Maximize Interest, My Money Grows Infinitely
Chapter 460 - 270: Mei Xiang Pressured into a Palace Coup_2

Chapter 460: Chapter 270: Mei Xiang Pressured into a Palace Coup_2

Mei Xiang also changed her way of addressing, "But we can’t just look at the potential profits, we also need to consider the potential risks. An 80 billion yen initial investment is not a small sum for us. If the Pilbara project fails to meet expectations, the company will face an even greater crisis."

She paused, "The lesson from Brazil is still fresh in our minds. We cannot make the same mistake again!"

Chen Cheng felt a chill in his heart, this was the first time he had seen Mei Xiang get angry.

Mei Xiang had always been well-behaved, gentle, and even somewhat frail.

But at this moment, her tone was resolute, her eyes were sharp, and an air of authority naturally exuded from her, a complete contrast to her previous demeanor.

Watanabe was also shocked by this sudden burst of authority, "I understand your concerns. But we’re not putting all our eggs in one basket. We can invest in stages, pushing forward gradually. The initial investment can be controlled at..."

Mei Xiang raised her hand to cut him off, "I know you have the company’s interest at heart, but we don’t have 80 billion yen right now. And even if we did, I wouldn’t want to take that risk."

She got serious and revealed the reason: "The project in Brazil was also something you strongly advocated for, and what’s the result now?"

"It’s almost been ten years, and the money we put in has disappeared without a trace, not even a sound to be heard! I can’t be swayed by your pie-in-the-sky promises anymore!"

Watanabe’s face turned the color of liver, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

No longer able to maintain his previous composure and restraint, he fiercely slapped the table and roared, "Damn it..."

Chen Cheng’s Japanese was limited, but he understood that much.

He quickly stood up, grabbing the hand that was about to point at Mei Xiang. Watanabe looked at him suspiciously, mumbling something unintelligibly.

"What bullshit is this son of a bitch spouting?" Chen Cheng asked.

Mei Xiang didn’t expect Chen Cheng to be so protective of her. Her heart warmed, but with the situation being urgent, she didn’t have the luxury to dwell on personal emotions, quickly translating Watanabe’s words for Chen Cheng:

"He said... he said I’m shortsighted, that I don’t understand how to seize opportunities, and that sooner or later I will run Xingye Products into the ground..."

Chen Cheng’s eyes turned cold, while Watanabe couldn’t help but cry out in pain, "Ouch!"

Chen Cheng let go of Watanabe’s hand, pointed at his nose and said, "Don’t act so high-and-mighty here. What’s with all this senseless shouting?"

After speaking, Chen Cheng didn’t forget to add a reminder, "Translate, translate."

Mei Xiang’s Chinese wasn’t bad, but she didn’t understand what Chen Cheng meant.

Yet she derived from Chen Cheng’s reaction that this man was protecting her.

"Uncle Watanabe, please leave."

Watanabe shot Chen Cheng a hateful glance and walked out quickly.

"Finished? I said such a long sentence, and that’s all you translate?" Chen Cheng looked at Mei Xiang.

Mei Xiang pouted, "I didn’t understand anything you said..."

Chen Cheng looked at her with a feigned naivety, "What did he say to you just now? How did it turn into an argument?"

Mei Xiang recounted the recent events in detail, and Chen Cheng looked at the documents left on the table, lost in thought.

"Brother Cheng, do you think I did the right thing? The company really doesn’t have that much money right now."

Mei Xiang said softly, "The staff’s wages for this month were even borrowed from the bank."

Chen Cheng looked at her in disbelief, "Is it that difficult?"

Mei Xiang nodded in admission, "Yes, the cash flow is a major issue. I’ve been trying to find solutions, but to little effect."

She sniffed, "I’ve been working so hard, why can’t I do it right? When my dad was here, I never realized he was under so much pressure."

Chen Cheng embraced her with sympathy, "Don’t worry, you never had to deal with the company before. You just took over, don’t put too much pressure on yourself."

Mei Xiang cried quietly on Chen Cheng’s chest for a short while.

During the days when Chen Cheng wasn’t there, she had to cope alone. Every day before leaving the house she would practice in the mirror, practice putting on a strong facade.

She had to face the doubts from the company, deal with various complex operations, respond to competitors’ challenges, and find ways to bridge the gap in capital.

All of these were too difficult for a young girl who was new to the business world.

In front of Chen Cheng, she finally let go of all pretenses and showed her vulnerable side.

"I’m really scared, I’m afraid I’ll let my father down, I’m afraid I’ll ruin Xingye Products..."

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here." Chen Cheng smiled and said, "I am what you call the ultimate dragon."

Mei Xiang broke into a smile, "Then... What should I do now?"

"First, help me translate this, what does all this say?"

Chen Cheng reseated himself in the boss chair, while its rightful owner—Hoshino Mika—transformed into a competent JK secretary, translating the content of the documents for Chen Cheng word by word.

Chen Cheng listened while occasionally flipping through the documents, his brows gradually furrowing.

At first, he didn’t notice anything unusual since his understanding of the mining industry was limited; the professional jargon and data analysis in the documents were like a foreign language to him.

But as Mei Xiang translated, he began to sense that something was amiss.

"Wait a minute," Chen Cheng interrupted Mei Xiang, "You just said, this framework cooperation agreement, it was signed with which company?"

Mei Xiang glanced at the document and answered, "It’s with an Australian mining company called ’Ausman.’"

"Ausman? Is this company large? What kind of status does it hold in the Australian mining industry?"

Mei Xiang shook her head, "I’m not very clear on that. This agreement was handled by Uncle Watanabe; he should know more."

Chen Cheng quickly used the computer at hand to search for information on this company on Google.

Soon, the company’s webpage popped up.

Chen Cheng clicked to take a look; the website was indeed refined and authoritative, with the headquarters located in Perth, mainly engaged in the exploration, extraction, and sale of iron ore.

Mei Xiang also watched intently, "Brother Cheng, is there a problem?"

"I think something is not quite right." Chen Cheng expressed his doubt, "Although I am not very familiar with mining, I still understand corporate cooperation."

Chen Cheng opened the agreement,

"Look, usually in cooperation agreements, the equity share, investment amounts, and role distribution of both parties are clearly written, but the content here is vague, only mentioning joint investment and development, but how exactly isn’t even mentioned."

Mei Xiang looked carefully, and indeed as Chen Cheng said, the specific details of the cooperation in the agreement were full of vague statements, without clear figures and provisions.

"Also,"

Chen Cheng flipped to the section about the responsibilities of both parties,

"Normally, for cooperative development projects, both sides have to bear the corresponding risks. However, this agreement states that if the project incurs losses, Xingye Products shall bear all responsibility while ’Ausman’ will not take any."

Mei Xiang’s heart filled with alarm, this agreement looked every bit like an unequal treaty.

"Brother Cheng, do you mean Uncle Watanabe has... has he intentionally set a trap to trick Xingye Products?" Mei Xiang found it hard to believe her ears, but the reality in front of her left no room for doubt.

Chen Cheng did not directly answer her question but continued, "Moreover, this company hasn’t been established for long, just a short five years, and it’s not very big."

"It’s size isn’t even comparable to your Xingye Products."

Chen Cheng’s tone became serious, "An obscure small company suddenly comes up with an apparently lucrative project plan, proposing such unequal terms of cooperation, don’t you find that odd?"

Mei Xiang frowned even more deeply, "So you mean, there’s a problem here?"

"We don’t have any evidence yet." Leaning back in his chair, Chen Cheng said, "If we want to prove whether we are right or wrong..."

Mei Xiang was very nervous, "What should we do? Should we hire a private detective?"

Chen Cheng had an epiphany from her words, his brows lifted slightly, "I have a method, probably faster than a private detective."

"What’s the method?"

Chen Cheng took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and placed it in front of Mei Xiang.

Mei Xiang looked closely, the name displayed was Wen Shulin.

"Call her, have CGG’s research and investment department help us look into Ausman," Chen Cheng said with a slight smile, "In no more than an hour, you’ll know the answer."

Mei Xiang hesitated; she was aware of Chen Cheng’s plans to sell his shares to Wen Shulin, but she still had some concerns.

Her hand extended halfway, she asked,

"If there really is a problem, wouldn’t Aunt Wen no longer want to buy the shares from you?"