Chapter 3 — The Last Gift Is Goodbye

"Three days." Co Hoai Tham hissed through his teeth.

"Give me three days to collect the money."

"The repayment date stated in the contract is today."

"Lam Niem!" He said loudly, "What do you mean by forcing me? Three hundred million, who can get it out on the same day?"

"That year when you received my money, I transferred it that same day."

He couldn't say a word. I took two steps back.

"Okay, I'll give you three days, but it's not free."

"What conditions?"

"Overdue interest rate, daily interest 0.3%."

"It's okay to disagree." I raised the contract bag in my hand, "See you tomorrow."

He gritted his teeth and spoke for a long time. I turned around and walked away. When passing by the seventh row, Tham Dien stood up. He didn't say anything, just naturally walked next to me and went out the door. Behind him, Chu Ngoc Lan's scream rang out.

"This woman is crazy! She's really crazy!"

Giang Uyen Thanh's cry also echoed. As I walked out of the hotel door, the night wind blew, I realized my back was drenched in sweat. Tham Dien handed over a handkerchief.

"No need." I said.

"Your hands are shaking."

I bowed my head and looked. Truly shaking.

"It's okay, it's like that every time I see him."

He didn't ask further. The Maybach car door opened, he leaned over to let me get in the car first.

"I'll take you home."

"No need, I'll—"

His tone was not harsh, but did not allow for negotiation. I got in the car. The car was very quiet. Tham Dien sat next to me, scrolling through his phone, saying nothing. I leaned against the glass door, watching the night scene outside recede.

"Why did you help me anyway?"

He didn't lift his head.

"I told you, watch the play."

"I don't look like the type of person who has that much free time."

He locked the phone screen and turned to look at me. The light passed over his face, his features were very deep, his eyes were very cold, but did not make people afraid.

"Five years ago, in the Golden Hall of Vienna, Chopin's Ballade No. 4."

I was stunned.

"That concert, I sat in the third row."

"Have you… ever heard me perform?"

He paused for a moment and then continued: "So when I heard that your arm was broken and you couldn't play the piano anymore, I wanted to know who did it." I don't answer.

"After completing the investigation, I discovered that the person who did this is the future son-in-law of a business partner of mine."

"Co Hoai Tham."

"He is taking advantage of my Tham Family's relationship to carry out a real estate project in Southeast Asia."

I looked at him.

"So you're helping me, because of business?"

"What about the other half?"

He opened the phone again, on the screen was an audio file, the file name read: Chopin Ballade No.4- Lin Nian, Vienna 2019.

"I've kept the recording of that performance for five years."

"A person who can make such sounds does not deserve to be treated like that."

The car stopped. Arrived at the gate of the apartment complex I live in. I pushed the car door open and stood outside, hesitating for two seconds.

"Nothing." He said, "If he doesn't pay in three days, you can find me."

"Because the procedure for transferring shares will be faster if my team of lawyers is involved."

The car window raised and the Maybach rolled away. I stood in the wind, clutching the kraft paper bag in my hand. Co Hoai Tham, you better keep your word. Early that morning Later, my phone was broken. Twenty-three missed calls. Seventeen of them were from Co Hoai Tham's mother, Chu Ngoc Lan. Four attacks from Giang Uyen Thanh. Two calls from an unknown phone number. I don't answer to anyone. Opening Weibo, the fourth most popular search item: Chairman of Co Thi Group was asked for debt right at the wedding. There are more than twenty thousand comments below.

"What's the situation? Being asked for debt by an ex-girlfriend at the wedding? TV dramas don't dare to be written like this."

"Three hundred million??? Lend your ex-girlfriend three hundred million and then have an affair? How miserable."

"Someone said that his ex-girlfriend was a pianist and he injured his hand. Is that true or not?"

I turned off Weibo. The doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a lawyer's coat.

"Hello Ms. Lam, I am Vuong Van, a partner at Thinh Dat law office. Mr. Tham told me to come find you, about that loan contract."

I thought for a moment and opened the door wider.

"Let's go inside and talk."

After Vuong Van sat down, she took out a stack of documents from her briefcase.

"Miss Lin, last night I extracted the real estate and business registration information. Currently, the available amount in Gu Huaishen's personal account is no more than forty million."

"Forty million?

The capital value of his company is up to billions..."

"Capital value is one thing, cash is another. In the past half year he has put too much capital into real estate projects in Southeast Asia, the capital recovery cycle is at least another eight months."

"That means..."

"Within three days, he can't swing out three hundred million."

I leaned against the back of the chair.

"What about the transfer of shares..."

"If the contract breach clause is valid, the transfer of 35% of shares will not face any legal obstacles. However..."

Vuong Van pushed up his glasses.

"Co Hoai Tham will not sit and wait to die. If he borrows from others to rotate capital, or mortgages other assets, it is theoretically still possible to collect enough money within three days."

"Who would lend him a loan?"

"Jiang family."

I was silent. Giang Uyen Thanh's father is Giang Duc Vinh, one of the ten most prominent figures in the Beijing real estate world. Three hundred million is nothing to him.

"So you think he'll pay?"

Vuong Van shook his head.

"I think he'll do something else."

"Find a way to make that contract invalid."

At two o'clock in the afternoon, a strange number called again. I picked up the phone.

"Lam Tieu Thu, I am Tran Chi, Legal Director of Co Thi Group."