The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 203 Crisis

As they began working, both of them became serious.

Shang Yibo spoke up first: "I reviewed the consolidated financial statements for the past six months this morning, and the data seems a bit off." Zhou Yanruo swiped her finger to bring up the reports and asked speculatively, "You compared last year's annual report with this year's first-half report and found a big discrepancy, so you found it strange, right?"

Shang Yibo stared at Zhou Yanruo, waiting for her to further interpret the data.

Zhou Yanruo looked away from the computer screen and said seriously, "I won't go into detail about the data. Since you can see the problem, it means you understand the logic and meaning behind the data. Let me just explain the situation directly. This is why I insisted that you not go to the company today, but instead give you a private briefing on the company's situation."

Shang Yibo hummed in agreement and waited quietly for Zhou Yanruo to continue.

Zhou Yanruo continued, "The main problem the company is currently facing is a severe cash flow crisis. The tight cash flow has greatly restricted our operations and expansion. In addition, two loans are about to mature, and the repayment pressure is enormous. Payments to suppliers have also been overdue for some time, and if these issues are not resolved in time, it may seriously damage our reputation."

Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo frowned, realizing that the problems facing the company were far more serious than he had imagined.

"Tell me the details."

Shang Yibo spoke calmly, his young face displaying a composure beyond his years.

Zhou Yanruo pondered. That morning, while organizing materials at the company, she was still thinking about what angle to take when giving a report so that she could clearly explain the situation to Shang Yibo and ensure that he fully understood the actual state of the company's business.

Judging from Shang Yibo's expression now, we can skip the preamble and just talk about business directly.

Seeing that Zhou Yanruo didn't say anything, Shang Yibo explained, "When I was in junior high school and in my teens, I often came to the company with my father. I would follow him around when he worked and had meetings. I've heard and seen a lot, so I'm not unfamiliar with the company's operations. In the past two years, I've carefully read all the reports that required my signature and the annual financial statements."

Zhou Yanruo finally nodded, "Yes, that's for the best. We don't need to waste time getting familiar with it, and I can skip the explanations and we can discuss it directly."

“Let’s start with the Bangkok project. Chairman Chu and his team are expected to return to China next week. ‘Singapore Rongchang Capital’ should provide us with an investment plan. The company will arrange a meeting to discuss it immediately. The issue cannot be delayed any longer, so we don’t have much time to make a decision.”

Shang Yibo continued, “We acquired that 4 rai (a unit of land area in Thailand) plot of land along the Chao Phraya River two years ago. The original plan was to build a luxury hotel, high-end apartments, and a small office building. If I remember correctly, the total construction area should be 120,000 square meters. The Chao Phraya River area is now a newly emerging luxury area in Bangkok, with several renowned historical sites along the riverbank, surrounded by numerous luxury hotels and high-end apartments. The commercial atmosphere here is strong, and the transportation resources are also very abundant. I have also seen the geological report. Bangkok is located at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in its lower reaches, and the riverbank does not have complex rocky beaches. This provides favorable natural conditions for riverside development, making the construction cost relatively low.”

Shang Yibo scrolled through his computer screen, searching for relevant information while reviewing the project information he had learned before. "I remember the project started after the rainy season last year, didn't it?"

"Yes, but work stopped last month."

“I reviewed the project progress report, which stated that the project has been temporarily suspended due to funding issues. The initial funding for this project came from the Rushang Group, and the subsequent funding was originally planned to be financed through the Chao Phraya River project with the Central Bank of Thailand. Is there some kind of difficulty?”

"There are many challenges."

“The project report may not have listed everything. Could you please elaborate?”

Zhou Yanruo took a deep breath, quickly reviewed the information she had already organized in her mind, and then said, "I haven't been with the group for long, and I haven't handled this project, but as far as I know, this project was recommended to us by the Chinese Business Association in Bangkok."

Shang Yibo did have some impression of the investment projects in Bangkok.

Two years ago, two months before Shang Yibo's college entrance exam, Chu Fanqing planned to take the Rusheng Group's investment team to Bangkok to discuss investment projects. Chu Fanqing originally intended to take Shang Yibo with him and have him request a ten-day leave from school. However, when Shang Yibo's homeroom teacher, Ms. Hua, learned of this, she was very surprised and immediately contacted Fang Xichen, saying, "This is a crucial period before the college entrance exam! Other parents are practically pushing their children to study non-stop. Even though your Shang Yibo has good grades, you can't be so careless about the exam. Even if there's a family business to inherit, learning business isn't urgent. The student's main task is still studying. You parents really need to think this through."

Fang Xichen was attending a meeting in Haicheng at the time. After receiving Teacher Hua's call, she rushed back to her home in Beijing overnight. Looking at the unreliable father and son, she looked helpless and scolded Chu Fanqing, "Old Chu, if you're going to Bangkok, go by yourself. Don't take Yibo with you. He's about to take the college entrance exam, don't you know that?" Then she turned to Shang Yibo and said, "You need to focus. There are only two months left until the college entrance exam. You must take it seriously. Even if you're very confident, you can't be careless."

Fang Xichen has always fully supported whatever Shang Yibo wants to do, so this time her firm opposition seems particularly severe.

Although Shang Yibo was unwilling, he knew his mother was right, so he had nothing to refute.

Chu Fanqing, on the contrary, seemed a bit childish. He argued, "Yibo said he's almost finished preparing and is just waiting for the exam. There's nothing left to review. I took him out to help him relax and not put too much pressure on himself."

Fang Xichen laughed and said, "My son knows I'm right and has already kept quiet. What are you still arguing about?"

Every time this happens, Shang Yibo would quietly leave the study, leaving his parents alone. As soon as he left, his father would apologize to his mother; this had happened so many times...

Not long after, that incident happened...

Shang Yibo only knew that the Bangkok project had been signed. He hadn't been to the company in the past two years, and had only read some reports about the Bangkok project sporadically, so he had a general understanding of the situation, but he wasn't very clear about the specifics.

Seeing Shang Yibo staring blankly at the computer screen, Zhou Yanruo reminded him, "Yibo."