November 17, 7pm, Weibo.
A video detonated like a bomb in the middle of the night.
The poster is a newly registered account, but the people in the video and those who know Henglong all know her.
Lin Wanqing.
She is thinner than the last time she appeared in public, her eyes are sunken and her cheekbones are protruding, but her eyes have a stern look when she is on the verge of despair.
"My name is Lin Wanqing, and I used to be Henglong Group Finance Director.
Today I want to report with my real name that Henglong Group and its subsidiary Haoyu Construction used the identity of Major Shareholder to maliciously infringe on the rights and interests of Minor Shareholder."
Her voice was hoarse, but every word was pronounced clearly:
"Haoyu Construction unilaterally conducted so-called 'revaluation' of three projects in cooperation with the company under my name without my consent or legal procedures, forcibly diluting my rights and interests.
Two of the projects had an initial investment of 50 million, but after revaluation, they were only worth 20 million."
She paused and held up a document:
"This is a third-party assessment report. But I question its fairness.
I have submitted reporting materials to Securities Regulatory Commission, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Committee, and the Market Supervision Bureau at the same time, requesting that the case be opened for investigation.
At the same time, I have applied to Court for property preservation and frozen the relevant assets of these three projects."
At the end of the video, she said:
"Henglong can bully me as a woman, but I don't believe it, and the law will bully me."
Three hours later, the video's views exceeded 5 million.
The comment section is completely out of control.
"Holy shit! 50 million turned into 20 million? Is this a money grab?"
"Henglong is so cruel? Zhao Chen is so cruel?"
"No, is there any cause and effect to this matter? It's impossible to judge unilaterally."
"The cause and effect? She is a weak woman, what else can she do?"
"Weak woman? She has worked at Henglong for more than ten years. Finance Director, you are calling me a weak woman?"
"That doesn't deny that what she said may be true."
"Let's wait for the official announcement. It's too early to say anything now."
"When the notification came out, the money had already been transferred."
Public opinion is one-sided.
No one cares what Lin Wanqing has done in the past.
No one cares what is going on with those projects.
There is only a simple and crude narrative: big groups bully Minor Shareholder, and capital is taken advantage of.
Enough.
An hour later, the second bomb prepared by Lu Shen arrived.
This time it's a screenshot of a lawyer's letter.
Prosecutor: Three minors--the three children of Lin Wanqing and Zhao Jianguo.
Defendant: Zhao Jianguo.
Appeal: Court is required to confirm that all Equity Transfer Agreement signed by Zhao Jianguo after being taken away are invalid, and to redistribute these shares.
The lawyer's letter reads:
"When Mr. Zhao Jianguo lost his personal freedom, he was coerced into signing Share Transfer Agreement, which seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of his biological children.
According to the relevant provisions of the Civil Code, the above agreement should be deemed invalid.
We request Court to find out the facts in accordance with the law and protect the legitimate rights and interests of minors."
Below the screenshot, there is a line of text:
"Three children sue their father - the feud between wealthy families escalates."
The comment section was completely blown away.
"Damn it, is there another one?"
"So the shares held by Zhao Chen may be illegal?"
"It's not possible, there must be something wrong. Zhao Jianguo was in Detention Center at that time, how could it be possible for normal transactions?"
"Wasn't it announced at that time? The procedures are in compliance."
"Procedural compliance does not mean there is no coercion. In a place like Detention Center, whoever enters will know."
"You say this as if you have been there."
"Anyway, if this matter gets serious, Henglong's equity may have to be reshuffled."
"I don't dare think about the stock price tomorrow."
The third message appeared quietly late at night.
A tax V with 500,000 followers posted a long message:
<Henglong Tax doubts: Looking at the problem from the data>
The article lists a bunch of numbers and concludes with just one sentence:
"According to calculations based on public data, Henglong may have underpaid taxes in the past three years, and the amount may be between 50 million and 100 million.
Of course, this is just speculation and requires the tax department to step in for verification."
He provided no evidence.
But enough.
Someone in the comment area has already started to think:
"Such a big company must have problems."
"Which Real Estate company doesn't have some tax problems?"
"Zhao Chen is going to fall into trouble this time."
"Report and start."
The second piece of news spread quietly in another corner.
On the morning of the 18th, an account named "Haoyu Construction Old Employee" posted messages in several construction industry groups:
"Brothers, the money Haoyu owes us has not been settled yet!
I agreed to delay payment before, but now I haven't seen a penny.
Is there anyone who can go with them to ask for an explanation?"
Someone soon commented:
"I also haven't received the money for half a year."
"Count me in."
"Going to Henglong Headquarters tomorrow?"
"Just go, don't be afraid!"
At eight o'clock in the morning, someone formed a "salary demand group".
The number of people increased from 10 to 50, and from 50 to 200.
Before dawn, there were already more than 500 people.
Zhao Chen received a call from Chen Xi on the night of the 17th, when he was enjoying a massage from Su Wantang.
"Zhao Zong, something happened."
Her voice was as tight as a fully drawn bowstring.
Zhao Chen sat up and pressed the speakerphone:
"Say."
Chen Xi quickly explained the situation online.
Complaint video of Lin Wanqing.
"Now the whole Internet is scouring it, and public opinion is one-sided. When the market opens on Monday, the stock price will definitely collapse."
Zhao Chen was silent for two seconds.
Then he said:
"Notify all senior managers to hold a meeting at ten o'clock tomorrow."
After the conversation, he realized something was wrong.
No matter how big the fuss is, it will not be good for Lin Wanqing.
So, in doubt, he waited for three more messages.
Prosecution of three children.
Report from a tax guru.
Connection among workers.
On November 18th, the day that was supposed to be a rest, Meeting Room on the 28th floor of Henglong Building ushered in its popularity.
Henglong The senior executives arrived one after another.
Chen Xi's eyes were red, obviously he hadn't slept all night. Zhang Qingxue was holding his laptop with a solemn expression on his face.
Su Wantang sat next to Zhao Chen, frowning.
Chen Wei rushed over from Haoyu. His hair was still wet. He obviously got up from the bed and ran here.
Liu Mingyu's legs were shaking when he came in:
"Chairman Zhao, my phone has been buzzing with calls. The media, investors, regulators... all are asking questions."
Zhao Chen said nothing.
His cell phone rang.
It's Shen Jue.
Connected.
"Zhao Chen," Shen Jue's voice was a little more urgent than usual, "What's going on?"
Zhao Chen said:
"You saw it all?"
Shen Jue said:
"I saw it. West Road took action together. They are going to kill you."
She paused:
"Can you handle it over there?"
Zhao Chen said:
"You have to carry it even if you can't bear it."
Shen Jue was silent for two seconds:
"What do you need me to do?"
Zhao Chen said:
"Let's take a look at the situation first. When the market opens the day after tomorrow, it may be ugly."
Shen Jue said:
"Okay. Call me anytime."
Hang up.
The office was quiet for a few seconds.
Zhang Qingxue opening:
"Lin Wanqing's lawsuit was for shares.
If the agreement is truly deemed invalid, the shares in your hand will be re-divided.
If some of the three children are taken away, your Control will be in danger."
Chen Xi said:
"Although there is no concrete evidence on the tax issue, if public opinion is fermenting, the regulatory authorities will definitely investigate.
It's okay if no problem is found, but if there is even a tiny bit of problem, it's a big problem."
Chen Wei said:
"The workers have already paid part of their arrears, and I have asked someone to appease them. But there are people who are making trouble, and it's hard to suppress them."
Su Wantang said nothing during the song.
She just looked at Zhao Chen.
The phone rang again.
It's Shen Zhiyi.
Her voice was filled with tears:
"Zhao Chen, I saw the news... are you okay?"
Zhao Chen's voice is a little softer:
"It's okay. Don't worry."
Shen Zhiyi said:
"How could I not be worried! Everyone on the Internet said that Henglong is going to be finished..."
Zhao Chen said:
"Don't believe anything the Internet says. Trust me."
Shen Zhiyi was silent for two seconds:
"Okay. I believe you."
Hang up the phone.
Zhao Chen raised his head and looked at the people in front of him.
Chen Xi's anxiety, Zhang Qingxue's solemnity, Chen Wei's fatigue, Su Wantang's worry.
They were all waiting for him to speak.