Board of Directors After the meeting ended, Zhao Chen did not leave Meeting Room immediately.
Shen Jue, Song Zhongping and several Independent Director got up one after another.
A few muffled conversations and the opening and closing of the elevator door came from the corridor, and then the entire top floor fell silent again.
Su Wantang gave him a cup of hot Pu'er and raised the air conditioner temperature by one degree.
Then I sat in the back row and looked through the latest itinerary sent by Chen Xi.
Zhao Chen leaned on the back of the chair and tapped his fingers slowly on the table.
He just revealed all Era Vanguard's trump cards on Board of Directors--
Complete links to asset size, funding sources, and pledge financing.
But Board of Directors is just the first level.
There are still too many pairs of eyes staring at Henglong in China--
The media, regulators, peers, and those brokerage analysts who compiled various speculations into research reports during his absence for half a year.
He needs a formal media meeting to tell all the things that need to be made clear in public at once.
He picked up the intercom and dialed the number Liu Mingyu. "Director Liu, call Meeting Room."
Liu Mingyu almost trotted in.
He just saw in the office downstairs that the stock price of Henglong closed at 102 Hong Kong Dollar.
I was working on the first draft of a voluntary announcement when I heard Zhao Chen calling him and he came up without even turning off the computer.
When he opened the door and came in, his suit buttons were still unbuttoned.
Holding a laptop and a stack of printed media appointment lists in his hands.
"Zhao Zong, do you have a problem with me?"
"I'm going to hold a media conference."
Zhao Chen Get straight to the point,
"It's not a press conference, it's not a road show, it's not an investor relations briefing.
It's a media meeting - let everyone who wants to ask me questions come and ask me in person."
Liu Mingyu put the laptop on the conference table, tapped his fingers quickly on the keyboard, and called up a media communication Contingency Plan that he had prepared a long time ago.
"Zhao Zong, actually before you returned to China, I had met with Chen Xi and Lawyer Zhang twice and drafted a first draft in advance."
He turned the screen to Zhao Chen,
"In terms of time, we recommend placing it on next Monday or Tuesday, that is, October 11 or 12.
The location is Multi-Function Hall on the first floor of Henglong Headquarters--
It can accommodate about two hundred people, and the equipment is ready, including large LED screens and simultaneous interpretation rooms.
Invitations will only be sent to domestic mainstream Financial Media, without any restrictions, and the question outlines will not be screened in advance.
All reporters present have the right to ask impromptu questions at the scene."
Zhao Chen glanced at the densely packed Contingency Plan key points on the screen--
Process, security, live broadcast lines, public opinion monitoring, and release nodes of post-meeting drafts are all marked with the person in charge and the time node.
He turned the screen back and tapped his fingers on the table twice.
"How is the registration status?"
Liu Mingyu pulled out the media appointment list from Briefcase and spread it out on the table.
The list is more than twice as thick as last month's Henglong annual report conference--
First Finance, Caijing Magazine, 21st Century Business Herald, Jiemian News, Securities Times,
China Business Journal, Daily Economic News, Xinhua Finance Channel, CCTV Finance Channel,
There are also more than a dozen branches of overseas media based in China, as well as the editorial directors of some major financial portals.
The number of applicants has exceeded 100, and it is still increasing at a rate of more than 20 people every day.
"Zhao Zong, there is a situation that I need to tell you in advance--
We originally planned to only invite domestic mainstream Financial Media,
But after the few words you said at the airport on the day you returned to China were reproduced by Bloomberg and Reuters news,
Many overseas media branches in China have also applied for interview qualifications."
He ran his fingers along the list, column by column,
"Bloomberg Beijing Bureau, Reuters Shanghai Bureau, CNBC Asia-Pacific Bureau, Financial Times Chinese website--
These were not invited by us on our own initiative, they applied on their own."
"Then let them all come."
Zhao Chen pushed the list back with a low voice but without any hesitation.
"Era Vanguard's reporter has been chasing Wall Street for more than half a year.
Bloomberg and CNBC made special programs, and the Short Selling reports of Muddy Waters and Citron are still hanging online.
Now that I am here, they want to ask me face to face, so there is no need for me to hide."
He leaned back on the chair and tapped his fingers on the armrest twice.
"If the space is not enough, please find a bigger one.
Since Multi-Function Hall couldn't fit in on the first floor, a branch venue was added and connected via video link.
There is no need to preset a question outline in the media interview area, and all reporters present have the right to ask impromptu questions on the spot.
There will be no speech scripts, no scripts, and no answers given to anyone in advance.
Henglong does not need a carefully packaged press conference,
What I need is an occasion where the public can see my true thoughts and tell the truth."
Liu Mingyu wrote down every key point Zhao Chen said on his laptop, and his fingers were typing quickly on the keyboard.
After writing it down, he hesitated for a moment, then closed the computer, looked into Zhao Chen's eyes, and asked a question that was not written in Contingency Plan.
"Zhao Zong, if a reporter at the scene asks--
Why did you break your promise after publicly promising not to pledge or reduce your holdings?
Why would you rather be accused of betrayal than pledge more than 300 million shares? What's your answer?"
Zhao Chen picked up the already cold Pu'er and did not drink it. He just turned it around on the rim of the cup.
Meeting Room was quiet for a while, and then he put the cup back on the table, and the bottom of the cup hit the table with a light and clear crunching sound.
"Tell the truth."
He stood up and walked to Floor-to-Ceiling Window.
"The reason why I broke my promise is because I need to raise enough ammunition in the shortest time to defend Era Vanguard's Liquidation Threshold,
To accumulate holdings of those High-Quality Assets that are undervalued by the market to the core.
I can choose to bow to Wall Street's investment bank and accept higher financing costs.
But doing so would put Era Vanguard's risk control rating in a more passive position.
I chose another path - using my own stocks and my own credit to gamble on a game that everyone thought would lose.
I won the bet.
But I broke my promise. So I will pay the price - Two Hundred Million Hong Kong Dollar every year,
Until the compensation period expires. This answer does not need any public relations words to modify it."
Liu Mingyu typed the words Zhao Chen into the computer word for word.
He didn't add any polish because he knew the paragraph itself was the best PR wording.
He closed the laptop, stood up and straightened the buttons of his suit.
"I'll decide the venue tomorrow.
The time is set at two o'clock in the afternoon on October 12th, Saturday, so that it will not affect the normal trading day.
The media informed me that they will all be sent out tonight. The wording of the invitation letter will be as you wish--
There is no limit to the number of places, and there is no preset question outline. All reporters present can ask impromptu questions."
When he reached the door, he suddenly paused.
Turning around, he added with the caution typical of a secretary-general when facing an unprecedented high-profile press conference:
"Zhao Zong, there is something I must say in advance - this meeting,
It may be the media event with the highest specifications, the most intensive attention, and the most unrelenting questions since Henglong was launched.
If you're ready, I'll send you a notification."
Zhao Chen turned around from Floor-to-Ceiling Window and his eyes fell on Liu Mingyu's face.
"Fat."
He walked back to the conference table, sat down, and turned the media appointment list to the last page.
Listed above are several self-media and independent financial bloggers who temporarily applied for interview qualifications after the airport news was released.
He glanced at the names - some he had heard of, some he had no idea about.
"Henglong needs more than a carefully packaged press conference.
What I need is an occasion where the public can see my true thoughts and tell the truth.
Let all those who are willing to come come. Tell them that they can ask all questions and do not avoid any questions."