Chapter 123: Bargaining with a Tiger for Its Hide

Having not bathed for several days, Zhou Sen felt physically miserable. He was naturally a clean person, but under the current circumstances, there was nothing he could do. That ancestral black medicinal plaster had to stay on for a full week before it could be removed; it was fortunate that the weather was cold, for if this were the sweltering heat of summer, he would have truly suffered.

"Wu'en, come over and scratch my back for me, it's itching terribly..."

"Brother, is it here?" Wu'en's clumsy hand reached inside Zhou Sen's collar.

"No, lower, further down. Wu'en, are you helping me scratch an itch or just tickling me..."

"Still wrong. You're so dense. Go and call Sister Yulan over for me," Zhou Sen commanded with great disdain.

"Oh!"

Not long after, Bai Yulan walked in. Seeing Zhou Sen lying on the bed and "grumbling," she knew he was acting up again.

"What kind of trouble are you causing now?"

"I've been lying here for nearly three days and can't take a bath. My back is itching like crazy, and that fool Wu'en is so clumsy he doesn't even know how to scratch properly. That’s why I called for you," Zhou Sen said with a grin.

"You want me to scratch your back, is that it?" Bai Yulan said, caught between annoyance and amusement. He certainly knew how to order people around.

"Mm, I’m injured, I can’t strain my arm..."

"Then roll over to your side, and I'll do it," Bai Yulan said, rolling up her sleeves.

Zhou Sen immediately turned onto his side. Since only the ribs on one side were injured, it wasn't a problem as long as he didn't put pressure on that side.

"Is this the spot?"

"Yes, right there..." Zhou Sen closed his eyes, an expression of comfort almost overflowing from his face.

Bai Yulan knew Zhou Sen was doing this on purpose, but wasn't this exactly the kind of small interaction only people who truly liked each other could have? This feeling was something she never had with Old Ma. She hadn't even truly been in love before. Old Ma was a bit like a father to her—stiff and serious, yet not without warmth—while Zhou Sen was something else entirely: cunning and rogue-like, yet deeply affectionate and loyal. With Old Ma, she couldn't help but suppress her own temperament, striving to be dignified, mature, and unreadable. With Zhou Sen, however, she seemed to have rediscovered the joy of her youth—unrestrained and carefree. It was a comfortable feeling, and one that was easy to get addicted to.

"A little higher..."

"Here?"

"Yes, just scratch every spot for me."

"Sister Lan... I didn't see anything." Ah Xiang, who had pushed the door open, saw the scene and quickly covered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Ah Xiang, what is it?" Bai Yulan’s cheeks flushed as she quickly pulled her hand out from his collar.

"Sister Lan, Su Wenqing is here!"

"He actually came?" Bai Yulan was slightly surprised. Based on her understanding of Su Wenqing, he was a very arrogant and conceited man. There were few people in this life who could make him bow his head or humble himself to apologize.

"Yulan, why don't I go with you?" Zhou Sen asked, his expression solemn.

"Are you afraid I won't be able to handle it?"

"It's not that I'm afraid you can't handle it. If I'm by your side, even if I don't say a word, he won't dare to bully you," Zhou Sen said.

"That's fine," Bai Yulan nodded.

Zhou Sen sat up from the bed, got dressed, washed up, and fixed his hair. This was his first time facing Su Wenqing; he couldn't afford to lose face.

In the front hall.

"Sir, we've been waiting for so long. Why hasn't Boss Bai come yet?" Su Xing asked, standing behind Su Wenqing with his hands hanging down, looking somewhat impatient.

"No rush. Since we've come, a few more minutes don't matter." Su Wenqing had deep self-restraint; there wasn't a trace of impatience on his face.

After waiting for a full twenty minutes, Bai Yulan and Zhou Sen finally walked out from the back, with Bai Yulan in the lead. The order might seem trivial, but in specific social settings, the implications were entirely different. Bai Yulan had intended for Zhou Sen to walk in front; if she married him, he would be the head of the household. With the head of the house present and the guest being a man, the reception should naturally be led by Zhou Sen. Although Bai Yulan was the hostess, she should have followed behind—that was the rule.

However, Zhou Sen had not agreed. Setting aside the fact that they weren't married yet and he wasn't technically the head of the household, even if he were, he needed to maintain the illusion for Su Wenqing and the outside world that he was a man hiding behind Bai Yulan. He could not appear too dominant or brilliant; that would contradict the persona he had cultivated, which would bring him only disadvantages and no benefits. A bit of empty fame meant nothing to him. Furthermore, Bai Yulan was already accustomed to this high-profile life. Asking her to retreat into the background and be a virtuous wife and mother was unrealistic and would waste her talents—which wasn't what he wanted either. Who ruled the house was a matter for the couple to discuss behind closed doors; what did it have to do with outsiders?

Therefore, as Zhou Sen followed closely behind Bai Yulan, Su Wenqing stood up from his chair. Bai Yulan looked radiant, and Su Wenqing felt a pang of pain. This woman should have belonged to him; now she had thrown herself into another man's arms. He couldn't help but glance at Zhou Sen behind her, a sharp glint of malice flashing in his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

As soon as Zhou Sen entered the hall, he had been observing Su Wenqing, and he naturally caught that "cold light." This Su Wenqing was indeed forced by pressure to reconcile. He likely wasn't just unwilling to give up on Bai Yulan; he was probably deeply resentful toward Zhou Sen as well. This man was deep, calculating, and could bend or stretch—he would need to be careful in the future.

"Boss Bai, Wenqing is here today to apologize to you and Officer Zhou!" Su Wenqing bowed deeply to Bai Yulan.

"Chairman Su, please sit." Bai Yulan waved her hand indifferently and sat in the main seat. Zhou Sen should have sat alongside her, but instead, he walked to the chair opposite Su Wenqing and sat down, his expression calm.

Bai Yulan was stunned for a moment, but she immediately understood Zhou Sen's intention. A touch of sweetness filled her heart; this man was clearly handing the power over to her.

"Boss Bai, I previously misunderstood that Officer Zhou had ulterior motives in associating with my daughter, which led me to take such drastic measures. It was my folly. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, Officer Zhou, being a man of great stature, surely won't hold a father's impulsive actions for his daughter against me, right?" Su Wenqing said, making up his own narrative. He had to find a reason; he couldn't just say, "I arranged for Guo Laosi to kill you," as that would be an impossible conversation to continue.

"Chairman Su, I can understand a parent acting for their children's sake. But if it were just a misunderstanding, would you stab someone in the back, send five or six men to beat them, and finally arrange for a hidden gunman to take a shot? That doesn't sound like a misunderstanding," Bai Yulan retorted with a cold laugh.

"Is that so? That wasn't my intention, and I certainly didn't arrange for a hidden gunman!" Su Wenqing was startled. He had arranged for Guo Laosi to kill Zhou Sen, but the gunman was not his doing.

"Whether you did or not, Chairman Su knows in his heart."

"Boss Bai, Officer Zhou, I swear I did not arrange for a hidden gunman. But I do admit to the matter regarding Guo Laosi. I never expected them to be so bold. I will give you both an explanation for this," Su Wenqing said hurriedly.

"Since you’ve come today, Chairman Su, we believe in your sincerity. If it is just a misunderstanding, clearing it up is enough, provided that nothing similar happens again," Bai Yulan said coolly.

"Su Wenqing apologizes to you both once more and guarantees this will not happen again. Additionally, I am willing to offer 7.5% of the shares in New Stage as compensation. Please accept them, Boss Bai and Officer Zhou," Su Wenqing said, suppressing his doubts. "Ah Xing."

Su Xing quickly took a box, retrieved a stack of documents, walked over, and placed them on the side table next to Bai Yulan.

"We see your sincerity, Chairman Su. This time we will treat it as a misunderstanding, but if there is a next time, it will not be settled so easily," Bai Yulan said.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Boss Bai." Su Wenqing breathed a sigh of relief. "Could you return Guo Laosi and his men to me to handle?"

"That has nothing to do with us. But since it was a misunderstanding, I imagine they will be fine," Bai Yulan said, careful not to give him any leverage.

"Understood. Boss Bai, I have one more matter," Su Wenqing said.

"What is it?" Bai Yulan asked.

"I have another 5% of New Stage shares I bought from the Wen family. If you are interested, I can transfer them to you," Su Wenqing suggested.

"Is that so? And what is your price, Chairman Su?" Bai Yulan’s heart stirred. For a veteran businessman like Su Wenqing, he must have guessed her intentions regarding New Stage shares. There was no need to hide or beat around the bush.

"If you want to control New Stage, you need at least 51%. Even with the 12.5% you'd have with mine, that's only 20%. The Wen family still holds 15%. If you go to negotiate an acquisition, they probably won't sell to you, but I’m different. If I want to buy them, it’s a different story," Su Wenqing explained.

"You are giving me all your shares in New Stage and then buying the 15% from the Wen family? What is the meaning of this?"

"Don't you want to keep your position as a director of the General Chamber of Commerce? If you take control of New Stage, no one will oppose you," Su Wenqing explained.

Bai Yulan hesitated.

"Fine. Since Chairman Su is so sincere, we accept," Zhou Sen suddenly interjected, making the decision for Bai Yulan. He hadn't intended to speak, but Su Wenqing had offered a condition he couldn't refuse; he couldn't pretend not to hear it.

Bai Yulan was surprised, but since Zhou Sen had spoken, it would be inappropriate for her to object, as it would make Su Wenqing look down on her.

"Officer Zhou agrees?"

"Name your price, Chairman Su, as long as we can afford it," Zhou Sen asked.

"My 5% only costs 80,000. It only cost me 40,000 when I bought it, so I'm still making a profit. As for the 15% held by the Wen family, it will take at least 300,000 to acquire."

"400,000. We won't take advantage of you, Chairman Su. As long as you can secure that 20% total, we will pay you 400,000!" Zhou Sen said.

"Deal!" Su Wenqing didn't refuse and accepted immediately. He left the documents for the 5% shares without asking for payment from them yet and then departed.

...

"Why did you agree to cooperate with him?" Bai Yulan asked, feeling uneasy. She didn't want any entanglements with Su Wenqing.

"Su Wenqing has already guessed our intentions. If we refuse, he will interfere, and our plan will fail," Zhou Sen explained. "Furthermore, I am not cooperating with him. This is the third condition we proposed. For the sake of his face, he doesn't want to personally help you gather votes, which would be embarrassing for him. This method allows you to secure your position through your own strength, and we don't owe him anything. Why not? Besides, him negotiating with the Wen family is much better than us doing it. If Tang Peiyuan were alerted, we would never reach our goal!"

Bai Yulan understood. Zhou Sen's considerations were indeed far deeper than her own.

"Even with this 20%, we only have 35%. We still need at least 16% more to control New Stage."

"Tang Peiyuan certainly won't know that Su Wenqing is buying the shares for us. He will assume our two families are fighting. If we go to them, they will raise the price. That 16% won't come cheap, so be prepared," Zhou Sen warned.

"Can I ask others for help?"

"Yes, but they must be people you can trust," Zhou Sen considered and nodded.

"Su Wenqing is treacherous and cunning; we must be careful."

"Don't worry, I know what he's thinking," Zhou Sen said. "Cooperating with a man like that is like dealing with a tiger, but we aren't little lambs either."