182: Chapter 182 Hongtai Construction's IPO Dream Shattered, Wang Hao's Recovery Unlikely (Part 2)

On the way to the presidential suite, Wang Ming kept a smirk on his face, his eyes full of mockery. He asked, feigning ignorance, "I heard from Lawyer Zhou that you were injured, Young Master Wang? How is your recovery?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao's mouth twitched slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and squeezed out a smile, raising his hand to lightly touch the hat on his head—he had worn it specifically to hide the bandages on his scalp.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "It's alright, just got knocked on the head a couple of times, nothing serious." As he spoke, he gestured lightly toward his chest and continued with a wry smile, "This part is more troublesome. A few ribs were broken, so I'll need to rest for a while."

Wang Ming feigned seriousness and pressed further, "Oh my, who was so bold as to lay such a heavy hand on Young Master Wang? Have the police caught the culprit?"

Wang Hao's expression stiffened. How was he supposed to answer that? He could not exactly say that he had been the one to pick a fight first, and instead of teaching the other party a lesson, he had been the one to get beaten up severely.

"Er, this..." He stammered, at a loss for how to reply.

Fortunately, at that moment, the elevator door dinged open, and the two stepped out one after another. Wang Ming chuckled inwardly; he had only wanted to tease Wang Hao. He already knew the full story and had not expected Wang Hao to give him a straight answer anyway.

Seeing that Wang Ming did not continue to press him, Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, they arrived at the door of the presidential suite.

Wang Ming reached out and rang the doorbell. Not long after, the door slowly opened, and the figure of Zhao Lintai appeared behind it.

Wang Hao hurriedly put on a forced smile as he looked at Zhao Lintai. Just as he extended his hand, hoping to shake Zhao Lintai's, he did not expect that Zhao Lintai would act as if he had not noticed the gesture at all. Zhao Lintai glanced at Wang Hao with cold indifference, his face devoid of any expression, and then turned directly to walk into the room, saying quite casually as he walked, "You're here. Come in and sit."

Wang Hao's extended hand hung awkwardly in mid-air. He pursed his lips and, in the end, had no choice but to retract it. Wang Ming saw this and chuckled inwardly, thinking, 'The boss is giving Wang Hao a power play right from the start.'

"Young Master Wang, please come in." Wang Ming smiled faintly at him, then stepped aside and gestured for Wang Hao to enter.

Wang Hao gave a light cough to ease his embarrassment before stepping inside.

Inside the room, Zhao Lintai sat by the tea table, which was set with various tea utensils. He appeared completely focused, fiddling with the tea set in front of him, and did not even glance at the two men, busying himself with his own 'tea ceremony'.

Wang Hao stood to the side, frowning as he watched every move Zhao Lintai made. He felt quite anxious and was just about to speak when Wang Ming raised a hand to stop him. Helpless, he had no choice but to keep waiting.

Zhao Lintai, unhurried, went through the steps of tea preparation: washing the tea, skimming the foam, rinsing the lid, rolling the cups, lifting the kettle for a high pour, low-pouring the tea, the 'General Guan patrols the city', 'General Han counts his troops'... Every step of the tea art process was executed methodically. Did Zhao Lintai enjoy the tea ceremony? Not really. He only understood these things because he had spent time with his grandfather. In his grandfather's words, the tea ceremony was not just for maintaining physical health, but also for cultivating the mind. Zhao Lintai did not care about cultivating his mind; he just thought it was a decent way to show off in front of others.

After waiting for quite a while, Zhao Lintai's tea ceremony finally concluded. Zhao Lintai looked up, his gaze finally shifting to Wang Hao and Wang Ming, who were standing to the side. A barely perceptible arc lifted the corner of his mouth, as if he had just noticed Wang Hao. He raised his hand and invited them, "Young Master Wang, why aren't you sitting? Sit, please, sit. Lawyer Wang, please take a seat as well."

Wang Ming nodded slightly, gesturing modestly toward Wang Hao, signaling for him to take a seat first.

After some polite hesitation, Wang Hao walked toward the seat opposite the tea table, though his movements were slightly stiff—whether due to the pain in his chest or his current nervous state, it was hard to tell.

Just as Wang Hao was about to sit down, he suddenly remembered that he had not introduced himself to the person across from him. He hurriedly stood back up, his face full of smiles, bowing slightly and extending both hands to enthusiastically introduce himself to Zhao Lintai, "Hello, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Wang Hao, and the Chairman of Hongtai Construction, Wang Hongtai, is my father. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to see me. May I ask how to address you?"

Watching Wang Hao's sycophantic display, a flash of mockery crossed Zhao Lintai's eyes. However, one does not hit a smiling face; Zhao Lintai smiled faintly, extended his hand, shook Wang Hao's, and replied, "I am Zhao Lintai, Chairman of Lintai Investment Company, and also a shareholder of Hongtai Construction. I have already heard about Chairman Wang. It is truly heartbreaking that such an accident occurred. However, the departed are gone, so Young Master Wang must take care of yourself."

"Thank you very much for your concern, Chairman Zhao." Hearing Zhao Lintai's words, Wang Hao felt that this person was actually quite easy to talk to.

"No need for formalities. Come to think of it, we are shareholders of the same company. Moreover, looking at the shares, I should probably call you Junior Chairman Wang, shouldn't I?" Zhao Lintai smiled faintly and asked Wang Hao in return.

Upon hearing the title "Junior Chairman Wang," Wang Hao was taken aback for a moment. Though he felt a secret thrill, he waved his hands repeatedly and said with a look of trepidation, "I don't deserve such a title, I really don't. Chairman Zhao, just call me Little Wang, please, just call me Little Wang."

Zhao Lintai watched Wang Hao's awkward state, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. He nodded and gestured, saying, "Come, Junior Chairman Wang, drink some tea."

"Thank you, Chairman Zhao." Wang Hao hurriedly lifted the teacup with both hands. Feeling the heat of the cup, he tried to take a sip, but the tea was scaldingly hot and difficult to swallow. However, he dared not be rude in front of Zhao Lintai, so he bit the bullet and forced it down, while squeezing out a smile to flatter him, "Mmm, this is truly good tea! Chairman Zhao, you certainly have great taste."

Zhao Lintai watched Wang Hao's fawning behavior and chuckled inwardly. He nodded and then said sternly, "Junior Chairman Wang, let's not beat around the bush. You've come to see me this time, so just tell me directly what it is you want."

Upon hearing Zhao Lintai's words, Wang Hao felt a jolt. He immediately placed the teacup back on the table and sat up straight to respond, "Chairman Zhao, then I will speak directly. My father passed away suddenly, leaving the company without a leader. I am my father's only son, and I have the responsibility and the obligation to manage the company well for him. Furthermore, I hold 10% of the company's shares, and added to the 49% left by my father, I now hold a total of 59% of the company's shares. I heard from Lawyer Zhou about the share transfer agreement between you and my father, so I hope you can continue to fulfill the promise you made to my father and continue to push for the company's IPO."

Zhao Lintai did not respond immediately after hearing Wang Hao's words. He gave Wang Hao a deep look, then signaled to Wang Ming. Understanding the cue, Wang Ming immediately took the share transfer agreement out of his bag and handed it to Wang Hao, saying in a calm tone, "Junior Chairman Wang, this is the share transfer agreement that the boss signed with Chairman Wang Hongtai previously. You may review the contents of this agreement first, and then we can continue to discuss the next steps."

Although Wang Hao was confused, he still took the document Wang Ming handed him. However, he did not open it immediately. Instead, he looked up at Zhao Lintai with a hint of inquiry in his eyes and explained, "Chairman Zhao, I do not mean to doubt you... but is there really a need to look at this agreement?"

A meaningful smile flashed across Zhao Lintai's face. He tilted his chin slightly and said, with a hint of impatience, "You should take a look first; we'll talk after you've read it."

Although Wang Hao did not understand why, since Zhao Lintai was so insistent, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and open the document.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lintai stood up and walked slowly toward the bedroom. There was a safe inside the bedroom wardrobe. Zhao Lintai knelt down, skillfully opened the safe, and took out the ledger of the Modu Underground Bank. He flipped through the ledger, found the records related to Wang Hao, and then took out his phone to photograph the contents one by one. After doing this, he locked the ledger back up and walked out of the room.

By this time, Wang Hao had already roughly browsed through the contents of the transfer agreement. He had not found anything obviously wrong, but his confusion grew even heavier. He looked up at Zhao Lintai, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Zhao Lintai walked back to the tea table and sat down again. He looked at Wang Hao with a hint of mockery on his face and asked, "Junior Chairman Wang, finished reading?"

Wang Hao nodded and replied with some trepidation, "Yes, I've finished."

"Good," Zhao Lintai nodded and continued to ask, "Then tell me, does this share transfer agreement state anywhere that I am required to help the company go public?"

"Er... this," Wang Hao was caught off guard by the question. He frantically flipped through the agreement in his hands, trying to find the relevant clause. However, the agreement did not explicitly state that Zhao Lintai needed to help the company go public. He looked up at Zhao Lintai, his tone filled with a hint of pleading, "But... Lawyer Zhou said this was what you promised my father; otherwise, he would not have transferred 40% of the shares to you for such a cheap price of ten million."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lintai shrugged, his smile becoming even brighter, his voice full of mockery, "Who can prove that? When this agreement was signed, that Lawyer Zhou you mentioned was not even present."

"This... this..." Wang Hao was rendered speechless by Zhao Lintai's words. "But... if the company cannot continue to go public, the shares under my father's name will all become someone else's."

"Hmph," Zhao Lintai snorted coldly, unfazed, and continued to smile, "And so what? As far as I am concerned, what loss is there for me?"

"It's not..." Wang Hao was so anxious he was becoming incoherent. "Chairman Zhao, listen to me, if the company can successfully go public, the 40% of shares in your hands will also appreciate in value. Once the company is listed, the shares in your hands can be cashed out for much more; isn't that a good thing?"

However, Zhao Lintai just looked at him coldly, showing no signs of wavering. He looked at Wang Hao coldly, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth, "Making more money is, of course, good. But why should I help you? After a successful IPO, you will hold 59% of the shares, becoming the largest shareholder, while I, what am I? Just a minor shareholder ranked second. Furthermore, you should be aware of the current situation at Hongtai Construction, right? The Joint Investigation Team from the city should already be stationed at the company by now, and no one knows how much filth might be uncovered. Besides, do you think the China Securities Regulatory Commission will easily approve the company's IPO application before the matter is cleared up?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao's face turned deathly pale. He argued eagerly, "Yes, yes, Chairman Zhao, you are right. I am indeed the largest shareholder, and I should rightfully bear more responsibility. But to be honest, I know nothing about managing a company; even if I had the heart, I would not be able to help. But you are different; you have deep connections and a wide network, and your words certainly carry more weight than mine. How about this: as long as the company can successfully go public before the end of the month, I am willing to transfer another 8% of shares to you for free. That way, your shares will reach 48%. What do you think?"

Zhao Lintai watched Wang Hao's anxious and helpless appearance, shook his head, and mocked, "Junior Chairman Wang, your abacus is calculating quite well. Give me 8% of the shares, you hold 51%, and I hold 48%; in the end, you still control the company, and I become someone working for you. Do you think I would agree? Junior Chairman Wang, sometimes you need to have a life to spend the money you earn. Do you really think you can hold onto the shares in your hands?"

Wang Hao was again rendered speechless by Zhao Lintai. He was panicked now, looking at Zhao Lintai, his voice filled with a hint of pleading, "Then... then Chairman Zhao, tell me, what will it take for you to agree to continue pushing for the company's IPO?"

Zhao Lintai heard this and sneered, "Hmph, Junior Chairman Wang, I advise you to stop thinking about the company going public. At least before the time stipulated in the valuation adjustment mechanism agreement, don't even think about it. Do you even understand what your father's passing means for Hongtai Construction? And do you have any idea how much the company owes in bank loans?"