Rebirth: The Ascent of a Socialite-Chapter 555 - 224: The Distinguished Guest (Part 2)
Regarding the issue of Hang Family’s IPO, Hang’s father and Hang Yishao had differing attitudes. Hang’s father was an old-school man who, like his generation, was very averse to publicizing the company’s financials. Moreover, at Hang’s father’s age, his ambition was not as great as it once was. His current wish was simply to secure the foundation of the Hang Family and avoid a fate like that of the Su Family. However, Hang Yishao had a different view. From the time private equity funds extended an olive branch to him until the present IPO, he had analyzed each step. Utilizing only the limited private capital in Mo City, the company’s development would inevitably encounter bottlenecks. Therefore, as the future decision maker of the Hang Family, Hang Yishao had been advocating for an IPO.
"Regarding the IPO of the Hang Family, I don’t know if Manager Hang and Chairman Hang have already discussed and settled matters," the director of securities knew there were some disagreements between father and son. Such generational conflicts between the old and new in many private family enterprises were not uncommon. Generally, the older generation who held actual power would have the upper hand, while the younger generation would be at a disadvantage due to age and capability.
Thus, the director of securities was bracing himself for bad news.
"I am confident that I can persuade my father to agree to the IPO, but I have one condition," said Hang Yishao, which instantly perked up the director of securities. This year, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission provided two IPO slots. If one could be resolved, the pressure in the second half of the year would be greatly reduced.
Since he had agreed, why would he add an extra condition? The director of securities knew he couldn’t be too happy yet. The young people these days always liked to propose additional conditions, causing anxiety for their predecessors.
"I heard that the Su Family has a loan of over six hundred million yuan coming due. I was hoping you could intervene with the bank to slightly postpone the loan repayment period," Hang Yishao spoke politely.
Upon hearing this, the director of securities felt both troubled and pleased. He hesitated for a while before deciding to leak this yet-to-be-announced news to Hang Yishao, considering that the Su Family, Hang Family, and even the Wen Family were not publicly traded companies and it should not affect the stability of the securities market.
The director of securities could be considered a friend of Hang’s father, and at this moment, he shifted from his previous business tone, "I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news for you. The good news is that the Su Family’s loan is no longer over six hundred million, but over three hundred million. The bad news is that I cannot agree to your earlier condition. The skyscraper owned by the Su Family fetched a higher price than we anticipated, but the buyer, like you, set a condition, demanding that the bank follow normal procedures to reclaim the loan."
Weizhi Perlo, Hang Yishao immediately thought of this name—it must be him playing tricks. Hang Yishao felt some regret; he should have headed straight to the Jinmao Center as soon as he got off the plane. Now it seemed, Perlo and Wen Maixue had made their move before him.
"Can’t you do anything?" Hang Yishao hoped against hope in the director of securities, aware of the close connections and constraints within the financial industry, which were stronger than in any other field.
"This matter is beyond my authority. The banking industry has been coveting the thriving development of the securities industry in recent years. A capital shortfall of three hundred million would allow the old fox next door to present a splendid report to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission." With that said, Hang Yishao knew there was nothing more he could do; persuading the banking side had become impossible. He could only plan his return to Mo City to persuade Hang’s father. Fortunately, he still had a trump card—a card that Su Qingzhang had previously entrusted to him, which Perlo could never have anticipated.
Su Ziceng was without family or friends in Bianjing City. Her claim of wanting to go out was merely to avoid embarrassing Hang Yishao. While she accompanied Hang Yishao, she knew that he had matters of his own to attend to.
With nothing better to do, Su Ziceng wandered near Jiefang Square. Compared to the monotony of the winter landscape, the autumn square seemed more colorful. With maple leaves turning from green to red, children clad in roller skates frolicking nearby, the liveliness of the holiday season was missing, but it was replaced with a sense of leisure.
Her previously tense nerves began to ease as she walked around the square unknowingly until she reached that corner where she had met Mr. Deng years ago. Perhaps it would be worth trying her luck at the teahouse; she might just meet the wise old man again.
Guided by memory, Su Ziceng found the street. The teahouse in the afternoon was empty, save for a few tourists. She did not find Mr. Deng, "Of course, a nonagenarian isn’t likely to wander about." She ordered some tea snacks and peanuts, killing an hour or so until she reluctantly left upon receiving a call from Hang Yishao.
Half an hour after Su Ziceng left, Mr. Deng and his orderly came from the direction of Jiefang Square. He looked more frail than two years ago, and while he struggled to climb the stairs, he declined support from his orderly and made his way up the steps of the teahouse on his own.
"Mr. Deng," the teahouse owner was one of the few who knew Mr. Deng’s identity. His generation of leaders had faded from public view and were rarely in the media spotlight. So truly, if you encountered one, many people would not recognize him, "If I had known you were coming today, I would have told the young lady who was here earlier to wait a little longer." The teahouse owner said with regret.
"Which young lady?" The orderly was curious. Over the past year, Mr. Deng, due to his health, had turned down most visitors and rarely ventured out.
"That’s really unfortunate," Mr. Deng gestured that he already knew who it was, with a touch of melancholy in his eyes. His health was getting worse with each passing year, and perhaps after missing this chance, he might not meet those audacious young people again, "Little Wang, how long has it been since I last visited the South?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
