Chapter 45

Chapter 45 What If It’s True

Ye Hao immediately gave orders for his subordinates to carefully refine the document sent by Xu Yuan.

He was now somewhat curious about what Zhang Ming’s thoughts would be upon receiving this document.
Perhaps this bargaining chip could help Xu Yuan and Ye Hao secure more benefits.

After receiving the documents, Zhang Ming sat in his office for the entire afternoon.

No one knew what he was thinking.

In the following three days, Zhang Ming remained indecisive.

He sent the document to his private email, not only deleting the original but also formatting his previous computer.

This alone was enough to show that Zhang Ming took this document very seriously.

Ye Hao did not take the initiative to contact Zhang Ming, and Zhang Ming likewise made no other moves.

Both of them are now playing a waiting game; whoever gets anxious first loses.

Zhang Ming wants to know if Ye Hao and Xu Yuan are bluffing, and Ye Hao also wants to find out whether the plan in Xu Yuan’s document coincides with Zhang Ming’s own ideas.

For Zhang Ming, what he needs to consider now is whether the unlikely possibility is worth questioning this document.

However, Xu Yuan, who caused a stalemate between two big players with a strategic plan of over 200,000 words, is not focusing on the flickering characters at this moment.

  ……

“President Sun, what exactly President Ye is thinking, how would I know? If you really have doubts, why not just call President Ye directly?”

Listening to Sun Tianqi’s somewhat anxious tone on the other end, Xu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment.

In the past few days, with Ye Hao’s help, Lin Changyuan’s 5% stake in Tianqi has already been transferred to his name.

Sun Tianqi is now convinced that Ye Hao and Xu Yuan are on the same side. In just a few days, Sun Tianqi has made no less than ten calls, and Xu Yuan is getting annoyed, even feeling the urge to blacklist this guy.

“President Xu, don’t laugh at me. I temporarily can’t get in touch with President Ye.” Sun Tianqi could only smile bitterly at this moment. If it weren’t for having no other choice, he wouldn’t have come to plead with Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan felt a bit different. After all, Sun Tianqi was the current CEO of Tianqi Entertainment and the third largest shareholder. How could he be forced into such a situation?

But this guy wasn’t very good at dealing with people either. If he wanted to ask Xu Yuan for help, all he did was make a phone call. Couldn’t he even invite him to a meal?
“President Sun, although President Ye and I are business friends, I can’t influence President Ye’s decisions.”

I think instead of wasting time, you should put effort into me and think it through clearly yourself.

Sun Tianqi on the other end of the phone couldn’t help but sneer. Xu Yuan was actually lecturing him now. But since he still didn’t dare to offend Xu Yuan directly, he could only maintain a calm tone and say:
“Mr. Xu, if you’re willing to help, I can transfer 3% of the shares as a reward. What do you think, Mr. Xu?”

Xu Yuan smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. This guy had finally come to his senses. Why didn’t he say this earlier?
However, Sun Tianqi must have been driven to a dead end; otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have easily given up the shares in his hands.

“Mr. Sun, you’re too polite. It just so happens that in a few days, Mr. Ye and I have some business to discuss, so I’ll help you ask about it then.”

Xu Yuan also didn’t dare to make any promises. From what he currently understands, the largest shareholder of Tianqi Entertainment seems very dissatisfied with Sun Tianqi and wants to forcibly remove him from his position.

Sun Tianqi now must gain the support of Ye Hao, the second-largest shareholder, in order to regain control at the board meeting.

Logically speaking, given Ye Hao’s personality, there was no way he would just stand by and watch the largest shareholder grow stronger. Supporting Sun Tianqi was almost an inevitable outcome.

But now Ye Hao was too lazy to even answer Sun Tianqi’s calls, probably up to some sinister scheme again.

“Then I’ll thank President Xu in advance.”

  ……

After hanging up, Xu Yuan was still pondering why Ye Hao had pushed Sun Tianqi to such an extent, when he suddenly felt a burning gaze beside him.

Ye Sisi looked at Xu Yuan with burning eyes, her gaze full of envy.

She also fantasized about one day being like Xu Yuan, able to chat casually with those big shots in the business world.

That would be just too cool!
“Sisi, you’re not allowed to look anymore!” Li Xinran pushed up her glasses, pouting, somewhat displeased. Then she forcibly turned Ye Sisi’s head around.

Ye Sisi finally broke free from Li Xinran’s fair little hand and complained, “I’m not competing with you for a man, so why are you so flustered?”

Hearing this, Li Xinran was slightly flustered, but that moment of panic disappeared in an instant. She then calmly looked at Ye Sisi and said, “Science shows that if the neck is twisted too much unconsciously, it can cause a stiff neck. I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m not well-educated, I don’t understand science, I don’t know, and I don’t believe it!” Ye Sisi immediately responded with three “no’s,” using ignorance as a form of rebuttal.

Xu Yuan found the whole scene quite amusing as well.

“Alright, let’s find a place to eat first, I’m starving.”

Finally having some free time to ask Li Xinran out shopping, Ye Sisi insisted on being a third wheel.

Just as the three were about to randomly pick a restaurant to fill their stomachs first, they noticed some noise ahead and a crowd gathering.

“Xinran, there are so many people, let’s go check it out.” Ye Sisi, eager for excitement, immediately got interested and, without caring whether Xu Yuan agreed or not, directly pulled Li Xinran over.

In the open space surrounded by the crowd, a man with dark skin and a very thin appearance was bowing his head to the ground.

Underneath his body was a homemade wooden cart; it seemed his legs had been amputated, making him disabled.

In front of him, three lines of words were written in chalk.

【I became disabled due to an accident at the construction site, and the foreman absconded with the money. My mother at home is seriously ill. After selling the house and land, we are still short of thirty thousand. I hope any passing boss can offer some help.】
Wishing everyone good health and all the best!

The bag in front of the man already contained quite a few scattered coins, and even many red hundred-yuan bills.

Many people sympathized with the man’s plight, but of course, there were also quite a few who whispered that he was a fraud.

Xu Yuan was also somewhat puzzled; he hadn’t expected there to be street beggars in the capital city.

Ye Sisi held Li Xinran’s arm, her nose slightly red, seemingly pitying the man’s plight.

After hesitating for a moment, Ye Sisi took out a red bill from her pocket. She rarely carried cash, only a 100-yuan note for emergencies.

Ye Sisi had lived a wealthy life since childhood, spoiled by Ye Hao, never having endured hardship. Seeing this man in such misery, she immediately felt a sense of compassion.

Li Xinran took out his small wallet and also took out 100 yuan, putting it into the bag together with Ye Sisi.

Xu Yuan glanced at the two of them, originally wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak. He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a crumpled big red bill, and then put it in as well.

After the three finished their good deed, they didn’t linger too long and quietly left.

“This person is really pitiful, but unfortunately, I only brought 100 yuan,” Ye Sisi said, her nose still red at this moment. Although she was lively to the extreme and impulsive in her actions, she was still a kind-hearted little girl.

They found a Sichuan restaurant. Ye Sisi was still immersed in what had just happened, repeatedly saying, “How about I make a call and ask my dad to help him?”

The waiter handed over the menu, and after Li Xinran said thank you, she began to carefully make her selections.

“Do you guys eat this?” Li Xinran asked the two, pointing at the menu.

Xu Yuan replied, “Anything is fine.”

He wasn’t picky and could enjoy any dish.

Ye Sisi had no interest in the menu and just nodded instinctively.

At that moment, a commotion suddenly came from outside the shop.

A group of urban management officers were chasing a man running past the shop entrance, and the man was wearing the same clothes as the disabled man from earlier, still holding the money pouch.

Ye Sisi stared at the scene, her eyes wide open, feeling utterly incredulous.

Isn’t that man disabled? How did his leg grow back?
Xu Yuan was not too surprised, as if he had known all along. Li Xinran was the same, quietly handing the menu to the waiter who was sticking his head out to watch the commotion.

“There are more and more scammers nowadays. Aren’t they harming those who are truly in need?” The waiter couldn’t help but shake his head, saying this as he took the menu and walked away.

The place where the man begged was not far from this shop, so it seemed the waiter had known about it for a long time.

“How could this be? How could he be a fraud? I clearly saw that he was indeed disabled,” Ye Sisi said, disbelief all over her face. Her kindness had been misplaced.

Xu Yuan looked at Li Xinran, whose expression was very calm, and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “You figured it out?”

Li Xinran looked up at Xu Yuan, pushed up her glasses, and said, “The cloth he used to cover his lower body was too long, and someone with an amputation who relies on a wooden cart to move would definitely have calluses on their hands, but his hands are too clean.

There is a noticeable bulge in the lower half of his body. A normal human skeleton wouldn’t look like that; he must have his legs folded behind him.”

Li Xinran spoke calmly. She studied medicine and had a deep understanding of the human body’s structure, and she was also confident in her own judgment.

“Xinran, since you already know he’s a fraud, why don’t you expose him? You’re just giving him money for nothing!” Ye Sisi said somewhat indignantly.

“Because even so, it’s still painful. Keeping your legs positioned like that for a long time can cause bone deformities.

And even if his disability is fake, there might be unavoidable reasons behind it.”

How difficult must a person’s situation be to sell their own dignity?” Li Xinran said calmly, though there seemed to be a hint of regret in her tone.

“What if, what if he has other even more unspeakable difficulties? That’s why I’m willing to help him this once.

Xu Yuan, you think the same, don’t you?”

Li Xinran smiled warmly at Xu Yuan, knowing that he must have seen it too.

Li Xinran knew that person was very likely a complete fraud, but considering the possibility, just in case.

There are many kind people in this world, and many bad people are taking advantage of the kind.

Kind people get deceived, not because they are foolish, but simply because they are kind.

Even if sometimes the scammer’s acting is clumsy, there are still people who fall for it, because everyone thinks: what if? What if it’s true? Hoping that their little kindness can bring some warmth to this world.

“My Xinran is really smart.” Xu Yuan patted Li Xinran’s hair and praised her.

His thoughts weren’t that complicated. The business world is ever-changing, and having worked in commerce for many years in his past life, Xu Yuan believed that nothing in the world is absolute.

Besides, this was just a small matter, so Xu Yuan wouldn’t waste time questioning it.

Thanks to Dongo for the book friend support, rewarding 1500 Qidian coins.