Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Pulling the Rug Out

Hearing his partner Wei Yunan’s words, Lin Yuanfang felt irritated and slammed the table, saying, “Easier said than done! We have tens of millions in inventory; trying to cash it all out isn’t a matter of one or two months. Does an automobile sales company not have loans too? Just last month, I managed to gather ten million to pay back the bank loan. Right now, the economy is sluggish, many businesses are going bankrupt, and banks are tightening their loan policies. As of now, I haven’t been able to renew the ten million loan with the bank. Furthermore, last month, your friend’s company couldn’t repay a five-million bank loan. We had to step in as the guarantor, so we had no choice but to pay it for them. We all know the situation with your friend; that five million is practically lost. If we don’t cover it, the bank will immediately come after our loan and seize our inventory, creating a vicious cycle. Do we even need to keep the store running under these conditions?”

Being a guarantor and repaying others’ loans felt like throwing water away; the borrowing entity simply had nothing of value to lose and could declare bankruptcy, leaving the guarantor completely out of luck. In the end, the original employees would take the first cut of any funds, the bank would take the second, and the guarantor usually received nothing.

Many businesses across all sectors have collapsed because they guaranteed loans for others. Banks, however, have no interest in the guaranters; their priority is to protect national assets. If the loss is caused by internal bank personnel, that is treated separately.

“You agreed to be a guarantor. We made quite a bit from it. As for my friend’s situation, I can’t do anything about that. Of course, I hope he can repay it! Am I the only one bearing this five million loss? I have a stake in this too! No matter what, you have to sign today. I won’t even take the full amount; I’ll accept a loss if I have to. If I don’t receive this money today, I’m finished, and you won’t be doing well either.”

Wei Yunan, his patience wearing thin, no longer wanted to discuss it with Lin Yuanfang. Over the past month, he had approached Lin Yuanfang many times. What started as friendly chats soon shifted to various excuses for delays. However, the pressure from the bank was pushing Wei Yunan to his breaking point.

In this day and age, who does business without bank loans? Many companies have bank loans that account for more than 50% of their assets, relying entirely on cash flow to maintain revenue and profit. When funds dry up or assets suddenly depreciate, it quickly results in aggressive debt collection by the bank.

Despite the high salaries some bank employees earned, businesses stuffed them with red envelopes to secure loans. Most of these employees seemed to be living the high life, but as soon as a bad debt occurred, they were immediately ordered to stop all work. All bonuses ceased, leaving them with only meager salaries, turning them into professional debt collectors relentlessly pursuing repayments.

If banks can’t recuperate money, one can forget about thriving in that circle for life. It’s a harsh reality.

“I have no money right now. My accounts show just over three million. In a few days, I have to pay salaries, utilities, and rent. In another half month, a ten-million loan is due, and I still haven’t secured that money. If you want to declare bankruptcy, go ahead, but don’t blame me when you lose everything. You won’t even recover a tenth of your investment,” Lin Yuanfang snapped, leaning back in his chair, anger boiling over. This intimidation tactic wouldn’t work! Although Expedition Automobile Sales Co. seemed fine on the surface, it was actually facing a serious crisis behind the scenes, running on empty.

Bang! A hand slammed the table, echoing loudly.

“Lin, in business, it’s best to part on good terms. I see through you now. If you don’t pull out the money, and I have no way out, don’t blame me for turning against you.”

Thinking about the real estate he developed in Huzhou, which hadn’t sold a single property due to the economic downturn, and with banks pressuring him for loans, Wei Yunan felt a rush of panic. A lifetime’s worth of hard work was about to go down the drain, and his face twisted with rage.

“You…”

Lin Yuanfang had never been threatened like this before; it felt utterly shameless. Infuriated, he was about to shout back when a faint voice came from the doorway.

“If money can solve the problem, it’s not really a problem!”

“Uh! Xiao Mo, why are you here? Get out! This is adult business, so don’t meddle.” Lin Yuanfang said, seeing his son Lin Mo had entered the room. Recognizing the intense atmosphere, he quickly gestured for him to leave.

Lin Mo seemed to ignore Lin Yuanfang’s words and walked closer to the desk, continuing, “Alright, how much do you owe in total?”

“What do you mean?” Wei Yunan was caught off guard by Lin Mo’s interruption, looking him up and down. The boy had a solid build, and Wei Yunan wondered if the two of them were going to team up against him.

“I’m asking how much you guys owe? Dad, how much are you lacking, and Uncle Wei, how much do you need from my dad?”

“Xiao Mo, go outside!”

“Ha ha, interesting! Old Lin, your son really has a big mouth,” Wei Yunan said, amused. Lin Yuanfang’s son sounded mysteriously confident—did he have connections with the banks?

But Wei Yunan was completely mistaken. Lin Mo continued, “I’ll say it again: if money can solve it, it’s not a problem. How much do you need? I’ll cover it.”

“What? Xiao Mo, don’t be reckless. This isn’t a matter of just one or two thousand,” Lin Yuanfang immediately thought of the possibility of Lin Mo borrowing money from the girl Qi Fei. But was it that simple to borrow money?

Moreover, how would it look for a grown man to ask a woman for money? Even if they ended up together later, he would be at a disadvantage in their relationship.

“Okay, okay, Old Lin, you’re not the good guy here, but your son is quite the handsome one! Good, good.” Wei Yunan said repeatedly, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Lin Mo. “I’m your dad’s partner and hold 40% of the shares in this Expedition Automobile Sales Company. I’m in real estate, and right now my funds aren’t flowing back. I owe the bank loans. If it weren’t necessary, I wouldn’t ask your dad for help. The amount isn’t much—twenty-one million two hundred thousand. That’s the value after years of investment appreciation, and it’s been calculated by an accounting firm. And I’m still saying it’s a low estimate; I’m just waiting on this money to bail me out.”

Wei Yunan glanced at Lin Yuanfang and continued, “Your dad is close to the point of needing to liquidate, and he’s still about eight million short with the bank. So, Lin, do you have a way out?”

Partner Wei Yunan’s shares were valued at twenty-one million two hundred thousand, plus the outstanding loan with the bank of about eight million—almost thirty million altogether.

“Xiao Mo, don’t listen to his nonsense! You don’t have to mind him. I can manage this. Just go out!” Lin Yuanfang had now completely lost the demeanor of a general manager, pleading instead for his son not to interfere. He knew very well that even if Lin Mo was a fighter pilot with a decent salary, he couldn’t come up with that kind of money.

But Lin Mo only had three million, enough for just a tenth. However, he still had a way and pulled out his phone to dial.

“Hello, is this Haiqing? It’s me, Lin Mo!”

Lin Mo used a secure line. The national security system automatically confirmed his identity (based on the registered ID and address) and would decide within ten seconds whether to keep the call or cut it off forcibly.

After a moment, the call connected. This was at the Team 7759 base, and not just anyone could reach this line. It was routed through countless relays and was under surveillance.

Getting in touch with Chen Haiqing wasn’t an easy task; if this guy was on a flying mission, it would take even longer to reach him.

For an ordinary person, this would be impossible, but Lin Mo had this privilege.

“What’s up, Lin? Any orders?” came Chen Haiqing’s voice over the phone.

“Got any money?” Lin Mo asked directly.

“What?” Chen Haiqing replied incredulously.

“Do you have any money?” Lin Mo repeated.

“Alright, how much do you need?” After a moment’s consideration, Chen Haiqing caught on.

“Not much, twenty-seven million. I’ll pay you back in a month.”

Lin Mo began to think of ways to repay this guy. It shouldn’t be too difficult; he could sell some tech to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation for cash. But for now, only Chen Haiqing could offer immediate help. Although the Shenyang Aircraft Manufacturing Plant had money, they couldn’t relieve his current predicament.

“No problem, I’ll give you thirty million, no need to pay it back. It’s a gift,” Chen Haiqing said casually, without hesitation.

“Let’s discuss that later.”

Lin Mo didn’t want to owe any favors now. In his past experiences, he knew that debts of gratitude in his previous world could be paid back with lives.

“Remember my bank card number and phone number…”

Lin Mo read out his bank card number. The other party repeated it back accurately.

After hanging up, Lin Mo smiled at a stunned Lin Yuanfang and Wei Yunan, waving his phone. “Just wait a moment!”

In less than ten minutes, Lin Mo received a text message from his smartwatch, confirming from Chen Haiqing that the cash had been sent and was already in his account.

Since it was cash, the speed of the transaction was incredibly fast. Only someone like Chen Haiqing could casually pull out thirty million cash without breaking a sweat.

“Alright, it’s done, and it’s in the account, Dad! Let me borrow your computer. Give me your account number, and I’ll transfer the money!”

Lin Mo then adjusted his smartwatch, revealing a USB port, skipping the need for a bank U-KEY altogether.

“Uh, uh, wait, what’s going on?” Wei Yunan could hardly believe his ears. Moments ago, they were at the brink of a fierce confrontation, and now Lin Mo appeared, made one call, and resolved everything. Was this a dream or a fairy tale?