I'm back in 1990

Chapter 976: Extremely Risky

It was quite a coincidence that he had run into this situation. He definitely couldn't let Zhang Gaolei fall into this trap. Huang Xiaochuan already had a plan in mind.

However, his expression remained unchanged as he listened attentively to their conversation, which was mainly between Zhang Gaolei and Song Kun, discussing some framework issues.

Zhang Gaolei invited his classmate over today hoping he would support him, so after he and Song Kun had finished chatting, he asked his friend, "Xiao Chuan, what do you think?"

Huang Xiaochuan smiled slightly: "A premium acquisition is a good thing. Under the current circumstances, it shows that the market still recognizes the value of your shares."

Huang Xiaochuan knew why Zhang Gaolei wanted to cash out some of his shares in the American company. He wanted to expand the scale and capacity of the chip factory. Another reason was that, according to the investment agreement drafted at the time, one-third of the total shares invested by Huang Xiaochuan's fund would be repurchased by Zhang Gaolei.

This was agreed upon by several investors back then, and it wasn't targeted at Huang Xiaochuan alone. This would enhance Zhang Gaolei's control over Huaxin.

Furthermore, the purpose of investing is to generate returns, which can be divided into long-term and short-term returns. A share buyback agreement is a type of short-term return, because only when a company is operating well and generating a steady stream of profits can the share value increase and trigger a buyback offer.

However, Zhang Gaolei could not use Huaxin's money to repurchase the Huaxin shares held by investors, so he had to find a way to raise funds. Unfortunately, he encountered the financial crisis, and there were very few potential buyers. So when Song Kun expressed his willingness to take over some of the shares of the American company held by Zhang Gaolei at a premium, how could Zhang Gaolei not be happy?

Unfortunately, Huang Xiaochuan's words were just the beginning; he immediately changed the subject.

"However, this kind of stock transfer involves a large amount of capital and is a cross-border operation. I wonder if you have considered the procedures and compliance aspects?"

He looked at Song Kun, and as for that Boss Zhu, he completely ignored him. He was just a fool who was willing to be used as a pawn for a little money, and it is said that he ended up in a very bad situation.

"Mr. Song, based on your description, your Huaqing Travel Industry has a strong background. For such a large overseas investment, the internal risk control and approval processes must be very strict, right? Therefore, I would like to know whether the acquisition funds required for this plan are your own funds or do you need to raise additional financing?"

Huang Xiaochuan's question hit the nail on the head, which made Song Kun's heart skip a beat, but he still maintained a smile on his face: "President Huang is indeed a business tycoon and an academic master. He has asked the key question right away. Please rest assured that we have sufficient funds. Of course, for an investment of this scale, it is also a common practice internationally to use some leverage, so we will definitely use some leverage."

Huang Xiaochuan didn't stop there; instead, he pressed for details: "If we need to use some leverage, could you tell me what quality assets you have as collateral, Mr. Song?"

Seeing Huang Xiaochuan pressing closer, Song Kun cursed inwardly, but he still maintained a smile on his face.

"That's right. We specifically hired two well-known appraisal agencies to conduct a detailed evaluation of Jingyuan and the unique stones inside. We also obtained the appraisal reports. Based on the appraisal reports from these two agencies, financing is not a problem at all."

Huang Xiaochuan feigned curiosity and asked, "Stones as collateral? This is the first time I've heard of such a thing. I'd like to ask which two appraisal agencies produced the reports? Are banks and financial institutions now so accepting of these kinds of non-standard assets?"

Zhu Haishan, whom Huang Xiaochuan had initially thought was just a figurehead, actually spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of official jargon: "President Huang, rest assured, we've hired two top-tier, fully qualified, and authoritative appraisal companies in China. Huaqing Travel also has a state-owned background; our investment and financing activities are all compliant with regulations and undergo multiple levels of approval to ensure legality and compliance."

Huang Xiaochuan sneered inwardly. Legal and compliant? I'd be a fool to believe you. You and that guy surnamed Song are just using your so-called authoritative assessments and state-owned background to swindle people everywhere.

He completely ignored Zhu Haishan's words and turned to Zhang Gaolei, saying, "Old Zhang, this isn't something to rush into. How about this, come to my office tomorrow morning and we'll talk about the Huaxin share repurchase issue."

Having known each other for so many years, Zhang Gaolei immediately realized from his friend's words that there might be a problem, so he nodded in agreement without saying a word.

"Alright, then we'll head back now. We'll be waiting for Mr. Zhang's call anytime."

After saying that, he got up to take his leave and left with Zhu Haishan.

After the two left, Zhang Gaolei immediately asked his friend, "What happened?"

Huang Xiaochuan didn't rush to answer Zhang Gaolei's question. Instead, he called Gao Song over and, in front of Zhang Gaolei, instructed him: "Have someone thoroughly investigate Huaqinglv Industry, focusing on its shareholding structure, actual controller, and the true relationship between this company and Huaqinglv. Also, have someone investigate that man named Song Kun and the relevant information about the garden he owns."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Gao Song immediately agreed.

The business world is full of traps of all sizes, and you can easily fall into one if you're not careful. If he hadn't suddenly remembered that matter, or if Zhang Gaolei hadn't suddenly invited him here, he might have fallen into a trap.

After Gao Song left Zhang Gaolei's office, Zhang Gaolei asked, "Xiao Chuan, did you discover something? Is there something wrong with that Song Kun?"

Huang Xiaochuan naturally wouldn't hide anything from Zhang Gaolei, and he bluntly pointed out, "I think there's something wrong with that Song Kun. Don't you think this is ridiculous?"

Zhang Gaolei looked completely bewildered: "Are you kidding me?"

Seeing that Zhang Gaolei was still somewhat confused, Huang Xiaochuan pointed out: "This is absolutely ridiculous. Do you think those stones are worth that much money? I don't care about any appraisal report issued by any appraisal agency. If I want, I can get a whole stack of those reports."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gaolei realized it was true. He was so focused on getting rid of his shares in the American company as soon as possible that he completely ignored these issues. Simply put, he was too attached to appearances and only thought about securing his profits as soon as possible, thus neglecting some of the risks involved.

But he still harbored some wishful thinking.

"I don't want his stones, and I don't care where he got his money. I'm just selling him my stocks."

Hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Zhang Gaolei and said earnestly, "Old Zhang, I know you're anxious to buy back Huaxin's shares from me. I can tell you right now that you don't need to worry, you can buy back those shares at any time. Even if you don't have the money right now, I can give you time."

He then changed the subject, saying, "But I don't want you to get caught up in another problem because of this. Suppose that guy surnamed Song is suspected of loan fraud, do you think you can freely dispose of the money you received?"

Seeing that Zhang Gaolei had basically been convinced, Huang Xiaochuan stopped talking and patted Zhang Gaolei on the shoulder: "I've already asked Gao Song to investigate. I'll let you know as soon as I find out the results."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your investigation results." Zhang Gaolei also agreed that his friend's caution was justified.