“Young Master Feng, Young Master Feng…”
Li Feng had just parked his car in the villa’s parking lot when he saw Li Quan rushing toward him. “Young Master Feng, I’ve thought of a way, I’ve thought of a way!”
“What way?” Li Feng was taken aback.
“Young Master Feng, you don’t want to go to work, right? I racked my brains for three days and finally came up with a solution that’ll keep your parents from saying a word,” Li Quan said, panting.
“Oh? What’s the solution?” Li Feng was somewhat curious. Could Li Quan really have come up with something? It seemed he was quite ‘concerned’ about him.
“Start a company, do business!” Li Quan declared.
“What kind of solution is that?” Li Feng said, displeased. Starting a company, doing business, how could Li Quan even suggest that? He didn’t want to work because he wanted to avoid dealing with the messy affairs of a company. Starting a business would be even more troublesome than working.
“Hey, Young Master Feng, don’t get upset yet. Hear me out,” Li Quan said, as if he’d anticipated Li Feng’s reaction. “I’m not saying you actually have to start a company and run a business.”
“Oh, then what do you mean?”
“Starting a company and doing business is just to appease your parents. As long as they see you’re seriously working on something, they definitely won’t make things difficult for you or insist you work at Xiangfeng Investment,” Li Quan explained.
Li Feng shook his head. “With my parents’ methods, if I tell them I’m starting a company, they’ll investigate. A nonexistent company would be found out quickly. This plan won’t work.”
“I’m well aware of your parents’ methods.”
A cold glint flashed in Li Quan’s eyes. He’d experienced Li Chuanwei and his wife’s tactics firsthand, a memory still fresh in his mind. Back then, if he hadn’t cut his losses in time, they might have caught him. “But the company I’m talking about is a real one. You just wait for the dividends. You don’t need to manage it.”
“There’s such a good deal? Who’s going to manage the company then? You?”
Li Feng was starting to grasp Li Quan’s meaning. It was essentially a front, a real company where he wouldn’t need to manage anything. Whether he showed up or not was up to him, just like at Xiangfeng Investment. The only difference was that the new company wouldn’t have Hu Yuanyuan, and it would be entirely their people, making it harder for his parents to investigate.
But Li Feng felt Li Quan hadn’t gone to all this trouble for something so simple.
“Young Master Feng, you’re joking. Do you think I’m cut out for business?” Li Quan shook his head with a smile.
“Oh, then who’s going to manage it?” Li Feng asked. He’d thought Li Quan wanted to use him to control a company, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Young Master Feng, to be honest, this idea wasn’t mine,” Li Quan said, a bit embarrassed. “It was Young Master Liu’s idea. He knew you were troubled by this, so he thought day and night to come up with this plan for you.”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow, saying insincerely, “Young Master Liu went to all that trouble. I don’t know how to thank him.”
He didn’t believe for a second that Liu Shichao wanted to help him. Last time at the Emperor’s Pavilion, he’d nearly taken Liu’s life. No one, no matter how magnanimous, would repay a grudge with kindness, especially not Liu Shichao.
“Young Master Feng, Liu graduated from economics and management. He’s already running several companies. Managing a company is well within his capabilities,” Li Quan said.
“You want Liu Shichao to manage the company?” Li Feng had a moment of clarity. So that was the real point after all that talk.
“Young Master Feng, you’re joking. Who am I to decide what Liu does?” Li Quan shook his head. “This is actually Liu’s idea. He wants to partner with you to start a company. Normally, Liu will manage it. You can go to work if you want, or not if you don’t. You can do whatever you like, just sit back and collect the money.”
“Young Master Feng, this is a rare opportunity. Don’t your parents want you to make something of yourself? They want you to work at Xiangfeng Investment to achieve that. If you can start your own company and make a name for yourself, I’m sure they won’t have anything to say.”
Li Quan was visibly excited, as if Li Feng partnering with Liu Shichao was some grand achievement. He spoke eloquently, listing every benefit, making it sound like refusing Liu’s offer would be a huge loss, like the end of the world.
Li Feng listened quietly, looking excited, as if swayed by Li Quan’s words. But in his heart, a killing intent flickered. If Liu Shichao wanted revenge or to confront him, Li Feng didn’t see him as a threat. Such a person wasn’t even on his radar.
But Liu Shichao, after such a great insult, wasn’t retaliating. Instead, he wanted to help him start a company. Was Liu really so selfless, repaying evil with good? No, he definitely wasn’t that kind of person. On the contrary, this move must be part of a bigger scheme. Liu Shichao, or rather, the people behind him, were orchestrating this.
Li Feng glanced at the excited Li Quan, sneering inwardly. Li Quan was no simpleton either, managing to convince Liu Shichao to take the lead. He just didn’t know what role Liu played in this or what Li Quan’s role was.
“It sounds good, but the Liu family is a big name in Tianhai City. If I hire Liu Shichao to manage the company, I’m afraid his family wouldn’t agree, would they?” Li Feng said, feigning excitement.
“You’re right, Young Master Feng. The Liu family’s face must be considered. But Liu wants to partner with you, so that issue doesn’t exist,” Li Quan said, inwardly scoffing. Li Feng thinking he could hire Liu Shichao to manage a company was delusional, utterly clueless. But that’s exactly what he wanted, this clueless delusion. If Li Feng were smart, how could he play him, ruin him?
“Oh, tell me, why not?” Li Feng grabbed Li Quan’s arm excitedly.
“Young Master Feng, think about it. If you partner with Liu, the company isn’t just yours, it’s his too. It’s only natural for him to manage it,” Li Quan explained.
“How didn’t I think of that? Ha, Li Quan, you’re the smart one.” Li Feng paced a few steps, as if making a major decision. “It’s settled then. Ha, I, Li Feng, am finally starting my own company. One day, I believe my company will surpass Xiangfeng Investment, become number one in Tianhai, no, number one in the world.”
“Of course, of course.”
Li Quan bowed and smiled, but a trace of disdain and contempt flashed deep in his eyes.
“Oh no, I can’t start a company,” Li Feng suddenly shouted, as if remembering something important.
“What’s wrong, Young Master Feng?”
“I don’t have money. My monthly salary of a few tens of thousands isn’t even enough for my own expenses. How can I start a company?” Li Feng said, distressed.
“Young Master Feng, that’s easy to solve,” Li Quan said.
“Easy to solve? Li Quan, do you know how much it takes to start a company? When Xiangfeng Investment was founded, its total capital was fifty million. Fifty million, almost a hundred years of my salary. Even if the company with Liu is smaller, it’d still need a few million at least. Where would that money come from?” Li Feng shook his head.
“Young Master Feng, you’re joking. A few million to start a company? What could that earn? Besides, with your and Liu’s status, if you’re starting a company, it should be one worth billions, or even tens of billions, to match your stature,” Li Quan said.
“Billions? Where would I get that kind of money?” Li Feng shook his head, distressed. “Forget starting a company. I’ll just go work at Xiangfeng Investment. At least I can be with Hu Yuanyuan, seeing her every day is a treat.”
You’re enjoying yourself, but for me, it’s torture. A goddess like Hu Yuanyuan is out of your league, Li Quan thought. But he didn’t show it, saying instead, “Young Master Feng, getting money is easy. Not just billions, even tens of billions is simple.”
“How didn’t I know that?” Li Feng asked curiously. He really didn’t know how he could get billions or tens of billions.
“Young Master Feng, you have shares in Xiangfeng Investment and ownership of Tianfu Tower (the skyscraper where Xiangfeng Investment is located). You can use those as collateral to raise funds. With Xiangfeng Investment’s shares and Tianfu Tower’s ownership, getting funds is easy. Billions are nothing. Even tens of billions are possible,” Li Quan said.
“Collateral loans, bank financing, that’s not a bad idea,” Li Feng raised an eyebrow, glancing at Li Quan with some surprise. He hadn’t expected him to have some ability, coming up with this method.
“Young Master Feng, not bank financing,” Li Quan shook his head.
Li Feng looked at him, puzzled. Bank loans could raise funds, but that wasn’t what Li Quan had in mind. Did he have a better idea, or did he have another motive?
“Bank financing is too slow, requiring approvals from various departments, and the funds you’d get aren’t much. With Xiangfeng Investment’s current situation, even with the shares you hold, I’d say you could only borrow about a hundred million at most. But Liu is prepared to put in a billion to start the company. Your status isn’t less than Liu’s, so you’d need to match with a billion. A hundred million loan is just a drop in the bucket,” Li Quan explained.
“What about Tianfu Tower?” Li Feng asked.
“Tianfu Tower absolutely can’t be used for bank loans. If your parents found out you mortgaged it, they’d be the first to stop you,” Li Quan shook his head.
“Then what? Is there a way to raise funds without banks?” Though unsure of Li Quan’s true aim, Li Feng played along.
“Of course. There’s another kind of bank in this world: underground money lenders. With these lenders, you can easily raise funds. Just use your Xiangfeng Investment shares as collateral, and getting a billion is no problem.”
“Are these underground money lenders reliable?”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow. After all that talk, circling around, the real goal was his Xiangfeng Investment shares. This underground money lender was likely a trap set for him.
But since they wanted to play, he’d play along!
Seeing Li Feng’s interest, Li Quan was thrilled. “Young Master Feng, rest assured, these underground lenders are absolutely reliable. Liu has worked with them for years. They’re controlled by the Black Stone Gang, one of Tianhai City’s three major underground forces.”
