Under the dim luminescence cast from a high ceiling, the expansive executive office of the CFO sat in a tense stillness. Lu Rong leaned back in his high-backed chair, his sharp, predatory eyes fixed onto a tablet screen displaying the progress report of the M&A team.
If A.P. Mark Rim and his task force could prove this merger was transparent and airtight, the massive wager Lu Rong had placed would dissolve into meaningless empty words.
He could not lose. And the only way to arrest this approaching storm was to construct an impregnable wall made of corporate regulations and data-access protocols.
Lu Rong picked up his phone and dialed Shui Mei, the Senior Accounting Manager at KCC.
"Mrs. Shui Mei... I received word that the M&A team has begun requesting documentation, correct?" His voice was perfectly level, yet it carried an suffocating weight of pressure.
"Yes, sir. They have requested five years of historical transaction records, along with all supplier contracts valued over $5 million, to be delivered by this morning. They also asked us to grant them full access to all digital databases."
A cold, mirthless smile surfaced on Lu Rong’s face. "Excellent. We are the hosts; we must cooperate with them to the absolute best of our ability. Ensure nothing is lacking."
He paused for a calculated second, a flash of malicious cunning erupting across his features. "However, data disclosure must strictly adhere to our corporate regulations and security protocols. Handing over sensitive documents and files haphazardly to outsiders like ZX would be highly irresponsible. I am profoundly concerned about the company's cybersecurity. Therefore, should they request any documentation... it is to be delivered in Hard Copy format only. Absolutely no digital files. Furthermore, every single batch of documents must rigidly undergo the sequential approval process. You understand me, right?"
"Understood, sir. And regarding their cloud system access?" Shui Mei pressed for confirmation.
Lu Rong let out a low, vibrating chuckle. "As for that, send a formal notice to the IT team. They are to audit the data access logs every single time the other side makes a request. Additionally, throttle their download speeds to prevent 'data theft.' Act in strict compliance with the regulations... understood?"
"Understood, Chief."
Lu Rong lowered the receiver slowly. He rotated his chair toward the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, overlooking the chaotic, sprawling metropolis. He let out a mocking laugh at the thought of this foreign M&A team drowning beneath an endless ocean of paper all under the flawless guise of CK Group’s maximum security.
{"hr":true}
Adisorn pushed the door open. The moment he stepped inside the war room, his eyes met hundreds of brown cardboard boxes stacked so high they practically scraped the ceiling. Even the narrow walkways had been compressed, making it nearly impossible for two people to pass each other.
Jingyi looked up from a mountain of documents she was reviewing. Her face was masked in absolute exasperation, her eyes shadowed with dark circles from days of sleep deprivation. She was visibly infuriated by having to audit an infinite mountain of dead trees.
"We’ve hit a massive wall," she stated flatly.
Adisorn scanned the chaotic mess before exhaling a sharp breath through his teeth. "I see that... It looks like someone is weaponizing company regulations and security protocols to block us."
"Exactly," she groaned. "Initially, they claimed they would cooperate fully. But then they began hiding behind security rules, claiming ZX is an external entity. Every single data point requires multilevel approval. We’ve wasted two full days just sorting through this physical clutter before even touching a single financial calculation."
Jiarui, who was manually scanning legal contracts, looked equally thwarted. "It’s not just the hard copies. Accessing the digital database is an absolute joke. Their IT department has throttled our download speeds to a painful crawl. I tried pulling a single vendor agreement to crosscheck, and the system notified me it would take 48 hours for one file. They have the audacity to call it 'maximum security compliance.' We’re completely gridlocked here."
"If this keeps up, there is absolutely no way we finish this within two weeks," Jingyi added, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
Adisorn slowly removed his suit jacket, draping it over the back of his chair. He unbuttoned a single cufflink, rolled up his sleeve, and picked up a thick paper file.
"Hmph. The CFO’s direct orders, no doubt..." Adisorn muttered, his tone dropping into a dangerous baritone as he bit his lip tight. "Fine. If they want to use idiotic regulations to sabotage our operation... then we will just have to get to work our way."