Financial Emperor: After I Rose From the Dead
Chapter 40: About The Bid

Chapter 40: About The Bid

A smirk played on Zaria’s lips as she leaned in to ask. "Are you indirectly proposing that I be your girlfriend?"

Rino nodded in disagreement.

"Not really," he answered coolly, taking a sip of his drink without breaking eye contact. "But you can pretend I did."

Zaria broke into a genuine laughter, full-bodied, and loud enough that Madling turned in their direction.

But neither of them cared.

Well, I don’t see anything funny with what I just said that caused you to laugh in such a way, he thought amusingly, shocked at the kind of joke Zaria laughed at.

***

Rino sat quietly, sipping his VitaFruit juice while the soft café music played in the background, with the occasional clinking of glass cups from different tables in the café. The flavors of the mango and citrus of which the fruit juice was made touched his tongue, but his mind had long drifted from the drink.

Across the table, opposite him, Zaria drank her won glass, her lips parting slightly with each sip.

She hadn’t said a word since the last moment between them. Their reactions only reeled from looking at each other to sipping from the glass of drink.

But right now, Rino needed information more than he needed to explain emotions.

"So..." he finally said, settling his glass down on the table. "...about that thing, you mentioned—the bid. You said the Federal Government is already inviting some selected Agencies to submit their bids?"

Zaria looked up, her expression returning to business. "Yes," she confirmed. "The invites have already gone out. They started rolling them out a few days ago. Agencies that meet certain credibility standards are the ones being contacted."

"And what exactly is the government trying to achieve with this bid? What’s their goal?" Rino asked.

This is more like Rino, Zaria thought. The guy who always made sure he had a reason for doing something he thought was worth doing. And since it is worth doing, he also believes it should be worth doing well.

Zaria leaned in, her voice slightly lower now, not because she wanted to be secretive, but because this was the kind of thing people didn’t normally speak about loudly in public places.

"Well... it’s mostly because Nova Nexus is not in a good state, let’s say it’s in its worst state," she began. "For instance, the company is owing its workers some months’ salaries. Some of the workers even say that it’s almost been a year."

Blatant lie. Good thing Rino had the records of the payments and how they were made.

He hoped Camira had sent the documents to his mail as he requested.

But, from the record he saw, it wasn’t even a long time to start with. It was just 3 months.

Just—

"Yeah... that’s a long time," he murmured, his voice thoughtful. "It’s worse when those workers are people at the bottom—people with families to feed and no other source of income."

Zaria gave a small nod. "Exactly. So, the government decided it couldn’t keep looking away. Nova Nexus is one of the few companies with the capacity to create massive employment, but right now, it’s a dying engine."

"And now they want to sell it out? Auction it to the highest bidder?" Rino asked, lifting a brow.

"No, not exactly," Zaria shook her head quickly. "The bidding is not about who can offer the highest amount of money. This time, the government decided to change the policy for the bidding."

"And what exactly is this policy?"

"It’s about letting them know what you’re planning to do with the company if they hand it over to you," Zaria replied, as a matter of fact.

Rino leaned back in his seat, getting interested more.

"Go on," he said.

Zaria took another small sip of her drink, then continued.

"The government is requesting two things from each invited agency: a bid and a proposal. Just put simply the bid is what will show how much you’re willing to invest, and the proposal is your plan for the company. How you will revive Nova Nexus."

"So, you’re trying to say if someone bid ten million dollars but has a really poor proposal, another who bids with one million dollars with a solid plan gets chosen?" Rino asked.

"That’s what it looks like," Zaria replied. "But that will also be dependent on whether the amount you bid will be able to commemorate that plan of yours."

"The person with the better plan has more chance," she added. "At least, that was what happened the last time something like this came up.

"That’s interesting to know," Rino said, scratching his jaw to process it all.

So, he thought. The focus isn’t just the money. It’s about who can turn the company around in a way that benefits the country and the economy.

He smiled slyly, taking another sip from his glass.

"There’ll be a formal gathering," Zaria said. "Two days from now. That’s when the final decision will be made public."

Rino dropped the glass he held in his hand, and leaned in. "Can a single individual place a bid?"

"No. Individuals aren’t trusted for this sort of deal. The government prefers dealing with registered organizations or agencies. It’s easier for them to hold such bodies accountable. Individuals are seen as risky—they might lose interest or pull out unexpectedly."

Rino let out a breath through his nose, frustrated. That was going to be a problem for him.

He had no agency—at least not in name. Nova Nexus is even yet to be his ground.

Still, he didn’t let Zaria see his frustration. Instead, he asked, "Where do you even get all this information from? I mean, this isn’t exactly something anyone can find on the news."

Zaria’s face lit up a little. "Have you heard of BigWiz?"

Rino recognized the name immediately.

In his former life, BigWiz was the news informant of the public, both on television and in newspapers.

"I am the CEO of BigWiz Blogging Company," Zaria said, with a prideful tone. "We’re not just bloggers, we also act as a media outlet. We are authorized to broadcast government notices and public announcements. So, we tend to get a lot of official information before the general public does."

Rino arched a brow. "So you’re saying... this information about the bid—you were supposed to announce it?"

She chuckled lightly. "Yes. But not until the day the result is to be released. So technically, I haven’t broken any rules. I’m just giving you a private head start."

Rino couldn’t help the grin that crept across his lips. Having the CEO of a media outlet, as well as a Blog Company at his beck and call was superficial.

Not only is the company just any company, it’s just a matter of time before it holds the power of media in the entirety of Esme. He only hoped things would work out as it had been in his former life, where BigWiz was in that position.

As shattered as his thoughts turned, they drifted to Mrs. Carter.

The $300,000 she had sent him... and the contract she made him sign.

There was a clause that she clearly hadn’t paid enough attention to. Maybe her lawyer had rushed it. Or maybe she just underestimated what the clause meant.

Either way, it might just be his way in, in case she steps in to claim the property after he retrieves it.

He would find a way to leverage that mistake and turn it into a door.

Zaria suddenly leaned closer again. "There’s something else you should know."

Rino looked at her, alert. "What is it?"

"The government also invited Red Tann to participate in the bid."

Rino’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Red Tann?"

Zaria nodded. "Yes. But nobody from the group has shown interest. They’re saying Nova Nexus is a sinking ship. They think bidding for it would be throwing money into a fire."

"But..." Rino began, confused, "How come I didn’t know about this? I’m part of Red Tann, at least. Or, am I yet to satisfy membership rights?" he asked jokingly.

"It was posted last night in our group chat forum," Zaria said casually. "You probably didn’t check in."

Rino smirked, a spark returning to his eyes. "That’s a good thing, you know."

Zaria tilted her head, curious. "How?"

But Rino didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked out the window beside them, the city lights casting a soft glow across his thoughtful face.

"Let’s look at it this way," he drew his hands on the table as if he wanted to make an illustration.