Flash Marriage with Dr. Huo

The night was deep, the city's neon lights casting dappled shadows on the glass curtain wall. Mr. Huo stood by the French window, a cup of coffee in hand, his eyes sharp as a knife, seemingly piercing the pitch-black night sky. Behind him, Vice President Bo stood respectfully, holding a freshly printed press release.

"Mr. Huo, the news about Xicheng Group has made the headlines." Vice President Bo whispered.

Mr. Huo raised the corner of his mouth slightly, took a sip of coffee, and said in a low and cold voice: "Very good, this is just the beginning."

Vice President Bo nodded and continued, "The anonymous tip-off was even more effective than expected. The cement quality issues in Xicheng Group's newly developed properties have been thoroughly exposed. Their properties are now practically deserted, and they've suffered heavy losses."

President Huo turned around and stared at Vice President Bo with a sharp gaze. "Remember, the process of exposing this matter must be kept confidential. West City Group is not a pushover."

Vice President Bo's expression froze, and he nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, President Huo. All leads have been cut off, and the media has been dealt with. They have no evidence."

President Huo sneered, "I've found out that this batch of electronic products from Germany was reported by the West City Group by exploiting loopholes in the regulations. It almost bankrupted the Huo Group. Today, let them have a taste of this."

A glint of admiration flashed in Vice President Bo's eyes. "Boss Huo is brilliant. However, the West City Group's top management might start to suspect us. After all, yesterday's incident just happened, and today they've already had such a huge scandal. But at the same time, they'll probably start to restrain themselves and not dare to act so recklessly."

President Huo waved his hand and said calmly, "So what if they suspect me? Without evidence, they'll just suffer in silence. Next, we'll observe the movements of the West City Group. If necessary, we'll expose some more negative information about the West City Group. I want to make sure they can't turn things around."

Vice President Bo bowed slightly. "Yes, President Huo. I've already contacted several authoritative media outlets, and they're willing to follow up on this story. Additionally, some former West City Group employees are willing to report anonymously. Evidence of their shoddy workmanship and bribery of regulatory authorities will soon be published."

President Huo nodded with satisfaction: "Well done. Remember, our goal is to make West City Group completely lose the trust of the market."

Vice President Bo smiled slightly. "I understand. President Huo, this move of yours is truly brilliant. Not only did it avenge us, but it also intimidated them, making them afraid to mess with us next time."

Mr. Huo turned around and looked out the window at the night view again, his tone carrying a hint of meaning: "The mall is like a battlefield. Since West City Group dares to attack us, they must be prepared to pay the price."

Vice President Bo was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Boss Huo, what do we need to do next?"

Mr. Huo pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "You should continue to monitor the movements of the West City Group and arrange for people to secretly contact their suppliers and partners to see if you can dig out more inside information."

Vice President Bo nodded: "Understood, I'll arrange it right away."

President Huo waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. Remember, be cautious in your actions. ... I need to at least make sure they are busy now."

Vice President Bo respectfully left the office, leaving President Huo standing alone in front of the window.

*

Meanwhile, chaos reigned at West City Group's headquarters. In the president's office, President Zhao was furiously slamming the table and yelling at several executives, "Who leaked this information?! Weren't the cement quality issues at the new development covered up long ago? How did it suddenly come to light?!"

A senior executive replied timidly, "Mr. Zhao, we've already checked. The person who leaked the information contacted the media anonymously, and we can't find the source at all."

"Mr. Zhao, this is the latest public opinion report." The assistant walked in quietly and placed a document on the desk.

President Zhao turned around, his brow furrowing ever deeper, and finally slammed the report down on the table. "It's only been three days, and our stock price has already dropped 25%." He rubbed his temples. "What's going on at the Huo Group?"

"The Huo Group held a press conference this morning, saying that the stock price will soon return to normal." The assistant pushed his glasses.

Mr. Zhao sneered, "Mr. Huo, that's a great move." He walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Tell me, is Mr. Huo behind this new building's cement quality issue? What should we do with this large number of new buildings that are unsold?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment: "According to the information we have, the unsold new properties may be difficult to recover... In addition, Mr. Zhao, the Environmental Protection Bureau came to conduct a surprise inspection of the sewage discharge of our group's chemical plant this afternoon..." He lowered his voice.

Mr. Zhao's hand trembled, and the amber wine spilled onto his custom-made suit. He remembered the sound of the landline on his desk suddenly ringing. He picked up the call, his face instantly turning pale.

"What?! The tax bureau is coming to audit the accounts?" His voice trembled. "When? Tomorrow morning?"

After hanging up the phone, Mr. Zhao slumped back in the leather chair. He remembered how the CFO had reminded him late last month that some of his accounts hadn't been handled properly. He hadn't taken it seriously at the time, but now, thinking about it, it all seemed like a coincidence.

"Mr. Zhao, should we continue with the original plan and spread negative news about Huo Yang Electronics, a subsidiary of the Huo Group?" the assistant asked cautiously.

Zhao Mingyuan stood up suddenly. "What else are you spreading? Do you think we're not dying fast enough?" He took a deep breath. "Boss Huo is warning us. If we don't know what's good for us, it won't just be a matter of falling stock prices and unsold properties. By then, the Huo Group might still be around, but our Xicheng Group will be the first to go bankrupt..."

He walked to the window and looked across at the towering headquarters of the Huo Group. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the building looked like a dormant giant beast.

"Notify the Public Relations Department to immediately cease all actions targeting the Huo Group." Mr. Zhao's voice was a little hoarse. "Also, have the Legal Department prepare to cease reporting to Germany and have no further involvement in any of the Huo Group's business in Germany. I don't dare let them widen their funding gap any further."

After the assistant left, President Zhao muttered to himself, "Huo Chenjun is truly shrewd and calculating. Although I've paused my attack, I still have one hope. The Huo Group has a significant funding gap this time. As long as they can't fill it in time, we still have a chance of acquiring the Huo Group at a low price... Unless the Li family steps in, no other group can come up with so much money to help him with his financial needs right now."