Chapter 135: Is Professor Li Retiring?

"Mr. Lu, please stay, Lord Li, please wait a moment."

The waiter saw Lu Chen and the others walking out and immediately stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Laites, please come to the office; Lord Li, you may wait here for a moment."

Lu Chen glanced at Professor Li and nodded slightly; seeing Professor Li turn and return to the conference room, he then followed the waiter toward Laites's office.

"Mr. Lu, regarding the matters you arranged, two parties have now accepted the offer, and two others want to counter-offer. What are your thoughts?"

Laites took out two document bags and placed them on the desk.

He looked toward Lu Chen.

"What price did you negotiate?"

Lu Chen did not make a decision immediately but asked in a low voice.

After all, in matters like this, no one can say for sure.

Lu Chen still wanted to understand the situation first.

"Our offer is 17 Silver Coins for a 5-year license."

Laites explained in a low voice while pushing the two document bags toward Lu Chen.

"The 17 Silver Coins include a 1 Silver Coin inquiry fee and a 1 Silver Coin transaction fee, so your actual profit is 15 Silver Coins; for both parties, that is 30 Silver Coins total. Your Silver Coins are currently being minted at headquarters."

"What is the other party's counter-offer?"

Lu Chen spoke softly, his tone remaining calm.

"One party countered with 15 Silver Coins, and the other countered with 8 Silver Coins, but they want a 2-year license."

Laites's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he still presented the conditions of the two parties.

"I suggest you ignore those two; the one with the lowest bid is the one that stole the documents."

"For the first one, 17 Silver Coins, no counter-offers; tell them I can give them priority renewal rights for a second 5-year licensing fee. As for the fourth one, reject them directly. If they are willing, sign at the 17 Silver Coin for 5 years price; if not, then forget it. You will protect my information anyway, won't you?"

An unpleasant smile appeared on Lu Chen's face, his tone carrying a hint of flippancy, even contempt.

"Of course, we will spare no effort to protect your information; this is the duty of our Neutral Tavern."

Laites was not affected by Lu Chen's words but nodded gently with a smile.

"These two documents are the signed contracts from those two parties. Keep them safe; when the Silver Coins arrive, I will notify you to come and collect them."

Lu Chen did not open the document bags but placed them back into the leather bag he was carrying, then walked out of the office and returned to the conference room area.

After greeting Professor Li, they left the Neutral Tavern together.

"Let's go. I haven't seen Tingting in a long time either. How about I go over to your place for a bit?"

Professor Li sat in the car and spoke softly.

"Sure, wherever you want to go, it's all up to you."

A smile was on Lu Chen's face.

Along the way, Professor Li closed his eyes, feeling somewhat exhausted, and they returned to the Zhuangyuan quietly.

It was just that while passing through Central, the bustling streets made Lu Chen feel somewhat uneasy.

Yes, it was that kind of inexplicable unease.

Lu Chen opened the car window slightly; it was sweltering!

Even though it was already autumn, it was still so sweltering!

Lu Chen suppressed the unease in his heart, glanced at Professor Li, who was resting with his eyes closed, and closed the car window again.

Only after returning to the Zhuangyuan did Lu Chen feel a bit better.

He strolled through the garden with Professor Li before returning to the study.

"Little Lu, what are your thoughts today? Do you feel the old man is a bit too hurried?"

Professor Li sipped some clear tea, a hint of banter in his tone.

"You are entrusting me with your legacy; have you encountered some trouble?"

Lu Chen's expression turned serious; he sat in the guest seat and straightened up slightly.

He handed a pre-warmed Cigar to Professor Li before speaking softly.

He then reached out again to take a Cigar and began to warm it for himself.

"I plan to go to Piaoliang Guo next year to recuperate. I'm getting old, and my body isn't what it used to be."

Professor Li took a puff of the Cigar, leaned back, his tone carrying a hint of weakness.

"The various retirement procedures are already being processed. Once I'm no longer in this position, many things won't pass through you anymore. When people leave, the tea goes cold; it's human nature."

"You're not even 60 yet, why retire now?"

Lu Chen was truly a bit confused, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Given your health, you could work for at least another 10 years."

"You little monkey, if I don't step down, how can you move up? Are you really content with just being a local force in Xianggang? If I don't wash away your background of having snuck in, you will never become a neutral force."

Professor Li smiled and pointed at Lu Chen, then explained in a low voice.

"If I'm not in Xianggang, I can still be of some help to you. If I stay in Xianggang, I will instead become a hindrance to you. It just so happens that the California Law School has also given me an invitation to teach, so I'll take the opportunity to go over, teach, and spend my later years in peace."

"This year, you will stay by my side and strive to graduate, so that I can introduce those supreme court justices and law firms to you."

Professor Li coughed softly, then spoke.

"You are too kind. It just so happens that Xuan Hua is over there too; I will have him go over to take care of you."

Lu Chen sighed, nodded slightly, and spoke softly.

Lu Chen did not feel surprised by Professor Li's decision.

It was just that he didn't realize Professor Li would be so resolute.

"No need, the old man has plenty of people to take care of him. However, Little Lu, let me tell you something: it is time to cut ties with your company."

Professor Li heaved a deep sigh.

"From now on, use only shares to control them; as for how they perform, it is time to let go, otherwise, you will find it difficult to inherit the status of an academic warlord."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and after a good while, he spoke softly.

"I shouldn't have much of a problem, but those big shots all know that I have been the one pushing this matter, so..."

"You have indeed done quite well; let them live in this house, and you move to the Zhuangyuan next to Luosha. If there is anything in the future, we will contact each other then, but try to minimize contact during ordinary times. If you need to show your face, then show it; just handle the identity of a Special Consultant, as no one is really going to investigate your assets."

Professor Li narrowed his eyes, and after a moment, he added a sentence.

"You can just control the shares and such through offshore companies."

"Alright, I will move over there in a few days."

Lu Chen spoke softly, and after a few seconds, he spoke softly again.

"However, now is the time of construction, so occasionally I still need to show my face to resolve trouble."

Lu Chen was indeed having a headache now; he actually understood everything Professor Li had told him.

And he had been doing exactly that, but top-tier connections and the balance of power still required him to show his face.

And to cut ties, to be honest, what relationship does Lu Chen have with the company now?

There is absolutely no relationship at all!

After all, with so many offshore companies, which one could prove that Lu Chen is the actual controller?

None!

No one can prove it!

But to be honest, Lu Chen is indeed no different from the chairman standing at the front desk right now.

This matter is indeed a bit of a headache.

Moving away is indeed a good method.