Chapter 61: Reconciliation

"BOSS, hello, I am Assistant Hu Yaqin, assistant to President Li."

Shen Wanyu walked in with Hu Yaqin and bowed slightly toward Lu Chen.

She then stood straight, her state completely different from when she had previously seen Lu Chen.

Lu Chen nodded slightly and changed the position of his crossed legs.

He took a silent puff of his Cigar and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Hu Yaqin introduced herself in a crisp and efficient manner.

"You are very familiar with the company's business, right? How about I give you a task?"

Lu Chen glanced at Shen Wanyu before his gaze landed on Hu Yaqin.

He took a puff of his Cigar, showing neither probing intent nor the gravity of entrusting someone with a major responsibility.

It was just spoken plainly from Lu Chen's mouth.

"Please speak."

Hu Yaqin glanced at Shen Wanyu, then turned to Lu Chen.

A flash of surprise flickered in her eyes.

Her body seemed to straighten even more, and she gripped her hands tighter in front of her.

The respect in her tone became more pronounced.

"I need to handle the shell company; separate one out, this one right here. One hundred million pounds will be injected tomorrow. Hand it over to Li Xuanhua; he knows how to operate it."

Lu Chen gave a slight wink toward Shen Wanyu.

His gaze then landed on Hu Yaqin.

His eyes were full of appreciation.

He tapped his fingers on the armrest and spoke softly.

"Also, take over the two villa projects currently in Wanyu's hands. You should know how to handle them."

"Very well, BOSS."

Hu Yaqin nodded and agreed directly.

Her tone carried a hint of gravity.

But she did not look at Shen Wanyu again.

"You stay here tonight. President Li should be sending a telegram shortly; tell him I will reply to him tomorrow morning. I have a dinner engagement with Wanyu tonight."

Lu Chen took a puff of his Cigar, then continued to give a few more instructions.

He waved his hand, letting them leave.

After taking a sip of coffee, he beckoned to Butler Wang, who was standing at the door.

"Sir."

Butler Wang walked into the study and bowed slightly.

"The gifts for Professor Li's family are all prepared, right? And for the butler, you should also build a good relationship."

Lu Chen took a puff of his Cigar, reached out to toss a pack of 555s to Butler Wang, and then continued speaking.

"Keep an eye on Assistant Hu."

Lu Chen sighed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Understood."

Butler Wang looked deeply at Lu Chen, put away the 555s, and turned to leave.

Lu Chen also returned to the bedroom to change into a suit.

Only then did he arrive in the reception hall.

"Let's go, little girl, come with me."

Lu Chen picked up Chen Tingting and held her in his arms.

This little girl was much more cheerful than yesterday.

Her small arms wrapped around Lu Chen's head, and she called out, "Uncle Lu."

"Let's go, today Uncle is taking you to bum a meal."

Lu Chen greeted them with a laugh, then looked at Hu Yaqin.

"Ya Qin, I'll have to trouble you today."

"Very well, BOSS."

Hu Yaqin bowed slightly without expressing anything else.

Lu Chen took a deep look at her and walked out of the reception hall first.

The motorcade soon arrived at the Zhuangyuan where Professor Li resided.

The butler was already waiting at the entrance of the Zhuangyuan.

"Mr. Lu, welcome. Please follow me."

Lu Chen placed Tingting into Chen Mo's arms.

He straightened his suit and followed the butler all the way to the reception hall.

"Uncle Li, I've come to bum a meal."

Lu Chen called out familiarly before walking into the reception hall.

Professor Li was smoking a Cigar and gestured slightly toward the sofa beside him.

"Coming is fine, why bring so many things? I don't lack anything here."

"Hehehe, I'm not the only one bumming a meal today; there are several others, so I couldn't come empty-handed."

Lu Chen beckoned to Butler Wang, took a box of Cigars, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it toward Professor Li.

"Uncle Li, have a taste. This was just properly aged, it's been out of the humidor for less than 3 days!"

"You little rascal, I heard you sent Xuan Hua and Xiaofeng off to Piaoliang Guo?"

Professor Li glanced at Lu Chen, but did not refuse.

Instead, he opened the Cigar box, took one out and tossed it to Lu Chen, then took one out for himself.

He began to toast it.

Lu Chen smiled and followed Professor Li's movements, beginning to toast his own Cigar.

A faint scent of pine, mixed with the aroma of the Cigar, rose up in the reception room.

Professor Li's nose twitched slightly, and he nodded faintly.

"Not bad, top-tier goods, and aged well too. You kid put some thought into this."

"Sending them out this time was mainly for the sake of Xiaofeng's mother's medical treatment; as for Xuan Hua, it's also to see if there are any opportunities."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes at Professor Li, then lowered his head again to focus on toasting the Cigar.

After a good while, he finally spoke up to explain.

"Crown came to borrow money from me. Do you think I should lend it?"

Professor Li nodded slightly and did not continue to dwell on that question.

He took a puff of the Cigar, slowly exhaled the smoke, leaned back against the sofa, and crossed his legs.

After pushing up his glasses, he finally spoke.

"My advice is not to lend it. I attended Wei Er's private gathering yesterday, and it was set up like..."

Lu Chen paused, took a puff of the Cigar, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He adopted the same posture as Professor Li before speaking again.

"It felt just like a scam. Normal business practices would absolutely not be handled that way."

"Oh? You mean Wei Er held a private gathering for you all yesterday?"

Professor Li frowned slightly.

After taking several puffs of the Cigar, he finally continued to speak.

"It seems the matter Crown is pulling off this time is truly not small!"

"Were you also invited to the gathering by Wei Er and the others?"

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, and he asked directly!

"A few days ago, Wei Er and Laimu jointly held a small gathering."

A look of understanding appeared on Professor Li's face, and he spoke directly.

"Uncle Li, do you have any confirmation on who has lent money? What I can confirm is that the Liu family has already lent out a sum, and it's highly likely that Elder Wang and the others have lent some too."

Lu Chen frowned and quickly relayed the information he had gathered.

"Not bad, it's about the same as the information I've gathered, though I know there are still some old fellows who are hesitating."

Professor Li looked at Lu Chen in surprise and nodded slightly.

He took a puff of the Cigar, then continued with a question.

"You understand this matter quite clearly; have you been in contact with all of them?"

"I've only been in contact with some of them. It was only after running into the young master of the Liu family at the gathering that I saw what Wei Er was thinking."

Lu Chen did not drag things out and directly recounted the intelligence he had gathered, as well as the unusual behavior of Elder Chen and the others.

Lu Chen could say that, except for the matter of the Moissanite, he had told Professor Li everything.

"It seems the financial innovation Crown is pulling off this time is a bit of a huge gamble!"

Professor Li smoked silently for two puffs before he spoke.

His voice carried a hint of hoarseness and a hint of surprise, but mostly it was calm.

"What is your take on this matter?"