Chapter 4
It’s a sunny Monday afternoon, and Lin Yushu parked his car in the parking lot of Jingxin Villa before taking a tour shuttle to the main house surrounded by jungle.
Jingxin Villa covers more than ten acres and is built on a hillside with winding paths and beautiful scenery. In front of the main house is a spacious lawn, from which you can not only see the city’s skyline, but also the harbor filled with ships in the distance.
Lin Yushu took the wheelchair from the servant’s hand and pushed Shao Zhenbang forward. Perhaps sensing the difference in their pace, Shao Zhenbang didn’t turn around and said, “You’ve arrived.”
The slowly drifting voice was old and weak, not as vigorous as it was in previous years. After all, he was an old master suffering from a terminal illness, and his former sharpness had been eroded by time and illness.
“We’re here, sir,” Lin Yushu stopped at an appropriate position where the view was already good enough. Going further would make the mountain wind too strong.
“A few days ago, I watched a biographical film,” Shao Zhenbang spoke slowly. “I also plan to write an autobiography. Find someone with good writing skills to come and help me. I’ll dictate while they organize it. When it’s ready, have it made into a film by Hexu.”
Nowadays, Shao Zhenbang rarely manages the company’s specific affairs. Most of the things he entrusts to Lin Yushu are like a bucket list of last wishes.
Lin Yushu quickly made a plan in his mind. “Okay.”
“Also,” Shao Zhenbang spoke again, his pace more compact than before. “Keep an eye on this acquisition for me.”
“Regarding this acquisition,” Lin Yushu said tactfully, “Mr. Shao has a strong idea.”
The implication was that because Shao Guangjie insisted on his acquisition plan, there was nothing anyone else could do about it.
“It’s precisely because he has such strong ideas that I want you to keep an eye on it for me,” Shao Zhenbang said. “I don’t want to see discord within the family. And Hexu’s family is going through a divorce right now, so we can’t afford any more problems with the acquisition.”
Shao Zhenbang had three children: his eldest son, Shao Hedong, was the current chairman of Yong Xing Group and also Shao Guangjie’s father; his second son, Shao Hexu, was the vice chairman of Yong Xing Group and was in charge of business outside of the automobile industry, focusing on the entertainment industry; his youngest daughter, Shao Wenqian, studied in Germany and fell in love with a Chinese engineer. Despite opposition from her family, she stayed in Germany and married him, eventually giving birth to Song Qiming. Although they had little contact with the family afterwards, Shao Zhenbang had made peace with them before he passed away and treated them fairly.
Since both sides of the acquisition were family members, Shao Zhenbang naturally didn’t want to see his sons fight with each other.
Even if the blood relationship was put aside, for the sake of Yong Xing Group’s stock price, this acquisition had to be completed smoothly.
Lin Yushu said, “I will ensure the success of this acquisition.”
“Just ensuring success is not enough,” Shao Zhenbang tilted his chin slightly and looked at Lin Yushu behind him. “The acquisition terms must be fair and just, and not cause any unnecessary disputes.”
After going back and forth, Lin Yushu finally understood what Shao Zhenbang meant. If one party benefited greatly from the acquisition while the other suffered losses, outsiders would speculate that the two brothers were not on good terms and would be cautious in the stock market. As a result, the goal of using the acquisition to boost the stock price would not be achieved.
Shao Guangjie was backed by Yong Xing Group, so it was obvious that Song Qiming was the one who would easily suffer losses. Therefore, Shao Zhenbang’s real intention was –
To have Lin Yushu help Song Qiming when necessary.
“After this acquisition is completed and the divorce with Fang Lan is resolved smoothly,” Shao Zhenbang’s pace of speech returned to its previous calm state. “I will give you the CEO position for your family.”
Fast forward to the present.
Shao Guangjie’s question was about Shao Zhenbang’s opinion of Song Qiming, but Lin Yushu naturally wouldn’t give a straightforward answer.
“You know, Mr. Shao,” he picked up his water glass and took a sip. “The old master values family harmony the most.”
“So he doesn’t want me to initiate this acquisition?” Shao Guangjie’s expression didn’t change much, but his suddenly accelerated pace of speech and his forced calmness were enough to indicate his nervousness.
“No, the acquisition is not a problem. It can boost the stock price and is a good remedy.”
Lin Yushu used the word “remedy,” and a slight hint of displeasure flashed between Shao Guangjie’s eyebrows. Shao Guangjie became the CEO of the group last year and was eager to make some achievements. In order to boost the stock price that had suffered due to Shao Zhenbang’s illness, he decided to vigorously promote new energy vehicles and selected an existing car model to introduce the first electric car of Yong Xing Group using oil-to-electric technology.
As Yong Xing Motors’ brand positioning was luxury, the pricing of this electric car was naturally high, at four hundred thousand RMB.
But the public is not foolish. The technology of Yong Xing cannot match that of specialized electric car manufacturers, and its price is two or three times higher than others. Soon, someone gave this car the nickname ‘Leek Car’ – whoever buys it is a leek.
In this situation, Shao Guangjie made a surprising decision to lower the price of the car by 100,000 yuan.
Now, even Yong Xing itself has no confidence in its own car. The stock price of Yong Xing has plummeted again and has not recovered until now.
If it weren’t for Shao and Dong pacifying the major shareholders of the group one by one, Shao Guangjie would have been kicked out of the CEO position a long time ago.
“And then?” Shao Guangjie asked, restraining his displeasure between his eyebrows.
“The old master’s idea is,” Lin Yushu said calmly, “the current acquisition plan is too harsh. Let’s not talk about whether it can be completed. Even if it can, outsiders will not look favorably on this kind of partnership.”
Actually, Shao Zhenbang did not say these things. They were all Lin Yushu’s thoughts.
If Lin Yushu had to be compared to an animal, he was very much like a fox, knowing how to use the power of a tiger to his advantage.
Anyway, since Shao Zhenbang told him to handle it himself, he didn’t mind using the “tiger’s” authority to facilitate his own work.
“Why don’t they look good?” Shao Guangjie asked, “Just because I want to exclude Song Qiming?”
“President Shao,” Lin Yushu said with a persuasive tone, “Song Qiming is the soul of S-power. If you only buy the modification factory, it’s like buying an empty shell. Do you think the capital market will pay for an empty shell?”
Shao Guangjie interlaced his ten fingers, and his two thumbs turned alternately, seeming to be seriously considering Lin Yushu’s words.
“I have to admit,” Lin Yushu said again, “in terms of car making, Song Qiming has great talent. With him joining the company, the fourth quarter’s financial report should not be too bad. As the CEO, this is also a reflection of your ability, isn’t it?”
This sentence seemed to hit Shao Guangjie, he stopped turning his thumbs and looked at Lin Yushu, asking, “So what is Manager Lin’s suggestion?”
“Stocks may not be given to Song Qiming, but we can hire him as the chief project engineer, responsible for the research and development of new cars, and offer him a high annual salary. Whether he accepts it or not, at least this plan is sincere enough, and we can negotiate the follow-up later.”
Lin Yushu did not stand for Shao Guangjie or Song Qiming. His only goal was the development of the company. Therefore, his words were objective enough and persuasive enough.
“Okay,” Shao Guangjie was already convinced by Lin Yushu, “I’ll let legal take another look.”
Having solved the problem at hand, the journey ahead became much easier.
Approaching 8 pm, Lin Yushu and Shao Guangjie arrived at the F1 circuit, where all the cars were warming up on the track, and the sound of engines could be heard everywhere.
After checking their tickets at the entrance of the most expensive A zone, they went straight to the grandstand in the starting area.
The seats on the grandstand were open for anyone to sit in. Shao Guangjie walked ahead, and Lin Yushu followed behind, carefully climbing the steps towards a less crowded area. Suddenly, Lin Yushu heard a familiar voice say, “Cousin?”
In a place full of foreigners, it was hard not to attract attention when speaking Chinese.
Both Lin Yushu and Shao Guangjie turned towards the voice, and saw Song Qiming already seated in his seat.
Today, he was wearing a Red Bull T-shirt and a matching blue baseball cap, indicating his support for the Red Bull Racing Team.
Although he called out to Shao Guangjie, his eyes were fixed directly on Lin Yushu, with a hint of surprise and inquiry.
Well, Lin Yushu just wanted to disappear.
It was obvious that Song Qiming remembered him as the person who poured beer on him last night, and was very curious about why he was here with Shao Guangjie.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so proactive and friendly in calling him “cousin.”
“Qiming?” Shao Guangjie’s tone was also very affectionate. He went straight to the empty seat next to Song Qiming and asked, “What brings you here?”
What else? Of course, it’s to watch the race.
Lin Yushu muttered to himself and sat down next to Shao Guangjie.
The tickets in the starting area were divided into two types: grandstand seats adjacent to the track and the luxurious restaurants above the grandstand.
As long as they were seasoned racing fans, they would definitely choose to sit in the grandstand, because it was opposite the team pit garages, allowing them to get up close and personal with the cars entering and exiting the pit lane.
Lin Yushu had overlooked the fact that Song Qiming was also a racing fan. Why didn’t he think that they would meet each other again today?
“Here to watch the race,” Song Qiming looked at Lin Yushu with a hint of curiosity and asked Shao Guangjie, “Are you here for the same reason?”
“Yeah, what a coincidence,” Shao Guangjie smiled.
Lin Yushu knew that Shao Guangjie was genuinely surprised, but he guessed that in Song Qiming’s eyes, Shao Guangjie was just acting.
As the main culprit, Lin Yushu didn’t feel comfortable explaining and could only silently take a sip of beer, focusing on watching the race, appearing completely engrossed and leaving Shao Guangjie to continue to bear the blame.
The two of them chatted about household matters, but both tacitly avoided mentioning the acquisition.
After a while, Shao Guangjie’s phone suddenly rang and he left with a “I’ll take a call”, taking his phone to the other side of the stands.
The “wall” between them suddenly disappeared, and now Song Qiming’s gaze fell directly onto Lin Yushu’s face, clearly waiting for an explanation.
“Just to clarify,” Lin Yushu put down his beer and met Song Qiming’s gaze, “last night was an accident, I had no idea you were next to me.”
“Is that so?” Song Qiming scrutinized Lin Yushu’s expression, seemingly judging the truth of the statement.
Unlike the way he looked at a stranger last night, Song Qiming’s gaze now contained many different things, more curiosity than caution.
“It is,” Lin Yushu decided to be straightforward, “if I had any ulterior motives, you wouldn’t have met us today.”
This reason was quite persuasive, and Song Qiming didn’t say anything more, turning his head back to the racetrack.
But soon, he looked back at Lin Yushu and asked, “What is your relationship with Shao Guangjie?”
Calling someone a cousin in front of others but using their full name behind their back, not even bothering to pretend.
Lin Yushu was the type to answer whatever someone asked him, whether it was Shao Guangjie or Song Qiming.
“I work at Yong Xing Group,” he replied.
Answered, but not fully answered.
People in the business world were used to this way of speaking, so generally they wouldn’t continue asking. But Song Qiming obviously didn’t understand this and raised an eyebrow, asking, “So?”
There was still a “so.”
Lin Yushu patiently replied, “Mr. Shao is my boss.”
After hearing his answer, Song Qiming was more convinced than ever that Lin Yushu was avoiding the truth.
He then crossed his arms, thoughtfully saying, “You’re Shao Guangjie’s lover.”
The tone was quite certain.
Accompanying Shao Guangjie to watch the race alone, and the vague explanation of their relationship, this was the only explanation.
Lin Yushu was momentarily speechless, and the inner monologue that welled up in his mind was quickly suppressed:
It was your grandfather who asked me to help you, you jerk.
