Chapter 275: Chapter 274: Meeting with Wang Shanshan
In a star-rated restaurant, Xu Feng was having a meal with a middle-aged man in a suit.
"Brother Xiang, let me toast you!" Xu Feng picked up his wine glass and was about to down it in one go.
Seeing this, the man quickly waved his hand: "Brother, brother, take it easy, whatâs the rush?"
The man was in his forties, looked refined with his glasses, but the hair at his temples was already gray, whether from exhaustion or genetics, was unknown.
Anyway, Comrade Suâs hair was still pitch black, no signs of graying yet.
Ignoring the man, Xu Feng drained his glass and then said, "I must toast you, brother, youâve taken good care of my business all these years."
"Haha, itâs nothing, really nothing, no need to be so formal, brother," the man laughed casually and then continued:
"Xu, why did you invite me for a meal today? Judging by your tone, has something happened?"
"To be honest, Brother Xiang, I really have some trouble and need your help."
"Tell me, Iâll help if I can."
"Hereâs the thing, Iâm a bit tight on cash recently. Could you lend me some money to get through?"
At these words, the manâs smile froze, but being a man of the world, he naturally wouldnât refuse outright.
"How much do you need?"
"About 120 million, see how much you can help me with?"
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Xu Feng felt a bit awkward asking. Who borrows such a large amount in one go?
His companyâs profit wasnât enough to require paying such a high tax; instead, this amount was the sum of his tax evasion and fines over the years, as estimated by professionals.
Upon hearing this, Boss Xiang spat out a mouthful of wine and coughed repeatedly.
"Brother, what have you done to need so much money?"
Xu Feng sighed helplessly but didnât reveal the truth, only said he was short on funds.
"Brother, maybe we can do this: if itâs hard for you, I can mortgage my companyâs shares to you. In one to three months, Iâll return the full amount; otherwise, I can hand over the company to you. We can get it notarized!"
At this point, Wang Bo, who usually followed Xu Feng, came over with a document from his briefcase. It was a share mortgage contract.
People in business, especially those who have made it big, are not foolsâthis is certain.
The moment Boss Xiang saw the setup, he felt it was less a pie and more a pit in front of him.
If he lent the money, and Xu Fengâs company revived in three months, he would simply get his money back, but no additional benefits. If Xu Feng couldnât repay, he might seem to get company shares, but the money was real while shares were uncertain.
Who knew what condition Xu Fengâs company was in? If he really needed funds, wouldnât he get a bank loan?
For such a large sum, why borrow from a friend unless thereâs a problem? Either the bank wonât loan, or the company isnât worth it.
With this in mind, Boss Xiang wiped his mouth and smiled, "Itâs not that I donât want to help, brother, but I just canât come up with such a large sum. My company has to operate too, right?"
"Letâs do this: Iâll order more goods this month, at market price. If you really need money, I can get you 1 million. How about that?"
"Brother, I..."
"Ah, itâs settled, come, let me toast you," Boss Xiang downed a glass, rose up, and then parted with Xu Feng with some reluctance, casually suggesting he send someone to collect the money from his company.
Once Boss Xiang left, Xu Fengâs expression turned frighteningly dark.
"Damn, these old dogs, always pretending, but when it counts, they all turn a blind eye. 1 million, as if Iâm a beggar!" Xu Feng smashed the glass on the table, shouting in anger.
Since Su Qing left, he had felt intensely uneasy and needed to quickly gather funds to at least secure the companyâs taxes.
That way, even if problems arose, he could pay the tax and then sell the company. With his stockpiled goods, equipment, and property, he could clear the debt and have a surplus, although the companyâs value would drastically shrink, better than being seized; otherwise, he might truly go bankrupt.
He contacted people he thought were close to him for meals. Boss Xiang was the third one, yet no one was willing to lend him money, largely due to the enormous sum needed.
His offer to transfer shares seemed enticing, but anyone who accepted would be trapped. Nobody wanted to take such a risk.
"Xu, should we still send someone to Boss Xiangâs for the money tomorrow?" Wang Bo cautiously asked.
"No, canât you use your head? If we go, not only will I lose face, but heâll see whatâs really going on. How will I fundraise then? Get out, get out!"
Xu Feng shouted, driving him out, then poured himself a drink, pondering other solutions.
That 1 million was impossible to retrieve; in business, once someone saw your weakness, the news would spread among all bosses, and how could he then raise money?
Sentiment doesnât count in business; itâs interest that matters. That 1 million might seem like goodwill, but it was actually probing for information, and his company was too big; even if it went bankrupt, picking up a mere 1 million was feasible, so the other side knew the money wouldnât be lost.
If the amount were larger, the risk would be significant; if problems arose, theyâd have nowhere to cry about it. Xu Feng knew this, which was why he was so angry.
Drinking, Xu Feng opened his phone and scrolled through contacts, eventually stopping at his current girlfriend, Wang Shanshanâs name.
Meanwhile, at an internet-famous bar in the city center, a handsome man and a beautiful woman sat facing each other.
The bar was tastefully decorated, quite quaint, more of a lounge, very chic, with calming music playing indoors.
There were only a few scattered patrons in the bar, sitting afar, occasionally glancing over.
The narration revealed that this bar was actually opened by Wang Shanshan and her friends, not for profit but for gatherings, and the scattered patrons were all acquaintances of Wang Shanshan.
After all, when meeting a stranger suddenly, she had to be cautious, what if it was someone dangerous?
"Itâs you?" Wang Shanshan, across the table, looked at him with a hostile gaze.
Unlike their last meeting when she was all dolled up, she wore no makeup, appearing moderately attractive, donning shorts and a T-shirt, very casual.
"Miss Wang seems very surprised?" Su Qing sipped his drink casually.
Wang Shanshan got straight to the point: "Where did you get those photos? And, what do you want?"
[The arrogant, brainless Wang Shanshan was full of defense but internally furious, eager to see what her boyfriend had been doing behind her back.]
Hearing the voice-over in his head, Su Qing felt delighted. Arrogant and brainless were actually compliments to him.
"Of course, they were secretly taken. This angle is clear to you, Miss Wang. As for why, itâs because heâs been in conflict with my friend." Su Qing spoke plainly, without any concealment.
For such a woman, itâs better to be straightforward than to use ornate language, plus he wasnât skilled in verbal art.
"Youâre a friend of Shen Yi, and Iâm Xu Fengâs girlfriend. Youâre dissing my boyfriend with a photo, do you think Iâd believe you?"
[Love lowers a womanâs IQ; sheâs blinded with anger, but slightly doubts your words.]
"Arenât you sitting here? That means youâre concerned, plus, who says I only have one photo?"
Saying this, under Wang Shanshanâs gaze, he took out his phone, found the chat record with Wang Xing, and laid the phone on the table.
Many photos, even videos, showed Xu Feng and Gu Qiaoqiao being very intimate, hugging, kissing...
Seeing this, Wang Shanshanâs blood pressure rose.
"Sheâs just one of the students Xu Feng keeps, right after you parted yesterday afternoon."
"What do you want?"
...