313: Chapter 313 Zhao Lintai's Blind Confidence Arouses Suspicion in Chu Weimin

Watching the black Jeep SUV drive away, Ah Long quickly took a photo and noted down the vehicle's license plate number.

Then, he dialed Chu Weimin's number and gave a concise report on the latest developments at Hongtai Construction.

On the other end of the phone, Chu Weimin pondered for a moment and responded, "So, the Security Bureau has already set its sights on Hongtai Construction."

"It seems so," Ah Long replied.

"Good. I understand. Continue your surveillance and report any new developments to me at any time."

"Yes, Boss."

Hanging up the phone, Ah Long continued to eavesdrop on the conversation between Dong Yudong and Zhou Qian through his headset.

Meanwhile, Chu Weimin held his phone and paced incessantly in his hotel room, his brow furrowed in deep thought for a long time.

Although the Zhao family's situation was still unclear, since they were being watched by the Security Bureau, he had to give Zhao Lintai a heads-up to avoid being caught off guard.

Thus, Chu Weimin looked up Zhao Lintai's phone number and dialed it without hesitation.

Before long, Zhao Lintai's lazy, slightly hungover voice came from the other end: "Didn't I tell you not to call me unless it's important?! Are you treating my words as wind in your ears?!"

Chu Weimin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and asked after a pause, "Oh? Young Master Zhao seems to have quite a temper?"

Hearing Chu Weimin's voice, Zhao Lintai finally snapped out of it. He forced his eyes open, glanced at the caller ID, and then responded, "Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies. I thought it was that dog Wang Ming again. So it's President Chu. President Chu, why are you calling so early? Is something the matter?"

Chu Weimin glanced at the time and chuckled, "Is this still early? Young Master Zhao must have drunk quite a lot last night, right?"

"Cough, it can't be helped. In the business world, with all the social obligations, how can one not drink?" Zhao Lintai held the phone in one hand and pushed himself up with the other, leaning against the headboard. He rubbed his temples, which were slightly aching from the hangover, and continued, "Tell me, President Chu, what business do you have with me?"

Chu Weimin teased, "Young Master Zhao, the Magic City has been full of storms lately, yet you're quite composed, aren't you?"

Zhao Lintai smiled disdainfully and replied, "Anxious? What's there to be anxious about? If the Security Bureau really had evidence, wouldn't they have arrested me long ago?"

"Oh? Does Young Master Zhao mean that the Security Bureau hasn't grasped any substantial evidence yet?" Chu Weimin asked, feigning confusion.

Zhao Lintai didn't answer directly but asked instead, "What? Does President Chu not trust me and wants to draw a line between us?"

"How could that be? I'm just worried about your safety, Young Master Zhao. To be honest, Secretary Zhang Min, whom I sent to take over Hongtai Construction yesterday, was also arrested by the Security Bureau. Like Chen Mo under you, she is also a member of Hongmen. So, I'm a bit worried..." Before Chu Weimin could finish, Zhao Lintai laughed on the other end of the line.

"Hahaha, President Chu, you're overthinking it. There's no need to worry about this matter anymore," Zhao Lintai said.

"Uh, what do you mean? Does Young Master Zhao know some inside information?" Chu Weimin asked, feigning impatience.

"Hey~ President Chu, don't be in a hurry. Listen to me explain slowly..." Then, Zhao Lintai told Chu Weimin about the fact that Zhang Min was already dead.

When he heard that Zhang Min was dead, Chu Weimin asked back in disbelief, "What did you say? Zhang Min is dead? How is that possible?"

"What's impossible about it? Do you think the Security Bureau is an impenetrable fortress? Since Hongmen can place people around us, can't they plant people in the Security Bureau? Relax, you and I are still useful to Hongmen right now. Boss Lei will never sit idly by," Zhao Lintai said calmly.

"That may be so, but I still feel a bit uneasy," Chu Weimin said.

"Alright, the most important thing for us right now is to finish the wrap-up work for Hongtai Construction. Didn't you send someone else over?" Zhao Lintai asked.

"Oh right, I haven't told you about that yet. The person I sent is named Dong Yudong. He's quite capable and sharp. However, he's not aware of the dealings between us or the situation with Hongmen. I sent him this time to contact Zhou Qian," Chu Weimin explained.

"Hmm, I just found out about that. However, President Chu, you still have to remind that kid to watch his mouth. In the future, he shouldn't mention that he's from Chus Investment in front of the Security Bureau people, to avoid unnecessary complications," Zhao Lintai warned.

"I understand. But if the Security Bureau really wants to investigate, they will definitely find out that Chus Investment is behind those two companies. This kind of thing can't be hidden," Chu Weimin said.

"Then let them investigate. Giving them more trouble to deal with can also buy us some time, can't it?" Zhao Lintai laughed.

"Yes, Young Master Zhao is absolutely right. By the way, is Old Master Zhao doing well in the capital?" Chu Weimin asked, feigning concern.

"Thank you for your concern, President Chu. Our old man is doing quite well. He can eat and sleep, and his health is robust," Zhao Lintai replied.

"Oh, that's good then. Alright, I won't disturb your rest, Young Master Zhao. After the business in the Southwest is finished, why don't you stop by Hong Kong Island? Let me show you some hospitality," Chu Weimin invited.

"Alright, I'll count on you then, President Chu," Zhao Lintai agreed readily.

"It's only right, it's only right. Then it's a deal. I'll be waiting for your arrival at any time," Chu Weimin said.

After the call ended, Chu Weimin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, did not settle down because of Zhao Lintai's words; instead, he became even more uneasy.

He thought to himself: "Has Hongmen's reach extended this far? They can even penetrate the Security Bureau? Could there be some kind of scheme involved? No, I must get to the bottom of whether Zhang Min is dead or alive!" Thinking of this, he dialed Ah Long's number again without hesitation.

The call was quickly picked up, and Ah Long's voice followed: "Boss, what are your instructions?"

Chu Weimin said in a low voice, "Ah Long, I just received news that Zhang Min is gone. But I find this matter suspicious and I'm not at ease. You said before that the Security Bureau people went to the Hongtai Construction Building. Find a way to place a listening device on the Security Bureau's car."

Hearing this, Ah Long couldn't help but feel nervous and responded hesitantly, "Boss, isn't that too risky? That's the Security Bureau. What if I'm discovered..."

Chu Weimin interrupted him and said firmly, "Ah Long, I only trust you now. At this point, I have no one else to use. Don't worry, I promise you that if you're really caught by the Security Bureau, I will definitely take proper care of your family. How about this, I'll transfer one million to your card right now as compensation for this mission."

Hearing this, Ah Long's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He quickly said, "Boss, I... I didn't mean that. Sigh, let me think of a way then."

"Good, Ah Long, I'm counting on you!" After saying that, Chu Weimin hung up the phone without hesitation and immediately transferred the promised one million to Ah Long's account.

Looking at the payment notification on his phone, Ah Long took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, downed his coffee in one gulp, and then got up and left the cafe.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Hongtai Construction Building, Wang Ming learned from the front desk that Dong Yudong had gone to Zhou Qian's office. So, he also headed towards Zhou Qian's office.

Inside Zhou Qian's office, Dong Yudong was discussing the situation of the debt-collecting suppliers downstairs with Zhou Qian.

Dong Yudong asked with a slight frown, "Lawyer Zhou, what's going on downstairs? So many people gathered together is not good for the company's image."

Zhou Qian smiled helplessly, handed over a cup of tea, and replied, "There's no other way. The company's accounts were taken away by the Municipal Working Group, and now the company's work is presided over by Lawyer Wang Ming. Without his order, the suppliers won't get their money."

"But we can't let them keep surrounding the place. If this continues, Hongtai Construction's reputation will be ruined."

Zhou Qian sighed and said, "At a time like this, who still cares about the company's reputation? Let's not talk about that for now. President Chu sent Mr. Dong here for the financing funds and company equity, right?"

Dong Yudong nodded: "Exactly. Although there's still some time before the gambling agreement takes effect, given Hongtai Construction's current situation, the possibility of going public in the short term is almost zero. So, the boss sent me over to do some preliminary work."

Zhou Qian didn't know that before Dong Yudong, President Chu had already arranged for Zhang Min to come. Seeing that Zhou Qian hadn't mentioned Zhang Min from beginning to end, Dong Yudong didn't bring it up either.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Zhou Qian said in a deep voice, "Sigh, the situation has changed a bit. Before Chairman Wang Hongtai passed away in a car accident, in order for the company to go public smoothly, he had transferred half of his shares, which is 40%, to Lintai Investment Company. Furthermore, just two days ago, Wang Hongtai's only son, Wang Hao, also entrusted his 10% stake to Lintai Investment Company. In other words, as of now, Lintai Investment Company holds 50% of the shares in Hongtai Construction and is already its largest shareholder."

Dong Yudong's expression changed upon hearing this: "Do you mean that even if my boss acquires the remaining 40% of the equity, Hongtai Construction will still belong to someone else?"

Zhou Qian nodded: "Yes, that is the case. I'm afraid this is somewhat different from what President Chu had anticipated."

Dong Yudong said with some dissatisfaction: "Lawyer Zhou, what you are doing is a bit underhanded."

Zhou Qian smiled apologetically: "I apologize, Mr. Dong, but transferring the shares was Wang Hongtai's intention. If you wish to proceed with the equity handover, you will have to wait until the valuation adjustment mechanism agreement takes effect. Moreover, the subject of that agreement is Hongtai Construction, and since Wang Hongtai has passed away, this matter can only be discussed with Lintai Investment Company. The most I can do is act as a witness."

"Lintai Investment Company, is that the lawyer named Wang Ming?" Just as Dong Yudong finished speaking, the door to Zhou Qian's office was pushed open from the outside.

Immediately after, Wang Ming's voice came in: "Lawyer Zhou, why didn't you give me a heads-up that you were coming? I would have welcomed you properly."

Hearing this, Zhou Qian and Dong Yudong stood up from the sofa, their gazes shifting in unison toward the person who had entered.

Zhou Qian smiled calmly, raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, and said: "Lawyer Wang, you're here. Perfect, I just brewed a pot of tea; let's sit down and have some."

"Haha, then I will respectfully accept your offer." Wang Ming walked forward with a smile, turned his gaze to Dong Yudong, extended his hand with a smile, and said politely: "This must be Mr. Dong from Hong Kong Island, right?"

Dong Yudong extended his hand to shake hands and responded with a smile: "Hello, Lawyer Wang, it is an honor to meet you." After saying that, he took out his business card and handed it to Wang Ming.

Wang Ming smiled as he took the card and said: "You are too polite, Mr. Dong. Please, sit. I am already aware of your purpose for coming. Personnel from the Security Bureau were just here to inquire about the situation, so I couldn't have you come up earlier. I hope you will not take offense."

"You are too kind, Lawyer Wang. May I ask, were the people from the Security Bureau here regarding Hongtai Construction as well?"

Wang Ming waved his hand: "That is not the case. However, the matter they are investigating should be somewhat related to Chus Investment." As he said this, Wang Ming kept observing Dong Yudong's reaction, wanting to see if this Dong Yudong, like Zhang Min, was connected to Hongmen.

"Related to Chus Investment?" Dong Yudong felt a tightening in his chest and asked with a look of confusion.

"Yes. Before you came, President Chu must have already spoken with you, right?"

Dong Yudong felt vigilant and feigned ignorance as he countered: "We did discuss some of the situation here in Shanghai, but I am not sure what you are referring to, Lawyer Wang?"

Wang Ming smiled and said: "Mr. Dong, there is no need for us to play dumb. Before President Chu sent you here, he already sent his secretary, Zhang Min, to see me, didn't he?"

Dong Yudong was stunned, then immediately said: "Uh... that is indeed true. It's just that Secretary Zhang lost contact with the boss yesterday. The boss couldn't reach her, which is why he sent me. Could it be that you know Secretary Zhang's whereabouts, Lawyer Wang?"

Wang Ming shrugged and replied: "I suppose you could say that. The people from the Security Bureau were just here regarding Zhang Min."

"The Security Bureau for Zhang Min? Lawyer Wang, what exactly happened to her?"

Seeing that Dong Yudong's reaction did not seem faked, Wang Ming thought to himself: Could it be that this Dong Yudong is not with Hongmen?

Unable to gauge the depth of the person in front of him, Wang Ming decided not to reveal everything and feigned regret as he replied: "Mr. Dong, to be honest, the people from the Security Bureau just told me that Zhang Min has died. But as for why she died or how she died, I am not clear."

Upon hearing the news that Zhang Min was dead, Dong Yudong was struck as if by lightning. Although he didn't have much interaction with Zhang Min, they were at least in the same company, and one of his important missions in coming to Shanghai was to secretly investigate Zhang Min's whereabouts. He forced himself to remain calm and asked: "Lawyer Wang, is the news of Zhang Min's death confirmed?"

Wang Ming shrugged and replied: "You'll have to ask the Security Bureau about that; I only heard it from them. By the way, since you and Zhang Min are from the same company, if she went missing, your company had an obligation to report it to the police."

Dong Yudong hesitated inwardly. Since the boss personally instructed him to secretly investigate Zhang Min's whereabouts, it meant that Zhang Min might hold secrets the boss didn't want others to know. It seemed he would have to consult the boss first regarding this matter.

Zhou Qian, standing to the side, sensed a hint of danger from Wang Ming's words. Recalling the two female police officers he had met before entering the elevator, he hadn't expected them to be from the Security Bureau. The waters at Hongtai Construction were truly becoming more and more murky.

Thus, Zhou Qian pretended to have something to attend to, stood up, and said to Wang Ming and Dong Yudong: "Lawyer Wang, Mr. Dong, I still have some matters to attend to. Why don't you two continue chatting while I excuse myself?"

Wang Ming naturally understood what Zhou Qian meant; it was better for Zhou Qian to know less about the matters between Lintai Investment and Chus Investment.

Thus, Wang Ming stood up and said politely: "In that case, Mr. Dong, why don't we go to the office upstairs to continue our discussion?"

"Uh... very well." Dong Yudong had not yet recovered from the shock of Zhang Min's death and nodded somewhat blankly in response.

Subsequently, Zhou Qian saw the two of them out of the office and then let out a long sigh of relief.

After Wang Ming and Dong Yudong arrived at the office on the top floor, Dong Yudong's phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar local Shanghai number. After a slight hesitation, he answered it.

On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man's voice came through: "I am truly sorry, Mr. Dong. I didn't mean to rush you, but it's almost been an hour. How is the discussion going on your end?"

Dong Yudong was stunned at first, then recalled the promise he had made to the suppliers downstairs. He gave a sheepish smile and replied: "We are discussing it right now. Please rest assured, what I promised everyone will definitely be done. Please wait a little longer."

"Alright, sounds good. We'll wait for your news."

Hanging up the phone, Dong Yudong looked at Wang Ming, smiled helplessly, and explained: "Let's discuss Zhang Min's matter later; I need to consult the boss about that. Lawyer Wang, let's talk about another matter."

Wang Ming naturally didn't want to discuss Zhang Min's matter too much either, so as he brewed the tea, he nodded and replied: "Yes, please go ahead, Mr. Dong."

Dong Yudong then recounted how he had been surrounded by suppliers downstairs and said: "Lawyer Wang, Hongtai Construction is currently facing endless trouble, and there are so many suppliers downstairs demanding payment. If this is reported by the media, Hongtai Construction's reputation in the industry will be completely ruined. How will it develop in the future?"

Wang Ming didn't take Dong Yudong's concerns seriously at all. He shook his head and smiled: "Mr. Dong, I am just a lawyer; it is not my place to decide how the company develops. Furthermore, it is the suppliers who are not abiding by the agreement. The agreed-upon payment term hasn't arrived yet, so why should we pay early?"

Thus, he leaned forward and said to Wang Ming: "Lawyer Wang, what do you think of this? Let's find a conference room and have those suppliers downstairs come up. Having them crowding around downstairs is not good for Hongtai Construction's reputation. As for the early payment, I will talk to them after they come up."

Wang Ming said: "It is fine to let them come up, but early payment is definitely out of the question. Of course, if the losses are covered by President Chu's future shares, then I have no objection."

Dong Yudong smiled: "Lawyer Wang, you are joking. How about this: please trouble yourself to arrange a conference room and have someone bring those suppliers from downstairs up. As for me, I will go make a call to the boss to report on the situation here."

Wang Ming nodded: "No problem, I will arrange it right now. Oh, by the way, Mr. Dong, I advise you: from now on, apart from when it is just between us, do not mention to anyone that you are from Chus Investment. After all, Zhang Min's death has already attracted the attention of the Security Bureau. If you get dragged into it as well, I am afraid it will be difficult to handle business matters in the future."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Lawyer Wang."

Subsequently, Wang Ming got up and left the office to arrange matters for the suppliers downstairs. Dong Yudong, on the other hand, called Chu Weimin.