“Let’s do this! We can strike them now!”
Chen Zhenming’s eyes flashed with a cold, murderous glint as he smiled. “Right now, there are very few shares circulating in the market—less than 40%. Any piece of positive news will drive the price up to the daily limit.”
“Alright. Get a good night’s sleep tonight and recharge. Tomorrow, we launch the counteroffensive!” Jiang Tian patted Chen Zhenming on the shoulder and said calmly.
After leaving the trading room, Jiang Tian called Tang Hongtu. “Mr. Tang, I hope you can attend our new product launch tomorrow!”
“Don’t worry. Not only will I be there, but a deputy director from the General Logistics Department will also come.”
Tang Hongtu chuckled. “We’ve prepared a procurement contract worth ten billion!”
“Thank you.”
“Actually, it’s I who should be thanking you.”
Tang Hongtu laughed. “Just the Dragon Ascending Meridian Pill alone will dramatically improve soldiers’ physical fitness and significantly enhance combat effectiveness. It’s just that these pills are too expensive and can only be used by our top special forces. It would be even better if the price could be lowered. But those wound-healing medicines and antidotes can definitely be promoted across the entire military. Master Jiang, you alone have achieved a historic leap in the military’s logistics and medical standards!”
“You flatter me. It’s a pleasure working with you…” Jiang Tian smiled faintly and hung up.
Next, Jiang Tian called Secretary Yu of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. “Secretary Yu, it’s time to close the net.”
“Yes, Mr. Jiang. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time!” Secretary Yu said excitedly.
When Jiang Tian returned to the villa, he learned from his mother that his grandfather had suffered a flare-up of high blood pressure from sheer anger. Worried about affecting the bigger picture, the old man had told everyone not to inform Jiang Tian.
Immediately, Jiang Tian, together with his parents, drove straight to Jiang Manor.
Since the Spring Festival, the old master had been living at Jiang Manor, handing everything over to Jiang Tian’s family and living in peaceful retirement, detached from worldly affairs.
Who could have known that while the tree wished to stand still, the wind would not cease? A colossal wave had ultimately come crashing down on him.
The old man was already asleep, his breathing heavy, but his brows were tightly knitted—his sleep seemed uneasy.
Thankfully, he had been taking the Nine-Turn Life-Extension Pill these days. His body was still robust, so for now it was just a bit of dizziness, nothing serious.
Not wanting to wake the elderly gentleman, Jiang Tian set up a folding camp bed near the old man’s feet and rested there for the night.
…
The elderly sleep lightly, especially with a huge weight pressing on the mind. The next morning at six, just as the sky began to lighten, the old master woke up.
He stared blankly at the ceiling for three minutes before sitting up. Everything that had happened these past few days felt like a nightmare to him.
“Tian’er, you’re back?”
Seeing Jiang Tian reading nearby, he grasped Jiang Tian’s hand and let out a long sigh, full of self-reproach. “Xiao Tian, you were right. I’ve become old and foolish. I should have listened to you back then!”
“I really never imagined Chen Junbin could be so shameless at his age. I’ve harmed Yaowang Group, and I’ve dragged everyone down! Now, what’s done can’t be undone…”
“Grandpa, don’t blame yourself. Rest assured, I’ve long planned for everything. Yaowang Group will pull through.”
Jiang Tian smiled. “But, would you be willing to attend Yaowang Group’s new product launch tomorrow?”
“What product?” the old man asked.
Jiang Tian handed over a stack of documents: formulas, patents, clinical trial reports, production permits, and more.
“Get the car ready. Take me to Jinling, to the launch event!”
After reading the last page, the old man stood up, trembling. But a sharp light blazed in his eyes. When Zhang Wanqing moved to support him, he pushed her hand away firmly. “I’m not old. I can do this!”
He put on the red Tang-style jacket hanging by the door, fastening every button meticulously. He looked just like an old field marshal returning from retirement to don his armor once more, exuding an aura of deadly, all-or-nothing resolve.
…
At nine o’clock that morning, Fang Zhanbo, having eaten a nutritious breakfast, strolled lazily into the trading room set up at the Golf Hotel.
“Professor Fang, magnificent!”
Immediately, a burst of enthusiastic applause rang out.
Nie Changhai and his son Nie Mingyuan from the Nie family, Sun Family patriarch Sun Lingyun, Bencao Group chairman Chen Donglin, Yanjing Tianwei Pharmaceutical founder Chen Junbin, along with numerous private equity fund heads and the presidents and chairmen of several major listed companies—all were applauding and cheering, their eyes filled with reverence.
“Mr. Fang, we’ve won this battle!”
“It’s been an overwhelmingly easy victory!”
“We are so grateful to Professor Fang!”
They felt as if Fang Zhanbo had been like a deity these past few days. The movement of Yaowang Group’s stock price seemed entirely subject to his mere word.
“Everyone, you’re too kind!”
Fang Zhanbo gestured downward with both hands to quiet the room, then said politely, “It was only possible thanks to everyone’s support and combined effort!”
With smug satisfaction, he smiled contemptuously. “I have heard of Jiang Tian. He’s an unusual person. But here…”
He pointed to his own head. “This part here… doesn’t seem to work so well!”
“You said it!”
Xia Miao sneered dismissively. “Professor Fang has been killing without spilling a drop of blood!”
Fang Zhanbo smiled. “Still, congratulations to all of you. Within the next three days, Yaowang Group will fall right into our hands! You can all stay and witness this historic moment together!”
Fang Zhanbo sat down behind the large executive desk. Everyone else settled into the lounge area; trading was about to begin.
Fang Zhanbo glanced at Yaowang Group’s stock chart for the past few days and sneered. “Several consecutive falling guillotines—with this trend, all the investors have been scared off. Even if Jiang Tian had incredible abilities, he couldn’t pull it back. Next, we should be able to scoop up shares with ease at our leisure.”
But just at that moment, a trader murmured, “Something’s wrong. Why is the pre-market price surging?”
Another trader went straight to Yaowang Group’s official website and couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
“Yaowang Group released some positive news. Linzhou’s Zhao Family Pharmaceuticals has been fully acquired. Zhao Family Pharmaceuticals posted a profit of one billion in the first half of the year. That will drastically increase Yaowang Group’s disposable earnings! And the acquisition price was only one billion!”
“Hiss——!”
After he announced this with a grave face, the entire room echoed with gasps.
Zhao Family Pharmaceuticals had been something of a dark horse in the traditional Chinese medicine market over the past year-plus, having secured an order from the Lingnan Military Region and attracting considerable attention from the capital markets.
“What? They’re still trying to put up a desperate, dying struggle?”
Xia Miao looked alarmed, staring intently at Yaowang Group’s stock price.
“It hit the limit up in pre-market!”
“Pre-market limit up!”
The crowd cried out in shock.
A limit up now meant they would have absolutely no opportunity to collect any shares of Yaowang Group for the entire day.
Fang Zhanbo was momentarily taken aback, then said calmly, “Zhao Family Pharmaceuticals and the Jiang family had prior connections. This is just their last-ditch, death-throe struggle. Don’t worry. Basically, one limit-up day should fully price in all the positive news. They won’t be able to rise tomorrow.”
“Exactly, Professor Fang is right. At this point, what tricks can the mere Jiang family still pull off?” Nie Changhai gave a proud smile and also quickly composed himself.
Nevertheless, Fang Zhanbo and the three great families were still somewhat worried. They spent the entire day in trading strategy meetings, discussing every possibility.
But at this stage, what they could do was very limited. They had already dumped all their borrowed shares for short selling.
All they could do was pray that Yaowang Group’s stock wouldn’t rise the next day, or even drop, giving them a chance to collect shares.
But who could have guessed that the full acquisition of Zhao Family Pharmaceuticals was just the beginning? What followed swept over them like a typhoon, crushing them completely and destroying everything in its path.
…
The next morning at eight, Fang Zhanbo arrived at the trading room early. From the capital, Chen Junbin, along with Nie Changhai and many other Jinling big shots, also showed up together.
It was obvious Nie Changhai hadn’t slept well; the dark circles under his eyes were deep. Sun Lingyun kept puffing furiously on a large cigar, his brows tightly furrowed, looking somewhat anxious.
“Everyone, don’t be nervous. I believe the market has already digested the news of the Linzhou pharmaceutical acquisition.”
Sipping his fragrant Blue Mountain coffee, Fang Zhanbo spoke as if he had victory in hand. “Moreover, we contacted the media yesterday to publish some articles. Today, Yaowang Group’s stock should dip slightly, or even plunge. We can start collecting!”
“That article from Professor Fang—we saw it. It was brilliant.”
Xia Miao was full of admiration. “It pointed out that relying on mergers and acquisitions for rapid improvement in a company’s R&D capabilities is unrealistic. I believe the market will react accordingly too!”
“Heh, it was just something a few of my doctoral students wrote under my guidance…” Fang Zhanbo smiled nonchalantly.
“This is bad! Yaowang Group is holding a press conference, and Jiang Changgeng is attending. It’s being live-streamed on video!”
Suddenly, one of the traders exclaimed.
“What? Which TV station?” Fang Zhanbo was jolted.
“The three largest video websites in China, they’re doing a live video broadcast!” the trader said rapidly.
“Pull the video feed up for me!”
“Yes, sir!” The trader hurriedly enlarged the video onto the big screen.
Fang Zhanbo looked up.
He saw Jiang Changgeng, dressed in a Tang suit with jet-black hair, walking spiritedly onto the stage, flanked by Ye Ziwei, Zhang Wanqing, and other senior executives.
He strode with a dragon’s gait and a tiger’s step, head high and chest out, his gaze cold. As he looked around, he resembled an old lion surveying his territory.
“How is this possible?”
Fang Zhanbo’s hand trembled slightly as he held his coffee cup, his heart full of shock.
Before the Spring Festival, a photograph of Jiang Changgeng on a sickbed wearing an oxygen mask had circulated all over China, even accompanied by a critical condition notice. He should have been at death’s door by now—how could he be this vigorous and healthy?
Outside the Golf Hotel, as far as the eye could see, dark clouds seemed to be pressing down on the rooftops, surging and closing in from all directions.
And further away, the Yaowang Group building blazed with lights, like a sharp treasured sword piercing the firmament, sending a shiver down the spine.
With every tick of the clock, everything happening in China’s pharmaceutical industry—the clamor and the final showdown—was drawing near.
At this moment, it wasn’t just Fang Zhanbo and his group. In Linzhou, Zhao Xueqing’s entire family was gathered in front of the television, watching the live video broadcast.
“What exactly is brother-in-law going to pull off at this press conference?” Zhao Qianru asked, her face full of confusion.
“Trust Jiang Tian. He will definitely make history!” Zhao Hucheng and his wife looked resolute, their fingers tightly interlocked.
“He… he can definitely do it! He’s the strongest man in the world, he absolutely won’t let us down!” Zhao Xueqing murmured, her face beaming with pride.
At the Jinling No. 1 Detention Center.
Jiang Qingfeng stared at the television, murmuring, “Yaowang Group… you have to pull through this!”
“Jiang Tian, if you can lead Yaowang Group through this crisis this time, from now on whenever I see you, I’ll kowtow and kneel before you!”
Under house arrest at home for fighting, Jiang Chao faced his computer screen, his face full of tension and anticipation.
In downtown Jinling, over a dozen massive screens, both large and small, had been bought out by Yaowang Group.
Beneath one of the screens, someone looked up expectantly, sensing the moisture in the air, and murmured, “It’s going to rain!”
The weather forecast had indeed indicated there would be thunderstorms today.
Crack!
Under the giant screens, umbrellas were starting to open. People looked up at the screens, puzzled. “What is Yaowang Group trying to do?”
