Attorney Ma, having avoided Xu Shuming's itinerary, arrived at the Su family's residence in a huff to find Mrs. Su.
Attorney Ma: "Do you know what Ou Yunchen has done?"
Mrs. Su: "Keep your voice down."
Mrs. Su gestured as she closed the door to the drawing-room.
Mrs. Su: "What did he do?"
—Attorney Ma's Recollection—
Attorney Ma was furious after receiving a call from Huaming Capital.
She watched Ou Yunchen's decision, feeling helpless.
Attorney Ma: "Is Ou Yunchen at the company?"
Secretary: "Mr. Ou is on a business trip and won't be back until tomorrow."
Attorney Ma: "Where did he go? Why does he never notify me when he travels?"
Secretary: "To Country M."
Attorney Ma: "Country M again? Alright, if he's not here, you'll help me."
Secretary: "Attorney Ma, is there something urgent?"
Attorney Ma: "Call Huaming Capital back and tell them we will undertake the bond issuance project."
Secretary: "Attorney Ma, do you mean issuing Huaming's sixty billion in bonds to Goldman Sachs?"
Attorney Ma nodded, but the secretary appeared troubled.
Attorney Ma: "What's wrong? Just make the call and convey what I said!"
Secretary: "Attorney Ma, Mr. Ou had already rejected this project."
Attorney Ma: "Tell Huaming we've reconsidered and wish to take on this project."
Secretary: "That's the thing, I cannot make this call without Mr. Ou's authorization."
Attorney Ma exploded with anger, under the impression she had sufficient authority at ATL to direct an executive's secretary!
More importantly, she desperately wanted this project to be handled by ATL. After all, sixty billion in bonds was no small undertaking that anyone could secure!
Attorney Ma: "Can you bear the responsibility if work is delayed?"
The secretary felt wronged but had to refuse Attorney Ma.
At ATL, she could only obey Ou Yunchen. Of course, it wasn't just her; everyone at ATL needed to heed the executive's word!
Secretary: "I'm sorry, without Mr. Ou..."
Attorney Ma: "Enough! No authorization, no authorization... Does ATL only have to listen to him?"
The secretary remained silent. She dared not offend Attorney Ma and let her vent her anger. Fortunately, Attorney Ma wasn't entirely unreasonable. After a brief outburst, she left.
—End of Attorney Ma's Recollection—
Mrs. Su: "What? He actually refused to issue bonds for Huaming?"
Attorney Ma: "Yes, do you think he's lost his mind! That's sixty billion!"
Mrs. Su: "Then why? Wasn't the strategic cooperation with Huaming aimed at this very opportunity?"
Attorney Ma: "I called the people at Huaming Capital, and you absolutely won't believe how Ou Yunchen refused!"
Mrs. Su handed Attorney Ma a cup of tea, urging her to speak slowly.
Attorney Ma: "They told me Ou Yunchen felt the company's current capital was insufficient to assist them with the issuance."
Mrs. Su: "But we're partnering with Goldman Sachs. What do we have to worry about?"
Attorney Ma: "I asked Accountant Chen. If we hadn't purchased Datong's foreign debt earlier, we might have been fine. However, due to his unilateral decision, we are indeed facing some financial strain."
Attorney Ma: "More importantly, Datong is pressing us hard, and we need to make the payment soon."
Mrs. Su: "Speaking of which, do you have any suggestions?"
Attorney Ma: "I still insist on external loans, but Ou Yunchen prefers internal financing."
Mrs. Su: "I don't have that much capital, unless he uses his own money."
Attorney Ma: "That's exactly it! He must intend to issue new shares, which would increase his equity stake in ATL!"
Mrs. Su gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Was the very thing she feared most about to happen?
Attorney Ma: "Doesn't it seem strange to you that he refused the bond issuance but is focusing on Datong?"
Mrs. Su fell into a pensive silence. Initially, she had no objections to Datong, but when compared to the sixty billion bond project, she too felt that such a forfeiture was too hasty!
Attorney Ma: "To put it bluntly, everyone at ATL has to listen to Ou Yunchen now. Don't you think you've given him too much power?"
Mrs. Su: "He is the executive officer. All levels of the company must heed his decisions."
Attorney Ma: "No, I'm talking about power, not authority!"
Mrs. Su finally understood that Attorney Ma was implying Ou Yunchen now held supreme power at ATL!
And this so-called power was pervasive; he could make decisions that no one dared to contradict, even influencing the future development of the company.
Authority, on the other hand, was solely a function that flowed from top to bottom within the hierarchy!
Mrs. Su: "I've always been grateful to him for saving my life, which is why I've always indulged his decisions."
Attorney Ma: "Have you ever considered that this might be exactly what he wanted?"
Mrs. Su: "What do you mean?"
Attorney Ma: "Why was it precisely him who saved you? Why did he happen to be there? And how did he know there was a bomb in the car?"
Mrs. Su: "I believe he is not that kind of person."
Attorney Ma: "Then what kind of person is he? Isn't he using your trust to make decisions detrimental to ATL?"
Mrs. Su hesitated. She even began to feel that Attorney Ma's words held some truth!
What if Ou Yunchen had approached her with ulterior motives? What if Ou Yunchen had been bought off by Xu Shuming? No, no, no, she couldn't bear to think any further...
Attorney Ma: "We must insist on completing the bond issuance project with Huaming Capital! Then, we can use his flawed decision-making as grounds to dismiss him, stating he is unfit to continue as executive officer!"
Mrs. Su's hand trembled as she reached for her teacup. She understood that in this situation, it was better to err on the side of caution and eliminate any potential threat, rather than risk further loss. It was time to let go of anyone who couldn't bring more profit to ATL!