Chapter 335: What a Trivial Matter
Fengcheng TV Station Director's Office.
Gao Wenguang's smile couldn't be hidden from his face.
In his position, being bribed to do illegal things had become all too common.
Some problematic companies would pay him regularly every year just to prevent negative news from being reported.
Just that money alone amounted to a considerable figure.
However, nobody had ever paid him to do his rightful job.
Until he met someone yesterday.
Taking this kind of money came with no guilt whatsoever.
To him, he wished every briber was like this person.
In that case, he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught.
Just then, the cell phone on his desk began to ring.
He picked it up and frowned at the caller ID.
"President Wang, how come you have the time to call me?" Gao Wenguang answered the call.
"Gao Wenguang, you should very well know why I'm calling. I won't mince words. Helping people deal with Zheng Kaiyang like this is unacceptable. You can broadcast the news on the economic channel if you must, but you have to suppress it from being reported further up," Wang Tongshan said bluntly.
In the circle, Wang Tongshan had the clout to speak to Gao Wenguang in such a manner.
"President Wang, I took two million from them; if I don't do the job, are you suggesting I return the money?" Gao Wenguang furrowed his brow, clearly displeased.
"I'm not telling you to return the money. Why not just tweak things a bit when you report it up?" Wang Tongshan scoffed.
"Tweak things?" Gao Wenguang hesitated.
There was, indeed, room to manipulate, but he wanted to hear exactly what Wang Tongshan wanted him to do.
"Right, you should know better than me how to tweak it. Taking your time with the report, delaying it a few months, shouldn't be a problem, right?" Wang Tongshan gave his suggestion.
Upon hearing this, Gao Wenguang suddenly understood.
This approach was totally feasible.
He could claim the news needed review, or that it had been submitted but the higher-level authorities required further inspection.
"As an outsider, targeting our people in Fengcheng, if you only recognize money and not people, it's very difficult to get by here. After all, we were one family five hundred years ago, and we should support each other in times of need. I'm making this call not to stop you from making money, but to save you. I hope you understand that," Wang Tongshan went on.
"Alright, I'll do as you say," Gao Wenguang agreed without hesitation.
Indeed, just recognizing money and not people would make it hard to survive in Fengcheng.
If it were only Zheng Kaiyang, that would be one thing, but since Wang Tongshan was calling to intercede, he had to show respect.
Wang Tongshan's influence in the circle far surpassed that of Zheng Kaiyang.
"Then I'm relieved. Let's have a meal together some day," Wang Tongshan said with a smile.
He wasn't surprised by the outcome; he had the influence to expect it.
If Gao Wenguang had not shown respect, Wang Tongshan would have taught him a lesson in manners.
…
Jiangcheng, Yang Xin Investment.
Ma Yangrong was informed instantly about Gao Wenguang taking the money without doing the work. Enjoy new tales from empire
He had anticipated this.
After all, the situation in Fengcheng was complicated.
Amongst the wealthy, relationships ran deep, and usually, things could be settled by pulling a few strings.
No problem, he already had a contingency plan.
…
On Zheng Kaiyang's end.
He hadn't gone to the office; he stayed at home.
He sensed the complexity of the situation; Xu Yang wouldn't stop at just one move.
Being away from the company made it easier to handle affairs.
Soon, his phone rang.
At the sight of the caller ID, he realized it was his assistant.
"What is it now?" Zheng Kaiyang picked up the phone.
"President Zheng, there's trouble. Some people saw the TV news and came to our company demanding refunds," the assistant said anxiously.
Refunds?
He thought it was a bigger issue.
Zheng Kaiyang let out a sigh of relief and a light chuckle, "It's just a few refunds, right? Just give them the refunds, what's the big deal!"
The assistant was still anxious, "President Zheng, it's not just a few refunds. It looks like four or five hundred people are here, and each person wants to return goods worth twenty to thirty thousand. We're looking at refunding at least ten million, and it seems like more people are still coming. Our customer service lines are overwhelmed with calls asking how to return products.
I think we're going to need to refund at least forty to fifty million to settle this."
"What! Forty to fifty million!" Zheng Kaiyang sprang up, his forehead beading with sweat.
His company wasn't large, being worth a little over two billion, and its main assets were the property and equipment, which meant there wasn't much liquid capital.
If he had to pay out forty to fifty million, his company could directly declare bankruptcy.
"Yes, President Zheng, with so many people blocking the company's entrance, what should we do now?" the assistant said worriedly.
"Why would so many people come for refunds? They shouldn't all have seen the news, and even if they did, they shouldn't be arriving at the same time to ask for refunds," Zheng Kaiyang said, puzzled.
His company's health products were mainly sold to elderly people whose children seldom came home.
This strategy had two advantages.
First, it was easy to sell, as the salespeople could coax the elders into buying without any objection from their children.
Second, if any issues arose with the products, the children weren't around to cause trouble for the lonely elders.
All these people coming together to ask for refunds obviously must have been orchestrated.
"We can't figure out why this is happening either," the assistant said.
"Then hurry up and investigate what's going on," Zheng Kaiyang replied.
He had a hunch that Xu Yang was making a move.
But to address the problem, he needed the specifics.
So, investigating the situation came first.
"Then what about all these people at the door demanding refunds? How should we handle that?" asked the assistant.
"Don't give them their money back just yet. Have the company staff stall them, saying that we can't issue refunds without understanding the reasons," Zheng Kaiyang instructed.
"Okay, I'll pass on the message," the assistant responded.
Half an hour later, the assistant called Zheng Kaiyang again.
"President Zheng, we've found out that the people coming for refunds were instigated," the assistant reported.
"I knew it. Give me the details," Zheng Kaiyang said without panic.
Finding out was a good thing; it meant he could take action accordingly.
"Someone went door-to-door to these elders, prompting them to watch the news and even providing buses to bring them here."
"If some elders were reluctant, considering it a hassle or doubting they could get a refund, they were offered a daily stipend of three hundred yuan each."
"Since these elders had nothing better to do, earning an extra three hundred yuan a day just for coming appealed to them, and they all joined in," the assistant reported the facts.
"Damn it!"
Zheng Kaiyang cursed out loud.
Xu Yang was throwing money at sabotaging him.
To arrange all this in such a short span, the effort and resources required were staggering.
It felt like Xu Yang was trying to ruin him completely.