Every person in the room was agape, as none of them had anticipated such an eminent figure gracing their company with his presence.
Xu Donghe, hailed as a business prodigy in Huaxia seen once in a century!
He started doing business overseas at fifteen, and by eighteen, he was already worth millions.
That was in the fifties and sixties when a million was a significant sum. Now, at seventy, no one knew his net worth, with some saying it was more than double that of Bill Gates.
To describe Xu Donghe as the richest man in Huaxia was no exaggeration.
They didn't understand why such a big shot would visit their company. To him, their company wouldn't even count as a fart.
"Elder Xu, why have you come? Do you want to discuss a contract with me? You needn't have come in person. A phone call, and I would have come to you, right?"
Zhou Zixiong thought Xu Donghe had come to see him, so he hurriedly went up to greet him.
His oil company had just negotiated a contract with Xu Donghe, so Zhou Zixiong subconsciously assumed Xu Donghe had come for him.
"You, you, I don't even know what to say to you."
The shareholder who had just urged Zhou Zixiong not to leave was also furious, as Shu Ya's actions had caused their company to miss a great opportunity to interact with Xu Donghe.
Shu Ya was also dumbfounded, suddenly questioning whether what she had done was right or wrong.
Zhou Zixiong's expression grew increasingly smug, and he thought to himself: dare to make me sell my shares? I'll have you on your knees begging me to come back.
Xu Donghe just gave Zhou Zixiong a cursory glance before averting his gaze, coldly using his cane to point at Hao Jian, "I'm not here for you, but for him."
Zhou Zixiong and the others were astonished. Xu Donghe was here for Hao Jian? What would he want with a driver?
But Xu Donghe ignored their shocked expressions and walked straight to Hao Jian, sounding rather irritated:
"Do you know how impolite it is to make an old man wait for so long?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was petrified.
This was totally the tone of a grandfather scolding his grandson!
Xu Donghe was always so icy in front of the media, when had he ever been ?
Shu Ya's eyes suddenly lit up. Could this be the reason for Hao Jian's overflowing confidence?
"What's the big deal? Sitting for too long isn't good for one's health, especially for an elder like you, who should really move around more often."
Hao Jian responded with a cheeky grin, not treating Xu Donghe like the wealthiest man in Huaxia, but rather like a regular old man.
"Stop it, don't think I don't know that you had me waiting outside just so you could show off in here!" Xu Donghe snorted, as if he had seen right through him.
"Well, you got me," Hao Jian sheepishly scratched his head.
Zhou Zixiong's face turned green, thinking to himself that this was bad news: this kid knew Xu Donghe? And it seemed their relationship was quite special?
This was absolutely bizarre—why would a super-duper rich man like Xu Donghe know a small-time driver?
Not just Zhou Zixiong, but even Shu Ya, who spent all her days with Hao Jian, was unaware of such a powerful backer.
If his relationship with Xu Donghe was so good, why not ask Xu Donghe to secure him a government position or something? That would surely be easy for Xu Donghe, right?
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on the corners of Shu Ya's mouth. She thought to herself: This guy probably doesn't care about the thirty million at all; he just wants to help me.
"All right, knock it off with the nonsense. My friend's company is going public, and you should invest some money," Hao Jian told Xu Donghe.
"Here you go again, trying to swindle my money," Xu Donghe huffed, visibly annoyed.
"What swindle? I'm offering you an investment. Once her company goes public, you'll also get a share of the dividends, okay?"
"I usually don't do such low-yield investments," Xu Donghe said haughtily.
He was telling the truth; while Shu Ya's company was a leader in Hua City, to Xu Donghe, it was nothing significant, as he was accustomed to dealing with top-tier international consortia.
"You've played with big money so much; aren't you tired of it? Play with a little money, it's more fun," Hao Jian went on to persuade him.
"Enough of your nonsense, tell me, how much do you want me to invest?" Xu Donghe demanded.
"Not much, just three billion will do," Hao Jian said with a cheeky smile.
There was an uproar from the crowd!
Three billion? That was almost equivalent to their entire company's profit for a year. Wasn't this extortion? Could Xu Donghe agree?
Shu Ya was also bemused, thinking: Isn't this guy a bit too ruthless?
"Three billion? Why don't you just go rob a bank? Do you think my money falls from the sky?"
Xu Donghe glared at Hao Jian, the cheeky kid who wasn't even a bit polite.
"Then how about two billion nine hundred and ninety-nine million?" Hao Jian backed down a step.
The onlookers were still looking bemused. Was there any difference?
"No, fifteen billion," Xu Donghe stated his price outright.
As soon as Xu Donghe made his offer, the shareholders were so excited they were almost in tears. Their company was preparing to go public and securing fifteen billion at this point would practically seal the deal.
They never imagined Xu Donghe would actually invest in them, for to the colossal figure that was Xu Donghe, they were but insignificant ants.
"No, that's too little. Twenty-five billion!" Hao Jian immediately shook his head, indicating it wasn't enough.
Hearing this, the shareholders wanted to strangle Hao Jian. Fifteen billion was already on the table and he found it too little? By aiming so high, what if Xu Donghe got angry and didn't invest? Their company's IPO would go down the drain!
"Seventeen billion!" Xu Donghe counter-offered.
"No! Twenty-four billion!" Hao Jian continued to haggle.
And Zhou Zixiong, watching Xu Donghe and Hao Jian argue intensely, was completely dumbfounded. At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind:
In the end, Hao Jian and Xu Donghe agreed on twenty billion.
"All right, write the check now," Hao Jian said.
"I didn't bring my checkbook, I'll have someone bring the money over tomorrow."
"What if you back out?" Hao Jian eyed him suspiciously.
"Nonsense! With my status and reputation, would I go back on my word?"
Xu Donghe was furious.