24 2.11 (1/2)

Ren Anjing stood before the desk in a daze. He thought he had heard Ren Yijun offer to sell him 40% of Ren Development Group's shares with certain conditions, but he couldn't believe his ears. Chen Yu didn't break the silence, skimming through the shares transfer agreement he'd prepared while allowing Ren Anjing to work himself up.

Yang Shu, Ren Qiu, Ren Chun, and Du Guang had agreed to sign over their stocks without hesitation, probably believing it was related to the embezzlement scandal. None of them asked what he needed them for, since they were willing to indulge him regardless of what he planned to do—anyway, they had plenty of assets to live off of.

Combined with their shares, Ren Yijun had held 49% of the company stocks, but he'd already sold 9% of them to Ren Anjing's allies. The contract in his hands was a copy of the ones he'd used with those smug old men. Focused on the fact that Ren Yijun was demanding almost twice the market price, no one had noticed that hidden in some obscure clauses, the document required the new shareholders to be personally responsible for the company's current debts and prevented any transfers of stocks or liabilities for three years, except in the event of the investor's death.

While Chen Yu was musing on whether to assign Ren Xiang a portion or not, Ren Anjing finally woke up. Squeezing his shaking fingers together behind his back, he narrowed his eyes. ”Do you expect me to believe you'd simply give me this chance? What are you planning?”

Ren Yijun lounged in his chair, carelessly leaning his head on one hand and toying with the papers he'd strewn across the desk. ”I don't really care what you believe.”

They'd torn their faces long ago, he was too lazy to waste his breath.

Ren Anjing choked. Digging his fingernails into his palms to force down his anger, he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the words 'Shares Transfer Agreement.' If he obtained that 40%, he would hold almost half of Ren Development Group, but this was too good to be true. He had to find out what this brat was scheming. ”Ren Yijun! Explain yourself right now.”

Rolling his eyes, Ren Yijun rattled off, ”This job is too easy, I'm bored, Mom told me I can do what I want but that I should offer our shares to you first so the company can at least stay in the Ren family.”

His condescending attitude was maddening, but the answer did make sense. Ren Yijun hadn't experienced the tedious nature of a job before, and a spoiled kid like him would hardly be able to spell 'persistence.' If he was tired of working, all he had to do was tell his mother. Since Yang Shu doted on her children, she wouldn't force any of them to stay in a position they didn't enjoy. At the same time, with her love for Ren Daquan, she would hope for someone to carry on his legacy. Because she wasn't informed about how Ren Anjing had betrayed her son, her natural inclination would lead to her brother-in-law.

Realizing that this was a genuine proposition, Ren Anjing eagerly reached for the agreement.

Like the others before him, his attention was caught by the high share price, and he complained, ”Yijun, don't you think this is too expensive? We're family, why don't you adjust it a bit?”

Ren Yijun shot a disgusted glare at the old man. ”What family? If you can't handle it, just give the contract back to me. There are plenty of people who appreciate how much I've raised the worth of the company.”

Ren Anjing scuttled back, grasping onto the document and shaking his head. ”No, no, let me read it.” He skimmed through the stipulations, and right when he was about to discern Chen Yu's trap, the papers were snatched away.

In front of his indignant face, Chen Yu shrugged, pointing out, ”I realized there's no use showing this to you. You don't even have enough money to repay what you borrowed from that moneylender, do you?”

Ren Anjing clenched his fists, frantically calculating his options.

Actually, the loan shark had suggested a way to offset some of his debt a couple weeks ago. He'd rejected it then, but with such a rare opportunity available...He demanded that Ren Yijun wait and made a call.

The professional voice at the other end inquired, ”Mr. Ren, have you changed your mind?”

Ren Anjing struggled, then spit out, ”I need to borrow more money. Which parts do you want for the additional collateral?”

”It depends. To be honest, your age isn't optimal, it'd be better if you send your son in. We'll check his condition and provide an estimate, but probably a few organs will be enough. If he's healthy, we may waive this month's interest for you.”

A short pause later, Ren Anjing arranged to have Ren Xiang go over that evening and hung up.

The old man seemed to have aged a few years instantly, but he walked over with a covetous light in his eyes. Afraid that Ren Yijun would take the agreement away again, he signed without asking much more and promised to deliver the payment within a few days.

Chen Yu watched the man walk out, his thin lips hanging a cruel smirk. So, Ren Xiang was going to be sacrificed after all.

At five o'clock on the dot that day, Ren Yijun's phone rang. Chen Yu rubbed his forehead. Those overprotective women! Afraid of the repercussions if he didn't pick up, he massaged his temples and proactively assured, ”I'm packing up already!”

The line was silent for a moment, then a deep voice said, ”Jun, it's me. I know you're disappointed because of what I did before, can you give me a chance to explain?”

Chen Yu glanced at the ID, somewhat surprised. He'd been ignoring all of Feng Kuo's calls and texts, well aware that the man wouldn't dare to force him to do anything against his will for now. This wasn't part of his plans, but meeting up with him was one way to avoid going into that smothering den of care...thinking up to here, he agreed to meet in a lukewarm manner.

Feng Kuo's face sank at Jun's distant tone, but he was thankful for any opportunity to see the youth again. He hadn't had anyone put new cameras in Jun's office or house because he couldn't take the risk of making him angrier, nor could he work up the courage to show up without permission. So the closest he'd been able to get for months was to follow the news of Ren Development Group's success. Reading as Jun closed deal after deal, Feng Kuo's feelings were complex. On the one hand, he was proud and amazed, while on the other, he despaired at the evidence that Jun was doing well even without him. He couldn't find any opening to get back into his life. But today, he finally had hope.

Worried that Jun would change his mind, Feng Kuo sprinted to the parking lot, tossed his bewildered driver away, and sped to Jun's office building.

He was standing guard outside, waiting to see that figure he'd been dreaming of, when he suddenly thought of how he'd rushed over. He spun around to inspect his reflection in the dark car windows and carefully tucked his shirt in, aligned his necktie, and smoothed every strand of his hair back in place.

Satisfied that he appeared as neat and virtuous as he could, he paced back and forth, until another realization struck him and he urgently ordered a secretary to deliver some flowers. Fortunately, Ren Yijun appeared just after the bouquet arrived. In reality, Chen Yu had long been observing the anxious man, laughing a bit helplessly.