After Returning Home, The Female CEO Actually Gave Me A Daughter Section 43

But after so many days, how could there still be call records?

He grew anxious again, then remembered he had blocked that number. He quickly opened the blocklist and started searching.

Finally, his gaze settled on a string of digits. He let out a relieved, pale smile, swiftly unblocked the number, and dialed.

"The number you have dialed is powered off. Please try again later. Sorry..."

A mechanical voice rang from the phone.

The smile on Lin Qingying's face froze once more.

"It's past midnight..."

"It must be because it's too late..."

"I'll call again tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning..."

His hand gripping the phone trembled violently as he muttered to himself in consolation.

At most 500,000, not a single cent more! 10 chapters for collections.

Early morning.

Tang Chen got out of bed.

He pulled open the curtains; the sky outside was a dreary gray.

It was drawing closer to deep winter.

Even in the Magic City, the weather had grown increasingly cold.

But it wasn't just the weather that was cold.

There were also hearts that felt like they were trapped in an ice cellar...

He wondered if, after hearing the news of the withdrawn investment last night, the shareholders of the Shen Group had slept soundly.

Tang Chen had deliberately put his phone on airplane mode the night before and left a message for Shen Qingyan.

If anything came up, she could contact him via WeChat.

He anticipated that some shareholders would call him last night.

Turning off the phone for the entire night was the final step to shatter their psychological defenses!

Just as Tang Chen had expected, the moment he turned on his phone, it immediately showed 99+ missed calls.

Then, another call came in.

It was from an unfamiliar number, the same one as all his missed calls.

Seeing that string of digits, Tang Chen smiled.

His memory was exceptional.

Though he had only dialed it once, he clearly remembered that this number belonged to a major shareholder of the Shen Group—Lin Qingying!

His slender thumb slid across the screen, and he answered the call.

After lying down for a while and then continuing to call, Lin Qingying had been at it for nearly the entire night.

Finally, the call went through, and the other party answered.

He nearly burst into tears of joy and quickly said, "Hello, hello, you... hello, I'm Lin Qingying, a shareholder of the Shen Group. You, you called me some time ago, do you remember?"

"Manager Lin of the Shen Group... what's the matter with your call?" Tang Chen asked in a flat tone.

"Well..."

Lin Qingying forced a fawning smile. "It's like this. You said back then that you wanted to buy my shares for 5 million, right? I've agreed to sell now. We can sign the contract immediately..."

His tone was utterly submissive, a world apart from his arrogant attitude in the last call and when facing Shen Qingyan.

Tang Chen chuckled. "Buy for 5 million? Sign the contract now? Hah! Manager Lin, I think you might have forgotten what I said back then."

"You said..."

Lin Qingying recalled the words from their last phone conversation.

I hope you'll think it over carefully...

If you refuse now, the price next time won't be as high as 5 million...

He swallowed hard, stiffening his tone a little. "Then, then 4 million. 4 million, not a single cent less!"

"Manager Lin, I think you shouldn't be working at the Shen Group."

"You should become a comedian."

"Because you're far too talented at being funny."

Tang Chen let out a scornful laugh. "First, get this straight—you're the one begging me to buy you out, not the other way around."

"Do you really need me to spell out the Shen Group's current situation to you?"

"Shares? All you've got now is a mountain of debt!"

"If you'd come to me a few days earlier, maybe I'd have accepted that price. But now..."

"The most I can offer is 500,000, and not a cent more."

Five hundred thousand!

Hearing that number, Lin Qingying shot up like a cat with its tail stepped on. "Five hundred thousand?! I've sunk millions into keeping the company's projects afloat these past few days, inside and out, and you want to buy my shares for five hundred thousand?! Are you joking?"

"Then take it as a joke. With this much risk, odds are even that five hundred thousand will end up a loss."

"Besides, five hundred thousand is small change. The real issue is I'd have to shoulder your bankruptcy debts."

"So right now, I've lost any intention or need to acquire the Shen Group."

With that, Tang Chen hung up the phone.

Lin Qingying, who'd been fuming over the five hundred thousand figure, panicked at the dial tone. He gripped his phone tightly, thinking it over.

The company was a limited liability one.

But even with limited liability, bankruptcy didn't mean dodging the bank loans the company had taken out.

So...

Selling for five hundred thousand was still far better than being buried under endless bank debt and having his whole life ruined.

He clenched his jaw, regret eating him alive. He slapped himself twice, cursing himself for pouring in all his savings and for not jumping at the five million offer for his shares earlier.

Trembling, he redialed Tang Chen's number.

"Hello? Something else?"

"Can you... add a bit more?"

"No."

"..."

Lin Qingying paused briefly. "Fine, I agree. Five hundred thousand for all my shares."

Tang Chen walked to the window, overlooking half of Magic City, and sneered. "Five hundred thousand was the price a moment ago."

On the other end, Lin Qingying's face twisted again, a wave of humiliation washing over him. He punched the mattress.

He wanted to roar and curse Tang Chen for being shameless.

But when he opened his mouth, he couldn't force out a single word.

He knew.

Aside from Tang Chen, Not even if he offered to pay someone a million to take them off his hands would anyone buy his shares.

"What exactly... do you want..."

Suppressing his rage, Lin Qingying ground out through clenched teeth.

"Five hundred thousand for the shares, price unchanged, but with one condition."

"What condition?"

"Simple."