Chapter 61
The bet agreement was signed at Xunjie’s headquarters in a rectangular meeting room. On one side of the long conference table sat Xunjie’s executive team led by Lin Yuzhe and Lin Yushu, while on the other side sat Yong Xing’s legal team led by Song Qiming.
Lin Yushu’s assistant placed the contract of the bet agreement in front of Song Qiming and then handed it to the lawyer sitting next to him.
“You better take another look,” Lin Yushu reminded from the other side of the table.
Although both sides had confirmed the electronic version online, Lin Yushu believed that Song Qiming still needed to personally review the physical copy.
“I’ve already looked at it.” Unlike the tense atmosphere of Yong Xing’s legal team, Song Qiming was dressed casually, leaning back in his chair, seeming to be just going through the motions.
…He’s being too careless.
“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll bribe your lawyer?” Lin Yushu casually asked.
The lawyer accompanying Song Qiming was the same one who announced Shao Zhenbang’s will, and there was no way Lin Yushu could bribe him.
But with this casual remark, the lawyer was taken aback and quickly said, “President Lin, please don’t say such things.”
Lin Yushu smiled apologetically, “I was just joking.”
Both parties signed and sealed the two contracts, and within ten minutes, this multi-billion-dollar bet agreement was finalized.
Lin Yuzhe stood up voluntarily to shake hands with Song Qiming and personally escorted Yong Xing’s team out of the meeting room.
Once Song Qiming’s figure completely disappeared, Lin Yuzhe sat back at the conference table, looking somewhat worried as he asked Lin Yushu, “If Xiao Song finds out about your plans, will he break up with you?”
Before Lin Yushu could answer, another executive next to them spoke up, “Deception and tricks are quite normal in the business world. In a romantic relationship, mutual understanding is even more important.”
These executives knew about Lin Yushu and Song Qiming’s relationship. Instead of discussing their private affairs, they were clearly more concerned about their own interests.
“Xiaoshu definitely understands Xiaosong. If he wants to acquire us, Xiaoshu will handle the negotiations accordingly,” Lin Yuzhe said, “The only question is whether Xiaosong can understand Xiaoshu.”
“He will,” Lin Yushu put away the documents in front of him with a calm expression, “Don’t worry.”
As Lin Yushu was about to leave work, he received a message from Song Qiming.
【Song Qiming: Come down】
【Song Qiming: I’m waiting for you in the parking lot】
Two simple text messages, without any emojis, made Lin Yushu feel a little unfamiliar.
He quickly packed up his desk and went to the downstairs parking lot, where he saw that Song Qiming was driving Xunjie’s electric car instead of the GTR today.
“Oh right, today is Tuesday, and Song Qiming’s car is subject to the odd-even license plate rule.”
“Where are we going?” Lin Yushu asked as he got into the passenger seat.
“Just come with me.”
As they set off, the sky was still bright, but as the large electric SUV left the city, the sky gradually darkened, and street lights began to illuminate the sides of the road.
Lin Yushu didn’t ask too much, but from the route they were taking, he knew that Song Qiming was taking him to the mountains.
Unconsciously, the street lights became sparse, and the wide urban expressway turned into narrow mountain roads.
The two of them arrived at the scenic platform where Lin Yushu had been on his birthday night. Song Qiming parked the car in one corner of the platform, took out the canopy stored on the roof rack, and set up a camping space with a roof on the side of the car.
Then, he used the electric car to reverse power and hung a small night light under the canopy. He also set up a barbecue grill and brought out various prepared fresh ingredients.
“Are you cold? I brought a blanket.” He said while squatting in front of a row of large storage boxes.
On the other side, Lin Yushu sat on a lounge chair, enjoying the city night view under the moonlight from afar. He shook his head, “I’m not cold.”
“That’s good.” Song Qiming picked up a pack of beer, opened one can, and handed it over.
Lin Yushu took the beer and took a sip, asking, “What made you think of camping?”
“I searched online for a long time,” Song Qiming sat down next to Lin Yushu, “but everything else seemed a bit cliché.”
Lin Yushu chuckled, raising his beer can towards Song Qiming.
Understanding the gesture, Song Qiming touched his can against Lin Yushu’s, saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.”
“Mhm, Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Barbecuing was not difficult; they just placed the ingredients on the grill, waited for them to cook, and then dipped them in sauce.
As Song Qiming grilled the chicken wings, Lin Yushu hesitated for a long time before deciding to speak up, “These past few days, I’ve been thinking. When you pursued me, how much of it was genuine affection, and how much of it was calculation.”
Song Qiming’s actions with the chicken wings paused.
“I know you like me, I’m just curious,” Lin Yushu continued, “about the purity of your feelings.”
Song Qiming didn’t answer immediately. He put down the barbecue tongs, picked up the beer can again, and said, “There’s something you might not know.”
Hearing this, Lin Yushu’s heart tightened. Could it be that Song Qiming was hiding something from him?
“You are my first boyfriend,” Song Qiming said, taking a sip of beer, appearing somewhat embarrassed, as if trying to drown his words in the can.
Lin Yushu thought he misheard and asked in disbelief, “You haven’t dated anyone else before?”
“No,” Song Qiming put down the beer can and looked into the distance, “When I was still in Germany, I noticed that many people around me had partners, and I admired that. So, I dated many people. But after a long time, the only thing that really moved me was racing, until I met you in the car.”
“…Really?” Lin Yushu now felt a bit awkward and averted his gaze.
“If I had to calculate my feelings,” Song Qiming turned his head to look at Lin Yushu, “then you should know what kind of people I dated before.”
From a family background perspective, Lin Yushu was indeed not the best choice.
If Song Qiming wanted to improve his strength through this relationship, he could have made better choices.
“Right,” Lin Yushu thought for a moment and said, “there is some convincing evidence.”
“Just some?” Song Qiming asked.
“But you still had your plans to acquire Xunjie, and it’s related to your interests,” Lin Yushu said.
“This is a plan I had for a long time,” Song Qiming said, “You were an unexpected addition to it.”
“So, have you ever thought,” Lin Yushu paused, “of giving up your plan for me?”
“No,” Song Qiming said, “This is a very common business practice. I sold S-power to Yong Xing, and I didn’t lose out. As long as we negotiate well, we can definitely achieve a win-win result. Why give up right from the start? If we really can’t reach an agreement in the end, then we can think about giving up. Right?”
“Right,” Lin Yushu took a sip of his drink.
If he were Song Qiming, he wouldn’t give up his plan either, but he would have proposed it more tactfully, rather than directly saying he wanted to acquire Xunjie and admitting he had planned it from the start.
Song Qiming was too straightforward. If it were Lin Yushu, he probably wouldn’t have mentioned his initial intentions at all.
Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?
So, facing Song Qiming’s honesty, Lin Yushu was indeed angry, but he found it hard to stay angry for long.
“In fact, I’ve also been thinking these past few days if we can’t reach an agreement.”
The chicken wings were almost done, and Song Qiming stopped talking, using the barbecue tongs to pick them up and place them on a plate.
Lin Yushu waited for a while but didn’t hear what came next, so he couldn’t help asking, “And then?”
“I thought maybe we should just forget about it if we can’t reach an agreement,” a chicken wing got burned, difficult to pick up, and Song Qiming frowned, “My wife is more important.”
“Oh,” watching Song Qiming wrestle with the chicken wing, a smile crept up on Lin Yushu’s face, “So, you don’t mind losing in the bet agreement either?”
“I don’t like losing,” Song Qiming finally managed to deal with the troublesome chicken wing, looking at Lin Yushu, he said, “But if I lose to you, I’ll accept it.”
“That’s what you said,” Lin Yushu quickly said, “No backing out.”
Song Qiming didn’t directly respond. Instead, he took out some shrimp and started grilling them, saying, “Your foxy tail is showing, baby.”
Lin Yushu smiled and repeated, “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
Overnight, the city was adorned with fresh greenery, and the remnants of winter were nowhere to be felt.
The banners and lanterns were taken down from the neighborhood, and the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year disappeared, seemingly indicating that the troublesome Spring Festival had finally come to an end.
Recently, major streaming media platforms were full of advertisements for Xunjie electric cars. Although ordinary people might not be aware of what was happening behind the scenes, those in the business world were all paying attention to the bet agreement between Xunjie and Yong Xing.
On Yong Xing’s side, Shao Hedong had retired early due to his health. However, during a casual chat with Zhang Ting, Lin Yushu learned that Shao Hedong was still keeping a close eye on the group’s every move, seemingly looking for an opportunity to make a comeback.
As for Shao Guangjie, he was transferred to a managerial position in the factory, but he hadn’t taken up the post yet; it was said he was considering starting his own business.
Lin Yushu and Song Qiming’s life and work continued smoothly, and in private, they seemed to have forgotten about the bet.
Until the end of the first quarter, on April 1st, both of them went to their respective companies without saying a word, mutually understanding the significance of the day.
At 8:30 in the morning, in the conference room of the Xunjie headquarters.
All the executives arrived at the company early because the data, which was originally scheduled to be counted on the 10th of each month, had been worked on and compiled by the sales department colleagues.
“All because of that xxx electric car. If they hadn’t launched a new car at this time, our sales would have exceeded this number.”
“But I have to say, without considering the bet, this result is already quite impressive.”
Lin Yushu looked at the final number in his hands: 442,000 units.
They did not reach the agreed-upon 450,000 units.
In fact, in the middle of last month, Xunjie had a clear advantage, and the sales were soaring, with a high probability of reaching the agreed-upon target. But unfortunately, a competitor launched a new car at this time, slowing down Xunjie’s growth.
Until yesterday, the result of the bet was still uncertain. However, now that the specific number was out, Lin Yushu had to admit the fact that he had lost the bet.
“What do we do next?” one executive asked, “Can we talk to them again and see if they’ll accept it now?”
“They probably will.” Another executive looked at Lin Yushu and said, “Mr. Lin must have a way.”
Everyone turned their gaze to Lin Yushu, including Lin Yuzhe. “Have you talked to Xiao Song privately?”
Lin Yushu was about to reply, but his assistant suddenly entered the meeting room and said, “The Yong Xing team is here.”
“So urgent? They didn’t even give us any time to discuss.”
“They rushed to reap the fruits of victory, of course, they’re anxious,” said Lin Yuzhe.
The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, with a hint of ease, but as soon as Song Qiming and Attorney Zhong entered, everyone put aside their casual chatter.
“I heard the results are out,” Song Qiming took a seat across from the conference table and glanced at Lin Yushu, addressing Lin Yuzhe.
Sales figures were verifiable through the system, making it impossible to falsify them. Lin Yuzhe could only admit, “Yes, we fell slightly short.”
“A miss is still a miss. According to the agreement, your side should transfer 5% of the shares to our side,” Attorney Zhong said, passing over several documents. “Here’s the contract I’ve already prepared. Take a look.”
Lin Yushu received the contract and flipped through it before pushing it back untouched.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to execute the terms of the bet,” he calmly said, “We won’t be giving you the 5% of shares.”
As soon as these words were spoken, all of Yong Xing’s executives observed Song Qiming’s reaction. However, Song Qiming remained expressionless, while Attorney Zhong’s reaction was significant, “What do you mean not executing?”
“That’s right,” Lin Yushu paused, “We won’t be giving you the 5% of shares.”
“Do you realize that this is a violation of the contract?” Attorney Zhong frowned, “We can sue you!”
“Go ahead,” Lin Yushu replied, “But according to the protocols enacted in previous years, whether a contract between companies can be executed depends on specific circumstances. In the contract we signed, the 5% of shares allocated to you involves the capital increase procedure, requiring approval from over two-thirds of the company’s shareholders. I can make it clear that no shareholder will agree. Therefore, we won’t execute it.”
“You set a trap in the contract?!” Attorney Zhong asked in disbelief.
Generally, bet agreements were related to IPOs, and very few had such specific clauses as in the case of Xunjie and Yong Xing. Moreover, there were few precedents for such disputes.
Lin Yushu knew about the intricacies of this situation because a friend of Zhou Xian’s had encountered something similar and Zhou Xian had told him about it. He realized that even in such a seemingly simple agreement, there were hidden traps.
Lin Yushu did set a trap for Song Qiming.
The size difference between the two companies was significant, and even if they were to negotiate a merger, Xunjie would most likely be in a disadvantageous position. Thus, Lin Yushu came up with this tactic: if they won the bet, they would dictate the merger conditions, and if they lost, they wouldn’t suffer any loss.
In fact, they were so close to winning.
Though it was a bit of a pity, everything would simply go back to square one.
Of course, if it were a different company, they wouldn’t be able to calmly continue negotiations.
Lin Yushu dared to use such a devious plan because he and Song Qiming were in a romantic relationship. If not for that, this would have been a straightforward acquisition without so many emotions involved.
“It’s fine,” Song Qiming calmly said to Attorney Zhong, “If they don’t execute, then so be it. 440,000 units and 450,000 units are almost the same.”
“What?” Attorney Zhong was taken aback.
“I mean, even if they won the bet,” Song Qiming stood up and said to Lin Yushu, “We’ll go with your terms for the merger.”
Lin Yushu was surprised, and Lin Yuzhe’s surprise was written all over his face, “Huh?”
“No, that’s not possible,” Attorney Zhong frowned, “Then what about you—”
“I have some matters to attend to in my company,” Song Qiming interrupted Attorney Zhong, “I’ll leave now.”
With that, Song Qiming left the conference room in big strides, and Attorney Zhong hurriedly gathered his documents. At that moment, Lin Yushu called out to him.
“Attorney Zhong, what’s wrong with Song Qiming?”
His manner indicated that he had something to say, and Lin Yushu couldn’t overlook it.
“Oh, Mr. Lin, you probably don’t know,” Attorney Zhong said as Song Qiming had already moved quite far away, “We’ve been dealing well with the shares, and then you suddenly brought up the bet agreement. There must be something fishy going on. How could Yong Xing’s shareholders possibly agree?”
Lin Yushu furrowed his brows slightly, “And then?”
“Indeed, there was something fishy with the agreement. I knew I should’ve insisted on objecting—”
“Attorney Zhong,” Lin Yushu couldn’t help but interrupt, “Why would Yong Xing’s shareholders agree?”
“Because Mr. Song bet his position as chairman as well!” Attorney Zhong sighed, “If he didn’t win the bet, he would lose his job.”
