this moment, Century Group, the huge stone that had always weighed on him, was finally completely crushed.
“Report, Chairman. We just received news that Cao Xu sold his remaining 30% stake in Century Group to Guangyao Group and then disappeared,” a black-suited employee hurriedly reported.
“Disappeared?” Everyone was stunned.
Hearing this news, Nie Yan felt a sudden chill in his heart.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage