As for why he hoped this dramatic change would last longer… Obviously, Charles, the current CEO of Finger Company, would continuously create negative news to suppress Finger Company’s value and pressure Dayark Group in order to buy back Finger Company’s shares at a low price, allowing him to complete the transaction at a relatively low price.

And Dayark Group certainly wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

The longer the two sides struggled, the lower the cost of taking over Finger Company would naturally be!

Thinking of this, Meng Chang couldn’t help but feel invigorated.

He was already 60% certain that Mr. Pei was monitoring the developments at Finger Company and had prepared to be “the bird that catches the mantis after it catches the cicada.”

Although 60% probability wasn’t secure enough, Meng Chang didn’t dare risk further probing.

His asking about Finger Company was already a bit strange, and asking another question now would make his intentions too obvious.

After all, Meng Chang hadn’t been responsible for GOG-related publicity work recently, so why would he be so interested in IOI? It wasn’t reasonable.

Testing out a 60% possibility was already not bad.

As Meng Chang turned to leave, Pei Qian called him back.

“Wait a moment.”

“I also have a question for you: Do you think there’s any… way to quickly spend large amounts of funds?”

Pei Qian had a sudden inspiration, which prompted this question.

He had been struggling with emergency spending, and suddenly thought, why not ask Meng Chang!

Meng Chang might not be reliable in other areas, but he had one advantage: he was very willing to spend money!

Asking him might not yield very useful answers, but there would certainly be some gains.

Meng Chang froze instantly.

What did Mr. Pei mean by this?!

There were so many ways to spend money in this world, how could Mr. Pei not think of them?

That’s impossible!

Not to mention all those industries that Tenda had not yet entered, the simplest method would be to throw all the money into Dream Realization Venture Capital, wouldn’t that work?

Obviously, Mr. Pei’s question seemed to have deeper implications.

Meng Chang felt a bit panicked. Could it be that just by indirectly asking about IOI, Mr. Pei had already accurately guessed what was in his mind, and was using this method to give him a warning?

Mr. Pei asked if there was any way to quickly spend large amounts of funds, and wouldn’t acquiring Finger Company fit perfectly?

Was Mr. Pei saying: I know all your little schemes, don’t try to be clever and test me again in the future?

Meng Chang’s thoughts drifted far away.

Seeing Meng Chang’s distracted state, Pei Qian was puzzled.

What’s going on? I just asked if you had any methods to quickly spend large amounts of funds. If you have ideas, say them; if not, that’s fine too. Even just mentioning one or two would be fine. Why so troubled?

Pei Qian cleared his throat and said, “Is this question that difficult?”

Meng Chang couldn’t help but shudder, suddenly becoming alert.

Indeed, when Mr. Pei asked this question, he already had an answer in mind!

And my hesitation had precisely exposed myself…

It’s impossible to defend against!

Dealing with Mr. Pei really required constant vigilance, because any small flaw would be caught by Mr. Pei—this was truly a complete suppression of intelligence!

What should I do next? Obviously, there was only one way.

To tell the truth and confess sincerely!

With this in mind, Meng Chang hurriedly bowed: “Mr. Pei, I really shouldn’t have presumed about your intention to acquire Finger Company! I’m very sorry!”

Pei Qian: “?”

This bow directly confused Pei Qian.

What’s going on?

Why are you suddenly apologizing?

I just asked you a simple question. What have you been answering?

Hmm? Acquire Finger Company?

Pei Qian wasn’t particularly concerned initially, but the key phrase “acquire Finger Company” instantly opened a door to a new world for him.

Wait, this is a good idea!

What’s called thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river? What’s called the wheel of fortune turns?

Back then, Dayark Group could forcibly take Finger Company’s shares from my hands through a privatization offer, so naturally I can now take them back in the same way!

Obviously, Finger Company was in a deteriorating situation, and the failure of the Spring Festival activities had dealt another heavy blow to Finger Company.

Finger Company now could be said to be at its weakest since its founding.

Pei Qian had never considered this issue before because IOI’s business situation was still acceptable, Finger Company was a valuable asset, and Dayark Group definitely wouldn’t sell.

But now it was different. After several twists and turns, IOI’s situation was no longer what it used to be, and Dayark Group was famously money-oriented. Perhaps with a high enough price, Finger Company could really be bought?

As for whether buying Finger Company was worth it…

Of course it was worth it!

Even though IOI was now in decline, Dayark Group definitely wouldn’t let go easily. To buy it would certainly not be cheap, and there would still be some premium.

High price, poor prospects—wasn’t this exactly the lowest value-for-money investment?

Looking at IOI’s current state, it was basically almost finished. If Pei Qian didn’t buy it, it would rot in someone else’s hands; but if Pei Qian bought it, wouldn’t it rot in his own hands?

If IOI really deteriorated, then it could be used to burn money continuously. This money-burning tree could burn for at least a year or more, how wonderful!

Pei Qian even had a more outrageous, more sinister idea, which was to bring GOG along together, spending the most money to create the biggest loss…

Pei Qian was also lost in thought, daydreaming for a good half minute before coming back to his senses.

Then he saw that Meng Chang was still bowing.

Pei Qian was speechless: “What are you doing? Get up quickly, I didn’t mean to blame you for this.”

Meng Chang rubbed his sore back, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Not blaming me? Then why let me bow for so long?

Obviously, Mr. Pei’s attitude could be viewed from two aspects.

Meng Chang bowed in apology, and Mr. Pei deliberately let him wait for more than half a minute before letting him stand up, which was clearly a warning, telling him not to be clever and test him next time; but Mr. Pei verbally said he didn’t blame him, meaning the matter of acquiring Finger Company wouldn’t change because of Meng Chang.

Furthermore…

Mr. Pei meant: I want to acquire Finger Company, you figured it out and had some thoughts, that’s fine. But you being clever and coming to test me, that’s very problematic!

Each matter should be dealt with separately—this attitude was already made very clear.

Meng Chang hurriedly said, “Alright, Mr. Pei, I’ll be going now.”

Leaving Mr. Pei’s office, Meng Chang couldn’t help but let out a long breath.

Phew… that was close!

Although the plan failed, and his seemingly subtle probing was immediately seen through by Mr. Pei, Mr. Pei hadn’t gotten angry about it.

Moreover, he had also confirmed that Mr. Pei indeed had plans to acquire Finger Company.

Since this news was confirmed, the rest would be easier. Meng Chang and Fan Xiaodong could roughly estimate the future trend of Finger Company’s stock price based on this reliable intelligence!

First, Charles would definitely release some negative news to cause Finger Company’s stock price to fall in order to buy Finger Company at a low price.

Then, when the stock price had fallen sufficiently, just as Charles and Dayark Group were about to reach a deal, Mr. Pei would suddenly make his move.

At that point, the stock price, which had already fallen to a certain level, would definitely rise again.

In other words, first short, then go long—they could make another profit.

Meng Chang’s small private fund would naturally be replenished.

However, Meng Chang had already decided that he would take a large portion of the money he earned and donate it directly to the “Chu Ji Plan.” This way, Mr. Pei would turn a blind eye to his actions.

In short, the situation looked very promising!

…

After seeing Meng Chang off, Pei Qian began to ponder the acquisition of Finger Company.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense!

He hadn’t considered this issue before, mainly because he didn’t get along with Dayark Group, and even if he wanted to buy, they wouldn’t sell.

Now that Finger Company was in such a state, there might really be a chance.

But the question was, acquiring a company wasn’t as simple as buying cabbage; it required evaluation and negotiation, which was a troublesome process.

How to buy? Who should go?

As for the price, Pei Qian wasn’t too concerned. As long as it wasn’t too outrageous, a bit more expensive or cheaper wouldn’t be a big problem. The key was to complete it smoothly. It would be a waste of effort if they went through a series of operations only to be rebuffed.

After some consideration, Pei Qian decided on four main candidates.

Eric, Assistant Xin, He Desheng, and Meng Chang!

Eric was a long-time employee of Dayark Group and should be able to establish connections with Dayark Group. This would help facilitate the transaction more quickly and avoid wasting time by not being able to make contact.

Additionally, Eric had been responsible for the operations of both IOI and GOG, and was particularly knowledgeable about IOI, making him professionally competent in the gaming aspect.

Assistant Xin and He Desheng would mainly examine Finger Company and estimate a reasonable price. These two had solid business skills—they wouldn’t need to push the price too low, but they also wouldn’t be suckers.

As for the last person, Meng Chang, he seemed to be just making up the numbers on the surface, but he was actually very important: Pei Qian wanted him to make decisions on his behalf.

Acquiring a company certainly couldn’t be negotiated in just a few days; the entire negotiation process would be quite lengthy, and there might be trade-offs along the way.

Pei Qian wasn’t actually very concerned about these detailed gains and losses, but neither Eric, Assistant Xin, nor He Desheng were the type to make bold decisions.

While Meng Chang didn’t have many other strengths, his one advantage was his courage.

These people might need to fly to Europe or the United States, which have time differences with China. Pei Qian didn’t want to be woken up in the middle of the night by a trans-oceanic phone call to make a decision on something that, in his view, was a trivial matter.

So, Eric would establish connections, Assistant Xin and He Desheng would evaluate and negotiate, and Meng Chang would make decisions. In the end, regardless of the outcome, as long as Finger Company was purchased without spending too much unnecessary money, that would be fine.

These four people working together, and then forming a professional team based on their needs, would definitely be solid and foolproof!

The more Pei Qian thought about it, the happier he became. He immediately sent messages to all four, asking them to quickly arrange their current work, assess the possibility of acquiring Finger Company, and then advance this matter as soon as possible.

Of course, Pei Qian wouldn’t be involved in the specific negotiations. The four of them could discuss and make decisions together.