Tuesday, January 3.
Morning sunlight pierced the winter fog that usually shrouded Shan City, making the Henglong Group Headquarters Building look especially austere in the crisp air.
On the first workday of 2017, however, the atmosphere in the top-floor conference room was complex and subtle—filled with the usual anticipation of a new year, yet permeated by an almost imperceptible tension.
Zhao Chen sat at the head of the Long Table, his dark suit accentuating his composed features.
Zhang Qingxue and Chen Xi sat on either side.
The executives took their seats one after another. Lin Wanqing sat in the third seat to Zhao Chen's right, calmly organizing the documents in front of her.
"Good morning, everyone. Happy New Year." Zhao Chen began, his voice clear and steady.
"Today is our first formal meeting of the new year. Let's start by discussing a few routine matters."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"First, the arrangements for the debts maturing in the first quarter. Director Lin, please briefly explain the Finance Department's preliminary Contingency Plan."
Lin Wanqing raised her head and picked up a document. Her voice remained professionally steady, but a carefully measured trace of gravity appeared between her brows.
"Zhao Zong, everyone, the situation regarding the debts maturing in the first quarter is somewhat more serious than expected."
She opened the document, her eyes passing over several key figures.
"The total principal due is approximately 370 million Hong Kong Dollars. We've recently held intensive discussions with the major creditor institutions. The feedback hasn't been optimistic."
She paused, her tone taking on the helplessness of an objective statement.
"Nearly all the institutions brought up the same issue—
The company's recent drastic personnel changes and the negative public opinion surrounding the former chairman's legal troubles have severely affected their assessment