Chapter 3

When the door to the chairman's office was knocked open, Qiao Antian immediately stood up with a beaming smile to welcome the guest. However, upon seeing the young man led in by Ning Lan, he was momentarily stunned, wondering if his assistant had brought the wrong person.

Lin Zixian didn't care about such formalities. Without waiting for an invitation, he walked straight to the large, luxurious desk and sat down, lazily asking Qiao Antian, who was sizing him up, "You're Qiao Antian?"

Noticing the chairman's puzzled gaze, Ning Lan's heart raced. How could the chairman not recognize this guy? Could she have made a mistake?

Despite his doubts, Qiao Antian knew basic courtesy. He forced a smile back onto his face, walked around the desk, and extended his hand, "Mr. Lin?"

Since the other party was being polite, Lin Zixian couldn't be rude. He shook hands briefly and then let go, getting straight to the point, "My master is Lin Bao. He said you're in trouble and sent me to help."

"Ah, so you're Master Lin's disciple! I apologize for my lack of respect!" Qiao Antian said with a genuine smile. Confirming the other's identity, he felt a weight lift off his chest. After all, not everyone knew the name Lin Bao.

Although he didn't know who Master Lin Bao was, in today's society, the master-disciple relationship was mostly limited to certain special professions. Otherwise, people generally referred to each other as teacher and student. The only other instances were in ancient lineages that still maintained this tradition. It seemed his father's dying words were indeed significant.

This was the difference between a well-informed person and an ordinary one. They could often grasp the crux of a matter from a few words.

Ning Lan, the assistant, breathed a sigh of relief, quickly brewed two cups of tea, placed them on the table, and then closed the door, tactfully leaving the room.

Qiao Antian sat back behind his desk, facing Lin Zixian across it. Seeing the other man calmly sipping his tea without any deference to his status as a big boss, he nodded inwardly. This wasn't an act; only someone with real insight and confidence could behave this way. It seemed the young man didn't take him, the big boss, seriously at all.

As the saying goes, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Qiao Antian now dared not underestimate this seemingly young man. His father's mention of Lin Bao seemed mysterious, and for him to send a disciple, this must be a high-ranking figure from an ancient lineage. These hidden sects often had unimaginable power... He had heard similar rumors before.

"May I ask for Mr. Lin's full name?" Qiao Antian asked with a smile, not at all offended by the other's rudeness. This was about being able to handle both sides.

Lin Zixian blew on the floating tea leaves in his cup and said calmly, "Lin Zixian. The 'Lin' is from the double-wood character, the 'Zi' is from Laozi, and the 'Xian' means 'leisurely.'"

"Good name, it has a classical charm!" Qiao Antian flattered him, then continued with a smile, "May I ask where Mr. Lin is currently working?"

"Unemployed, just a leisurely person," Lin Zixian said, taking a sip of tea and placing the cup on the table. He then got to the point, "My master said you're in trouble and sent me to help. But I don't know what kind of trouble you're in. Chairman Qiao, let's get to the point. Tell me about your problem."

"Alright." Qiao Antian sat up straight and began to recount the events.

It turned out that recently, the Minghua Group and the Shengqing Group had been in a fierce competition over a piece of land, due to the huge profits involved.

Qiao Antian's only daughter, Qiao Yun, was the general manager of the Minghua Group. She was fearless but possessed exceptional business acumen, so the board of directors had entrusted her with the company's operations.

Qiao Yun lived up to their expectations. In the land dispute with the Shengqing Group, she extended the battle to the stock market, severely disrupting the Shengqing Group's cash flow. As a result, the Minghua Group successfully secured the land. However, Qiao Yun didn't stop there; she planned to take advantage of the Shengqing Group's financial difficulties to吞并整个盛青集团，手段确实有些过于狠毒，几乎是把对方逼上了绝路。

然而，商业竞争本来就是如此残酷，不是你吞并我就是我吞并你，在商业操作上没有慈善家可言，这是资本的血腥博弈，弱肉强食。

盛青集团自然不会坐以待毙，商业上不是对手，于是暴露出了背后恐怖的黑社会背景。其实他们也不愿意这样做，一个大型公司好不容易漂白了，和黑社会关系密切，很容易引起国家有关部门的特别关注，但没办法，都到了家破人亡的地步，哪还能顾得上这些。

这样一来，整个董事会的董事都感受到了压力，纷纷要求乔韵停手，但胜利就在眼前，乔韵手中掌握着公司百分之十五的股份，其父乔安天更是掌握了公司百分之四十的股权，父女俩在董事会有绝对的话语权。

乔韵底气十足，一意孤行，势要搞垮盛青集团，年轻气盛，认为资本力量是万能的，根本没把那些见不得光的黑社会势力放在眼里。

惶惶不安的董事会成员一起找到了乔安天商量，乔安天思来想去也觉得不宜树此强敌，有时候和气生财也是必要的，于是整个董事会做出决定，逼迫乔韵出国度假，趁这个机会终止了对盛青集团的打击。

尽管手下留情了，但盛青集团不干了，资金链上一下损失了几十个亿，等于是元气大伤。于是干脆走捷径，悍然逼迫名花集团吐出吃进肚子里的肉，并且索要名花集团百分之十的股份。时限是十天，十天后得不到满意的答复，就要展开报复。

这样一来，名花集团的那些股东又不肯了，已经够给你们面子了，我们都停手了，你们竟然反过来要到我们口袋里掏钱出去，这不是割我们的肉吗？于是纷纷加强了保卫，另找高层人士调解。

听完事情经过后，林子闲十指缓缓敲打在办公桌上思索，稍倾微微摇头道：“生意上的事情，我无能为力，其它方面我可以考虑。”

乔安天点头道：“生意上的事情，我们名花集团有能力也有信心应付，主要怕人家下黑手，所以我才打扰林大师。”

“你想让我怎么帮？”林子闲皱眉道。

乔安天两眼微微放光道：“不知林先生这次带了多少人马来？”

林子闲一愣，他算是听出来了，对面这位董事长是想让自己以黑制黑，帮他们把盛青集团背后的黑势力给灭了，这未免也太高估老头子的实力了。顿了顿道：“单枪匹马，没有其他人，就我一个人。”

“就你一个人？”乔安天神情一僵，心里骂开了，那还搞个屁啊！

默然许久后，还是忍不住问了句：“林先生开玩笑吧？”

“不是开玩笑，我甚至都搞不清楚你和我师父到底是什么关系，我能来已经够给面子了。”林子闲目光灼人的盯着他，缓缓说道：“大的本事没有，有我在你身边，保你个人的人身安全应该是没问题的。”

乔安天算是听出来了，对方不是没有其他人马或势力，而是多大的交情帮多大的忙，这也是天经地义的事，没什么好说的。

他欲言又止了一会儿，但关键是他自己也不知道自己父亲和那神秘的林保到底有多大的关系，但从通话时对方不冷不热的态度看，似乎交情也深不到哪里去，如此说来也的确不好要求过多。

“林先生如果有能力搞定盛青集团背后的势力，可以开个价钱。”乔安天摆出了谈生意的架势。

林子闲摆了摆手道：“乔董事长，我想你误会了，对我来说，凡事有所为有所不为，这不是钱的问题。我不想做的事情，你给再多的钱也没用。”

乔安天苦笑笑，知道这个话题没必要再谈下去了，本来就没对林保抱太大希望，如今已经算是意外的收获了，只是希望这年轻人不要大言不惭吧！

点了点头道：“那好吧！林先生，是这样的，我个人的生死倒没什么，可我就这么一个女儿。如果可以的话，麻烦林先生保我女儿的平安。”

“没问题。”林子闲点头答应了，心想，这也算是给老头子一个交代。

“稍等一下！”乔安天打了个招呼，拿起办公桌上的话筒拨了一个电话，接通后笑道：“小韵，到我这来一趟！”挂了电话后，看见林子闲若无其事地端着茶杯慢慢品着，不由再次苦笑。

没多久，敲门声响起，乔安天喊了声进来。

林子闲听到背后靠近的声音，端着茶杯没有回头，只听落落清脆的女声带着几分严肃道：“董事长，什么事不能在电话里说？”

董事长？林子闲听了暗暗好笑，这女儿连对老子的态度都是公事公办。

乔安天站起来，指着林子闲笑道：“小韵，这位是我请来保护你安全的林先生。”

那女声实在很动听，而且感觉有些耳熟，林子闲靠在转椅上转了过来，谁知一看到对方的容貌，顿时‘噗’的一声，将嘴里的茶水喷了出来，俩眼珠差点也跟着一起喷了出来。

来人不是别人，正是和自己同机从美国回来的座邻，同时也是那位在机场把自己给打了一顿的美女。此时正一身干净利落的白色名媛职业套装，长发盘在脑后，亭亭玉立地站在他眼前，冷冰冰的面容不改当初，依然美得触目惊心……