Tiancheng Shopping Center was one of the main physical businesses under the Qi Group. There were 21 chain shopping malls in 19 cities across the country. The annual revenue accounted for about 20% of the Qi Group's total revenue. The shopping mall in T City that caught fire this time was one of the first to be built. It had been operating well for more than ten years.
In the past ten years, there had been petty theft and theft, and there had been financial tabloids due to competition in the industry. However, there had never been such a large number of deaths.
Six dead and 32 injured.
According to the report, the fire had been put out, but the rescue was not complete. The number of casualties was still increasing.
Just looking at the pictures sent back from the scene, Qi Xingchen's vision couldn't help but turn black.
With such a big thing happening at home, how could he be in the mood to play at his boyfriend's house? After carefully explaining to Mr. and Mrs. Bai, Bai Ye personally drove him back to the headquarters of the Qi Group in H City.
Before getting out of the car, Bai Ye patted his back comfortingly. "Call me if you need anything."
"Mm … Sorry, I couldn't accompany you properly this time."
"It's okay. Family matters are more important. Go."
Qi Xingchen glanced at Bai Ye, gritted his teeth, and jumped out of the car.
This was the first time he had come to his own company after transmigrating. The original owner probably didn't come to the company often either. When he scanned his face and entered, the security guard at the door and the receptionist at the front desk looked at each other and didn't react.
When they recognized who he was, a large group of people escorted him to the chairman's office.
Grandpa Qi had just put down the phone. When he saw him, he said in surprise, "Xing Xing, why are you back?"
"I saw the trending searches," Qi Xingchen asked. "Is it serious?"
"With so many lives lost, how can it not be serious? However, Yun Xiao has already dealt with it. You don't have to worry. "
Although he said that he wasn't worried, the worry on Qi Xiaoming's face was obvious. Qi Xingchen suppressed the anxiety in his heart and made a cup of tea for his father.
After staring at him and drinking a few mouthfuls, he continued to ask, "Did you find out the cause?"
"According to the preliminary investigation, it was an electrical fire caused by the aging of the circuit," Qi Xiaoming said. "The fire started in the warehouse of a clothing store on the first floor."
"Electric fire …" Qi Xingchen was puzzled. "If it's a clothing warehouse fire, the smoke should be bigger. Didn't Tiancheng install smoke alarms?"
"Yes, and Tiancheng checks the circuit and smoke alarms every month. Every year, he changes the fireproof appliances according to the requirements. He hasn't missed a single year. The strange thing is that this time, all the smoke alarms went off at the same time. After the security department received the alarm, they immediately evacuated the people on different floors. Unfortunately … "
At this point, the strong-willed Grandpa Qi choked. After drinking a mouthful of water to calm himself down, he continued, "Unfortunately, the warehouse that caught fire was not far from the safety passage. Everyone retreated to the first floor, only to find that the door handle of the passage had been melted by the fire and couldn't be opened. At this time, the safe passage is full of smoke, and everyone is fighting to run back … "
The deadliest thing in a fire is not the fire, but the smoke and panic. There was no need for Qi Xiaoming to say the rest. Qi Xingchen could already guess it.
When they ran back, the corridor was already full of smoke. In order to escape, everyone didn't care about modesty. They pushed and stepped on each other …
Those who ran out survived, and those who were left there stayed there forever.
Qi Xingchen felt that things were a little strange, especially the smoke alarms.
Unfortunately, more than half of the mall was burned down, and it was impossible to check one by one for the time being. He could only wait for the repair to be completed and check the recent videos to see if it was really an equipment failure or if it was man-made.
His chest was tight, and his hands were trembling visibly. He opened his mouth and found that his voice was hoarse. "Dad, what are you going to do? Compensate?"
"Of course, but this is not a problem that can be solved with money. This is a living human life … Xingxing, I don't even dare to blink now. I feel that if I do, I will see the victims' families crying in front of me."
Qi Xiaoming took a deep breath. "I will do my best to satisfy the requests of all the victims' families. If I can't repay the remaining debt in this life, I will continue to repay it in my next life after reincarnation. I hope they can forgive me, forgive me …"
In the end, the old man was choked with sobs. Qi Xingchen wasn't any better. The father and son looked at each other in silence for a while, and then began to contact the best local burn department to minimize the loss of the injured.
Qi Yunxiao went to T City, leaving a lot of work undone. After the phone call, Qi Xingchen stayed in the company and helped with whatever he could. Although it wasn't very useful, with his support, at least Father Qi wouldn't lose his appetite because of the guilt of the deceased.
In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth day of the first lunar month. Qi Yunxiao finally returned, and he brought back some bad news.
First, the fire casualties were 29 light injuries, 7 serious injuries, and 12 deaths. It was determined to be a major fire.
Second, the mall's internal surveillance was damaged in the fire. After checking the external video, it was found that there were no suspicious people around the mall in the past three months. In the end, the cause of the fire was consistent with the preliminary investigation, and the safety and fire prevention measures were not in place. Tiancheng Shopping Mall took full responsibility.
Third, the general manager of Tiancheng City in T City was arrested for negligent fire. The fire department ordered all 21 shopping malls in Tiancheng City to close for 15 days. They could only reopen after passing the inspection by the local public security department. They were also fined two million yuan.
Fourth, the mall itself and the goods stored by the merchants in the mall lost nearly ten million yuan. The outsourcing property and the mall management were jointly responsible.
At the same time, the social impact of the fire was extremely bad. Under public opinion and the competition of peers, the Qi Corporation's stock fell for two days in a row and continued to fall for three days. Its market value shrank by 26%.
The Qi family's business empire, which had always been stable, suffered a blow for the first time.
.
Qi Xingchen and the original owner of the body didn't have a business background, so it was useless for them to stay in the company. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Qi Xingchen returned to the set with a heavy heart under the urging of his family to continue filming 'Grey Track.'
As a public figure, his appeal was still an advantage. After the incident, many Stars Entertainment employees volunteered to set up volunteer teams to organize a series of activities such as mourning for the deceased, visiting the injured, and so on. Coupled with the Qi Corporation's sincere apology and quick and effective handling of the matter, the fire gradually faded from the public's view.
Only a small number of people still remembered it.
It had become a permanent pain in the hearts of the victims and the Qi family.
In March, just before the filming of 'Grey Track' was about to be completed, An Ran took a stack of scripts and went to Qi Xingchen's room to look for him.
She probed, "Xing Xing, what are your plans after filming 'Track'? Do you want to continue taking jobs or take a break? "
"Take jobs," Qi Xingchen said. "Do you have the proposal and script in your hands? Let me see."
An Ran pushed all the scripts to him and counted with her fingers. "These are two endorsements, a magazine shoot, two variety shows, and three scripts. The endorsement is for the spring collection of a light luxury brand and the new product of an internationally famous cosmetics company. I've already accepted it. The magazine is one of the top five magazines. Their editor-in-chief said that he knew you. The variety show is a satellite TV show that's quite popular. The fifth season of 'Budget Travel' is your old friend. The script includes the male lead of a star drama based on the anti-Japanese war theme, the male lead of a criminal investigation series, and … and the male lead of a movie. "
"… The male lead of a movie?" Qi Xingchen was surprised. "Which director trusts me so much?"
"You probably don't know him. He's a not-so-famous director. He's filmed a few literary films, but he hasn't made much of a splash. However, you can just take a look at the script. It's meaningless. After the team and I evaluated it, we wanted to reject it directly. We thought that you might be interested, so we put it back for you to take a look. "
He might be interested?
Qi Xingchen curiously took out the script and flipped through the outline.
Immediately, he was attracted by the first sentence. "This movie tells the story of an acrobat's ordinary and extraordinary life."
"You really know me." Qi Xingchen was even more curious. "Why did you want to reject it? Is there a problem with the script?"
An Ran knew that he would ask this. She sighed. "You should ask what's wrong with it."
Qi Xingchen was speechless. "… Why are there so many flaws?"
"First of all, the script has been written for more than two years. In the past two years, the director and the screenwriter have approached countless film and television companies, but they were all unwilling to invest because the theme is too niche. This time, we're looking for you because we hope that you can act in it for free and invest a part of your money — this is the legendary "getting something without risking anything".
"Secondly, the director and the screenwriter are from a professional class and have good skills. However, their team is too strict about the aesthetics and the language of the camera. There was once a joke that the actor tore the script and quit after 66 takes. We don't have that much time to waste with them. "
"Thirdly … there's the problem with your current situation." An Ran turned to Qi Xingchen and said seriously, "After you and Bai Ye revealed your relationship, your popularity has increased, and so has the criticism. In any case, homosexuality is not a good label. Plus, your family was in trouble some time ago, and now you need a positive image to change your image in the public's mind … You should be able to understand, right? "
"Yes." Qi Xingchen nodded.
"So we suggest that you choose one of the anti-war dramas or the criminal investigation dramas. Both have a positive image and will definitely earn a wave of praise when they are broadcast."
"Okay, I got it." Qi Xingchen threw out the two variety show proposals without hesitation and replied, "I'll think about it tonight and give you an answer tomorrow."
After a pause, Qi Xingchen said, "By the way, you came at the right time. There's something I want to discuss with you."
He rarely used the word "discuss". An Ran wanted to leave, but she sat back down and motioned for him to continue.
Qi Xingchen said, "Counting the time, you've been with me for a long time. In order to take care of me, you've been working as an assistant. I'm very grateful."
An Ran frowned. "What are you talking about? You don't have to be polite with me."
"I'm telling the truth, not being polite. So I've decided. "
Qi Xingchen pulled open the drawer and took out two copies of the share transfer agreement. "So, I've decided to give you 10% of Stars Asset Management's shares as a reward for taking care of me personally. Don't refuse. You know you can't convince me otherwise."
An Ran, who wanted to refuse, was speechless.
She had indeed never persuaded him.
"Be good and keep it, because I have something to ask of you."
Qi Xingchen opened one of the agreements. "This is the power of attorney. I want to give you the remaining 90% of the shares for safekeeping and change the name of the legal person to you. In other words, when the agreement takes effect, the 90% of the shares on the company's charter will also be yours. You'll be the only boss of Stars Asset Management, and I'll be the actual controller in private … Are you willing to help me? "
An Ran looked at the power of attorney.
The format was simple and only a few sentences were written. It was not notarized by the notary office, so it was a private agreement.
If she had the intention to run away with the money, she could totally deny it and say that she had absolute control of Stars Asset Management.
If she did not trust someone completely, no one would choose to take such a big risk.
Qi Xingchen trusted her so much, so how could she refuse? She said solemnly, "I'm willing."
"Thank you, sister An Ran."
Seeing that she agreed, Qi Xingchen's gloomy mood finally improved a little.
During this time, he had already transferred the money in his hands to Liang Jing's laboratory. However, it was easy to transfer money from a private account, but there were restrictions on transferring money from a company account to a private account. He had to prepare a company that had nothing to do with him on the surface in case of emergencies.
If this company could be listed, it would be easier to do things. After sending An Ran away, he read the script and opened the stock software.
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