Chapter 147: Honestly Admit Fault

Zhou Ming had the waiter open the door to the private room, and four familiar faces walked in one after another. Seeing them, Du Peng spoke first, "I recognize you all. You are Zheng Yi, Chairman of Ye'an Co., you are Cui Jiang, Chairman of Jinke Co., you are Zhou Yuan, Chairman of Wantian Co., and you are Wang Lian, Chairman of Yuanda Co. I didn't expect the chairmen of these major companies to come here."

The four didn't seem too surprised by Du Peng naming them. They just smiled and greeted Zhou Ming and Du Peng, "Consultant Zhou, Du Shao, General Manager Luo, we heard that you three are dining here, so we came to say hello. We hope we're not disturbing you."

In business or politics, anyone who has achieved success usually has a thick skin, and Zhou Ming knew this well. So, he didn't bother with pleasantries and directly addressed them, "You're here to discuss stock listings, right? This is Luo Han, the Vice President of the securities company. All the company's operations are under his management. If you have any requests, you should talk to him."

Zhou Ming was blunt, pointing out their purpose. They had previously invited him to dinner, which he had ignored, so it was no surprise that they came directly today. It seemed that capital had a tremendous influence. These people were really anxious; after all, the stock prices of Southern Jiang Development Bank and Jinpeng Industrial had tripled in just a week, raising nearly ten million yuan, with numbers still growing. No one could remain indifferent to such money.

Seeing Zhou Ming's attitude, Zheng Yi and the others turned their attention to Luo Han. They had brought wine, and they all raised their glasses to Luo Han, saying, "General Manager Luo, we wish you a bright future and prosperity. May your wealth continue to grow!"

Luo Han also thanked them with a toast and got straight to the point, "I know the purpose of your visit is to have your companies listed on the securities market. You can submit your application to the securities company, and we will review it before making a decision."

Zheng Yi and the others were stunned by Luo Han's straightforwardness. They had expected some form of pleasantries, but Luo Han had gone straight to the point.

It seemed Luo Han had picked up Zhou Ming's direct way of doing things.

With the direct approach now unavoidable, Zheng Yi said to Luo Han, "General Manager Luo, we will definitely apply. However, we hope you could make some special arrangements since this is the initial stage of the securities company. Some things can be handled on a special basis, and you know our companies well. There's no need for extensive checks!"

Luo Han had described the correct procedure for a company to be listed on the securities market, but obviously, these people were unwilling to follow it. They wanted to use backdoor channels.

Zhou Ming, sipping his tea, felt a bit helpless. He turned to Tang Ran, who was pouting, and asked with a smile, "Ran Ran, what's the matter? If you have something to say, just say it. It's fine."

Encouraged by Zhou Ming's look, Tang Ran said, "These people are so shameless. When Brother Ming first approached them about listing, they all made excuses. Now that they see stock profits, they've turned around and want to list their companies. They even have the nerve to put on this grand show. It's really shameless."

Tang Ran's bluntness made Zheng Yi and the others awkward.

This was exactly the effect Zhou Ming wanted. These people were seasoned business veterans. Not to mention whether he could outmaneuver them, just dragging things out was irritating. It was better to break the ice and force them into a corner, allowing him to take control. Zhou Ming encouraging Tang Ran to speak at this moment was part of this strategy.

Some things Zhou Ming, Du Peng, or Luo Han couldn't say, but Tang Ran could speak without hesitation, and they couldn't argue with her.

"A young girl shouldn't speak like this. At that time, we were undergoing a company restructuring. Although we implemented a shareholding system, many aspects weren't fully prepared. We really couldn't list at that time," Zheng Yi tried to explain.

Before Zheng Yi could finish, Tang Ran interrupted, "You clearly just saw the money and are now denying it. Brother Ming knows you were pressured by Hua Shao before, and he hasn't held it against you. Just admit it honestly. Instead of making up lies, just admit it. Are you fooling Brother Ming, or are you fooling yourselves? As company chairmen, you should be more straightforward!"

Tang Ran's directness made Zheng Yi's expression stiffen, but he persisted, "Young lady, I'm telling the truth. How could it be fooling you?"

Zhou Ming interjected, "Mr. Zheng, don't argue with my girlfriend. She doesn't understand this. We still need to eat. If you're done speaking, can we continue?"

Zhou Ming made a gesture signaling them to leave.

Faced with Zhou Ming's dismissal, Zheng Yi and the others were stunned. They considered themselves seasoned in the business world but had never encountered someone like Zhou Ming. They felt every step Zhou Ming took was beyond their comprehension.

Zheng Yi thought for a moment and said to Zhou Ming, "Consultant Zhou, I don't think we need to escalate things like this."

"Escalate things? What do you mean?" Zhou Ming countered.

"Consultant Zhou, you and I are both people of status. Do you find it interesting to make things difficult for us?" Zheng Yi questioned Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming sneered, "Mr. Zheng, are you still upset? Since you ask, let me ask you: when I invited you and Director Zhang to dinner to list your companies on the securities market, I was helping you make money. But you rejected me and even insulted me. Now that the stock market is booming and we're making money, you want to come in and share the profits? And you still have the nerve to be upset?"

Zheng Yi frowned, "Consultant Zhou, I've already explained this. At that time, our company wasn't prepared. Please don't make things difficult!"

"Mr. Zheng, if you were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but you're the Chairman of Ye'an Co. It's really disappointing. This is a simple matter, but you insist on holding on to your pride. If you think I'm making things difficult, then so be it. We're here to eat. Please be mindful of your status and stop making a scene."

Seeing Zheng Yi and the others not moving, Zhou Ming turned to the waiter and said, "Call security."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, Cui Jiang, Chairman of Jinke Co., bowed his head and said, "Consultant Zhou, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have listened to Hua Shao and deliberately snubbed you. The securities market you built was indeed to provide us with a more convenient financing channel. Please don't hold it against me."

Zhou Ming gave Cui Jiang a slightly higher regard. No wonder Jinke later became the first real estate company to break the trillion mark; having such a perceptive leader made sense.

However, Zhou Ming didn't rush to respond and instead looked at the other two.

Under Zhou Ming's gaze, Zhou Yuan, Chairman of Wantian Co., and Wang Lian, Chairman of Yuanda Co., also bowed and said, "Sorry, Consultant Zhou. We were wrong. We shouldn't have opposed you."

Finally, only Zheng Yi remained. Facing Zhou Ming's gaze, Zheng Yi felt immense pressure. As someone over forty who had retired from a government position to enter business, he didn't want to bow to such a young person. Yet, he felt he couldn't control his neck.

Zheng Yi finally bowed to Zhou Ming, "Sorry, Consultant Zhou. I was wrong."

Du Peng and Luo Han watched this scene in amazement. Since they were familiar with Zhou Ming, they weren't shocked by his surprising actions. Otherwise, they would have been astounded.

The four men, all chairmen of the first shareholding companies in Southern Jiang, were very influential. Even city and government officials treated them with respect. Luo Han had previously spoken to them in a courteous and indirect manner. 

But now, these prominent chairmen were humbly admitting fault in front of Zhou Ming. If this news got out, it would certainly shock everyone in Southern Jiang.

In any other person's hands, this situation might have been a dream come true, but Zhou Ming just sighed and shook his head, "I know you must hate me right now, but I want to tell you, I don't need your apology. In fact, your apology is worthless to me. I just hope you truly understand the essence of the securities market!"

"The essence of the securities market?" Zheng Yi and the others looked up in surprise.

Zhou Ming nodded, "Yes. I know you want to list your companies on the securities market because you see the profits of Southern Jiang Development Bank and Jinpeng Industrial. But I want to tell you, the stock market is not what you see. It's just a financing channel. The real development of a company depends on you. If you only see the stock market as an ATM, I guarantee you will regret it."

"Thank you for the reminder, Consultant Zhou. We will remember."

Zheng Yi and the others replied, but Zhou Ming noticed that only Cui Jiang of Jinke Co. seemed to have genuinely listened. 

Zhou Ming didn't say more. Whether they listened or not was their concern. If things went wrong later, they would only have themselves to blame.