Chapter 77 No Laughing Matter

before, everyone envied those who worked there, but now they look down on them more often. There are even internal conflicts and problems within the company.Su Cen had been watching his father’s conv...Chapter 77: No Laughing Matter

"Dad, what did I say You're the pillar of our family. When I found out, Dad, your move really was satisfying!" At the dining table, Yi LiHuan sneakily glanced at Yi JiaShun and then said the flattery he had prepared in advance.

"What nonsense have you been hearing outside" Yi JiaShun washed his hands, wiped them dry, picked up a bowl, and looked at Yi LiHuan.

Standing beside him was Yi's mother, who had an expansive face that exuded both shrewdness and nobility. She said, "Our son rarely eats dinner at home; is it really necessary to scold him every little thing No matter what he does outside or how much of a wastrel he is, he’s still your son. He has your blood in his veins and will be your successor. In comparison, even Zhou Fan's people who pay you lip service while scheming behind your back are worse!"

This was one area where Yi JiaShun could not be faulted. Starting from a small factory worker to now being the CEO of a huge conglomerate that controls an entire city’s economy, he had never abandoned his wife no matter how ruthless some of his methods seemed to others.

Yi JiaShun didn’t continue further. He picked up some food and took a few bites before looking at Yi LiHuan who had been observing the situation carefully all along and said with a softer expression, "Do I really need your flattery"

"Yes, Dad, you've always been my idol since childhood, something that hasn’t changed. You’ve always said I can't shoulder major responsibilities; our generation is not as capable as yours. Today, I admit it. Wang Bo is just the secretary of Chengdu’s municipal committee. He can only stir up trouble in Chengdu at most; I don’t believe he can reach out to Chongqing Why hasn’t Uncle Guo taken him down yet Even if they haven't been able to do so temporarily, we shouldn't let that surname Su off the hook. I think we could even reduce their family's status to commoners. This isn't because of what happened at Xi Ling; it’s just that Dayong Construction forced Su Licheng out of the picture. Dad, you were already planning Chengdu’s strategy last year, and our major projects have been blocked by Dayong Construction a few times before. Now, with us building a pharmaceutical factory and an automotive plant, isn't this exactly our opportunity I think as soon as Su Family is ousted from power, we can spread the news; tomorrow, mayors of several districts in Chengdu will be competing to invite you over for dinner."

Yi LiHuan was thoroughly peeved by Su Cen. He wasn’t someone who held grudges and often got into conflicts with others in bars or other places, but such incidents usually passed without much thought once they were resolved.

However, what happened at Xi Ling was still fresh in his mind; it could even be considered a blot on his personal record. How would this story spread among people Would they say that Yi LiHuan, son of Yi JiaShun from the Heavy Sail Group, had been thrown into a pond and turned into a drowned rat If it were only him, he wouldn’t care so much; but this incident involved his father’s reputation and their company's face.

He felt ashamed enough as it was. There was no use crying over spilt milk now; what was important was to figure out how to salvage his reputation and show the world what would happen if anyone dared cross them.

"Nonsense!" Yi JiaShun glared at Yi LiHuan, causing him to feel a bit intimidated. When he was younger and less worldly-wise, he had thought that adults were just paper tigers, always compromising and putting on a facade of amiability in the adult world.

Around his age, after experiencing the struggle and enjoyment of life, he came to understand the energy that a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man like his father, Yi Jiashun, possesses. The saying "A calf fears no tigers" rings true; one can only feel genuine awe and fear once they truly comprehend what tigers are.

"What you told me today is just between our family at the dinner table. I'll take it as idle talk coming out of your mouth, in one ear and out the other. Outside, not a single word about this can be mentioned," Yi Jiashun said coldly to him.

E Li Huan didn't dare defy his father's words and quickly agreed, "Outside, all my friends keep bombarding me with questions, but I haven’t said anything."

Only then did Yi Jiashun nod in satisfaction and added, "Many of your friends aren't worth befriending. You should make more acquaintances who can benefit you for the future. Don’t get carried away every day, this incident will serve as a lesson."

The provincial government timely introduced policies to promote the reduction of state-owned shares, while on the other hand, the Xiling incident in the southwestern region's internal reference leaned more towards their side. Dozens of representatives from Yucheng also "timely" assisted them by lobbying around, and Yi Jiashun managed to attract the favor of senior provincial party leaders with the Three Gorges Energy coal seam gas pipeline project. This kind of encirclement was pushing forward in layers.

From many perspectives, Yi Jiashun had allies, strategy, courage, and figures like Gu Jiangtiao sitting firmly at the rear base. Between Wang Bo and Su Licheng, they indeed could stand their ground; when the final outcome arrived, it would certainly be a completely different scenario.

After sending off a batch of people from the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), Su Licheng stopped talking and lit a cigarette. Zeng Ke sat beside him with an unhappy look on her face, saying, "Why are these people urging so urgently They really hope you guys will be in turmoil."

She couldn't find fault from other angles as the three SASAC officials were polite and of high status, addressing Su Licheng respectfully. But she could hear a hint of arrogance behind their words, since they represented Secretary Gu's and the governor's urging for Dafu Construction to quickly come up with complementary plans and policies for internal structural adjustments.

Stepping out of his room after leaving behind another pile of documents, Su Chen stretched lazily. Then he sat beside Su Licheng and said with a smile, "Dad, at this moment we can't afford to be weak anymore; we need to counterattack."

Su Licheng glanced sideways at the uncaring Su Chen before getting up and heading towards his study room, leaving behind the words, "Don’t make things more complicated."

Feeling somewhat awkward as he was being ignored, Su Chen returned to the room filled with internal reference messages. He took out a written article, knocked on Su Licheng's door, entered, and handed him the document, saying, "Dad, take a look and see if there are any changes needed."

It was a paper titled "The Flaws of the Current Methods for Reducing State-Owned Shares." Su Licheng looked up in surprise at Su Can and, after reading it through, said, "You could make your language more straightforward and strengthen the part that explains the reasoning. But Su Can, don’t you think that relying on just this article can influence anything The debate over methods for reducing state-owned shares is currently very intense. There has yet to be a thorough discussion of measures to address the problem, which is an extensive project involving multiple departments. It’s impossible for there to be immediate solutions to such systemic projects. Different people have different answers to this question. What kind of influence do you want this article to create"

Su Licheng thought that if this article were published by the provincial government through the media, it would bring good news for the current major stock market situation in Western Sichuan Province. The falling stock prices, including those of Great Banyan Construction, might recover from their terrifying drops. But the problem was that no one could possibly publish such an article as positive news without approval from central authorities. If this were to happen, it would be openly defying the central government’s policies.

"I don’t intend to turn things around or influence and change anything at this stage. This article can't achieve those goals; I’ve never overestimated myself." Su Can paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "I just want certain people to fall harder."

Su Licheng was completely baffled but felt excited by what Su Can said. He no longer defined his son as an ordinary child and had fully recognized his capabilities.

Seeing the confidence in his son’s eyes, Su Licheng felt infected by it. Although he didn’t know what Su Can was up to, he wasn’t worried about the current situation since he had always been concerned with these matters and maintained close ties with Wang Bo's family.

The internal reference materials on Su Can’s desk were lent to him from Lin Luoran after she found them at Wang Bo’s house. For Su Can, external news reports were too vague and couldn’t provide a realistic situation; only the documents on Wang Bo’s desk could help him understand the overall picture.

Thinking of Tang Wu and Wang Yue working behind the scenes for him, Su Can didn't want to sit idly by. He needed to take some real action to put pressure on them.

After "The Flaws of the Current Methods for Reducing State-Owned Shares" was published, Su Can called Wang Bo specifically and sent him the article, asking for suggestions and revisions. After reviewing it, Wang Bo made comments: "This paper thoroughly and convincingly explains why reducing state-owned shares through the securities market is immature. It provides comprehensive evidence and in-depth analysis, making it highly relevant with significant reference value. I have read it; I suggest publishing this on the internal references."

The new issue of the internal references for various southwestern regions printed this article under the bold name "Su Can," without any alterations. Once published, many people were stirred.

After reading the article in the Southwestern Reference News from his secretary, Yi Jia shun threw it on the desk and pointed to that issue of the internal reference as he smiled at a group advisor-type person: "Look, Su Can signed his name. I heard Wang Bo personally recommended its publication. Could this be seen as them panicking"

The provincial party secretary Guo Jiangtiao read about this news in Qingyang Street, Chengdu's Provincial Committee compound. Beside him was Deputy Governor Zhou, who wasn't on the standing committee of the provincial party committee. After reading it, he tapped his knuckles against the cover page and said, "This Wang Bo is too heedless about his image; he’s openly challenging you. Everyone knows that you, Secretary Guo, are strongly pushing the government circular for ‘Reducing State-Owned Shares.’ Now, in response, he pushes out a summary of its flaws through internal references. This comrade is still very young. So now, how do outsiders view our bustling southwestern region They might think we’re fighting over power and have intense internal strife. I predict there will be quite a commotion when I go to the provincial government or city government today.

"Right and wrong, who can truly fathom Perhaps he is too stubborn." Gu Jiangtiao maintained his composed demeanor, slightly narrowing his eyes. At this moment, he exuded the air of a seasoned expert. The clash between him and Wang Bo was like a battle between two top-tier martial artists; each careful move could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

In Gu Jiangtiao's view, Wang Bo, with ties to Beijing and the third generation of red aristocracy, indeed had the temperament of a member of the Prince's Party. Now, his inherent arrogance and impatience would inevitably limit his political prospects.

The days went on as usual; Chengdu in August was sweltering hot.

In the old city district crisscrossed by railway tracks, one could see elderly men sitting on rattan chairs, dressed in their youthful white sportswear, fanning themselves with a peacock feather fan while watching green-colored trains pass over the tracks. Alongside them, crowds waited for the trains to arrive, holding onto their bicycles. On the city's main thoroughfares, sweat drenched through the blouses of young female office workers on buses as they impatiently awaited the vehicles' gradual progress down the streets. Young women in cars adjusted their slightly chilled arms due to the air conditioning and occasionally tidied their hair and makeup. Outside the stock exchanges, still surrounded by impressive bicycle clusters, numerous disappointed investors returned from a depressed market, their faces filled with helplessness and dejection, mirroring the oppressive heat.

This summer, Tang Wu remained concerned about Su Can's family situation, while various influential figures behind Chengdu continued to operate covertly. Wang Yue still proceeded steadily with her plans for Dunhuang this year, occasionally making media appearances as a glamorous businesswoman. With Li Pengyu, Lu Nannan, and Wang Weiwei around, the likes of Su Can were unaffected by any criminal investigations. Even if there had been some turbulence, it quickly dissipated.

Su Xiaocan and Tang Xiaowu continued to enjoy their summer break filled with friends, beauty, songs, camaraderie, twists, and turns.

Chengdu grew increasingly hot; ice cream shops and night beer stalls thrived. Often seen were beautiful young women who caught the eye.

The scorching ground heated up by daytime sun would keep people sitting out late into the night to cool off. Gradually, some stayed awake until very late due to heat, sweating profusely when they woke up in the middle of the night.

On August 23rd, not just Chengdu but many across China found it hard to sleep on this summer night.

That evening, CCTV's News Broadcast and Xinhua simultaneously aired news from the Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission: The State Council decided to halt the implementation of provisions under the Interim Measures for the Reduction of State-owned Shares in Listed Companies to Raise Social Security Funds, except for overseas listings. No specific measures would be introduced.

Since the state share reduction policy was implemented in 2001, the A-share market value had dropped from RMB 18 billion to RMB 1077.2 billion, resulting in a loss of RMB 738.9 billion. Thus, this halt on state share reductions was dubbed a "correction." Finally, the large-scale decline, which later generations would call China's sixth major stock market crash, began to thaw and stabilize.se than all computers combined, he possessed a resource stored deep within his brain, surpassing modern society's comprehension, even leaving many financial tycoons in awe.It was time to start acquiri...