Silent Influence

Mr. Jonathan finally met Lin Qi, which was his last hope.

Upon entering the room, he noticed two huge oil paintings on the wall of the Living Room. He seemed to have seen them at some art exhibition, one of which was priced at over 200,000 at the time.

But he only glanced at it before looking away; now was not the time to appreciate an oil painting.

He sat in the spot Lin Qi had allowed him to sit, his legs together, as docile as a Boy Scout appearing at a campsite for the first time away from his parents' care, being stared at by a group of older children.

Lin Qi glanced at the business card in his hand, then handed it back to Mr. Jonathan. "I have always had a good relationship with Jinhui Bank and we have cooperated in many areas. So, Mr. Jonathan, what is the purpose of your visit?"

Mr. Jonathan quickly voiced his thoughts, "I heard that you, Mr. Lin Qi, have acquired some factories in Sabine City?"

Lin Qi frowned. "Who told you that? It's not true." He shook his head, his tone serious.

This surprised Jonathan, who was unsure how to respond. Had the bank's envoy lied to him?

Fortunately, Mr. Lin Qi defused his embarrassment in time, saying, "Although I don't currently have any plans to acquire the factory, I do have such thoughts and plans. You know, Nagaril has brought us a lot of profits; it's a market that's growing rapidly."

"They will pay for Federal goods. If you have a factory, you might as well not rush to sell it. Wait a little longer, and maybe things will turn around!"

Lin Qi's words struck a chord with Mr. Jonathan. Wasn't that exactly what he was thinking? But those damned vampire banks wanted to destroy him before dawn!

His expression was very complicated, showing both recognition of Lin Qi as a "confidant" and deep hatred for the bank.

"I think so too. Whether the government admits it or not, a lot of money is starting to flow into Nagaril. We're not talking about whether it will benefit our market. The ever-growing market there will be the next hot spot."

"But recently the bank has been pressing me hard, and they plan to auction off my property. I heard from a friend that you might be interested in some factories, so I took the liberty of visiting you."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin Qi, I came to see you without understanding these things. I was too rash. I am very ashamed now. Please allow me to leave..."

He was desperate. If Lin Qi didn't buy his factory, the bank would auction it off at a low price. He knew all too well how those people in the bank operated; he had once been a beneficiary of such Unspoken Rules.

A house costing a few thousand yuan, a car costing a few hundred yuan, a factory costing tens of thousands of yuan—anyone who can participate in a pink cake auction and win an item can make money, it's just a matter of how much.

He used to be the one with the knife and fork, but now he's just a cake on a plate. He's finished.

Lin Qi didn't let him leave immediately. "You seem to be in trouble... Mr. Jonathan." He thought for a moment before remembering Mr. Jonathan's name. For some reason, the name of such a nobody was so "cunning" that people would forget it without realizing it.

"Perhaps I can offer you some help, even just some advice would be helpful."

"When I was in Nagaril, I was very wary of the local clan powers, which reminded me that if we unite people with certain similar qualities, our enemies will also fear us."

Mr. Jonathan was completely desperate. He was now somewhat indifferent and didn't care whether he answered Lin Qi's questions or not.

"If I can't raise enough money to pay back the bank loan soon, they're going to auction off my factory. You know, that money won't be enough to pay back the bank!" His hands were tightly gripped between his legs, his fingers twisting nervously where no one could see. "I'm finished, Mr. Lin Qi ..."

Lin Qi smiled. When he stood up, Mr. Jonathan thought he was going to see him off, so he stood up as well. But Lin Qi gave him a reassuring gesture. "What would you like, a drink?"

Mr. Jonathan had initially intended to refuse, was now somewhat tempted. He hadn't drunk alcohol in a long time, and even the cheapest liquor wasn't cheap for him these days. His throat bobbed involuntarily as he thought of his past life. "Some, please?"

Lin Qi quickly brought over two glasses of wine, one for himself and one for Mr. Jonathan. "I understand your situation. To put it simply, the bank wants to sell your hope, and then you'll have to continue to bear huge debts, right?"

Mr. Jonathan nodded as he held the glass with both hands and eagerly gulped down the wine. He suddenly coughed violently a few times, apologized, and then felt much better.

Lin Qi brought him a bottle of wine and poured him some more. "The bank's actions are indeed..." he shook his head. "Which bank do you owe money to?"

"Jinhui!"

At this moment, Mr. Jonathan was only thinking about drinking more of the free premium wine. This might be the last time in his life he would taste such delicious premium wine, so he wanted to drink as much as possible.

"Wait a moment!" Lin Qi said, standing up. "I have good relationships with the higher-ups at Jinhui. Maybe I can help you find a solution."

He walked to the side and started making a phone call.

At first, Mr. Jonathan paid close attention to what Lin Qi was saying, but soon he began to drink frequently.

About ten minutes later, he was already a little drunk. Lin Qi returned to the sofa and sat down, shaking his head. "There's no good news."

Mr. Jonathan gave a wry smile. "Thank you for doing all this for me, it's already very kind of you. I'll take care of the rest myself." He stood up as he spoke. "Thank you for the wine, Mr. Lin Qi, you're a good man!"

He started to walk outside, and just as he was about to leave the room, as if the whole world had shut its doors and windows to him, Lin Qi suddenly called out to him, "Maybe I can help you..."

Mr. Jonathan turned to look at him, and he continued, "I can buy your business and give you enough money to pay off your bank loans..."

Mr. Jonathan shook his head and said, "I appreciate it, Mr. Lin Qi, but you didn't have to do this. It's not fair to you."

Lin Qi also stood up, holding his wine glass. "You'll need some patience, Jonathan. May I call you that?"

"Certainly!"

"Listen, Jonathan, I'm a businessman too. I don't do business that loses money. Even if I'm helping you, I won't let myself lose too much."

Perhaps it was Lin Qi's sincere attitude that gave Mr. Jonathan a sense that there might actually be a solution, and he began to try his best to calm himself down.

"I have a proposal: I'll buy your company for the exact amount you owe the bank. I'll pay that portion directly to the bank, and the rest can be considered a loan from you!"

After listening, Mr. Jonathan shook his head. "Mr. Lin Qi, even if you kindly help me pay off all my debts, I probably won't earn that much money in my lifetime to repay what I owe you..."

Lin Qi raised his hand to stop him. "That's the other part of what I wanted to say. We've just been talking about the momentum of Nagaril's development..." Although Mr. Jonathan was a little drunk, he was still quite conscious. He nodded in affirmation.

"Then I will lend you another sum of money. I believe that every successful person is not lucky, and God will surely support me in giving you another chance."

"I will give you a ticket and a loan, and then you can go to Nagaril to develop your career. When you make money in the future, you can pay me back all the money. How about that?"

"This way, you will not only have the opportunity to prove to all those who despise you and think you are hopeless failures that they were wrong, and to make them realize how superficial they are, but you can also prove to yourself that even if you fall, you can still get back up!"

"If you succeed, I will have a successful businessman friend in the future, and our story will become a legend."

"If you fail, at least we've all tried, and you said your factory will definitely make money in the future, right?"

"Earning a little less money in exchange for a friend, for a miracle, is worth it!"

Mr. Jonathan never thought he would cry, especially after he became an adult. He believed that crying was a sign of weakness, but this time he cried.

Tears gushed from his tear ducts like a burst dam. He said he had drunk too much and was thinking about his deceased family members, but in reality, he was simply venting his turbulent emotions.

It wasn't sadness, it wasn't surprise, it was just venting, pure venting.

The weather was fine in the morning, but then he was suddenly kicked into an abyss by the bank's special envoy. He thought he could get some help from Lin Qi, but he didn't expect to slide even deeper.

Just when he thought he was beyond saving, completely finished, and had completely "come to terms with it," Lin Qi reached out his hand—a crucial hand. Besides crying, all he could do was express his gratitude to Lin Qi for everything he had done for him with the simplest "thank you."

Lin Qi put his arm around Mr. Jonathan, who was older than his father and was crying uncontrollably, while saying some words full of hope for a bright future.

After Mr. Jonathan calmed down, he expressed his sincerest gratitude.

After settling some details, Mr. Jonathan got up to leave. Lin Qi kindly gave him some change, three hundred dollars, enough for him to buy a suitable set of clothes and tidy himself up.

After agreeing on a time to sign the contract, Lin Qi had someone send away the grateful Mr. Jonathan. As Mr. Jonathan walked out of the house, he suddenly felt that the world had become so bright, and there was no longer any darkness and despair as before!

He stood outside Lin Qi's villa, took a deep breath, and a surge of ambition rekindled within him! At the same time, he became convinced of a certain saying.

Mr. Lin Qi is a capitalist with a conscience!