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As the news of his father's release from prison and his acquittal spread like a tornado throughout Jinzhou City, Jin Meifeng's phone was flooded with calls. The overwhelming concern from all directions drowned the family of three in the car, and invitations to welcome-back banquets flew in like snowflakes, leaving them overwhelmed.
Some calls could be ignored, but others had to be answered. Similarly, some invitations could be politely declined, but others had to be accepted. The invitation to a welcome-back banquet from Wang Jinwang, the president of the Nanhu Province Pharmaceutical Industry Association and chairman of Jinniu Pharmaceutical Group in Shazhou City, was one of those that couldn't be refused. Moreover, he was very enthusiastic, choosing the Jinzhou Jinhu Grand Hotel as the venue.
This left the just-released Yang Xiuyuan completely defenseless. Under the watchful eyes of Jin Meifeng and Yang Chen, he reluctantly agreed, "Alright, at 7:30 PM tonight? I'll be there on time!"
After a few more pleasantries, they hung up the phone.
Jin Meifeng, gritting her teeth, said, "What does Wang Jinwang mean by choosing today of all days?!"
"Old friends for many years, I can't refuse him..." Yang Xiuyuan, rubbing his bald head, said with a forced smile, "If nothing comes up, I'll try to get home early..."
"Wang Jinwang isn't a good person. He did help you back then, but he's taken advantage of you plenty since then," Jin Meifeng, who had no good feelings towards Wang Jinwang, huffed and said, "I think his welcome-back banquet is definitely up to no good."
"It can't be that bad. I've just been exonerated, he can't eat me, can he?" Yang Xiuyuan laughed, treating Jin Meifeng's words as a joke. "After all, he's the president of the association, I have to give him some face!"
Yang Chen, driving, felt helpless. This was a typical case of being unable to control one's own fate. He said, "Dad, it's fine to go tonight, but tomorrow night, I have something planned. Don't stand me up!"
"Oh?" Being in prison for a few months wasn't enough to make Yang Xiuyuan miss his family desperately. In the past, he often didn't come home for months when he was busy. So, he wasn't particularly moved, but he was interested in the event Yang Chen mentioned.
He rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and asked with a smile, "What kind of event can you plan for me?"
"Um... just a family dinner, a proper one," Yang Chen said softly. "It's been years since we had a proper family dinner. What do you think of that?"
This light remark hit Yang Xiuyuan's sore spot.
Being busy with business and the difficulty of the business were phrases Yang Xiuyuan often used in the past. It wasn't that he didn't love his son, but at this stage of his career, finding time to relax was impossible!
The months in prison had given Yang Xiuyuan time to reflect on his actions over the years.
The guilt towards his family was the strongest.
This light remark made Yang Xiuyuan fall silent.
After a long while, he took a deep puff of his cigarette, leaned back in his seat, and smiled, "Yes, the last time we three sat together and chatted was probably when you went to Beijing for university, right?"
"Right," Yang Chen also had a nostalgic look on his face, smiling, "It's been one of the few times in the past decade... Dad, to be honest, sometimes I even doubt if I'm really your biological son..."
"Brat... what are you saying!" Jin Meifeng, both laughing and crying, reached over and tapped Yang Chen on the head, but after laughing, she nodded lightly, "During the time Hengyang Group was in trouble, I've been reflecting on this... If it's for the family, we've made enough money over the years... Why do we still push so hard? Is it really worth it?"
"I've thought about this too," Yang Xiuyuan took a deep breath, threw away the cigarette, and said, "But things aren't absolute. Hengyang Group isn't just our family's decision. There are so many shareholders and employees, and someone has to be responsible for them! I used to say that as a man, one must have a sense of responsibility..."
"So, you don't have to worry about this anymore," Yang Chen laughed, very happily.
"What do you mean?" Yang Xiuyuan was puzzled.
"After Hengyang Group went bankrupt and restructured, I kicked out all the old shareholders," Jin Meifeng, who had been keeping this a secret from Yang Xiuyuan, finally revealed, "Now, Hengyang Group... your son is the largest shareholder."
"What?!" Yang Xiuyuan was stunned. When Jin Meifeng visited him in prison, she mentioned the bankruptcy and restructuring, but never the details!
Jin Meifeng then explained the entire situation to Yang Xiuyuan. When she mentioned that 80% of Hengyang Group's shares now belonged to a company called Changlong Technology, Yang Xiuyuan couldn't sit still.
"Who is this Changlong Technology? We only have 20% of the shares left?!" After years of hard work, Yang Xiuyuan was so agitated that he couldn't think clearly!
Jin Meifeng rolled her eyes and said calmly, "Changlong Technology is just a shell company. Our son is the big boss of Changlong Technology... understand now?"
"Uh..." Yang Xiuyuan blinked, still confused.
Jin Meifeng had no choice but to start from the beginning, including the story of Yang Chen's encounter in the mountains, and explained everything. She concluded, "So, you've worked hard for half your life, but it's not as good as our son sleeping in the mountains for one night!"
"..." Yang Xiuyuan was deeply shaken, his mouth agape, unable to speak...
How did he come out of prison feeling worse? His son had become a master of mysticism? Ha... hahaha... Which angel sister was playing a joke on him?!
Yang Xiuyuan, who had been exonerated, was clearly very hungry. He didn't stop eating during lunch until his stomach was round and full. He then leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply.
While Yang Xiuyuan was eating, Jin Meifeng gave him a rundown of the current situation at Hengyang Group.
After eating and drinking his fill, Yang Xiuyuan patted his belly and said, "We've survived a great disaster and are now blessed. Once the Yuanbang Pharmaceutical project starts, the production capacity will be fully utilized. The current situation is very favorable for us. If we can push, we should push... But that Luo Zhong, that guy is quite capable. Where is he now?"
"He's not in Jinzhou anymore, he ran away long ago," Jin Meifeng said with a smile. "Because of this, Song broke Wu Shichun's head. This time, Sujiang Group lost out. Fortunately, they didn't leak the news early, or it would have been even more embarrassing... It's a pity, I had a big gift prepared for Sujiang Group, but now I can't give it."
The couple clearly treated Yang Chen as if he wasn't there, chatting about business for a long time. Finally, Yang Xiuyuan came to his senses and asked Yang Chen, who was almost asleep in his chair, "Uh, right... son, what did you say about Yanbian Lake?"
"Finally done chatting?" Yang Chen wiped his face, rolling his eyes, "I'm your biological son, after all. Why do I feel like I was picked up from the street..."
"Enough, enough, stop being cheeky," Jin Meifeng covered her mouth and laughed, "Let's get to the point."
"Here's the thing," Yang Chen sat up straight, serious, "We still have a piece of undeveloped land in Yanbian Lake, right? A few days ago, I had Old Zhou take me there to check it out. The scenery is great, and the location is perfect... I plan to build an estate there, and even lease the surrounding mountains..."
"Estate? What kind of estate?" Jin Meifeng frowned, and Yang Xiuyuan looked skeptical, "That land in Yanbian Lake is over 140 acres, but it's far from any village. What kind of estate do you plan to build there?"
"Mom, I know you think I make money easily, but as the saying goes, don't show off your wealth! We can't just start showing off once we have a bit of money... Building an estate on 140 acres? Only you could think of that!" Jin Meifeng also expressed her opinion.
Yang Chen, however, smiled and shook his head, "Building an estate isn't just for living... It has nothing to do with showing off! I plan to use the place for research. Once it's built, the Hengyang Lab can move in! It will be easier to manage and we can set up a security system to prevent incidents like what happened with Luo Zhong from happening again!"
"Building an estate on 140 acres for research?!" Jin Meifeng was both amused and exasperated, "Are you planning to build a spacecraft or a nuclear bomb? Your plans can be forward-thinking, but don't be too unrealistic! Research and innovation are great, but they're a bottomless pit. With our money, how many projects can we afford? Come on, don't be silly!"
"Do you know how Tongtai Industries was founded?" Yang Chen had to pull out his big move, "It was because a researcher I know developed a new technology. After the Zhu family's think tank evaluated it, they decided to proceed... Guess how much they estimated the annual revenue would be?"
"How much? It can't be as much as you say, like 40 billion, right..."
"The Zhu family's estimate is 450 billion!" Yang Chen raised his voice, dropping a bomb, "If you don't believe me, you can call Zhu Rongqiang and ask him!"
"4... 450 billion?!" Yang Xiuyuan's pupils dilated, then he laughed, "What a joke, 450 billion, that's nearly 50 billion US dollars. If it reaches that scale, wouldn't the whole world be using your products?"
"Exactly," Yang Chen clapped, "The application prospects of reconstructive nanoceramic powder are bright, from the electronics industry to the military sector, it has unique and important roles in almost every field! Currently, the production is low, and the application space is limited, but once the production increases and the price drops... just the car paint market alone could be worth billions of dollars annually!"
Yang Chen stood up, "And the subsequent application products can be used in all aspects of life! Its potential is far more than 450 billion, because the whole world needs it!"
"..." Yang Xiuyuan and Jin Meifeng were speechless, stunned by Yang Chen's words.
After a long pause, Jin Meifeng laughed bitterly, "Brat, is it really necessary... just to build an estate, you have to scare us like this? If you want to build it, go ahead, it's your money after all..."
At this point, Yang Chen rubbed his hands, looking embarrassed, "Well, recently, my expenses have been high, and I have many investment projects... I don't have enough cash on hand, so... can we use Hengyang Group's name to advance some start-up funds?"
"..." Jin Meifeng asked, "How much?"
"About one or two hundred million... The interest-free loan from Yuanbang Pharmaceutical is still in the company's account, earning interest. Can I borrow it for a while?"
"Building an estate costs one or two hundred million? You're planning to build a five-star hotel?!"
"Not for the estate... with Hengyang Group's current reputation, we can put out a tender, and construction companies will be willing to advance the funds... we don't need to pay upfront..."
"Then what are you going to use the one or two hundred million for?"
"Cough, to buy equipment... and some of it is for research funding..."
"Brat, I see through you... you're just starting to squander money again!" (To be continued.)
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