Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

After Su Qinghe finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

Gu Nan sat in the armchair, his back still very straight, but his right index finger tapped the table three times irregularly.

This tiny movement betrayed his current state of mind; he was racking his brains, searching for the next move he could make.

Xie Wang looked at Gu Nan.

"Gu Nan, do you have any other programs?"

Gu Nan took a deep breath and regained some of his composure.

"Thank you, Ms. Su's business acumen surprised me."

"But you've narrowed your perspective."

"The three companies I just mentioned are indeed still in their incubation period; that was my mistake."

Gu Nan raised his hand and made a gesture of frankness.

"If you're willing to sit down and continue the discussion, I can put all of Tianlong Group's legitimate businesses on the table."

Xie Wang did not sit down.

He stood there, looking down at the expensive Ru kiln tea set on the tea table, and at the pot of Rougui tea from the core production area of ​​Wuyi Mountain, which was still steaming with white vapor.

"Your tea set must be very expensive."

Xie asked a question that had nothing to do with the negotiation.

Gu Nan was interrupted by this question and paused for a moment before answering.

"A custom-made Ru ware set costs 120,000 yuan."

"One set costs 120,000."

Xie Wang nodded, his voice sounding casual.

"This money is enough for me to pay three years' rent."

Gu Nan's finger stopped on the rim of the cup.

Xie Wang reached out and picked up the purple clay teapot on the tea table that had just been refilled with water.

His movements were so slow that it was impossible to tell what he would do next.

Gu Nan watched Xie Wang pick up the teapot without making any defensive movements, because in his understanding, a person negotiating with him would not make any irrational moves at this critical juncture.

This is the biggest mistake Gu Nan made today.

Xie Wang lifted the teapot, which had been heated to 90 degrees Celsius, and poured it onto the tea table.

The scalding hot tea poured through the gap between the fairness cup and the tasting cup, rolled over the edge of the solid wood tea table, and flowed down the edge, splashing onto the knees and calves of Gu Nan's dark blue custom-made trousers.

The tea was very hot, and it seeped into the fabric the moment it came into contact with it.

Gu Nan reflexively jumped up from the armchair and looked down at the dark water stains on his trousers.

He looked up at Xie Wang, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress something.

Xie Wang casually placed the empty purple clay teapot back on the tea table, the bottom of the teapot hitting the wooden surface with a dull thud.

"You just said you understand my pain."

"You, a pampered young master who grew up in Switzerland and New York, eating truffles, drinking Romanée-Conti, and wearing bespoke tailored fabrics, are sitting here talking to me about the return on investment of human lives?"

Gu Nan stood still, his breathing rate noticeably faster, but he was still trying to control his expression.

"Xie Wang, calm down."

Gu Nan's voice was very low.

"I am very calm."

Xie Wang took a step forward, and the only thing separating the two of them was the sandalwood tea table that was now a mess from the spilled tea.

"Do you even know what you are, Gu Nan?"

Xie Wang looked at him.

"Your Tianlong Group is full of this kind of scum from top to bottom."

"Your father, Gu Tianlong, is a bastard who personally does the dirty work; he kills people with real knives and guns."

"And you?"

"You don't even want to get your hands dirty; you just want to use the contract to turn me into your asset, so you can continue to make more blood-stained money."

"You're even more disgusting than Gu Tianlong."

With each word Xie Wang spoke, the refined mask on Gu Nan's face shattered a little more.

He tried to intimidate Xie Wang with words.

"Xie Wang, do you think you can act like a tyrant in this city just because you're a high school student and have a few powerful connections?"

Gu Nan's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth; he had finally torn away his gentle facade.

"Tianlong Group has been rooted in this industry for twenty years. Do you know what that number means?"

"That means your family has been laundering dirty money for twenty years."

Su Qinghe chimed in from the side.

She took her phone out of her bag and opened a pre-prepared memo page, which contained a set of cross-validated data.

"Mr. Gu Nan, you just mentioned that Tianlong Group has a profitable pharmaceutical company under its umbrella."

Su Qinghe's voice was very steady, and his speaking speed was slightly slower than usual. This rhythm was specifically designed to ensure that the other party could hear each number clearly.

"I've already calculated it for you."

"Tianlong Group's total interest-bearing liabilities on its consolidated financial statements are currently 7.4 billion yuan, with short-term loans maturing in March and June of this year."

"You have over 900 million in cash on hand, but 600 million of that is restricted capital, pledged in the credit pools of three banks."

"In other words, you only have about 300 million in free cash flow available to you."

Su Qinghe locked his phone screen and put it back in his pocket.

"Three hundred million is needed to cover the seven billion in interest-bearing liabilities and short-term loans that are about to mature."

"What will you offer us for a good cup of tea?"

"Shouldn't the Wuyishan Rougui tea you brewed three times in a row be reimbursed from the group's marketing expenses as well?"

Gu Nan's hands were trembling.

"Su Qinghe is right."

Xie Wang picked up the teacup on the tea table that hadn't yet been wet with tea, twirled it between his fingers, and then gently placed it face down in front of Gu Nan.

"Keep this cup of green tea for yourself."

Xie Wang turned his head and reached out to take Su Qinghe's hand.

Su Qinghe stood up and naturally intertwined her fingers with his.

"Gu Nan, go back and wash your neck clean and wait here."

Xie Wang had his back to Gu Nan, but his voice carried far in the quiet private room.

"There's only one thing I'm going to do next: send you and Gu Tianlong to jail together."

"Then you two can catch up properly inside. After all, you yourself said that you've returned to China three times in twelve years, each time for no more than seventy-two hours. It's time to make up for lost time with your family."

After Xie Wang finished speaking, he kicked the door, and the wooden door slammed heavily against the door frame and bounced open.

Two burly bodyguards stood at the door, trying to stop the two men who strode out.

Xie Wang stopped in his tracks.

He shielded Su Qinghe behind him, then slowly turned his head.

He looked at the bodyguard closest to him.

The bodyguard took a half step back.

The second bodyguard glanced at Gu Nan, who was standing in the private room looking disheveled. Gu Nan didn't give any instructions; he just stood there, frozen.

The two bodyguards stepped aside.

Xie Wang led Su Qinghe through the corridor and out of the Tingyu Pavilion.

As the cold winter wind blew in, Xie Wang turned around and glanced at the wooden plaque engraved with the three characters "Tingyuxuan".

The sound of shattering porcelain came from the private room behind them; it was the sound of Gu Nan forcefully sweeping the entire tea set to the ground.