Chapter 310 Everyone is busy planning, Xuejiao is busy counting money
Xu Xuejiao, Long Aotian, and Huo Wendong sat in front of a small round table.
Huo Wendong glanced at them and said, "I think I understand now. You want to start a leisure city project on your own and need startup capital. Is that right?"
Long Aotian smiled and said, "That's right..."
Xu Xuejiao, sitting there with a cold expression, interjected, "No."
Long Aotian turned to look at her. "No?"
Xu Xuejiao's eyes sharpened. "My ultimate goal is to utterly ruin Lu Chengwen's reputation!"
Long Aotian and Huo Wendong exchanged glances. Neither of them seemed to fully understand.
"How do you plan to ruin his reputation?" Huo Wendong asked.
"By taking over the Chengwen District project ourselves," Xu Xuejiao replied.
Long Aotian looked puzzled. "How... how do we take it?"
Xu Xuejiao said, "The leisure city project is our leverage!"
Huo Wendong squinted. "Miss Xu, go on. Explain in detail."
Xu Xuejiao began:
"The total cost of the leisure city project is about 20 billion yuan. We'll increase that and push it to 30 billion."
"Hmm, and then?"
"I've already secured the land for 1.93 billion yuan, but according to the government's requirements, I must personally develop the land."
Huo Wendong smiled faintly. "What does that have to do with us?"
"I don't have money."
Huo Wendong said, "I've already given you 5 billion yuan. Now that you've acquired the land, logically, you!" He pointed to Long Aotian. "And you! The two of you should help me arrange for Dayu Group to co-develop it. You want to develop it yourselves? What brand power do you have? Disney's leisure city is world-famous. You two selling medicine—what kind of leisure city can you develop?"
Xu Xuejiao said, "We'll let Lu Chengwen take the lead and develop a brand unique to us. I've even thought of a name: Teasing You Leisure City."
Huo Wendong squinted. "That name… doesn't seem very beneficial to me, does it?"
Xu Xuejiao replied, "Then we'll have Lu Chengwen invest his money. Let's give him a 45% stake, while we collectively hold 55%. When the time comes—"
Huo Wendong interrupted, "And then we figure out a way to kick him off the board of directors?"
"No need," Xu Xuejiao said. "This project will run into problems halfway through."
"What kind of problems?"
"Funding issues, of course!" Xu Xuejiao's eyes gleamed with malice. "I'll keep making him invest more money. Think about it: his slum renovation project is already in full swing, and he hasn't seen any major returns yet. Now that the residents have mostly been resettled, he'll need to create a buzz. The advertising costs alone are estimated to require tens of billions. By then, will he have any money left to invest in the leisure city?"
Huo Wendong said, "If we can think of this, Lu Chengwen can definitely think of it too!"
"That's why I'm going to deceive him! I'll tell him the cooperation partner is very strong. What I'm telling you is that we're using this project to trap him. But what I'll tell him is that this project will trap you!"
Xu Xuejiao's face was full of cunning. "Lu Chengwen is a greedy man who always wants to take advantage of others. When he hears about such a great deal, he'll definitely agree."
Huo Wendong remained cautious. "Let me get this straight. You'll tell him we're co-developing it, so he'll put in more than 10 billion. Then, we'll withdraw our funds. If he wants to recover his investment, he'll have no choice but to keep throwing money into the project..."
Long Aotian continued, "Meanwhile, his slum renovation project will already be struggling financially. Starting another venture will likely cause a funding gap!"
Huo Wendong gritted his teeth. "Once his cash flow breaks, the construction sites will run into trouble!"
Long Aotian sneered. "Then we can take action, force him to hand over the slum renovation project!"
Huo Wendong grew increasingly excited. "The slum project we take over will basically be a ready-to-make-money gold mine!"
Long Aotian clapped his hands. "And since he can't sustain his finances, he won't even be able to demand compensation!"
Huo Wendong was overjoyed. "Compensation? By that time, I bet he'll just want to recoup some cash quickly to keep Dapeng Group from collapsing entirely!"
Long Aotian laughed and asked, "Will you let him recoup his funds?"
Huo Wendong smirked. "I'll let him recoup a pile of my dog's waste!"
"Ha ha ha..."
The two of them laughed wildly.
After a while, Huo Wendong waved his hand. "It's settled, then! We must act quickly. Lu Chengwen is about to see the light of day. This will be the fatal blow!"
Long Aotian nodded. "Indeed. If we don't act now, there won't be another chance. Once the slum renovation starts generating profits, Lu Chengwen's wings will grow stronger, and it'll be much harder to take him down."
Xu Xuejiao stood up. "Brother Tian, I want you to know that everything I'm doing is for you."
Long Aotian said, "Of course."
Xu Xuejiao lowered her head. "Lu Chengwen wronged me. Hmph, he can play with any woman in this world. But me, Xu Xuejiao..."
She raised her head, her eyes filled with a fierce light. "If he dares provoke me, I'll make him wish he were dead!"
That expression and those eyes—forget Long Aotian—even Huo Wendong found her terrifying.
He glanced at Long Aotian, pouting and shaking his head vigorously.
The look said: Scary! When a woman is ruthless, men can only watch from the sidelines.
Long Aotian wiped his sweat. Venomous! When a woman is venomous, she's downright insane.
Xu Xuejiao said, "Since the plan is set, transfer the money immediately. Taking down Lu Chengwen is almost a last-chance opportunity."
Huo Wendong suddenly realized he still had to pay. "H-how much do you need?"
"Ten billion."
Huo Wendong's eyes widened. "Ten billion?! Lady, do you think my family prints money?!"
Xu Xuejiao replied, "Even money printers don't have as much money as your family. Doesn't the central bank's printing depend on the whims of the Huo family?"
Huo Wendong was taken aback and then laughed, "That's true. The key is…"
Xu Xuejiao impatiently interrupted, "If you can't do it, say so already! Don't waste my time!"
She turned to leave, but Huo Wendong quickly grabbed her arm, "Hey, hey, hey, Xuejiao, don't be so hasty!"
Xu Xuejiao gritted her teeth, "I'm determined to destroy Lu Chengwen! If you can help, then help. If you can't, don't waste my time! I know you and he were classmates and got along pretty well back in school! If you dare obstruct my plans, I'll deal with you too!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, calm down!" Huo Wendong laughed. "Ao Tian, this woman of yours, ahahaha, is really hard to handle!"
Long Aotian rolled his eyes and stepped forward, "Xuejiao, let's discuss things calmly! Huo Shao didn't mean it that way."
Xu Xuejiao said, "There's no time to waste. If you're not willing to help, I'll figure something out myself."
"We'll help! Of course, we'll help!" Huo Wendong lit a cigar and even offered it to Long Aotian, who politely declined.
"But 10 billion is too much. Let's start with 7 billion. I'll first put together 7 billion for you, and you can take this money to negotiate with Lu Chengwen. When he sees this 7 billion, he'll likely be tempted. At that point, we'll push forward and take him down! Damn it, trying to steal the slum redevelopment project from me? I'll destroy him!"
"Seven billion!?"
Long Aotian tried to soothe her, "Seven billion is already quite a lot. How about this—I'll think of a way to add to it. The main thing is to lure Lu Chengwen into investing his money. Then we'll go after his cash flow."
Xu Xuejiao was still hesitant.
Huo Wendong smiled, "Relax! We're all in the same boat—or rather, on the same rope. We share the same goal and interests. I won't set you up. But you'll need to write me a promissory note for the 7 billion!"
Xu Xuejiao shot him a frosty glance, "Write your big fat head! Goodbye!"
Long Aotian quickly stopped her, "Xuejiao, Xuejiao, we're all in this together. Why are you acting like this?"
Long Aotian turned to Huo Wendong and said, "I'll write the promissory note. Consider this money borrowed from me."
"You? You don't even have any assets. How are you going to pay me back?"
Long Aotian became furious, "Are you saying the name Long Aotian isn't worth a mere 7 billion?"
Long Aotian sneered, "Don't make me spell it out for you. With just one phone call, someone would deliver 10 billion to me!"
Huo Wendong eyed him, "Then why haven't you made the call yet? Don't have a phone? I can lend you one!"
Long Aotian snapped back, "That's because… things keep coming up!"
"What things?"
Long Aotian looked awkward, "None of your business!"
Annoyed, Long Aotian said, "Fine! Since it's like this, farewell!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Huo Wendong had no choice. "Alright, alright, you win! Listen, if the plan succeeds and I secure this project, you won't need to pay back the 7 billion! Also, the previous agreement stands. Is that okay?"
Long Aotian snorted, "At least you know what's good for you."
"Cooperation, my friends! You have to look ahead—think long-term. Only then can you… you know, succeed!"
Long Aotian wrote the promissory note, and Huo Wendong instructed his people to transfer the money to Xu Xuejiao. The three then went their separate ways.
After they left, a skilled operative from Skyweb stepped out of the shadows.
"Long Aotian will eventually fall under my blade!"
Huo Wendong sneered, "Just remember—before you kill him, get my 7 billion back. With interest, that's 10 billion. Then, we'll split it 50-50."
The Skyweb operative chuckled, "Huo Wendong, you truly are scum—a man born without a conscience."
Huo Wendong glared at him, "Do you have to insult me every time Long Aotian leaves?"
He raised his glass, "Hmph! This time, I'll show the whole world what it means to truly lay a trap!"
Long Aotian sat in his car as Qi Meishao nervously asked, "Young master, is everything set up?"
Long Aotian grinned smugly, "Whether it's Lu Chengwen or Huo Wendong, this time, I'll make them both my playthings. This time, I'll show the world what it truly means to lay a trap!"
Xu Xuejiao got into her car, closed the privacy window, and dialed Lu Chengwen's number.
"Chengwen-ge, the trap is set. They've taken the bait."
Lu Chengwen sounded confused, "Who?"
"Huo Wendong and Long Aotian!"
Lu Chengwen slapped his forehead, "Xuejiao, what have you been up to lately? Long Aotian… just give him a break! There's no need to push things so far!"
"If he lives, how will you survive? I don't care. I'm so excited right now!"
"Xuejiao, I know you're doing this for me. But the situation is complicated. The slum redevelopment project is at a critical stage. If I go after his people and you go after his money, it's too cruel! Let's focus on the bigger picture and let him play his own games, okay?"
"But I've already taken their money!"
"Return it!"
"Seven billion! Add the previous five billion, that's twelve billion total! You want me to return all of it?"
Lu Chengwen had been lounging in bed but immediately sat up when he heard the figure, "H-h-h-how much!?"
"I've taken 12 billion from them, and I think I can get even more! They're full of potential!" Xu Xuejiao said confidently.
"Dear, I think I've fallen in love with you!"
Xu Xuejiao burst into laughter.