After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 72:

The Commission for Discipline Inspection Office.

In the center of the simply yet elegantly furnished room, a middle-aged woman sat upright. She gave a slight nod to Li Yeběi, who had been “escorted” in, signaling him to sit opposite her. “Smuggling tobacco, money laundering, involvement in politics, [sensitive topic], commercial bribery…”

Being called here confirmed that the higher-ups definitely possessed solid evidence.

With every word the woman spoke, Li Yeběi’s face grew a shade paler. By the end, he was drenched in cold sweat, his shirt sticking to his back.

The woman’s expression was cold and serious. She looked directly at Li Yeběi and said, “Tell me, what else is the Li Group not afraid to do? Or what have we yet to discover?”

The Li Group is going to be ruined in my hands!

Li Yeběi didn’t dare think further, struggling desperately: “Sister Lin, these matters were not my doing. Considering the hundreds of millions in tax revenue the Li Group brings to the country every year, please give me time to rectify things.”

“It’s too late,” the woman shook her head, announcing, “You were called here for more than just a cup of tea. Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li, watch him closely.”

“What does this mean?” Li Yeběi panicked. For the first time, he clearly sensed an intangible wave of fortune leaving him. “Sister Lin, are you really content to let the country’s economic pillar collapse?”

“Who said it will collapse?” The woman called Sister Lin glanced at him sideways. “Li Group’s bankruptcy doesn’t equal collapse. Did you fail logic class? Besides, the Li Group is the country’s economic pillar?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yeběi understood everything. Ji Ruyue had used underhanded tactics to provide evidence to the state and reached a secret agreement with state organs. The state would arrest the Li Group’s key personnel and, in turn, allow the Li Group to go bankrupt, while the clean “Ji Group” would reap the benefits, acquiring the Li Group and completing the Ji Group’s further expansion!

What a great scheme of “borrowing a knife to kill”! To bring down the flourishing Li Group without lifting a finger!

“Ji Ruyue!”

Li Yeběi roared, slamming his fist onto the wooden table. Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li quickly restrained Li Yeběi, wrenching his hands behind his back.

Ji Ruyue, Ji Ruyue, you have such a poisonous heart, such despicable methods!

Li Yeběi’s face was ashen. His cold sweat hadn’t dried yet. Thinking of Old Master Li negotiating business abroad, he thought viciously: Ji Ruyue, playing politics in a commercial war? Reporting me? Do you think I wouldn’t do the same?

Li Yeběi looked up, the fierce glint in his eyes causing Sister Lin to pause as she reached for her chair. She waited with interest for him to speak.

A bit interesting. I want to see what tricks the “Business Legend” Li Yeběi has up his sleeve that made that girl Ji Ruyue be so devoted to him for years.

“Sister Lin, don’t you want to hear about the Ji Group’s corruption, don’t you want to see evidence of the Ji Group’s illegal activities?” Li Yeběi put up a final resistance, trying to drag the Ji Group down with him. The state couldn’t possibly allow both major leading enterprises to collapse simultaneously. “There’s no such thing as a clean enterprise in this world! The Ji Group has only more problems than my Li Group!”

“You’re talking about the Ji Group?” Sister Lin seemed interested. She tapped her index finger on the table, her voice low and calm. “Is that the Ji Group that contributed 5 billion to national charity projects in six months? Or the Ji Group that heavily supports small and medium-sized enterprises, actively sets rules to prevent industry monopolies? Or perhaps the Ji Group that actively self-inspects, voluntarily pays back taxes, and cuts down on operations?”

The domineering CEO male lead, who only ever knew the phrase, “It’s a cold day, the king is bankrupt,” was stunned and speechless for a long time. “This…”

Immersed in his male lead life and unable to extract himself, he never actively looked forward, so how could he know the progress of his opponent? Ji Ruyue had long since left him far behind!

Sister Lin frowned, then quickly smoothed out her expression. Her tone held a hint of mockery: “You truly can’t compare to Ji Ruyue a thousand times over. You are not fit to be her opponent. I don’t know what Ji Ruyue was thinking back then to fall for you, but thankfully, she’s sober now.”

Heh. I thought he had some brilliant idea. It’s just the same old clichés. No wonder the Procuratorate didn’t even bother to come.

Sister Lin pushed her chair back, ready to leave.

Li Yeběi stopped her: “Sister Lin, would the state allow the Ji Group to acquire the Li Group, creating a monopoly?”

“No,” Sister Lin stood up and returned her chair to its original position. “When did the Ji Group say it was taking over the Li Group’s mess? The state has a 10% shareholding in the Ji Group. Are you an idiot?”

Li Yeběi gritted his teeth: “Ji Ruyue!”

Turning a private enterprise into a semi-state-owned enterprise, Ji Ruyue, you are truly willing to give up a lot!

Li Yeběi looked up, staring intently at Sister Lin, his eyes blazing with hatred. He spoke, squeezing the words out: “Sister Lin, my Li Group is also willing to offer a portion of its shares for state ownership. Please give me and the state some time, and I will solve all of the Li Group’s past problems one by one.”

“It’s too late,” Sister Lin strode out of the room. Just before exiting, she turned back, bracing herself against the wall, and said, “It wasn’t these minor things that truly made us move. Do you know what your grandfather is doing abroad? Selling state secrets for orders. But, oh, the ones he holds are all scraps we’ve decommissioned. They might even serve a ‘strategic deception’ purpose. We should thank Old Master Li for that.”

Li Yeběi’s face was ashen.

Sister Lin: “Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li, watch him closely. I’m going to call people to handle the acquisition.”

Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li: “Yes!”

Li Yeběi roared in agony: “Ah—”

Xiao Zhang: “Stop shouting.”

Xiao Li: “No one will come to save you even if you scream yourself hoarse.”

Xiao Zhang: …How come I didn’t know my brother here was so witty?

Three days later, CCTV Finance, News Live Broadcast Room.

After concluding the major events of the previous day, the host transitioned to the latest economic news broadcast: “Latest news: The Li Group officially submitted a written application to the People’s Court on the morning of June 23rd. Following more than three days of reconciliation and reorganization, the People’s Court formally issued the Li Group Bankruptcy Liquidation Ruling on June 27th. It is reported that the Li Group’s related industries will be uniformly acquired and managed by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC)… Most citizens believe in the word ‘destiny.’ In reality, the life and death of an enterprise are not determined by a vague destiny but by the leader’s foresight and the enterprise’s original mission…”

The audience watching the television:

“Holy crap! I’ve lived to see this! Grandpa, the company you worked for when you were young is bankrupt!”

“Good heavens! The Li Group is bankrupt! How long has it been?”

“We didn’t hear a peep, and the huge, huge Li Group went bankrupt! All I can say is: CEO Ji is awesome! The country is awesome!”

“The economy wasn’t affected at all. Even I, who doesn’t play the stock market, couldn’t feel that a major battle had quietly ended. The Ji Group is truly amazing! I’m witnessing history!”

“Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow!!! The Moon won! My God—I absolutely love the Moon!!!”

The middle-aged man about to jump off a building: “Damn him! The Li Group can die! My stocks!!!”

His wife: “Honey, don’t worry, don’t worry. The host said that the SASAC will take over the Li Group! And I bought Ji Group stock.”

The middle-aged man about to jump off a building: “Crap! Why didn’t you say so earlier, you rotten woman! You scared me to death!”

As a global enterprise, the Li Group had a high profile among ordinary citizens. The quiet news of its bankruptcy immediately hit the headlines of major news media outlets. The discussion volume on hot searches grew at a rate of tens of millions per minute, even exceeding one billion in an hour, with the purple “Explosive” tag being very eye-catching.

Netizens went crazy with discussion. The traffic contributors could roughly be divided into three categories: ordinary gossips, fan girls (especially Star Cloud and Star-Moon Myth fans), and stock investors.

Since the concerns of the three groups differed, their comments were naturally varied.

Ordinary gossips under the CCTV Finance post:

—”This is so effing exciting! The Ji Group quietly brought down the Li Group! [Cow] [Beer]”

—”All the boasts that were made will explode in your face @LiGroup”

—”The gap between Li Yeběi and me has instantly shrunk by 200 billion. It’s fine, it’s fine. It hasn’t affected my world ranking, since my name isn’t on it [sweat] [sweat]”

—”My grandpa passed out from happiness because the company that fired him without reason finally went bankrupt…”

—”Li Yeběi had an affair and turned into Poor Li Yeběi.”

—”Solemn Declaration, delete all hot searches and ban accounts within half an hour! Oh, you can’t do that this time [smirking face] [smirking face]”

In Song Xingzi’s Weibo and the Star-Moon Myth Super Topic, fans began a frenzy:

—”L Y B wanted to arrange an accident to kill the Moon, but the Moon is perfectly fine. The bad karma rebounded onto L Y B, and he’s bankrupt!!! Hahaha, just thinking about it is thrilling!!!”

—”Sister, the Li Group is bankrupt. You don’t need to be afraid. Use his full name. Curse that vicious dog-man to death!”

—”The laws of heaven are cyclical; let’s see who it spares! Li Yeběi deserves it! The Li Group deserves it!”

—”Wuwuwu, Xingzi, the Li Group is bankrupt, and the bad guy is going to be exiled with debt. Wake up quickly! The Moon has been waiting for you for a long time!”

—”I report, a sister just threw a bomb into my eyes! Damn, damn, damn, the tears won’t stop!”

—”Today is another day of praying for Xingzi! The Star-Moon Myth is destined for a happy ending!”

—”Sisters, don’t cry! Look on the bright side. If the Moon can quietly get rid of a behemoth like the Li Group, can Xingzi’s illness even be a problem?”

—”Although, the Moon [Cow] [Beer]!!!”

Meanwhile, the stock investors first cursed heaven and earth, cried bitterly, and nearly fainted, but then they became ecstatic, tearful, and laughed uproariously toward the sky:

—”The cursed Li Group, the damned Li Yeběi! You left on your own, but why did you take my stocks with you!”

—”Damn him! To hell with it! He submitted a written application, so why didn’t the securities company make any announcement!!! Is he trying to kill me!!!”

—”Everyone, everyone, CCTV Finance spoke again!!! The stocks are being converted into state-owned enterprise shares!!”

—”Holy cow!! Is that true!! The Li Group faked bankruptcy but was actually acquired?!!! @CCTVFinance”

—”Ahhhhhhh!! No need to jump off a building!!! I love Mother China!!!”

CCTV Finance immediately posted two more Weibo updates, the content of which was exhilarating:

CCTV Finance: The Li Group’s related industries will be uniformly acquired and managed by the SASAC. Stockholders may visit the main securities company to confirm or process the transfer. [Image]

CCTV Finance: The SASAC has acquired a stake in the Ji Group, now holding 10% of the shares. In the coming days, the Ji Group will continue to assist and support small and medium-sized enterprises alongside the SASAC and the Poverty Alleviation Office, contributing to public welfare projects and realizing a new round of national economic take-off. Thank you to the Ji Group for its significant contributions to the restructuring of the Chinese economic framework! @JiGroup [Love] [Love] [Image]

Ji Group reposted and responded: The Ji Group will forever stand on the front lines and strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation alongside our compatriots! Thank you, CCTV Finance! @CCTVFinance [Love] [Love] [Cheer] [Cheer] [Image]

As soon as these three Weibo posts were released, the hashtag #JiGroupIsTrulyAmazing# quickly climbed to the second spot on the hot search. The ecstatic stockholders and fans celebrated wildly in the comments:

—”Ahhhhhhh!! CEO Ji [Cow] [Beer] I will love you forever!!!”

—”A true hero serves the country and the people! The Ji Group has not forgotten its original mission and deserves praise! (Thank you, CEO Ji, for saving my life; it’s great not to have to jump off a building!)”

—”With CEO Ji’s emergence, who can compete? I effing love this woman! [Love] [Love] [Crying loudly] [Crying loudly]”

—”Mom, do you see? This is the woman who stole your child’s heart [Image]”

—”The wealthy should help the world. She is indeed the woman I have cooperated with for many years! [Dog head] Investing in the Ji Group is always a guaranteed profit!”

—”Will someone hit me if I call CEO Ji ‘Mom’ right now? [Dog head]”

While the acquisition and industry clean-up proceeded intensely, the Ji Group and Ji Ruyue were at the peak of their influence, the situation in the special monitoring ward and abroad was the exact opposite.