When Ye Wenxuan heard Ye Yang's request, he was dumbstruck. He hadn't expected Ye Yang to bring this up, but then, he chuckled.
For a moment there he didn't know if he was laughing at Ye Yang's naivety or at his primitive yet profound method of getting what he wanted.
His relationship with He Dong wasn't something that could be nullified by a tiny secret. Also, this matter regarding Huang Ruobing wasn't done on impulse. While it sure seemed like an unrewarding task for Ye Wenxuan, his support on the matter did bring about massive profits.
Ye Wenxuan's connection to He Dong wasn't just based on an exchange of profits. From a certain perspective, it was considered a symbiotic relationship.
While this wasn't a rewarding business for Ye Wenxuan, He Dong would make sure that Ye Wenxuan didn't suffer any losses. Although He Dong didn't make a distinct offer, both of them had already signed a couple of lucrative deals together.
What He Dong was offering wasn't just a few agreements. If Ye Wenxuan offended He Dong because of something as insignificant as this, his past efforts would all go down the drain.
Although Ye Wenxuan was also aware of how powerful the Huang family was, he was already bound to He Dong to an extent. If he ended up betraying He Dong, who knows what other deranged ideas He Dong would come up with.
If Ye Wenxuan really did offend He Dong because of something like this, he wouldn't have it any easier himself.
While Ye Wenxuan knew this well, he had no other options.
"There's no such thing as holding grudges when it comes to business. Oh, Mr. Ye, you… how interesting." Ye Wenxuan's stance was firm. Ye Yang was practically asking for the impossible from him.
Having been friends with He Dong for so many years, Ye Wenxuan had a good relationship with the man. He also knew about He Dong's petty personality. If he really offended He Dong, it would be the same as digging his own grave.
Hence, when Ye Yang made this suggestion, Ye Wenxuan didn't hesitate to shoot it down.
Moreover, it took only two days for Ye Wenxuan to get a taste of how capable Huang Ruobing was. If he were to base his judgment purely on her competence, Ye Wenxuan knew that Huang Ruobing's conflict with He Dong wouldn't be resolved so easily.
Huang Ruobing was by no means an easy opponent.
No one was surprised by Ye Wenxuan's answer. Huang Ruobing was aware of Ye Wenxuan's connection with He Dong and that put them both in an uncomfortable situation. She had never expected Ye Wenxuan to retreat anyway.
After that, the atmosphere among the three of them turned frosty for a moment. Ye Wenxuan thought about Ye Yang's threat in detail. Even if He Dong wasn't able to save him in the end, Ye Wenxuan knew that He Dong would take care of his son if anything were to happen to him.
But what surprised Ye Wenxuan was how Ye Yang didn't seem disappointed by his indifferent response. The man was still wearing a smile even after Ye Wenxuan had firmly rejected him.
"President Ye, you have a son, don't you?" Without warning, Ye Yang began talking about Ye Wenxuan's son. "Several days ago, I met him at Riverside Club."
Ye Wenxuan sighed at the mention of this. After Huang Ruobing's attempt to claim the payment from him, Ye Wenxuan had ordered an investigation on this matter. For a moment there, he didn't know what to say about his son.
Initially, Ye Wenxuan assumed that it was a setup by Huang Xudong. But after watching the surveillance footage, Ye Wenxuan's face was twitching. He didn't expect his son to be the one to initiate the challenge. Near the end, had Huang Xudong not stopped his son from continuing, Ye Wenxuan couldn't imagine how disastrous things would have been.
However, Ye Wenxuan's cash flow had been real tight as of late. For Ye Yang to ask for such an enormous sum from him so suddenly, it was impossible for him to cough it up immediately.
As he watched Ye Wenxuan enter a dilemma, Ye Yang smiled. How could things be so easy?
"I'm sorry you've had to see such an undesirable sight." Ye Wenxuan obviously felt helpless.
When he found out that his son had done something so dumb, Ye Wenxuan was furious. But since Ye Xiaoyu was his only son, no matter what the lad did, Ye Wenxuan could only clean up after him.
"It's not that I'm denying responsibility, but this isn't a small sum. I can't afford to pay so much out of the blue, and I'm sure you both can understand where I'm coming from."
Ye Wenxuan wasn't lying to Ye Yang. It was impossible for him to withdraw such a huge amount from his pocket right now.
Despite the smile on his face, Ye Wenxuan was cursing at his son, Ye Xiaoyu for dragging him into such a mess. Had Huang Ruobing not shown him the promissory note, Ye Wenxuan would have known how dumb his son actually was.
"That's alright. We're all businessmen. President Ye has so many resources, even if you can't pay by cash, you should be able to offer something of equivalent value, can't you?" Ye Yang didn't feel that he was going overboard. Since Ye Wenxuan had no cash, he should offer something else to repay the debt. "This Phoenix Villa looks nice."
Ye Wenxuan hadn't anticipated that Ye Yang would shift his crosshairs over to the Phoenix Villa. He had invested a lot of effort into this restaurant so even if he was asked to give it up, Ye Wenxuan was reluctant to do so.
However, Ye Wenxuan was aware that the Phoenix Villa wasn't worth as much as the note. For this reason, he wavered. It seemed like the worst solution ever but for a moment there, Ye Wenxuan had run out of all other options.
After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Wenxuan decided to agree to Ye Yang's request. Even though he was at odds with Huang Ruobing, he couldn't ruin their relationship completely. Since Ye Yang had offered a solution, he wouldn't be that insensible to reject it.