Chapter 857: The Master of Stirring Trouble

One hour later.

In a private room of a certain western restaurant.

Xu Shaochen and Mike sat across from each other.

They had just finished a steak meal. Including the lunch earlier, Xu Shaochen had already eaten twice.

“Xu, this is the contract. My grandfather has already signed it. All you need to do is sign your name, and you will own 1% of our Karen Family’s shares.”

Mike handed two copies of the contract to Xu Shaochen. After all, contracts usually come in pairs.

“Likewise, sign it, and the Karen Family and Xu Corporation will be the closest friends. I must admit, trading 1% of shares for 10% is quite a deal for you.”

Xu Shaochen handed over his contract, looking rather pained as he did so.

“Xu, you already said it. This is the foundational condition for us becoming friends.”

Mike smiled slightly, comforting Xu Shaochen, but inwardly he sighed. Naive Xu. The Karen Family and Xu Corporation will never truly be friends.

Your Xu Corporation will eventually be devoured entirely by our Karen Family. I just hope that when the time comes, we can still be friends.

Mike was feeling a bit melancholy. Little did he know, Xu Shaochen already saw the Karen Family as his private property.

Soon, both signed their respective contracts and exchanged them, each keeping a copy.

“Xu, is Jenny free tonight? I was hoping… you know, is she?”

Mike looked at Xu Shaochen with anticipation.

Xu Shaochen laughed inwardly but wore a helpless expression on the surface: “Mike, I’d love to help you, but you know she’s always busy.”

“Sigh, alright then.”

Mike sighed with disappointment.

“Mike, I’ve got an urgent matter to handle. I must leave now.”

Xu Shaochen glanced at his watch. The time for his meeting with Tony was approaching.

Coincidentally, it’s time for the contract to take its first effect.

“I understand.”

Mike stood up and escorted Xu Shaochen out of the private room.

After saying their goodbyes, Xu Shaochen left the restaurant and headed toward the café where he was to meet Tony.

Ironically, this café was the same one where he had met Mike before, and even the private room was the same.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at his destination.

“Sorry, I was almost late. Thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic.”

Walking into the private room, Xu Shaochen saw Tony seated there and greeted him with a smile.

“New York’s traffic is usually decent.”

Tony replied.

“I assume you don’t want to waste time. I’ll get straight to the point. I’m here today to discuss a collaboration with you—more precisely, with the Nick Family.”

Xu Shaochen sat down, laying his cards on the table right away.

“Collaboration? Xu, the situation is clear. It’s three against one. Have I lost my mind? Why would the Nick Family collaborate with you?”

Tony looked incredulous, shrugging as if he had just heard something ridiculous.

Xu Shaochen shook his head, looking at him seriously: “Tony, you’re behind the times. To be precise, it’s now two against two.”

“Two against two? What do you mean by that?” Tony was initially confused, but his expression grew serious.

“I have something I think you should see.”

Xu Shaochen smiled calmly and handed him the contract.

Tony shot him a suspicious glance before picking up the contract to read. As he did, his face became uncontrollable with anger.

“Damn it! Those Karen Family bastards! They’ve betrayed our shared interests!”

Tony slammed the contract down on the table, seething.

The three-against-one situation, which included the three families using official power to pressure the Xu Corporation together, had seemed like a guaranteed win. Now, that plan had been completely ruined. How could he not be furious?

“That’s because they now have new shared interests with us. Tony, you only have the Nick and Johnson families left. You no longer have a winning chance.”

Xu Shaochen calmly packed up the contract, exuding a quiet confidence.

Of course, he didn’t mention giving the Karen Family 10% of the shares. Otherwise, what if the Nick Family started making absurd demands?

The Karen Family certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to reveal it either. After all, if they did, it would only make others envious.

So, unless something unexpected happens, no one will know about this agreement in the short term.

That gave Xu Shaochen room to maneuver.

“What kind of collaboration are you suggesting?”

Tony had calmed down. Xu Shaochen was right: with the current balance of power shifting from three-to-one to two-to-two, the odds weren’t promising anymore.

“You join us, and together we will carve up the Johnson Family. They did something that disgusted me. I can no longer tolerate their existence.”

Xu Shaochen’s tone turned icy, doing his best to show his hatred for the Johnson Family.

“What did they do?”

Tony was curious. What could the Johnson Family have done behind the scenes that made Xu Shaochen so furious?

“Why don’t we stay on topic for now, shall we?”

Xu Shaochen simply smiled and dodged the question, further piquing Tony’s curiosity.

Tony shrugged: “Alright, but I need to know what you exchanged for the 1% of the Karen Family’s shares. I have to report to my father and the others, and they’ll need to make a decision.”

“It’s not much. Mike has liked Jenny for a long time. I supported him in pursuing her and gave the Karen Family 2% of the shares in exchange.”

Xu Shaochen said this offhandedly, pulling out a recording of a conversation and playing back the clip where Mike had asked him to help pursue Jenny.

Beauty traps have proven effective throughout thousands of years of history, both in China and abroad.

Thanks to Mike, who mentioned that he, Tony, and Jim all liked Jenny and wanted to marry her.

And it made sense. From every angle, marrying Jenny would bring them immense benefits.

As for mentioning the 2% shares, it was a way to prevent the Nick Family from demanding more and to add credibility.

“Fuck! What the hell? How could you agree to such an absurd condition?”

Sure enough, Tony exploded in rage after hearing Xu Shaochen’s words and the recording, standing up immediately.

If Mike truly succeeded in pursuing Jenny and combined that with the 2% shares from Xu Shaochen, they might actually swallow up Xu Corporation.

The Karen Family, those damn people, were as cunning as ever, trying to eat the entire pie for themselves.

No way! He couldn’t allow this to happen. Whether out of personal feelings or family interests, he couldn’t let his goddess fall into Mike’s hands.