I changed the world.

Page 375

The so-called number one internet figure... is nothing but the praise of ignorant people. These so-called new elites who lack substance are nothing more than lucky people who rise and fall in the eyes of real big shots.

They know nothing!

They also have no access to the most crucial information about this country and the world!

While their so-called team was still "analyzing" and "guessing" the changes in the wind direction, the forces that were truly controlling those changes had already laid out their plans.

These newly rich are nothing more than pawns moving on a chessboard set up by others. No matter how big a pawn is, it is still a pawn. When the wind blows, they will be the first to fall.

Its rise was swift, and its fall was sudden.

Thinking about it, his gaze shifted to a news article from the Economic Daily's securities section, which was spread out on the coffee table beside him: "Genesis Aerospace's stock price has recently bucked the trend and unusual activity. According to sources, there may be big news about to be announced..."

Looking at this news, Wei Feng's smugness was palpable. After planning for so long, it seemed that the fish was finally about to take the bait!

It's important to know that they weren't the only ones eyeing this big fish; even the nominally most powerful man in Jin'an—Prince An, Chen Yuanqing—was sharpening his knives...

These days, Wei Feng has been negotiating the conspiracy with Prince An. In Wei Feng's view, it's just a delaying tactic. His real net has already been cast, and it's clear that the other side has already fallen into it...

Once the contract is signed, he will be in an invincible position in this game. Even if Prince An comes to his senses later, it will be useless. In the end, the flesh of Qianluo Group will still belong to the Wei family. As for Prince An... he can only have a sip of soup.

From the very beginning, he never intended to put all his eggs in one basket, especially such a large egg; how could he possibly place his hopes solely on a sorcerer...

Even though he was quite curious about the other party's mysterious powers, he still preferred to stay within his area of ​​expertise, keeping everything under his control...

As for what Prince An thought after everything settled down...

He guessed he had no choice but to accept it, after all, this wasn't the early days of the dynasty, when powerful regional princes ruled with impunity. As a distant relative of a regional prince, he probably didn't want to offend a cabinet minister…

Wei Feng was secretly pleased with himself, and his smile finally widened. He couldn't help but laugh out loud...

He had already decided that it would be best to swallow Qianluo Group whole, but at the very least, he would cut off a significant portion of its business, especially its internet and mobile internet social networking services. With the financial licenses held by the Wei family and the related businesses of Haishang Bank, he would be able to further expand its profitability.

By then, even his own elder brother would probably have to admire his methods...

Thinking of the deep space exploration concept that was rumored to be on the verge of collapse, Wei Feng, a shrewd financier, naturally understood that since the future world couldn't expand outwards in the short term, involution became inevitable. If the human world remained confined to Earth, then what An Zhengquan held, even if he didn't act, would inevitably attract the attention of others in the future. He was merely one step ahead…

A child carrying gold through a bustling marketplace—don't blame me for being ruthless...

Wei Feng pondered in his heart, gestured with his hands, and unconsciously hummed the opera "Changhe Camp":

"Laughing triumphantly, they watched as half of the imperial carriage stood in formation..."

"This glory is no ordinary one..."

"Who would dare to face such a perilous situation!"

..............................

Just as he was humming a happy tune, his phone rang. Wei Feng reached for the phone, glanced at the caller ID, and his smile widened. He sat down in his office chair, answered the phone, and chuckled loudly before even speaking, "Haha, Huai En, I was calculating the time, you should be calling now. How did it go? Did the negotiations go smoothly? Are they ready to sign the contract yet?"

"Huh? What? Say it again?" Wei Feng's expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly stood up from his seat.

"...They withdrew? Could it be that they were just putting on a show to lower the price?"

"Not trying to lower the price? Are you just withdrawing from negotiations altogether?"

"Hmm...hmm...has everything stopped?"

"What's wrong with you? How can I know what's going on? What's wrong with you ...

Qi

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History: Chapter 759 The Fish Escaped the Hook?!

Then, seemingly realizing his lapse in composure, he took a deep breath: "Let me think... Hmm... This news is a bit sudden. Okay, that's all for now..."

Wei Feng put down his phone, his face ashen; his good mood from moments before had vanished completely.

Just now, during a phone call, Wang Tong, the investment director of Interstellar Ventures, told him some shocking news: Qianluo Group withdrew from the acquisition negotiations regarding the equity of Genesis Aerospace Company.

Few people know that 50% of the shares of the closed-end equity investment fund that Interstellar Ventures used to raise funds to acquire shares in Genesis Aerospace were sold through the channels of Hai Shang Bank. The sales targets were all long-term clients of Hai Shang Bank, and the Wei family also purchased a considerable share through their affiliated industries.

At the time, Wei had already received information that various countries would increase their investment in deep space exploration, and therefore, from an asset allocation perspective, he was willing to increase his investment in this area. Of course, to avoid any appearance of impropriety, some necessary concealment was made regarding the source of funding... and as it turned out, the initial investment was the right one.

This time, after receiving the message from his elder brother, Wei Feng planned to have Qianluo Group take over the deal, partly to create a trap, and partly to cash out his previous investments. Qianluo Group had previously believed that Haishang Bank was merely the lead lender in a syndicate, unaware that Haishang Bank was actually the biggest beneficiary and related party behind the transaction.

He thought it was a classic case of getting two birds with one stone, a win-win situation, and that Wei Feng would win twice! But Wang Tong's news instantly ruined Wei Feng's good mood!

Having worked in the industry for many years, Wang Tong, the investment director of Xingji Venture Capital, was certainly not a novice who believed everything he heard. In fact, when he received the call from the senior vice president of Qianluo Group who was in charge of negotiations, his first reaction was also that the other party was playing hard to get.

After all, such a tactic is perfectly normal in equity negotiations involving huge sums of money. However, he quickly realized something was amiss. Typical tactics of feigning weakness don't involve making definitive statements; instead, they involve being ambiguous, subtly revealing information such as "disagreements at the top, or some senior executives not supporting the acquisition." This is a more tactful approach. Even if the tactic fails, there's room for maneuver, preventing a backfiring situation.

This time, the notification was far too formal. The senior vice president of Qianluo Group in charge of acquisitions personally came forward, looking apologetic, and informed him in the form of a formal official letter that Qianluo Group was withdrawing from the acquisition.

There is no room for ambiguity; it is simple and straightforward, without any misinterpretation!

Although the other party repeatedly apologized, Wang Tong did not think it was a case of playing hard to get!

He even investigated other investment projects that Qianluo Group was currently undertaking through various channels, and then discovered that all of those investments had been halted!

Realizing something was amiss, he even contacted the senior vice president again, tentatively suggesting that the other party might be dissatisfied with the acquisition price, and if so, that aspect was negotiable...

If this were a ploy to lure him in, then he should have stopped there. However, the other party still showed a clear refusal and emphasized again that Qianluo Group had abandoned the acquisition. At the same time, due to some personal relationships, the senior vice president also hinted to him that this was a decision from the highest level of the group and would not be changed.

This result completely thwarted Wei Feng's previous plans and calculations. The fish that had already taken the bait broke the fishing line and swam away!

Wei Feng felt frustrated and irritable, but for a moment he was helpless.

He slammed his hand on the desk with a loud thud, the solid feel of the mahogany desk making his hand ache from the impact!

"Fuck you!"

He couldn't help but swear!

He was still filled with suspicion. What had happened? Had An Zhengquan heard something? It shouldn't have happened so quickly! Or perhaps, had someone on his side leaked the information?

Just as he was thinking about whether to make a phone call and directly sound out An Zhengquan's opinion, he and An Zhengquan, both prominent figures in Jin'an's business world, naturally knew each other and even maintained a friendly facade. Otherwise, the Maritime Bank wouldn't have led the formation of the loan syndicate this time.

Just as he was pondering this, there was a knock on the office door. Wei Feng suppressed his anger and resumed his calm, expressionless demeanor: "Come in."

The person who pushed open the door was Wei Feng's assistant, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and dressed like a business elite.

"Chairman, Mr. Ge from Qianluo Group just called to inform us that the project related to the acquisition of Genesis Aerospace's equity has been terminated, and the subsequent syndicated loan has been cancelled."

Wei Feng frowned, then slowly nodded and said, "I understand."

He then asked, "Did they say why it was canceled?"

"No, it's just that it's a board resolution."

Wei Feng nodded, not asking any further questions, and waved for his assistant to leave. However, the assistant did not leave: "Also, President Wang just came by and is waiting outside to see you."

"Invite him in."

The assistant nodded and left. A short while later, there was another knock on the door.

"Come in."

A short, stout middle-aged man pushed open the door and entered, panting heavily, with beads of sweat on his forehead, clearly having run all the way there.

"Fuchang, what is it?" Wei Feng stood up from his chair and pointed to the sofa next to him. The man in front of him was Wang Zuoxi (courtesy name Fuchang), the president of Haishang Bank. Although he was a professional manager, he was also a powerful figure in the Wei family's business empire, and Wei Feng still had to give him some face.

“Lord Hui’an, I just received a report from the major clients department that Qianluo Group is going to transfer all their funds from their account at Haishang Bank.”

"What?!" Wei Feng was startled upon hearing this and subconsciously said, "Say that again?"

"Qianluo Group is going to remove all their funds from their accounts at Haishang Bank." Wang Zuoxi repeated what he had just said, and then emphasized, "Not only their own funds, but also all the deposits of all joint ventures, cooperative companies and even affiliated companies, all of them will be removed."

"As soon as I received this news, I contacted Mr. Yu from their group's finance department. Mr. Yu's idea was that we should complete the process as soon as possible, including transferring all of Qianluo Group's 538 billion yuan in fixed deposits."

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 760 Tearing Off the Mask

“If they want to transfer their fixed deposits, they can only do so at the current account interest rate, and their losses will be substantial…” Wei Feng took a deep breath and said, “Why the rush?”

"I reminded General Manager Yu, but he said they were prepared and would just calculate the interest based on current account rates, but still insisted on transferring all the funds." Wang Zuoxi's expression was somewhat unpleasant. After all, no bank would be happy to have its biggest client withdrawing funds.

Qianluo Group has always been known for its abundant cash flow and strong financial strength, which is related to An Zhengquan's consistently cautious approach and the characteristics of Qianluo Group's business. As a well-known local bank in Jin'an, Haishang Bank previously had a very good relationship with Qianluo Group. In order to retain Qianluo Group as a major client, Haishang Bank has been providing Qianluo Group with relatively high-interest fixed deposits at competitive prices.

Of course, a large conglomerate like Qianluo wouldn't put all its eggs in one basket. Even to establish better cooperation with various banks in the future, it would cultivate relationships with multiple banks simultaneously. However, even so, Haishang Bank has always been one of Qianluo Group's most important partner banks.

In fact, this also made it easier for Wei Feng to plan and scheme against Qianluo, since through banking business, Haishang Bank was able to estimate a lot of financial data of Qianluo Group to a certain extent.

“Lord Hui’an, Qian Luo’s deposits in our bank are not a small amount… You see…” Seeing that Wei Feng remained silent, Wang Zuoxi couldn’t help but remind him. As the bank manager, there were many things he didn’t know. But that didn’t mean he was stupid. The other party’s move was basically an announcement of severing ties with Hai Shang Bank, and there must be a reason beyond normal circumstances behind it.

"Have you calculated it? How much money is there in total?" Wei Feng took a deep breath and asked.

"All of Qianluo Group's deposits, including those of its joint ventures, affiliates, and related companies, total 1132 billion yuan..." Wang Zuoxi said with a worried expression, "In addition, they have indicated that they will stop lending and guaranteeing business with Haishang Bank, which will also have a significant impact on our future operations."

The business banks do is essentially about the interest rate spread between deposits and loans. Large clients like Qianluo, with abundant cash flow, are considered the best potential loan customers by all banks. This is because they have ample cash flow, substantial funds and real estate as collateral, and don't need to worry about repayment issues. However, the larger the company with the strongest cash flow, the less urgent their need for loans. Conversely, smaller companies with tight cash flow find it harder to obtain loans from banks, since banks essentially operate on a "give an umbrella on a sunny day, take it back on a rainy day" basis.

Therefore, in its cooperation with Qianluo Group, Haishang Bank thoughtfully designed a product for them: Qianluo Group deposited cash into Haishang Bank's investment account, and Haishang Bank offered Qianluo Group generous interest rates in the form of fixed-term deposits. To avoid unforeseen circumstances, these fixed-term deposits could be withdrawn at the current account interest rate before maturity. Simultaneously, using this cash as collateral, Haishang Bank provided low-interest loans to Qianluo Group when it needed operating funds, with interest rates lower than the normal market rate. In this way, Haishang Bank gained a stable major client, and Qianluo Group improved its cash flow.

Logically, it should be a win-win situation. Generally speaking, large groups like Qianluo wouldn't easily adjust such stable partnerships, especially not such drastic adjustments, unless there are special circumstances. It's simply impossible to explain this without something going on behind the scenes.

Upon hearing the amount, Wei Feng frowned even more deeply. Although Haishang Bank was a large bank with total deposits exceeding 2 trillion yuan, most of those funds had been disbursed in the form of loans. The remaining working capital on the books would require interbank lending to raise over 100 billion yuan in deposits. Furthermore, such a massive outflow of deposits would undoubtedly have a significant negative impact on the bank's operations.

Furthermore, from the bank's perspective, they also need to consider whether the departure of Qianluo Group, a major client, will have a ripple effect on other clients...

As Wei Feng thought about it, he felt increasingly uneasy. He picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed a number...

He had An Zhengquan's private phone number, and even now, he decided to make a call...

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