Chapter 56: The Compensation Assembly (Fourth Update)

Tang Yiliu truly felt he had brought this upon himself. If Qin Tian wanted to take Wade Griffin out for a meal, he should have just let him! Why did he, like a fool, insist on dragging Wade Griffin back? Now, even if they managed to close the big deal later, he would still be at a tremendous loss. The five hundred million was a trivial matter compared to the crucial twenty-five percent stake! Tang Yiliu’s heart was bleeding.

“All right, the matter of Jiang Tianxiang’s broken leg is settled. Shall we discuss the issue of framing now?” Qin Tian asked.

“What do you mean, framing?” Tang Yiliu was momentarily stunned.

“I’ll give you a hint—rear-ending,” Qin Tian said.

Tang Yiliu took a deep breath. So it was about the time he had deliberately framed the Jiang Group for illegal parking.

“That incident is long behind us, isn’t it?” Tang Yiliu replied.

“Yes, it’s in the past, but it did cause the Jiang Group some loss, particularly to its reputation. How do you intend to compensate for that?” Qin Tian pressed.

“Just say it—how much do you want?” Tang Yiliu could only grit his teeth and swallow his frustration.

“Ten percent of your shares,” Qin Tian replied.

“No way! I absolutely won’t give you any more shares! The most I’ll offer is another five hundred million!” Tang Yiliu insisted, trying to sound resolute.

But seeing Wade Griffin’s face, Tang Yiliu instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

“One percent—another one percent of my shares,” Tang Yiliu offered.

“Eight percent,” Qin Tian countered with a gesture.

“Three percent!” Tang Yiliu ground out between clenched teeth.

“My final offer—five percent!” Qin Tian extended five fingers.

“Deal!” Tang Yiliu exhaled heavily. Today, he truly felt as if he’d lost his last pair of underpants.

Deng Jiachen, Huang Qinhu, and Jiang Zhengye looked at Tang Yiliu. Even though all four of them were on the same side, seeing a comrade suffer such a loss, they couldn’t help but feel a bit schadenfreude.

“Gentlemen, I’m sure you haven’t missed any opportunity to trip up the Jiang Group in private, have you?” Qin Tian turned his gaze to the three of them.

The trio was about to explain when Qin Tian raised his hand to silence them.

“I don’t care what you’ve done behind the scenes. Let’s talk about the matter of forcing Jiang Tianxiang into a horse race. He suffered significant psychological pressure because of that, seriously affecting his mental health,” Qin Tian continued. “Surely you should compensate him for emotional distress, shouldn’t you?”

The three exchanged uneasy glances.

“What’s the matter? Unwilling?” Qin Tian shot them a sharp look.

“No, no, of course, we’re willing. How much do you want?” With Wade Griffin present, they had no choice but to concede.

“Let’s keep it simple—twenty percent of your company shares each,” Qin Tian said coolly.

The three of them gasped in unison. This was daylight robbery!

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Jiang Zhengye said with difficulty.

“Yes, it’s too much,” Huang Qinhu added.

“Too much? Not at all. I don’t mind it being more,” Qin Tian waved his hand dismissively.

The three were dumbfounded. Clearly, they were going to be ruthlessly squeezed by Qin Tian today.

“Jiang Zhengye,” Qin Tian suddenly called out.

“Y-yes?” Jiang Zhengye jumped, puzzled why he was singled out.

Huang Qinhu, Deng Jiachen, and Tang Yiliu all looked at him with a touch of gloating, thinking he must have somehow offended Qin Tian.

“Your son, Jiang Feng, must stop pursuing Jiang Yingying,” Qin Tian said.

“Yes, yes, of course. My son will never bother Miss Jiang again,” Jiang Zhengye replied, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Sure enough, he was being scolded.

“However, your son Jiang Feng is a man of his word—he kept his promise and paid me the agreed sum. That’s commendable. So I’ll only ask for fifteen percent of your shares,” Qin Tian added.

“Ah?” Jiang Zhengye was stunned, feeling as if fortune had just smiled upon him. His good-for-nothing son had inadvertently done him a favor!

“Thank you, thank you,” Jiang Zhengye said repeatedly.

The other two were dumbfounded. They thought Jiang Zhengye would be penalized heavily, but he’d actually been let off lightly!

“Huang Qinhu!” Qin Tian called next.

Huang Qinhu smiled broadly, thinking his luck had turned, perhaps one of his subordinates had also done Qin Tian a good turn. He swore he would reward that person handsomely when he got back.

“I have no fondness for your Bodhi Society,” Qin Tian said.

“Yes, yes,” Huang Qinhu nodded repeatedly, remembering how Jiang Zhengye had just been reprimanded before being rewarded. He expected the same treatment—a stick followed by a carrot. That was his own usual tactic, after all.

“The missing five percent stake in the Imperial Group will be covered by your Bodhi Society. If you want to blame someone, blame your Snake Brother,” Qin Tian said coolly.

Boom!

Huang Qinhu felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. Why was his penalty increased? Snake Brother! That damned bastard—what had he done behind his back?

Huang Qinhu’s face turned ashen; he swore to deal with Snake Brother when he returned.

Qin Tian turned to Deng Jiachen, who immediately nodded and bowed.

Qin Tian thought for a moment. Deng Jiachen hadn’t had any direct or indirect dealings with him, so he couldn’t find a reason for a severe penalty. He decided to leave it at twenty percent.

“Huang Qinhu, twenty-five percent of your shares. Deng Jiachen, twenty percent. Jiang Zhengye, fifteen percent. Any objections?” Qin Tian asked.

“Couldn’t you make it a bit less?” Huang Qinhu pleaded, biting his lip. He didn’t have the final say over the Bodhi Society’s Wushi city chapter—he only owned thirty percent of the shares in their affiliated companies. Giving Qin Tian twenty-five percent would leave him with almost nothing.

After some haggling, Huang Qinhu conceded twenty percent, Deng Jiachen gave fifteen percent, and Jiang Zhengye handed over five percent plus ownership of the Imperial Hotel.

That was Qin Tian’s request—he liked the Imperial Hotel, so he asked for fewer shares in exchange for it.

Jiang Zhengye was happy to transfer the hotel to Qin Tian; compared to the shares, a single hotel was of little consequence.

Thus, with the help of Wade Griffin’s presence, what was meant to be a welcome banquet became a compensation conference.

Qin Tian had just extended his reach into the business empires of the four major tycoons of Wushi, securing a significant amount of shares.

Along with the shares, he also received five hundred million in cash and a five-star hotel.

One could say he had made a massive profit with ease.