Chapter 565: One Link Leads to Another

We cannot let Henglong Bank get a loan; it must be sabotaged!

Anyway, Henglong Bank is bound to suffer severe losses. Even if Jiuding Bank takes over, the loss will be borne by Jiuding Bank. Holding onto some of the gold futures contracts without settling them is fine; this way, Henglong Bank will be stuck, and others won't be able to snatch the fruit.

Even if it no longer has acquisition value or is no longer worthwhile later on, this gold futures contract can be used to extract the juicy parts from Henglong Bank.

However, a gold futures contract worth 135 million is still too high; reducing it to around 100 million HKD would be more reasonable.

As long as the 15,000 ounces of gold futures contracts are settled, it should be sufficient.

Considering the time, it should be soon!

Sure enough, within twenty minutes, another person arrived—the one who was discussing the settlement of gold futures contracts with Zhao Quanhao when Zhuang Rongkun left.

"Chairman, General Manager, 35.32 million HKD has been transferred into HSBC's account. Here's the receipt."

As he spoke, the subordinate was about to hand the receipt to Xia Yu, but Xia Yu gestured for him to give it to Liu Tianci.

Liu Tianci glanced at the amount on the receipt and smiled with satisfaction. "Very good."

"Do one more thing. This number is for a business manager at Standard Chartered Bank. Go to a public phone booth and call him. Inform him that Henglong Bank's accounts have problems and are insolvent. They are borrowing money to cover the gap. Do not mention anything else."

Liu Tianci handed over a paper with the phone number written on it and instructed.

The subordinate, feeling a shiver, took the paper and said seriously, "I'll go right away."

Afterwards, he quickly left.

These are people Liu Tianci trusts. Moreover, he isn't doing anything illegal, so even if it gets exposed later, it doesn't matter.

In the end, once Jiuding Bank steps in to take over Henglong Bank, the suspicion will be hard to clear.

But what if it becomes known later?

"Tianci, inform Wenhan; we can take action now."

Xia Yu smiled at Liu Tianci and instructed.

"I'll call him now."

With that, Liu Tianci quickly walked to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed Yan Wenhan's office number.

...

Liao Rensheng is the loan department manager at Standard Chartered Bank. As a Chinese, he has reached a high position at just 38, making him a rare elite.

While he was busy with large loan approvals, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

"Ring, ring…"

Liao Rensheng looked at the incoming number and saw it was a public number. Frowning slightly, he hesitated for two seconds before answering, "Hello, this is Standard Chartered Bank. Who am I speaking with?"

"…"

"What? Where did you get this information?"

"Beep, beep, beep…"

After hearing the stranger's information, Liao Rensheng hurriedly inquired further but received a busy tone in response, leaving him stunned.

"Henglong Bank's financial accounts have problems and are insolvent? They are borrowing money to cover the gap?"

Liao Rensheng muttered to himself, pondering what impact this would have on Standard Chartered Bank.

Wait!

He had seen someone enter the CEO's office earlier. That person seemed to be Zhuang Rongkun from Henglong Bank!

Liao Rensheng was suddenly alert. He recalled clearly that it was indeed Zhuang Rongkun.

It has been almost half an hour since then!

Combining the recent phone call, Liao Rensheng couldn't sit still. He preferred to believe it than to doubt it. Whether true or not, he had to report it. If it turned out to be true and he did not report it, it would be his responsibility.

Regardless, since he received the call, he had the duty to report it. What the CEO decides is up to him!

With that, Liao Rensheng left his office immediately and headed to CEO Gars Liddell's office.

Soon, Liao Rensheng arrived at the door, which was slightly open. He saw CEO Gars Liddell talking with Zhuang Rongkun, and their cheerful conversation made Liao Rensheng's heart tighten.

"Knock, knock!"

He immediately stood at the door and knocked, drawing CEO Gars Liddell's attention.

Seeing the anxious look on Liao Rensheng's face, Gars Liddell frowned slightly. Noticing his subordinate signaling him to step out, Gars Liddell stopped his intention to let Liao Rensheng in and report.

Understanding that the subordinate's unusual behavior meant there was likely something important or private, Gars Liddell apologetically smiled at Zhuang Rongkun, "Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment. I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll be back shortly."

"Alright, please take your time!"

Despite his anxiety, Zhuang Rongkun knew it was crucial to stay calm at such a moment. He forced a smile and said.

Gars Liddell stood up with a smile and quickly walked out.

Zhuang Rongkun gave a special glance at Liao Rensheng, who met his gaze. From Liao Rensheng's eyes, he saw something unusual, causing a surge of foreboding in Zhuang Rongkun's heart.

"What's going on?"

In the other office, with the door closed, Gars Liddell asked Liao Rensheng with a frown.

"President, I was reviewing loan application materials when I received a call from a public phone booth. A stranger told me Henglong Bank's accounts have problems, are insolvent, and are borrowing money to cover the gap. After saying this, the caller hung up. I felt something was wrong and reported it to you immediately. That's the situation."

Liao Rensheng reported promptly.

Gars Liddell's expression changed, and he stared at Liao Rensheng with a piercing gaze. Seeing his subordinate's calm demeanor, Gars Liddell withdrew his gaze and began to think rapidly. He felt a chill, realizing he had nearly agreed to lend Zhuang Rongkun 200 million HKD for a month. 

Hearing the subordinate's report, two thoughts immediately sprang to mind: first, that someone was scheming against Henglong Bank, and second, that the information might be true.

Although it could be a deliberate false report, Gars Liddell didn't want to take that risk.

How much would the fees and interest be for lending 200 million? Compared to the 200 million principal, it's negligible.

With the potential risk of Henglong Bank's bankruptcy, pursuing such interest is not worth it.

In banking, stability is paramount; only stability ensures longevity!

At this moment, Gars Liddell decisively decided not to lend money to Henglong Bank.

He thought for a moment and said to Liao Rensheng, "Check discreetly what exactly happened with Henglong Bank. Report back to me as soon as you find out."

"Yes!"

Liao Rensheng responded firmly.

After that, Gars Liddell opened the door and walked out, his expression returning to calm as he went back to his office.

Once seated, Gars Liddell looked troubled and sighed.

Zhuang Rongkun's bad premonition grew stronger. He feigned concern and asked, "Mr. Liddell, is something wrong?"

Gars Liddell looked regretfully at Liao Rensheng and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhuang. My subordinate from the loan department reported that we have already disbursed 800 million in loans. Now there is a new application for 300 million, but the bank's liquidity is tight."

Seeing Zhuang Rongkun's expression darken, Gars Liddell remained unmoved and continued, "So, we can't provide additional funds to Henglong Bank at the moment."

Zhuang Rongkun's smile faltered as he persisted, "Mr. Liddell, I'm facing a major project. If I get a week, I will return the money to Standard Chartered Bank and increase the interest rate by 3 percentage points. What do you think?"

Gars Liddell remained unmoved and shook his head regretfully. "Mr. Zhuang, I'm afraid stability must come first. I hope you understand."

"Could I help you raise the funds in the meantime? I can give you a definite answer in ten days. What do you think?"

Gars Liddell looked sincere as he spoke.

Ten days?

In ten days, it might be too late; Henglong Bank might be in trouble by then.

Even if it's not two hundred million, he needed at least eighty million to manage temporarily and buy some time.

Zhuang Rongkun, feeling anxious, continued to plead, "Then, Mr. Liddell, since your bank's funds are tight, how about lending me 100 million first?"

Seeing Zhuang Rongkun's relentless pursuit, Gars Liddell recalled the subordinate's report, feeling increasingly convinced the news was true. He was even more reluctant to lend money to Henglong Bank.

"Mr. Zhuang, I'm truly sorry. I'm afraid I can't help."

Gars Liddell said with regret.

Seeing Gars Liddell refuse again, Zhuang Rongkun's heart sank to the bottom.

He suddenly recalled Liao Rensheng's unusual behavior and felt a sense of urgency, fearing that the news had leaked, causing Gars Liddell to refuse the loan.

Gars Liddell's words

 were definitely an excuse. He had been jovial earlier, almost agreeing. How could Standard Chartered Bank be out of money? 

It was definitely a matter of not wanting to lend, even rejecting high-interest offers!

Thinking about the possible incidents outside, Zhuang Rongkun couldn't stay any longer and realized staying here was a waste of time.

So he finished his tea in one gulp, stood up, and said to Gars Liddell, "Well, Mr. Liddell, I understand. I'll leave now and look forward to future opportunities for cooperation."

Gars Liddell shook hands with Zhuang Rongkun and apologized with a smile, "Alright, I look forward to cooperating next time."

After seeing Zhuang Rongkun out, Gars Liddell watched his somewhat disordered steps. His gaze grew deep as he scanned the surroundings of the bank entrance, trying to spot any suspicious individuals.

"It seems that the stranger's information is likely true! And they knew Zhuang Rongkun came to Standard Chartered Bank to borrow money, so they must have been keeping an eye on him."

"Interesting, why would that person tell me this? Didn't want Zhuang Rongkun to get the money?"

"Hehe, why should I care? If Henglong Bank collapses, it just eliminates a competitor…"

"Looks like I need to make preparations. If Henglong Bank does collapse, its clients might still be up for grabs. If there's still some value, it might be worth acquiring…"

After considering all angles, Gars Liddell's mouth curled into a meaningful smile as he returned to his office.