“A portion of your common shares,” Adisorn replied.
Li Ming fell silent for a moment, his lips curling into a probing smile. “And how many board seats are you demanding?”
Adisorn looked up, his gaze steady. “Just one,” he answered.
The response forced Li Ming to arch an eyebrow. “Only one?” the Chairman repeated, barely believing his ears. “Capital funds that step in to bail out a crisis of this magnitude usually demand the power of two or three seats, do they not?”
Adisorn allowed a cold smirk to play on his lips. “For professionals like us… one seat is more than enough.”
“And how exactly do you intend to handle our debt to break us free from VCC?” Li Ming questioned.
Adisorn met his gaze, his eyes sharp and piercing. “ZX will acquire the entirety of the distressed debt from VCC and suspended all debt-to-equity conversion rights from the agreement.”
Li Ming frowned, his stare intense as he searched for the trap hidden beneath such an attractive proposal. “Are there other conditions for removing those conversion rights?”
Adisorn’s smirk widened slightly. “Mr. Gawin must be appointed as the Director of the hydrogen project.”
Li Ming froze for a beat, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Why specifically Mr. Gawin?”
Adisorn offered a faint, icy smile. “Because he is a partner within our network… and he is the only one who can align the interests of ZX and CK Group into a single, seamless entity.”
Silence descended upon the room. Li Ming stared at Adisorn for a long time, while Adisorn maintained a facade of warmth on his face.
“Heh… truthfully, I had already planned to grant a key position in the hydrogen project to Mr. Gawin,” Li Ming murmured. “But since ZX specifically requests the role of Executive Director, we are more than willing to grant this position to someone of his caliber.”
Li Ming rose slowly to his feet and extended his hand. “It isn’t too late, I hope, to say that CK Group is pleased to collaborate with ZX Capital?”
Adisorn smiled back, standing to return the gesture. “ZX Capital shares that sentiment. We look forward to working with CK Group.”
Adisorn’s smile remained warm, but his eyes were fixed and cold the look of a man shaking hands while concealing a blade behind his back.