Professor Xu smiled and crossed his arms. âThatâs right. So, what do you think, Mr. Ji?â
âI think we can cooperate.â Ji Shiting smirked. âYou lack funds, and I happen to have some.â
âIâm not surprised at allâ¦â Professor Xu clicked his tongue. âBut I have to suspect that youâre just trying to get out of here by suggesting a cooperation.â
âProfessor Xu, you said Gu Yimo was your student, right?â Ji Shiting looked at him.
âThatâs right. Heâs very smart. Iâve taken care of him for several years. I was all alone, and I left him all the useless information after I faked my death.â
âThen, you might not know that Gu Yimo established a research institute after returning to China.â Ji Shiting smiled. âLike you, he likes to do some unorthodox research, but itâs difficult to market it, so he couldnât find sponsors and investments until he met me. Iâve been sponsoring him for the past six years, and the amount is increasing every year. Even during the years I was missing, Shengge didnât cancel the funding. Last year, the funds from my personal account to Gu Yimoâs research institute were forty million. This is only a yearâs funding, and I didnât ask him for specific requirements. I decided the research content and direction based on his likes.â
It was powerful evidence. Professor Xuâs eyes widened.
âYou can verify it yourself.â Ji Shiting smiled. âI can provide evidence if you trust me.â
â40 million isnât enough for me.â He smiled.
âOf course, your research is far more important than Gu Yimoâs small-scale study. We can talk about the specific amount of funding. Double or triple is just a matter of a word.â Ji Shiting crossed his legs and said. âProfessor Xu, you can understand if you think about it a bit. You insisted on operating on me. Itâs fine if it succeeds, but if it fails, youâll have nothing. With your current success rate, which choice do you think is more risky?â
Professor Xu was silent for a while before saying, âMr. Ji, youâre very eloquent. I was almost tempted.â
Almost.
Ji Shiting frowned.
âYouâre right. Considering the risks, itâs more likely for me to get money by cooperating with you. Unfortunately, you didnât mention the risk of these two choices.â He smiled maliciously. âIf you lied to me after I chose to cooperate with you and breach the agreement after leaving here, then this research institute will most likely shut down. However, if I operate on you and your operation fails, Iâll at most maintain the current situation, but there wonât be any risk. Iâll still pay for this.â
He then enjoyed Ji Shitingâs expression. He thought Ji Shiting would be irritated, but he saw the man opposite him smile.
âYouâre right. Iâm very relieved that you can think of that. I also like cooperators who are cautious enough.â Ji Shiting tapped his index finger. âThen, how about this? Iâll give you a large sum of money first, and to prove my sincerity and to gain your trust, you can decide on the amount. How about that?â
âMr. Ji, Iâm afraid you donât have the right to mobilize a large sum of money now, do you?â Professor Xu was skeptical.
âThatâs right, but Shengge can.â