Chapter 224: Agreement, Unusual

(Got caught in the rain a bit yesterday and am showing signs of a cold. Still need to go out today as the kindergarten has a local movie that the kids must watch. I’ll update again tonight, there will be three updates today!)

Li Yan’s analysis piqued the interest of Yu Hong and Chen Mingying. This choice was originally a way to indirectly reflect his thoughts, and now that he has seen through it, it’s even more difficult to make a choice. After Chen Mingying asked the question, Yu Hong was also eagerly waiting to hear his answer.

To their surprise, Li Yan gave an answer that chose both options!

Was it because Lele was just here, so he made a show of it? Is the goal now to get the entire 11 million, then just muddle through for three years, and continue to fool Lele afterward?

If not out of greed, then why choose both? Isn’t it fine to just pick one?

Yu Hong directly asked, "Why choose both?"

Before Li Yan could answer, Chen Mingying followed up, "Is it because you think both are the correct answer? Does this show that you have confidence, the courage, and adaptability?"

Li Yan retorted, "Didn’t you just say, ’Now I’m giving you two choices, you should be able to handle them calmly, right?’ and ’think about it?’ You didn’t say I could only choose one, did you?"

"Hmph! That’s just being slippery!" Chen Mingying was dissatisfied with his sophistry.

Li Yan laughed and said, "Actually, you can’t say I’m being slippery. I chose both because I can achieve both! If this is a test, it actually offers two questions, letting me choose the difficulty myself, rather than two answers to one question. I can do both questions, so I should be getting extra points."

Chen Mingying was somewhat unsettled by his sophistry, sneering, "Fine! You’ve calculated, right? A 171% annual growth; plus a 145% annual growth. I can offer that to you; I want to see how you achieve it in three years!"

Li Yan pretended to be surprised: "Why need three years? Isn’t that underestimating me? When you give me the 11 million fund, all I have to do is take 4 million with my left hand and give it to my right hand, and isn’t the first question already solved? Once the first question is done, I’ll return 5 million to my left hand, and isn’t there immediately a 10% growth? This way, I’ve immediately completed over 50%, and I only need to achieve the remaining below 50% target within three years."

"...!"

Chen Mingying and Yu Hong were speechless. Although his reasoning was sophistry or just twisting words, he was able to logically back it up, and as long as it doesn’t fail in the end, the method of robbing Peter to pay Paul could work.

Feeling she had underestimated him again, Chen Mingying realized that he inadvertently set a trap for her. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then said coolly, "Alright, you’re good. I’ll give you the 11 million, and let’s count the 5 million question as completed. Next, let’s see if you can earn 19 million in three years."

With a capital of 11 million, to earn 19 million in three years, maintaining a 140% annual growth rate, it is not too difficult for investment masters. Not to mention the high-risk but high-reward financial projects, acquisitions, and stock listings; just doing business honestly, or investing in the stock market, following trends without being greedy, buying low and selling high, in three years, this can be easily settled. But whether doing business or investing in financial markets, the ones who make money are always a minority; the vast majority still lose money more or less, with a few even going bankrupt.

From Chen Mingying’s perspective, whether she looked at Li Yan horizontally or vertically, he didn’t seem like a business or investment expert. Even if he started striving hard from now, completing this task in three years would be very difficult. However, if he could really achieve it, it would indicate he still has the potential to be developed. Of course, if a year or two later, her daughter no longer found him impressive, with her business influence, even if he rose, she could easily push him down.

"Are there any project restrictions? Or can I do whatever I want?" Li Yan supplementary laughed, "Of course, I wouldn’t sell drugs, smuggle arms, or gamble. What I mean is, for instance, if I invest in high-return projects, overseas stock markets, or attract venture capital, would that count?"

"It counts. As long as your earnings are legal, I don’t care what you do."

"Do you mean it?"

Seeing his disbelief, Chen Mingying said coolly, "I’ve made it clear to you; I am only acting with a parent’s attitude. If you can prove your ability, I would, of course, be willing to entrust my daughter to you. I might even help you succeed; what we care about is not family background but ability!"

Li Yan gave a thumbs-up, "Excellent, since you say so, I will believe it. Let’s settle it this way, but I have one request!"

"Speak!" Chen Mingying frowned slightly; she hadn’t even made a demand yet, and he had more conditions!

"There are some things, we call trickery or deceit, but as long as the process is legal, it’s in the realm of operational skills. Just finishing the 5 million might be considered my small performance. Thank you for the 11 million capital. I don’t need the capital you’re providing; I am capable of starting from scratch. To put it lightly, if I can trick even an expert like you, Ms. Chen, attracting venture capital or getting partners is a matter of minutes."

Chen Mingying frowned again, isn’t this Li Yan being ungrateful? This is a chance to prove yourself, and you actually want to solve it with sweet talk? Is Xiaodi’s happiness really caught between your smooth words?

"Fine! Since you don’t want the principal, you must have your way. But let me make it clear, if in three years you haven’t developed to thirty million, you should get as far away as you can and not bother Xiaodi!"

"Naturally. I’ll be straightforward too, whether it’s a verbal agreement or written in black and white. In these three years, you mustn’t lock up Xiaodi like you did these past two months!" Li Yan’s tone also turned colder. "I don’t want to see her sad or haggard; I want her to be happy and live freely!"

Hearing Li Yan’s barbed words, both Yu Hong and Chen Mingying felt a bit pressured and were slightly surprised. With their status, they had seen many big people and grand occasions, yet a young man managed to make them feel pressured so casually—a rare occurrence. Could this be the power of love? A grudge born from love?

Chen Mingying took a deep breath and said calmly, "I don’t need you to teach me that! I also want my daughter to be happy."

...

By the time Yu Xiaodi came back, the atmosphere was harmonious. Li Yan had lunch at the Yu Family’s house at noon. Chen Mingying’s attitude towards Li Yan returned to what it was before, not too favorable, but without disdain or rejection either.

After the meal, Yu Xiaodi didn’t know that they had reached an agreement with Li Yan. She only knew her parents had tested Li Yan and their relationship. She immediately expressed a desire to go out and play, urging Chen Mingying to quickly set up her computer network and phone.

They were no longer obstacles, and Li Jie’s role was thus nullified. Perhaps Chen Mingying had Li Jie act as a personal bodyguard with the intention of companionship. She didn’t withhold Li Jie’s commission, indicating that it would be transferred to Jie Rui Security Company, but just told her she didn’t need to come back to work.

Yu Xiaodi originally wanted to go out with Li Yan, but now that Li Jie was leaving, she decided to drag Li Yan along to see her off. Not just to the door, but to her place!

Having not driven out herself for a long time, Yu Xiaodi felt a bit stifled. Additionally, since it wasn’t on the way back, to avoid inconvenience, she didn’t let Li Yan drive her back. So, she drove her sports car herself, leading with Li Jie, while Li Yan followed with Li Jie’s luggage.

Along the way, Xiaodi felt like a bird released from a cage, driving fast with excited whoops. With his skills, Li Yan certainly wouldn’t be left behind. Moreover, he knew where Li Jie lived; after a concert, she had gotten injured, and it was him who had carried her back.

Upon reaching the downtown area, the speeding Yu Xiaodi suddenly pulled over. Li Yan didn’t know what she was up to and stopped behind her. Before he could get out, he saw the two of them getting out and walking over to his car door.

"Uncle, you go ahead and take Sister Li back. I want to go to school first. I don’t even know how my situation is... Just come directly to the school to find me later!" Yu Xiaodi said cheerfully, pushing Li Jie toward Li Yan’s car.

What is this act? Could it be that during this time, they had bonded deeply, and Li Jie inadvertently revealed everything to Xiaodi, who had already accepted it all?

Li Yan was startled, and Li Jie was even more flustered, hastily saying, "No need, you both go have fun! I’ll just catch a taxi home, it’s not like there aren’t any cars at this time of day. You bringing me here is already so convenient."

Li Jie said as she moved to get her luggage.

Li Yan had no choice but to ask, "Xiaodi, can’t you go to school a bit later?"

However, Yu Xiaodi winked at him and smiled, "I’ve put it off for a long time, I have to hurry. We can split up, once you drop off Li Jie, I’ll be done, and it’ll save you from being bored following me around. Alright, alright, it’s settled then, see you, Uncle!"

After she finished speaking, she waved her hand behind her, quickly got back into her car, started the engine, and sped away.

Li Jie stood there in a daze while Li Yan opened the car door and said, "Get in, I’ll take you home."

Only then did she come back to her senses, "Aren’t you going to chase her right away?"

Li Yan smiled, shook his head, and said, "She’s been locked up for so long, she deserves a little freedom, I shouldn’t keep such a tight watch on her again."

It seemed to make some sense, and Li Jie, somewhat contemplative, got into the car. "Her behavior is unusual... Do you think she found out about us from Captain Zhou?"

(Thanks to brothers who tipped yesterday: You Are an Eternal Song in My Heart, harve10, AJackson, CP Pampas, zanky, Yagami Light II, dongmin8061 ) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please log onto www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)