Chapter 1406 - 1400: Meddling
Liang Ruoyu hummed, nodded, and walked out.
Lin Chuan stayed in the office for a while, felt extremely bored, and without saying goodbye to Tang Yumeng, left the Sichuan University Group and went to a nearby bar.
Lin Chuan knew that he probably wouldn't have free time to relax here for a long time, so he took this chance to slack off.
He ordered a glass of Eastern Dream, savoring its pure taste with a hint of bitterness. This kind of drink wasn't very popular here, but Lin Chuan himself liked it very much.
"Get away from me! I don't know you!"
At this moment, Lin Chuan heard a familiar voice from a short distance away.
Turning his head, he found Gao Xiaoxiao was also in this bar, currently being harassed by five unruly young men who were touching her.
Gao Xiaoxiao had probably come to the bar alone to relax too, but never expected to run into such trouble. As a single woman, she couldn't shake off the entanglement of so many hooligans, and was in quite a pathetic state.
"You guys are really classless, huh? If you want to hit on girls, you should rely on your own skills. Acting like public hooligans doesn't make you feel ashamed?" Lin Chuan strode over, smacked away the dirty hand that was grabbing Gao Xiaoxiao's arm, and scornfully lectured them.
These hooligans were quite notorious in the area and had grown bored of the spicy girls in other bars, so they had come to Tianxue Bar.
They had heard this place had a more formal atmosphere compared to other bars, and often attracted some decent-quality, pure-looking ladies. As soon as they entered, they noticed Gao Xiaoxiao drinking alone.
Gao Xiaoxiao was herself far superior to those spicy girls, a first-rate beauty. Although she wasn't dressed as provocatively and seductively as those women, this kind of "decent housewife" spurred these hooligans to "try a different flavor," leading to the scene before Lin Chuan.
"Damn, where did you pop out from? We just want to have some fun with this beauty, don't need you meddling in our business!" Their heightened interest suddenly interrupted, these lawless hooligans felt very disgruntled, surrounding Lin Chuan from all directions, intending to teach him a lesson, and establish their dominance at Tianxue Bar!
In the face of being encircled by five hooligans, Lin Chuan casually said, "If you leave now, I'll let you off the hook, but if you wait until I change my mind, even the king of heaven won't be able to save you!"
Lin Chuan successfully provoked these hooligans; normally, they were unchallenged, and nobody dared to speak to them like that.
"I'd like to see who can save you now!" The leading hooligan confronted him directly, while the other two encircled Lin Chuan's sides.
Lin Chuan remained fearless, counterattacked them head-on, and knocked down the front hooligan with an elbow strike.
The other two hooligans hadn't expected Lin Chuan to fight back so fiercely, completely unlike the people they usually bullied. But it was already too late to react.
Without waiting for their counterattack, Lin Chuan swept his leg low, taking down the hooligan on the right and parried a punch from the left, striking his nose!
In almost the blink of an eye, Lin Chuan had already taken down three hooligans.
The remaining hooligans, who had intended to attack Lin Chuan from the sides, were left stunned, wanting to rush in revenge for their companions, but after witnessing Lin Chuan's actions, they dared not approach any further.
"I told you, get out!" Lin Chuan glared coldly at them.
The three who had fallen struggled to get up, but dared not retaliate against Lin Chuan, only cursing inaudible words as they ran far away.
Lin Chuan ignored them and checked on Gao Xiaoxiao's condition.
"Lin Chuan, is it really you?" Gao Xiaoxiao looked at Lin Chuan with a surprised expression.
Lin Chuan smiled, helped her back to her seat, and ordered a cup of milk tea for her, saying, "You should be glad it was me, otherwise you might have faced serious trouble. What's going on? Came to the bar alone to drink away your sorrows? Anything troubling you?"
Gao Xiaoxiao smiled sadly, a completely different aura from her earlier radiant demeanor: "Who knows my biggest trouble in my heart?"
Lin Chuan awkwardly shook his head.
Lin Chuan and Gao Xiaoxiao were only business partners, besides that, Gao Xiaoxiao was Tang Yumeng's classmate. Although he admitted Gao Xiaoxiao was very beautiful, he always felt there was an overly deep meaning in Gao Xiaoxiao's presence.
Noticing Lin Chuan's awkward expression, Gao Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Lin Chuan, why did you come to the bar alone? Why didn't Yumeng come with you?"
Lin Chuan laughed and said, "I came here just to slack off because I was bored from being busy. Why, are you also feeling very bored?"
Gao Xiaoxiao's eyes revealed an indescribable emotion and said, "I'm very unhappy. I really envy Yumeng for finding a man like you."
Lin Chuan was taken aback and didn't know what to say, so he awkwardly smiled.
Gao Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered, and she said, "Lin Chuan, can you answer a question for me?"
Lin Chuan shrugged and said, "Please go ahead."
Gao Xiaoxiao said, "If I wanted to be your girlfriend, would you agree?"
Lin Chuan was taken aback again and then chuckled, "Gao Jie, don't joke with me."
Gao Xiaoxiao knew that this kind of remark wouldn't receive a direct answer from Lin Chuan. She took a deep breath to calm her mood: "Don't worry, I'm not going to rely on you for support. I just feel a bit lost thinking about my situation."
Lin Chuan remained silent. Tang Yumeng had told him about Gao Xiaoxiao's situation. Although Gao Xiaoxiao was not simple, she was completely dependent on the man behind her.
To be honest, the man behind Gao Xiaoxiao was much older than her. For her own sake, she could only rely on this man.
Gao Xiaoxiao silently finished the milk tea Lin Chuan ordered for her and suddenly said, "Lin Chuan, I feel like all my dependencies will turn into castles in the air overnight, and I'll crash like shattered glass at that moment. Can you help me?"
Lin Chuan solemnly nodded and said, "Gao Jie, if there's anything I can help you with, just say so."
"Help me switch to another company," Gao Xiaoxiao hesitated before saying, "Right now, my biggest issue is being tied to the current company and that old man. I want some real support. Although that old man has found new love, I can still mobilize a lot of resources domestically. Could you pick a good project for us to invest in together? By operating through a new company, we can squeeze out part of the shares of my current company and gain some for myself. It'll give me my own company. What do you think, Lin Chuan? Are you willing to help me?"
Lin Chuan was stunned. Gao Xiaoxiao seemed to have planned her exit strategy quite clearly. This was indeed a way to go about it; only the company controlled by oneself is a true company. Through a joint venture project, collaboration could ensure that they didn't feel like they were helping Gao Xiaoxiao for nothing. She could still provide returns, effectively utilizing others' funds.
The only tricky part was that this operation required some funds to be tied up for a short period. However, seeing Gao Xiaoxiao's miserable look now, Lin Chuan could only nod.
The reason for agreeing was partly because Gao Xiaoxiao was his business partner, and partly because of Tang Yumeng.
Lin Chuan pondered and said, "Okay, but I do need to select this project carefully. Profits in the short term aren't crucial, as long as the project's prospects are good, and funds can be recuperated quickly."
"That's great. No matter what the project is, I trust your judgment. So it's settled; I'll start raising funds as soon as I return." Gao Xiaoxiao thought Lin Chuan would say, "I'll think about it," but she was overjoyed when he agreed immediately!
Lin Chuan said, "Alright then. Our company currently has sufficient funds, so once you're ready, you can contact me directly."
After a couple more drinks, Gao Xiaoxiao gratefully left, while Lin Chuan could only chuckle and scratch his nose, wondering how he'd explain this to Tang Yumeng.
He's too soft-hearted.
But awkward as it was, it had to be addressed. Lin Chuan thought he could delay, but Gao Xiaoxiao showed up at their company's door within two days.
"Should I say something now? Gao Xiaoxiao is waiting outside." Tang Yumeng crossed her arms and glared at Lin Chuan.
"Tang, don't be so anxious. Lin Chuan must have his reasons, right, Lin Chuan?" Ma Yilin employed a gentle approach, but it was still a "strategy."
Lin Chuan explained, "At that time, I just thought Gao Jie was really pitiful. And she didn't want much, just a company to rely on. Considering we were old colleagues, and her current situation, I couldn't refuse to help."
Lin Chuan knew he was in the wrong. He had been pondering how to skillfully explain this to them, but he hadn't expected Gao Xiaoxiao to be in such a rush.
"Alright then! You're the one who makes sense. I'm not blaming you! Just make sure you find a genuinely good project, then go ahead." Tang Yumeng said.
"Tang! That's too easy on him! Who knows what else he'll hide from us in the future!" Ma Yilin pouted in dissatisfaction.
Lin Chuan laughed and said, "I've learned my lesson this time. I promise I won't hide anything from you again. I'll always be honest as soon as possible. Rest assured that my selected projects will be the most suitable."
Tang Yumeng sighed and said, "But in the short term, resources will be occupied, and we don't know when the other party might challenge us."
Tang Yumeng's words were almost like giving consent, and Lin Chuan reassured her, saying, "That's why the projects I pick this time all have the shortest return times."