“That’s right, it’s me. What do you think, President Hu? You didn’t expect that, did you?”
Su Xin wore a smug expression, relishing Hu Yuanyuan’s ashen face. He felt exhilarated. Weren’t you, Hu Yuanyuan, all high and mighty? So arrogant? And now, look, I’ve driven you to a dead end. Hmph, today I’ll show you the consequences of crossing me, Su Xin.
“I truly didn’t expect it,” Hu Yuanyuan said, her gaze icy. For days, she’d been wondering who the mastermind was. Never would she have guessed it was Su Xin.
“Hahaha, President Hu, there’s a lot you didn’t expect,” Su Xin said triumphantly, his eyes fixed on her. “If you hadn’t rejected my goodwill last time, your Xiangfeng Investment Company wouldn’t be in this mess. I told you, President Hu, I was determined to take over Xiangfeng Investment.”
“You think you’ve got our company in the bag, Young Master Su?” Hu Yuanyuan replied coldly. Since Su Xin was the mastermind, she didn’t need to hold back. A self-important overseas returnee daring to act so brazenly in front of her.
“That’s right, President Hu. If you don’t want your hard work to go down the drain, I believe you won’t refuse me,” Su Xin nodded, glancing at her. “I know you’re seeking external funding to save Xiangfeng Investment, but let me tell you, without my approval, no investment bank will work with your company.”
“You have that kind of power, Young Master Su?” Hu Yuanyuan said, her face full of disbelief.
“Hmph, in Tianhai City, there’s nothing I can’t do. You know Sun Xipeng, right? The founder of Sun Group, and he’s working under me,” Su Xin boasted, his tone brimming with pride.
“Really? I had no idea. Sun Group is a well-known company in Tianhai City. How could…”
Hu Yuanyuan feigned surprise, but inwardly, she sneered. Su Xin was so full of himself. Just one sentence, and he’d spilled so many secrets. She wondered what he’d actually learned while studying abroad.
But this worked in her favour. She could extract more secrets from him. She wanted to know exactly how Su Xin planned to deal with her.
“What’s a famous company in Tianhai City? I just say the word, and Sun Xipeng charges into battle for me. You must be curious, President Hu, about why your company’s stocks were forcibly liquidated by the securities firm. Let me tell you, it was simple. I had Sun Xipeng suppress your company’s stocks and made a call to the securities firm. That’s it, haha,” Su Xin said, a hint of guilt in his voice. Most of the credit belonged to Qin Feng, but in front of Hu Yuanyuan, he wasn’t about to admit Qin Feng’s involvement. In his mind, Qin Feng serving him was only natural.
As for why Qin Feng could make the securities firm and bank obey, or how he came up with three billion in funds, Su Xin didn’t care. To him, it was an easy task. Even without Qin Feng, he believed he could have handled it with a single word. As for the three billion, he saw it as borrowing from Qin Feng, maybe paying some interest.
If anyone knew what Su Xin was thinking, they’d call him an idiot. In China’s bureaucracy-driven society, Su Xin was unbelievably naive.
Under Hu Yuanyuan’s probing, Su Xin spilled his plan. Whether to inflate his own role or for some other reason, he didn’t mention Qin Feng. Everything Qin Feng did, he claimed as his own.
“President Hu, you know the situation now. Your only option is to work with me. This time, I only want seventy percent of Xiangfeng Investment’s shares. The remaining thirty percent I’ll leave to you. You’ll still be the president and chairman’s secretary, while I’ll be the chairman.”
Su Xin’s gaze lingered on Hu Yuanyuan, thinking to himself, there’s a saying: when there’s work, the secretary does it; when there’s none, do the secretary. Once Hu Yuanyuan became his secretary, wouldn’t that mean…
Heh heh!
At that thought, Su Xin chuckled aloud, a laugh that gave Hu Yuanyuan goosebumps.
“Young Master Su, you’re getting ahead of yourself. Not to mention whether I’d sell the company, it doesn’t belong to me alone,” Hu Yuanyuan said calmly. She didn’t know how an idiot like Su Xin had such strong tactics, but there was no doubt he was the mastermind. Her plan to lure the snake out had worked.
Now it was time to close the net.
“You’re talking about Li Feng, right?” A cold glint flashed in Su Xin’s eyes as he sneered, “President Hu, it’s because of people like Li Feng that your Xiangfeng Investment is in this state. If you want the company to thrive, someone like Li Feng should be kicked out.”
“But I’m not unreasonable. I’ll offer one million to buy his shares,” Su Xin said generously.
One million!
Looking at Su Xin’s magnanimous expression, Hu Yuanyuan was utterly speechless. She couldn’t tell if he was foolish or just plain stupid.
“President Hu, call Li Feng over now. Tell him I’ve bought his shares in Xiangfeng Investment. Get him here to sign,” Su Xin said.
Uh…
Hu Yuanyuan didn’t know what to say, but under Su Xin’s insistence, she called Li Feng. The mastermind had revealed himself, and she needed to discuss with Li Feng how to close the net. It was good to have him come over.
Half an hour later, Li Feng arrived at the president’s office. His gaze immediately fell on Su Xin. He never would have thought the mastermind was Su Xin, the person he considered the least likely.
“Li Feng, you’re so slow. Do you know how long you kept me waiting?” Su Xin said, displeased, the moment he saw Li Feng.
“Did I ask you to wait?” Li Feng sneered, sitting on the sofa opposite Su Xin, pondering his strategy. With Su Xin as the mastermind, he was relatively easy to deal with. Li Feng needed to maximise his gains.
“Hmph!”
Su Xin snorted, unhappy with Li Feng’s attitude, but thinking of his goal, he didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he said coldly, “Li Feng, I assume President Hu explained on the phone. One million, and I’ll buy your shares in Xiangfeng Investment now.”
“One million? Su Xin, are you sick?” Li Feng sneered.
“Hmph, Li Feng, don’t be ungrateful. One million is out of respect for President Hu. In a few days, your shares might not be worth a penny,” Su Xin said with a cold laugh.
“Is that so? Let’s wait and see.”
“You…” Su Xin glared at Li Feng angrily. Since returning to the country, everything had gone smoothly for him. Even Qin Feng had been won over by his charm. Only with Li Feng did he feel powerless.
Li Feng held fifty percent of Xiangfeng Investment’s shares. Without buying his shares, even acquiring Hu Yuanyuan’s would be useless.
Forcing himself to calm down, Su Xin said gravely, “Li Feng, how much do you want to sell for?”
Li Feng held up three fingers.
“Fine, three million,” Su Xin gritted his teeth.
“Idiot,” Li Feng said coldly.
“What did you say?” Su Xin stood up, furious.
“Didn’t hear me? Idiot.”
Li Feng sneered, “You think I’d sell my shares for three million? What kind of idiot are you? Su Xin, I think you’re still half asleep.”
“How much do you want?”
“Three billion. If you have three billion, I’ll sell,” Li Feng said calmly.
“Three billion? In your dreams.” If he had three billion, he’d start his own company. Why bother acquiring Xiangfeng Investment? Even with Smart One’s existence, Su Xin didn’t think Li Feng’s fifty percent was worth that much.
“Hmph, if you don’t want it, I’m not selling,” Li Feng sneered, turning to Hu Yuanyuan. “President Hu, I just spoke with Apple’s representative. They agreed to let us join with our technology. If we hand over Smart One’s core tech, they’ll give us five percent of Apple’s shares.”
“Really?” Hu Yuanyuan asked, playing along. She knew Li Feng too well. Saying this in front of Su Xin must have a purpose.
“Of course. Apple’s market value is six hundred billion USD. Five percent is worth twelve billion USD. With those shares, we won’t need to worry about money. After we sell the company to Apple, we’ll get married right away and travel the world,” Li Feng said excitedly. “Then we’ll have a few kids, and…”
The more excited Li Feng got, the darker Su Xin’s expression became, especially when Li Feng mentioned marrying Hu Yuanyuan and having kids. The fury in his eyes reached its peak.
Why did Su Xin suppress Xiangfeng Investment and want its shares? It wasn’t for the company itself but for Hu Yuanyuan. Without her, what was the point of getting the company?
If Li Feng was telling the truth, wouldn’t all his efforts be for nothing? That was absolutely not what he wanted.
“Li Feng, didn’t you say you wanted three billion for your shares? I’ll take it,” Su Xin said.
“Not selling. Don’t bother me,” Li Feng waved dismissively, as if unwilling to let Su Xin interrupt his good news.
“Li Feng…”
Li Feng glanced back at Su Xin, “You’re still here? Security, security, please escort Young Master Su out.”
“No, no, Li Feng, I want to buy your shares. Can’t we discuss this further?” Su Xin said with a smile, looking at Li Feng.
“Young Master Su, you really want to buy?” Li Feng looked at Su Xin skeptically.
“Of course,” Su Xin, sensing a chance, quickly said, “The price is negotiable.”
“Three billion is too little. Apple’s shares are worth tens of billions in Chinese yuan,” Li Feng said.
“You can’t calculate it like that. I’m offering cash. Apple’s shares only give you a few hundred million in dividends annually. It’d take ten years to reach three billion. In ten years, with three billion in cash, whether you invest in stocks or start a company, you could make a hundred times the profit. That’s much better than holding Apple’s shares,” Su Xin persuaded.
“That makes sense,” Li Feng nodded thoughtfully.
“So, President Li, are you willing to sell your Xiangfeng Investment shares to me?” Su Xin looked at Li Feng expectantly.
Li Feng thought for a moment and said, “Three days from now, if you bring me a three-billion cash cheque, I’ll sell you the shares.”
“Great, President Li, you wait,” Su Xin said before leaving.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Feng’s lips curled into a cold smile, muttering two words: “Idiot.”
