Chapter 795
Savior
Wang Rui practically burst out of the office door, his leather shoes making a hurried, chaotic sound on the polished tiles of the corridor. His obese body was panting heavily from the exertion, and the cold sweat that had just appeared on his forehead was now breaking out in new beads of sweat from anxiety and anger.
He roughly pulled open the door of the Mercedes-Benz S600 parked in his designated spot, plopped down in the driver's seat, and the expensive leather seat groaned under the weight.
His hands trembled as he pulled out his car keys, trying several times before finally inserting them. His mind was a complete mess, with only one thought screaming at him: Use connections! Immediately! Right now! He had to win back XX Bank!
He can't lose that blood vessel! Absolutely not!
Just as he turned the key and the engine emitted a deep roar—
"Buzz...buzz...buzz..."
The phone he had carelessly tossed onto the passenger seat suddenly vibrated violently, like a death knell! His younger brother's (Wang Qi's) name flashed on the screen.
Zhao Rui's heart sank suddenly, and an extremely ominous premonition instantly gripped him! Almost in a fit of self-destructive rage, he grabbed his phone, slammed down the answer button, and roared into the microphone:
"What the hell is it now?! Can you stop talking like you're constipated and just finish it all at once?!" He desperately needed to vent, pouring all his panic and anger onto the other end of the phone.
"Big...Big brother...It's...it's all over...it's all over..."
He spoke incoherently, each word sounding like a lament.
"Speak! Speak like a human being!" Wang Rui's heart was pounding as if it would jump out of his throat. He roared into the microphone, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.
Wang Qi seemed to have used all her strength to squeeze out a few words from her overwhelming fear. The words were faint, yet they exploded like thunder in Zhao Rui's ears:
"Just...just now...the other two partner banks..."
He took a deep breath, as if he were about to suffocate:
"A notification also came at the same time!"
He paused for a moment, as if even uttering those few words required immense courage:
"Immediately! Dissolve all cooperation!"
"Clap!"
A dull, soft sound.
Wang Rui's hand, gripping the phone tightly with bulging veins, seemed to have all its strength drained away in an instant.
The latest model phone slipped from his unconsciously outstretched fingers and fell onto the carriage floor covered with thick wool mats, screen down, making a barely audible thud.
He didn't even look down.
The world fell completely silent at that moment.
The deep engine sound of the Mercedes-Benz S600, the hustle and bustle of the city outside the car window... everything disappeared.
He froze in the driver's seat, like a wax figure instantly frozen in ice. All the color drained from his face, leaving only a deathly pallor. His cloudy eyes were wide open, pupils unfocused, staring blankly at the luxurious center console, as if the apocalypse was unfolding there.
what happened? !
Who is it?!
Who has such power?! To be able to get three banks to issue such a ruthless and decisive order against Wang Rui and his painstakingly built, highly profitable "Black Cat Loan Platform" at the same time?!
If the previous default by XX Bank was a heavy blow to the chest, making him see stars and vomit blood.
At that moment, the termination notices sent by the other two core partner banks almost simultaneously were like three poisoned daggers, stabbing precisely into the heart, throat, and brain of [Black Cat] at the same time!
This is not a blow.
This is a decapitation! A complete, clean, and utter annihilation!
In the midst of extreme fear and shock, Wang Rui's thoughts became strangely clear and icy cold. He could clearly "see" everything that was about to happen:
Step 1: Funds Freeze. The three bank custody accounts will be frozen immediately. Not a single penny of the money borrowers repay today, tomorrow, or thereafter will go into Black Cat's coffers! It will all be intercepted! That's the lifeline for maintaining the platform's liquidity!
Step Two: Business Death. New Loans? All lending channels shut down! From this moment on, the transaction volume of the [Black Cat Online Lending Platform] will instantly, completely, and irreversibly drop to zero! The platform becomes a zombie without any blood supply!
Step Three: The Bank Run. This news simply cannot be concealed! Those "retail investors" will swarm in like sharks smelling blood! They'll withdraw their funds! A bank run! They'll demand immediate repayment!
Step Four: Collapse of Trust. Borrowers will immediately stop making repayments, and may even engage in large-scale debt evasion! Because they know the platform is finished! Paying back to a dead person is pointless! Partners will immediately terminate cooperation and may initiate lawsuits! Employees will start demanding unpaid wages and resigning…
It’s over.
It's completely over.
It's not a "possibility," not a "danger," but an inevitability.
The Black Cat Loan Platform, a financial monster he built with his own hands, which sucked the blood and sweat of countless people and brought him immense wealth and a life of luxury, was sentenced to death the moment he received these three termination notices.
The spacious and comfortable cabin of the Mercedes now felt like a shrinking, chilling iron coffin, trapping him inside. His mouth was open, but he couldn't inhale a single breath; a tremendous feeling of suffocation gripped his throat. Outside the window, the sun shone brightly, traffic flowed, and the world continued its normal course.
"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. I still have a chance." Wang Rui suddenly thought of someone.
They met at a business gathering. Although the other person's business was far smaller than his own, it was his background that made Wang Rui so eager to befriend him. Wang Rui even facilitated some business collaborations between the two, and indeed, some business partnerships with those industries as well.
"Yes, yes!" Wang Rui exclaimed, slapping his thigh as if he were a drowning man suddenly finding a lifeline. Then, a fighting spirit rekindled on his face as he picked up his phone from the floor and found the person's contact information—Zhang Yi!
【West Mountain Forest Musings】
Chen Xiao accompanied Zhao Xiangjun for a walk in the garden, and Zhao Xiangjun told him that her cousin had already bought a house in the community.
"You're quick on the uptake. Your cousin-in-law has come to see you again these past few days?" Zhao Xiangjun prefers peace and quiet, and Chen Xiao is worried that his cousin-in-law—Jia Yan—will come over every day. Xiangjun will then have no choice but to deal with it, which is something Chen Xiao doesn't want to see.
"No, Mom specifically told me that before she went back. Everyone knows I'm a quiet person and don't like socializing."
Chen Xiao, who was holding her hand, squeezed her soft, boneless hand upon hearing this, protesting her self-deprecating humor! Knowing that his mother had made arrangements with his cousin's family, he felt relieved!
There is a significant age difference between him and his cousin, and their families used to only visit each other a few times a year, so they didn't feel very close.
This is different from his cousin Chen Long, who used to play with Chen Xiao a lot when they were little. Later, their uncle went to do business in another city, and the two lost contact with each other.
"Chen Xiao, what are you spacing out for?" Xiang Jun noticed that Chen Xiao had suddenly stopped and seemed a little lost in thought.
Realizing he had just been lost in memories, he chuckled and said, "I was just mesmerized by how beautiful my wife is!"
"Chen Xiao, you're proving the truth of the saying, 'It's better to believe in ghosts than to believe a man's lying mouth.' How 'hypocritical' are you?"
Zhao Xiangjun snorted in dissatisfaction; she was currently troubled by her protruding belly. Chen Xiao was deliberately bringing up a sore spot.
"Hey—, to be honest, why don't you believe me?" Chen Xiao chuckled dryly. Then he added, "Also, I think the design of [Star Palace] is getting better and better. Hmm, Chinese aesthetics are indeed incomparable to those Western aesthetics."
Zhao Xiangjun's attention was successfully diverted by his topic, and she nodded, "I also think the design of our [Star Palace] is good. Easterners understand Easterners better."
Chen Xiao held her hand and continued walking: "Speaking of which, besides the Yinuo Group creating the [Starry Night] luxury brand, Luffy's [Jiexun Sports] is also creating its own brand."
But knowing that Zhao Xiangjun didn't pay much attention to these things and only mentioned them briefly, he didn't go into detail about it.
Just then, my phone received a message from Ma Jian. He had returned to Jiangzhou from his business trip and texted Chen Xiao to ask if he had time to get together.
Zhao Xiangjun was tired from shopping. "Chen Xiao, you can go and do your thing."
Chen Xiao and Ma Jian hadn't seen each other for a long time, and recently, because of Xiang Jun's former colleague, he had dealt with Ma Jian's ex-girlfriend, Huang Ju. Although he didn't think Ma Jian would be angry with him, out of brotherly loyalty, he still planned to tell him in person.
After leaving [Xishan Linyu], I originally planned to meet Ma Jian at Junxiao Lakeside CBD Center.
He only found out after sending a message that he was supposed to arrive today, but hadn't arrived yet. It was still an hour or two's drive from Jiangzhou. Chen Xiao checked the time and replied, "Meet me at [Tianchi Hot Spring]!"
On one hand, he needed to complete the system tasks; on the other hand, he was very interested in the "General Manager Zhao"—Zhao Rui—who claimed to have a connection with him. If he had to say he'd only ever known someone named Zhao Rui, it would be a colleague at Dr. Feng's Robotics Technology Group, but that person's real name was Zhao Rui!
Besides, Zhao Rui couldn't possibly have the ability to open such a large hot spring resort; that would require an investment of hundreds of millions.
I sent a message to Diao Chan, telling her that I was coming over.
Diao Chan replied instantly: "Hurry up and save me!"
What do you mean?
Chen Xiao was startled, thinking she had been kidnapped, and asked her a question.
"It's alright, come early."
Only then did Chen Xiao realize it was an exaggeration. He then calmly returned to the Junxiao Lakeside CBD Center, changed into his Brabus G900, and drove off.
The reason I didn't ride in a Rolls-Royce was mainly because the convoy was too conspicuous. Driving a Brabus G900, many people would mistake it for a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, or even a 200 million yuan car, so it wouldn't be so unusual in a place full of luxury cars.
After parking the car, I found that Ma Jian had sent another message, saying that Luffy knew he was back and had specially rushed back to ask if it was convenient for him to come over.
Chen Xiao smiled and said, "Let Lao Lu come along. By the way, it seems that his brand called [Shushi] is opening its first store in Junxiao City in the next few days. I also want to come back and take a look. The first store is very important."
When I last met Luffy, he gave me a brief report. 【Soseki】is positioned as a high-end outdoor sports brand, and its price point is considered the ceiling among outdoor brands.
Before, Luffy would never have had the courage to directly stuff himself into this space and create something of the highest quality. But now, with President Chen as his backer, what is there to be afraid of?
He knew Mr. Chen's personality: if he was going to do something, he would do it to the best of his ability!
For him, building a high-end brand doesn't require any consideration of distribution channels. The sheer number of Junxiaocheng stores nationwide is enough to elevate his brand's prestige.
What he really put his best effort into was product design and marketing.
Use the best fabrics, poach designers with salaries more than three times the industry average, and for publicity, sign the hottest male and female celebrities of the moment.
Traffic and buzz: the internet ignites a frenzy.
For a company that has channel resources, design resources, and a large amount of cash flow, playing these games is a piece of cake.
Luffy even thought to himself, if he couldn't even run a brand properly, he might as well eat shit while standing on his head!
He was thrilled when he received a call from Ma Jian informing him that General Manager Chen had agreed to a meeting, and at a club no less. "The boss usually only meets with his own people in places like that," he thought. "It seems General Manager Chen hasn't distanced himself from me because of Huang Ju; he still considers me one of his own."
Luffy excitedly urged the driver, "Faster, faster!"
"Put a little more pressure on the accelerator," he complained, complaining that the driver wasn't pressing the accelerator hard enough. But to the driver, these were all inappropriate and offensive words.
Tianchi Hot Spring
Inside the technician's room, a middle-aged woman in a manager's uniform was gently advising the stubborn Diao Chan.
Technician number 8 was someone the supervisors both loved and hated. They loved her because she was the most beautiful woman. Even among celebrities, how many could compare to her looks?
What's infuriating is her disobedience; this technician, number 8, is extremely individualistic. If you say she's not serious about her work, she works a full 100 minutes every hour, and never slacks off, even when picking her toes. But if you say she's serious, she refuses all requests for extended hours from customers. Just for that, how many customers has she offended, and how many complaints has the company received?
But that's just how I am on the 8th. If you think I'm good at it, I'll keep doing it. If you think I'm not good at it, then I'll quit.
Gradually, everyone got used to it and let her be. After all, she was beautiful, and beautiful women should enjoy special privileges.
But today was different, and the manager had to try to persuade him again: "Number 8, it's one thing if you're picky about customers normally. But Mr. Gao is a friend of our boss. If you continue like this, he might complain to the boss, and that would put us in a very difficult position."
Diao Chan sat on the sofa with her two long, straight legs together and said calmly, "If you complain, I am willing to accept any punishment!"
What else? At most, it'll just be expulsion, right?
The manager was speechless. "Number 8, company policy dictates that you cannot refuse other customers unless you are already on duty."
Chen Xiao's message arrived at that moment, and Number 8's eyes lit up immediately: "Isn't I already on duty?" (End of Chapter)