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After the New Year, Qi Xing continued to run over to Ye Xingzhou's place every few days. Previously, he would go three times a week but now he was practically spending every night with Ye Xingzhou. When it got late, he would come up with all sorts of excuses not to go home.
He could still tolerate his mother and fool her, but with his father, they simply couldn't find common ground. It was as if he had finally entered his rebellious teenage years after delaying for several years and determined to go against his father. As soon as work ended, he would run off. Preferring to play games in Ye Xingzhou's office rather than face his father's cold face at home.
But perhaps what his Grandpa said to his father had some effect and with his mother wholeheartedly on his side, as Qi Xing's life had indeed improved. Although his father treated him with indifference, he really hadn't caused him any trouble since then.
"You don't need to be angry with your dad. You're not a child anymore, so how can you really go on like this by not going home. Do you really plan to not talk to him for the rest of your life?"
Qi Xing was lounging on the sofa in Ye Xingzhou's office, playing games with his feet propped up. Upon hearing this, he made a mistake in his game and exited. Looking up, he saw Ye Xingzhou still sitting behind the desk while flipping through documents. If it weren't for the fact that the last sentence was indeed that bastard's voice, he would have thought he was imagining things.
Ye Xingzhou looked the same as usual with his light gray shirt without a wrinkle and the top button fastened while wearing those silver-rimmed glasses and his hair neatly combed.
Completely exuding an elite demeanor.
He didn't even spare half a glance at Qi Xing and being engrossed in the documents while occasionally jotting down notes.
In contrast to Qi Xing, who was slacking off playing games, they were two completely different worlds.
Feeling unhappy, Qi Xing shoved his phone back into his pocket then grabbed his jacket and shrugged it over his shoulder while saying, "If you find me annoying, I'm leaving."
He had plenty of friends to hang out with anyway.
The pen tip left a long mark on the document paper and Ye Xingzhou paused before looking up.
Qi Xing raised his chin defiantly, "I'm really leaving. Don't bother me tonight."
The internal phone on the desk rang at that moment and Ye Xingzhou answered. The person on the other end said something he couldn't hear and he lightly tapped his fingers on the desk then instructed in a calm voice, "Let him in."
Now Qi Xing really had to leave but Ye Xingzhou said, "You stay here."
Qi Xing rolled his eyes slowly, "I won't."
Ye Xingzhou insisted, "Sit down and stop messing around."
Who’s messing around? This is so inexplicable.
Qi Xing pouted and sat back down on the sofa then leaned against the backrest. He pulled out his phone again and ignored Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou's visitor was Lin Zhinian's second uncle, Lin Hongfei.
Qi Xing glanced up, slightly surprised. The man's face looked grim as he hurried in while looking like he was there to collect a debt.
Lin Hongfei rushed to find Ye Xingzhou to ask something and striding over without noticing Qi Xing on the sofa behind the partition. He stopped in front of Ye Xingzhou's desk and impatiently said, "Young Master Ye, I have something to ask you."
"Have a seat." Ye Xingzhou slightly raised his chin and gestured for him to sit.
Lin Hongfei was restless but still pulled out a chair but only managed to sit on the edge before he immediately started, "The listing plan for GeRui has to be postponed. Young Master Ye, do you know about this?"
Ye Xingzhou calmly nodded, "I've heard some people mention it."
"What am I supposed to do now?" Lin Hongfei was so anxious that he could hardly breathe. "I've already transferred the money to their account and now they say the listing plan is postponed. How long do I have to wait? When can I get my money back?"
Ye Xingzhou countered, "What does your agreement with them say?"
Lin Hongfei's face turned awkward. In order to smoothly get a share of the pie, he had signed an investment agreement without any performance commitment or buyback clauses. Now that the listing plan was facing a delay, his money was tied up and wanting to withdraw in a short time was basically a fantasy.
After hearing what he said, Ye Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, "If that's the case, it is indeed a bit troublesome."
"All the money I have is invested in this project. If the funds don't come back then my company won't be able to operate other projects and I might not even be able to pay salaries. I even signed short-term loans with the bank and if I can't pay them back when the time comes, I estimate I'll go bankrupt. Young Master Ye, I trusted you back then and took a gamble and putting all my money into GeRui. What should I do now? You must give me a clear path forward!"
Lin Hongfei was nearly going crazy. He was clearly determined to pin the blame on Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou's eyelids drooped slightly as his expression was almost dismissive, "So, Uncle Lin, what are your plans?"
Lin Hongfei gritted his teeth, "Young Master Ye, can you lend me some money first, or help me guarantee a loan from the bank? Let me get through this crisis first!"
Ye Xingzhou asked, "How much do you need?"
Lin Hongfei opened his mouth wide, "Twenty billion."
Ye Xingzhou leaned back in his chair while looking at him with an inscrutable expression and not responding immediately.
Under Ye Xingzhou's gaze, Lin Hongfei felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. After hesitating, he continued, "Young Master Ye, just consider this for the sake of your friendship with Zhinian and help us out. As long as the company can get through this tough time, I will definitely pay you back and the interest won't be small..."
On the sofa, Qi Xing slowly shifted positions. He crossed his legs and yawned.
Twenty billion?
He had only bought one car at a time while this Lin Hongfei actually wanted to take twenty billion just based on his nephew's friendship with Ye Xingzhou? What a big appetite.
Of course, Ye Xingzhou could afford twenty billion, it was just a matter of whether he wanted to give it.
Lin Hongfei swallowed hard, "If twenty billion is too much for Young Master Ye to come up with at once then lend me ten billion first..."
Ye Xingzhou interrupted him, "Bosun has been established for nearly forty years. Although its development in recent years has not been satisfactory, it is still one of the notable companies in Huaicheng. If Uncle Lin is willing to be flexible and sell the company, it could also solve the immediate crisis."
Lin Hongfei was taken aback. Clearly, not expecting Ye Xingzhou's suggestion to sell the company.
He chuckled awkwardly, "No matter what, Bosun was founded by three generations of our Lin family. If it fails under my watch, I would have no face to meet anyone. And even if I had to sell it, I wouldn't want to break it up for sale. Besides, Young Master Ye knows the current situation of Bosun. Even if I were willing to sell it, there would need to be someone with the guts and capability to take over. I'm afraid that by the time a buyer is found, the bank will have already come knocking."
"What if the Ye family is willing to buy?" Ye Xingzhou suddenly said.
Lin Hongfei looked at him in surprise, exclaiming, "If I sell to the Ye family, will Bosun still retain its autonomy?"
Ye Xingzhou slowly shook his head and shattering his delusions.
The Ye family wasn't in the business of charity. A company like Bosun, which was already decaying and in disarray, had no reason to continue existing. He was only interested in the other party's assets.
Lin Hongfei was provoked by the half-smile on Ye Xingzhou's face and his anger surged suddenly, "So, Young Master Ye plan to take advantage of the situation and rob me?"
Ye Xingzhou replied, "What I'm doing is to help Uncle Lin."
Lin Hongfei stood up abruptly while gritting his teeth, "Your reaction suggests you've had your eye on Bosun for a long time! You knew there was a problem with Ge Rui and deliberately tricked me into investing in them to trap me, right?! The projects you introduced to me before were just bait to lure me in and making me trust you! Now that I'm about to go bankrupt, you plan to take over my company completely, don't you?!"
Ye Xingzhou leaned back in his chair while looking up at him with a disdainful gaze, neither confirming nor denying, "My suggestion, Uncle Lin, you might want to consider carefully. You're getting older now, so taking the money and retiring to enjoy life isn't a bad thing."
Lin Hongfei's chest heaved with anger as his fists clenched with veins bulging on the back of his hands and glaring at him.
Ye Xingzhou remained unmoved, "It's getting late. If Uncle Lin has no other business, please leave."
After a moment of stalemate, Lin Hongfei left with a dark expression and slammed the door behind him.
Qi Xing, who had been watching the show, clicked his tongue and walked over to Ye Xingzhou's side then casually sitting sideways on his lap while his fingers hooking onto Ye Xingzhou's shirt collar, "So you were setting them up when you introduced the project to them before? You actually want to swallow the Lin family's company?"
As his fingertips brushed up, Ye Xingzhou's Adam's apple moved slightly, "He brought the opportunity to my door."
Qi Xing asked curiously, "How did you know something would go wrong with Ge Rui?"
"That time when your grandfather invited us to the farm," Ye Xingzhou replied.
Qi Xing was puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"One of your grandfather's old friends is from Chongjiang City and knows the situation there quite well. They mentioned Ge Rui Manufacturing during their casual chat. This state-owned enterprise indeed had plans to reform and go public, which was originally a done deal. However, it coincidentally ran into a change in the local government leadership. The new leaders had a conservative approach and the president of Ge Rui Manufacturing was ambitious, wanting to use the opportunity of bringing in outside shareholders to take Ge Rui out of Chongjiang City. Ge Rui is a major taxpayer in Chongjiang, so do you think the local government could just sit by and let them succeed? Of course, they still can go public but it definitely won't be at this moment. The final distribution of benefits will certainly not be what Lin Hongfei desires. The money he invested is tied up and if he wants to untie it, he will have to wait. It all depends on whether he can afford to wait."
Qi Xing was speechless.
At that time, he was only focused on eating and playing and he hadn't listened to what those old men were chatting about. Ye Xingzhou not only listened but also thought of using this opportunity to set a trap for them?
Ye Xingzhou said indifferently, "Coincidentally, I have some connections with the president of Ge Rui Manufacturing, so I helped out. If Lin Hongfei hadn't been too greedy then he wouldn't have fallen into the trap."
Qi Xing asked, "So you really are interested in their company?"
"Even a broken ship has three thousand nails," Ye Xingzhou casually nodded. "Moreover, Bosun is a large company that has been developing for decades. They made their fortune in real estate in their early years and the company has quite a few quality assets under its name. With some integration, it could be very useful."
Qi Xing clicked his tongue, "You just knew he would definitely sell to you?"
Ye Xingzhou replied, "He is in urgent need of money and the price I can offer is something others can't match. Even if he is unwilling to sell, Bosun is not solely his decision. As long as I am willing to take over completely and help them pay off their debts, then there will definitely be someone interested."
Qi Xing leaned closer to him and pinched his face with both hands, "Ye Xingzhou, your heart is indeed blackened. Did Lin Zhinian offend you in any way? You actually want to swallow their company whole and show no mercy at all? And what about when you pulled my dad into investing in Xingneng Technology? Were you also plotting against us? My dad is planning to increase his investment; should I go back and advise him to reconsider? And that old classmate of yours, who took my thirty million, you guys aren't planning to set me up, are you?"
Ye Xingzhou caught his hands, "Whether there are issues with Xingneng Technology, your dad knows better than you. As for the company my old classmate is running, I was just about to tell you, they have completed their registration and just sent over the relevant materials. Take a look."
He held Qi Xing in his arms and opened a computer file for him to see.
Qi Xing, while pretending to worry about being set up, didn't look closely. He confirmed his shareholding ratio and was about to move on when he paused at the new company name, reading it out loud, "Zhiyuan Venture Capital? Who came up with this name? You said they aren't in a brotherly relationship, yet the company is named like this?"
Ye Xingzhou glanced at him, "My old classmate named it; let them be."
Qi Xing said, "…I feel like what we invested is actually just a share of the money? It doesn't involve us at all?"
Ye Xingzhou seemed to think he was getting more and more off track and reaching out to pinch his waist then sliding his hand back.
Qi Xing exclaimed, "Pervert! Where are you touching?"
Ye Xingzhou looked at him, his voice low and seductive, "Do you want it?"
This guy, even when saying such things, was still composed and appearing serious while being utterly shameless.
Qi Xing's thoughts couldn't help but stir. He noticed the time on the computer was nearing the end of the workday and cleared his throat then saying proudly, "You go lock the door first."
Ye Xingzhou smirked.
As he got up to lock the door, Qi Xing's gaze followed him. When he returned and sat back down, Qi Xing once again straddled him and pulled his head down for a kiss.
Compared to being pinned down, Qi Xing indeed preferred the position of sitting on Ye Xingzhou, as it can give him a sense of control and superiority.
Although most of the time, he was the one being controlled.
"Ye Xingzhou, Ye Xingzhou…"
Qi Xing was driven to distraction while continuously whispering Ye Xingzhou's name with his voice growing more and more sticky.
Ye Xingzhou stared at him without blinking. Qi Xing was completely immersed in desire. His lips moist, his face flushed and his peach blossom eyes sparkling, looking incredibly alluring.
He turned his head and kissed him fiercely.
At the most intense moment, the internal phone on the desk rang again but Ye Xingzhou ignored it.
His phone rang shortly after and he also paid no attention.
By the time it ended, it was almost night. After taking a shower and changing clothes in the lounge, Ye Xingzhou finally had time to check his phone. The last call was from Lin Zhinian.
"Oh, here to seek revenge, are we?" Qi Xing leaned over to see the call log with his tone clearly gloating.
Ye Xingzhou was too lazy to respond and asked him, "Are you going back now?"
Qi Xing wanted to say something but the internal phone rang again. Ye Xingzhou answered it casually and the secretary outside informed him that Lin Zhinian had been waiting to see him for over an hour.
Ye Xingzhou frowned, "Let him in."
Qi Xing scoffed.
Ye Xingzhou hung up the phone, "Are you staying here or going inside?"
Qi Xing replied, "I can't be bothered to listen to you two old lovers reminisce."
Throwing that out, he directly went into the lounge but didn't close the door and left a crack open while lazily leaning against the doorframe and playing a mobile game on mute.