Chapter 276: Chapter 172: He Really Isn’t Hungry

The answer Gao Yuan gave wasn’t anything special; in fact, it was quite close to what Ling Yue had thought of herself.

The problem was, Ling Yue wouldn’t choose the first option. As for the second, the money she had would only buy her a negligible amount of shares. Furthermore, if Gao Yuan later increased the capital and expanded the stock, her shares would be severely diluted.

"I’d prefer we go with the second type of partnership."

"But how would the shares be allocated? And how can I be sure my stake won’t be diluted?"

Gao Yuan looked at Ling Yue thoughtfully.

The moment Ling Yue said she had resigned from Jindu Law Firm, Gao Yuan had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the phone call she’d received in the office had to be about her resignation, which had led to this very conversation.

However, Gao Yuan didn’t look down on Ling Yue just because she had quit her job. If he had, he wouldn’t have been so direct in telling her his plans.

Gao Yuan was more than willing to go with the second option. When outstanding employees own a piece of the company, they work that much harder.

He had neither the time nor the energy to manage a law firm. Besides, he was completely clueless when it came to the law, and Gao Yuan would never put himself in a position where a layman was leading experts.

If he did, he would either have to study like mad until he was knowledgeable, if not an expert, or he would have to be prepared to lose money.

Neither of those scenarios was what Gao Yuan wanted. He much preferred to be a hands-off owner, responsible only for the final results.

"Why don’t you tell me what you have in mind."

Gao Yuan threw the ball back into Ling Yue’s court. It wasn’t that he was trying to test her; he genuinely hadn’t decided how many shares to give her.

As for the issue of share dilution, he couldn’t make any guarantees. Once formal procedures were in place, everything would have to follow those procedures, not his personal whims.

If that were the case, there would be no point in starting a law firm; he might as well just do whatever he pleased.

"I don’t have that much money."

"And I don’t know how to ensure my shares won’t be diluted."

Ling Yue’s reply was blunt and to the point.

"Er..."

Gao Yuan was a little speechless. For a top lawyer like Ling Yue to have no ideas of her own was... something.

"How about I have your baby?"

Gao Yuan had been about to offer Ling Yue a 10% stake with voting rights that would never be diluted.

He hadn’t even opened his mouth when her words completely floored him!

’What the hell is this about having my baby?’

’Do I, Gao Yuan, look like I’m that desperate for a kid?’

Still, Gao Yuan raised his eyes and sized Ling Yue up.

He had to admit, her features were quite nice. Her only quirk was her rather full lips, which managed to look both sexy and a little bit innocent at the same time.

But combined with her perpetual short haircut and the icy expression on her face, she gave off a "keep your distance" vibe that made it difficult for anyone to take an interest in her.

But there was no denying it: Ling Yue was beautiful, and her figure was very well-maintained.

Seeing Gao Yuan checking her out, Ling Yue met his gaze head-on, letting him look his fill.

’I know I’m not gorgeous or super charming, and I’m definitely not a flirt,’ she thought, ’but I’m not ugly, am I?’

"So, do I meet President Gao’s standards?"

Ling Yue stared at Gao Yuan with an intensely aggressive gaze, but her tone of voice had softened considerably.

She was thinking of how Tongtong had spoken earlier and was forcing herself to imitate it.

To Gao Yuan, however, the tone sounded bizarrely out of place.

She was aiming for seductive, and she was in the ballpark, but it was more like she was the branch of a tea plant—it had a hint of flavor, but it was a far cry from the real thing.

’It was cold, yes, but why did she have to mix in that hint of seduction?’

It made the whole line sound incredibly awkward.

"The Marriott okay?"

Gao Yuan tapped on his phone for a moment, then showed Ling Yue a picture of a suite at the Marriott Hotel.

"I don’t like to be out. Let’s go to my place."

Saying that, Ling Yue reached out and grabbed her bag from the side, preparing to leave.

"AHEM!"

"I was kidding."

Gao Yuan could only cough to hide his awkwardness.

He really wasn’t interested in Ling Yue. She was just too cold; he couldn’t sense any feminine charm from her.

"I wasn’t kidding."

Hearing Gao Yuan’s words, the expression on Ling Yue’s face grew even colder.

She hadn’t been joking when she made the proposal. She was genuinely prepared to have Gao Yuan’s baby.

Perhaps if they had that kind of relationship, Gao Yuan would trust her more, and it wouldn’t get in the way of her career ambitions.

Besides, while Gao Yuan had been sizing her up, she had taken the opportunity to get a good look at him, too.

’Handsome enough!’

’Rich enough!’

’The genes for the next generation would be good, and there’d be no need to worry about money. He’s basically a perfect baby-making machine.’

"Um..."

"Let’s... get back to talking about the partnership."

Gao Yuan couldn’t let Ling Yue continue. If she went on, he was going to die of embarrassment.

’We were having a perfectly fine discussion about business, about a partnership. Why did she have to bring a baby into it?’

’Besides,’ Gao Yuan thought, ’I have the Money Power System. If I still have to resort to using a kid to maintain a relationship, whether romantic or professional, I’d be a disgrace to the System.’

"Let’s be partners. I’ll give you a 10% stake, and it will never be diluted."

"We can put that in the contract."

Gao Yuan finally laid out his offer.

If he’d known Ling Yue would say something so outrageous, he wouldn’t have prodded her. Now he was the one who felt awkward, and he could only try to hide his discomfort by continuously sipping his tea.

Ling Yue, on the other hand, felt no embarrassment at all. She was completely satisfied with Gao Yuan’s offer.

Looking at Gao Yuan again, Ling Yue suddenly thought he was a pretty decent guy after all.

’He’s not desperate, is he?’

That was Ling Yue’s assessment of Gao Yuan.

’But wait, that doesn’t seem right either!’

A flicker of dissatisfaction suddenly ignited within Ling Yue.

’Am I that bad?’

’Am I not a woman?’

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.