180: Chapter 180 Wang Hao was shocked to hear the devastating news of his father's death, and Zhou Qian rushed to Zhao Lintai.

At this moment, Wang Hao's eyes were red and swollen, his gaze hollow and lifeless as he stared blankly at the sterile white ceiling of the hospital room. His voice trembled noticeably, and he muttered repeatedly, "Impossible, impossible... My dad was here at the hospital to see me just last night. How could he, how could he have gotten into a car accident?! I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"

Zhou Qian stood to the side, watching Wang Hao's devastated state with a complex expression. He felt a mix of emotions, but mostly helplessness. There were things he hadn't wanted to say yet, but now was not the time for grief. Although Wang Hongtai had passed away, Hongtai Construction still existed. As a close friend of Wang Hongtai during his lifetime, he felt a responsibility and an obligation to help him protect the company, as well as the only Bloodline Wang Hongtai had left in this world.

Zhou Qian took a deep breath, raised his hand, and gently patted Wang Hao's trembling shoulder. His tone was full of consolation: "Xiao Hao, your father left too suddenly, and there are many things he didn't have time to pass on. But legally speaking, you are his only direct heir. Hongtai Construction is the enterprise your father spent his whole life working hard to build. You must shoulder this heavy burden for him; you cannot just hand it over to others!"

Wang Hao slowly retracted his gaze and turned to look at Zhou Qian. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as tears slid silently down his cheeks. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he murmured in self-abandonment: "Me? What can I do? When my dad was alive, I never handled company affairs, and I never even worked a single day. Now that my dad is gone, I have even less idea what I can do..."

Seeing Wang Hao's decadent attitude, Zhou Qian's brows furrowed tightly. He was full of disappointment in Wang Hao, but thinking of his long-standing friendship with Wang Hongtai, he knew he couldn't just give up on Wang Hao like this.

Zhou Qian took another deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, and continued: "Xiao Hao, there is something I'm not sure if your father mentioned to you before. Yesterday morning, he transferred 40% of his shares in the company to a Beijing firm for the low price of ten million. The boss of that company promised your father that they would push for Hongtai Construction to go public as soon as possible." At this point, he paused, staring intently at Wang Hao, trying to find some reaction.

However, to Zhou Qian's words, Wang Hao only shook his head blankly, responding in a hoarse voice: "He didn't tell me about these things... I guess he also felt I wasn't cut out for it. He usually wouldn't mention company matters to me." After saying this, he turned his gaze back out the window.

"Sigh," Zhou Qian sighed, his brows locked in a frown, his face full of helplessness. He paused, organized his thoughts, and continued to explain, "The situation is like this. In order for the company to go public smoothly, your father previously sought financing from two investment institutions in Hong Kong Island and signed a betting agreement with them. The agreement clearly stipulates that if Hongtai Construction fails to complete its listing as scheduled before July 31st, your father must transfer 49% of his shares to these two investment institutions. Combined with the 40% your father transferred yesterday, once the listing plan fails, your father will lose all the shares under his name."

Hearing this, Wang Hao became agitated, asking with a trembling voice: "How, how could this happen? Why did my dad transfer that 40% of the shares?"

Zhou Qian looked at Wang Hao, his brows slightly furrowed, and explained: "I don't know the specifics because I wasn't directly involved in this matter. This is also something your dad only mentioned to me yesterday. The only thing I know is that the Beijing investment company has a deep background and significant strength. Your dad was initially opposed to it, but for some reason, he finally agreed. The share transfer was completed yesterday afternoon."

"This is a conspiracy, it's definitely a conspiracy!" Wang Hao's eyes were wide with rage, his fists clenched tight, his body trembling violently with anger. "My dad's death couldn't have been an accident. They must have wanted to seize my father's shares, that's why they killed my dad! I want to call the police, I want to make them pay!"

Seeing this, Zhou Qian hurriedly pressed down on Wang Hao's shoulder and said firmly: "Xiao Hao, calm down first! We can't determine yet whether your dad's death was an accident or a conspiracy; the police are investigating. It's meaningless for us to argue about this now. The most urgent task is to maintain the stability of the company and continue to push forward the listing plan." He paused, looked Wang Hao in the eyes, and continued: "You are your dad's only legal heir; you must step up to stabilize the company's situation. Otherwise, once the company fails to go public, your father's years of hard work will be in vain, and your position in the company will also cease to exist."

Hearing this, Wang Hao panicked. A sense of inexplicable fear welled up in his heart: If his father was gone and the company was gone too, how would he live in the future? He hurriedly grabbed Zhou Qian's arm and asked urgently: "Uncle Zhou, I, don't I still hold 10% of the company's shares? If the company really fails to go public in the end, how much will my 10% be worth?"

At this critical juncture, Wang Hao was still fantasizing about that 10% of shares. Zhou Qian couldn't help but feel a wave of bitterness. He thought to himself: "Wang Hongtai, oh Wang Hongtai, you spent your whole life busy, what was it all for? Your own son is like this; expecting him to protect your company is just wishful thinking..."

Although he thought this, looking at Wang Hao's helpless gaze, how could Zhou Qian sit idly by? After all, this child had called him uncle for so many years. He sighed and shook his head with a bitter smile: "Sigh, Xiao Hao, you are still too young. If the company fails to go public, to be honest, your 10% of shares will have almost no practical use other than participating in dividends. Moreover, once the company has no profit on the books, you won't get a single cent in dividends, and you might even end up burdened with debt."

Hearing this, Wang Hao's face changed abruptly. He grabbed Zhou Qian's hand in a panic, as if he had found a lifeline: "Uncle Zhou, what should I do now? You and my dad were friends for so many years, you surely can't ignore me."

Zhou Qian looked at Wang Hao's almost pleading gaze, his heart softened, and he said in a deep voice: "Don't rush. Before the betting agreement expires, we still have a chance. The only way out now is to contact that Beijing investment company, let them fulfill their promise, and continue to push for the company's listing with all their might. Only in this way can we protect the 49% of shares your dad had. Plus the 10% in your name, the company can continue to be held in your hands. Besides this, there is no other way."

"Okay! Okay! I will listen to everything Uncle Zhou says." Wang Hao nodded repeatedly, but a moment later, he showed a confused and worried expression, "But, I am still under investigation by the police, what about this?"

Zhou Qian gently patted the back of his hand, comforting him: "Don't worry about this, I will go handle your release on bail pending trial right now. The police also have some responsibility for your father's accident; they won't make things too difficult for you regarding this matter."

Hearing Zhou Qian say this, Wang Hao felt as if he had taken a soothing pill and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay. Uncle Zhou, whatever you say to do, I will do it. I will listen to you completely."

A flash of relief crossed Zhou Qian's eyes: "Good, Xiao Hao. You are already an adult; you must learn to be strong. Don't let your father rest uneasy in the afterlife. Go tidy up; I will come pick you up after I finish the paperwork."

After saying this, Zhou Qian turned and walked quickly out of the ward, driving to the Magic City Police Station to negotiate the bail.

...

It was almost seven o'clock, and there were only two hours left until the China Securities Regulatory Commission's daily announcement. Time was tight. If he was fast, perhaps he could still lobby before the China Securities Regulatory Commission released the announcement.

Thinking this, Zhou Qian drove while finding Wang Ming's number in the recent call logs and dialed it.

The phone rang in the car, each ring sounding like a strike against Zhou Qian's heart. Finally, after four or five rings, the call was connected. Wang Ming's slightly lazy voice came from the receiver: "Lawyer Zhou, calling so early, is there something urgent?"

Zhou Qian took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calmer: "Lawyer Wang, last night, our company had a major incident. The chairman, Mr. Wang Hongtai, unfortunately had a car accident and has passed away."

On the other end of the line, Wang Ming's mouth curled into a sly arc, but he pretended to have just found out, looking shocked, his tone full of surprise: "What? How did this happen? When did it happen?"

"Sigh, this is a long story, and the police are still investigating." Zhou Qian sighed and continued, "I am contacting you so early because I would like to ask for a favor. The company is currently leaderless, and someone needs to come out to preside over the big picture. The chairman's only son holds 10% of the company's shares, but he is still young and needs someone to assist him. I would like to take him to see your boss to discuss the company's subsequent development and listing matters."

Wang Ming's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc; he thought to himself: Now there's a good show to watch. However, on the surface, he still maintained a polite tone: "Lawyer Zhou, you are too polite. As long as I can help, I will definitely not shirk. How about this, I will contact my boss first to see what he thinks. Then I will call you back, is that okay?"

"That would be great, thank you so much!" Zhou Qian felt a wave of relief upon hearing that Wang Ming was willing to help, "Then I'll trouble you to contact your boss as soon as possible. I'll wait for your news."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Ming stretched comfortably, looking very relaxed. He was just about to get out of bed when he heard his phone ring again. Seeing that the caller ID was Xiao Yugang, Wang Ming narrowed his eyes, speculating to himself: What's going on today, everyone calling so early? Could there be another emergency?

He waited for a moment, adjusted his state, pretended to have just woken up, and answered the phone: "Hello, Chief Prosecutor Xiao, is there anything early in the morning?"

Xiao Yugang's voice was very low, revealing a sense of caution: "Lawyer Wang, I just got some news about the underground casino and the money laundering shop."

Hearing this, Wang Ming immediately became alert and pressed: "Oh? What news?"

Xiao Yugang responded cautiously: "It's like this. I followed the Hongtai Construction matter all night last night and just finished a meeting with Vice Mayor Ji and Shen Zhendong of the Municipal Bureau. At the meeting, Director Shen revealed that yesterday morning, that Brother Dao was killed by a man named Chen Mo, and then Chen Mo was shot dead by the police."

"What?" Wang Ming exclaimed, an expression of disbelief on his face, "Chen Mo was shot dead by the police? Are you sure?"

"Uh, that's what Director Shen Zhendong said." Xiao Yugang explained, "I didn't see the person myself, but Director Shen said the Municipal Bureau will hold a press conference to announce this matter."

Wang Ming took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down: "How credible is this news?"

"Well, it should be accurate news." Xiao Yugang said hesitantly, "After all, Director Shen reported it to Vice Mayor Ji; it's unlikely he would lie." Subsequently, Xiao Yugang repeated what happened at the meeting to Wang Ming.

"Good, the news you provided is very timely." Wang Ming affirmed, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Xiao Yugang also chuckled: "The boss gave me so many benefits; I naturally report news the first time I get it."

"Haha, good!" Wang Ming laughed and said, "The boss is just waiting for news. Don't worry, I will definitely ask for credit for Chief Prosecutor Xiao from the boss again."

"Oh my, thank you so much, Lawyer Wang." Xiao Yugang said gratefully, "Oh, by the way, Secretary Zhong requested the city to set up a Joint Investigation Team to enter Hongtai Construction to investigate relevant violations and illegal activities. Vice Mayor Ji is the team leader, and I, Director Shen, and the Discipline Inspection Commission are deputy team leaders. We have to send people to Hongtai Construction as soon as we go to work today. If the boss has any instructions, please trouble Lawyer Wang to convey them so as not to accidentally hurt our own people."

Hearing this, Wang Ming's heart stirred, but his face remained calm as he said: "Okay, Chief Prosecutor Xiao is very thoughtful. I will go call my boss and tell him about this."

"Hmm, then I will wait for Lawyer Wang's call." After saying this, Xiao Yugang hung up the phone and then let out a long sigh of relief.

...

At the same time, Zhao Lintai had long since woken up. Having followed his grandfather for many years, he had already developed the habit of not sleeping in. At this moment, he was staring intently at the TV screen. The morning news was being broadcast, and the content of the news happened to be related to Hongtai Construction.

The TV screen switched to a serious-looking announcer, reporting in a steady voice: "According to news received by this station this morning, a serious traffic accident occurred at the intersection of XX and XX in the early hours of last night, causing one death and four injuries. Currently, the traffic police department is urgently investigating the cause of the accident, and our reporters have rushed to the scene. Please see the detailed report below..."

Zhao Lintai's brows furrowed slightly as the news was broadcast. He was also pondering whether Wang Hongtai's death was an accident or something done intentionally by someone.

Just at this moment, the phone Zhao Lintai placed on the table rang. He looked down at the caller ID; it was none other than Wang Ming.