The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard
Chapter 280

Chapter 280: 280

Zuo Zhengyang nodded, "She has mentioned it to me before, but I didn’t agree. Such matters are too sensitive; they require triple checks and stringent reviews. After the scrutiny comes the suppression, and once suppressed, no letting go—it’s a tough task. But later on, someone else took the job. Ten years ago in Tianhe, there was a person named Bi Zhicheng, just like you he came from a small place. One could say, both of you have that stubborn streak, but you are a bit smoother around the edges."

"Just say I have a thick skin," Ye Tian quipped.

Zuo Zhengyang smiled and continued, "That’s not a fault. Those with thick skin usually don’t fare badly. Don’t believe me? Go check history."

Ye Tian nodded solemnly, "That’s true."

"Thick skin is suddenly a virtue now? What are you both talking about? If it were like that, even thugs could become presidents." Shen Xuepei walked in with a pot of tea, rather dismissive of Zuo Zhengyang’s opinion.

"Hey, don’t say that. Presidents of the United States really aren’t all that great."

"Nonsense."

Shen Xuepei poured each of them a cup of tea, the pleasant fragrance dispersing around them. Ye Tian didn’t know much about tea and couldn’t tell good from bad, but when he had seen the exquisitely packaged and grand tea box downstairs with the words "Specially Supplied" written on it, although he wasn’t a tea connoisseur, he knew the weight those words carried.

Ye Tian took the tea Shen Xuepei handed him, thanking his godmother with a word of thanks, but she just shook her head, indicating it wasn’t necessary.

"Ye Tian, make yourself at home here, don’t be so formal."

Ye Tian nodded in agreement.

"Alright, you two chat. I’m heading out."

Zuo Zhengyang seemed quite afraid of Shen Xuepei, only daring to take a deep breath after she closed the door, "Now that you have a wife, you’ll understand what life’s hardships are."

"That bad? Then maybe I just won’t get married."

"Could you really do that?"

Ye Tian shook his head vigorously like a rattle-drum, "I couldn’t." The two of them laughed together.

"Let’s continue talking about your venture in private equity. Where were we?"

"Bi Zhicheng."

Zuo Zhengyang nodded thoughtfully, leaning back on the sofa, "Bi Zhicheng, Bi Zhicheng..." He mumbled the name several times before stopping.

"Strictly speaking, he wasn’t the first to get involved in private equity, but he was certainly the best and the closest to success. They say Columbus opened a new Chapter for the world; for Tianhe’s economy, it was Bi Zhicheng. Mr. Deng boldly drew circles on the southeast coast, which transformed Huaxia’s economy radically. When Bi Zhicheng proposed private equity, it turned Tianhe City upside down. The economy is the lifeline of a nation and something that a country must control at all costs. How could they allow private equity ventures? No matter if it pushes economic development, when it comes to economic sovereignty, there is no room for ambiguity; everything else is nonsense!"

"Then how could he be said to have... opened a new Chapter?"

"He took an unconventional path, bold yet meticulous. The man was unyielding but also not blockheaded. How could a Harvard Ph.D. in Economics not come up with ways to deal with Huaxia’s rigid economic system? He set up his own company, which went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange three years later. The stock price wasn’t high, but it was Tianhe’s first successful public listing. A company in the primary market won’t be rejected by the state. After all, it’s publicly listed. But that’s exactly where the problem lies. Bi Zhicheng made an irrevocable mistake by illegally fundraising under the guise of public offering."

"Illegal fundraising?"

"Exactly. The principle of private equity is a small scope, targeted, not public. However, at that time in Tianhe, such a model couldn’t gain the trust of the big bosses, so the funds raised were very limited. At this point, he initiated the final plan step, starting to recruit funds from the public on a large scale. This step crossed the final barrier—small scale, non-public."

Ye Tian knew that the biggest difference between illegal fundraising and private equity lies in the scope. Fundraising within the limit of fifty people can be recognized as private equity, but once it exceeds this scope, it can be deemed illegal fundraising.

"At the time, this caused a huge commotion with a lot of controversy, but in the end, it just fizzled out. After all, not many people suffered losses, and most even made a good profit."

"Was he sentenced?"

Zuo Zhengyang shook his head, "He was very cautious; he had secretly become an American citizen prior, never disclosing it publicly until the police came knocking. However, his company was done for, its stock price plummeted, turning into junk stocks. Ah, how to put it... If he had waited just a few more years, at most three, private equity would have become permissible. He had the brains but not the patience."

"This is something you can do. The money is there with Zheng Xinru, not lacking. As for personnel... I heard you recently acquired Yalan Club?"

As Zuo Zhengyang looked up, his eyes met Ye Tian’s. They exchanged a meaningful smile.

"Situ Liang—find this man. When it comes to financial matters, no one knows better than him; more than half of the city’s finance bureau has connections with him. Although the state’s regulations are strict, Huaxia is still a world of personal connections, people are valued more than discipline. Wherever there are people, there are relationships, and with relationships come loopholes. Once you find the loophole, you can exploit the weakness."

Situ Liang. Ye Tian etched the name deeply in his mind.

"Binhai Industrial can serve as a stepping stone. I understand what Zheng Xinru is thinking, but I won’t get involved in the specifics. She wants me as a backer which is fine, but if she thinks I’ll clean up her mess, she can forget it. Finding you is just a reasonable move. Even though you are known as a rising star in Tianhe, you don’t have many impressive achievements to show for it. If you want to firmly establish yourself here, merely beating two people won’t cut it. Without something decisive in your hand, sooner or later, you’ll be tripped up and fall. If you play this move well, a single victory will accomplish everything. If not, at least there will still be room to retreat. Don’t worry, Tianhe City is still my turf. Even as I grow old, no one will be able to touch you. No one." Zuo Zhengyang’s voice rose by a decibel, authoritative, and stern—the intimidating presence of someone high in command burst forth from his not-so-large and even slightly frail body.

Ye Tian was moved, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.