The morning after New Year's Day, the sunlight was crisp and clear.
At exactly nine in the morning, Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi's cars entered the villa courtyard one after the other.
Su Wantang was already waiting at the door. She led the two of them to the study. The room was warm, and the drifting fragrance of tea dispelled the chill of winter.
"Zhao Zong." Chen Xi nodded in greeting and placed the heavy briefcase in his hand beside the desk.
Zhang Qingxue sat down directly. Taking a notebook from her briefcase, she looked calmly at Zhao Chen. "We can begin."
Su Wantang poured tea for the three of them and was about to turn and leave when Zhao Chen spoke. "Wantang, stay too."
She paused slightly.
"You need to know about these matters."
Zhao Chen indicated the armchair beside him. "Sit next to me."
His words carried a rare hint of ease, slightly easing the solemn atmosphere in the study.
Su Wantang did not refuse. She sat down quietly, folded her hands over her knees, and prepared to listen.
Zhao Chen skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the heart of the matter.
"The first thing today is to clarify the composition of the Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities." He looked at Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi.
"Based on my assessment, these three billion yuan in Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities can broadly be divided into three categories."
He drew a line on the whiteboard.
"First, approximately two billion yuan consists of loan guarantees the group provided to upstream and downstream Cooperators for specific projects."
The tip of his pen tapped the words "Cooperators."
"But quite a number of these Cooperators are 'fronts' for Lin Wanqing and certain other senior executives."
His tone turned cold.
"When these front companies worked with the