Originally, it was Lin Tian who had made an appointment with Xu Shan, but now Xu Shan had gone ahead and ordered all the food and drinks, evidently bearing in mind the shadows of their last fight.
"Boss Xu, I have to attend classes in the afternoon, so you don’t need to order any alcohol. Just a pot of tea will do," Lin Tian said, not wanting to go to school reeking of alcohol and being mistaken for some drunken lunatic.
"Sure, as long as Mr. Lin is happy, that’s all that matters," responded Xu Shan, not uttering any words of objection and promptly instructing the waiter to serve the finest tea.
His straightforwardness rather impressed Lin Tian, not like some idiots at the drinking table who can’t read the room and only know how to relentlessly push drinks. Xu Shan had emerald jade mines in Myanmar, he wasn’t a mere trader of raw jade stones. It was exactly this point that Lin Tian valued, which ultimately led him to seek out Xu Shan for potential collaboration, otherwise he wouldn’t bother with such a useless person.
"Boss Xu, your time is precious, and I won’t beat around the bush to save you from delaying your rendezvous with your mistress. You’ve heard about the batch of raw jade stones from the Xiao Family, right?" Lin Tian said, sipping his top-quality Longjing tea without any expression on his face.
Indeed, even Zhou Botong couldn’t discern Lin Tian’s thoughts by looking at his face, and Xu Shan cautiously watched him, fearing this matter would implicate him. After all, he was the one who sold this batch of jade stones to the Bai Family, and the last thing he wanted was to incur the wrath of the man before him, which might result in something as mild as broken limbs.
"To be frank with Mr. Lin, there were no problems with the stones when I sold them. Even if the craftsmen missed something, it couldn’t possibly be as serious as the rumors suggest. There must have been someone who tampered with them," Xu Shan said softly, trying to explain.
Although he didn’t understand why this young man was inquiring about the Xiao Family’s matters, he wanted to disassociate himself from the situation to avoid any misunderstandings.
Lin Tian understood his anxiety, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t press the issue. He said half-smilingly, "Boss Xu, there were only three parties involved in handling this batch of goods: you, the Bai Family, and the Xiao Family. You say it wasn’t a problem on your end, what evidence do you have? Or do you have any evidence as to where the issue originated?"
This troubled Xu Shan greatly. If someone had intentionally tampered with the stones, they definitely wouldn’t leave any evidence behind, and he wouldn’t know where to begin to prove his innocence. Xu Shan was a seasoned businessman familiar with the tricks of the jade trade, but he had never before encountered a transactional mishap of this magnitude.
Moreover, this young man was merciless when it came to fighting, leading Xu Shan to speculate that someone with such formidable skills must be of significant background. If they were not born into a powerful family, then they had a master who was not to be trifiled with. And even without these, he wouldn’t dare to challenge someone so extremely skilled.
"I... I really don’t have any evidence," admitted Xu Shan, his forehead breaking out in sweat at the thought of the consequence of his answer.
"Hmm, since you have no evidence, Boss Xu, that makes you a prime suspect. Such a large-scale fraud is a violation of the jade industry’s code. I don’t think losing both hands would be enough," Lin Tian stated flatly, his tone even and seated posture unchanged.
Xu Shan grew even more terrified by this demeanor. His body fat trembled with nervousness, and he stammered, "Mr... Mr. Lin, it’s really... really not my fault, I swear on my honor."
Damn, this fatso actually had the nerve to speak of honor, after keeping who knows how many mistresses. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he even picked such a disgusting woman to be his mistress. His integrity shattered to pieces, what honor was left to speak of.
Lin Tian discretely signaled Zhou Botong with his eyes. Zhou Botong, catching on quickly, blinked and spoke with a calculated tone, "Boss Xu, think hard about it. If it wasn’t you, then who could it be? Could it really be the Xiao Family sabotaging themselves?"
"No, it definitely isn’t the Xiao Family," Xu Shan cautiously glanced at Lin Tian and hurriedly said, "The Xiao Family has always valued trustworthiness in business—this is a well-known fact in the business world. It can’t be the Xiao Family, it should be, it might be..."
"Who is it?" Zhou Botong suddenly asked loudly.
"The Bai Family, it’s most likely the Bai Family," Xu Shan was scared again, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Xu Shan was quite capable but a bit too afraid of death. The moment his life was threatened, he was terrified. Though it seemed all wealthy people feared death, Xu Shan was especially fearful.
"Ah, Boss Xu has made a good analysis, but still no evidence. How about this, you try to sell the batch of jadeite raw stones to the Bai Family as a way to prove your own innocence," Lin Tian said slowly, revealing his purpose for coming here.
Initially, Lin Tian wanted to be more forceful with Xu Shan as soon as they met, demanding immediate action, but that would lack a solid justification. If Xu Shan were pushed into a corner, he might spoil the entire plan. Now, by drawing him in and crushing his courage with threats, Xu Shan was thoroughly subdued.
"Sell to the Bai Family? This..." Xu Shan still had some reservations.
"Does Boss Xu find it difficult, thinking that the Bai Family is not easy to provoke? You don’t have to do it yourself, you know so many people, just find someone else to act on your behalf. The Bai Family won’t know who’s behind it, will they?" Lin Tian reminded him.
This was the difference between the Bai Family and the Xiao Family. Although the Bai Family’s business was not as large as that of the Xiao Family, people dared not offend the former, due to the Bai Family’s ruthless approach. Mrs. Xiao and her daughter conducted business with integrity, but their methods were too gentle, failing to deter those with malicious intent.
Zhou Botong also understood, realizing that Lin Tian wanted to use Xu Shan to sell the batch of jadeite raw stones to the Bai Family. This would not only assist Xiao Manxue but also deal a heavy blow to the Bai Family. Xu Shan held his teacup, continuously sipping tea, as he pondered something.
Seeing that Xu Shan was still hesitant, Lin Tian’s eyes widened, his face turned stern, and he coldly said, "Is Boss Xu still considering the consequences of offending the Bai Family? Let me tell you, the Bai Family is preoccupied with their own troubles and has no time for revenge. You should know, their tribute was killed a few days ago. Do you think the current Bai Family can still be as arrogant as before?"
With a gulp, Xu Shan was startled by Lin Tian’s cold smile, as if realizing something but not daring to say it out loud. His words didn’t sound like a reminder but more like a threat. Xu Shan had the eerie feeling that if he didn’t agree with this young man, he might share the same fate as the Bai Family’s tribute.
Xu Shan’s psychological defenses completely collapsed, and it seemed as if his bulky frame slumped. He said weakly, "Fine, I agree, Mr. Lin."
With the matter nearly settled, Lin Tian withdrew his fierce gaze and replaced it with a friendly and kind smile, saying, "Boss Xu, the Xiao Family has stated that they only want to recover the original amount of money. If you manage to sell it for a higher price, you can keep the excess; the Xiao Family won’t take a single penny."
"Really?" Xu Shan’s previously dull pupils sparked to life again. After receiving a positive answer, his expression also became more animated. Watching Lin Tian’s alternating soft and hard tactics bring Xu Shan to heel, Zhou Botong mentally noted a big mark of respect.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺