Chapter 604 - Settling the debt: The First Favor (II)

Lu Jin did not pull his eyes away from Xiong Zhi.

Xiong Zhi meanwhile pretended to be calm. Fortunately, because of her innate talent of having a cold and expressionless face, or plainly put, her facial paralysis, she appeared to be indifferent about it.

"Of course, I remember it. As you've also heard, this is a promise I made for Mr. Liu. Not for you, Mr. Lu Jin." 

She was cautious and a bit exasperated.

For all the big shots that could be behind Liu Fung, why must it be Lu Jin of all people?

Xiong Zhi knew that any favor this man would ask was sure to bite them back. It must be nothing good.

Lu Jin ignored Xiong Zhi's side remarks. "Since Miss Xiong Zhi had a good memory and the blood of the Xiong who never turned back on their words, then this promise will be kept, correct?"

Xiong Zhi nodded calmly. "Of course. Like I said, I made this promise to Mr. Liu. So Mr. Liu should discuss this with me," she emphasized again.

She was blatantly telling them that since she made the promise to Mr. Liu, it should be Mr. Liu who asked her for the favor and not him! 

Nor any other people!

But alas, it was only wishful thinking because Liu Fung was loyal to Lu Jin. And also, the exchange for two favors happened to be Lu Jin's idea.

The smiling Liu Fung spoke up for Lu Jin. "Miss Xiong Zhi is right, of course. You can think of us as one person, his will is my will. We are here today to discuss the matter about the favors. Today, I will collect half of the debt."

Xiong Zhi's brows twitched. 

Collect half of the debt?

They were going to use only one favor today. 

Xiong Zhi stared at the two men indifferently. Inwardly, she was feeling annoyed.

There was no way back to turn them down. Lu Jin had the recording as evidence in his hands. He could use this to threaten Xiong Zhi's reputation, that he could publicize the recording if she did not keep her words.

For other people, this naturally did not pose much of a threat as there was no official contract signed.

However, for a business leader and a Xiong heiress who was striving to establish her prestige on the top of the society, this would be a huge blow on her reputation for transparency and credibility.

Transparency and credibility in the business industry was extremely important, it could spell the rise and fall of the company stock price and was also a core factor in securing deals, investments, and even talents.

(A/n: Like what happened to CJ- a jewelry company in the first volume. Their reputation was destroyed and they went bankrupt because the public did not trust them anymore. Investors pulled out from them and their business partners terminated their contract. )

Once people learned that she did not hold her end of deal, the trust of the people wanting to make business with her would fall and it could affect her hard-won reputation terribly. IHZHI's reputation in the business world would plummet down. Even the board of directors and shareholders in the Xiong Empire who were holding bad intentions might persuade Old Xiong to think twice in having her as the heir.

If Lu Jin used that weapon in a proper way, he could damage Xiong Zhi's reputation greatly.

Xiong Zhi's brain worked fast. If she had no choice but to turn back from her words, she could still hold IHZHI up. Her title and position as the heiress of the Xiong Empire might be compromised into a precarious situation, but she definitely had a chance with IHZHI, although the reputation would likely make their operations harder than before.

She was already thinking about the potential ways to minimize the damage and guide public opinion.

While Xiong Zhi was conflicted, a large and warm hand held her hand and squeezed it gently. 

Because the table was quite high and was blocking half of their bodies, the two guests did not see this small action.

Xiong Zhi looked at the man beside her.

Linfeng smiled at her reassuringly.

He turned to Lu Jin. "Since you have already said your motive in coming here, you might as well spill out just what kind of favor you are asking for."

Lu Jin glanced lightly at Linfeng. 

The two men's eyes met. 

Their last encounter was still vivid in their minds.

Linfeng really wanted to crack this man's head open and see what was inside of it.

He had been exposed that he was spying on them before. Based on his past investigations with the usual ways of Ming Zhi Yi and his people, he would likely be in trouble. Linfeng had been preparing himself for any trouble that would come, like assassination and corporate espionage. 

But no threat or attack came to him. 

He inwardly wondered, did this man purposely let him go? 

But if so, for what reason?

Due to the cold and expressionless face of Lu Jin, it was hard to read his mind or his mood.

"It is simple .There's no need for the two of you to be cautious." Lu Jin gestured for Lui Fung to open the file they had in hand.

As Liu Fung was pulling out the papers, Lu Jin continued to speak. "It is a favor that Xiong Zhi can do in half a minute. I just need you to sign these papers."

Xiong Zhi and Linfeng glanced at each other and looked at the files.

Now, they were curious what this doc.u.ment was about.

Linfeng went forward and took the papers from Liu Fung's hand. He blatantly skimmed through the papers while walking back towards Xiong Zhi. 

Linfeng's hand paused. 

He was inwardly surprised. 

It's about IAmFashionista. It was asking for Xiong Zhi's signature as a VVIP to side with Lu Jin's faction and vote for the person that Lu Jin's faction nominated for the position of the head organizer.

After Linfeng got the gist of it, he handed the papers to Xiong Zhi. His mind worked fast while he waited for Xiong Zhi to finish reading them all.