556: Chapter 551 A Rapid Downpour

This was too ruthless.

And it was incredibly satisfying.

Her body trembled uncontrollably from excitement.

Her eyes also began to redden.

"It's not over yet."

Shen Yan's voice sounded like a judge from hell, reading out the final verdict.

"Step five."

"Total extermination."

He looked at He Wanqing, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"The collapse of public opinion is just the beginning."

"At the same time as the press conference, I will unite all the capital I can mobilize to fully short Dongsheng Group's stock."

"Forged works and commercial fraud are enough to get it investigated by regulatory agencies; the stock price will plummet."

"I will use leverage to mobilize ten or even twenty times the capital to launch a hostile takeover of Dongsheng Group at its lowest point."

"What I want isn't his company."

"I want to force him into a margin call."

"To turn him from a group chairman worth billions into a debt-ridden pauper."

"As for Shark Lin's Wu Dong, once his auction house's reputation is bankrupt, it's as good as dead."

"I will make it so that he can never get another piece of business in Hong Kong City."

"I want them to have nothing."

"Just like what they once did to your He Family."

After saying the last sentence, Shen Yan picked up his coffee and took another sip.

The entire lounge seemed to fall silent.

He Wanqing sat there blankly, motionless.

She looked at the man before her, feeling a chill rush from the soles of her feet straight to her head.

This plan... it was no longer just a business plan.

It was a precisely designed, perfect killing machine.

Every step was interlinked.

Every step struck at the vitals.

It didn't just want to kill the enemy; it wanted to destroy their spirit.

It was meant to make the enemy fall from the clouds and shatter into pieces at their most glorious and triumphant moment.

Without even a sliver of a chance for a comeback.

This man before her...

How was his brain even constructed?

How could he conceive such a seamless and utterly sinister plan in such a short amount of time?

For the first time, He Wanqing felt a wave of fear from the bottom of her heart.

It wasn't the hilt of a sword for revenge that she was holding.

She had clearly handed her soul over to a devil.

And this devil was currently sitting calmly in front of her, drinking an ordinary cup of black coffee.

In the lounge, the steam from that cup of black coffee had already dissipated.

He Wanqing's hand was still resting on that A4 sheet of paper labeled 'Project Phoenix.'

Her fingertips were ice cold.

She looked up at Shen Yan.

The man before her had a calm expression, as if the plan he had just uttered wasn't enough to overturn the Hong Kong City business world, but was merely tomorrow's breakfast menu.

"You..."

He Wanqing's throat felt a bit dry.

"Who exactly are you?"

Shen Yan picked up the bill on the table, glanced at it, and casually set down a black card.

"Your ally."

He stood up.

"Miss He, the play has already begun."

"Now, what you need to do is remember your lines and stay in your position."

"Leave the rest to me."

Two days later.

Hong Kong City, Happy Valley, a top-tier private club not open to the public.

The scent of mahogany and leather, mixed with the aroma of fine cigar tobacco, permeated the air.

Ning Ke sat in the main seat, personally pouring '82 Lafite into the glasses on both sides.

To his left was Shen Yan.

To his right was the chairman of Dongsheng Group, Lu Ming.

Lu Ming was in his forties and very well-maintained. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a hand-tailored suit, the Patek Philippe Celestial watch on his wrist shimmered with a faint light under the lamps.

He sized up Shen Yan, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and an imperceptible trace of contempt.

"President Shen, I've heard much about you."

Lu Ming raised his glass, his posture impeccable.

"A young talent from the mainland; the younger generation is truly to be feared."

Shen Yan smiled and picked up his wine glass but didn't clink it.

"President Lu is too kind."

"In the mainland, I'm just a crude software guy. I don't understand these elegant things you have here in Hong Kong City."

His tone of voice carried a bit of deliberate brashness, or rather, uncouthness.

The contempt in Lu Ming's eyes deepened.

Ning Ke sat to the side, focused and silent, saying nothing like a true middleman.

"President Shen is too modest."

Lu Ming took a sip of red wine.

"I heard from President Ning that President Shen is interested in 'Victoria Jewelry'?"

Shen Yan set down his glass and leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table.

"I'm interested."

"My girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and I want to give her something decent. I looked around and felt that the jewelry in Hong Kong City is just so-so."

"I heard someone say that Victoria used to be quite impressive, so I thought about buying it just to play around with it."

These words almost made Lu Ming laugh out loud.

Buying Victoria just to play around with it?

What did he think this was? Cabbage at a wet market?

"President Shen, you might not fully understand."

Lu Ming's tone was like that of a persuasive senior.

"Victoria's current situation is very complicated."

"Not to mention a mess of bad debts, its reputation is also ruined. Taking it over is like holding a hot potato."

Shen Yan pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. The exhaled smoke blurred his expression.

"Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems."

"President Lu, name a price."

"I don't have time to beat around the bush with you."

A smile of certain victory finally curled at the corner of Lu Ming's mouth.

The fish had taken the bait.

And it was a fat, stupid 'crossing-river dragon' from the mainland.

He held up five fingers.

"Five hundred million."

"I want five hundred million for the ownership of the Victoria Jewelry brand for the next hundred years."

Ning Ke's eyelid twitched.

An empty shell with a pile of bad debts, and he opens his mouth for five hundred million?

Truly black-hearted to the bone.

Shen Yan flicked his cigarette ash as if he had heard a joke.

"President Lu, that's not very straightforward of you."

"You want five hundred million from me for a dying brand?"

"Do you take me for a sucker?"

Lu Ming leaned back in his chair and said slowly,

"President Shen, a brand is priceless."

"The name Victoria carries a different weight in the hearts of the older generation in Hong Kong City."

"And..."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"The He Family's assets are more than just a simple brand."

"There are some hidden treasures that outsiders don't know about."

He was hinting at the manuscripts.

He was testing Shen Yan.

Shen Yan stubbed out his cigarette.

"Fine."

"Five hundred million it is."

He stood up.

"Prepare the contract. When it's ready, let me know."

"The money can be transferred at any time."

After saying that, he didn't even look at Lu Ming again and turned to leave.

Lu Ming was stunned.

Just like that...

He agreed?

He didn't even bargain?

He looked at Shen Yan's back, and the contempt in his eyes completely turned into greed and disdain.

What an absolute fool.

After Shen Yan left, Lu Ming looked at Ning Ke, smiling like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

"President Ning, this friend of yours is truly a man of... character."