Chapter 435 - 408: Predicament
Walking through the snowy, picturesque European Town, Zhao Feiyang’s mood grew heavier. He realized that he couldn’t let this situation continue. Tang Jinglun was pushing for a reform, using the banner of Health, denying all the plans Zhao had previously set and blatantly breaking up Changxing. Zhao was well aware of Huayuan Group’s current predicament and even clearer about what Tang Jinglun aimed to do.
The Tang Brothers both had a gambling nature ingrained in them; the difference was that Tang Jingwei gambled openly, while Tang Jinglun gambled covertly.
Tang Jinglun’s real goal was never to fully commit to building the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital; he was merely trying to create momentum.
Having resigned from his public position, Zhao Feiyang had come to a deeper understanding of the coldness of capital. Based on what he had learned, Tang Jinglun was most skilled at manipulating capital. If everything went as expected, he would soon be releasing a series of good news to gradually boost Huayuan Group’s stock price.
For now, it was a way to get Hua Nian out of its predicament quickly. But this kind of good news without an actual revenue base was destined not to last. When the truth emerged, it would bring about an even more violent backlash, which could very well plunge Huayuan Group into an abyss from which there was no return.
A year ago, Zhao Feiyang wouldn’t have cared about the life or death of Huayuan Group, but now things were different. Hua Nian and Changxing had become a fate community. If Hua Nian were finished, so would Changxing, and this was all something he had personally facilitated.
It was only now that Zhao Feiyang realized that by successfully promoting the public-private partnership of Changxing, he had also pushed Changxing Hospital into the brutal and bloody capitalist market.
In the eyes of capitalists, there was no real industry; everything was just a chip for pursuing profits. Once they found a suitable opportunity, they would cash out without hesitation. Don’t talk to them about sentiments and certainly not about conscience.
The foreign scenery gave Zhao Feiyang a surreal feeling, as if he had entered a strange dream. He wanted to wake up but found it difficult to return to reality.
Tang Jingwei, hiding at home to avoid the media storm, had also learned of the meeting’s briefing. Though temporarily stepping back under pressure, it didn’t mean his influence was completely wiped out.
He had been watching every move of Tang Jinglun, who had taken over as CEO. Tang Jingwei hadn’t opposed because he’d resigned to reality, but because he planned to wait for the dust to settle.
His son called just then. Tang Jingwei frowned, he had meant for his son to follow Tang Jinglun closely to report promptly on developments, yet even such a simple task was botched.
Tang Tianyi, still indignant, said, "Dad, it’s really maddening! Tang Jinglun is dictatorial, monopolizing everything. He’s determined to start constructing the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital and appointed Xu Chunliang as the deputy chief commander. Don’t we have anyone at Huayuan Group? Why use that bastard? He knows I have conflicts with him yet deliberately does this. He’s provoking me."
Tang Jingwei frowned again, his son was still the same, focusing on trivialities. With his vision and capability, he truly couldn’t be the helmsman of Hua Nian.
In outsiders’ eyes, Huayuan Group was now in unprecedented crisis, caught in a liquidity crisis. Tang Jingwei was willing to step back into the shadow not just because of exposed scandals but also because he had foreseen this crisis.
Pushing his brother Tang Jinglun up to the position of CEO could just shield him from the storm.
No one in the world understood Tang Jinglun better than himself. Tang Jingwei lit a cigarette, quietly flipping through a photo album. The photos inside were yellowed, among them one in which he was hugging his brother’s shoulders, standing on the Nanjiang Bridge. At that time, he had just entered college, and his brother had come from Dongzhou to see him. They traveled together in Nanjiang.
At that time, Tang Jinglun simply adored his elder brother, while he cared deeply for his younger sibling. Though his brother hadn’t been to college, he brought him into entrepreneurship, teaching him business step by step, later sending him for further studies, leading to the Tang Jinglun of today.
Tang Jingwei sighed, people can usually go through hardships together but find it hard to share prosperity, even one’s closest brother.
Tang Jinglun indeed had some skills, but they weren’t enough to resolve the crisis the Group was facing. Huayuan Group’s success today, owning two listed companies, wasn’t just luck.
After hanging up his son’s call, with a cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other, scrolling aimlessly, names flashed across the screen. There weren’t many names worth keeping, and certainly, some names he wouldn’t leverage lightly.
Suddenly, a name occupied the screen—it was Zhao Feiyang calling.
Tang Jingwei looked at the name with a hint of a smile. This call had arrived later than he expected.
Xu Chunliang had gone specifically to meet Gao Xinhua at Changxing Headquarters. Gao had already heard about the hospital construction starting by the end of the month. Surprisingly, Gao Xinhua found himself having a better time than Zhao Feiyang, as being a secretary didn’t involve managing hospital operations.
Gao Xinhua felt more like a union leader currently, busy voicing employees’ concerns—something that the capital side naturally didn’t like.
He discerned from the beginning that Huayana Health was just a public gimmick, merely a further division of the original Changxing, separating the physical examination and beauty centers, and adding the future elderly center.
Huayuan Group had recently been hit with a lot of negative news, embroiled in multiple legal disputes. Starting construction on the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital might be seen as a move to divert public attention.
On Gao Xinhua’s desk was an employee petition. You can’t please everyone. Even though some middle management benefited from Changxing’s restructuring, employees at large did not, with even some departments experiencing income drops, leading some to miss the past. This petition sought to sever ties with Huayuan Group.
Xu Chunliang shared his concerns with Gao Xinhua, anxious that this hospital construction was a ploy by Tang Jinglun.
Gao Xinhua pointed out the window: "See that? The second phase is practically halted."
Following his direction, Xu Chunliang saw the motionless cranes at the site. Even as the Lunar New Year approached, construction hadn’t paused for a break, which seemed unusual.
Gao Xinhua said, "I hear Dingli Construction and Celestial Sea Construction are owed substantial sums."
Xu Chunliang asked, "Could Huayuan Group be truly out of money?"
Gao Xinhua replied, "Not entirely broke. When they signed the contract, the funds meant for constructing the joint-stock hospital were put under strict supervision. The current situation only indicates their tight cash flow—they have money but don’t want to release it."
Xu Chunliang wondered, "Under such circumstances, do they plan to immediately start constructing the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital?"
Gao Xinhua responded, "I hear banks in Nanjiang are pressing Huayuan Group for debt repayment. With such negative news recently, the new hospital’s construction might just be to divert public focus."
Xu Chunliang remarked, "Tang Jinglun is peculiar, lacking funds yet refusing external investments."
Gao Xinhua suggested, "It’s not that he doesn’t want external investment; I reckon the real reason is that Hua Nian’s books can’t withstand scrutiny."
Xu Chunliang nodded. Investors would definitely need a clear understanding of Hua Nian’s operations, a thorough evaluation of the investment project. According to Mo Han, Tang Jinglun wishes to use the hospital to create a bubble—the bigger the bubble, the greater the boost to stock prices.
It seemed likely that Tang Jinglun aimed to seize this opportunity to reduce his stake, as he still held eight percent in Hua Nian Group.
Gao Xinhua increasingly felt that Zhao Feiyang’s decision to bring in Hua Nian Group was a mistake. While acknowledging Zhao Feiyang’s efforts and achievements in medical reforms, he believed Zhao had picked the wrong partner. Hua Nian Group, new to Health, lacked operational experience and faced its own substantial issues.
Gao Xinhua couldn’t believe Zhao Feiyang had not thoroughly vetted Huayuan Group beforehand. With Zhao’s acumen, he shouldn’t have missed the inherent risks in Hua Nian Group. He hadn’t intended to label Zhao as recklessly ambitious, but Zhao’s actions only confirmed it—driving the entire Changxing into unknown risks for personal achievement.
The promised generous returns to all hospital staff were yet unseen, while risks crept in silently. From Gao Xinhua’s position, his risk perception was sharper than most employees’.
Yet he was gratified that Xu Chunliang shared this risk awareness. He lit a cigarette, remarking meaningfully, "There’s no need to worry too much; in Dongzhou, Huayuan Group can’t stir much trouble."
Xu Chunliang noted, "But they hold eighty percent of the shares."
Gao Xinhua laughed, "Though the city only holds twenty percent, it’s permanent." Permanent means, regardless of Huayuan Group’s maneuvers, whether stock splits or additional issues, the city’s share remains constant. The government has its strategies in this game with capital.
Having deeply analyzed the public-private partnership contract, Gao Xinhua knew that if Huayuan Group tried to manipulate the joint-stock hospital, the High-Tech Zone Government would ensure they couldn’t escape responsibility.
A knock on the door interrupted, revealing Ding Si, head of Dingli Construction. He was troubled over payment issues, hoping to recover some funds to pay wages before the approaching New Year—shirking on workers’ wages was a liability he couldn’t afford.
Ding Si was surprised to see Xu Chunliang. But everyone there was part of the same circle, and he had secured the renovation contract thanks to Xu Chunliang’s recommendation back when Gao Xinhua was the vice dean responsible for infrastructure, now having become Secretary Gao.