Chapter 65: How about leaving the 20 million pound loan for me to handle?

"Elder Liu, I heard from Hengsheng that you've lent out quite a bit; do you have a specific figure?"

Lu Chen paused, took a puff of his Cigar, slowly exhaled the smoke, and then asked the question.

"Not much, just 20 million pounds, though in the future it will be converted into something similar to stocks for this project."

Elder Liu looked deeply at Lu Chen, then glanced at Liu Hengsheng, before answering.

Liu Hengsheng shrugged, took a puff of his Cigar, and gave Lu Chen a look.

"Then could you hand them over to me to handle?"

Lu Chen nodded slightly, then shook his head.

His fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest.

After taking a deep puff of his Cigar and holding the smoke in his mouth for a long time, he finally exhaled.

A flash of sharp light crossed his eyes.

His tone carried a hint of calmness.

"You kid certainly has guts; how do you plan to take on this loan?"

Elder Liu looked at Lu Chen in surprise.

He took two puffs of his Cigar, slowly exhaled the smoke, tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa, and after a good while, he spoke.

"I will use the Nitan Project's non-dividends as collateral; until 20 million pounds have been earned, no dividends will be paid, and these 20 million will all be distributed to you."

Lu Chen paused, took a puff of his Cigar, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

He leaned his body against the back of the sofa, crossed his legs, and tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest.

After a while, he spoke.

"Of course, if the Nitan Project fails, I will use my own cash to fill this hole."

"Good lad, I didn't expect you to have such courage."

Elder Liu's fingers, which were tapping the sofa, paused slightly, his body relaxed a bit more, and then he spoke.

"Our Liu Family is not unreasonable; if it really comes to that point, you only need to bear a loss of 5 million US dollars."

Elder Liu took a puff of his Cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"However, just like the contract we signed with Lao Chen, we must use US dollars to settle all payments."

"Fine."

Lu Chen did not hesitate at all and agreed directly.

Liu Hengsheng opened his mouth wide, looking at Elder Liu and Lu Chen in a daze.

A look of disbelief flashed through his eyes.

"Did you learn something, kid? This is what a top-tier negotiation looks like."

Elder Liu turned his head to look at Liu Hengsheng with a smile and patted him on the shoulder.

Liu Hengsheng finally came back to his senses.

Lu Chen smiled and nodded, then looked at Elder Liu.

"Elder Liu's boldness is astonishing; a loss of 5 million US dollars is not something an ordinary person can afford."

"You kid, stop flattering me."

Elder Liu reached out and pointed at Lu Chen, took a puff of his Cigar, and then continued.

"This is the dilemma of our Comprador Family; we have money, but no top-tier connections, so we can only circle around those foreign firms."

Elder Liu sighed, then continued to speak.

"The Nitan Project is indeed a project with high risk and high reward. Our Liu Family can afford the loss, but as for the people, you just go ahead and do it."

"You are too modest; without you guiding us, how could we juniors explore the path so steadily?"

Lu Chen said with a chuckle.

Liu Hengsheng, who had just recovered, looked at Lu Chen with a strange expression and winked at him a couple of times.

He secretly glanced at Elder Liu again, and finding that he was no longer looking at him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"In the future, take our Hengsheng with you more often; this kid is far behind you."

Elder Liu glanced at Liu Hengsheng, sighed, and shook his head lightly.

"Young Master Liu only acts relaxed in front of you."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, a smile on his face, and spoke softly.

He took a puff of his Cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke.

After stubbing it out in the ashtray, he took a sip of coffee.

"You kid, no need to accompany an old man like me for a meal; go out and have fun with Hengsheng."

Elder Liu waved his hand, took a puff of his Cigar, and then spoke.

"You young people can have fun together; with an old man like me around, you won't be able to let loose."

It wasn't until he left the reception hall with Liu Hengsheng that Lu Chen let out a long breath.

"Director Lu, how did you dare to do that! You agreed to take on a 20 million loan just like that!"

Liu Hengsheng grabbed Lu Chen and gave him a thumbs up.

"It's simply..."

"That bit of money is not the most important thing."

Lu Chen patted Liu Hengsheng's hand and said.

"What your grandfather asked me about my views on the Crown is what's most important."

Lu Chen paused and then continued.

"Although I didn't answer that question, you have already answered it for me."

"Huh?"

Liu Hengsheng was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

"No wonder when I mentioned you to the old man, I got caught and interrogated; so you were waiting for me here? No way, if I don't get two boxes of Cigar, this won't be settled!"

"Fine, fine, fine. These two boxes are my last rations; I'll have Steward Wang bring them to you later."

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then said with a wry smile.

"Sigh, if you really can't pay it back when the time comes, come find me then; I'll lend you my private stash."

Liu Hengsheng put his arm around Lu Chen's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of indifference.

"Although I don't have that much money, the old man already waived a large portion for you, didn't he? I can still come up with the rest."

"Alright."

Lu Chen smiled and nodded in agreement.

After having a meal with Liu Hengsheng, he returned to the Zhuangyuan.

After resting for a long time, Lu Chen finally felt recovered.

Whether it was Old Liu or Liu Hengsheng, neither was easy to deal with!

The vast Zhuangyuan was truly a bit empty now.

Shen Wanyu, Hu Yaqin, and Zhao Chenhui had gone to the company together and hadn't returned yet.

Li Xuanhua and Liu Xiaofeng were on the other side of the ocean.

Lu Chen sat alone in the study in silence, preheated a Cigar, and began to savor it slowly.

He flipped through the newspaper, feeling somewhat bored.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Chen Mo stood at the doorway and knocked softly.

Lu Chen looked up and beckoned to Chen Mo.

"Boss, the results of the probing are out. Most of the gangs didn't stop us, but..."

Lu Chen waved his hand to interrupt Chen Mo, then tossed a pack of 555 to Chen Mo.

Only then did he take a puff of his Cigar and shift into a more comfortable position.

After waiting for Chen Mo to light his cigarette, he finally spoke.

"Did a conflict break out over there?"

"Not really, they just wouldn't let us go deeper. They treated us completely as uninvited guests and drove us away directly."

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment before continuing.

"Which gangs? Have you looked into who the big bosses behind them are?"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.

"Behind them are Old Zhao and the others. I've verified it once with Steward Wang's side; they are all unwilling to negotiate with you."

"Don't worry about them. Someone will keep them in check. Get ready; construction over there is about to start, and you'll need to pull some brothers over to maintain order."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the sofa armrest.

His voice carried a hint of calm, but even more so, it was icy.