140: Chapter 140 Wang Hongtai Goes

Wang Ming smiled and reached out to shake hands with Wang Hongtai. His expression held a hint of amusement, and his voice carried a touch of courtesy: "Chairman Wang, we meet again."

Wang Hongtai forced a stiff and bitter smile onto his face, his voice laced with unmaskable anxiety as he replied: "Lawyer Wang, has Boss Zhao not woken up yet?"

Wang Ming glanced at Wang Hongtai's smile, which looked worse than crying, and chuckled inwardly, though he maintained a professional calm on the surface: "The boss is already awake and is having his meal right now. Chairman Wang, please bear with me and wait a moment."

"Uh, alright then." Wang Hongtai anxiously glanced at his wristwatch. There was only half an hour left until the China Securities Regulatory Commission officially opened for business. Time was running out, and he felt increasingly uneasy, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

Wang Ming noticed Wang Hongtai's anxiety and asked with feigned concern: "Chairman Wang seems to be in a rush? Is there something urgent?"

Wang Hongtai sighed, no longer holding back: "Sigh, Lawyer Wang, let's get straight to the point. I came here this time to ask for Boss Zhao's help. You must have seen those posts online about our Hongtai Construction. The matter has blown up, and if it isn't quelled in time, it will certainly affect our plan for Hongtai Construction to go public. If that happens, it won't be good for me, nor will it be good for Boss Zhao."

After hearing this, Wang Ming smiled lightly and said pointedly: "For this matter, wouldn't it be more direct and effective for Chairman Wang to go find Vice Mayor Qian? After all, regarding online public opinion, the power of administrative intervention might be easier to see results with."

Wang Hongtai made a sour face and shook his head helplessly: "Sigh, Lawyer Wang, please don't tease me. Even though those Materials concerning Vice Mayor Qian were censored, surely you know the inside story? Right now, Vice Mayor Qian definitely wants to protect his own position. Whoever steps forward to suppress public opinion will become the prime suspect. Right now, only Boss Zhao has the ability to control the situation. Lawyer Wang, it's almost nine o'clock, please help me contact Boss Zhao again. If the China Securities Regulatory Commission suspends our company's application for listing, won't Boss Zhao's forty percent stake go down the drain?"

Looking at the anxious Wang Hongtai, Wang Ming laughed inwardly but kept a straight face: "Alright, since Chairman Wang is so anxious, I will call Boss Zhao and ask." After saying this, he took out his phone and dialed Zhao Lintai's number. After a brief exchange, Wang Ming hung up.

He turned back to Wang Hongtai, smiled, and made an inviting gesture: "Chairman Wang, Boss Zhao invites you up. Shall we head upstairs?"

Hearing this, Wang Hongtai immediately showed a look of relief: "Ah, good, good, thank you, Lawyer Wang." As he spoke, he stood up and followed Wang Ming toward the elevator bank, unable to wait.

Secretary Wu followed closely behind, and the three of them walked quickly into the elevator. The elevator doors slowly closed.

Just at this moment, there was a knock at the door. Qin Yi frowned slightly, quickly placed his phone screen-down, stood up, and went to the door. Looking through the surveillance video, he saw Qin Xiaoyue standing outside with a lively smile on her face. Qin Yi felt relieved and opened the door to let her in.

"Why did you run over here?" Qin Yi's tone carried a hint of doting and helplessness.

"Of course, I'm here to call you upstairs to eat!" Qin Xiaoyue giggled, answering while nimbly squeezing through the door. Once inside, she called out loudly: "Sister Qianqian..." Seeing no response, she turned to look at Qin Yi and asked: "Where is my Sister Qianqian?"

"Stop shouting, your Sister Qianqian has already gone to work." Qin Yi interrupted her, a flicker of playfulness in his eyes.

"Ah? She went to work so early..." Qin Xiaoyue's tone revealed a small disappointment, but soon her attention was drawn to the breakfast on the table: "Wow, is this a breakfast of love made by Sister Qianqian herself for you?" She leaned in curiously to observe, her face full of envy.

Qin Yi smiled smugly: "Mm, how about it? Are you envious just looking at it?"

"Hmph, I am not envious." Qin Xiaoyue pouted, pretending to be in feigned Life Qi as she turned her head away, but the corner of her eye caught sight of Qin Yi's phone. She picked it up and curiously flipped through it: "Brother, what show are you watching? Why are the actors so unfamiliar?"

Qin Yi thought to himself that it was bad, hurriedly stepped forward to snatch back the phone, and quickly exited the interface of the Miniature Bionic Tracker. He glared at Qin Xiaoyue in mock anger: "You girl, why can't you break the bad habit of rummaging through other people's things?"

"Pfft, what are you nervous about?" Qin Xiaoyue stuck out her tongue playfully, rolled her eyes, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face: "Oh, I know, Brother, you wouldn't be secretly watching Japanese adult films, would you?"

"Go, go, go, what are you thinking about in that little head of yours?" Qin Yi was between laughter and tears, tapping her head lightly: "Is your brother that kind of person?"

"Hmph, pretend, just keep pretending!" Qin Xiaoyue made a face, pouting in feigned Life Qi.

"Alright, alright, stop messing around." Qin Yi sighed helplessly, gently pushing Qin Xiaoyue toward the door: "You go up first, I'll come after I change my clothes."

"Aiya, just change your clothes, it's not like I haven't seen it before." Qin Xiaoyue muttered, though her eyes were looking around: "I haven't properly toured Sister Qianqian's place yet."

"The floor plan is the same, what's there to tour?" Qin Yi shook his head with a smile: "I'll take you to pick one out when I have time today."

"Really? Brother, you have to keep your word!" Qin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up immediately, looking at Qin Yi with full expectation.

"Of course I'll keep my word. Go on up, I'll find you once I've changed." Qin Yi had already pushed Qin Xiaoyue out the door.

Qin Xiaoyue wanted to say something more, but the door had already clicked shut.

"Hehe," she stood outside the door, a smug smile curling the corner of her lips, and skipped into the elevator, in an exceptionally good mood.

After sending Qin Xiaoyue off, Qin Yi reopened the Miniature Bionic Tracker app. At this moment, the returned image had already switched to inside the hotel's presidential suite.

...

Inside the living room of the presidential suite, the atmosphere was slightly heavy. Zhao Lintai and Wang Hongtai sat on opposite sides of the sofa, like two chess players quietly competing on the chessboard of the business world. Secretary Wu and Lawyer Wang stood with their hands at their sides, like two attendants watching the game, ready at any moment to serve the 'chess game'.

Zhao Lintai elegantly picked up the teapot and poured a cup of fragrant tea for Wang Hongtai. A faint smile hung on his face, but his eyes revealed shrewdness and depth. He reached out, his tone polite but carrying an imperceptible edge: "Chairman Wang, I've kept you waiting. This Junior has admired you for a long time; it is truly a great honor to meet you today. Please, have some tea."

"Uh, hehe, Boss Zhao is too polite." Wang Hongtai smiled sheepishly, took the teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. His brows furrowed slightly, as if weighing how to speak. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Lintai: "Boss Zhao, to tell you the truth, I came here this time to ask for a favor. I ask that you please lend a helping hand."

Zhao Lintai did not respond immediately, but picked up his own teacup and took a light sip, as if savoring the flavor of the tea, or perhaps pondering Wang Hongtai's request. His gaze seemed somewhat hazy through the steam rising from the teacup, making it impossible for one to fathom his true thoughts.

After putting down the teacup, he spoke slowly: "Chairman Wang is too polite. I have already heard from Lawyer Wang that you are very supportive of the equity acquisition, and I am also very much looking forward to our cooperation. Although I, Zhao Lintai, don't have any great abilities, I have always given my full support to my partners."

Hearing this, Wang Hongtai forced a smile onto his face. Although it was somewhat insincere, he had no choice but to respond: "Yes, yes, yes, with Boss Zhao saying that, I feel at ease."

However, Zhao Lintai's next words made the atmosphere tense again: "However, I heard from Lawyer Wang that the equity acquisition matter will only take effect after Hongtai Construction goes public. Is this because you don't trust me, Zhao Lintai?"

Wang Hongtai hurriedly waved his hand in denial, the smile on his face becoming somewhat awkward: "No, no, no, I absolutely do not mean that I don't trust Boss Zhao. It's just..." He sighed, and continued with a troubled expression: "To tell you the truth, in order for Hongtai Construction to successfully go public, I raised financing from two investment companies in Hong Kong Island and signed a valuation adjustment mechanism agreement with them. If the company cannot successfully go public, I need to compensate the other party with 4.5 billion in financing, or I must transfer fifty percent of the company's equity to those two investment companies. And the timeline is very tight; the deadline is at the end of this month."

Speaking of this, a bitter look appeared on Wang Hongtai's face: "Originally, everything was going quite smoothly, but suddenly, an exposé post appeared online about our Hongtai Construction engaging in insider operations on some projects. This caught me off guard. Boss Zhao, I don't know how the content in that post was leaked, but right now, I'm afraid you are the only one who can help me overcome this difficulty."

"Hehe," Zhao Lintai cast a sidelong glance at Wang Hongtai, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and disdain, and a cold smile curled his lips: "Does Chairman Wang mean to imply that you suspect I was the one who leaked the information online?"

"No, no," Wang Hongtai hurriedly waved his hand: "Boss Zhao, you've misunderstood; I absolutely have no such intention. I know that you possess Divine Ability, and if you really wanted to ruin me, you could just hand that 'Acquisition Letter of Intent' directly to the relevant departments; there would be no need to go to the trouble of leaking it online. Besides, since you want to cooperate with our Hongtai Construction, doing so would also be detrimental to your own interests."

"Haha," Zhao Lintai laughed loudly: "Chairman Wang is truly worthy of being a Senior in the business world; you speak very clearly. However," he changed the subject: "You can ask for my help, but at least you must show some sincerity, right?"

Wang Hongtai was taken aback upon hearing this, then, with a tone carrying a hint of caution and expectation, he nodded: "That is only natural. But I wonder what kind of sincerity Boss Zhao wants?"