Chapter 40: Withdrawing Shares
In time, Conference Room 1 of the Li Group was filled to capacity.
At the head of the table sat Li Qinghe, who had personally come out of retirement. Today's meeting concerned the very survival of the Li Group; he had no choice but to be there.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, he cleared his throat. His gaze was intense as he said gravely, "I'm sure you all are aware of the crisis the Group is facing, so I won't repeat the details. Even after liquidating all available assets, including collateral, we are still facing a shortfall of fourteen billion. At this critical juncture for the Group's survival, I hope that you, my old comrades, will step up, increase your investments, and help us fill this gap."
A minute passed. The conference room was dead silent; not a single person spoke.
Li Qinghe couldn't believe this was the result. Many in the room were brothers who had helped him build this empire from the very beginning, yet now they all remained silent.
His eyes reddened as he scanned the room, his voice ringing with force. "The Li Group has faced many hardships since its founding, and we have always overcome them together. Do you now believe that I, Li Qinghe, cannot pull us through this time?"
One by one, the old shareholders lowered their heads!
Li Qinghe took a deep breath and roared, "When has the Group ever shorted any of you a single cent in dividends? But now that we need you to invest a little, you all go silent?"
The room remained silent!
Li Qinghe's face turned ashen with rage, and he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself.
Li Huiran, her expression icy, pulled a contract from her bag—the one for Land Deed No. 5 that Chen Dong had rejected. Holding it up, she said coolly, "This is the contract for Land Deed No. 5, transferred to me by Tang Dan. Everyone here knows its value. If you're afraid, we can draw up an agreement. Once the land is auctioned, we will repay you with interest."
At her words, all the shareholders' eyes turned to Lu Dian. He was the one who had originally declared he would secure Land Deed No. 5. How did it end up in Li Huiran's hands?
Lu Dian shot to his feet, his face dark. He pointed at Li Huiran and berated her, "This woman used despicable means to threaten Boss Tang into giving up this land! Do any of you dare to invest your money now? If this land is put up for auction, I guarantee no one will dare to buy it!"
Then, he turned to Li Qinghe and said in a heavy tone, "Fourteen billion. Who can raise that kind of money on such short notice? Old Chairman, you overestimate us!"
It was just as they'd feared. The three members of the Li Family felt a wave of helplessness.
Just then, Director Wang rose to his feet with difficulty, having steeled himself. "I can still put up two billion."
The expressions of the Lu father and son flickered.
Wu Haichao frowned. "The timing is too tight, and my family is too far from Jiangzhou. I can only come up with two billion as well."
Director Xu spoke up, "If my family sells everything we own, we can scrape together five hundred million by noon."
Before any other directors could speak, Lu Dian shot up again. He pointed at the directors who had offered money and said coldly, "What do you think you're doing? The Li Group's demise is a foregone conclusion. Are you trying to commit financial suicide?!"
When no one in the room responded to him, he said with a sneer, "Heh! If you want to go down with the Li Clan's sinking ship, that's your business. I don't. Even if you invest more, it won't do any good. Today, I'm pulling my shares!"
His words sent a shockwave through the room, and faces turned pale!
"Every one of you here is a shareholder! Part of the Group's money is yours. The Li Family has it all figured out—they plan to use your money to pay back the banks and drag all of you into bankruptcy with them!" Lu Dian continued, his voice ringing with conviction.
It wasn't enough for him to withdraw his shares alone; he was inciting the other shareholders to join him.
Fatty Qian, a loyal ally of Lu Dian, was the first to respond. "Director Lu is right! The Li Family is up to no good! I'm withdrawing my shares too!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in!"
"..."
In an instant, all eight shareholders from Lu Dian's faction declared they were withdrawing their shares.
The three members of the Li Family, along with the remaining loyal shareholders, turned deathly pale.
Their withdrawal would inevitably drain a massive amount of capital from the Group.
The Li Group was truly beyond saving now!
Li Qinghe seemed to age ten years in an instant. With a voice laced with both pleading and desperation, he said, "You... you can't withdraw your shares!"
Lu Dian sneered. "And why not? It's our right as directors to withdraw our shares! I've done my research. The mastermind behind the five major banks attacking us all at once is the Sun Family! What does the Li Family have to fight the Sun Family with now? Besides, the Sun Family is about to establish a new construction company. Wouldn't it be better to take our money and invest in the Sun Company?"
Director Zhang, who had originally been part of the Li Family's faction, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm withdrawing my shares, too!"
Director Lv lowered his head, covering his face. "Director Lu, count me in."
Director Ma said, "Count me in as well!"
The three members of the Li Family watched in a daze, feeling as if their hearts were being brutally crushed.
Directors Zhang and Lv were Li Jianwen's closest friends, and Director Ma was a sworn brother who had built the empire alongside Li Qinghe.
Li Huiran couldn't believe it. She cried out involuntarily, "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Lv, Grandmaster Ma... what are you doing?"
The three men turned their heads away, too ashamed to look the Li Family in the eye.
This was the harsh reality of friendship sometimes.
Choosing profit over personal connection was, after all, the choice most people made.
The number of directors shouting to withdraw their shares had now reached eleven.
Seeing this, Lu Dian roared with laughter. "He who understands the times is a wise man!" He then taunted the Li Family, "Weren't you all so desperate for the shares I hold? Well, now you can have them all! HAHA!"
"At the Group's current valuation, those shares will be worth significantly less," a clear voice announced as Chen Dong strode into the conference room.