Chapter 146: The Final Verdict (1) |
Once President Hua and President Liu changed their stance and considered the same issue, they discovered that shifting their support to Dai Songquan actually had no major downsides, and might even yield better results than their current situation.
After the meeting adjourned, although they hadn't exchanged a single word, their thought processes were largely aligned, leading them to the same conclusion.
President Hua was on his way back when he received Dai Songquan's call.
Seeing the caller ID, he already had a sense of what was coming. After probing Dai Songquan's intentions slightly, he agreed to the evening invitation.
When it came to pledging allegiance, the earlier the better. The fact that Dai Songquan had called him first meant he'd already secured a spot at the front of the line. If he started playing hard to get at a time like this, that would be a true lack of judgment.
President Liu, who received a call from Ji Yongsheng, was thinking along similar lines. However, after agreeing to Ji Yongsheng's invitation, he asked one additional question: it shouldn't be just him, should it?
Ji Yongsheng told him that President Hua would also be there. President Liu wasn't surprised by this. And so, the four of them gathered together that evening and finalized a cooperation agreement.
From then on, regarding all shareholder meeting decisions, the two of them would always stand with Dai Songquan. And as the first to defect, Dai Songquan fully guaranteed their interests.
The most important clause stated that if the company increased capital or issued stock options in the future, and the two chose not to participate in the subscription, they would still retain a 3% dividend right. At the same time, Dai Songquan would serve as a backstop, ensuring their actual shareholding ratio would not be diluted below 1%.
Once seated at the dinner table and after a few cups of wine, President Hua suddenly thought of Wei Hongsi. He asked Dai Songquan where he'd found such a young man to serve as his vanguard.
During the meeting break, Wei Hongsi had come over to greet them and ask for advice. At first, President Hua hadn't understood the kid's intentions, but as the meeting progressed, everything clicked into place.
President Liu was also very interested in Wei Hongsi. He asked Dai Songquan if he had used the young man to test their attitudes before deciding to flip the table.
Dai Songquan smiled without answering. He simply said, "Since you're both so interested in him, why not call him over to get to know him better?"
...
The third time Wei Hongsi refilled the wine flasks for the four of them, he only filled them halfway. That was the signal Ji Yongsheng had given him.
By then, the four of them had already consumed six or seven taels of liquor, their pace had slowed considerably, and they had long since switched back to small cups.
President Liu grabbed Wei Hongsi and insisted on having a "bottoms up" with him. Then he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hongsi, do you know why I insisted on meeting you?"
Wei Hongsi smiled politely. "Please enlighten me, President Liu."
"I, Liu Chengyi, am already past the age of fifty. The only thing I can be proud of in my entire life is following Old Dai to establish Zhiwei. I suspect that for the rest of my life, I won't accomplish anything else."
President Liu then looked across the table. "Grandmaster Hua, you're probably the same, right?"
President Hua leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Just like you."
President Liu turned back to Wei Hongsi. "So, we've entrusted the rest of our lives to Zhiwei. We have to know what her future will be like, don't we?"
President Hua nodded. "That's right. We are Zhiwei's past, President Ji and the others are its present, and you young people represent its future."
"Tell us honestly, that project you presented today - how confident are you that it'll succeed? You're not just blowing smoke for Boss Dai, are you?"
Wei Hongsi paused for a moment, then said, "That project will definitely succeed."
"Good heavens!" President Liu laughed. "We're tech people here. We need to keep our feet on the ground and not brag!"
Wei Hongsi grinned. "Then please, President Liu and President Hua, just wait and see. I believe it won't take too long."
President Liu looked at Dai Songquan. "Is he really not bragging?"
Dai Songquan chuckled. "You should know my old classmate, Zhou Qihong, right? Hongsi is his student."
"Oh." President Liu turned back to Wei Hongsi, still smiling. "This young man is quite low-key."
President Hua nodded thoughtfully.
When they asked whether the project could succeed, their focus wasn't on the research itself. Although the research was quite challenging, based on their judgment, as long as sufficient investment was guaranteed, it could be accomplished.
The real crux of their concern was the project's implementation. Simply put, would the authorities recognize its necessity and be willing to either pay for the results or provide a safety net?
When Dai Songquan introduced Wei Hongsi's academic lineage, he wasn't trying to express the idea that a master produces an excellent apprentice. Rather, he was telling them that this project hadn't been launched blindly.
As a leading figure in the industry, Zhou Qihong had keen insight into the field's future direction. A disciple of his wouldn't just start a research project requiring over a hundred million yuan in investment without a solid basis, would he?
Though the reality was quite different - this research was actually driven by the "June 13" case as a pressure mechanism - that didn't stop Dai Songquan from letting them interpret it that way.
Dai Songquan knew the temperament of his two old comrades well. When it came to making decisions, they were certainly resolute. But once the dust settled, they inevitably fell into melancholy and second-guessing. That was probably one of the downsides of being overly educated.
He could, of course, ignore all this. But after so many years of going their separate ways, for them to let go of old grievances and sit together again was no small feat. So he didn't mind helping them find some clarity.
After all, a smooth and cooperative working relationship was far better than an awkward, forced gathering.
"You two just love getting tangled up in meaningless things." Dai Songquan raised his glass. "Come on, finish this cup, and then I'll ask you two questions."
They all clinked glasses together.
Dai Songquan said, "First question: if Zhiwei goes public, what would you do with your shares? Would you hold on to them, or cash them out?"
"Second question: do you think Zhiwei's net assets can double within five years? Would that meet your expectations?"
President Hua and President Liu were silent for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
President Liu said, "So, Boss Dai, you're saying we're the ones who got a good deal and are still acting smug?"
Dai Songquan laughed. "I didn't say that."
President Hua also laughed. "I'll take it as if you did. Anyway, I'm accepting it."
As they were chatting and laughing, the phone on President Liu's table started ringing. He glanced at the number, picked it up, and showed it to everyone. "It's the group owner." With that, he answered the call.
Whatever Tai Liqun said on the other end, President Liu listened for a while before replying, "Old Tai, I think it's better not to keep making trouble. Honestly, it's not so bad if Zhiwei doesn't go public."
As soon as he said that, he abruptly pulled the phone away from his ear. Everyone else could hear the furious roar coming from the receiver: "Old Liu, what do you mean by that?!"
President Liu spoke into the phone again. "Exactly what I said. Think it over." With that, he hung up.
