Chapter 484 - 457: What Do You Want
But Pei Lin did not completely give up resisting. Even with the facts laid out in front of her, she would not admit to the crime.
Moreover, if the other party wanted to seek justice, this video would not have appeared before her. He should be looking for the police, not her. And she wouldn’t be sitting here calmly. The first thing Pei Lin thought of was extortion. The other party must be using this video to blackmail her; he wanted money.
Pei Lin handed the phone back to him: "What do you want?"
Wu Fajun smiled: "It seems like you shouldn’t be hostile to me. You are probably doing this for the first time. Although the plan was meticulous, there were still many flaws during the actual execution. It would have been great if you had someone experienced to help or guide you. But doing this well for the first time is already very impressive. Next time it will definitely be even more perfect."
He talked as if discussing a game, without seeing murder as something cruel at all.
Pei Lin’s heart was secretly chilled. Just what kind of person is this Wu Fajun? How much does he want? It’s probably a astronomical figure. Pei Lin felt a murderous intent again, but she knew she had no chance of getting rid of him.
Wu Fajun paused for a moment and politely asked: "Miss Pei, could you pour me a cup of hot tea?"
Pei Lin pressed her lips together, forcing down her fear and humiliation, and got up to pour Wu Fajun a cup of tea. She felt exposed, with nothing to hide from Wu Fajun.
Wu Fajun took the cup of tea and said: "Ricin is indeed very potent, but it may not achieve the desired effect in a short time. Ricin can be extracted from castor beans, and this plant protein’s toxicity is thousands of times that of arsenic, three times that of cobra venom, and six thousand times that of cyanide. It can be in powder, particle, or mist form, and can also dissolve in water or weak acids. Ricin doesn’t penetrate the skin through contact, but if inhaled or ingested through the respiratory tract, it may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines, ultimately leading to liver, spleen, and kidney failure, causing death due to circulatory system failure."
Pei Lin said: "Pharmaceuticals are indeed your specialty."
Wu Fajun corrected: "Making poison. Actually, making poison isn’t difficult; the hardest part is to poison without letting anyone know. Generally, after ricin poisoning, death usually occurs within 36 to 72 hours, depending on the dose and how the toxin entered the body. If accidentally ingested, it may cause nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and liver and kidney damage, to a lesser extent. If directly injected into the human body, ricin acts quickly and lethally; a grain-sized amount of table salt is enough to poison an adult to death."
Wu Fajun took a sip of tea and continued: "Once a person is driven by hatred, they tend to overlook many issues, such as ubiquitous surveillance and whether the drug can achieve the desired effect. Obviously, the police don’t have a detailed understanding of this toxin either."
Pei Lin gripped the armrest of the chair tightly. She no longer had the means to resist in front of Wu Fajun.
Wu Fajun said: "You don’t need to be nervous; all police doubts point to Chen Weiwei, and now Chen Weiwei is dead. You are safe for the time being."
Pei Lin whispered: "For the time being?"
Wu Fajun nodded and said: "It depends on what you do next."
"How much do you want?"
Wu Fajun said: "I want something you can’t give, but the Huanyan should be able to."
Pei Lin looked at him in confusion.
Wu Fajun said: "Yang Mufeng should have threatened your life. I won’t. I only want us to achieve success together. You help me gain a foothold in Huanyan, and I will keep you safe. I will serve as your assistant temporarily. Whatever problems you can’t solve, just leave them to me."
"How do I know if I can trust you?"
Wu Fajun said: "You only need to know that the reason you’re sitting here peacefully now is all thanks to me. Your current safety is not due to so-called luck but because I have cleared many obstacles for you."
After he finished, he handed his file back over: "President Pei, could you tell me the result of my job application?"
Finally, Pei Lin reached out her hand to him: "Welcome to join Huanyan."
##
At the last board meeting of the Huayuan Group before the end of the year, several directors openly challenged Tang Jinglun. It wasn’t entirely their fault; after Tang Jinglun became CEO, he aggressively pursued Huanyan Health, disregarding the group’s tight cash flow and hastily launching the construction of the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital.
In previous board meetings, Tang Jinglun was full of confidence. He promised to boost Huayuan’s stock price and restore shareholder confidence in the shortest time. However, his meticulously planned measures didn’t even make a splash, and the so-called benefits turned out to be nothing but an illusion.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital, which cost millions, saw key invited guests cancel at the last minute. After merging several centers of Changxing Hospital to establish Huanyan Health, just as the stage was set, the two leading roles either resigned or were dismissed, making this start extremely embarrassing and a laughingstock in the eyes of many.
Having not publicly appeared at board meetings for a long time, Tang Jingwei, the actual controller of Huayuan, surprisingly attended the meeting today. Listening to the directors stand up one after another to criticize Tang Jinglun, he couldn’t be more thrilled. The facts proved that the Huayuan Group isn’t something everyone can handle; without him, Huayuan would only decline.
Tang Jinglun, oh Tang Jinglun, how imposing you were when you forced me to hand over Huayuan’s management rights; now why are you silent?
On the surface, Tang Jingwei still spoke on behalf of his brother. He cleared his throat and said, "I have also heard about the situation with Huanyan Health. Yang Mufeng’s death was purely an accident, unrelated to the group, and it didn’t cause significant losses. I think there is no need for everyone to linger on this issue."
"Chairman, it’s not that we’re lingering. How long did Yang Mufeng work at Huanyan Health? He’s already pocketed the two million resettlement fee. What did he do for our group? That two million is a resettlement fee, not compensation money. Huayuan Group’s money seems too easy to make!"
Tang Jinglun said, "I must explain this matter. To recruit top-tier talent, offering a resettlement fee was a decision approved by the board. Yang Mufeng met the conditions, and no one expected his accident. I have currently entrusted a lawyer to handle this matter, striving to recover the funds and minimize the group’s losses."
"What about Dong Changhao’s resignation? Why didn’t he sign a non-compete agreement upon leaving? Could President Tang explain why Dong Changhao went to Da Heng?"
After leaving Huanyan Health, Dong Changhao unexpectedly switched to Da Heng, becoming the head of Da Heng Health. His actions were indeed disreputable. The reason Dong Changhao acted this way was related to Tang Jinglun’s leniency towards him. During Dong Changhao’s resignation, no restrictive documents were signed with him.
Tang Jinglun said, "The contract between Dong Changhao and Huayuan had already expired. To be precise, this time he is leaving, not resigning."
Most directors are not very interested in Huanyan Health. What truly concerns them is the Huayuan Group. Huayuan Group is now facing imminent issues. Almost everyone realizes that Huayuan Group has reached a critical juncture of life and death. In recent years, under Tang Jingwei’s leadership, they embarked on a path of high development and high debt.
Tang Jingwei ambitiously planned overseas expansions, but the heavily acquired assets not only failed to replenish Huayuan’s lifeblood but accelerated its draining. Over the past two years, with drastic changes in the international landscape and an unfavorable external environment, Tang Jingwei ultimately had to bid farewell tearfully by selling overseas assets.
Buying and selling led to heavy debt. The current Huayuan Group is basically surviving on debt. Externally claiming to be a trillion-level private enterprise, internally, it’s already in disarray.
Recently, the joint debt-collecting actions of several banks have only added to Huayuan Group’s woes.
It can be said that Tang Jinglun stepped up during this crisis. His proposed plan once gained board support and gave everyone some hope. However, at the beginning of the year, multiple financial institutions successively challenged Huayuan Group. Several banks and other financial institutions outside the province demanded early repayment, withdrawing over thirty billion in funds. Huayuan Group continued to face debt defaults, falling into a vicious cycle of discredit.
As of now, Huayuan Group’s total assets are 81.2 billion, with net assets of 23.5 billion, and a total debt reaching as high as 57.7 billion.
Can they rely solely on the health industry to turn things around? Probably even Tang Jinglun himself doesn’t believe so. According to the current market valuation of Changxing Hospital, it’s only around 2 billion. Moreover, comprehensive hospitals aren’t a high-margin industry. Changxing’s strength lies in stable and sustainable development. In Dongzhou, where medical resources are almost saturated, achieving a performance boom in the short term is impossible. Moreover, Changxing is still in a phase where it requires capital infusion, and Huayuan Group needs to inject 3 billion in recent years to develop Changxing.
Even if they can turn things around, would the banks give them time? Would those creditors give them time? The directors have already lost patience; they doubt Tang Jinglun’s capabilities. If Huayuan Group’s situation doesn’t improve shortly, they won’t hesitate to dethrone Tang Jinglun from his barely-warmed position.
Though Tang Jingwei longs for his brother’s misfortune, he also realizes that the two of them are still bound on the same ship. Under a collapsed nest, not even an egg is intact.
Previously, Tang Jinglun had already braved the odds to come home seeking his help. If he turned a blind eye, not only would Tang Jinglun be in trouble.
Tang Jingwei said, "Let’s not exaggerate the severity of the situation. The difficulties are only temporary; I believe everything will eventually pass. I can share some good news: The Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and relevant provincial departments will soon convene a meeting to study, deploy, and promote the resolution of Huayuan Group’s debt risks. I believe, through the mediation of all parties, our debt crisis will soon pass, and our pledged equities will soon be unfrozen."
Tang Jinglun looked slightly taken aback at his brother, as he was unaware of these updates.
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