Chapter 2932 — Panic Spreads

The only problem was that Liu Tianli's palate had been spoiled by the cigarettes he had smoked before. Ordinary-purity drugs did nothing for him at all, so he had to buy high-purity stuff just to satisfy his craving.

That was not all. Because Liu Tianli had smoked heavily before—several packs a day—he had in effect been taking in a massive amount of drugs, so simply substituting drugs for cigarettes each day required an enormous quantity. Otherwise, Liu Tianli could not get his fill.

Besides, Liu Tianli felt that everything was finished anyway. The company was gone, and he was up to his ears in debt to Wei Zhao. Might as well smash the cracked pot and let it break—one day of swaggering ease was worth one day.

But things did not go the way Liu Tianli wanted. The company's business department, sales department, finance department, and purchasing department were all sounding the alarm! Over these days, the distributors below had been pressing hard for goods—many had already paid, and if they could not get their goods, they would certainly come demanding answers.

On Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals' side, raw materials were also running short. Not only were the raw materials short—the profits from the medicines had not been remitted to the company's account on schedule either. Naturally, Fatty Lai called to ask what on earth was going on with the Liu family company's finances.

As for the bank loans: because the sums Liu Tianli had borrowed were rather large, many of them were short-term loans. When the time came and Liu Tianli had still not repaid them, the bank naturally came asking what was going on. If he did not repay them soon, then according to the rules, the Liu family's real estate would be seized and held as collateral.

All these matters piled up on Liu Tianli's desk, but he approved not a single one. Every day he shut himself in his office, puffing clouds and blowing fog, and gave his subordinates no clear answer at all.

For a time, panic spread through the company; no one knew what had happened! The few key departments especially—they had not only to deal with the distributors, but also with the bank and Fatty Lai, and were run ragged every single day.

When Fatty Lai and the bank called Liu Tianli, he would not pick up, simply pretending he was not there. And so rumors began to rise on all sides within the company! The so-called rumors were, in fact, half true and half false.

Secretary Zhang knew the most. Seeing the company going further and further downhill, and that his salary and bonus were about to be lost, he could only come clean with the company's director, deputy director, and the managers of finance, sales, business, and purchasing. He told them what he knew and what he guessed, so that they could respond as early as possible. As for himself, he was preparing to resign!

The company was riddled with holes. In such a situation, who would be foolish enough to stay? The department managers who learned the truth told their closer colleagues privately, and so it spread from one to ten and ten to a hundred—the entire company came to know that Liu Tianli was finished.

Resignation letters flew everywhere, and everyone in the company left one after another. Liu Tianli wanted to keep it hidden, but that was no longer possible! Because by then, the bank had already gone to the Liu family to seize the mortgaged real estate.

The Liu family villa was one of them!

When Liu Zhenhu and Liu Tianyi were informed by the bank staff that, because Liu Tianli had failed to repay the bank loan on schedule, this villa had been sealed up, both of them were somewhat dumbfounded!

"What? You're saying this villa, and the rest of our Liu family's real estate, have all been mortgaged away by Liu Tianli?" Liu Tianyi stared at the bank staff who had come, aghast. He did not meddle in the Liu family's business, so naturally he did not know what Liu Tianli had actually been up to. "Surely there's been some mistake?"

"Mr. Liu, we are only following the rules. This is the mortgage application signed by Mr. Liu Tianli himself. Please look it over. If you do not believe it, you may call Mr. Liu Tianli and ask him yourself!" The bank staff smiled bitterly as he spoke. The Liu family was one of the secular great families; even if it now looked to be in decline, it was not something a petty clerk like him could afford to offend, so he spoke with great courtesy.

"Tianyi, there's nothing wrong with these documents... It seems it really is that little brat Tianli's doing!" Liu Zhenhu glanced roughly at the mortgage papers in the staff member's hand and sighed.

"Dad, don't worry yet. I'll call Tianli right now and ask him what's going on!" Liu Tianyi frowned and dialed Liu Tianli's number.

At the company, Liu Tianli had also been met by bank staff coming to seize the company building. He said nothing; he simply dismissed all the company's employees, then walked out of the building alone and sat quietly on the green belt in front of it. He did not even offer a single word of explanation, letting the bank staff seal up the building as they pleased!

By then, those still at the company were the old hands—mostly the direct loyalists who had followed Liu Jinghan in the days when she built the enterprise, and the most devoted of them at that. None of them had resigned; they had stayed with Liu Tianli to the very end.

But now they did not even have a place to work. And looking at Liu Tianli sitting before the green belt in his dejection, a flash of disappointment crossed all their eyes! Liu Tianli was far, far inferior to Liu Jinghan!

"Director Chen, what do we do now?" Among them, the highest-ranking was Director Chen, whose position in the company was second only to one man and above ten thousand. The company's chairman and president was Liu Tianli, and the vice president was Liu Jinghan—but ever since she left, that post had been in name only. So what remained was Director Chen.

"Ah!" Director Chen sighed as well, and said helplessly, "I'll give Miss Liu a call..."

Although Liu Jinghan had left and told these people not to disturb her anymore—that her task was done, and the vice presidency was merely a permanent title in name—Director Chen had no choice but to call her now. The company's crisis was too great!

"Director Chen?" Liu Jinghan had just finished parking her BMW when she received the call from Director Chen. She was a little surprised—why would Director Chen suddenly call her?

"Vice President Liu, it's me." Director Chen addressed Liu Jinghan by her formal title, Vice President Liu. Because Liu Tianli was also surnamed Liu, he could only append "vice" to Liu Jinghan's title; otherwise, by ordinary workplace convention, that "vice" would be dropped.

"Is something the matter?" Liu Jinghan asked, puzzled.

"Vice President Liu, something has happened at the company!" Director Chen said urgently.

"Happened? What happened?" Liu Jinghan was all the more bewildered. "Hasn't the company been running smoothly all along? Did something go wrong with the cooperation with Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals?"