Chapter Ninety: A Matter of Urgent Concern

Yang Dawei could hardly tell whether to laugh or cry when he heard his friend’s phone call.

If he had that kind of influence, would he still need to go through so much trouble?

The Sofia Grand Hotel had some name in Kun City, and even across southern Yunnan. If it were used as collateral, it should be worth a considerable loan.

The ransom would be enough, but the penalty payment was still short by quite a bit.

After all, it was not a hotel in a first-tier city.

In ordinary contracts, the penalty was three times the amount; this time, in order to muscle in and make money, he had written it as four times.

If the value of the two ships carrying a total of forty thousand tons of fuel was taken into account, he would have to swallow a loss of four to five hundred million in penalties.

And once he failed to repay the loan in time and lost the hotel, Yang Dawei would never be able to rise again.

As for borrowing money from friends, among the people in his circle there was simply no one who could casually produce a ransom in the hundreds of millions, let alone the additional penalty money.

Even if someone could, why would they help him?

In the profit-first world of business socializing, unless you can offer others enough benefit.

That morning, Yang Dawei got up with dark circles under both eyes.

For days he had been unable to eat or sleep, and his spirits had become utterly miserable.

If this went on, he would have to take sleeping pills just to get any rest.

Dragging his limbs weakly to the bathroom, he only managed to finish brushing his teeth after a bout of violent dry heaving.

He splashed cold water over his face and rubbed his palms hard, forcing himself to perk up.

At the very least, he was still the sole owner and general manager of the Sofia Grand Hotel; he could not allow his subordinates to see him looking dejected.

Just then, a rather close friend called.

Seeing the caller ID, Yang Dawei hoped he was bringing good news.

"Hello, Dawei. I’ve got good news—General Manager Gao from Da Wenhui is willing to meet you."

Yang Dawei’s eyes lit up. Da Wenhui was an absolute giant in the supermarket and retail world across all of southern Yunnan and the surrounding regions, with a market share of more than sixty percent.

Da Wenhui’s capital chain was enormous; if he could persuade General Manager Gao to ease his immediate crisis, then he might just get through this disaster.

"Good, good, excellent—when?" Yang Dawei asked excitedly.

"I’ve made the appointment for you: today at 3:15 p.m., on the thirty-first floor of Wenhui Tower. I’ll wait for you at the entrance of Wenhui Tower at 2:30."

Xu Maojun, on the other end of the line, said everything Yang Dawei cared about in one breath.

"Good, I’ll definitely be there. Thanks, brother. I’ll treat you to drinks next time."

"No need to be so polite. Don’t stand me up later. That’s all."

The call ended, and a sliver of hope rose in Yang Dawei’s heart.

As long as Gao Youming’s terms were not too harsh, Yang Dawei would certainly agree and then borrow enough funds from the Da Wenhui Group.

The rare good news made his appetite bloom.

He ate four pork buns, a bag of soymilk, and an egg for breakfast.

Feeling much more at ease, he went to the Sofia Grand Hotel to give some instructions about work, then stayed in the office with his secretary to consider how to negotiate with Gao Youming.

...

In the afternoon, though he was not sleepy, Yang Dawei, after so many days of poor rest, looked truly awful.

He forced himself to sleep for an hour so his condition would not be too poor later.

At twenty minutes past two, Yang Dawei’s Bentley arrived at the entrance of Wenhui Tower.

His friend Xu Maojun was already waiting there.

Though their usual relationship could only be considered decent and Xu Maojun had never asked Yang Dawei for favors, he had stepped forward at this critical moment, and Yang Dawei was deeply moved.

When the accident first happened, everyone else had merely called to offer their regards; only Xu Maojun had come in person to discuss a solution with him.

A friend did not need to be many. In a moment of crisis, having even one reliable one was enough. That was what Yang Dawei thought at that moment.

He did not wait for the driver to open the door, but got out himself and went up to greet him.

"Maojun, sorry to keep you waiting."

Xu Maojun shook Yang Dawei’s hand.

"I only just got here too. Let’s go up first; we can confirm some details on the way."

...

After finishing reviewing a document, Gao Youming picked up the teacup on his desk and took a sip.

He pulled over the file concerning Yang Dawei and flipped through it again.

Then he picked up the phone and called his secretary.

"Let them in."

Shortly after, Yang Dawei entered the office with his secretary and Xu Maojun.

Gao Youming looked up, letting his gaze rest on Yang Dawei for two seconds before lowering his head again and writing something on the paper.

"Sit."

The three of them sat in the chairs across from the desk.

"Mr. Yang, I’ve heard all about your situation, and I’ve verified part of it. I can arrange enough funds for you—five hundred million, transferred to your account in one lump sum."

Yang Dawei was overjoyed and was about to stand up to speak.

Gao Youming raised a hand to stop him.

"Mr. Yang, in business we must always speak of profit. I can lend you the money, but what benefits can Wenhui obtain? I hope you can give me a clear bottom line."

No one was a child, and Yang Dawei had long since prepared himself to bleed.

He motioned to his secretary, who handed him a file.

Yang Dawei stood up, turned the document around, and offered it to Gao Youming with both hands.

Gao Youming took it and read it directly.

The file was not long, nor densely written, but the message it conveyed was very clear.

Yang Dawei was willing to transfer fifteen percent of the shares of the Sofia Grand Hotel and its three three-star hotels under its banner as interest for this loan arrangement.

The repayment period for the borrowed funds was within five years.

Gao Youming frowned as he studied it carefully to the end, saying nothing for the moment, which only made Yang Dawei increasingly nervous.

"Mr. Yang, to be honest, this document already shows quite a bit of sincerity."

"But I still think it is not enough compared with the financial risk Wenhui would have to bear."

"Let me be blunt: we can forgo the shares in those three three-star hotels, and even on repayment Wenhui would only need to recover three hundred million, but for the shares in the Sofia Grand Hotel, we need seventy percent."

Yang Dawei shot to his feet.

"That’s impossible!"

When he finished, he felt he had been too agitated and tried to soften his tone.

"General Manager Gao, what I mean is, this condition is a little hard for me to accept. The value of the Sofia Hotel is not only..."

Gao Youming stopped him from continuing.

"I know, I know. How about this, Mr. Yang: go back and think it over carefully. I still have a meeting later, so I won’t keep you company any longer."

With that, Gao Youming stood and walked out of the office.

"General Manager Gao, could you be a little more flexible? This condition..."

Xu Maojun tried to speak up for him.

"Mr. Xu, businessmen pursue profit. I am already giving you face by agreeing to meet Mr. Yang. Wenhui is not ruled by my word alone."

Leaving those words behind, Gao Youming walked out of the office.

...

Yang Dawei returned home somewhat despondently.

Sitting in the boss’s chair in his study, he felt both struggle and desolation in his heart.

It was all that damned band of pirates!

Gao Youming’s terms were harsh, but Da Wenhui could provide him with five hundred million at once.

A bank loan would have slightly lower interest, but it could not provide a sufficient amount.

He sighed.

His hands, resting absentmindedly on the desk, knocked over a card holder.

Yang Dawei bent down to pick it up, but a refreshing fragrance reached his nose, and a pale gray business card slipped out onto the floor.

On it were printed the words: Wu You, Biotechnology Company, Beast Mountain Manor.

At once Yang Dawei remembered that gifted young man he had once tried to win over with a rare yellow-lipped fish.

That very figure who could smile and speak intimately with countless powerful people, even with a Saudi prince, at a special auction.

Wait.

The Saudi prince. Fuel.