Chapter 158 There is work to do

Sun Tan knew that Li Mu and Wu Shuai were at odds, but he had not expected the conflict between them to run so deep.

However, this was a good thing for him. Since Li Mu had stated his conditions, matters could be negotiated step by step.

He wanted to join the Student Union? No problem, he could let him in at any time. However, demanding a position as a department head was slightly trickier. Beneath the president and vice-presidents, the Student Union consisted of various divisions. Some divisions held real power, such as the Publicity Department, the Cultural and Recreational Department, and the Liaison Department. The Publicity Department was highly valued by the school administration, offering an excellent opportunity to cultivate institutional relationships. The Cultural and Recreational Department handled all cultural and entertainment affairs, including organizing and coordinating various performances, as well as allocating venues and funding to interest clubs. The Liaison Department mainly went out to secure sponsorships from corporations and alumni, dealing with money every day and generating substantial under-the-table profits.

Aside from these influential divisions, there were a bunch of divisions with practically no real power, such as Daily Life, Sports, and Sanitation. Even if he were to offer one of these positions to Li Mu, Li Mu might not necessarily accept it.

As for Wu Shuai, Sun Tan felt he was of little consequence anyway. He was just a dog he kept; he had made a fair bit of money following him over the past few years and had already tasted plenty of sweet benefits. Letting him get lost wouldn't matter at all, especially since the 3321 project was far more important.

However, Sun Tan was extremely dissatisfied with Li Mu's proposal of a thirty percent stake. Thirty percent? What was thirty percent supposed to be? Li Mu would take seventy percent as the majority shareholder, while he would still remain a mere sidekick.

Immediately, Sun Tan spoke up to Li Mu, "Li Mu, I can agree to all your conditions, and I can even find a way to engineer a position for you as the head of a department with real power. But you're only giving me thirty percent of the shares. I cannot accept this point."

Li Mu thought to himself, *Are you actually taking this seriously, you bird-brained fool? Thirty percent shares? Does that shameless face of yours even deserve it? And you still can't accept it. Did you go out and get your brain pumped full of shit before coming here?*

Yet, keeping a smile on his face, he asked, "Then how much do you want?"

Figuring that they were laying their cards on the table anyway, Sun Tan saw no need for further pretense and said, "I want fifty-one percent, at the very least."

"Impossible," Li Mu immediately retorted. "I cannot give you the controlling stake in 3321. Compared to the meager things I would gain, I would lose far too much. Even a fool wouldn't accept that."

Sun Tan thought for a moment and said, "Since you want to merge 3321 into the Student Union, it's impossible for only you and me to hold shares. How about this: we each take a step back. You hold forty-five percent, I hold twenty-five percent, and the remaining thirty percent will be counted as the Student Union's stake. How does that sound?"

Li Mu shot back, "If you were in my shoes, would you do such a foolish thing? I'm offering you thirty percent based on the premise that you help me accomplish those two tasks. The Student Union hasn't done a single thing for me; why on earth should I give the Student Union any shares? Forget thirty percent—even one percent is impossible."

Sun Tan couldn't help but frown.

Li Mu was defending his position so resolutely, only releasing thirty percent to trade with him, leaving Sun Tan suddenly clueless about how to proceed with the negotiation.

Hesitating for a long time, Sun Tan decided to agree to Li Mu's demand first. No matter what, he needed to get his hands on that thirty percent first. Once the thirty percent was in his grasp, he would, to a certain extent, own a piece of 3321, and he could figure out the rest slowly. Besides, there was still plenty of time until the evaluation next March. As long as he could elevate that thirty percent to over fifty-one percent during this period, the prestige of 3321, along with its social and political significance, would all belong to him.

"Alright then, you register the company first, with a capital contribution ratio of seventy for you and thirty for me. Once the registration is successful, I will immediately arrange for you to join the Student Union, and Wu Shuai will be out of the picture by then."

Li Mu smiled with a trace of mockery, tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and said, "Sincerity, Senior Sun. Bring out some sincerity. We are both adults, and since I single-handedly built 3321 to its current state, do you really think I'd fall for your empty-handed wolf-hunting scheme?"

Sun Tan hurriedly said, "You've misunderstood. I really didn't mean to play any empty-handed tricks; I just..."

Li Mu waved his hand and said with a hint of disappointment, "Enough, Senior Sun. Your little routine is just like when I used to trick classmates out of lollipops when I was a kid—promising a whole bunch of toys and picture cards first, and then delivering nothing after the lollipop was eaten."

Sun Tan explained, "You really misunderstand me, Li Mu. How could I possibly be that kind of person?"

Li Mu chuckled, "Senior, can we have a bit less empty talk and a bit more sincerity?"

Sun Tan shot back, "Then what do you consider to be sincere?"

Li Mu stated, "That Wu Shuai—the sight of him irritates me. The matter of joining the Student Union can be put on hold for now, but he must be kicked out of the Student Union. That is non-negotiable."

Sun Tan asked Li Mu, "If Wu Shuai leaves the Student Union and you go back on your word, what then?"

Li Mu smiled, "Senior Sun, I'm not a fool either. Even if you really agreed to chase Wu Shuai out of the Student Union, you would privately push all the blame onto me in front of him so he would hold a grudge against me. You'd definitely tell him it was just a delaying tactic to keep him steady for the moment. If I reneged later on, you could reinstate Wu Shuai at any time. What benefits would I get out of that?"

Sun Tan had not expected Li Mu to be so blunt, feeling as embarrassed as if his fig leaf had been ripped off in an instant.

Li Mu had his own calculations. Seeing that Sun Tan was already showing signs of wavering, he continued, "If we're going to do this, we need to do it quickly. I hope to hear news of Wu Shuai being purged from the Student Union by tomorrow, and this matter must become known throughout the entire school."

Sun Tan pondered for a moment and nodded, "Fine, I'll go back and think about it, and give you an answer as soon as possible."

Li Mu replied, "No need for an answer later. Before classes end tomorrow afternoon, if I receive news that Wu Shuai has been cleared out of the Student Union, it will prove that you, Senior, have agreed to the terms of cooperation. If I don't receive that word, please do not seek me out ever again."

With that, Li Mu stood up. "I won't join you for the meal. Senior, go back and think it over carefully."

Before Sun Tan could even react, Li Mu had already turned and walked out the door.

Sun Tan initially wanted to chase after him, but thought better of it and gave up. He had ordered quite a few dishes, but only two cold appetizers had been served so far, and not a single pair of chopsticks had touched them. He might as well just call Wu Shuai over for a chat.

...

Wu Shuai rushed to the restaurant in bewilderment. Pushing open the private room door, he discovered that only Sun Tan was inside, along with a table of untouched food.

"Brother Tan, what's the meaning of this? Didn't Li Mu come?"

Sun Tan said, "He came, and then he left."

Wu Shuai hurriedly pursued the matter, "How did the talk go? Did that guy agree to sell?"

"No," Sun Tan shook his head. "That fellow refused to sell no matter what."

Wu Shuai snorted coldly, "Giving him face and he doesn't want it. Brother Tan, what do you want to do now?"

Sun Tan hesitated for a moment before saying to Wu Shuai, "That fellow Li Mu proposed a cooperation condition to me."

Wu Shuai asked, "What condition?"

Sun Tan sighed and said, "This kid hates you quite a bit. His condition is that if you quit the Student Union, he will incorporate 3321, give me thirty percent of the shares, and merge it into the Student Union."

Wu Shuai immediately grew anxious, "Brother Tan, that kid is trying to sow discord between us! You absolutely must not believe his words!"

Sun Tan placated him, "Rest assured, I'm not a fool. Would I let him drive a wedge between the two of us just like that?"

Wu Shuai felt slightly more at ease. Sun Tan then continued, "I called you over here also to discuss a countermeasure with you. 3321 is truly important to me, and I am determined to win it. Therefore, my idea is for you to suffer a slight grievance for now and withdraw from the Student Union in name only. If that punk Li Mu dares to play me, I will immediately recruit you back into the Student Union and fight him to the bitter end. However, if this kid actually honors his promise, I will rack my brains to extract a few more shares from him over the next few months. Once I hold absolute control over 3321, it won't be long before he's kicked out."

"But..." Wu Shuai said with some panic, "If it comes to that, where will I put my dignity in school, Brother Tan?"

Sun Tan replied, "This requires you to suffer a minor grievance for a short period, but rest assured, the moment I get my hands on 3321, not only will I boot Li Mu out, but I will also reinstate you into the Student Union and give you a portion of 3321's shares. How does that sound?"

Wu Shuai owed almost everything he had today to Sun Tan's patronage. Even without this promise from Sun Tan, he could not afford to defy Sun Tan's will; otherwise, should Sun Tan turn his anger on him, everything he had painstakingly built up would vanish into thin air. Furthermore, Wu Shuai had followed Sun Tan for so long, and Sun Tan had never gone back on his word regarding anything he promised. Previously, when he led him to make so much money, the profit-sharing ratios had always been discussed beforehand and never changed at the last minute. Therefore, on this point, Wu Shuai trusted Sun Tan.

However, publicly announcing his departure from the Student Union would indeed be a major grievance, and he would lose some face. Yet, weighing the pros and cons, Wu Shuai ultimately nodded and agreed.

Seeing that Wu Shuai had agreed with some displeasure, Sun Tan offered words of comfort, "Wu Shuai, it's not that your older brother isn't considering your feelings; it's simply that Li Mu is far too sinister. He would rather sacrifice thirty percent of the shares just to make things difficult for you."

Wu Shuai nodded, "Brother Tan, once 3321 is in our hands, the two of us brothers will team up and hit him hard!"

With a solemn expression, Sun Tan said, "Of course! We'll make him lose both the battle and his bride!"

Wu Shuai felt somewhat comforted. Remembering that tomorrow was Thursday, he asked Sun Tan, "What about the computer delivery tomorrow?"

At this moment, Sun Tan already harbored the intention of casting Wu Shuai aside. Just from the profit split after tomorrow's success, Wu Shuai would pocket over thirty thousand. Looking at it now, it really was far too generous for this kid.

Taking this opportunity to kick him out meant that sum of money would fall right into his own pocket. Afterward, he could focus entirely on wresting 3321 from Li Mu. Though Wu Shuai would surely harbor resentment in his heart, having Li Mu around would naturally draw away the vast majority of the hostility for him—it was the best of both worlds.

...

The very first thing Li Mu did after leaving the restaurant was call Xue Jianfeng. He asked, "Jianfeng, ask the classmates in your class who ordered computers from the Student Assistance program and confirm whether the computers are coming in for installation tomorrow."

Xue Jianfeng had previously mentioned that the installation time would definitely be before Friday, and since there had been no movement today, tomorrow seemed to be the only day that fit.

A moment later, Xue Jianfeng called back, "It's tomorrow. Wu Shuai has already given notice, and the computer vendor's delivery truck will drive straight to the dormitory area."

"Alright! Thanks!" Li Mu hung up, and immediately dialed Zhao Kang's number.

As soon as Zhao Kang answered, Li Mu said, "Kangzi, get the people on Douban ready. We've got work to do!"

Zhao Kang jolted alert and eagerly pressed, "What kind of work?"
(To be continued.)

[Author's Note]: The third chapter is a bit late. I'm exhausted, please forgive me.