Chapter 133: Sneaking Up

Qin San’Er didn’t reply to Lin Jian immediately, only saying he needed time to think before making a decision.

That afternoon, Lin Jian received separate calls from Wang Qinglong and Chen Taohua. Ruyi Company had been officially deregistered as of today, and even its signboard had been taken down. Meanwhile, Chen Taohua wanted to meet with Lin Jian to discuss investment matters.

After parting ways with Qin San’Er, Lin Jian headed to a law firm in Jiang City called For the Masses. The firm occupied a standalone three-story Western-style building. It was bustling with staff and clients alike. Upon entering the firm, Lin Jian was guided up to the third floor by a staff member. Aside from a conference room, the entire third floor consisted of a single, massive office—Chen Taohua’s domain.

For the Masses was Chen Taohua’s own creation. With over twenty lawyers under her banner, the firm served as legal counsel for hundreds of companies, both big and small. Rumor had it that she boasted an impressive track record of winning two major overseas lawsuits. She was a powerhouse who could handle not only domestic cases but international ones as well.

"Take a seat first, Lin Jian." When Lin Jian walked in, Chen Taohua was on the phone, but she covered the mouthpiece and gestured for him to sit.

As he sat down, a staff member poured him a glass of water. A moment later, Chen Taohua hung up the phone and stood up. "Look at me, swamped with work all day. I didn’t even go down to greet you!"

"Taohua, now you’re just being too polite," Lin Jian said with a smile. "Are you the big boss of this law firm?"

"Hmm... you could say that. I registered it in partnership with someone else, and Jingqiang gifted me this building."

A standalone three-story building in the city center—Fan Jingqiang certainly had deep pockets.

"So if I need to find you in the future, I can just come here?" Lin Jian asked.

"Nope!" Chen Taohua shook her head. "I only come here on Wednesdays. If you need me, call first, or just head straight to Longfu’s headquarters. That’s where I usually work."

"Alright, got it." Lin Jian clicked his tongue in amazement. Rich people really did have more than one office.

"Lin Jian, here’s what I’m thinking." Although they had discussed the specific investment amount and details during their previous meal, Chen Taohua knew that Lin Jian was practically clueless about capital operations. She pondered for a moment before saying, "For a hundred-million-yuan investment company, I plan to have a professional manager run it independently. Neither you nor I should interfere."

"Taohua," Lin Jian interrupted with a laugh before she could finish, "honestly, all this talk about capital, capital operations, and how to invest—I’m completely out of my depth. How about this? I’ll throw the hundred million to you, and then I’ll wash my hands of it. Whether you use it for investments, stocks, or funds, I’ll just collect the dividends at the end of the year, okay? As for an investment company, it doesn’t even matter if we establish one or not, as long as it makes money."

Hearing this, Chen Taohua thought for a moment. "If you trust me, then that works. I’ll arrange a financial assistant for you. But we still need to sign the corresponding legal documents. You can’t just hand over a hundred million without anything in writing. Business is business, even between friends."

"Alright, I’ll follow your lead, Taohua!"

"Let’s go, then. We’ll head to the financial company right now and try to get all the relevant paperwork done this afternoon!"

Neither of them dawdled. Lin Jian trusted Chen Taohua implicitly, and to her, a couple hundred million wasn’t that big of a deal.

At Chen Taohua’s financial company, they signed a series of asset entrustment agreements and power of attorney documents, officially appointing her firm to handle the custody of the funds. Every month, the financial company would report the investment status to Lin Jian. Every quarter, they would report the revenue. And every year, they would provide him with an annual financial report and formulate the investment plan for the following year.

Since the financial company belonged to Chen Taohua, Lin Jian investing his money there essentially meant she was letting him ride her coattails. In reality, all true capital tycoons had their own financial companies dedicated solely to managing their personal wealth.

Before they parted ways, Chen Taohua smiled and suggested that Lin Jian go back to school to learn more about finance. Since his wealth was only going to grow, lacking basic financial knowledge would drastically increase his chances of getting scammed in the future. Lin Jian was still young, right at the age for university. She urged him to think it over, offering to pull strings to get him into any university he wanted—whether domestic or overseas—if he agreed.

The mere mention of school made Lin Jian’s head spin. He hastily bid Chen Taohua goodbye and bolted. If he were a good student who actually wanted to study, he wouldn’t have gone to a sports academy in the first place. Therefore, he wouldn’t go back to school now even if it killed him.

At seven-thirty that evening, after having dinner with Qin San, Lin Jian drove to the parking lot outside the Sunshine Coast District. Under the cover of darkness, he successfully slipped into the neighborhood.

That afternoon, Shen Ke had finally replied to his message, boldly declaring that if Lin Jian could find her house, she’d go three hundred rounds with him! She assumed he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint her exact address, so her WeChat message was dripping with provocation.

At this very moment, Shen Ke was doing yoga at home. She wore form-fitting athletic leggings—the kind that were as thin as shark skin, incredibly soft, and hugged the body perfectly, fully outlining every curve of her figure.

Since she was in the privacy of her own home with no one else around, she didn’t feel the need to be modest, wearing only a sports bra on top. By now, the yoga mat beneath her was slick with sweat, her clothes completely drenched as she executed a series of highly difficult poses. Despite her tall stature, her body was incredibly flexible.

Her phone rested right beside the yoga mat. After sending that message to Lin Jian in the afternoon, she had actually been quite expectant, holding out high hopes for his reply. However, he hadn’t texted back even now, leaving her inevitably disappointed. Yet, amidst that disappointment, a sliver of anticipation remained.

At exactly seven forty-five, Shen Ke suddenly heard a knock on the door. She thought she was hearing things. Her building had two apartments per floor, and without a key fob for the elevator, it was impossible for anyone to come up. Therefore, an outsider shouldn’t be knocking on her door at all! However, after listening closely, there was definitely someone knocking.

She wondered if it was the neighbor across the hall. Shen Ke stood up and walked to the door, wiping her sweat with a towel, and peered through the peephole. However, something was blocking it.

"Who is it?" she asked loudly.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

The person outside simply continued knocking.

Shen Ke raised an eyebrow. She quickly backed away, retreated to her bedroom, and pulled out her gun. Returning to the front door, she demanded, "Who is it?"

Outside, Lin Jian broke into a cold sweat. He had just wanted to give Shen Ke a surprise, but wasn’t her vigilance a bit too high? She was ready to pull a gun at the drop of a hat.

"Shen Ke, you have five seconds to open this door, or face the consequences!" Lin Jian finally took a step back, pretending to glare fiercely into the peephole.

Inside, Shen Ke froze entirely when she looked through the peephole and saw that the person outside was actually Lin Jian.