65: Chapter 65 Acquiring Five Shops

The deathly silence in the private room was suffocating. Zhao Guofu slumped against the back of his chair, as if all the strength in his body had been drained in an instant.

The calm and sinister facade he had struggled to maintain completely collapsed, leaving behind only a face full of ashen defeat and panic.

He stared fixedly into Jiang Chen's calm eyes, the last shred of struggle in his heart utterly crushed.

Compared to his life, those five shops he had secretly pocketed were mere petty profits. Keeping his life was the only way out now.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently. Zhao Guofu's lips trembled for a long while before he managed to squeeze out a hoarse sentence, his voice thick with an inseparable mix of resentment and resignation.

"Fine... I agree."

As the words fell, he looked as if his spine had been removed. His shoulders slumped dejectedly, yet a flicker of sinister calculation quickly flashed in his eyes.

Handing over the shops pained him to the extreme, but he knew clearly in his heart that this matter was far from over.

He had intercepted the shops privately, using insider information about the subway planning to line his own pockets; it was a black-box operation he had kept hidden from the company.

Now that he couldn't keep the shops, if news leaked out, he wouldn't be able to withstand Zhou Wanquan's iron-blooded accountability at all.

Furthermore, the ironclad evidence of corruption was still in Jiang Chen's hands. Even if things settled for now, it would always be a time bomb by his side that could blow him to pieces at any moment.

Rather than sitting and waiting for death, being manipulated by Jiang Chen, or waiting for Zhou Wanquan to find out and settle accounts, it was better to find another way out early.

The fear in Zhao Guofu's eyes was gradually replaced by greed and determination.

Having struggled in the business world for decades, he had always understood the art of assessing the situation. Jiang Chen forcing him to hand over the shops actually gave him an excuse to withdraw.

The liquid assets on the company's books that he had secretly manipulated and had yet to be noticed were enough for him to abscond and flee abroad to a country where no one knew him, living out the rest of his life in comfort under an alias.

It was a hundred times better than staying in Jiang City in constant fear, waiting to be slaughtered.

His mind was made up.

Zhao Guofu forcibly suppressed his surging emotions and looked up at Jiang Chen, squeezing out a fawning smile that looked worse than crying, his tone filled with deliberate flattery and compromise.

"Mr. Jiang, I was blind to your greatness and offended you before. I hope you are magnanimous enough not to take it to heart."

"Regarding those five shops, I will personally arrange for the most formal transfer procedures tomorrow morning. The property rights will be transferred cleanly to your name without any delay or hidden risks."

As he spoke, his hands trembled slightly as he carefully pushed the evidence papers on the table back toward Jiang Chen, his eyes filled with an earnestness that was almost begging.

"As for these items, I ask Mr. Jiang to be merciful and destroy them. From now on, we'll each mind our own business, what do you think?"

While his mouth spoke of compromise, the calculations in his heart became increasingly clear.

As soon as the transfer procedures were finished, he would immediately begin moving his assets.

He would process his overseas travel documents overnight and flee Jiang City, this place of trouble, before his secrets were exposed.

Once he was abroad, Zhou Wanquan's accountability and the evidence in Jiang Chen's hands would have nothing to do with him anymore.

Jiang Chen quietly watched the calculation and ruthlessness flash through the man's eyes. His expression remained calm and unruffled, as if he had long since seen through his thoughts but didn't point them out.

He fell silent for a moment, quickly calculating the legal stakes in his mind.

If he only used the evidence to force Zhao Guofu to hand over the shops for free, the nature of the act would be equivalent to extortion.

Once Zhao Guofu's deeds were exposed in the future, it would inevitably involve him, and at that time, he wouldn't be able to clear his name.

But if they followed a normal transaction process and paid a reasonable price...

Even if Zhao Guofu subsequently absconded with the funds and the corruption case came to light, this shop transaction would be completely legal and compliant, and it would never affect him.

It wasn't that he wanted to transfer the money, but that he had to. Only by doing so could he completely distance himself and secure the shops safely.

Having thought this through, Jiang Chen nodded slightly, his tone indifferent yet carrying an unquestionable certainty.

"Manager Zhao is indeed a sensible person. As long as the shops are successfully transferred through formal channels, naturally, no third person will ever know about these things."

"As for these five shops, at a price of four hundred thousand each, I will transfer two million to your account. We will follow formal transaction records, sign a contract, and settle the deal cleanly with no debts left between us."

Zhao Guofu was stunned at first, then overjoyed.

He had thought he would have to hand over the shops for free to buy his safety, but he hadn't expected to get two million. He immediately nodded repeatedly, his tone becoming even more respectful.

"Of course, of course. A formal transaction is good. I'll follow all of Mr. Jiang's arrangements!"

Seeing Jiang Chen relent and with funds coming in, Zhao Guofu's heart finally settled halfway.

However, the oppressive atmosphere in the private room still made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles; every extra second was torture.

He forced his weak legs to stand up, his chair making a frantic, piercing screech against the floor.

"Then I won't disturb Mr. Jiang any longer. Tomorrow morning, I'll bring all the paperwork personally. I won't delay a second!"

After saying that.

He practically fled in panic, rushing out of the private room with a pathetic-looking back, completely devoid of the arrogance he had when they first met.

Walking out of the teahouse.

The cool evening breeze hit his face, and Zhao Guofu realized that the clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat, clinging to him with a bone-chilling coldness.

He turned back and cast a sinister glance at the teahouse sign, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by the fear in his heart. He didn't dare delay for a moment.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed a secret number, his voice kept very low and full of urgency.

"Help me get the fastest visa out of the country and prepare a sum of emergency cash. Also, transfer all the money I previously put in the XX account to an offshore account. You must move fast, the faster the better!"

After hanging up, Zhao Guofu gripped his phone tightly, his eyes filled with nothing but the determination of someone burning their bridges.

He knew he had very little time left. He had to get away completely before Zhou Wanquan noticed anything unusual and before Jiang Chen changed his mind.

So what if the shops were gone? He could still get two million in cash, plus the company assets he had embezzled.

Once he was abroad, he could still live a life of luxury, which was better than meeting a miserable end in Jiang City.

Early the next morning.

Just as the sky was turning gray and the horizon was pale, Zhao Guofu arrived with bloodshot, swollen eyes.

Bringing the already prepared transfer contracts for the five shops and complete title deeds, he personally hurried to the agreed location to find Jiang Chen.

He hadn't slept all night.

He had been busy transferring assets and processing his departure documents.

While anxiously waiting to complete the handover with Jiang Chen, he looked utterly exhausted, his eyes bloodshot, yet he possessed a desperate ruthlessness.

The two of them went to the notary office together. Under the full witness of the notary staff, Zhao Guofu did not delay at all.

With a trembling hand, he signed his name on the transfer contract and pressed down a bright red fingerprint.

He transferred the property rights of the five shops completely and without dispute to Jiang Chen's name.

With every word he wrote, his heart bled, but he also knew this was the only way to buy temporary safety and time for his escape.

The moment the property transfer procedures were settled.

Jiang Chen did not hesitate. He took out his phone on the spot and, through his personal account, transferred the full two million for the shops to Zhao Guofu's designated account.

The transfer note clearly stated "Xuefu Road Shop Transaction Funds," and the transaction record was fully preserved.

Looking at the notification of the incoming funds, Zhao Guofu let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing a little.

Jiang Chen took the brand-new title deeds, his fingertips lightly brushing over the paper, his expression still indifferent.

It was as if he had just completed a most ordinary business transaction; the previous confrontation and pressure hadn't left the slightest ripple in his heart.

He casually handed over the copy of the evidence Zhao Guofu had brought, his tone flat: "Take the copy. I will destroy the original. This matter ends here."

Zhao Guofu took the copy and stuffed it haphazardly into his bag.

Not daring to stay longer, he mumbled a few perfunctory pleasantries and hurriedly turned to leave, heading straight for the company.

He was starting the final step of asset liquidation and transfer, his only thought being to escape Jiang City as quickly as possible and head toward the carefree future he had imagined.

At this point.

The five shops at the north gate of Xuefu Road had completely fallen into Jiang Chen's hands through a legal and formal transaction.