Chapter 897: Friends Don’t Discuss Money

“Hey Jim, good morning! Have you had breakfast yet?”

Xu Shaochen answered the phone, his tone light as he greeted the other person.

“Xu, do you think I still have an appetite for food right now?”

Jim’s voice was filled with exhaustion. It was clear he was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

“My friend, skipping breakfast is no good. If you keep this up, your body won’t take it.”

Xu Shaochen expressed concern.

“Xu, stop beating around the bush, I beg you. Can we sit down and talk? Name your terms.”

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen knew the Johnson Family was at their wits’ end. In just a day and a night, they had already suffered such a heavy loss.

If they delayed another two days, the losses would be unimaginable.

So they just wanted to cut their losses quickly and decisively.

“Alright, after I finish breakfast, let’s play golf at the usual spot. I’ll invite Mike and Tony.”

The delay was about enough. If they pushed it too far and backed Jim into a corner, disaster would follow.

“Alright, Xu. I’ll be waiting for you all there. Please hurry.”

Jim hung up immediately, clearly eager and already on his way to the club.

Listening to the dial tone, Xu Shaochen chuckled and looked at the women next to him, saying, “Who would’ve thought he’s such a hothead? Young people just lack patience.”

The women rolled their eyes at his words. Who caused this mess in the first place? Doesn’t he have any self-awareness? They had already seen enough of Xu Shaochen’s and Mike’s and Tony’s wickedness.

Online, offline, in every corner of reality, they hadn’t forgotten to stir the pot and manipulate the narrative.

Whenever the Johnson Family attempted to salvage their reputation, someone would sabotage them.

They had been forced into a situation where compromise was their only option.

Xu Shaochen called Mike and Tony to brief them on the situation.

……………

One hour later.

The familiar golf course—they spent their youth here. By the time the three arrived, Jim had already been waiting for over half an hour.

“Xu, Tony, Mike, you’re finally here!”

Seeing the three arrive late, Jim almost burst into tears. Only he knew how terrible the last two days had been.

Every second, he had wanted to kill these three bastards, but he had to speak kindly, finding every way possible to meet them.

“Jim, you… you’ve changed a lot. There’s an old saying in China: ‘A day apart feels like three autumns.’ Looks like it’s true.”

Xu Shaochen was startled when he saw Jim’s current state.

His hair was a mess like a bird’s nest. His eye sockets were sunken, with dark circles under his eyes looking as if they were smeared with coal ash. His lips were cracked, pale, and there was no color in his face. The expensive suit he wore now looked like something from a street market.

This was beyond ‘A day apart like three autumns’—more like, ‘One day apart and you might ascend to the heavens soon.’

“Xu, let’s get straight to the point. Can’t we just end this immediately, right now?”

Jim said bluntly. Every moment, he just wanted to wrap this up.

If only Xu Shaochen and the others stopped interfering, the fake drug incident would damage the Johnson Family’s reputation but they still could fix it.

It was only because of Xu Shaochen’s meddling that the situation had spiraled out of control.

“Jim, since we’re all friends here, let’s be upfront—what price are you willing to pay to satisfy us?”

Xu Shaochen smiled and made an inviting gesture to Jim, then sat down on a chair.

Jim cursed silently in his mind. Friends? If anyone has a friend like you, they’ve got the worst luck in the world.

Thinking about it, he looked at Tony and Mike. Aren’t these two guys supposedly his friends too?

For some reason, he had a bad feeling that these two grinning bastards would have disaster waiting for them in the future.

“Xu, just name a number. As long as it’s within reason, we can give it. We just want this over with as soon as possible, no matter the cost.”

That ‘no matter the cost’ carried two meanings. It was both a demonstration of sincerity and a warning.

The Johnson Family was prepared to bleed, but he was cautioning them not to push too far, or they would be forced into dire measures.

No matter the cost could mean the price the Johnson Family was willing to pay, or the extreme actions they’d take to end this issue.

“Jim, there’s an old saying in China: ‘Friends don’t talk about money, money talks are too vulgar.’ I think that applies here too.”

Xu Shaochen smiled, took a sip from the water cup on the table. It was just plain water, nothing special.

Yet, this ordinary water—that at least 99% of people in the world had no right to drink.

“Xu, come on, get to the point.”

Jim said, mentally cursing Xu Shaochen’s ancestors. How many damn sayings does China have?

Xu Shaochen exchanged a glance with Tony and Mike, then set the cup down and looked at Jim, “We want shares. Your Johnson Family’s company shares.”

Cash? That’s a short-term thrill. Company shares? That’s yearly joy, and when things aren’t fun, you can still stir up trouble. Lots of ways to play with that.

“Sh*t! Xu—”

Jim exploded. Though the family had prepared for it, giving up shares wasn’t something he could easily agree to. He had to act reluctant to avoid being ripped off.

“Cut the act. The fact you’re desperate to see us means the Johnson Family has already prepared for this. There’s no need to keep up appearances.”

Xu Shaochen interrupted, his tone calm and casual.

Jim froze, awkwardly sitting back down. This bastard—nothing goes according to the script with him.

“Alright then, how many shares do you want?”

It’s over. No point pretending anymore, they had seen through him. Continuing would be meaningless.

“Thirty percent.”

Xu Shaochen smiled gently, highlighting the number.

“Damn it! You’re crazy, Xu! Do you know what thirty percent means?”

Jim, who had just sat down, shot up from his chair again, as if he’d been pricked by a needle.

Xu Shaochen smiled casually, his tone calm: “Jim, my dear friend, doesn’t that number sound familiar? Thirty percent, remember it now?”

Jim’s face flickered. He remembered—his first meeting with Xu Shaochen was also on this golf course.

Back then, they demanded thirty percent of the Xu Corporation’s shares.

At that time, it was Jim, Mike, and Tony against Xu Shaochen.

Yet now, the setting was the same, but the tables had completely turned.