Chapter 566: Striking Hard Under the Thunderstorm

When Zhuang Rongkun returned, he found his elder brother, Zhuang Qingquan, still in his office waiting for him.

Seeing Zhuang Rongkun's grim expression, Zhuang Qingquan's heart sank. Just as he was about to ask, his younger brother spoke first: "Big Brother, we couldn't get the loan. Gars Liddell from Standard Chartered Bank initially planned to lend me 200 million, but one of his subordinates suddenly appeared and called him away. When he came back, he made excuses saying there was no money. Even when I reduced the amount to 100 million HKD, he still refused."

"With the strength and reputation of our bank, if they won't lend even 100 million, it seems Gars Liddell must know something."

Zhuang Qingquan's face darkened, and he immediately analyzed the situation based on his brother's words.

Zhuang Rongkun nodded, his expression growing heavier. He said, "Big Brother, there might be an insider at the bank; otherwise, it's impossible for them to know the situation so clearly. This is clearly aiming to block our way!"

"Who could have struck so ruthlessly?"

In the end, Zhuang Rongkun gritted his teeth, his heart burning with anger. He wanted nothing more than to catch and eliminate the hidden enemy behind this.

Zhuang Qingquan's expression was as dark as water. He said to his younger brother, "Akun, Zhao Quanhao reported just now that 35.32 million HKD worth of gold has been settled."

Zhuang Rongkun's face grew even darker, filled with anxiety.

This means the bank's liquid funds are only around 25 million. It's dangerous!

"But the good news is that after this batch was settled, no one has come to settle large quantities of gold futures contracts so far."

Zhuang Qingquan's subsequent words made Zhuang Rongkun feel a bit better, but he was still suspicious.

"It shouldn't be the case. The abnormal gold futures volume reported was still around 100 million HKD. Why has it stopped now?"

"Akun, don't worry about that now. There must be more schemes behind this. The only way is to prepare enough money. With only a 300 million HKD loss, as long as the bank is in our hands, we can make up the loss within a few years."

"If the enemy has stopped for now, that's even better. We don't know what other tricks they might have. We need to borrow money as soon as possible and cover the gap before the enemy makes their next move. As long as we have enough capital, we can weather any storm."

Zhuang Qingquan thought for a moment and said quickly.

If the news leaks out, it will definitely cause a run on the bank. But as long as there is money, the run can be suppressed. Once we survive this wave, handling the aftermath will be easier.

"Alright, I'll go find other banks now. I don't believe other banks know about our situation."

With that, the two brothers went their separate ways. Before leaving, Zhuang Rongkun specifically told Zhao Quanhao not to settle any more gold futures and to delay it until he returned. He also reminded him to keep an eye on industry news and report any unfavorable news about Henglong Bank immediately.

As Zhuang Qingquan and Zhuang Rongkun started their actions, it was soon around 5 PM. During this time, Zhuang Rongkun managed to borrow 50 million HKD from Far Eastern Bank quickly, and no one else came to settle gold futures, which relieved the two brothers.

With this, Henglong Bank had over 70 million HKD in liquid funds, significantly reducing the risk.

However, it turned out that Zhuang Rongkun had rejoiced too early.

Rewind to the time when Zhuang Rongkun was still borrowing money from Standard Chartered Bank. Yan Wenhan had begun to act.

Initially, Yan Wenhan did not directly involve the newspapers under Jiuding Media's banner. The first reason was time constraints, as Jiuding Media didn't have any evening newspapers; they only had daily papers.

The second reason was that such explosive news could be risky and might be used against them, so Jiuding Media could not be the first to publish it. They had to let a scapegoat take the lead.

Although this sensational news would boost newspaper sales, Yan Wenhan was no longer interested. Jiuding Media's newspapers had passed that stage and now focused on stability and gradual progress.

Fortunately, such explosive news, if it had some degree of authenticity, would be highly sought after by third-rate evening papers.

Several third-rate tabloids, upon receiving the anonymous tip, immediately ordered a change to the front page headlines and rushed to the printing house to get the newspapers printed and distributed as quickly as possible.

Soon, freshly printed third-rate newspapers were delivered to various newsstands.

The front-page headlines were in bold, large fonts, to ensure readers didn't miss them:

"**Shocking! Henglong Bank Suspected of Misusing Client Funds for Gold Futures, Losses Exceeding Hundreds of Millions!**"

"**Jia Hua Bank Frequently Borrowing, Suspected of Financial Chain Issues!**"

"**Henglong Bank Loses Large Quantities of Gold Futures Contracts, Total Value Over 500 Million!**"

"**Jia Hua Bank Net Outflow of 300 Million HKD in Two Days, Suspected of Misappropriating Client Funds!**"

These third-rate tabloids weren't just using sensational headlines; the news content was also well-supported by evidence.

What convinced readers the most were the photos of Henglong Bank and Jia Hua Bank's large transfer remittance slips, as well as several purchase contracts for gold futures from the two major banks.

No matter how you look at it, although the headlines used the word "suspected," these third-rate tabloids were quite principled this time.

Once these newspapers were released, the explosive news quickly spread throughout Hong Kong.

Newsstands repeatedly urged for more papers, making the owners of these third-rate tabloids excited and secretly grateful to the anonymous tipster.

"Manager, this is terrible! Big trouble!"

Just as Zhao Quanhao was relieved that no one else had come to settle gold futures, there was a sudden urgent knock on his office door, accompanied by the anxious voices of his subordinates.

Zhao Quanhao, startled, immediately stood up. He had been highly tense these past two days, and any stimulus made him uneasy.

Without hesitation, he quickly walked over and opened the door, seeing his subordinate Li Chengren with a pale face, tightly holding several newspapers. Zhao Quanhao's heart jumped to his throat.

"What's going on?"

Zhao Quanhao asked urgently.

Li Chengren immediately handed the newspapers to Zhao Quanhao, panting, and said, "Manager, look quickly. There's unfavorable news about us in the newspapers. This is a huge problem."

Zhao Quanhao didn't waste time. He grabbed the newspapers from Li Chengren's hands and unfolded them to see the bold headlines on the front page.

"**Shocking! Henglong Bank Suspected of Misusing Client Funds for Gold Futures, Losses Exceeding Hundreds of Millions!**"

The headline made Zhao Quanhao's pupils constrict sharply, and he felt a suffocating sensation.

He swallowed hard and quickly looked at the main text.

"According to insiders, Henglong Bank has misused client funds meant for gold futures for other purposes. They failed to replenish the London gold futures contracts in time, and now the price has doubled. Henglong Bank has incurred at least 300 million in losses. The news has leaked, and many major investors are rushing to Henglong Bank to settle their gold futures…"

The shocking news content closely matched Henglong Bank's actual situation, and Zhao Quanhao's first thought was that it was over. The bank must have an insider.

Realizing this, he was drenched in cold sweat, terrified that the bank was facing a massive problem. At the same time, he himself had an inescapable suspicion. This was a serious issue!

He had to act quickly to mitigate the situation and immediately inform President Zhuang Rongkun. This was not something he could handle alone, and he had no solutions.

He looked at the newspapers and was surprised to find that Jia Hua Bank was also featured in the news.

Jia Hua Bank had also been manipulated? Henglong Bank wasn't alone?

But Jia Hua Bank's misfortune was a shared burden. The priority was still to report to President Zhuang.

"Where did these newspapers come from? When did they appear?"

Zhao Quanhao grabbed Li Chengren's arm, his eyes wide with inquiry. Before reporting, he needed to understand the situation.

Despite the pain from being grabbed, Li Chengren explained, "I bought them from a newsstand not far from the door. I happened to have time and went to buy the newspapers. The newsstand owner said they were delivered at 5 PM."

"Alright!"

After hearing this, Zhao Quanhao immediately headed to Xin Hong Ji Bank. Not long ago, a 50 million transfer from Far Eastern Bank came through. Zhuang Rongkun had called to tell him to go to Xin Hong Ji Bank, so he could notify him immediately if anything went wrong.