191: Chapter 192 Tianhua's Good Days Are Over

The sound of the gavel from the Jiangcheng Intermediate Court had just spread across the internet via livestream when a devastating storm erupted on the stock trading interface for Tianhua Pharmaceutical (002XXX) on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.

At 11:03 AM, just one minute after the verdict of "Li Yong's acquittal" was announced, Tianhua Pharmaceutical's stock price was still holding at 18.7 yuan per share. Although there had been a slight dip in the morning session, no one expected a cliff-like plunge in the next second—a massive sell order of 50 million shares suddenly hit the market, crashing the price directly from 18.7 yuan to 16.83 yuan, hitting the daily limit-down threshold.

On the trading software, green numbers flickered frantically as sell orders poured out like a tide, densely packing the entire screen. Investor groups exploded instantly; some spammed messages saying "Sell quickly! Tianhua is finished!", others tried to buy the dip only to be buried under the continuous sell orders at the limit-down price, and some posted screenshots of the trial livestream, shouting angrily, "The Wang family framed a divine doctor; a company like this deserves to be delisted!"

Within a short half-hour, the sell orders piled up on Tianhua Pharmaceutical's limit-down board exceeded 200 million shares. Its market value plummeted from 12.8 billion to 8.5 billion, a staggering evaporation of 4.3 billion yuan. The exchange urgently issued an announcement warning of "abnormal trading fluctuations, please be aware of investment risks," but this could not stop the wave of panic selling—everyone knew that with the scandal of "framing a divine doctor" combined with potential regulatory investigations, Tianhua Pharmaceutical's good days were over.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Tianhua Pharmaceutical Group, chaos had already broken out.

Outside the Chairman's office, the hallway was crowded with anxious executives and employees. Some held cooperation termination letters, while others carried bank payment notices, their faces filled with panic. Zhou Ming, the Director of the Legal Department, stood in a corner as his phone constantly delivered bad news of partners ending their ties: "Chairman, Johnson & Johnson just sent a letter terminating our agency cooperation for anti-cancer drugs; also, City First Hospital and the Provincial People's Hospital have both stated they will suspend their drug supply cooperation with us..."

The Director of the Finance Department was even paler, the reports in his hands shaking uncontrollably: "Chairman Wang, ICBC, CCB, and ABC just sent simultaneous notices demanding we repay loans totaling 1.5 billion yuan in advance. If we can't pay within three days, they will apply to freeze our assets..."

The most fatal news came from the regulatory authorities—the Provincial Drug Administration and the Securities Regulatory Commission issued a joint announcement declaring the "initiation of an investigation into Tianhua Pharmaceutical for suspected 'forgery of medical data and unfair competition'." The announcement specifically mentioned that they would "focus on verifying the equity connection and capital flows between Tianhua and Qiming Capital," which was undoubtedly another nail in the coffin for Tianhua Pharmaceutical.

Wang Tianhua sat in his empty Chairman's office, listening to the noise outside as if he couldn't hear it. The floor-to-ceiling window in front of him had once reflected his high-spirited self—ten years ago, he had stood right here, watching Tianhua Pharmaceutical's stock price break 20 yuan to become the leader of Jiangcheng's pharmaceutical industry. But now, while the CBD outside remained prosperous, his business empire was on the verge of collapse in just half an hour.

He picked up a mirror from his desk, which reflected an unfamiliar face—his hair had turned mostly white overnight, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were deep enough to catch a finger. His once sharp gaze now held only a murky despair. He thought back to his life's work: from a small purchaser at the Second Pharmaceutical Factory to the factory director's son-in-law, and then to the Chairman of a multi-billion-yuan group. He thought he controlled everything, but he never expected that framing a folk doctor would lead to such a total defeat.

"It's all because of Li Yong! It's all because of Zhang Fan!" Wang Tianhua slammed the mirror onto the floor, glass shards splashing everywhere. He felt no pain, only endless rage and regret. He regretted listening to Wang Haoyu's words to provoke Li Yong; he regretted even more cooperating with Tianming Group, thinking he could use their power to get the formula, only to realize he was nothing more than a disposable pawn to them.

Trembling, he picked up that black satellite phone; it was his last hope. He dialed that unlisted number, but the receiver only gave the cold prompt: "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable." He refused to give up, dialing again and again, but the result was always the same—Tianming Group had abandoned him.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Wang Haoyu stumbled in, his face full of terror: "Dad! This is bad! There are reporters and investors blocking the door, and the police... the police say they want to talk to you about 'forging evidence'! Let's run!"

Wang Tianhua looked at his son's panicked state and suddenly laughed, tears streaming down his face: "Run? Run where? Assets are frozen, partnerships are gone, and Tianming doesn't care about us anymore. We are like stray dogs now; where can we possibly run?"

He slumped into his leather chair, his body feeling as if all strength had been drained. He remembered the "contract" he had signed with Tianming Group, the "irrefutable evidence" they had promised, and his own arrogance in thinking victory was assured—now it seemed that was merely a trap set by Tianming Group. They never wanted to help him; they only wanted to use his hand to test Zhang Fan's strength and disrupt Jiangcheng's pharmaceutical market along the way.

"Dad, then what do we do?" Wang Haoyu cried. He had lived a life of luxury and had never experienced such a desperate situation. "I don't want to go to jail, I don't want to lose everything I have..."

"It's too late," Wang Tianhua closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. "From the moment we decided to frame Li Yong, it was already too late."

The noise outside the office drew closer—the questioning of reporters, the curses of investors, and the shouts of the police intertwined like sharp knives stabbing at Wang Tianhua's final shred of dignity. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the photo on his desk from the "Tianhua Pharmaceutical IPO Celebration Banquet"—in the photo, he was raising a wine glass in high spirits, surrounded by smiling partners, with a banner behind him that read "Ten-Billion Tianhua, Creating New Brilliance."

But now, those partners had long since vanished without a trace, and the ten-billion-yuan brilliance had become a pipe dream. The business empire he had spent a lifetime building had collapsed and turned to ash in an instant following a righteous judgment.

At that moment, Zhang Fan was sitting in his office at Singularity Technology, looking at Tianhua Pharmaceutical's stock chart and the regulatory announcements with a calm gaze. Liu Ruyan walked in and handed him a document: "Boss, several of Tianhua's core subsidiaries have started layoffs, and their supply chain is broken. Barring any surprises, they will apply for bankruptcy reorganization by the end of the month. Additionally, our people found that Wang Tianhua and Wang Haoyu are still at the group headquarters; they haven't run. But there's no movement from Tianming Group's side, as if they've completely abandoned them."

"As expected," Zhang Fan took the document and flipped through a few pages. "Tianming Group never wastes resources on useless pawns. Wang Tianhua failed to get the formula and even exposed their layout; being abandoned was inevitable."

He paused and looked out the window, his tone becoming solemn: "However, we can't let our guard down. Pushed to the brink, the Wang father and son might act desperately. They might leak Tianming Group's secrets or use their remaining resources to retaliate against us. Furthermore, Tianming Group won't be content losing the Jiangcheng pharmaceutical market; they will surely send someone new to continue the fight for Master Li Yong's anti-cancer formula."

Liu Ruyan nodded: "I've already instructed the Security Department to strengthen protection for Master Li Yong and the company's senior executives. The Technology Department is also monitoring the communication records of Wang Tianhua and his son; any abnormalities will be reported immediately."

Zhang Fan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the endless flow of traffic below. The collapse of Tianhua Pharmaceutical was a milestone victory in the fight against Tianming Group, but he knew this was only the beginning. Tianming Group was like a giant beast hidden in the shadows; losing one pawn would only make it more vigilant. The next attack would likely be even more ferocious.

"Inform Lawyer Wang," Zhang Fan turned around, his voice firm. "Continue to follow Tianhua's bankruptcy case, focusing on verifying their financial dealings with Qiming Capital and Tianming Group. Collect as much evidence as possible. Also, have Master Li Yong apply for the patent for the anti-cancer formula as soon as possible. We must be fully prepared to face Tianming Group's next round of attacks."

The lights in the office were soft, yet they could not penetrate the gravity in Zhang Fan's eyes. He knew this war was far from over. No one knew what desperate measures the cornered Wang family or the hidden Tianming Group would take next. But he was ready; no matter who the opponent was or how difficult the challenge, he would defend justice and protect the precious things that should not be plundered.