Zhao Chen When I came back from the terrace, the cocktail party was coming to an end.
The guests said goodbye in twos and threes, and the waiter began to clear away the glasses.
Lu Shen The people over there left at some point.
Chen Xi welcomes:
"Zhao Zong, are you okay?"
Zhao Chen shook his head:
"It's okay. Let's go."
The three of them walked through the banquet hall and headed to the elevator.
The moment the elevator door closed, Chen Xi finally couldn't help but ask:
"What did Lin Wanqing tell you?"
Zhao Chen looked at his reflection on the elevator door:
"She said that out of 2.6 billion, she is 100 million."
Chen Xi took a deep breath.
Zhang Qingxue pushed up his glasses:
"She... is this a gamble?"
Zhao Chen nodded:
"She put all the last Working Capital in."
The elevator was quiet for a few seconds.
Chen Xi asked softly:
"Do you believe her?"
Zhao Chen has no answer.
The elevator reaches the first floor and the door opens.
The night breeze blows in, bringing with it the unique flavor of the city.
Zhao Chen walked out of the hotel, stood on the steps, and looked at the constant flow of traffic outside.
"Chen Xi."
"Your command."
"From now on, use all available resources to investigate Lin Wanqing."
His voice was very flat, but every word was clear,
"How did she and Lu Shen get connected? When did it start? Is there anyone in between? I want everything I can find out."
He paused:
"Regardless of cost, the sooner the better."
Chen Xi was stunned for a moment:
"Regardless of the cost?"
"Yes." Zhao Chen said, "Even if we spend one million, we still have to dig out the details."
Chen Xi Take a deep breath:
"Understood."
Zhang Qingxue asked:
"Then over there Jiahe..."
Zhao Chen thought for a while:
"Follow the original plan. The delivery process proceeds normally and don't let them notice any abnormalities."
He turned around and looked at the two people:
"Lin Wanqing dares to press Working Capital, there must be something we don't know.
We have to figure out what her cards are first."
Chen Xi and Zhang Qingxue looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
"Start tonight." Chen Xi said.
Zhao Chen nodded and walked down the steps.
Liu Haitao has parked the car on the side of the road.
He opened the door and got into the back seat.
The car slowly drove away from the hotel.
In the rearview mirror, the brightly lit building became farther and farther away, and finally disappeared into the night.
Liu Haitao sent Zhao Chen home. When he came in, a floor lamp was on in Living Room.
Su Wantang stood up from the sofa, still wearing his daytime clothes.
"Back?"
Zhao Chen nodded:
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Waiting for you." Su Wantang came over and took his coat, "Have you been drinking?"
"Drink a little."
Su Wantang smelled it and didn't say anything. He just went to the kitchen to pour a glass of warm water and handed it to him.
Zhao Chen took it and took a sip.
Su Wantang sat down next to him and looked at him:
"Did something happen at the reception?"
Zhao Chen was silent for two seconds.
Then he said:
"Lin Wanqing also went."
Su Wantang's hand paused slightly.
"She is with Lu Shen." Zhao Chen continued, "She has 100 million of the 2.6 billion that Jiahe acquired."
Su Wantang didn't speak, just looked at him.
Zhao Chen leaned on the sofa and looked at the ceiling:
"She pushed all the last Working Capital in."
Su Wantang was silent for a long time.
Then she gently held his hand:
"What are you going to do?"
Zhao Chen turned his head and looked at her.
Under the dim light, there was something reassuring in her eyes.
"Let Chen Xi go check it out," he said, "Find out how they got on the line."
He paused:
"We'll tell you what to do after we find out."
Su Wantang nodded.
She didn't ask "Are you scared?" She didn't say "I'm worried about you."
She just sat quietly next to him and held his hand.
At nine o'clock the next morning, Henglong Building.
Zhao Chen opened the office door, and Chen Xi was already sitting inside.
There were two cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of her - she didn't usually smoke.
There is a faint blue circle under the eyes, obviously he has not slept all night.
"Zhao Zong, there is news."
Zhao Chen sat down behind the desk and looked at her:
"So fast?"
Chen Xi nodded:
"Nearly one million was spent, and three lines were used. When the money was in place, the information was in place."
She opened her notebook and began to report:
"First let's talk about the conclusion - Lin Wanqing's current situation is more complicated than we thought before."
She paused:
"Equity Structure of the companies under her name have recently changed.
A sum of money was injected into her core business, and at the same time, she herself became a shareholder of that company."
Zhao Chen's brows moved slightly:
"Source of funds?"
"I checked it." Chen Xi said, "It penetrated the three-layer architecture and finally pointed to--"
She raised her head:
"Blackstone's acquisition funds."
The office was quiet for a second.
Zhang Qingxue opened the door and came in. He happened to hear these words and paused:
"Blackstone?"
Chen Xi nodded:
"Yes. It's not Lu Shen personally, it's Blackstone's main fund."
Zhao Chen leaned on the back of the chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
Blackstone.
The world's largest alternative asset management company manages more than one trillion US Dollar assets.
For an institution of this level, every investment has strict procedures and risk controls.
They rarely invest in companies that don't have Control.
Not to mention investing money in a former Finance Director who was just kicked out and Short Selling lost 250 million.
"Something's wrong." Zhang Qingxue pushed up his glasses.
"I have studied Blackstone's investment style. They like holdings, or at least 'strategic minority stakes' that can participate in major decisions.
Those Lin Wanqing companies are small in scale and have scattered businesses, so Blackstone cannot possibly take a fancy to them."
She paused and added:
"I have checked the past cases of Blackstone, and there are indeed very few investments that they did not seek from Control, but those were invested in leaders in subdivisions with mature management teams and stable cash flow.
Lin Wanqing's company does not meet any of the requirements."
Chen Xi answered:
"So there is only one possibility - this money was operated by Lu Shen."
She paused:
"Lu Shen is the vice president of Blackstone China, and he has a certain amount of investment authority.
He may have used this authority to inject money into Lin Wanqing's company in the name of 'Strategic Investment'.
But this is not Blackstone's regular investment, it is his personal operation."
Zhao Chen looked at her:
"You mean, Lu Shen is operating illegally?"
Chen Xi nodded:
"It is possible. Although Blackstone has internal precedents for this kind of minority equity investment, it usually goes through strict Investment Decision Committee approval.
Lin Wanqing Those companies can't survive at all. The fact that she can get the money shows that someone helped her pass the risk control test."
Zhang Qingxue added:
"And Blackstone's Due Diligence is very strict. If the money had been transferred through formal procedures, the details of Lin Wanqing's companies would have been revealed long ago--
She just lost 250 million, and the company under her name is in a liquidity crisis. How can Blackstone be interested in this kind of investment target?"
Zhao Chen was silent for a few seconds.
"Lin Wanqing That one hundred million," he said, "What is its nature?"
Chen Xi thought for a while:
"I feel... like a deposit."
Zhao Chen looked at her, waiting for her explanation.