Chapter 2 — Having occupied a Business Seat, I went straight to First Class

Having finished speaking, she turned and left. The sound of high heels tapping on the floor echoed in sharp rhythms, carrying undisguised anger. Hoanh Vien Capital. This name... I've heard it before. An investment company that has been operating very strongly recently, aggressive style, tough tactics. I didn't expect... to meet their people here. I looked out the window at the clouds, quietly contemplating. This meeting... I'm afraid it's not simply a coincidence. Manh Phi's threat was like a stone thrown into a lake. Didn't make me panic, but still enough to create ripples. I don't care too much. In the marketplace, there are many people who like to say harsh words. There are not many people who can truly pose a threat... but there are not many of them. I continued to sip champagne, leisurely enjoying my flight. Perhaps the flight attendant received some instructions, from then on, the service given to me became more attentive, no one came to bother me anymore. The plane landed stably. I'm in no hurry to get down. Wait for most of the passengers to leave before slowly standing up. When passing by business class, I unconsciously glanced towards seat 21A. It was empty. The "dizzy" woman, along with her daughter, have long since disappeared. I walked out of the airport. Assistant Tieu Ha was waiting outside the door.

“Miss Khuong.”

She took the luggage. I sat in the car and gently rubbed my temples.

“About the company.”

The car started and joined the busy stream of people ahead. A new game of chess... seems to have just quietly begun. I closed my eyes and began to piece together all the stories related to Hoanh Vien Capital. My company, Sang Khoa Tri Nang, has recently been devoting all its efforts to an AIGC project called “Thien Khuong”. This is the core strategy for the next three years, into which a large amount of human resources and resources have been poured. The current progress is quite favorable, entering capital round A. Several leading investment funds have expressed very clear intentions. Hoanh Vien Capital... seems to have also been in contact with our capital raising team. But I remember clearly, because the valuation was too low and the terms were too strict, I was eliminated in the first round. Maybe... they still haven't given up? Manh Phi's appearance on the plane, along with her words "I'll see you soon", made me unable to help but connect these two things together. Could this really be a deliberate probe? Or rather… was it a blow to the face right from the start? I opened my eyes, pulled out my phone, intending to call the person in charge of raising capital to warn him to pay attention to Hoanh Vien's actions. At that moment, the phone rang a "ding". A new email. Sender: Tieu Ha. Title: Urgent! My heart sank slightly and immediately opened. The content is very short, but enough to send chills down people's spines.

“Miss Khuong, just received the news.”

“Honh Vien Capital bypassed our capital raising process and directly sent a request to buy back shares to a number of shareholders on the board of directors.”

“Their goal is to gain control of the ‘Thien Khuong Plan’.”

“This is a malicious takeover.”

At the end of the email, a scanned copy of the proposal letter is also attached. I looked at the words on the screen, my eyes gradually colder. It turns out... Manh Phi's words on the plane were not threats. It's a declaration of war. Right when I was still at a height of ten thousand meters, her chess game began.

“We will see you again soon.”

Indeed... very fast. I raised his head and looked out the window. The city's neon lights stretch out in passing streaks of light. I spoke up, my voice cold and calm.

“Notify the entire leadership and core team of ‘Thien Khuong’, an emergency meeting in an hour.”

“At the same time, connect me with Thinh Minh law firm, key lawyer Ly Triet.”

Tieu Ha looked at me through the rearview mirror, clearly feeling the tense atmosphere.

“Yes, Ms. Khuong, I will do it now.”

The air in the car was almost frozen. A war without smoke... has officially begun. Manh Phi, Hoanh Vien Capital. If you want to play, I will play to the end. I want to see… who is the one who laughs at the end. The meeting room of Sang Khoa Tri Nang is brightly lit all night. The air was heavy as if it could be touched. The entire leadership team and more than ten core members of "Thien Khuong" were present, everyone looked tense. I walked in, all eyes immediately turned to me. I went straight to the chair, took off my jacket and placed it on the back of the chair.

“Everyone has come.”

My voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to immediately silence the whole room.

“The situation, everyone must have read the email.”

I looked around, my eyes scanning each person.

“The person in charge of raising capital, Truong Vi, reports first.”

Deputy general in charge of calling for capital, Truong Vi stood up, gently pushed his glasses, and turned on the presentation screen.

“Ms. Khuong, brothers and sisters.”

“The real situation… is more serious than in the email.”

“Manh Phi's operating style at Hoanh Vien Capital is extremely tough.”

“She did not go through any official channels, but directly approached our three early-stage angel investors.”

The information of three people appeared on the screen.

“These three shareholders combined hold fifteen percent of the company's shares.”

“Honh Vien Capital offered a price higher than the highest valuation of the current round A… by thirty percent.”

There were deep breaths in the meeting room. Thirty percent… this is not buying shares. This is forcing people.

“Most importantly, their acquisition proposal included a binding clause.”

“If one of the three shareholders accepts to sell, but the other two do not sell, causing the deal to fail... then the person who agreed will have to pay a huge fine to Hoanh Vien Capital.”

“This essentially forces them to act together, or sell out, or share the risk.”

Truong Vi's voice clearly showed anger. Technical director Lam Phong slammed his hand on the table.

“This is a kind of scoundrel behavior!”

He is someone who has followed me since the early days of starting my career, has a hot temper, and cannot stand injustice.

“They clearly want to destroy our shareholder structure and take advantage of the chaos to gain control of ‘Thien Khuong’!”

“This project is the passion of all of us, it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of people who only know how to suck blood like that!”

As soon as his words ended, the entire technical team responded simultaneously. The air in the room… began to heat up little by little. I raised my hand and gently pressed it down, signaling everyone to calm down.

“I understand everyone's feelings.”

“But outrage… doesn't solve the problem.”

My voice was very calm, like a stream of cold water, extinguishing the heat rising in the meeting room.

“When Manh Phi collided with me on the plane, I knew… she wasn't simple people.”

“It looks like impulsive provocation, but every step has been carefully calculated.”

“She was testing my limits, assessing my character.”

“When I chose to upgrade, instead of arguing with her mother, in her eyes… I was labeled as someone who 'averses troubles, likes to use money to solve problems'.”

“So, she believes that if she just offers a high enough price, creates enough pressure... she can force me to submit.”

I stopped for a moment, the corners of my lips curled slightly.

“Unfortunately… she miscalculated.”

“She thought I was on the first floor.”

“But actually… I'm on the fifth floor.”

“She thought I was avoiding it.”

“But actually… I'm choosing the battlefield.”

“And now… she herself has brought the battlefield to my home turf.”

“Then… let's have a good fight.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately changed. Everyone's eyes… flared up again.

“Now, I make three decisions.”

“First, internal stability. From now on, no one is allowed to discuss this matter privately. All information is published by me. The technical team keeps the same progress, 'Thien Khuong' is not allowed to stop even for a day."

“Lam Phong, this matter is left to you.”

“Yes!” Lam Phong stood straight, his voice firm.

“Second, hit the base. Truong Vi, immediately prepared a plan to call for new capital, re-approaching large funds that had previously been exchanged. Tell them, there are people who want to win, and if they still want to come to the table, they must show their sincerity."

“At the same time, contact the other three shareholders immediately, I will meet each of them directly.”

"Understand!" Truong Vi nodded.

“Third, legal. I contacted lawyer Ly Triet of Thinh Minh firm, a leading M&A expert. The legal department coordinated with all efforts to find all legal weaknesses in this acquisition."

The legal director immediately responded.