Chapter 057

While Lin Ran and Luo Yao were role-playing, lawyer Xu Kai, acting on behalf of Lin Ran, convened a shareholders' meeting of the Suran Group. Chairman Lin Tianba attended despite his illness.

There was no way around it. Even if Lin Tianba wanted to avoid the meeting, it wouldn’t have mattered.

At the meeting, Xu Kai, as the representative of the largest shareholder, announced the sale of 30% of Suran Group's shares. Lin Tianba immediately voted against it.

During the meeting, Lin Tianba cursed Lin Ran, calling him an unfilial son and insisting that this was a family matter that shouldn’t be discussed in a shareholders' meeting.

Xu Kai promptly produced documents proving that Lin Ran had severed ties with Lin Tianba, leaving all the shareholders in shock. The meeting quickly turned into a one-sided affair.

Businessmen are profit-driven, and these shareholders were seasoned players in the corporate world. Even though Lin Tianba voted against the sale, no one cared. The rest of the shareholders voted in favor of the sale.

In the end, all shareholders except Lin Tianba approved the sale. Lin Ran’s shares, valued at 800 million yuan, officially entered the market for bidding, leaving no breathing room for Lin Tianba.

Many shareholders were eager to approach Xu Kai, ready to negotiate. If they could acquire Lin Ran’s shares, they wouldn’t hesitate to oust Lin Tianba from his position as chairman.

In the past, the Lin family held 51% of the shares, making it impossible for other shareholders to gain control even if they united.

Now that the father and son were at odds, regardless of whether Lin Ran’s shares were successfully acquired, as long as a few shareholders banded together, there was a real chance of removing Lin Tianba.

Moreover, if someone managed to secure Lin Ran’s shares, the situation would become even more favorable.

The shareholders had long been fed up with Lin Tianba’s domineering ways, and this was a rare opportunity they couldn’t afford to miss.

None of the shareholders understood why Lin Tianba had fallen out with Lin Ran. A son like Lin Ran was practically a golden goose.

If Lin Ran were their son, they would have treated him like a treasure, giving him anything he wanted.

But Lin Tianba had managed to ruin what should have been a winning hand. Without his son, what was he?

To put it bluntly, even the company belonged to his son. Lin Tianba was only the chairman because of his son’s influence.

Back when Lin Ran’s mother was alive, Lin Tianba had no real say in the company.

Lin Tianba’s current actions weren’t just foolish—they were downright idiotic.

After the shareholders' meeting, Xu Kai left the Suran Group, calmly waiting for the inevitable visitors.

Sure enough, that very evening, Lin Tianba reached out to Xu Kai.

In Xu Kai’s law office, Lin Tianba presented his offer.

“Mr. Xu, I’ll take Lin Ran’s shares, but 800 million is too much. We’re father and son, so a discount is only fair. How about 100 million? That seems reasonable.”

Xu Kai nearly spat out his tea. Although he was well aware of Lin Tianba’s character, he had still underestimated the man’s audacity.

“Chairman Lin, you must be joking. Mr. Lin has made it clear that the shares can be sold to you, considering you were once his father.”

Lin Tianba’s eyes lit up with hope. “Really?”

Xu Kai nodded. “Yes, but the price will be 20% higher than what others pay. That means 1 billion yuan.”

Lin Tianba almost fell off his chair.

“What? 1 billion? Is he trying to rob me?”

Xu Kai replied, “Mr. Lin said that while others pay 800 million, you must pay 20% more.”

Lin Tianba took a deep breath. “20% of 800 million is 960 million, not 1 billion.”

Xu Kai smiled. “I didn’t realize Chairman Lin was so good at math. But Mr. Lin said that for you, 20% means 200 million. If you’re unhappy with that, you’re free to withdraw your bid.”

Lin Tianba was fuming. If you want 1 billion, just say 1 billion! What’s with this nonsense about 20% being 200 million? It’s downright insulting!

“I don’t have that kind of money. Even if I emptied my entire fortune, I couldn’t come up with that much.”

Xu Kai calmly replied, “Mr. Lin has already thought of that. You can take out a loan, using your shares in the Suran Group as collateral.”

Lin Tianba frowned. “I’m not eligible, and the other shareholders won’t agree.”

Xu Kai explained, “With Mr. Lin Ran’s shares, you’ll have 51% of the company. You can use the pre-sale contract to secure the loan. I have a friend at the bank who would be more than happy to facilitate this deal.”

Lin Tianba remained silent for a long time, too afraid to speak.

He was already on the brink of bankruptcy, owing Brother Dao 100 million yuan. If he took out another loan, even if it was approved, would he really be able to repay it?

If the company faced even the slightest setback, wouldn’t it crush him completely?

Xu Kai pressed on, “Chairman Lin, sometimes you have to take a gamble. Surely you don’t want to lose control of the Suran Group, do you?”

Lin Tianba’s expression gradually hardened. After considering the company’s upcoming projects, he gritted his teeth.

“Fine, I agree.”

With that, he signed the pre-sale contract with Xu Kai, his hand trembling as he did so.

These shares should have been his to begin with. Yet now, he had to buy them back with real money—and at a premium, no less.

Taking out a loan to reclaim the shares meant not just repaying the 1 billion yuan but also dealing with the hefty interest.

That little brat Lin Ran—why couldn’t he just transfer the shares unconditionally?

As Lin Tianba left the law office, he felt as though he had aged ten years overnight.

The next morning, bank representatives approached Lin Tianba. Using the pre-sale contract, Lin Tianba mortgaged his 51% stake in the Suran Group, and the bank approved a loan of 800 million yuan.

Lin Tianba took the bank’s approval to Xu Kai, who insisted that anything less than 1 billion was off the table.

Left with no other choice, Lin Tianba called a family meeting at the Lin residence.

When Liu Yuemei heard the news, she was utterly speechless, and even Lin Jian gasped in disbelief.

Lin Tianba explained, “There’s no other way. But don’t worry. Our new property development is about to launch, and there’s news that the government plans to build a school near it. That alone will increase the property’s value by at least 20%.”

“Once the funds come in, we’re looking at a minimum of 1 billion yuan in revenue. If I hold 51% of the shares, my dividends will amount to 500 million. So as long as we get through this, even with the interest, we’ll still come out ahead. And once the property sales begin, we’ll have even more profits.”

“But if we don’t acquire the shares, regardless of whether Lin Ran’s shares are sold, we’ll have to pay out a significant portion of the dividends. Given the current state of our relationship with that unfilial son, there’s no way he’ll let us keep the money.”

“So, we have to buy the shares.”

After this explanation, Liu Yuemei finally understood why Lin Tianba was so determined to acquire Lin Ran’s shares.

The thought of that little brat Lin Ran receiving such a large portion of the dividends made both Liu Yuemei and Lin Jian frown.

Lin Tianba wasn’t lying. The upcoming revenue would indeed reach that amount, making it the Suran Group’s largest and most important project to date.

“Honey, are you sure there’s no other way? Can’t we try to talk to Xiao Ran and convince him to transfer the shares to us unconditionally?”