Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Heart Shattered to Pieces! What Should I Do!

Jiang Sifan didn’t want Wen Wan to come with him to deal with those old foxes.

But over the past few days, he had truly come to feel that Wen Wan considered him a good friend.

Perhaps since the start of the semester, she had done nothing but study and work part-time, with few people having a deep conversation with her.

Since that was the case...

...it was his undeniable responsibility as class president!

So, Jiang Sifan nodded and said, "Alright!"

The two of them immediately went to Zhuoyue Limited Company, intending to demand an explanation.

Pan Lindong had already arrived at the office. He said to Liang Jinhua, somewhat angrily, "Brother Liang, I can’t believe that kid actually signed contracts with the shops around the School of Science and Technology. If I’d known, we should have done it ourselves."

"He was certainly lucky," Liang Jinhua said calmly. "We’ve duped so many students before—from Jinling University, Jinling Agricultural College, Jinling Institute of Technology—but he’s the only one who managed to make a successful startup out of it. He’s got some skill. But we’re not losing out, either. We still get thirty percent of the profits, after all."

"But this guy is making money now, and he hasn’t given us a single cent," Pan Lindong said with a frown.

As he spoke, Liang Jinhua picked up the contract on the desk and waved it. "What’s there to be afraid of? We have the contract. No matter how arrogant he gets, all I have to do is show him this, scare him a little by threatening to show it to his school counselor, and he’ll cave. We won’t even need to call the police."

"That’s true. After all, these freshmen haven’t seen anything of the world. Scare them a little, and they’ll be tripping over themselves to give us the money," Pan Lindong chuckled.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

The company receptionist opened the door and said in a low voice, "President Liang, there are two university students outside looking for you. It’s the one who caused trouble before."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jinhua looked at Pan Lindong and smiled. "See? Isn’t he here to obediently deliver the money?"

He then waved his hand. "Let them in."

"Yes, President Liang."

Pan Lindong looked at Liang Jinhua and said, "How about we put on a little show later? Scare them a bit, so that kid doesn’t think we’re pushovers."

"Alright," Liang Jinhua laughed. "He’s your junior, you know. You’re a ruthless one."

"Who told him to be so arrogant on the phone? We have to give him a good scare today, or he’ll be late with payments in the future," Pan Lindong griped.

Liang Jinhua didn’t harbor such intense malice, but business was business. If Jiang Sifan didn’t cooperate, he certainly wasn’t going to indulge him.

As for this "bad cop" routine, he’d let Pan Lindong handle it.

Before long, Jiang Sifan and Wen Wan were led into the office by the receptionist.

As they entered the office, they immediately saw Pan Lindong and Liang Jinhua standing in front of a mahogany desk.

Pan Lindong’s face was flushed red, his hands on his hips, looking utterly infuriated.

Liang Jinhua, on the other hand, was leaning against the edge of the desk with a faint, detached smile, a document pinched between his fingers.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

Jiang Sifan took a deep breath and stepped forward.

It was Wen Wan’s first time in a situation like this. Though nervous, she followed closely behind him.

Pan Lindong pointed at Jiang Sifan and cursed, "Jiang Sifan, you have the nerve to show your face? We worked our asses off pulling strings for you, and what’s the result? You’re raking it in, making a fortune, but you haven’t given us a single cent! Brother Liang and I have been in the Jinling business circle for years; don’t think we don’t know that you’ve signed long-term contracts with those small shops around the School of Science and Technology. Your monthly revenue must be over ten thousand by now, right?"

Liang Jinhua gave a light cough, interrupting his roar.

"Lin Dong, don’t get so worked up," he said calmly, his finger tapping lightly on the contract. TAP. TAP.

Then he looked at Jiang Sifan and said in a milder tone, "Junior Brother, I thought you were someone with great potential, which is why I let you in on this project. But you can’t just burn your bridges after crossing the river. Our contract states very clearly that we provide the initial connections and resources for thirty percent of the profits. The problem is, now that you’re making money, why are you unwilling to part with a single cent?"

Jiang Sifan gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He knew these people were unreasonable.

But demanding justice wasn’t about arguing; it was about reasoning. He had to try the soft approach first.

"Brother Liang, Brother Pan," he began. "I have never denied your help. Back then, Brother Pan told me you could provide startup capital and connections. But what you didn’t tell me was that those ’resources’ were just a few outdated business templates and contact information for a couple of completely unreliable shop owners."

"My real success came from running around to each and every store myself, negotiating time and again. Boss Zhang at the stationery shop near the School of Science and Technology wouldn’t even give me the time of day at first. It was only after I wore him down for two days and helped him design a promotional plan on the side that he finally signed the contract for bookkeeping and tax filing services."

Wen Wan chimed in at this point, her face red as she spoke in a small voice, "Sifan is right. I’ve seen the original agreement. You just provided contact information for some shop owners and some paid software. You didn’t do anything after that. On what grounds do you deserve thirty percent of the profits..."

Though she was scared, she bit her lip and stared directly at Pan Lindong and Liang Jinhua.

Wen Wan’s words infuriated Pan Lindong. He slammed his hand on the desk. "On what grounds? On the grounds of the contract! It’s in black and white. You signed it, so you have to honor it!"

He turned to Liang Jinhua. "Brother Liang, look at these student kids. Their wings have hardened, and now they want to welch on the deal. I knew we should’ve done this ourselves instead of letting an outsider get the benefit!"

Liang Jinhua ignored his outburst. He simply flipped the contract to a specific page, held it up, and said, "Jiang Sifan, Article Three of this agreement states clearly: Zhuoyue Limited Company will provide ’all-around support,’ including capital, consultation, and market channels, and in return, is entitled to thirty percent of the net profits."

He put the contract down, a cunning smile on his face. "In business, a promise is a promise. Did you think starting a business was that easy? I let you participate in this startup project because I saw your potential. Now that you’re successful, you want to just kick us to the curb? That’s not very decent of you, is it?"

Jiang Sifan’s face flushed red with anger.

Based on the contents described in the contract, they weren’t wrong.

But he had only discovered later that the so-called paid software was actually available online as a cracked version.

There was absolutely no need to spend over a thousand yuan on a subscription.

Moreover, the software installer on the flash drive Pan Lindong had given him was identical to the cracked version online!

And that was to say nothing of the contact information for those unreliable shop owners.

Four out of ten of the numbers were out of service!

This kind of bait-and-switch cooperation was nothing short of bullying university students.

Jiang Sifan said angrily, "I admit the contract is valid, but there are problems with its execution. You claim thirty percent of the profits, but your initial investment was far below what you promised."

"The market channels you promised, like promotional activities in the university town, never materialized."

"The thousand-yuan paid software you gave me turned out to be a cracked version downloaded from the internet."

"You’re older than me and have more real-world experience, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot."

Neither Pan Lindong nor Liang Jinhua had expected Jiang Sifan to say all this.

Pan Lindong was about to fly into a rage, but Liang Jinhua raised a hand to stop him.

Liang Jinhua smiled. "But business isn’t a game. A contract is a contract. If you break it, you have to pay a penalty. Fifty thousand yuan. Can you afford that?"

He turned to look out the window. "Or we could compromise. You pay twenty thousand yuan, and we terminate the contract. That way, you save yourself the trouble, and we cut our losses. How about it?"

Wen Wan, who had been quiet until now, suddenly took a step forward. Her face was flushed, but her tone was firm. "That’s not fair! Sifan’s business has just barely gotten off the ground. How can you take money for nothing... I’ve looked up the law. If one party fails to fulfill their obligations, the other party has the right to demand a modification of the terms."

Hearing this, Pan Lindong burst out laughing. "The law? Little girl, you’re too green. The marketplace is a battlefield. Who talks about the law here? We talk about power!"

He looked at Jiang Sifan and said menacingly, "Jiang Sifan, if you don’t bring the money today, don’t even think about walking out that door!"

He seemed to be trying to intimidate him into submission.

But this time, Jiang Sifan absolutely would not back down. "I won’t just give you money. Since you insist on the contract, let’s go through legal channels. I’ve already consulted a lawyer. If this really goes to court, I will provide evidence that you failed to fulfill your side of the agreement."

"Your so-called ’all-around support’ didn’t even include basic guidance."

"And I’ve already found students from other schools who were also duped by you. The only difference is that I actually succeeded this time, which is why you want a cut of the future profits."

He took a folder out of his bag, which contained organized accounts and communication records.

"Here is all the data for the startup project. Based on the value of your contributions, I estimate it’s worth three thousand yuan at most. I’ll give you five thousand as a settlement fee to terminate the contract. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court."

Liang Jinhua’s expression finally changed.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Sifan to be so well-prepared. He said angrily, "Jiang Sifan, are you threatening us?"

Then he added coldly, "Don’t forget, we’ve been in this business for eight years. You’re just a student. Do you really think you can win against us?"

"Exactly! Watch out, or we’ll ruin your startup!" Pan Lindong chimed in.

Although Jiang Sifan was also scared—after all, he was just a freshman—he knew this startup project wasn’t just his anymore; it was Wen Wan’s too.

He absolutely could not back down.

So, Jiang Sifan summoned his courage once more and said firmly, "Anyway, I came here today to tell you: either we terminate the contract for five thousand yuan, or we’ll see you in court."

With that said, he took Wen Wan by the hand and started to leave.

Seeing this, Pan Lindong immediately lost his cool. He slammed the office door shut and pointed at Jiang Sifan. "I just said it. If you don’t produce the money today, you’re not leaving this office."

Jiang Sifan hadn’t expected them to resort to force when threats didn’t work. He shoved Pan Lindong aside, opened the office door, and pulled Wen Wan out, whispering, "Go on, get out of here. Call the police. Find Sister Jiali."

Then he closed the door again, faced Pan Lindong, and said, "Fine. I’ll stay here and wait it out with you."

When Pan Lindong saw Wen Wan leave, he wanted to go after her.

But Jiang Sifan was blocking the office door, not letting either of them out.

Once outside the office, Wen Wan froze for a moment before reacting. She lowered her head and broke into a run.

She ran all the way out of the building before immediately dialing Jiali’s number.

"Sister Jiali, Sifan is at Zhuoyue Limited Company right now! Those two men are threatening him. They said they won’t let him go if he doesn’t pay them today."

Jiali, who had just landed in Jinling with Lu Fan, immediately reassured Wen Wan after hearing the news. "Don’t worry. I’m on my way right now."

"Okay, Sister Jiali, I’m counting on you..."

After hanging up, Wen Wan looked back at the building, her eyes welling up with worry.