A Chan – CH 119

Chapter 119: Meeting Again in Every Lifetime (1)

As night fell, a Bentley pulled up outside an abandoned construction site.

Xu Yi, dressed in a black suit and shirt, without a tie, arms crossed, and eyes closed, seemed to be resting.

His assistant said, “Mr. Xu, we’ve arrived.”

Xu Yi slowly opened his eyes, glanced out the window, and said, “You all go back first. I’ll stay here and have some peace and quiet.”

The assistant hesitated: “Should we leave someone in?” Besides the driver, there were bodyguards in the car. “No need.”

They all got out of the car and left. Xu Yi took a drag of his cigarette, slowly finished it, took off his suit jacket, and tossed it into the car, opened the glove compartment next to his seat, took out a dagger, put it in his pocket, his gaze lingered, and he reached into the bottom of the compartment, pulling out a paper bag containing a pocket pistol.

His vision suddenly blurred for a moment, as if he saw double. He saw another hand put the pistol back, only taking the dagger.

This illusion vanished in an instant.

Xu Yi stared at the pistol, a slight smile playing on his lips. Was it something from his past life?

Then today, he would make a different choice.

He holstered the pistol, put his suit jacket back on, and got out of the car.

Walking several dozen meters forward, they came to an old, earthen-yellow factory building. A large black Jeep was parked there, and a man emerged from behind the building, smiling, and said, “Assistant Xu, you’re very punctual.”

Xu Yi stopped about ten meters away and said, “Speak, what is it now?”

Cheng Chuan now was like a different person from before. He was fatter and darker-skinned, with two scars on his face. He wasn’t wearing his glasses; he was probably wearing contact lenses. His eyes bulged noticeably, and the reserved, hypocritical demeanor of his youth was gone. The ruthlessness that had once been hidden behind his glasses was now written all over his face.

He said indifferently, “I have to thank Assistant Xu. Now that you’re such a big boss, even a convict like me would come running at a moment’s notice. It seems those documents and stories about Fuming that I have are still valuable.”

Xu Yi stood silently, hands in his pockets.

However, his handsomeness, his air of nobility, his cleanliness, and his calmness all stung Cheng Chuan’s nerves. Cheng Chuan suddenly flew into a rage, roaring, “300,000? You thought you could get rid of me with 300,000 last time I asked you? I thought about it later, and that doesn’t make sense. The chairman of the prestigious Muchen Group, what’s your net worth? 5 billion? 10 billion? If it weren’t for me back then, where would you, Xu Yi, have gotten so much money to use as your startup capital? I’m Zhang Moyun’s best brother. You and your sibling only managed to make such a fortune at Fuming because of my influence!”

“So what exactly do you want?”

“I want shares in Muchen Group!” Cheng Chuan’s eyes gleamed with a strange light. He gritted his teeth and said, “Give me 5%, no! 10%! Those things from back then… they’ll rot in my stomach. Once I become a shareholder of Muchen Group, our fortunes will rise and fall together, so you can rest assured!”

Xu Yi took off his glasses, pulled a lens cloth from his pocket, and carefully wiped them, saying, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll have someone kill you?”

Cheng Chuan laughed: “Everyone’s walking by the river, but I’m the one with nothing to lose. Let me tell you the truth: I kept a backup of those documents with a fellow inmate. If I die, he’ll immediately report me to the police. Then it’ll be a fight to the death, and your life will be worth much more than mine.”

Anger finally surfaced on Xu Yi’s face, his chest heaving with rapid breathing.

Cheng Chuan said smugly, “So, Assistant Xu, can you give me the shares? It’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. I don’t want to be your enemy; I just want what’s rightfully mine. We can make money together from now on, and I can even manage your finances. We can turn enemies into friends, and you can rest easy. Isn’t that better? Speaking of which, I was once your brother-in-law, so we still have some connection.”

Xu Yi looked at him coldly, remained silent for a moment, and then said, “At most 1%.”

Cheng Chuan scoffed, “Are you trying to fob me off?”

“Muchen Group’s current market value is close to 10 billion!”

Cheng Chuan’s heart pounded, but he only conceded halfway: “5%! No less!”

“3% is my bottom line. The shares aren’t solely in my hands; they need to be approved by the board. Any more would arouse suspicion and make it impossible to operate. I can give you another 10 million in cash, but no more. However, I have a condition: all your documents and backups must be destroyed. Take the money, leave the country, and don’t come back.”

Cheng Chuan actually preferred to stay in China, hold onto his Muchen Group shares, and ideally manage a subsidiary. But the temptation of 300 million was too great. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he decided to agree for now. As for whether he would make other demands later, that wasn’t up to Xu Yi alone.

Both were well-versed in finance and company operations. They roughly discussed the operation. Xu Yi agreed to first register a shell company for him, giving him a respectable yet mysterious identity, and then transfer the 3% of company shares under his personal name. They agreed on the specifics, including how to handle the accounting and how to explain it to the board. Cheng Chuan’s heart warmed, and he finally believed that Xu Yi, now a powerful figure attracting attention, was too caught up in the scandal of what happened back then and genuinely hoped to avoid further trouble by paying money.

“I’ve shown my sincerity; what about you?” Xu Yi asked, leaning against Cheng Chuan’s car door.

Cheng Chuan chuckled and replied, “Don’t worry, Mr. Xu, I’m only after money. If what happened back then were exposed, I’d be going to jail again. But I can’t give them to you right now since I haven’t received the shares and money.”

“Then how can my interests be guaranteed? I won’t transfer the shares to you until I see them.”

“Fine, I’ll give you my copy first. Is that enough sincerity?” Cheng Chuan said. “Once the shares are transferred, I’ll call my cellmate and destroy his copy in front of you, making sure it’s completely wiped clean.”

“All your residences, belongings, electronic devices, and accounts—all of you and those around you—I’ll have them all cleared out.”

Cheng Chuan’s heart sank, but he still agreed, “No problem.”

Xu Yi: “Where’s your copy?”

Cheng Chuan understood that Xu Yi would only be willing to pay the price if he saw the goods with his own eyes and believed in their value. He smiled and said, “It’s right here.” He walked to the trunk, bent down, and opened it.

Xu Yi followed, revealing a sharp blade in his palm, which he plunged straight into Cheng Chuan’s lower back. Cheng Chuan shuddered. Having spent five years in prison, he was no longer the pampered executive he once was. He endured the pain, whirled around, and threw a punch at Xu Yi’s face.

Xu Yi easily dodged the punch by tilting his head. He had always been an extremely cautious person. Over the years, his business had grown larger and larger, and he had made more and more money. Although he was always accompanied by bodyguards, he never missed a daily fitness and combat training session, all for self-defense in extreme situations. His combat coach was naturally a top-tier expert; he could easily handle three opponents on his own. This was why he dared to send his bodyguards away today and attend the meeting alone—he wouldn’t let a single word of what Cheng Chuan said reach a third person.