nycdaug Chapter 578 The Undercurrents Are Fierce Again
Chapter 578 The Undercurrents Are Fierce Again
As dawn broke, a pale purple hue tinged the Shanghai skyline. Inside the "Cloud Meeting Room" at Lin's headquarters, a stack of the latest fundraising reports and legal memos lay spread out on the table, the air thick with tension.
I. Morning Meeting Storm
Lin Chuyue spoke first, her voice calm yet resolute: "I am now the largest shareholder. Today's primary task is to expose the false prosperity of Lin Yun's 'Vision Fund.' Luo Zhen, give me three hours to prepare a draft indictment against the illegal public fundraising; Yan Yan, you are in charge of investigating the list of trustees of the fund; Gu Yanchuan, you contact the external legal team and prepare an emergency asset freeze application."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Yanchuan objected first: "Lin Chuyue, can our legal procedures be completed before tomorrow? Those media outlets will treat the lawsuit as just another 'power struggle,' which will only make the foundation's reputation even better."
Shen Yanyan followed up, saying, "Yes, they have already won the window of opportunity. If we file another lawsuit, the outside world will think that we are using the law to suppress public opinion, which will give Lin Yun material to exaggerate—'authoritarian suppression of spontaneous citizen organizations'."
Luo Zhen took a deep breath: "So what's your opinion? Let her raise funds without limit? I don't see any better way."
In the morning light, each of the four people etched a crack in their hearts.
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II. The tug-of-war between interests and conscience
The meeting reached a stalemate, and then Lin Zhengguo appeared at the glass door. He spread his hands and said, “Kids, I know you have disagreements. But don’t forget, most of the shareholders are older generation, and they’re afraid to spend money to protect their rights when they see the word ‘litigation.’ Our approach needs to be gentler and more likely to evoke their sympathy.”
Gu Yanchuan couldn't help but sneer: "Father, you and Cheng Yi were the first to block the voting system! And now you're teaching us to manipulate emotions?"
Lin Zhengguo's expression stiffened, but he quickly put on an innocent look: "I'm just reminding you. Don't block every path." He turned to Lin Chuyue, his gaze complicated: "Perhaps, you can try this path: first use capital to settle their financial situation, and then use emotional appeal to win them back."
Lin Chuyue remained silent, her expression as cold as ice. Shen Yan spoke up: "If we want to win back people's hearts, we must first show them at the shareholders' meeting that we are not superior."
Luo Zhen interjected, "If we want to see them, we need to be more flexible. Gu Yanchuan, could we reduce the use of legal tactics and focus more on follow-up visits and attendance? I can bring the financial reports and have a face-to-face talk with the shareholders."
Gu Yanchuan raised an eyebrow: "You're suddenly concerned about the shareholders?"
Luo Zhen sneered, "I'd rather be a friendly lobbyist than a defendant." A resolute glint flashed in her eyes.
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III. Father-Daughter Showdown
In the afternoon, Lin Chuyue went to her father's office alone, and the two, who had been at odds for a long time, finally broke down.
“Father, have you been secretly communicating with Cheng Yi and CR all along? You said you wanted to ‘hold the stock price’, but you were actually using me as a scapegoat.” Her voice was extremely low, yet it carried a heart-wrenching power.
Lin Zhengguo leaned back in his leather chair, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly said, "I'm afraid you'll implicate the entire Lin family, and I'm even more afraid that you'll use that 'absolutely transparent' plan to corner everyone."
"But as my father, you should protect me!" Lin Chuyue gritted her teeth: "On the contrary, who are you protecting?"
Lin Zhengguo forced a smile: "Protect the Group. You, me, and Gu Yanchuan are all just part of the Group."
Their eyes met, and they both realized that the father and daughter's positions were irreconcilable.
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IV. Lin Yun's Second Wave of Offensive
Late at night, Lin Yun held an online press conference at the headquarters of the Vision Fund to launch the "Lin Family Revival Plan," claiming that she had received written commitments from three heavyweight institutions, including Hong Kong Island Capital and Beijing Culture Fund, and that the total fundraising amount had exceeded RMB 1.5 billion.
During the live broadcast, she calmly stated, "Opening up equity participation and allowing every supporter to become a master of the Lin family is the future of family businesses." At the same time, she released a "fund charter," which appeared transparent on the surface, but upon closer inspection, the compliance clauses concealed "investor confidentiality obligations" and "equity lock-up clauses."
Public opinion was further stirred, and social media was flooded with comments such as, "Lin Yun is the real expert in the big picture!" and "The strong woman model has the last laugh!" A large number of young investors generously donated their money.
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V. Leak of Secrets: List of Trustees
Just as the Lin family team was struggling to deal with public opinion, an anonymous email was dropped into Luo Zhen's inbox. The email subject was "Insider Information on the Core Trustees of the Vision Fund." The attachment was an Excel spreadsheet listing the names of nine trustees, three of whom held no position in the Lin family, yet were associated with the CR Consortium, Cheng Yi Fund, and the directors, supervisors, and senior executives of the two companies.
Luo Zhen slammed his hand on the table: "Look! They're using the guise of public investment, but the people who are actually putting the money into their own pockets are the same old faces!"
Gu Yanchuan nodded repeatedly: "This is the real breakthrough. We can send this list to the China Securities Regulatory Commission and have them stop the fundraising in advance on the grounds of 'transfer of benefits'."
Shen Yan frowned: "That would be tantamount to publicly exposing their 'credibility,' the fund would have to cease operations immediately, many shareholders would lose everything, and this would trigger new litigation risks."
Lin Chuyue pondered for a long time: "Okay, let's do two things first—first, turn the list into a visual report and send it to the neutral old shareholders; second, submit it to the China Securities Regulatory Commission at the same time. We will take the initiative and use the regulatory hand to check and balance Lin Yun."
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VI. Turning against each other in the middle of the night
At midnight, the team reunited. Gu Yanchuan and Luo Zhen discussed their next strategic moves, Shen Yanyan was once again anxious about her mother's safety, and Lin Chuyue remained silent.
The atmosphere suddenly turned icy.
Luo Zhen bluntly stated, "We've already divided the work too finely, and everyone's looking out for themselves. If we don't work together tonight, we won't even have the most basic time to react tomorrow."
Gu Yanchuan looked up, his tone cold and hard: "Do you think you can protect everyone? Don't forget, I sacrificed all my shares for you, but in the end you've left us exhausted."
Lin Chuyue suddenly stood up: "Both of you have problems. Luo Zhen, you might betray me at any time to keep your share of the profits; Gu Yanchuan, you might push me to the front line as cannon fodder at any time to protect me!"
Shen Yan exclaimed, "What are you arguing about? This is a matter of life and death!"
The four were on the verge of war, their anger clashing, and even the external message couldn't stop their conflict.
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VII. The Final Decision Before the Storm
Police car lights flashed outside the building, and two vehicles belonging to the China Securities Regulatory Commission's investigation team were quietly parked at the entrance.
A cold glint flashed in Lin Chuyue's eyes, her voice icy and resolute: "I will make no more promises, nor will I hold back my bottom line. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, I will proceed at my own pace, first meeting with the neutral shareholders, and then cooperating with the regulatory investigation. If you hesitate any longer, don't blame me for having no one else to rely on."
Gu Yanchuan took a deep breath, stopped roaring, and nodded heavily; Shen Yanyan gripped his phone screen tightly, his expression calm; Luo Zhen adjusted his suit sleeves and finally revealed a resolute smile.
The night swallowed all the noise and forged the final covenant.
Before dawn, truth and strategy intertwine, and a new round of covert warfare is inevitable.
—End of this chapter
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