Su Ruobing was stammering.
Even over the phone, Li Changâan could sense how conflicted she was.
Su Ruobing had always given Li Changâan the impression of being a cold, aloof goddess; one would be hard-pressed to find a single flaw, even with a magnifying glass.
But now, because of the shares, she was so flustered she was stumbling over her words.
It was easy to imagine the intensity of her emotions.
Li Changâan felt a laugh coming on. "Why wouldnât it be appropriate?" he said casually. "I think itâs very appropriate! Unless... is Chairman Su not satisfied with the share?"
"Iâm not dissatisfied!" Su Ruobing rushed to say.
The words had barely left her mouth when she suddenly realized she had misspoken.
She rushed to explain earnestly, "I canât accept a reward I havenât earned. Youâre the one who built Cangxuan City. The Energy Particle Beam Cannon and Super Electromagnetic Cannon were also the fruits of your painstaking labor. Although I helped a bit on the side, for me, that was all within the scope of my duties... Besides, Iâve already been well compensated for mentoring you!"
"So I really canât accept these shares!"
Hearing all her excuses, Li Changâan again felt like laughing. "Chairman Su," he began, "since youâre unwilling to accept them as a gift, I can rephrase the offer..."
He paused, and his tone became formal. "I plan to establish a company in Cangxuan City named the âNight City Military Groupâ."
"This company will be responsible for the production and R&D of all military technology in Cangxuan City. I am confident I can build it into a behemoth that rivals any of the top military-industrial corporations!"
"However, the company is still in the planning phase!"
"My personal resources are limited, both in terms of capital and political connections!"
"Therefore, I am formally inviting you to invest. If you believe in my abilities and believe this company can succeed, you can invest one million Rebirth Points for a twenty percent stake. You would then be an initial shareholder and angel investor in the Night City Military Group!"
Hearing it framed that way, Su Ruobing hesitated for a moment before she couldnât help but laugh. "Iâm just now realizing what a smooth talker you are," she teased. "Since itâs a paid investment, I can accept!"
Li Changâan breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, Chairman Su, just come over and sign the contract when you have time!"
After hanging up, Li Changâan called Xu Xiuyuan.
Li Changâan used a different pitch for Xu Xiuyuan.
However, no matter what Li Changâan said, Xu Xiuyuan refused to take a twenty-percent stake. In the end, he bought only ten percent for five hundred thousand Rebirth Points.
As the Governor of Xiangnan, Xu Xiuyuan commanded far greater resources and influence than Su Ruobing.
He wasnât short on shares in high-quality companies, and he certainly wasnât hurting for money. Thus, he only bought a symbolic ten-percent stake as a show of support for Li Changâan.
Li Changâan didnât press the issue.
After all, given Xu Xiuyuanâs current status, his willingness to form a business alliance with Li Changâan was already a significant gesture of respect.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Li Changâan was about to end the call.
Xu Xiuyuan suddenly spoke up with a reminder. "The âMartial Arts Foundation True Understanding 2.0 Versionâ you submitted has been sent to the Human Alliance. Iâve been pushing them repeatedly for the past few days, trying to get the Hua Country Association to process your reward as quickly as possible. With a higher Citizen Level, the privileges youâll be entitled to are completely different..."
"But the Gu Family has been interfering, deliberately causing delays."
"Theyâre up to no good. Now that your factory is almost complete, you have to be extremely careful they donât try something underhanded. Those guys canât win in a fair fight, so they love to play dirty. Understand?!"
Li Changâan nodded.
For now, he didnât really have a good way to deal with them. He would just have to react to whatever they threw at him.
After all, they had the accumulated wealth and power of several generations of Reincarnators.
That kind of fortune isnât built overnight. Li Changâan, on the other hand, was just an ordinary person from the bottom rungs of society who had been a Reincarnator for less than a yearâand an orphan, to boot.
Faced with such an overwhelmingly powerful family, simply managing to react to their schemes and avoid being crushed would be an impressive feat in itself.
He hung up the phone.
Li Changâan got up and went to the next room.
Li Jianfei and Li Siying had arrived in Cangxuan City the day before. Just then, Li Siying was about to drag Li Jianfei out for a tour of the city.
Upon seeing Li Changâan, Li Siying said happily, "Brother Changâan, is this really your city? Itâs absolutely incredible!"
It was no wonder Li Siying was so shocked.
After all, the last time she had seen him, he was still living in a low-rent apartment, a complete unknown.
How many months had passed since then?
And now Li Changâan was in control of this massive city.
The turn his fate had taken was truly dramatic.
Li Changâan smiled. "Do you like it?"
Li Siying nodded honestly. "Of course! Iâve dreamed of having my own city!"
Li Changâan laughed. "Done. As it happens, my secretary is overwhelmed right now and needs an assistant. Starting tomorrow, you donât need to go to class anymore. You can learn how to manage a city directly from my secretary. But for now, letâs solve your brotherâs problem first!"
There werenât many people in this world whom Li Changâan trusted.
Li Siying and Li Jianfei were two of the few.
Now that he had the power, it was only natural that he help them both get on their feet.
He was doing it to repay their kindness, but also for his own sake.