His father's new rank had already been decided, but it was still in the public notice period. Once those seven days were over, his father would report to the provincial authorities.
During that time, quite a few people came to visit his father, hoping to build connections and make themselves familiar faces.
His father did not let success go to his head. He remained calm and turned away all visitors, regardless of their connections, eliminating any potential risks.
Lin Chao Ci, meanwhile, had been run off his feet these past few days.
Besides helping his father deal with the Ding Qiushan incident, he also had to handle the company's business.
After Ding Qiushan's gang was arrested, the heads of Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao arrived together.
Lin Chao Ci could not be bothered to sign contracts with them one at a time, so he simply arranged to meet all three companies together and sign everything in one go.
All three companies had brought their legal teams, who naturally noticed that the contracts stipulated no deposit: the shares had to be transferred before the funding would be provided!
The heads of the three companies were all more or less unhappy when they learned of this requirement.
Transferring shares without a deposit meant that if Lin Chao Ci took the shares and ran, all three companies would lose everything, right down to their shirts.
They certainly would not win a lawsuit. Even if they did, their companies would have been dragged into bankruptcy by then.
But the three companies had no other choice now. They had already come to his turf and learned about his background.
What else could they do? They could only sign.
After reluctantly signing the contracts, the three bosses did not linger. They left immediately with their people.
In the future, however, all three bosses would be grateful that they had signed the contracts that day and gained Lin Chao Ci's protection.
After signing the contracts with the three bosses, Lin Chao Ci did not return straight to the company. Instead, he went to the bank.
Just moments earlier, Tencent CEO Ma had fulfilled their agreement and transferred 20% of the shares into Lin Chao Ci's name.
Without putting up a cent, Lin Chao Ci had gone from owning nothing to being Tencent's second-largest shareholder.
He was heading to the bank to fulfill his side of the agreement by taking out a loan against those shares.
Before coming, he had already asked his secretary, Fang Miaoke, to speak to the bank manager in advance.
Thus, the moment Lin Chao Ci's car arrived at the bank entrance, the manager spotted his license plate and came out smiling, leading a large group of people to welcome him.
"Welcome to our bank, Young Master Lin. I'm the bank manager..."
The manager was exceedingly respectful. Lin Chao Ci's status needed no explanation.
A single word from his father could determine the course of the manager's career.
Any amount of groveling was worth it now. As long as he could please this young master, the manager would willingly kneel down and polish Lin Chao Ci's shoes.
Lin Chao Ci frowned slightly in displeasure. The man was far too eager to please. He was only here to discuss business.
If this had not been the only bank in Haikou City with enough cash to lend tens of millions, he would definitely have chosen another one.
Still, Lin Chao Ci did not let it show. He understood the man's desire to advance his career.
He said mildly, "Have everyone else leave. Let's go to the reception room..."
The manager nodded respectfully and immediately dismissed everyone else. Then he personally led the way, taking the group into the reception room.
"Whoa, who's that handsome guy? The manager's practically bowing and scraping. All that's missing is for him to get on his knees!"
"Just look at the license plate...!"
"Oh! No wonder the manager's being so respectful! He really is a young master from a powerful family. If someone like him took a fancy to me, wouldn't I be set for life...?"
The other bank employees were stunned by the sight.
Their manager was usually arrogant and bad-tempered, always looking down his nose at people. Now, he was acting like a lapdog.
Everyone wanted to laugh, but no one dared.
In the reception room, the manager first invited Lin Chao Ci to sit, then immediately made tea himself, playing the servant.
Having dealt with plenty of this in his previous life, Lin Chao Ci was used to it. He sat on the sofa and gestured for his secretary, Fang Miaoke, to take out a document.
After several days of training under Sister Li, Fang Miaoke was starting to look and act like a proper secretary.
At the very least, she could read Lin Chao Ci's signals.
With the document proving his share ownership on the table, Lin Chao Ci said, "Bank Manager Li, I'm here to take out a secured loan. I'd like to borrow 25 million against my 20% stake in the Penguin Company!"
Not wanting to waste time, Lin Chao Ci went straight to the point.
"Of course. No problem!"
They had spoken over the phone before his arrival, so Bank Manager Li naturally knew that Lin Chao Ci was here for a loan.
Although he was somewhat surprised by the size of the loan, the bank had enough money to provide it. Bank Manager Li agreed immediately without even glancing at the contract.
This time, Lin Chao Ci was genuinely displeased, and he frowned.
He wanted to do business openly and honestly, without any fraud or deception that might leave a stain for someone to uncover later.
Bank Manager Li had been watching Lin Chao Ci's expression the whole time. He had thought his efforts to please him would make him happy, but the outcome seemed unexpected. His flattery appeared to have backfired.
Lin Chao Ci seemed angry, apparently dissatisfied with his behavior.
Bank Manager Li panicked. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, not quite understanding what was going on.
Young masters from other families had come for loans before, and Bank Manager Li had handled them exactly this way. They had all been delighted.
Why was Lin Chao Ci unhappy with it?
Was 25 million too little?
"How about this? I'll lend you 30 million! Any more than that, and I won't be able to provide it all at once..."
Bank Manager Li made the offer tentatively.
Lin Chao Ci pressed a hand to his forehead. Rather than play guessing games or put on airs, he spoke plainly. "My company is a legitimate business, and I want a legitimate loan. You haven't even looked at the shares before approving the money. That seems a little..."
The moment he heard that, Bank Manager Li understood.
"Oh, of course! That was an oversight on my part. I'll look right now..."
Bank Manager Li immediately picked up the proof of share ownership and the company's asset valuation from the table and examined them carefully.
To his credit, Bank Manager Li really did know his business. After reading for a few minutes, he spotted the issue. "Mr. Lin, the Penguin Company's current valuation doesn't appear to be that high... Under normal circumstances, the maximum loan would actually be 12 million!"
"But now that this company has your investment, Mr. Lin, I'm very optimistic about its potential. I believe it's bound to succeed in the future! I can lend you 20 million!"
Bank Manager Li was indeed capable. He had recognized the Penguin Company's true value at a glance, but with Lin Chao Ci involved, lending a little extra was not really an issue.
After all, exercising that degree of discretion was lawful, compliant, and perfectly reasonable.
Twenty-five million was a little too much, however. Twenty million was the most reasonable and safest amount.
After hearing this, Lin Chao Ci nodded in satisfaction. Bank Manager Li really did know his business.
"All right. What's the interest rate?"
"The annual interest rate is normally 6.3%, but given your excellent credit and assets, I can lower it to 5.3%!"
"All right. Let's sign the contract!"
Their discussion went pleasantly, and all the terms and figures fell within legal limits.
Lin Chao Ci successfully used his 20% stake in Tencent to secure a 20 million loan from the bank.
Tencent, meanwhile, only needed US$2.3 million in funding, which converted to roughly 16 million yuan.
By shifting the money from one hand to the other, Lin Chao Ci pocketed 4 million for nothing.
As for the interest, Lin Chao Ci was not worried at all. Tencent would soon go public through a reverse merger, and its share price would soar then.
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