Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 346 I’m Taking Over_1

Seeing someone had already pressed the elevator, Hao Taixing knew that being cautious was pointless now, so he shot Xiao Ming a fierce glance and turned towards the hotel VIP’s exclusive elevator.

Hao Xiangyu quickly followed suit.

"Old Sir Shi, interested in taking a look upstairs?" Xiao Ming asked Shi Qianshan.

Shi Qianshan shook his head: "Not interested. In public, the Hao Family surely won’t let someone actually jump."

"It’s better to enjoy good food than to watch people squabble."

"You really live with clarity," Xiao Ming gave a thumbs up, "but unfortunately, you’re wrong again this time."

Shi Qianshan paused, "The Hao Family would really dare let someone die? Don’t they care about their reputation?"

"Of course, the Hao Family doesn’t wish for someone to die at this time, but compared to immense benefits, what’s a bit of reputation?

After all, people these days are very forgetful."

"So you’re saying you don’t want to go up just to save someone."

"Not entirely."

"How much can you earn?"

"At least ten billion."

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up. It’ll be too late if he jumps!"

Shi Qianshan grabbed Xiao Ming and left, walking with sturdy steps, while he hobbled along with his cane, barely keeping up.

Once inside the elevator, he gasped, "Old Sir Shi, your eagerness for money really is an eye-opener for me!"

Shi Qianshan chuckled, "What do you know? This is what clarity is!"

Xiao Ming thought it over and had to admit the old man had a point.

Indifferent and direct in his greed; without the pretentiousness of an elder, nor the hypocrisy of being approachable.

Displaying all his likes and dislikes openly, doing as he pleased without concern for what others think, who could do anything to me?

The Master said: At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without overstepping the boundaries.

Shi Qianshan was ninety-one this year, truly of high virtue and prestige, with very few things that mattered to him.

What does clarity mean?

This is true clarity!

The kind you can’t even envy.

The eighteenth floor was the hotel’s banquet hall, and also the main venue for the appraisal convention this time.

The hall was already set with round tables for tonight’s welcome dinner, but a crowd was gathered around the central floor-to-ceiling windows, mobile phones raised, almost all of them with excited expressions.

"Make way! Let the old man through."

There are privileges for the elderly, and there’s no reason not to use them. Xiao Ming protected Shi Qianshan and forcefully squeezed through the crowd to the very front.

"Stop! I’ll jump if anyone moves closer!"

A sudden shout rang out and Xiao Ming looked up to see an open window that shouldn’t have been, and a gaunt, balding man staring fiercely at Hao Xiangyu not far away, his face filled with grief and anger.

"One billion! I mortgaged my company, my house, my car, borrowed from relatives and friends, even pawned my wife’s jewelry, to advance you one billion.

Now, just as the project is about to be completed, you tell me the funding chain has broken, and it’s going to be left unfinished?

What about my company? What about my employees who haven’t been paid in almost a year? What about my family?"

The bald man’s voice was hoarse with exhaustion; he made the situation very clear.

The competition in the construction contracting industry has always been fierce, and it has become the norm to advance money upfront.

Obviously, as a developer, Hao Xiangyu wanted to renege on the deal, leaving the bald man no choice but to threaten with suicide.

"Lei Jianchao, we’re all in business here, there’s no such thing as only profiting without loss,"

Hao Xiangyu spoke up, his voice full of contempt and impatience, "Especially in construction. With the market being down, the houses can’t be sold, capital can’t be recovered, what can I do?

Moreover, it’s not just my company alone; there are so many shareholders. Why are you singling me out? Do I look easy to bully?

You say you owe one billion; I owe the banks over three billion. Who am I supposed to ask for it?"

"Fuck off!" Lei Jianchao cursed loudly.

"You Hao Family run the largest copper mine in Qingyang, the largest logistics, textile mills, paper mills, supermarkets, hotels... with total assets of over ten billion and family assets also exceeding one billion. What’s three hundred million or more to you?

That one hundred million of mine, it’s the livelihood of dozens of people!"

Hao Xiangyu’s face darkened, "An individual is an individual, a company is a company, don’t you even understand that? Are you fucking new to doing business?

Even if I’m the richest person in the world and my company is mismanaged and can’t make money, it still has to go bankrupt if it should.

Besides, even if I am kind-hearted and willing to personally take on your debt, the money you’re owed is by the company, and we need to follow a process. I can’t just pay it back whenever I want.

At the very least, you’ll have to wait for the company’s assets to be liquidated and auctioned, with the bank first in line, and then it’s your turn. Got it?"

Lei Jianchao gave a bitter smile, "Wait? Do you know how many days I haven’t been home? My house is filled with creditors, my wife is so angry she’s sick in bed, and my two children are afraid to even go to school.

You want me to wait for a process?

How long? A day? A month? A year? Can it even be completed?

I can’t wait, not even a day.

If today you can’t give me at least twenty million, then I have no other choice but to jump from here."

At that moment, someone whispered something into Hao Taixing’s ear, and Hao Taixing said, "Hurry up and bring them up!"

The person ran off, and a faint smile played on the corners of Hao Xiangyu’s mouth.

No need to guess, the police had arrived.

And once the police got there, Lei Jianchao’s life or death was no longer his concern.

Of course, Xiao Ming couldn’t let that happen.

"Um, may I ask, what project are you guys talking about?"

"Xiao Ming!"

Hao Taixing shouted loudly, "What the hell are you doing? This has nothing to do with you; I warn you to stay back.

Otherwise, you will be responsible for whatever happens!"

"Fine! I’ll take responsibility; everyone here can be my witness!"

Xiao Ming’s decisiveness caught Hao Taixing off guard, leaving him unsure how to react for a moment.

But Xiao Ming had already pulled out a checkbook, quickly wrote a check, tore it off, and held it up as he stepped forward, "Lei Jianchao, take a good look. This is a check for fifty million, I’ll take care of your debt.

I’m Xiao Ming; you might not have heard of me, but the name of the old man behind me, you must have heard like thunder.

Old Sir Shi Shi Qianshan, with his guarantee for me, you should be convinced, right!"

Lei Jianchao looked closely with excitement, "Old Sir Shi! Is... Is it really you?"

Shi Qianshan felt a bit used and glanced indifferently at Xiao Ming, nodding, "Yes.

I can guarantee that the check from Xiao Ming will definitely end up in your hands."

Detecting the old man’s discontent, Xiao Ming gave him a soothing glance and then asked, "Now, answer me, what’s the name of the project you were talking about just now?"

"It’s called Fanjincheng."

Xiao Ming pretended to be surprised, "Is it that super community project, Fanjincheng, which is claimed to be the largest in the surrounding five provinces and will house a hundred thousand people upon completion?"

"Yes."

"It’s stalled?"

"Correct."

Xiao Ming turned to Hao Xiangyu, "Your company is the developer of Fanjincheng, and you don’t have the money to continue developing it now, right?"

A bad premonition surged in Hao Xiangyu’s heart, but he had to admit, nodding, "Yes."

"So, in other words, unless someone now buys the project, including all its debts, it will have to remain stalled."

Hao Xiangyu’s bad premonition grew stronger, "Mr. Xiao, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Xiao Ming laughed, ignoring him, and shouted loudly at Lei Jianchao, "Come down! I’m taking over the stalled Fanjincheng project!"