Chapter 413: Fooling a Fool
At the Yingkai Hotel, under the brilliant lights, hundreds of investors gathered together. Everyone had a smile on their face and raised their glasses to celebrate, obviously in a good mood.
The focus of everyone's attention was on the high-spirited Shi Wuwei.
He was standing in the crowd, holding up a glass of wine, and talking eloquently: "Today is a day worth celebrating. In just over ten days, the sales of USB flash drives produced by Huaqi Information have exceeded one million! This is due to everyone's contribution. I would like to toast you all."
Everyone applauded upon hearing the words, and there was constant cheering at the scene.
"It's you, Mr. Shi, who has a good business vision. If we talk about the credit, who here can compare to you, Mr. Shi?"
"The Shi family will surely flourish in your hands."
"It's all thanks to Mr. Shi's support that we can make money."
Those who can come to the scene are basically the first group of people who became rich in the country. They don’t have high education and their brains may not be very good, but they must have extremely good luck, which is why so many people believe in Feng Shui.
Shi Wuwei was very pleased to hear these people's compliments, and then he began to say: "Let's get back to the point, it's time to talk about business."
Shi Wuwei then took out the information he had memorized long ago and began to list the data: "According to statistics, the number of Internet-connected computers in the country reached 518,000 last year, of which 78,000 were direct-access computers with 270,000 users, and 440,000 dial-up computers with 790,000 users."
"Among them, more than half of the users are people working in computer science, education and scientific research, and students, but nearly 30% of users want to obtain leisure and entertainment information such as food, clothing, housing, and entertainment through the Internet."
"So I boldly predict that as the Internet becomes more popular, consumer users will eventually become the mainstream, and the market potential of USB flash drives will also grow explosively. A bright future is just around the corner, so please wait and see."
"Well said!"
Thunderous applause rang out again, and all the investors present were moved by the bright prospects described by Shi Wuwei. After all, most users with computers need to buy one or two USB flash drives to transfer data, and users without computers also need USB flash drives to save data and information.
It can be seen that this small USB flash drive has great commercial potential to be tapped.
Many people have been tempted to make additional investments. After all, the value of Huaqi Information is obvious. The greater the investment, the more money one can earn. Who can refuse such a benefit that comes to one's doorstep?
Zhu Qiankun raised his wine glass and gestured to Zhang Yuxin, then he pursed his lips at the group of fanatics surrounding Shi Wuwei and said, "What do you think? Are you still planning to continue investing money in it?"
Both of them are top second-generation rich people in the circle. Zhu Qiankun's father, Zhu Xingmin, is a foreign trade tycoon on Qiongdao Island. He started from scratch and founded the Xing'an Group. Its main business is foreign trade. He sells Xiaguo's agricultural products all over the world, exports and earns foreign exchange, and is very famous.
Zhang Yuxin's father, Zhang Li, was even more unusual. He was born in the government and worked in government agencies. In 1988, he went into business and started his business by doing decoration and engineering design. In 1993, as the Baiyun property market heated up sharply, he entered the market and co-founded Tianli Real Estate. Although its strength was far less than that of Jingwan Group, its development momentum was extremely rapid and should not be underestimated.
Among so many investors, they are the ones who have made the biggest investments and can be said to be Shi Wuwei's big financial backers.
Zhang Yuxin has now taken over part of the business from her father, so naturally she wants to achieve some results and prove her ability to everyone.
Therefore, facing Zhu Qiankun's question, he did not shy away and said, "There is still a prospect. I am willing to invest an additional 20 million."
Zhu Qiankun laughed and joked, "Twenty million in one shot, President Zhang is very generous, it really is true that women are as good as men."
Zhang Yuxin had a calm expression on her face. Twenty million was a fortune that most ordinary people would never dare to dream of in their lifetime, but to her it was nothing.
"Don't just talk about me, what about you? How much do you plan to invest?"
Zhu Qiankun was unwilling to be left behind and said calmly, "I'll also chase 30 million. It's a rare opportunity to come across a good project. It would be a pity if I don't invest more."
There was no trace of hostility between the two of them when they spoke, but they were always secretly competing with each other under the table .
Although he was outstripped by Zhu Qiankun in terms of funds, Zhang Yuxin was not angry and joked, "Foreign trade is really profitable. I believe Xing'an Group must have abundant cash flow, unlike those of us who work in real estate, which are only superficially prosperous."
Zhu Qiankun heard that Zhang Yuxin was hinting at the Zhu family being nouveau riche with nothing but money. He responded, "No, no, Tianli Real Estate always gets projects that others can't get. We are not like those of us who are engaged in foreign trade. We work in the wind and rain and earn our money through hard work."
What this means explicitly and implicitly is that your Zhang family is just a family of connections, and your wealth comes from sucking up to people, not from real ability.
The two men seemed to be in good terms with each other and even smiled at each other, but in fact they had been fighting secretly for several rounds.
At this moment, one of Zhu Qiankun's assistants hurried over and whispered in his ear: "Master Zhu, something happened."
Zhu Qiankun asked unhappily, "What's the matter?"
The assistant brought a mobile phone which was ready for a call.
Zhu Qiankun picked up the mobile phone and said in a bad tone, "Hello?"
The person on the other side said: "I am..."
Zhu Qiankun took his mobile phone to a quiet corner and spoke loudly from time to time.
Seeing Zhu Qiankun standing not far away with a sullen expression after he got up and answered the phone, Zhang Yuxin couldn't help but gloat over his misfortune. She was just about to sit back and watch the show, but her assistant ran over and said to her, "Boss Zhang, something bad has happened. The chairman is calling, and you need to answer it right away."
Then he gave me a mobile phone.
Zhang Yuxin looked at Zhu Qiankun not far away, and suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart. She picked up the mobile phone and said to the microphone: "Dad, what's the matter? I'm attending an event outside now."
On the other end of the phone, Zhang Li's tone was stronger than ever before: "Withdraw your funds from the King Fund now, quickly, immediately, right now!"
Zhang Yuxin said in confusion: "Why are they withdrawing their investment for no reason? I'm attending their celebration party right now. The USB flash drive project has achieved unprecedented success, and we've made a lot of money."
Zhang Li said: "The USB flash drive they got is definitely fake!"
"Fake?"
Zhang Yuxin was even more confused: "The news media said it was true, and Dover Amon even showed him his patent certificate. How could it be fake?"
Zhang Li said, "I don't know the inside story, but do you think you can be smarter than the world's richest man? I've heard that Bill Gates, along with other international giants such as IBM, DELL, HP, and Logitech, have reached a cooperative relationship with Mingyuan Technology and have even placed an order."
Zhang Yuxin was immediately shocked. She was not a fool and of course she understood the meaning of this news.
International giants such as IBM, DELL, HP and Logitech are all major manufacturers of home computers. Instead of cooperating with Huaqi, they found Mingyuan Technology, which naturally means that they are more optimistic that USB drives can win in this competition.
This means that the news that Amon Company claimed that it had the patent for flash drives was most likely a lie!
If this is all a giant scam...
She didn't dare to think about it any further.
I have invested so much money before, but the dividends haven’t started yet.
If she couldn't get the money back, she would definitely be scolded to death by the people in the family. This was nothing, what was more terrifying was that the businesses she was currently taking over might be taken back, and she would be marginalized from then on!
This is something she can't bear!
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuxin's heart was trembling.
"Dad, are you sure this source is reliable?"
Zhang Li said: "If I didn't have some connections in the Cantonese business community, I would have been kept in the dark. In short, withdraw your investment as soon as possible, otherwise you won't be able to escape."
Zhang Li's decision was very decisive. He could get out of this situation before the news spread. Once the news spread, Huaqi would surely collapse. Shi Wuwei would not be able to handle such a big mess.
Zhang Yu was in a state of confusion. Although she still had a glimmer of hope, she did not dare to risk everything. After speaking to Zhang Li for a few more words, she hung up the phone and returned to her seat.
At this time, Shi Wuwei was still painting a rosy picture for everyone, and many people were clamoring to follow the King Fund.
After a while, Zhu Qiankun also came back with an unusual expression, as if he had become a different person.
Zhang Yuxin asked tentatively: "Boss Zhu doesn't look right. Did something happen? Do you want my help?"
Zhu Qiankun pretended to be calm and said, "It's just a , so please don't worry about it, Mr. Zhang."
For a moment, the atmosphere became a little depressing.
The two of them stood up almost at the same time and said in unison: "I have something to do and I have to leave first..."
The voice stopped abruptly. Zhang Yuxin looked at Zhu Qiankun without saying anything. Zhu Qiankun also looked at Zhang Yuxin without saying a word. They just stared at each other for a long time.
"Mr. Zhu, won't you sit for a while?"
"No, I have things to do at home."
"Didn't you just say you wanted to add an additional 30 million in investment?"
"I've changed my mind now."
"It would be a shame not to invest in such a good project like USB flash drive, right?"
"It is said that harmony brings wealth. Given our friendship, if Mr. Zhang likes it, I can give you my share."
"No, no, Tianli Real Estate just took on a big project, and I'm in urgent need of funds, so I won't take it away from others. How about I give my share to you?"
Zhu Qiankun and Zhang Yuxin talked back and forth, and neither of them told the truth the whole time. However, both of them knew it in their hearts - the other party must have known the news of Bill Gates' cooperation with Mingyuan Technology.
The two of them stopped pretending, and Zhu Qiankun said directly, "Boss Zhang, let's not beat around the bush. It seems we both have something to discuss with Shi Wuwei, so... shall we do it together?"
Zhang Yuxin nodded: "Okay, let's talk about it together."
On the other side, Shi Wuwei was surrounded by a dozen investors.
Listening to the flattery and praise from the people around him, he felt a little elated.
The Shi family had gradually declined due to wrong decisions. Many families and partners had intentionally or unintentionally distanced themselves from them. But now, Shi Wuwei has become the focus again. He feels that he is the master of the Shi family's revival.
At this time, Shi Wuwei saw Zhang Yuxin and Zhu Qiankun walking towards him. He thought they were here to make additional investments, so he immediately walked up to them with a red wine glass in hand and greeted them enthusiastically: "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhu."
Zhang Yuxin said expressionlessly: "Boss Shi, I want to withdraw my investment. I don't want the interest and dividends. Just return the principal to me."
After all, they were all in the same circle, so she had already been tactful enough. There were so many people around, and Zhang Yuxin said that they would not be aware of the USB drive scam.
Shi Wuwei was startled, but he still forced himself to suppress his fluctuating emotions and asked Zhang Yuxin, "What happened? Did someone make you angry because of the poor hospitality?"
Zhang Yuxin explained: "Tianli Real Estate has just taken on a large project and urgently needs to advance a sum of project funds, so we have no choice but to withdraw our investment. I hope Shi Wuwei can understand."
Shi Wuwei was very unhappy. How could he spit out the money he had already put into his mouth?
understand?
I don’t understand anything. What does it have to do with me if your family has no money?
Of course, this is just what he said in his heart. The Zhang family is not someone you can easily mess with. Zhang Li has connections everywhere. If he really dares not to return the money, the King Fund can just expect to be audited every few days.
Putting this aside, there are so many people around. If they knew that if they invested money they couldn't withdraw it even if they needed it urgently, wouldn't they be furious?
Shi Wuwei weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and finally decided to return the money to avoid disaster.
After dealing with Zhang Yuxin, Shi Wuwei couldn't help but look at Zhu Qiankun who came with Zhang Yuxin, and asked tentatively: "Mr. Zhu came to me, is he also going to withdraw his investment?"
Zhu Qiankun smiled and said, "Yes, Xing'an Group has received a large order overseas and also needs a large amount of funds. I hope Mr. Shi can understand."
Shi Wuwei was so angry that his teeth were about to break, but he couldn't show it.
Did you receive large orders at the same time?
Is there such a coincidence in the world?
Isn't this just fooling fools?
But Shi Wuwei did not dare to offend the Zhang family, and naturally he did not dare to offend Zhu Xingmin. After all, the other party had supporters behind him. Xing'an Group was the leading agricultural product export enterprise in Qiongdao, and matters involving people's livelihood and economy were never trivial.
Shi Wuwei had no choice but to bite his teeth and accept the offer. He said to the two men with a amiable expression, "If that's the case, then it really is... Haha, congratulations to you. I wish you good fortune. If there's a chance in the future, let's work together again."
"Mr. Shi, you are too polite. We have something else to do, so we will leave first."
After the two left, Shi Wuwei took a deep breath and continued to look at the group of investors who were waving checks and crying out for food, with a smile on their faces .
However, what was completely different from before was that these investors now began to wait and see cautiously, silently putting away the checks in their hands, and when faced with Shi Wuwei's inquiries, they all said they would reconsider.
Shi Wuwei was furious, but he had no idea what was going on.
