Chapter 73: The Bodyguard Asked Me to Pass on a Message to You (Please add this book to your bookshelf, so you won’t lose track of it.)

"The profit wager you agreed upon has a term of two years, correct? What was the set profit amount?" Hua Tianyu asked.

"It was set at two hundred million."

"Two hundred million? Was that too high? Did it make it impossible for Swan Group to achieve?" Hua Tianyu pressed.

"That figure was carefully considered by my father and me at the time—we believed it was reasonable. Two years ago, the company’s annual profit was already around ninety million. Factoring in new profits from developments in biotechnology, we thought two hundred million was entirely achievable."

"But unexpectedly, over these two years, the group’s profits have not increased—they’ve actually declined. We didn’t just fail to reach the wagered profit, profits were even lower than the previous years. So, in the end, Swan Group failed the entire agreement."

"Declined instead of increased?" Hua Tianyu paused, surprised that Swan Group's profits were on such a downward trend.

"Yes, some main sources of profit growth suddenly started shrinking right after the deal was signed," Wei Xueying replied, her voice full of helplessness.

"Have you analyzed the reasons for the shrinkage?" Hua Tianyu sensed a hint of conspiracy in her words.

"The main cause is the rise in raw material prices and purchase limits," she said.

"Purchase limits?" Hua Tianyu understood the price increase, but what was with these limits?

"It's said that several raw material suppliers signed supply agreements with other groups as well. But since their production capacity is limited, they imposed purchase limits on all buyers."

"Instead of expanding production, they restrict buyers?" Hua Tianyu mused inwardly—either those suppliers had lost their minds, or there was a hidden hand manipulating things.

Even if the trick with the suppliers was exposed, converting that breakthrough into profit would take time—far too long for Swan Group to solve its immediate crisis. The urgent priority now was to resolve the twenty billion buyback funding problem.

"How much time is left before the deadline to buy back their investment with twenty billion?" Hua Tianyu asked.

"Less than two months remain."

"And how much is the funding gap?"

"Even after draining all our company’s cash flow, there’s still a shortfall of about fifteen billion. But if we resort to mortgaging assets, Swan Group would be shattered."

Draining all cash flow and still facing a fifteen billion gap—Hua Tianyu understood now why Wei Jiacheng was so desperate to save Swan Group.

The funding gap was staggering!

"My father and I won’t give up until the last moment, but I’ve prepared for both outcomes. If the buyback fails and the company goes bankrupt, I’ll package and sell the company as a whole, to avoid mass layoffs for the employees," Wei Xueying said.

"Wouldn’t that leave you with nothing?" Hua Tianyu felt a warmth in his heart. Even at this critical juncture, this young woman was thinking about the future of Swan Group's thousands of employees.

Wei Xueying’s beautiful eyes were full of desolation; she sat quietly and did not answer.

"Don’t worry. With me, Hua Tianyu, here, I’ll never let Swan Group fall that far," he said, gently taking her hand and speaking softly to comfort her.

His gaze brimmed with confidence. Not only for the Dragon Soul, but for Wei Xueying, he could not let such a disaster happen.

Wei Xueying forced a smile. Though it was only comforting words, hearing them from Hua Tianyu somehow eased her heart.

But...

But something felt off...

This scoundrel...

When had he taken her hand?

How had she not noticed? He was holding both her hands and she was even smiling at him?

Wei Xueying’s cheeks reddened. She hastily pulled her hands free and shot him a fierce glare.

This guy—never misses a chance to take advantage!

Hua Tianyu seemed oblivious to her glare. He brought his hands, which had held hers, to his nose and sniffed them with a look of pure rapture.

This scoundrel! Suddenly, Wei Xueying regretted confiding in him so much. She shouldn’t have bothered, she shouldn’t have told him anything!

"Don’t believe your brother Tian can solve this?" he asked with a mischievous grin after savoring the lingering scent.

"As if I would!" Wei Xueying retorted, rolling her eyes at him.

"If brother Tian does create a miracle, would you dare promise me one request?" he teased.

"If you can solve the funding gap, I, Wei Xueying, swear to fulfill any one request you ask, free of charge." Though she thought Hua Tianyu was boasting, her gratitude was genuine.

No sooner had she finished her sentence than she saw his lips move, biting down as he spat out several words: "Rolling in bed with you... doesn’t count!"

Hua Tianyu sighed with regret. "But rolling in bed with you—that’s my request."

"No way! Pick another one!" Wei Xueying exclaimed, both embarrassed and angry.

"Ah, fine." Hua Tianyu clicked his tongue in disappointment, shaking his head.

"One day, I’ll make you lay out the sheets yourself and willingly roll in bed with me," he declared solemnly.

Wei Xueying had just risen from her seat. Hearing this, her high heels slipped and she nearly twisted her ankle.

She ignored him, hurrying toward a nurse emerging from the operating room.

"How is my father’s surgery?" she asked, tense.

"The situation isn’t very optimistic," the nurse replied.

Her words struck Wei Xueying like lightning; her legs nearly gave way.

Hua Tianyu quickly supported her arm, keeping her upright.

Perhaps realizing her words had caused misunderstanding, the nurse hurried to explain, "Don’t worry, what I mean is that the blood clot in Mr. Wei’s brain is in a difficult location, hard to remove. But his life is not in any danger, please rest assured."

"How is the surgery so far?" Hua Tianyu prompted.

"The American specialist has finished the operation, but Mr. Wei’s condition hasn’t improved much. We can only hope that conservative treatment will help his recovery."

The nurse's words amounted to announcing that Wei Jiacheng’s chances of recovery through surgery were zero. From now on, he could only rely on his own body to slowly absorb the blood clot in his brain.

Knowing her father’s life was not at risk, Wei Xueying’s weak body gradually regained strength. Yet she forgot to withdraw her arm from Hua Tianyu’s grasp.

Pressure followed pressure—an ice-cold CEO was still human, and needed someone by her side to help hold her up.