Full Cup of Water - Chap 30
Xin Qianyu felt that Su Zhong’s social skills were really concerning.
The classmates were startled when they heard Su Zhong say that.
The female classmate’s face changed slightly, and she said awkwardly, “Oh…really?”
“Yes,” Su Zhong said sincerely. “In M-global, if you can’t become a VP within three to five years, you’ll be kicked out.”
This was really the truth.
But who liked to hear the truth?
Xin Qianyu hurried to smooth over the situation. “This M-global has a high dismissal rate, right? I heard it’s already difficult to even become a basic analyst there. Much less not being dismissed in three years? Those who can survive are the dragons and phoenixes among people. Of course, they are already very formidable.”
Everyone quickly agreed. “Yes, it’s so outstanding. So outstanding.”
This chapter was then considered closed.
Xin Qianyu turned to Su Zhong and said, “You’re not allowed to talk!”
Su Zhong nodded obediently and kept peeling shrimp for Xin Qianyu without saying a word.
The female classmate was still feeling resentful. But in fact, most of them, having worked as leaders in enterprises, should have already guessed that Su Zhong’s position in M-global should be not low, or at least higher than that of a VP, or at least a D. Otherwise, he would not have the confidence to say such things.
After the gathering, several people searched for “Su Zhong M-global” and immediately discovered the fact that Su Zhong was a billionaire. These people could not help but stick to Xin Qianyu even more. Every time Su Zhong came to look for Xin Qianyu, they would call out “Shi Ge” and “Senior” non-stop, wanting to establish the relationship.
Su Zhong was indifferent and not bothered by it.
Su Zhong was not bothered, but Xin Qianyu was.
Fortunately, this semester was over soon.
When the holiday came, Xin Qianyu simply moved out of the dormitory and rented an apartment near the school.
In his apartment during the holiday, he was nestled on the sofa enjoying some rare leisure time. He took out his mobile phone to play a game.
What he was playing was the mobile game “Feiyue Legend” developed by his old classmate. This became the most valuable investment he had ever made. More than a year ago, he took out two million to invest in “Feiyue Legend”.
Later, he invested successively, and now “Feiyue Legend” was a successful mobile game with a monthly turnover of more than 100 million.
The “small workshop” that Xin Qianyu blindly invested in back then was now more profitable than the dignified Yuzhuo Group.
He did not know if that meant it was a lost cause.
After Xin Qianyu played “Feiyue Legend” for a while, Su Zhong sent a message saying that he was downstairs and looking for Xin Qianyu.
“Wait for me to finish playing this,” Xin Qianyu replied.
At this moment, a phone call from Yu Zhuo came in.
It turned out that there was a problem in the country.
From the start, Su Zhong had persuaded Xin Qianyu many times, saying he would get more than he bargained for by buying a shell company and not to do it if there was no need to. Xin Qianyu had also been very dissatisfied with Zhan Feiyang’s behaviour of unorthodox price raising, so he did not buy the “Feiyang Technology” shell company. But who knew that when Xin Simu came to power, she would spend 300 million yuan to buy the shell company and decide to go public via this method. This was actually not Xin Simu being “determined to go her own way”, but since she had kicked Xin Qianyu away, she had to stick to her own route even more and not take Xin Qianyu’s opinions into consideration.
The listing via the shell company purchase had also gone relatively smoothly. A few days ago, they had obtained the consent of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and everything was moving in an orderly manner, but the bubble of “Feiyang Technology” suddenly burst at this juncture. Without warning, “Feiyang Technology” exploded with a debt of 200 million, and this huge change caught Yu Zhuo off guard.
Even the old man publicly blamed Xin Simu.
Xin Simu could only explain palely, “At the beginning, I had hired an independent third party to conduct due diligence, and their team did not find any debt problems.” “Then it proves that the team you found was not professional enough!” Xin Mu rested her chin in her hand and said. Xin Simu could not deny it, so she had to say, “l have also communicated with Zhan Feiyang many times, and he had repeatedly promised there was no problem… He had promised this all the way until it was submitted to the China Securities Regulatory Commission for review…”
“It seems that you’re still too young, Xiao Mu,” Xin Mu said with a smile. “Can a man’s promise be trusted?”
Xin Simu swallowed, only to say coldly, “Of course, I will not believe in promises, so I asked him to send a letter of undertaking.”
“Well, he wrote a letter of undertaking. So what?” Xin Mu sneered. “He just broke the promise. What can you do?”
Xin Simu really could not do anything.
Although the letter of undertaking had legal effect, and Xin Simu could use it to sue Zhan Feiyang, then what? Even if they sued Zhan Feiyang until he went bankrupt, the current situation could not be restored. Not to mention, Zhan Feiyang flew out of the country overnight and ran away with 300 million. How could they sue?
Xin Mu sighed and said, “What did my son say at the beginning? Don’t buy the shell company. Let Qiushi buy it. If you had listened to Xiaoyu, Qiushi would be the one suffering from this smothering loss. Sigh… let’s figure it out. The M-global investment of one billion yuan that Xiaoyu had pulled is gone. The shell company purchase cost of three hundred million yuan is gone. And now we have another two hundred million yuan of debt. Isn’t this equivalent to us losing 1.5 billion yuan?”
Xin Simu’s face turned grey when she was questioned, but she straightened her back, maintained a ladylike demeanour, and said, “Auntie, it’s not calculated like this.”
“How is it calculated then?” Xin Mu’s red lips curved, and she asked smilingly, “You’re so good at calculating. Why didn’t you realise that “Feiyang Technology” was a fraud?”
Uncle Xin interrupted Xin Mu’s questioning and said, “No one wants such a thing to happen. Surely, your nonstop questioning of Xiao Mu isn’t going to make the problem disappear. Can you solve the problem like this?”
“I can,” Xin Mu replied with a smile. “Letting Xiaoyu come back will solve the problem!”
The relatives on the board of directors had completely forgotten how they expelled Xin Qianyu previously, and now, they were thinking about the benefits of Xin Qianyu again.
The so-called saying was “fragrant from a distance and smelly up close”. When Xin Qianyu was in power, they felt that Xin Qianyu was insufferably arrogant. This was the year when Xin Simu made it big, and they felt Xin Simu did not respect the elders anymore. Moreover, the old man was the big Buddha behind the scenes, and he did not like monkeys who jumped too high.
Ultimately, whoever was in charge would be the one who offended.
The old man personally made a video call to Xin Qianyu, expressing his interest in Xin Qianyu’s academic life before getting to the point.
Xin Qianyu had already learned of the situation from Xin Mu, so he was not surprised.
The old man said kindly, “Sigh, you have been wronged in the previous situation. But as I said, once public opinion has died down, I will let you come back. Now I think the publicity has died down…”
Xin Qianyu really admired the old man.
It was obvious he wanted Xin Qianyu to go back and clean up the mess, but now, he had expressed it as “regarding your past mistakes, the group has let bygones be bygones and is now mercifully letting you come back as CEO.”
Xin Qianyu smiled and said, “That’s not going to work, Gramps. I have to study for this MBA for another year.”
The old man thought Xin Qianyu would go back to the headquarters eagerly, but he did not expect Xin Qianyu to be disrespectful and even exhibit a lofty attitude.
The old man was a little unhappy. After so many years, he had become accustomed to everyone in the family extolling him. How could he allow his little grandson to put on airs?
“Xiaoyu,” The old man said. “You have to know how to prioritize. The group can’t wait for you for another year. This project was originally started by you. Don’t you want to end it yourself? You don’t want this great achievement to be picked up by others, do you?”
“Well, what you say is also true.” Xin Qianyu paused, and then said, “However, according to my proposition, Yuzhuo really shouldn’t have bought a shell company to go public. I think it’s best to go public in the United States. Firstly, it takes a relatively shorter time to go public in the United States, which is more suitable for our situation. Secondly, going public in the United States can raise more money. Thirdly, we’re doing multinational projects. Going public in the United States can increase our international visibility and influence and will be of greater help to future overseas projects.”
Since the shell company purchase hit a wall, the old man listened to Xin Qianyu’s opinions this time but said, “This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
“If M-global helps us carry out capital operations, the success rate would actually be very high.” Xin Qianyu replied.
“But the board of directors is very opposed to external investment…” The old man’s face showed embarrassment.
Xin Qianyu did not buy this. Actually, how was it a board of directors? Who, on the board of directors, was not subservient to the old man?
Xin Qianyu had fallen the last time, and now he understood it.
Some people were more afraid of young people as they got older, but had to rely on them. The old man let his relatives control the board of directors not because he was focused on kinship. It was the old man who was suspicious and distrustful of people with foreign surnames. He could trust the relatives whom he knew through and through, but just barely.
Xin Qianyu’s relationship with M-global made the old man wary, which was why Xin Qianyu was kicked out of the board of directors.
Think about it. Even now, when Xin Simu had incurred a debt of two hundred million, the old man did not punish her too much.
If he did not violate the old man’s taboo, Xin Qianyu would only be removed from the CEO position if he made a mistake, and it was far from being kicked out.
Now that Xin Qianyu was once again proposing to introduce M-global’s funds, the old man began to get suspicious again.
In order to dispel the old man’s concerns, Xin Qianyu said, “I know what the people on the board of directors are thinking. Aren’t they just afraid that I will gain power? However, you can’t ask for M-global’s money without giving him benefits, right? In the end, it’s an outsider, and he can’t be expected to work for nothing. But as for me, my surname is Xin, and I’m willing to dedicate myself to this family. How about this? I’ll only take 1% of the equity and not a cent of the rest. Is that good enough?”
When the old man heard this, he felt a little relieved, but said, “What are you talking about? This child! Everyone is family. How could they not trust you?”
The old man said he trusted Xin Qianyu, but he did not relent in allocating more shares to Xin Qianyu. Instead, he acquiesced to Xin Qianyu’s prerequisite of only taking 1%.
Only if Xin Qianyu held 1% could the old man safely introduce M-global.
Based on the original plan, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong together would hold 20% of the shares, and it was really hard for the old man not to be wary. But now with Xin Qianyu only taking 1%, the two of them would hold a total of 11%, which was not enough to fear.
The old man announed that he had asked Xin Qianyu to come back to preside over the overall situation.
Xin Simu felt bitter, but still maintained her demeanor and called Xin Qianyu. “When will you be returning home? Let us carry out the handover.”
Previously, Xin Qianyu was extremely straightforward when he left and also very neat when he handed over to Xin Simu without causing any trouble. Now that the situation was changing, Xin Simu was also willing to maintain the same dignity and carry out a peaceful handover with Xin Qianyu.
“Let’s talk about it after my vacation.” Xin Qianyu was unconcerned. “And I haven’t finished studying here yet. I have to trouble Xiao Mu Jie to continue for a while.”
Xin Simu did not expect Xin Qianyu to be so carefree, so she was very surprised. “You are not anxious.”
“What’s the use of being anxious? It’s meaningless.” Xin Qianyu smiled and said, “Actually, I also want to thank you. You told me something that brought me a great deal of clarity.”
“What are you talking about?” Xin Simu was puzzled.
Xin Qianyu said, “You told me that it’s useless to do a good job in the group. You still have to grasp the relatives’ way of thinking.”
Xin Simu laughed bitterly. “Oh, that.”
“Actually, Xiao Mu Jie, you’re wrong,” Xin Qianyu said. “Do you think the relatives can really influence the overall situation?”
“Hmm?” Xin Simu frowned.
“Actually, it boils down to still having to grasp the old man’s heart.” Xin Qianyu finished speaking with a slight smile. “I must finish this MBA. You can also take the opportunity to win over the old man’s heart more!”
Xin Simu did not understand the meaning of Xin Qianyu’s words, but she felt that his words were quite profound, and she fell silent for a while.
Xin Qianyu ended the call without explaining further.
After the long video call with the Xin family, Xin Qianyu suddenly remembered that Su Zhong seemed to be still waiting downstairs.
It snowed just last night and was very cold today.
Xin Qianyu suspected that with Su Zhong’s one-track mind, he would not hide in a convenience store for warmth. He must have stood in the most conspicuous place like a fool for fear that Xin Qianyu would not see him when he went downstairs.
There was a small square under the apartment building, and Su Zhong usually stood in the centre of the square, waiting for Xin Qianyu.
Because that location was more conspicuous, of course, it was also colder.
Xin Qianyu was afraid that Su Zhong might be dying of cold, so he hurriedly put on his coat and went downstairs.
At a glance, he saw a red figure in the centre of the square and was startled.
Su Zhong was wearing a Santa Claus costume, standing under the street lamp, with a plastic-smelling white beard hanging on his face.
“What are you doing?” Xin Qianyu asked between tears and laughter.
Su Zhong said, “Merry Christmas.”
Xin Qianyu then remembered that today was Christmas.
“Merry Christmas.” Xin Qianyu touched his nose. “But why are you pretending to be Santa Claus?”
Su Zhong said, “Don’t you like Christmas? That’s why I wanted to dress myself up for a more festive atmosphere.”
Xin Qianyu was stunned. “Who told you that I like Christmas?”
Although Xin Qianyu had lived abroad, he actually did not feel much about Christmas.
“But you used to like Christmas a lot,” Su Zhong said. “As long as we were in the same city, you would bring me to celebrate the holidays.”
Xin Qianyu’s face stiffened.
Actually, it wasn’t that Xin Qianyu liked to celebrate Christmas at all, but that he liked to be with Su Zhong.
In the past, he was very humble in front of Su Zhong and did not dare disturb his work.
Moreover, spending Christmas together was a good excuse for Xin Qianyu to occupy Su Zhong’s time and energy.
Xin Qianyu could use Christmas as a reason to decorate the Christmas tree with Su Zhong at home, walk arm in arm on the neon-lit streets, and confidently ask Su Zhong to free up this day in advance to date him.
Similarly, there was Valentine’s Day and Spring Festival……
If it weren’t for the holidays, Su Zhong would not be able to allocate time for him.
Thinking of the past, Xin Qianyu’s eyes were hot, but he was cooled by the cold wind. “Why couldn’t you treat me so well before?”
Su Zhong was taken aback. He was actually very slow and did not feel he had treated Xin Qianyu badly before.
Su Zhong instantly became like a child who had made a mistake. “Is it too late to treat you well now?”
Xin Qianyu looked away. “It’s quite late.”
Su Zhong was taken aback and after some time, said, “Then I’ll just treat you even better.”
Xin Qianyu did not look at Su Zhong and deliberately said in a cold tone, “Clinging is useless. I won’t be with you again.”
“It’s okay.” Su Zhong’s voice came out through Santa’s beard. “Don’t be angry.”
Xin Qianyu was startled. “Am I angry?”
“You look quite angry.” Half of Su Zhong’s face was hidden behind his beard. “Did I do something wrong again?”
Su Zhong’s exposed eyes were filled with helpless panic. His expression was like that of a foolish child who had been punished for making mistakes in a simple math problem like “1+1=2” over and over again. He vaguely knew he had done something wrong but did not know exactly what he had done wrong, so he could only look at his parent anxiously in self-blame.
