Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
[Jiangcheng International Hotel]
A loud piercing ringtone sounded.
“Old Housekeeper, you better have something proper to report. Otherwise, you’ll get it from me,” Hua Haifeng said, furious that he had been interrupted.
A somewhat old-sounding voice replied on the other end: “Master, that Xiao Luo has appeared!”
“Xiao Luo? That’s great. I’ve been trying to find him for almost a month. It’s about time he showed up!” said Hua Haifeng, suddenly on alert. Anxiously, he added, “I asked you to find someone to cripple one of his arms. Has the matter been attended to?”
“Well, about that…not yet.”
“Not yet? What does that mean?” Hua Haifeng demanded.
The housekeeper answered, “So as not to cause any trouble for Master, I intentionally found five strangers. They are very skillful, and twenty of our company’s bodyguards couldn’t match their abilities. It’s just that…”
“Just what?” Hua Haifeng demanded coldly.
“It’s just that Xiao Luo is even more skillful. Those five guys couldn’t hold a candle to him.”
“Trash!”
Hua Haifeng felt like his lungs were about to explode. “I f*cking gave you two hundred thousand, and yet you found me such trash? Are you f*cking stupid?”
The old housekeeper was flustered and was ashamed after the scolding. Actually, there hadn’t been two hundred thousand. He had only received twenty thousand from his boss, and the remaining one hundred and eighty thousand had been taken from his benefits.
“Since the job isn’t done, give me back the two-hundred thousand! Not a single cent less. If even one cent is missing, I will skin you alive!” Hua Haifeng roared. He hung up the phone, gasping for air.
…
…
Three days flew by, and Xiao Luo made his decision.
“Wait for me here,” Xiao Luo instructed Zhang Dashan when they reached Chongshan House.
“Have you made up your mind yet about whether or not you are accepting the offer?” Zhang Dashan pressed. He was even more anxious than Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and answered, “Partially yes. But partially no as well.”
“What the heck! I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. Can you not speak in riddles?” Zhang Dashan replied, visibly dazed.
“Don’t worry about it. Just wait here for me to come out.”
Then, Xiao Luo turned and walked into the tall building in front of him.
…
Chu Yunxiong was already in the office waiting for Xiao Luo’s arrival.
He had on a suit and leather shoes. His hairline was receding slightly, and he had dark, thick eyebrows above his bright eyes. His chest was broad and gave off a stern demeanor.
Looking at Xiao Luo, who was sitting opposite him, he chuckled and said, “Well, Xiao Luo, have you decided?”
“I have.”
Xiao Luo took out a piece of paper from his folder. There were a few sentences printed on it, and he passed it to Chu Yunxiong.
Chu Yunxiong looked at it and frowned. “IOU?”
The paper clearly stated that Xiao Luo had borrowed six-hundred million from Chu Yunxiong, the owner of Chongshan House. The names of the borrower and lender, as well as the date, had all been clearly written out. The term was one year, and the monthly interest rate was also included. Xiao Luo had signed it and provided his thumbprint in bright red ink.
This was a very detailed IOU!
“What are you doing?” Chu Yunxiong was puzzled.
Xiao Luo laughed and said, “Mr. Chu, you bought Luo’s Workshop for five-hundred and fifty million. I now wish to buy it from you for six-hundred million.”
“Hmm?”
Chu Yunxiong was wide-awake now. “You wish to talk to me about business?”
Xiao Luo had aroused the businessman within him.
Xiao Luo nodded and said, “According to my calculations, Luo’s Workshop is currently losing three-hundred-thousand-dollars every day. It is a difficult matter to settle, and everyone is uncomfortable with it.”
While he was speaking, he delivered Luo’s Workshop’s financial loss report to Chu Yunxiong.
Chu Yunxiong glanced at it briefly, then covered it and said, “Luo’s Workshop is experiencing financial hardship, so why do you want to buy it?”
“Because I am confident that it will make a comeback,” Xiao Luo answered calmly and with determination.
Chu Yunxiong’s eyes narrowed. He had bought Luo’s Workshop merely out of convenience to help the poor man – Fang Changmiao. Even he wasn’t confident that Luo’s Workshop could make a recovery. Additionally, he wanted to use Luo’s Workshop to retain Xiao Luo’s talent and to make use of him as a personal assistant. Whether or not Luo’s Workshop could make a comeback was beyond his consideration.
However, the fact that Xiao Luo believed in the business even though Chu Yunxiong wasn’t optimistic inspired his pride as a businessman.
“The problem with Luo’s Workshop doesn’t just lie in its reputation. There are many major issues with the factory and the company’s management. Aside from that, they have a huge competitor in ‘Taste Buds.’ Are you really confident that you can restore Luo’s Workshop to its former glory?” Chu Yunxiong questioned as he stared at Xiao Luo.
“I shouldn’t have to answer that now. All I want to know right now is whether you, Mr. Chu, are willing to sell Luo’s Workshop to me,” Xiao Luo stated.
This kid was very ambitious. Since he wanted Luo’s Workshop, then let him have all of it.
Chu Yunxiong smiled and said, “I spent five-hundred and fifty million to acquire Luo’s Workshop. Now, you want to spend six-hundred million to buy it from me, which means I will have already earned fifty million from it. On paper, it seems like I should agree. Especially given the current state of the business, there’s no reason I shouldn’t. Except that what you’re giving me isn’t six-hundred million. It’s merely a piece of paper, an IOU. It looks like you’re trying to gain something valuable with something worthless.”
Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows slightly. Before coming here, he had already mentally prepared himself for things to go either way. If Chu Yunxiong agreed, he would accept Luo’s Workshop and take it on as a challenge to stoke his passions. If Chu Yunxiong disagreed, then that was fine too. However, just then, he had yet to think of how to respond. One day, he would realize what it was he was meant to do.