Chapter 74 - Stock Crisis

“Yes, I thought you looked familiar.” Zhao Tianya said thoughtfully, then suddenly exclaimed with delight, “Ah, I remember now, you’re that handsome guy who bumped into me in the hospital elevator that day!”

“Hehe, I remember too.” Ye Fan smiled, “Didn’t expect we’d have such a connection.”

Zhao Tianya gave a coquettish smile and threw a flirty look at Ye Fan, “Who has a connection with you?

I’m already married, and my daughter is this big.”

Ye Fan laughed heartily, “You never know.

Your daughter is really beautiful.”

As he spoke, he bent down and pinched the chubby cheeks of the little girl.

Zhao Tianya understood his implication right away and quickly pulled her daughter behind her, huffing, “You don’t stand a chance!”

“There’s always a window to sneak in through,” Ye Fan retorted, then burst into a joyful, prolonged laughter.

The little girl looked curiously at Ye Fan and asked Zhao Tianya, “Mommy, what is uncle laughing about?

He seems so happy.”

Zhao Tianya turned and bent down to the little girl, “That uncle is a bad man, don’t pay any attention to him.

He’s laughing like a madman.

Yue’er, let’s continue ice skating.”

The little girl glanced at Ye Fan, then nodded, “Okay.”

However, as they were about to head out skating, she still waved at Ye Fan, her voice sweet as milk, “Bye, uncle.”

“Hehe, bye little sister,” Ye Fan waved back with a smile.

The little girl skated toward the center of the square, and Zhao Tianya naturally followed.

As she was leaving, she snapped at Ye Fan, “Thought you were a decent man, didn’t know you had such a naughty streak.

Not seeing you again.”

After speaking, she swayed her hips and caught up with her daughter.

Ye Fan watched Zhao Tianya’s retreating figure with a faint smile, noticing that even though she was wearing a relatively loose casual dress, it couldn’t hide her slender and graceful figure.

However, remembering that she was married and had a daughter old enough to fetch soy sauce dampened any ideas he might have had.

“What a shame, good cabbage got hogged by pigs,” Ye Fan retracted his gaze, shook his head, then strolled casually around the edge of the square.

After walking around for about twenty minutes, Ye Fan casually found a bench in the square to sit on, checked the time, then boredly watched people moving around in the square.

After a while, he saw Zhao Tianya walking towards him with a graceful, cat-like stride, and he watched her with a smile.

Zhao Tianya reached right up to where Ye Fan was sitting, then sat down next to him and said, “Why are you still here?

Are you thinking of something mischievous?”

Ye Fan purposefully didn’t turn to look at her, continuing to watch the people playing in the center of the square, and smiled faintly, “What mischief could I possibly think up?

I’m just passing the time because I’m bored.”

“Hehe, if you’re bored, you could go to a bar.

That’s a much better place to hunt for beauties, what are you doing in the square?” Zhao Tianya laughed.

Ye Fan shook his head slightly, “Bars get boring after too many visits, and they’re more annoying.”

“So you don’t have a girlfriend?” Zhao Tianya asked.

Ye Fan smiled, “Not having a girlfriend doesn’t mean I can’t have a wife.”

“Bluff all you like, I don’t believe you have a wife.

You’re just over twenty—maybe not even old enough to marry yet,” Zhao Tianya said with a girlish laugh.

Ye Fan chuckled, then suddenly said, “Your daughter has fallen.”

Zhao Tianya turned around and, sure enough, her daughter had fallen, so she hurriedly stood up and rushed to help her daughter.

After she had picked up her daughter, soothed her with a few words, and let her continue skating, she turned back to look for Ye Fan, only to find that someone else was sitting on the row of chairs; Ye Fan had disappeared.

She looked around again but still couldn’t see him.

“Hmph, lucky you ran fast,” she muttered.

“Dare to target my daughter, I’d destroy you!

Not even joking is allowed!”

Meanwhile, as Ye Fan was driving home, he couldn’t help but sneeze.

He then grabbed a tissue, wiped his nose, and muttered to himself, “Who’s missing me now?”

If he had known that a playful remark would make Zhao Tianya hold a grudge against him, he would have joked just the same.

The next morning at 9:40 AM, in the top-floor boardroom of the Emali Group headquarters building, not only was Li Zhaojun present, but every shareholder and director had grave expressions, and the atmosphere was heavy.

On the projection screen hanging on the wall at the front of the room, the plunging trend of Emali Group’s A-share stocks was clearly displayed.

This morning, less than ten minutes after the market opened, Emali Group’s stock price had fallen by another 5%.

The decline continued, and the situation was very serious.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Li Zhaojun forcefully struck the canvas screen with a pointer and said sternly to the shareholders and directors, “You all see this.

Since last Monday afternoon, our group’s stocks have fallen like a waterfall!

Today, less than ten minutes after opening, the shares fell another 5%!

Over this week, our stock has fallen by 35%, hitting the lower limit three days in a row!

The situation is extremely severe, and we must save ourselves!”

“Moreover, I understand that our stock plummeted because someone short-sold our stock.

The scale of the short-selling funds is about 1.2 billion.

Coupled with the panic selling by retail investors, the short-selling funds amounted to as much as 1.5 billion.”

“How do we save ourselves?” a shareholder called out.

The other shareholders listened intently, waiting for Li Zhaojun’s plan.

Li Zhaojun walked to the chairman’s seat and sat down, saying, “That’s a good question.

First, we’ll withdraw one billion yuan from the group’s funds to buy back stocks on the market; second, the main shareholders and directors present will collectively raise four billion yuan, based on their respective shareholding proportions, to buy back market stocks before the stock market closes on Friday.”

“Of course, these first two steps will only stabilize the decline and are not a fundamental solution.

If our opponent insists on short-selling us, our stocks will continue to plummet and become junk stocks.

Therefore, the third step is to introduce major investment, release significant positive news, and strongly reverse the group’s development prospects.”

Li Zhaojun’s gaze swept sharply across everyone’s faces as she spoke sternly, “This sudden drop in the group’s stock is certainly due to malicious short-selling, but a fly does not bite an egg without a crack.

Emali Group is facing a development bottleneck, but severe internal strife has held us back from launching new projects and finding new profit points, and that’s why our opponent targeted us.

I sternly warn some people here not to obstruct the group’s development for personal gain, dragging everyone down and ruining the great prospects of Emali Group at once!”

After finishing her speech, her sharp gaze landed on Gong Yongfu and Sun Yuan’s faces, and the other shareholders and directors also turned to look at Gong Yongfu and Sun Yuan, murmuring in resentment.

Gong Yongfu and Sun Yuan felt as uncomfortable as if sitting on pins and needles, being targeted as if by thousands, glowering, and cursing Li Zhaojun silently in their hearts, yet they were unable to retaliate.

“After this crisis, someone must be held accountable!” Li Zhaojun said coldly, officially taking a stand.

She hadn’t felt so relieved in a long time.

She wasn’t very worried about the stock crisis, having a plan in place.

So, she intended to use the opportunity of the stock crash to strike at Gong Yongfu and Sun Yuan, weakening their credibility and their managerial roles within the group!

Of course, the best outcome would be to kick Gong Yongfu and Sun Yuan completely out of Emali Group!