A sudden news release from Qingfeng Network Company caught the attention of all its users.
The news was about the Xuanfeng Alliance again.
The Xuanfeng Alliance had already gone viral online before. The emergence of a new nation was a huge surprise to netizens.
That was when everyone realized just how many strange countries existed in the world.
Even a group of just four people could establish a duchy.
But the Xuanfeng Alliance was clearly not one of those strange nations; after all, they had 15,000 soldiers.
So what did Qingfeng Network Company’s new announcement say?
Cambodia was joining the Xuanfeng Alliance?
This was truly world-shaking news.
Compared to the Xuanfeng Alliance, Cambodia was also very well-known domestically. After all, in movies, when many crime bosses needed to flee, Myanmar and Cambodia were popular choices.
So, thanks to the influence of film and television, Cambodia was quite famous in the country.
And now, what was this news they were hearing?
A real country like Cambodia was actually going to join the Xuanfeng Alliance?
It was too shocking.
How did the Xuanfeng Alliance manage that?
It completely defied logic. If the Xuanfeng Alliance were merging into Cambodia, that would be slightly more reasonable.
Thus, the news spread across the internet in a short amount of time, and reports about the Xuanfeng Alliance appeared one after another.
But no one knew that Qingfeng Network Company was about to release even more shocking news.
As Wang Kai looked at the document in his hand, he turned to his older brother, Wang Xin, with an incredulous expression. "Bro, this is unbelievable. Are we becoming a foreign-funded company now?"
Wang Xin nodded. "We thought Chairman Lu was going to compromise. Who knew he was playing this move? Before, just having Xuanfeng Alliance capital invested wouldn’t have been enough. But things are different now. The Xuanfeng Alliance has absorbed Cambodia, making it a diplomatic entity that even the government can’t ignore!"
"With the Xuanfeng Alliance investing capital at this juncture, those guys who want to meddle will have to consider if they can bear the consequences. The higher-ups can turn a blind eye to some things, but if they cross a line and still reach out, their hands will be chopped off."
Wang Kai nodded in sudden realization. "No wonder Chairman Lu was paying so much attention to news about the Xuanfeng Alliance. Do you think this Xuanfeng Alliance capital is actually Chairman Lu’s own? A little left-hand-to-right-hand transfer?"
"But I guess that’s not important. The crucial thing is whether the Xuanfeng Alliance will back us up, right?"
Wang Xin nodded. "Yes. If Chairman Lu can get the Xuanfeng Alliance to publicly support us, it means his connections there are significant. Even the government might need to go through him to establish contact."
As the two brothers discussed, they began to feel relieved.
As long as Chairman Lu hadn’t gotten the short end of the stick, it was fine.
They were genuinely worried about those schemers buying into the company.
If those people got in, they would definitely install their own confidants. Even if their own positions didn’t change, they’d have to deal with endless office politics every day.
Wang Xin said, "Go ahead and release the news Chairman Lu instructed you to."
"Okay!" Wang Kai nodded.
...
「Seaside Villa.」
A car drove in and pulled to a stop directly in front of one of the villas.
After parking, the driver turned to a middle-aged man in the back. "Chairman Xu, according to our investigation, this is the villa of the boss behind Qingfeng Network Company."
"Mm," that Chairman Xu nodded, got out of the car, and walked straight toward Lu Feng’s villa.
He had come as a representative; Mr. Ma and the others were waiting for news elsewhere.
After all, they had already decided how to carve up Qingfeng Network Company’s shares, so one person was enough to handle it.
Their goal was to get more than 51% one way or another today.
That way, they could control the company at any time. With a controlling stake, they could initiate new rounds of financing at critical moments, inject large amounts of capital, dilute the other party’s shares, and increase their own holdings.
They had thoroughly investigated the background of that young man named Lu. He didn’t have a powerful backing and couldn’t possibly compete with them in terms of capital.
As for him disagreeing?
They had their ways.
Lu Feng had just come downstairs when one of the men guarding the villa ran in to report, "President Lu, there’s a man outside who claims to be from the Xu Clan of the Capital City. He says he wants to talk to you about Qingfeng Network Company."
’The Capital City, the Xu Clan!’ Lu Feng instantly knew who they were. ’They must be the ones eyeing Qingfeng Network’s shares, or at least one of the groups.’
Mr. Chen’s position prevented him from making a play for Qingfeng Network’s shares himself. So, he must have just been responsible for stirring up trouble, allowing others to seize the opportunity.
Simply put, this person was just another pawn being used by Mr. Chen.
"Let him in," Lu Feng ordered, walking over to the tea table and sitting down in the host’s seat.
’Since he’s come all the way here, I might as well meet him. It’s not like he’s going to get anything anyway.’
Soon, Chairman Xu was escorted inside.
When he saw Lu Feng, even though he had already investigated him and knew he was a young man, he was still surprised to see just how young he was in person.
"Chairman Lu, I am Xu Hui. It’s a pleasure to meet you." Xu Hui sat down across from Lu Feng, a casual and carefree expression on his face, in no hurry to discuss Qingfeng Network Company.
’We hold the initiative right now, so there’s nothing to worry about. He’s the one who should be anxious.’
Lu Feng was in no hurry either. He slowly took out a batch of +3 Qingfeng Tea and began to brew it.
Seeing this, Xu Hui frowned slightly. ’This calm demeanor is clearly just a pretense. I’d like to see how long he can keep up the act.’
Soon, Lu Feng finished brewing a pot of tea and poured a cup for Xu Hui.
Xu Hui looked at the cup, picked it up, and took a sip.
After that first sip, however, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
’This aroma, this aftertaste... it’s truly amazing.’
He actually possessed such fine tea. Even for families like theirs, this kind of tea was incredibly difficult to acquire.
He couldn’t help but finish the entire cup in one go, then said to Lu Feng, "Chairman Lu, you must know why I’m here, so I think we should talk."
But Lu Feng gave an unrelated reply, "Chairman Xu, since you’ve finished your tea, it’s time for you to leave. Also, remember to check the news about Qingfeng Network Company."
"????" Xu Hui was completely stunned.
’What does he mean?’
’I’ve barely started talking, and he’s already kicking me out?’
’Doesn’t he know that we are the ones behind the pressure forcing him to compromise?’
’Besides, he’s the one who told the antitrust people that he’d decided to let other capital invest. Now that I’m here, what’s with this attitude?’
Without waiting for Xu Hui to say more, Lu Feng stood up and started walking upstairs, clearly having no intention of continuing the conversation.
The guard immediately stepped forward and made a "please leave" gesture.
Xu Hui understood what this meant.
’How dare he?’
’Is he really not afraid of Qingfeng Network Company being forced into long-term rectification?’
Xu Hui gritted his teeth and walked out of the villa. ’He’ll regret this. We’ve gone to all this trouble; we’re not people to be trifled with.’
Once he was back in the car, Xu Hui remembered Lu Feng’s words and immediately took out his phone to check the news online.
Very quickly, a news headline caught his attention, making his eyes widen in horror.
"Qingfeng Network Company Signs Contracts, Securing Investment from Xuanfeng Alliance Capital. Regarding the Investment Amount, Various Xuanfeng Alliance Capital Firms Will Receive a Total of 51% of Shares..."
"What?" Xu Hui gasped aloud upon seeing the news.
The driver glanced at him in shock; he had never seen his boss lose his composure like this.
Xu Hui hadn’t just lost his composure; he felt like he’d seen a ghost. Qingfeng Network Company was bringing in investment, but it was from the Xuanfeng Alliance? Not them?
He naturally understood what this implied.
Xu Hui immediately grabbed his phone, found the contact information for several people, and started a group voice chat.
He immediately spoke into the chat, "There’s a problem. Has everyone seen the news about Qingfeng Network Company?"
The others quickly chimed in:
"Saw it. Damn it all."
"Why would he do this?"
"Sigh..."
They never expected him to choose this path.
’Is he stupid?’
’Letting foreign capital invest is like letting a wolf into the house. If he’s willing to give it to foreigners, why wasn’t he willing to let us invest?’
If they had taken the shares, at least he could have used the power and connections behind them.
Only Mr. Ma couldn’t help but sigh.
’This young man is more decisive than I am.’
’But it’s also truly unwise.’
’Giving up 51% of the shares just like that... and to foreign capital, which is even less trustworthy than the people in this group chat.’
But they also knew the current situation with the Xuanfeng Alliance. Now that Xuanfeng Alliance capital was invested in Qingfeng Network Company, they had no choice but to back down.
Otherwise, if the Xuanfeng Alliance made a move, they could be in trouble, and it could even affect their own political connections.
Xu Hui sighed and left the voice chat, only to receive a phone call. The caller was his contact from the antitrust side.
He answered, and a voice came from the other end, "Let this matter end here."
Xu Hui sighed one last time.
At that moment, the internet was, of course, also in an uproar over the news.
No one had expected such juicy gossip. Everyone had been discussing the Xuanfeng Alliance, and in the blink of an eye, capital from the Xuanfeng Alliance had taken a 51% stake in Qingfeng Network Company.
It was truly unexpected.
It seemed the relationship between Qingfeng Network Company and the Xuanfeng Alliance was not simple.
Soon, Mr. Chen also received the news. When he heard Secretary Chu’s report, he was dumbfounded. "How could this happen? Isn’t the Xuanfeng Alliance a newly established country? On what grounds are they injecting capital into Qingfeng Network Company?"
"And at a time like this, too! Aren’t they just spoiling our plans? Besides, what right does Qingfeng Network Company have to establish a connection with the Xuanfeng Alliance?"
Secretary Chu still didn’t know the reason.
He knew that these two parties should have had no interaction whatsoever.
But now, these two entities that should never have crossed paths had become entangled, and the Xuanfeng Alliance had even invested in Qingfeng Network Company.
Given his own position, he instantly understood the implications of the situation.
The trouble he had stirred up was now useless.
Under these circumstances, those who wanted to meddle would likely have to retreat.
’How could this be?’
Just then, Mr. Chen’s phone rang. The moment he saw the number, his face changed completely.
It was Liu Huaqiang’s number.