Blackstone Code

Chapter 136:

The reception ended in the thick atmosphere of commerce. After the governor's aide delivered an "inspirational" speech, both the aide and the mayor left, supposedly to adjust the future direction of Sabin City.

But this was normal. Although the event was organized by progressives, the majority of attendees were capitalists and businessmen.

Having a few politicians here wasn't a good choice. It would give the public a terrifying negative impression, making them think that the elected officials were colluding with capitalists, even though the two were never really separate.

In the latter half of the reception, the business atmosphere became heavier. Many people briefly chatted with Lynch and exchanged contact information. They were all businessmen in the same faction now. If there were needs, they could provide each other with some assistance within their capabilities.

It was a society of favors. If one didn't help others, why should others help them?

This was why some people always scrambled to enter exclusive circles. Often, success and these circles were synonymous.

The impact generated by this reception far exceeded the speculation of the participants. Or rather, as participants, they were in the midst of the situation and were unaware of the changes in the outside world.

Less than ten minutes after the governor's aide mentioned "unity," the board of directors of Listoan Group initiated a conference call.

Almost all available directors participated in this conference call, including the CEO, Mr. Neo, who was suddenly called back.

It wasn't overreacting. Roles such as those of the mayor and the governor often required careful navigation of expressing their attitudes. They had to maintain a sense of potential concessions, albeit in a vague and implicit manner, all while avoiding appearing too weak. So, how would they effectively manage this delicate balance?

That was where their aides, the staff members, came into play. The remarks made by the governor's aide during the reception had obviously been deciphered. However, it was not good news for the Listoan Group.

As a publicly listed company, they were well aware of the intimate connection between the attitude of local governments and stock prices.

If they couldn't resolve these issues before Monday's opening, Listoan's stock price was likely to plummet.

As the mayor initially imagined, facing conglomerates like Listoan, preaching ethics, morality, social responsibility, and rules would be futile. They would act oblivious to everything, always pursuing more profits.

As long as profits were attractive enough, violating morals, ethics, or laws wouldn't hinder them in the slightest.

It was only when they felt the pain, when their wealth started to shrink, that they began to consider those things.

"Who's in charge of the Policy Office now?"

As the conference call commenced, just before Neo could take the lead with his magnetic and well-known voice, another voice unexpectedly broke through, causing a stir among all participants. It belonged to none other than Auburn Listoan, the chairman of Listoan Group, a venerable figure whose lineage traced back to the company's founder.

Over the years, however, this family business, which initially could only be considered a small enterprise, evolved into a large-scale conglomerate under the management of Mr. Auburn and his father.

Of course, strictly speaking, this company no longer belonged to them. Yet, their wealth had grown exponentially compared to when they completely controlled the company.

The old man typically refrained from interfering in the company's affairs. But his initial inquiry about the Policy Office immediately signaled to everyone that he was alleviating pressure for Neo. It was worth noting that the current CEO of the conglomerate, Mr. Neo, was also Auburn's son-in-law.

Every large company had a dedicated policy research office. Perhaps the department's name might vary, but its purpose remained the same.

They would search for policies beneficial to the company's development or policies that posed risks, then create opportunities for themselves or advocate for a reconsideration of whether the legislation was worthwhile in the state council.

This was one of the significant differences between small and large companies. Many small companies hadn't realized how much actively seeking policies could help their development.

For example, in this state, there was a policy encouraging factories or enterprises to establish vocational training schools. By training a certain number of students, they could receive tax reductions and financial subsidies from the government.

Many people were unaware of such a policy, and some, even upon learning of it, may feel it didn't concern them. However, in large companies like Listoan, every factory would allocate a room for training workers to acquire technical skills. This training method involved allowing them to work normally while receiving guidance as they worked.

Many workers referred to this so-called training as "guided holidays." They were relieved from the intense pressure of working on high-speed assembly lines. The factories would rotate them to receive guidance and, as a result, they were entitled to tax deductions and educational allowances ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands.

The significance of these policy supports should not be underestimated. Across multiple factories and businesses, the cumulative effect of tax reductions and subsidies could yield Listoan hundreds of thousands of bucks in additional net profit annually.

Policies like these weren't the only ones. There were many others that required dedicated individuals to monitor government policy trends and research related content. The tax savings and various subsidies saved each year could amount to a staggering figure.

Now, the chairman of the board had interrupted the conference call that should have been led by Neo, immediately shifting the responsibility to the Policy Research Office. Those participating in the call already knew what was coming next.

Neo followed up with an explanation, "Mr. Chairman, the consultant of the Policy Office does not have the qualifications to attend board meetings..." After all, they were merely political consultants like Ferrall and were not given shares by the company, nor were they given the opportunity to attend such meetings.

"Is that so?" The chairman's voice was filled with a somewhat expected surprise. "My apologies. I'm getting older, and with what happened tonight night, I'm extremely dissatisfied that our consultant failed to provide timely warnings. He didn't do his job well."

This statement was just nonsense. Everyone knew the real reason behind this matter. If it hadn't been for Neo's tough attitude leading to a fallout between him and the mayor, this situation wouldn't have occurred. Even high-ranking officials like the governor were getting involved now, that was definitely not good news for Listoan.

Any problems that could be escalated were not simple problems. Neo's and the mayor's reluctance to compromise ultimately stemmed from internal struggles within Listoan Group.

Some believed Neo wasn't suitable for the current CEO position. Moreover, these people thought Auburn had already monopolized the chairman position of the board. Allowing Neo to become CEO would indirectly give this father-and-son-in-law duo control over Listoan Group, which belonged to all shareholders. Yes, Listoan Group didn't belong to Auburn Listoan or Neo. After it went public, it belonged to all investors. Auburn and Neo were just investors, albeit trusted ones who were given their current positions.

In recent years, the company's development had slowed down, leading to dissatisfaction among many shareholders. This was further compounded by the sudden investigation and collapse of EverBright Group, with whom the conglomerate had close business ties, resulting in some of the company's assets and business being implicated.

Some board members believed that acquiring a significant portion of EverBright Group's 'legacy' would serve as compensation for the assets and business severed during the investigation. Simultaneously, they sought to leverage industries left behind by EverBright Group to facilitate the conglomerate's transformation or upgrade."

This was a good plan in theory. However, the person who proposed and advocated for this idea, and who called for a board vote, was neither Neo nor Auburn but another major shareholder.

In the world of capital, there was never room for sentiment. This major shareholder had already harbored intentions to oust this father-and-son-in-law duo. This led to Neo having to show a strong stance; otherwise, the other party might convene a board meeting to remove him from his position.

The conflict between Neo and the mayor made him temporarily unsuitable for reassignment within the conglomerate. If he won, no one would mention this period of struggle. If he lost, the conglomerate would also need a scapegoat to gain forgiveness from the Progressive Party's politicians. A sitting CEO of the conglomerate was always better than a former one.

Faced with immense pressure, Neo and Auburn decided to go all-in. Originally, they intended to use the Conservative Party to stimulate competition between the two parties and thereby secure victory. However, it now appeared that the Progressive Party was not inclined to compromise, which introduced a fatal flaw in their strategy.

After a brief pause, Neo didn't dodge the issue. First, he apologized to all board members. After all, it was because of the plan he pushed forward that affected the company's strategy and stability. He couldn't shirk his responsibility.

Then, he shifted the conversation to the current situation.

"I've received information from alternative sources indicating that even if we were to acquiesce, if I were to step down from the position of CEO and offer apologies to the mayor, governor, and others, expressing sincere regret, our circumstances still would not ameliorate." Neo said.

"Since two years ago, our financial reports haven't shown significant progress. From an outsider's perspective, our operations seem normal, but..." Neo suddenly sighed. "I need to apologize again. In reality, under my instructions, I had the finance department falsify the financial reports..."Please vote for this novel at /series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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