135: Chapter 135 Old Classmate

Chen Guangke curled his lip dismissively.

"Heh! You already have a girlfriend, so of course you can focus entirely on your career. I'm not like you; I'm still a bachelor!"

Shen Yan lightly kicked Chen Guangke again.

"Go to hell!"

Chen Guangke laughed and kicked him back.

"You go to hell too!"

...

On the other side, Chen Ling had already found a suitable location for the company and paid the deposit.

Just as she was about to find someone to help her process the company's business license, she received a call from an old friend she hadn't contacted in a long time.

As soon as the other party contacted her, they immediately invited her out for a meal.

As the saying goes, excessive courtesy implies ulterior motives.

Chen Ling instinctively felt that the other party had something to ask of her.

However, since she needed connections for setting up her company now, she did not refuse the invitation.

Eight o'clock in the evening.

She arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant right on time.

"Oh my! Old Jiang! Long time no see!"

The other party stood up with a beaming smile and walked over, saying, "It has indeed been a long time. Campus Belle Chen, you've become even more beautiful."

Hearing this, a genuine warmth immediately appeared in Chen Ling's smile.

Time had passed, and it had been many years since anyone had called her 'Campus Belle'.

Hearing that title suddenly brought her a sense of nostalgia.

Though she felt that way, she didn't express it verbally.

"Alright, how long has it been since we graduated? Calling me 'Campus Belle' now is a bit of an exaggeration."

Jiang Lili let out an 'Aiya' sound, put her arm around Chen Ling, and sat her down in a chair.

"Although we graduated a long time ago, you haven't changed a bit from how you looked back then. You are exceptionally beautiful."

Chen Ling subtly pulled her hand away from Jiang Lili's grasp and replied, "Stop flattering me. I'm human, not a spirit; how could my appearance not have changed from back then?"

"Right, is there something you needed to see me about today?"

Jiang Lili wasn't in a hurry to state her business. She first called the Waitress over to order food. Only after the Waitress had left did she bring up what she needed to discuss.

"It's like this: I have a very valuable piece of inside information."

"This inside information is very valuable and extremely useful to you. I thought since we are old classmates, I shouldn't let someone else take advantage of this opportunity, so I asked you out for dinner to chat."

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow, feeling skeptical about her old classmate's words.

As far as she knew, this old classmate was currently a full-time housewife.

To put it bluntly, she was a married woman without a job.

She didn't believe the other party possessed any information that could help her.

"Oh? Really? Then tell me, what is this inside information?"

Jiang Lili chuckled softly and picked up the teapot to pour Chen Ling a cup of hot tea.

"What the information is isn't important. What's important is that I want to ask you if you're interested in cooperating with me?"

Chen Ling was becoming impatient.

"Cooperate? Cooperate on what?"

"Are you looking to invest in my company? Let me tell you upfront: if you want to invest in my company, you need to be prepared to put up money in the eight-figure range at minimum. Do you have that kind of money?"

Jiang Lili pouted, putting on a coquettish act.

"Aiya, Campus Belle Chen, how long has it been since graduation? Why are you talking about money every other sentence?"

"Didn't I already say it? I have a piece of inside information that is extremely valuable. I guarantee that my inside information is worth far more than eight figures."

Seeing that the other party was still clinging to the topic of inside information, Chen Ling started to feel a little curious.

"Your inside information is worth more than an eight-figure sum?"

"Then tell me, what is your inside information?"

Jiang Lili repeated the same sentence.

"No rush. Just tell me if you are interested in cooperating with me?"

Chen Ling took a sip of the hot tea and then said:

"Lili, are you here today to eat and socialize using our status as old classmates, or are you here to talk business using our status as potential partners?"

Jiang Lili replied with a sweet smile, "Both. I want to catch up with you, and I also want to discuss cooperation."

Chen Ling replied with a forced smile, "Fine. When it comes to cooperation, I tend to switch into work mode."

"To put it plainly, if you want to cooperate with me, you must first present valid information that makes me want to cooperate with you."

Jiang Lili wasn't stupid.

She understood what Chen Ling meant.

Chen Ling was essentially saying that if she wanted cooperation, Jiang Lili had to reveal what the inside information was first.

"Mmm... How about this, I'll first tell you what the inside information is about."

"I heard that you are planning to start a company recently. I happen to hold news about the latest policy Sea City plans to implement. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can tell you this news for free."

Sea City policy?

Chen Ling frowned deeply.

She was trying to figure out if what Jiang Lili said was true or false.

If it was true, then cooperating with Jiang Lili would indeed be beneficial for her.

If it was false... she could just placate Jiang Lili for now.

No matter what, she wouldn't lose out.

With that thought, she nodded to Jiang Lili, "Okay, I am indeed quite interested in what you mentioned. So, tell me, what kind of cooperation are you hoping to achieve with me?"

Seeing that she agreed, Jiang Lili's eyes immediately lit up.

"It's like this: I want to take a stake in your company."

"I don't have much money on hand right now, just over two million. I am willing to use this two million to buy twenty percent of your company's shares."

Hearing this, Chen Ling almost burst out laughing.

Over two million for twenty percent of her company's shares?

She was really treating her like a sucker!

"Lili, have you been out of work for too long? Do you not know what twenty percent of the shares represents?"

Jiang Lili wasn't angry at being mocked.

She replied very calmly, "Don't worry, even though I haven't worked in a long time, I know what twenty percent of the shares represents."

"The reason I dare to ask for twenty percent of the shares is because the information I possess is worth exactly twenty percent of the shares."

Chen Ling wouldn't believe her if she were crazy.

She smiled and shook her head, saying to Jiang Lili, "Alright, alright, let's stop talking about cooperation today. Let's just treat this as old classmates catching up..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lili anxiously interrupted, "What I said is true! The information I have is absolutely worth twenty percent of your company's shares."

"If you don't believe me, we can draw up an agreement. If the information I provide turns out to be irrelevant to your company, then I am willing to give up that twenty percent stake."

Seeing how certain she sounded, Chen Ling hesitated.

"Is that true or false?"