Chapter 270 Desperate, a gamble
Bai Zixuan took Ah Huo to the Wuxing Hotel and readily booked a private room.
After we sat down and ordered our food, he poured tea for Ah Huo very attentively, with a warm smile on his face.
"I still don't know how to address you, sir."
Bai Zixuan poured a steaming cup of tea and placed it in front of Ah Huo. He sat opposite Ah Huo with an air of elegance and politeness, and the smile on his face could probably melt a glacier.
"Don't call me 'Mr.' It makes me sound so old." Ah Huo had dressed up deliberately today, and his messy hair had been neatly combed down his head, making him look like a middle-aged man in his forties. "I feel an inexplicable sense of kinship when I see you. Let's not be formal at all. Just call me Ah Huo."
"Okay, my name is Bai Zixuan, you can call me A-Xuan."
One did it intentionally, the other did it on purpose.
The atmosphere between the two was extremely harmonious. Bai Zixuan was glad that he had found a great fortune and thought that Long Teng might be saved this time. Ah Huo, on the other hand, secretly rejoiced that this guy was too easy to fool and that this business deal had gone too smoothly.
The dishes they ordered arrived one by one, and Bai Zixuan generously ordered a bottle of Wuliangye liquor. The two toasted each other, chatting and drinking, and it must be said, they really looked like kindred spirits.
"I wonder what kind of business you're looking to invest in since you've come back? Would it be convenient for you to tell me?"
Ah Huo tilted his head back and downed another glass of wine. He looked at Bai Zixuan with hazy eyes, then chuckled.
"I really don't have any plans on what kind of business to invest in. When I left Xiangcheng, I was just a teenager. I never expected that more than ten years later, the development here would be so fast. As people get older, they want to return to their roots. So this time when I came back, I decided not to leave. I happen to have some spare money, so I thought I might as well invest in some business to earn some money for my retirement."
Bai Zixuan poured Ah Huo another glass of wine before sitting down and looking at him, his mind racing with thoughts of how to ask him to invest in his company in a way that wouldn't seem abrupt or deliberate.
Ah Huo, sitting opposite, took small sips of his wine, his eyes darting back and forth to Bai Zixuan. He thought to himself, "Let's see when you're going to ask me to invest in you. This bottle is almost empty. I don't believe you can get another one to force me to drink!"
If you don't say it now, I'll get you really drunk, and then you won't even have a chance to say it!
Although he kept grumbling to himself, he didn't say a word. He just looked at Bai Zixuan with a smile and drank another glass of wine while Bai Zixuan hesitated.
"I didn't expect Ah Huo to be such a good drinker. One more, or I'll have the waiter bring another bottle if that's not enough."
When Bai Zixuan said this, his expression was somewhat unnatural. What if the God of Wealth in front of him got drunk before he could even speak? No, he couldn't hesitate any longer. Whether he succeeded or failed, he had to speak out to find out the result!
While pouring wine for Ah Huo, he kept rehearsing what he was going to say in his mind. Ah Huo just smiled without saying a word. In fact, he was absolutely confident that he could complete this deal without any obstacles. More importantly, in the past, he was the one who had to coax others into taking the bait. This time, however, it was an exception. The person who was tasked with the deal took the initiative to come to him. Ah Huo had to admit that he felt a little bit of a lack of accomplishment.
As expected, people are inherently perverse; they find things that are too difficult difficult and things that are too easy easy. Ah Huo shook his head helplessly and just as he reached for the wine glass in front of him, Bai Zixuan finally couldn't help but speak up.
"Drinking so fast will hurt your stomach. Come and try the spicy chicken made by the chef here. It tastes pretty good."
Bai Zixuan used serving chopsticks to put two pieces of chicken on Ah Huo's plate. Ah Huo was very pleased. He put down his wine glass, picked up his own chopsticks, took a piece, and put it in his mouth, nodding as he ate.
"The taste is really good! This place must be very popular."
"This is a five-star hotel in Xiangcheng. Wuxing is a homonym for five-star, but it's not a name that's been given for nothing. The food and service are both top-notch."
While serving Ah Huo food, Bai Zixuan introduced the Wuxing Hotel. Ah Huo listened and nodded, took a sip of the borscht in his bowl, and kept praising Bai Zixuan for choosing such a good place.
"Ah Xuan, do you know the owner of this hotel?"
"Oh? Is there something you need from the boss, Ah Huo?"
"It's not a big deal. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I've been thinking that the food and service here are so good, I wonder if the owner would be willing to let me invest. If I could invest in such a big hotel, I could live a worry-free life from now on!"
Let's see if you still dare to talk! If you don't, I'll really invest all my money in this hotel. I don't believe someone who desperately needs money can remain calm!
Indeed, after hearing Ah Huo's words, Bai Zixuan was really anxious. He frowned slightly, but still maintained his composure and did not do anything impulsive.
"Ah Huo might not know this, but Wu Xing Hotel is a family business and they don't allow outsiders to invest. From the owner to the front desk staff, everyone here is from the Wu family. Only the waiters are hired from outside."
"Oh, I see!"
Ah Huo nodded. Bai Zixuan was indeed not lying about this, but in Ah Huo's mind, this became Bai Zixuan's excuse for not wanting him to invest here.
"Sigh, I originally wanted to invest in a business, but it seems that's not so simple! Forget it, if I really can't find a business to invest in, I think I'll just go back to Canada. It's just pitiful that I won't be able to return to my hometown when I'm old and die!"
As he spoke, Ah Huo shed a few tears. If Song Jia were there, he would definitely kick him a few times and sigh inwardly that Ah Huo's acting skills were really too good; the tears came so easily.
“Well… if Ah Huo doesn’t mind, he can invest in my company. That way, he won’t have to worry about not being able to return to Xiangcheng to retire in the future.”
Bai Zixuan said this with some difficulty, while glancing at Ah Huo's expression. Who knew that Ah Huo kept shaking his head after hearing Bai Zixuan's words.
"Ah Xuan, you don't need to pity me. I know you only let me invest in your company because you feel sorry for me. Really... You don't need to pity me. I'll just go back to Canada! Sigh, I'm getting old, so I'm useless now!"
Ah Huo's use of feigned indifference was truly masterful. Bai Zixuan was indeed getting anxious. He reached out and grabbed Ah Huo's arm, speaking with a worried expression.
"No, you've misunderstood! I'm not pitying you; in other words, I have no right to pity anyone in my current situation."
After saying that, Bai Zixuan released Ah Huo's arm, feeling embarrassed, and smiled helplessly at him.
"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but my company is in dire need of funding, and I never expected to run into you today. If you don't mind, I'd love for you to invest in my company; it would be a lifesaver for me in this crisis."
"Your company urgently needs funds, it couldn't be..."
"No, no, no, it's not what you think. We've just encountered a few problems lately. My company has always been doing very well, and we've even secured government projects. Once we get through this difficult time, I guarantee you can just sit back and count your money."
"I see!"
Ah Huo held his wine glass, his face serious, but inside he was already laughing. This fool took the bait so quickly, there was no challenge at all!
He acted so convincingly that Bai Zixuan, sitting opposite him, felt uneasy, fearing that Ah Huo would say "no."
"If you're really worried, I can give you interest, even higher than the bank's."
Bai Zixuan is getting really impatient. If no new funds are injected soon, Longteng will be completely finished in just a few days.
If Ah Huo agrees to invest in Longteng, he's willing to pay interest even if it means delaying it for a few more days! It's better than watching the company he built from scratch declare bankruptcy!
"What are you saying? It's fate that we met. Talking about interest with me is just too formal."
Ah Huo paused deliberately at this point, and Bai Zixuan's smile froze, unsure whether to smile or not, fearing that Ah Huo might say something like, "But."
"It's precisely because we hit it off so well that I'm hesitant about investing in your company. What if I invest and then you lose all my money? What am I supposed to do then?"
"You can rest assured about that. In addition to paying you interest every month, I can also give you an IOU. If you really don't have confidence in investing in my company, how about I lend you the money? You'll receive a high amount of interest every month, isn't that the same as investing?"
"This...wouldn't that make me a loan shark? No, no, that's illegal! I won't do that!"
Ah Huo shook his head and waved his hands, which only made Bai Zixuan more anxious.
"This isn't usury; the interest is my thank-you fee, okay?"
"I see..."
After frowning and pretending to think for a while, Ah Huo suddenly slammed his hand on the table and looked intently at Bai Zixuan.
"Alright, since we hit it off so well and get along so well, I'll lend you the money! It'll make our meeting today worthwhile!"
"Thank you so much! I'll write you an IOU right away!"
Bai Zixuan asked the waiter for paper and pen and quickly wrote down the IOU. However, when he got to the amount, he realized that he didn't know how much Ah Huo had.
"Three hundred million, considering we've met, I'm lending you my entire fortune."
"Don't worry, you definitely won't lose out!"
What a tycoon! And so easy to talk to, looks like I'm having a really lucky day.
"Give me your account number, and I'll transfer the money to you now."
After getting Bai Zixuan's account number, Ah Huo immediately transferred 300 million RMB to his account in several installments. When Bai Zixuan saw the extra 300 million RMB in his account, he felt like he was dreaming and was in a daze!
"I have something to do, so I'll be going now. See you in a couple of days."
I'll make sure you pay the price! Three hundred million in interest alone amounts to several million a month. It won't be long before I bankrupt your company!
After Ah Huo left, Bai Zixuan happily called Amy immediately.
"Amy, our company is saved! Someone lent me 300 million! We're finally saved!"
"Borrow? Borrow it for free?"
Amy asked a question with suspicion.
"No, but the interest rate is very low. It's just a small amount of interest, one cent. Isn't that very low?"
"Mr. Bai, this interest rate is indeed very low, but we have a lot of principal! At this rate, we'll still have nine million in interest every month. If we keep dragging this out, it will bankrupt our company!"
Bai Zixuan remained silent, but thinking of Ah Huo's efficiency, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said with great certainty.
"There's no other way. Without investment, Longteng probably won't last more than a few days. Let's take a gamble. At worst, we can bet big this time. If we lose, we'll just lose everything!"
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