Chapter 927: Li Yi’s Terrifying Influence!
The Li Family Living Room!
“Ring-ring-ring…”
The sudden ringing of the phone interrupted the group’s conversation. Li Yi immediately walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.
“Hello, this is Li Yi. Who’s calling?”
No sooner had he spoken than Lan Xinyi’s familiar voice came through the line: “Boss, it’s Lan Xinyi. Is this a good time to talk? I have something important to report!”
Li Yi glanced at the Jiang brothers standing nearby and replied immediately, “Sure, go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind!”
“Boss, here’s the thing. I just received a telegram from Chairman Li Futiao in Hong Kong. He asked me to check with you whether Mr. Cheng Qingsong from Jianing Group has offended you, and he also said…”
“What else did he say?”
“He also said the Hong Kong stock market is in chaos right now. All four major exchanges, including their Far East Stock Exchange, have been affected, and the stocks of over thirty companies have plummeted…”
“Wait a minute. Hold on. How did the Hong Kong stock market get thrown into chaos? Why are so many companies’ stocks plummeting, and what does this have to do with me?” Li Yi asked, looking puzzled.
Lan Xinyi replied immediately, “Boss, this is directly related to the order you gave this morning. In fact, all of this was triggered by our Star Investment Company suddenly dumping a massive amount of Jianing Group stock!”
“So you’re saying our company has sold off all of its shares in Jianing Group?” Li Yi asked.
“Yes. After receiving your order, Feiyan personally handled the trade and liquidated all of the company’s Jianing shares in less than an hour. We’re just waiting for the settlement now!”
Lan Xinyi continued, “However, because Feiyan and her group’s actions were so drastic, they directly triggered panic in the stock market. Coupled with rumors that you had rejected Mr. Cheng’s application to join the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, word quickly spread that Mr. Cheng Qingsong was being overly assertive and had offended you, who were at the height of your power.”
“This news spread throughout the entire Hong Kong investment community in a very short time. Subsequently, Jianing Company’s stock price plummeted, and dozens of companies that did business with Jianing were also affected, causing their stock prices to take a nosedive as well!”
After hearing Lan Xinyi’s account, Li Yi was completely stunned.
He knew that Cheng Qingsong was a problematic individual—merely a front man for his financial backers—and that someone like him was indeed unsuitable for admission into the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. That was why he had instructed Lan Xinyi to inform Li Futiao and the others in her report that Cheng Qingsong’s status was “pending.”
But he never imagined that outsiders would draw such conclusions from this incident—people’s imaginations really can run wild!
At the same time, Li Yi hadn’t realized just how much influence he wielded in Hong Kong’s business circles.
Merely an unconfirmed rumor had already caused the stock prices of Jianing and the companies that frequently did business with the Jianing Group to plummet.
After a moment’s thought, Li Yi said solemnly, “Xinyi, send a report to Chairman Li immediately. Tell him that neither Cheng Qingsong nor Jianing Group has offended me. The reason we liquidated our shares in Jianing is that our company is undergoing a business restructuring and needs to repatriate funds to distribute annual dividends to investors!”
“As for halting Cheng Qingsong’s admission to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the main reason is that our investigation has revealed some issues regarding Cheng Qingsong. Until these matters are fully clarified, we cannot allow him to join our Chamber for the time being.”
“If the investigation later confirms he is indeed without fault, we can still allow him to join our Chamber at that time.”
“Understood!”
Lan Xinyi then added, “By the way, Boss, should we still proceed with our plan to short Jianing?”
“Proceed, but we must move quickly!” Li Yi said.
Although Jianing’s stock price has fallen, the market capitalization of tens of billions is still there. For a business empire on the verge of collapse, shorting it carries virtually no risk.
After all, those tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars were bound to turn into bubbles eventually—might as well let them end up in Li Yi’s pocket.
After all, Star Investment’s charitable division was about to launch—wouldn’t it be wonderful to use that money to build roads, schools, and wells?
“Got it, I’ll make the arrangements right away!” Lan Xinyi said.
“Hmm, and please pass a message to Chairman Li for me: tell him to keep a close eye on the British Hong Kong government’s moves during this period and see if they’re planning anything major!” Li Yi said.
“Yes…”
With that, Lan Xinyi hung up the phone.
After hanging up, Li Yi fell into a brief moment of deep thought.
The Iron Lady was about to pay a visit, and she had specifically requested to see him. Although it was unlikely that the British Empire would take action against him at this stage, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
One must never let down one’s guard against those foreign devils with pirate backgrounds.
In their eyes, there was only profit; morality, reason, and the law were nothing more than used toilet paper, ready to be tossed into the trash or flushed down the toilet at any moment…
……….
At 5:30 p.m., Li Yi first went with Zhang Ziqiang and the others to Capital University to pick up Jiang Xue and the kids.
Afterward, he made his way to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.
Since he was scheduled to meet with that big shot that evening—and sensitive topics might come up—Li Yi didn’t bring Jiang Xue or the children along.
When Li Yi and his group arrived at the Jiang family’s old mansion, dinner was already prepared, but the guests hadn’t arrived yet. In the living room, there was only the old man and their secretary.
As soon as he walked in, Li Yi smiled and said, “Grandpa, why are you here all by yourself? Where’s my dad?”
“He’s gone back!”
“Gone… Are you saying my father went back to Guangzhou?”
“Mm-hmm. After all, he’s the provincial discipline inspection commissioner. He’s got a mountain of work to handle every day. If it weren’t for going after you a few days ago, he would’ve been back long ago!” the old man said, sipping his tea.
“You’re right. The moral standards among officials in Guangdong Province have been pretty bad these past two years. We can’t do without the deterrent effect of my dad, the enforcer!” Li Yi said.
“Ah, once people’s hearts have gone bad, deterrence alone is far from enough!” the old man said with a touch of melancholy.
Li Yi’s lips curled slightly into a half-smile. “Killing one certainly isn’t enough, but what if we killed a hundred, or even a thousand or ten thousand?”
As he spoke, Li Yi thought of his father-in-law. In his previous life, he had no children, and his wife had passed away early, leaving him truly alone and isolated—a loner with no one to hold him back when it came to taking action.
He had presided over Guangdong Province for twenty years, truly wielding his blade to exterminate every corrupt official in the bureaucracy.
Wherever the “White-Haired Slaughter God” went, the corrupt officials’ legs trembled. Later, after being promoted to a top disciplinary inspection official at the central level, he took direct action against them; during his tenure, the number of officials dealt with far exceeded ten thousand.
“Killing ten thousand of them—do you think it’s as easy as slaughtering chickens? Those are human beings, and government officials at that!” the old man said, sounding somewhat surprised.
“So what if they’re government officials? If they dare to embezzle, they should be prepared to be arrested and executed!”
Li Yi continued, “The reason today’s officials dare to extort and embezzle with impunity is precisely because they know they won’t face severe punishment if caught. The risk and reward are completely out of balance—one risky move can provide enough money for three or five generations of their family to live on. How many people can resist such temptation?”
“Think back to the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. Old Zhu flayed corrupt officials and stuffed them with straw, and would routinely exterminate three or even nine generations of their families. How many dared to take a bribe then…”
Before he could finish, a hearty voice suddenly rang out from outside the room: “Well said… that’s absolutely spot on…”
The sudden voice startled everyone in the room. Li Yi paused and turned to look toward the doorway…
……….