359: Chapter 358 Chu Weimin actively cuts ties with Zhao Lintai

"Ma'am, I see you've booked a business king room by phone. May I ask if you are a member of our hotel?"

The woman shook her head and responded coldly, "No."

"Oh, our hotel is currently having a promotion. If you sign up for a membership, we can upgrade you to a deluxe king room for free. Would you like me to handle that for you?" the receptionist continued.

"No need."

"Uh, alright, ma'am. Please wait a moment while I check you in." As the receptionist spoke, she began operating the computer.

A moment later, the receptionist handed the passport and room card to the woman, saying politely, "Here is your room card. The elevators are to your left; you'll see them just around the corner. Breakfast is from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM."

The woman said a brief "thanks" and pulled her suitcase toward the elevators.

The receptionist girl was about to attend to the next guest when she saw Yan Yan, who had just left, return at some unknown point.

Seeing that the receptionist recognized him, Yan Yan made a gesture, signaling her to go to the back office lounge.

The receptionist girl nodded, spoke to a colleague next to her, and returned to the lounge.

Yan Yan pushed the door open and walked in, asking the receptionist, "Excuse me, what was the name of the lady who just checked in? Which room is she in?"

"Uh, her name is Bai Ruoxue, and she's in room 1816."

Yan Yan immediately searched through those two A4 sheets and quickly found Bai Ruoxue's name.

"Bai Ruoxue, Australian Chinese..." Yan Yan looked at the receptionist again and asked, "Could you please print a copy of her passport for me as well?"

"Alright, please wait a moment." With that, the receptionist girl returned to the front desk. Shortly after, the copy of the passport Bai Ruoxue had just used to check in was handed to Yan Yan.

Yan Yan said his thanks, quickly left the hotel, and returned to his car.

Immediately after, he took out his phone and dialed a number. The call was answered quickly, and Yan Yan said with a smile, "Hey, old classmate, do me a favor. Help me look up some passport information."

A man's voice came from the other end of the line. "Ouch, my Great Captain Yan, you really don't visit unless you need something, do you? You only think of your old classmate when you need a favor? Usually, when I want to ask you out for a drink, it's like asking for your life..."

"Haha, isn't it because I'm busy? Forget drinks; I can't even get a hot meal most days. Alright, stop the nonsense and help me check this quickly."

"Fine, fine, I give up. Tell me, what's the ID number?"

Yan Yan recited the ID number. About ten seconds later, the voice on the other end spoke again. "The holder's name is Bai Ruoxue, Australian Chinese, 26 years old... The ID looks fine. However, I can only see her entry records here; there are no exit records shown."

"No exit records? Does that mean there's a problem with this passport?"

"Not necessarily. This has happened before; it could be a network delay. Why don't you wait a bit? Maybe the data will sync by tomorrow."

"Fair enough. Then please keep an eye on it for me. I'll buy you a drink when I have time."

"Forget it, I can't believe a word you say. Alright, I'll let you go. Get back to work." With that, the other side hung up.

Yan Yan gave a helpless smile, took photos of the data on the two A4 sheets with his phone, and sent them to the branch's technical team.

At the same time, Bai Ruoxue returned to room 1816 with her suitcase.

She had taken a speedboat and a freighter early in the morning, finally reached Hong Kong Island, and then immediately flew to the Southwest. After a whole day of traveling, even as an Internal Power expert, she was somewhat exhausted.

Taking a change of clothes from her suitcase, Bai Ruoxue walked into the bathroom.

Before long, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom.

...

Time soon reached 4:00 PM. Zhao Lintai had just returned to the presidential suite on the top floor of the Shangri-La International Hotel when he received a call from Wang Ming.

The call connected, and Wang Ming's cautious voice came through: "Boss, is it convenient to talk now?"

Zhao Lintai held his phone in one hand while irritably ripping off his tie with the other, tossing it aside. The tie drifted to the floor like a kite with a broken string.

Then, he strode to the table, poured himself a glass of champagne, and said nonchalantly, "Yeah, go ahead."

Sensing the displeasure in Zhao Lintai's tone, Wang Ming didn't dare say much and got straight to the point: "Boss, the chairman of Hong Kong's Chus Investment has come to Shanghai. You know about this, right?"

Zhao Lintai frowned slightly and asked, "I know. We spoke on the phone last night. What's wrong? Did he go to see you?"

"Yes, he just left the company," Wang Ming replied quickly.

"Hmm, by himself? He didn't bring anyone else?" Zhao Lintai asked again, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

"It was Zhou Qian and his secretary, Dong Yudong, who went to the airport to pick him up. No one else followed," Wang Ming reported in detail.

"Damn it!" Zhao Lintai couldn't help but curse, thinking to himself: Didn't that guy Chu say that Smith, the Asian Executive President of Goldman Sachs, would come to Shanghai with him? Why is he alone?

Following that, Zhao Lintai asked, "So what did he do at the company?"

"He asked for the accounts of Hongtai Construction and had me gather all the mid-level and senior cadres for a meeting. At the meeting, he just introduced himself to everyone; he didn't say anything of substance." After a pause, Wang Ming changed the subject, "However, when he was leaving, he told me that he could buy the equity in our hands at the original price and asked me to ask you if you were willing to sell."

"In his dreams!" Zhao Lintai instantly flew into a rage, his face turning bright red as he roared, "I went through so much trouble to snatch this equity from Wang Hongtai, and that guy Chu actually wants to buy it at cost? Pure wishful thinking!"

Wang Ming hurriedly said over the phone, "Boss, I told him that you would definitely not agree to a buy-back at the original price. However, he didn't seem to care and only said for you to think it over. If you're willing to sell, just give him a call."

"I got it!" Zhao Lintai said before hanging up the phone abruptly.

Fuming, he picked up his glass and tilted his head back, draining half the champagne in one gulp. The icy sensation slid down his throat into his stomach, but it failed to completely calm his chaotic and miserable mood.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Zhao Lintai stood up and paced back and forth in the room, beginning to think the whole matter through.

Why would Chu Weimin suddenly propose to buy his shares at cost? Could he have heard some news?

But in their phone conversation last night, he didn't feel like Chu Weimin knew anything.

Could it be that Chu Weimin got some information from Smith, which is why he was so certain that he would sell his shares at the original price?

But what news could he have possibly gotten from Smith?

Zhao Lintai's frown deepened as various complex relationships flashed through his mind: Goldman Sachs, Hongmen, Chus Investment...

Hongmen was a hidden force supported by Western financial syndicates, operating in the shadows to control many unknown transactions. Goldman Sachs and its ilk were tools used by the syndicates on the surface to harvest wealth, relying on their powerful financial strength to stir up trouble in global markets. As for Chus Investment, it was merely one of the proxies supported by Goldman Sachs to enter the Dragon Country market.

And his identity as a member of the Zhao Family of the Capital had always been what Hongmen valued most. It was precisely because of this identity that he was able to get in touch with Chus Investment, which was supported by Goldman Sachs, thereby launching a series of collaborations in the commercial field.

But now, Chus Investment had suddenly proposed to buy his shares in Hongtai Construction at cost, which was no different from wanting to cut ties with him.

Could it be that the financial syndicate behind Hongmen felt his value was gone and was preparing to discard him like a useless tool? The deeper Zhao Lintai thought, the more panicked he became, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

"No, there must be something else going on!"

Thinking of this, he immediately called Wang Ming back and asked urgently, "Besides auditing the accounts and holding a meeting, what else did Chu Weimin do?"

Wang Ming on the other end pondered for a moment before adding, "Uh, I remember now. After auditing the accounts, Boss Chu took a phone call and talked for about twenty minutes."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lintai became even more certain of his suspicions.

This Chu Weimin had definitely received some important news, which was why he dared to offend the Zhao family like this.

In fact, Zhao Lintai's guess was close to the truth.

The phone call Chu Weimin received in the afternoon was indeed from Smith.

During the call, Smith told him in a serious tone that intelligence had come back from the capital of Dragon Country: the great tree that was the Zhao Family of the Capital was about to fall, and they had to cut ties with them as soon as possible.

Therefore, Chu Weimin's proposal to buy Zhao Lintai's shares at cost followed.

Of course, Chu Weimin also had his own calculations in doing this—by muddying the waters, he could better fish in them!

Zhao Lintai had definitely entered the Security Bureau's sights by now. If he remained still, the Security Bureau would maintain a loose exterior but tight interior to prevent him from fleeing the country. But if he moved, all of the Security Bureau's attention would be drawn toward the Southwest.

Sure enough, Zhao Lintai's reaction was exactly what Chu Weimin had intended.

At this moment, Chu Weimin was discussing the next step of the plan with Smith in a presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel.

Suddenly, Chu Weimin's phone rang; the caller was none other than Zhao Lintai.

Chu Weimin showed the phone screen to Smith, his lips curling up slightly as he shook his head and smiled, "It seems Young Master Zhao can't sit still anymore."

Smith leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and gestured to Chu Weimin, "Answer it. Let's hear what Young Master Zhao has to say."

Chu Weimin made an OK gesture, then answered the phone and switched on the speakerphone.

As soon as the call connected, Zhao Lintai's angry voice came through: "I really didn't expect that after being in the business world for so long, Boss Chu could still have such naive ideas. Buying my shares at cost? Then what does my planning for Hongtai Construction count as? Volunteer work?"