At three in the afternoon, Fenghuo Bar was open for business, but there weren't many customers. Xie Nan, with little to do, was behind the bar meticulously wiping down the expensive liquors that served as the establishment's showpieces. The previous owner, Feng Jiuming, had never bothered with such things; the bottles of fine spirits, each costing thousands, were coated in dust and grime.

"Brother Nan…" Pan Lizheng suddenly appeared beside the bar, looking flustered. "Outside," he said, his voice laced with panic, "Gou Fei from the Axe Gang has brought a lot of men…"

"Gou Fei? What's he doing here?" Xie Nan frowned. Gou Fei had always been scheming to take over Fenghuo Bar. His sudden arrival with a large group of men definitely spelled trouble. But it was broad daylight. They wouldn't dare be so brazen as to cause a scene, would they?!

"I don't know... But Jin Dali, the loan shark, and Feng Jiuming and Chen San, the former owners of our Fenghuo Bar, they came with him too!" Pan Lizheng explained, his brow furrowed. He had a sinking feeling this was far from simple.

Chen San was one of the three main partners of Fenghuo Bar and a man Xie Nan and Pan Lizheng considered a brother. But now he had appeared with Gou Fei—what did that mean?!

BANG! BANG!

The two large doors of Fenghuo Bar were kicked open. Gou Fei strode in, leading the way, his arms spread wide as he boomed with laughter, "Good afternoon, everyone!"

A dense crowd of thirty to forty young hoodlums blocked the doorway. Although none of them carried weapons, their menacing presence still made the few customers in the bar fall silent, exchanging uneasy glances, unsure of what was happening.

"Gou Fei, what do you want, bringing so many people to my Fenghuo Bar?" Xie Nan asked, his face impassive. He held a bottle of red wine in one hand and a glass in the other as he fearlessly strode forward to meet them.

There were only about ten employees in the bar, three or four of whom were young women serving drinks. Fewer than ten people, members of the Xie Nan Loyalty Gang, stood firmly behind him.

"Tch! Your Fenghuo Bar?!" Gou Fei sneered at Xie Nan's words, shaking his head. "Sure, it's yours for now, but that might not be the case for long! Chen San, go tell your Boss!"

Chen San, standing to the side with a somewhat tense expression, was shoved stumbling forward. He glanced at Xie Nan with shame before lowering his head and muttering, "I'm sorry, Brother Nan!"

"Speak!" Xie Nan fixed Chen San with a deep gaze before asking quietly, "What exactly is going on?"

After a glance at Gou Fei, Chen San finally gritted his teeth, pulled a share transfer agreement from his inner pocket, and said in a low voice, "I've sold my shares to Second Master Gou."

"You…" Xie Nan stared at Chen San, his disappointment palpable, and asked in a heavy tone, "Why?"

Chen San didn't dare to meet Xie Nan's gaze. Gou Fei had both threatened and bribed him into transferring the shares. On one hand, he worried the Loyalty Gang was no match for the Axe Gang, meaning his investment would likely be a total loss. On the other hand, Gou Fei offered double the price. Making three hundred thousand in just two months was a very attractive return. Thus, Chen San had chosen to abandon the Loyalty Gang and Xie Nan.

"Enough with the 'why'!" Gou Fei lit a cigarette and sneered. "I know you all had an agreement: under the same conditions, existing shareholders have the priority to buy back shares. So, Xie Nan, I'll give you a chance. I paid seven hundred and fifty thousand for this thirty percent stake. If you can cough up seven hundred and fifty thousand, I'll sell it back to you. The question is, can you produce seven hundred and fifty thousand right now?"

Xie Nan clenched his fists in anger. Of course, he couldn't produce seven hundred and fifty thousand. The bar's cash flow had first been invested in the internet cafe, and then he had given two hundred thousand to Lin Feng. Now, there wasn't even thirty thousand in the accounts!

Does this mean the shares have to be sold to Gou Fei?! Xie Nan was deeply unwilling to accept this. Just then, Jin Dali, the loan shark, stepped forward again, holding an IOU and looking at Xie Nan with a smug grin.

"Brother Nan, my apologies, but I'm a bit short on funds myself lately. I really can't wait another month for repayment. I'll even waive the twenty percent interest; just pay back the eight hundred thousand principal now! Of course, if you don't have the cash, that's also manageable. You own forty percent of Fenghuo Bar's shares. I'll value them at one million, using the same price Second Master Gou paid. So, I'll give you two hundred thousand, and you can use your shares to clear the debt. How about it?" Jin Dali chuckled insidiously, as if certain Xie Nan had no cash.

Chen San must have been the one who told them I have no cash! Xie Nan shot Chen San a cold glare. From that moment on, all ties between him and Chen San were utterly severed.

Being unable to produce the cash meant seventy percent of Fenghuo Bar's shares would fall into Gou Fei's hands, and the entire bar would effectively change ownership... Xie Nan smiled bitterly. It seemed Gou Fei hadn't been wrong; the business he had painstakingly built from scratch could be forcibly wrested away in a matter of minutes!

Can I only take this two hundred thousand and go into retirement? Xie Nan felt incredibly unwilling. Yet, he bore no grudge against Lin Feng, for whom he had effectively spent one million. He only hated his own poor judgment in befriending a despicable person like Chen San.

"Look, I've even prepared the two hundred thousand in cash and the contract for you. Just sign it!" Jin Dali said with a beaming smile, taking out a small briefcase filled with cash and a contract, and placing them before Xie Nan for his signature.

Xie Nan glared fixedly at Gou Fei, making no move to take the two hundred thousand or sign the contract.

"What are you looking at me for? Can't you write? Hey, someone, come help Brother Nan hold his hand down and teach him how to sign... Hahaha..." Gou Fei laughed with brazen abandon.

"A'nan, you might as well sign it! You've already taken a fair bit of money from the accounts; you're not losing out..." Feng Jiuming, the former owner of Fenghuo Bar, said to Xie Nan with a smile. He was, in fact, the one who had first proposed the acquisition plan to Gou Fei.

It turned out that after being forced out of Fenghuo Bar by Xie Nan, Feng Jiuming had never accepted it and had always wanted to reclaim the bar. Seeing the business thrive under Xie Nan's management, his jealousy had festered into a rage. When he recently discovered Xie Nan was at loggerheads with the Axe Gang, Feng Jiuming finally saw his chance. He conspired with Gou Fei, using Chen San as the linchpin, and successfully orchestrated Xie Nan's downfall!

"Give me one day. I'll find a way to raise the eight hundred thousand to pay you back," Xie Nan said evenly, not backing down as he stared at Jin Dali.

"Who the hell do you think you are to demand a day?! On what grounds should I give you a day?! If you're so capable, produce the money right now! Then you wouldn't have to sell your shares, and you could even buy back Chen San's! Do you have it?" Before Jin Dali could speak, Gou Fei cut in, slamming his hand on the table and jabbing a finger at Xie Nan's nose as he ranted.

Xie Nan clenched his fists, his face flushing then paling as he glared fixedly at Gou Fei, unsure how to respond.

Suddenly, Xie Nan felt a large, warm hand gently rest on his shoulder from behind. At the same time, a familiar, comforting voice answered for him:

"I can vouch for it, he's got the money!"

Xie Nan spun around abruptly and saw Lin Feng standing there, carrying two large suitcases, a mischievous grin on his face as he looked at him...

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