Chapter 60 (1/2)

I’m Actually Here to Stir Up Trouble

Liu Ying drove slowly, looking back intermittently at Nice Moves Sports Equipment Company as it slowly shrank in the distance. She had founded the company with her husband and had deep feelings for it and some part of her still refused to accept that it belonged to Gu Ke-Wen now.

Xia Lei did not urge her to drive faster. He sat quietly.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring…

Xia Lei took out his phone and checked it, then answered, “That thing today… Thank you.”

The call was from Long Bing.

“You owe me a favour. I will ask you to return it when the need arises,” said Long Bing.

Xia Lei smiled wryly, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes,” said Long Bing, “You have to be careful too. Gu Ke-Wen is known in Jing-Du for being ruthless. Don’t be dazzled by her outer appearance.”

“I can tell. She’s a venomous snake and venomous snakes have particularly pretty patterns,” said Xia Lei.

“That’s that then. Let’s talk another time.”

“Hello?” Xia Lei wanted to ask about Xia Xue’s situation but Long Bing had already hung up.

Liu Ying stopped looking back and asked inquisitively, “Lei, was the one on the phone the friend who helped you? Can you tell me who she is? I would like to thank her.”

“She’s a weird one. You don’t need to bother,” said Xia Lei.

“How can I not bother? She’s helped me so much and I can’t express my gratitude? Isn’t this unacceptable?” asked Liu Ying.

“You really don’t have to bother. I’ll tell her you’re grateful,” said Xia Lei.

“She must be someone important. What does she do?” asked Liu Ying.

Xia Lei smiled wryly, “You may not believe it but… I don’t know what she does.”

“Huh?” Liu Ying looked very surprised, “How is that possible?”

Xia Lei shrugged, “See, I told you you wouldn’t believe it.”

Liu Ying replied, “No, I believe it. If others said so I wouldn’t believe them but because it’s you… I believe you.”

“What are your plans?” Xia Lei changed the topic.

Liu Ying thought for a bit, then said, “Work with me.”

Xia Lei paused, “Me? Work with you?”

Liu Ying nodded, “Mm. Let’s work together. I’ve thought it through. The automatic surfboard patent would have been Gu Ke-Wen’s if it had not been for you. My company belongs to her. You helped me hold on to the patent so I want to share it with you. I want to use the money Gu Ke-Wen gave me to start a brand new company and work with you. Don’t worry, you’ll get benefits too. Tell me - what percentage of the shares would you like?”

“No, no, no, I don’t want your shares,” Xia Lei refused right away.

Liu Ying stopped the car by the road and looked at Xia Lei in fervent surprise, “Lei, you heard Gu Ke-Wen. This project is worth USD 100 million. Do you have any idea how much USD 100 million is? If you convert it to Chinese Yuan it will be over 600 million! ”

Xia Lei laughed, “I passed my Mathematics, of course I know how much USD 100 million is. That is just theoretical number though and it’s not meaningful to me. Gu Ke-Wen said that to anger us. There is too much you’ll have to do to turn your project into USD 100 million; it would also take several years.”

“Even if it’s just a theoretical number we will definitely make a lot of money if we work together. Aren’t you tempted?”

Xia Lei considered it, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I want to make money too, but… How about you give me a day to think about it. I’ll tell you my decision after that. Is that okay with you?”

A big matter like this definitely needed some careful thinking before making a decision. Furthermore, he had his own business plans. His own plans would be interrupted if he joined Liu Ying’s new company.

“You are a very capable person. If you work with me we will definitely succeed. How about this - I will give you 20% of the shares if you work with me. Think about it carefully and let me know what you’ve decided.”

This was as good as becoming a major shareholder. If Liu Ying used the 40 million from Gu Ke-Wen to start a new company, the 20% would be worth 8 million, and this was just a base number. Once the automatic surfboard hit the market, the new company’s wealth would snowball. It would be very difficult to estimate how much that 20% would be worth when that time came.

Xia Lei was very tempted indeed but he knew that Liu Ying was a smart woman. Repaying him was definitely not the only reason she had to pull him into business as a partner so passionately. She valued his abilities and him being able to produce the parts for the automatic surfboard. If he did not have these qualities, she would probably have just given him some money as thanks.

“Okay. I’ll consider it seriously,” said Xia Lei.

“Mm. Accompany me on trips to view potential building sites then. I need to find a suitable piece of land to build a new company.” Liu Ying looked at Xia Lei with eyes full of expectation.

“Sure, I’ll accompany you to see some land,” agreed Xia Lei immediately. He had plans to upgrade Thunder Horse Workshop to a small company anyway so it would be good for him to get some experience.

Liu Ying fired up the engine and drove towards the suburbs. The price of land in the city was much too high and it was no use to even look.