PB - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Qiao Qi ended up staying in Cape Town for a week longer than planned. The acquisition had slowed but was still proceeding in an orderly fashion. Moreover, Charles's inclination to cooperate with her was becoming increasingly apparent. So, although the initial share purchase plan had been interrupted, the possibility of a successful acquisition still remained.

After finishing a video conference with her team back home, Qiao Qi went to the balcony to take a call from Gu Jianchu. Even if Qiao Qi didn't say anything, Gu Jianchu could guess the situation in Cape Town, just as Qiao Qi had guessed where Lin Zhi's confidence in his own acquisition bid came from. Since he had willingly walked into the trap, he couldn't blame anyone for closing the net.

"In a good mood?"

Charles had taken Qiao Qi out on the ocean that day, and her good mood had lasted until now. "Is everything going smoothly on your end?"

"Smooth enough," Gu Jianchu replied simply, then continued, "Where did that Mr. Bonnett take you today?"

The sound of Qiao Qi's soft laughter made Gu Jianchu's heart itch. "We went to Seal Island," she said. This trip to South Africa almost made her feel like she was a real tourist. Everything here was unfamiliar, yet its proximity to nature was captivating. Since she was just lying in wait for her prey, she had plenty of free time, which created this illusion.

Every time Gu Jianchu heard her talk about the French gentleman's elaborate arrangements, her expression soured. Qiao Qi had noticed this, so her answers had become more and more brief. What she didn't know was that during this time, Gu Jianchu had met with George three times, focusing on how to obstruct Lin Zhi's financing plan as quickly as possible so that Qiao Qi could end her South Africa trip sooner.

How would they do it? George, of course, would use his position as a director. Aided by the unexpected and powerful intervention of Ruifeng's acquisition attempt, he would either persuade or rally other directors to vote for a re-evaluation of the chrome mine acquisition plan. If successful, the loan Lin Zhi had negotiated with the bank would fall through due to the loss of the project.

News spread within TIE Company that Charles was leaning towards Ruifeng. The internal divisions at Witton regarding the acquisition were also relayed to the two shareholders who had suddenly changed their minds. For a time, all three parties were in a difficult, wavering situation. Only Qiao Qi seemed to be focused on her travels in South Africa.

Often, things could change in a single day. Thanks to George's efforts, the board of directors ultimately downgraded Lin Zhi's acquisition bid. The chain reaction was that the bank unilaterally halted the loan. Consequently, his promised high-priced acquisition could not be fulfilled. All of this happened while Gu Jianchu was having lunch with Lin Zhi.

Gu Jianchu watched Lin Zhi's face grow darker and darker, a slight lift at the corner of her brow. She continued eating her own food without concern. When Lin Zhi hung up the phone, he just said hastily, "Something's come up, I can't stay with you today," and then bolted out of the restaurant. Gu Jianchu's movements didn't pause as she cut her steak, but a faint smile touched her lips.

There was no room for saving face in business. As soon as the two shareholders who had previously backed out got the news, they immediately contacted Xu Yangpu again. At that very moment, Qiao Qi was leading the Ruifeng team in a negotiation inside the TIE chrome mine company's building. The mutual probing of the past few days was finally being laid out on the negotiating table.

For the past ten days, Ruifeng had been re-evaluating the acquisition. Considering that domestic control over an overseas company could easily lead to blind spots, Ruifeng was willing to cede a majority of the control. However, the ownership of the chrome mine, the company's main operating asset, would belong to Ruifeng. In other words, the company's operations would still be managed by Charles, and correspondingly, there would be no major adjustments to the internal corporate structure.

The terms Ruifeng offered were not harsh. Besides, the company was severely short on funds, so Charles ultimately had no choice but to accept. Compared to Lin Zhi's initial hostile takeover attempt, Qiao Qi's approach was already very satisfactory to him. As the negotiations neared their end, the final details and local administrative applications were handed over to Ruifeng's marketing department.

As soon as the negotiations concluded, Xu Yangpu whispered a few words in Qiao Qi's ear. Charles had originally intended to invite her to see the chrome mine, but seeing that she had other business, he let it go. Qiao Qi stood up, expressed her apologies, and left TIE with Xu Yangpu, heading to the next negotiation venue—the location where the two shareholders who had previously agreed to sell their shares had repeatedly requested to meet.

It really wasn't easy to find a Chinese-style teahouse here. Qiao Qi looked up at the authentic-looking gatehouse, the corners of her brows curving up. The two shareholders were waiting personally at the entrance to welcome her in. She showed no displeasure over their previous breach of agreement, maintaining her gentle and polite demeanor. Xu Yangpu followed her into the teahouse, his face expressionless.

"Miss Qiao, if there are no objections to the price we discussed last time, we can sign the contract today."

They hadn't even had two sips of tea before the other party grew impatient. Qiao Qi leisurely drank her tea and smiled faintly, but her words were cool. "Ruifeng has already finalized its partnership with TIE."

This attitude was within their expectations. They immediately asked, "Then what price does Miss Qiao think is appropriate?"

Qiao Qi set down her teacup and slowly raised her hand. Xu Yangpu placed two documents in her fair palm. She passed the documents over and said, "You two can take these back and look them over. I'll be here for another two days, so there's no need to rush your reply." She stood up, still smiling faintly. "I very much look forward to working with you both, but I have other matters to attend to, so let's leave it here for today."

They had been there for no more than ten minutes, the time it took to drink a cup of tea, yet the potential profits of the two shareholders in front of her had been slashed by a third. They were both anxious and angry; no one could bear to see money go down the drain. Setting aside the Ruifeng deal for the moment, they immediately tried to contact Lin Zhi again, still intending to sell their shares at the original price. Unfortunately, Lin Zhi was unreachable all day.

At Witton, George pressed his advantage, demanding that Lin Zhi bear the preliminary losses from the acquisition attempt. Lin Zhi once again thought of Gu Jianchu, but this time, it wasn't for pursuit, but to seek a partnership.

Lin Zhi arrived at Rongfang's US branch office and headed straight for the elevator as usual, but he was stopped by the receptionist. The young woman asked politely, "May I help you, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Zhi was impatient. "Look closely. I'm Lin Zhi from Witton. When have I ever not gone straight up to see your President Gu? What's there to ask today?"

The receptionist maintained her smile and said politely, "I'm sorry, I just checked, and you don't have an appointment, so you can't go up."

"What do you mean? I told you, I'm Lin Zhi from Witton. My relationship with your President Gu is not ordinary. My relationship with all your President Gus is not ordinary. I want to see Gu Jianchu. Tell her to come down and see me."

"Sir, I'm truly sorry, but you cannot see President Gu without an appointment." Seeing Lin Zhi's irate attitude, the receptionist added, "Sir, if you continue like this, I'll have to call security to escort you out."

"Fine. I'll call her myself. We'll see if she lets me up or not."

Gu Jianchu was not surprised to get a call from Lin Zhi. She answered, her tone normal. "Is there something you need?"

Lin Zhi said angrily, "Did you tell them not to let me up? Gu Jianchu, what is the meaning of this? Are you burning the bridge after crossing it? Now that I'm in trouble at my company, you're going to pretend you don't know me?" The sound of Gu Jianchu's cold laughter came through the phone, and Lin Zhi felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, a sense of fear creeping in. He tried to coax her, "Jianchu, can we talk? I haven't lost yet. As long as we cooperate, I still have a chance of winning."

"Mr. Lin, Witton's affairs have nothing to do with Rongfang." Gu Jianchu's voice was completely flat, just like her unwavering expression. "Also, if you want to cooperate with Rongfang, you should be looking for Gu Mingyi, not me." With that, she hung up.

The dial tone thoroughly enraged Lin Zhi. He smashed his phone on the floor. The receptionist, frightened by his outburst, called security. Before he could do anything else, they escorted him out of the building. After that, Gu Mingyi called three times in a row, and Gu Jianchu rejected every call. The look on her face made Gu Fanchu, who was sitting across from her, shiver involuntarily.

Lin Zhi was furious, but he calmed down quickly. He returned to Witton and called an emergency meeting. While TIE's stock was still high, he sold off his shares. Although the acquisition had failed, his losses weren't substantial. Due to his massive sell-off, TIE's stock, which had been hitting its daily limit up, began to decline. All of this was within Qiao Qi's expectations.

A day later, TIE's stock, which had been consistently in the green, turned red for the first time. The two shareholders who had previously offered to sell knew the tide had turned. Just before noon, they called Xu Yangpu and said they were willing to accept the price Ruifeng had offered. The acquisition, which had taken over twenty days, was finally declared complete. Qiao Qi decided to host a dinner party for her new partners on the day before her departure, choosing the vineyard where she was staying as the venue.

The new major shareholder, following TIE's shareholder restructuring, was hosting a dinner party. All company employees were on the guest list. In reality, the party was more like an internal company gathering. The long period of corporate turmoil had finally settled, and all the employees were curious to see the face of this woman from the East.

Qiao Qi wore a sleeveless, high-slit evening gown. The style was simple, but she had added a fine, wine-red tasseled shawl. Her long hair was curled and pinned back on one side, revealing the pair of pearl earrings she wore that night. Her faint smile was like a spring breeze. Most people's first impression of her was one of noble elegance.

Charles stayed by her side, introducing her to the unfamiliar faces who came to chat. Occasionally, he would share some light gossip to amuse her. When she smiled, her brows would curve gently, soft and warm. Perhaps she wasn't as stunningly beautiful as Gu Jianchu, but she possessed a gentle quality like the pearly moonlight—not overpowering, but unique.

Soothing music began to play. Charles leaned toward her in a gesture of invitation and said, "May I have this dance?"

Qiao Qi smiled. "I'm afraid I can't accept your invitation, because I don't know how to dance."

Charles knew she was always frank and direct, so he could only put on a regretful expression. "That's a real pity. I hope there will be a chance in the future."

She tilted her head slightly and blinked. "Perhaps," she said.

This was the first time Charles had seen such a playful side of her, just as captivating as the woman at the negotiating table. He said, "It has been a great honor to partner with you this time. You have a mind capable of devising the best possible plan."

"I don't believe Ruifeng's plan was the best possible plan, but I do believe in executing the current plan to the best of our ability."

This statement astonished Charles. He raised his glass. "To your plan, the best."

Qiao Qi also raised her glass. "Thank you."

Because the party was hosted by Ruifeng, with Qiao Qi as its representative, she did not leave early this time. Instead, she conversed with people gracefully and appropriately, showing no sign of fatigue from beginning to end. It was only when she returned to her room that her weariness finally showed. The next day, Charles saw her off at the airport. The moment the plane lifted off the runway, her trip to South Africa was officially over.

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