Chapter 8: Terrified—How Did Jia Xing Offend the Baoli Group?

The car quickly came to a stop outside a courtyard in the eastern suburbs of Huangpu District.

Not far ahead, a Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked.

Beside it stood a small pavilion, where a young man sat on a stone bench, idly fiddling with a lighter, appearing somewhat bored.

After getting out of the car, Zeng Jia, wearing high heels, walked on the dirt ground, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Approaching beneath the pavilion, Zeng Jia smiled and extended her hand.

“Hello, I’m Zeng Jia, Chairman of Jiaxing Media.”

“You must have called me for something. May I ask how I should address you?”

Zeng Jia’s polite small talk was impeccably delivered—she was very adept at handling these second-generation heirs.

Wang Mian lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, then waved his hand dismissively.

“Please, have a seat. I called you here today to discuss something.”

His attitude made Zeng Jia pause briefly—it felt a bit pretentious. After all, she was the boss of an entertainment company, and it was rather disrespectful to smoke while negotiating business with a female CEO.

Still, she feigned indifference, smoothed her pencil skirt, and sat down on the stone bench.

“Chairman Zeng, right? I’m Wang.”

Wang Mian picked up a teapot. Just as Zeng Jia was about to politely reach for a teacup, he poured tea only for himself and then set the pot down.

Feeling awkward, Zeng Jia realized he hadn’t intended to pour her any.

“Mr. Wang, may I ask what kind of cooperation you wish to discuss?”

Zeng Jia kept her composure.

Wang Mian sipped his tea, a faint smile on his lips.

“You misunderstand, Chairman Zeng. There’s no cooperation to discuss. I simply want to acquire Jiaxing.”

Those words stunned Zeng Jia utterly.

She was filled with surprise and disbelief, hardly daring to trust her ears.

“W-what?” she stammered.

Wang Mian smiled again.

“I said, I want to acquire Jiaxing. I hope you will cooperate.”

Upon confirming this, Zeng Jia’s expression darkened. She stood up.

The earlier warmth and graciousness vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sneer.

“Mr. Wang, did your investors send you here just to toy with me?”

Even a clay figurine has some fire left in it.

As chairman of Jiaxing, Zeng Jia was no pushover. For someone to come right out and propose buying her company—if that’s not mockery, then what is?

Seeing her reaction, Wang Mian merely smiled slightly, his expression calm as ever.

“Sit down. I’m only here to give you a heads-up.”

“Someone will explain the details later.”

A clear trace of disdain crossed Zeng Jia’s face. She doubted whether this man was sane.

To say he wanted to acquire Jiaxing outright?

Never mind the company’s market value—this wasn’t something resolved with a few words.

Zeng Jia wanted to call her investors to clarify what kind of eccentric she was dealing with.

Suppressing her displeasure, she sneered coldly.

“Mr. Wang, don’t you find this joke rather dull?”

“Acquiring Jiaxing, ha…”

Wang Mian’s smile faded, his eyes narrowing.

“Chairman Zeng, I’m not here to negotiate.”

Just then, Zeng Jia’s phone rang again.

At such a crucial moment, an incoming call filled her with a sense of foreboding.

Seeing the caller ID, she frowned and looked at Wang Mian suspiciously before answering.

“Zeng Jia, are you with Mr. Wang?” came the voice of an older man, clearly displeased.

“Didn’t I tell you? The other party is very powerful. Are you courting disaster right now?!”

Hearing her backer’s anger, Zeng Jia was momentarily stunned, then moved aside to speak quietly.

“Mr. Zhang, he says he wants to acquire Jiaxing. Isn’t this a joke?!”

She couldn’t understand—indeed, she refused to.

Mr. Zhang was the main investor behind Jiaxing Entertainment, her financial pillar and support.

Much of what was apparent was just surface; especially in entertainment companies, chairpersons were often just figureheads.

Over the phone, Mr. Zhang’s voice was grave.

“This is no joke. I just learned about the acquisition myself, so I didn’t inform you earlier.”

“Zeng Jia, who on earth have you offended?”

“Otherwise, with their power, they wouldn’t bother with your small company.”

Zeng Jia was taken aback.

A small company?

Hearing her backer’s words, she glanced at Wang Mian in disbelief.

She realized the other party’s influence might truly be enormous, else Mr. Zhang wouldn’t say that.

“Mr. Zhang... who exactly are they?” she asked nervously.

Fear crept in, yet she still didn’t want to give up Jiaxing so easily.

After all, it was a company she had painstakingly built over many years, and she owned shares in it.

“Even if forced acquisition is on the table, we can’t just hand it over on a whim,” she said, trying to gauge if there was any room to maneuver.

“Considering Jiaxing’s current valuation, it’s about three billion yuan. By the rules, they’d owe us double that, right?”

But the next words from Mr. Zhang chilled her to the bone.

“Zeng Jia, you’re overthinking.”

His hoarse voice came through the line.

“Jiaxing is to be handed over to them. And you need to adjust your attitude, or you’ll drag me down with you.”

“If this goes south, you know what consequences you’ll face.”

Zeng Jia stood frozen, gripping her phone, feeling dazed.

“Did you hear that?!” Mr. Zhang said again.

Finally regaining some composure, she took a deep breath, fighting to suppress her shock and disbelief.

Her voice trembled.

“C-could you at least tell me who they are?”

There was a pause on the line before the hoarse voice replied.

“They’re from the Baoli Group, and apparently, they’re VIPs. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“You should understand Baoli Group’s weight. Crossing them is tantamount to suicide.”

“You’d better think carefully about who you’ve offended.”

“All right, hand over the company quickly, then come back to see me.”

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