"Hello?"
Jiang Che's lazy, resonant voice came through the receiver.
"Who is this?"
Just those few casually spoken words.
Xu Bingning felt an invisible pressure surge through the signal, instantly catching her breath and nearly stopping her heart.
She did her best to suppress the faint tremor of nervousness in her voice.
She tried to sound calm and businesslike.
"Young Master Jiang, it's me, Xu Bingning."
Xu Bingning took a deep breath and went straight to the point, asking the question that drained every last ounce of her courage.
"That financing agreement you proposed at the Xu Family residence..."
"Does it still stand?"
The instant she finished asking, Xu Bingning clutched the hem of her clothes, her nerves stretched to the limit.
The only person she could count on now was this mysterious Young Master Jiang with his extraordinary connections.
If Jiang Che suddenly went back on his word while she stood on the brink...
Or casually said, "I was only joking that day..."
Then all her efforts to prepare herself, all her struggles and resolve, would vanish in an instant, and the Xu Family would plunge into an abyss from which there was no return!
A faint, teasing chuckle came from the other end.
"Oh, Miss Xu."
Jiang Che sat on the sofa at Qingteng Villa, idly swirling the red wine in his stemmed glass, his tone relaxed and composed.
"Of course it does."
"My word has always been as weighty as the nine cauldrons. They call me the honest newspaper boy. As long as you have a couple of drinks with me tonight, Miss Xu, that billion in financing will go straight into the Xu Group's corporate account."
"Well?"
"Have you finally made up your mind, Miss Xu?"
Everything was under control.
Jiang Che was not the least