On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Mu Lin and his group boarded a passenger plane heading back to school. Watching the four little girls laughing and playing, Mu Lin couldn’t help shaking his head. His early intellectual awakening made him think differently from his peers. Though only one year older than Mei Fang, in Mu Lin’s eyes, Mei Fang was still a little girl.
Before departure, Claire had called him. Due to the current economic downturn, although Claire had found a job, her salary was low, so she had moved out of her previous address. After the airport pickup, Mei Zi and Mei Fang parted ways with Claire’s family. Seeing the tear-streaked faces of Mei Fang and Mei Zi, Mu Lin decided to buy Claire’s former home.
After arranging for his sisters to stay at a hotel, Mu Lin went to the courthouse to check whether Claire’s house had already been sold. Due to the sluggish economy, many properties remained unsold at the courthouse. Claire’s house, originally priced at over 200,000, was now being sold starting at 105,000.
Mu Lin contacted his two lawyers, and three days later, he purchased Claire’s house for 80,000 at the courthouse. Since school had not yet resumed, Mei Fang and the others followed Mu Lin. When they saw that Mu Lin had truly bought the house, Mei Fang eagerly called Claire, inviting her family to move back and live together.
When Mu Lin met Claire at the former residence, he felt a sense of reflection. Previously, he had come here as a tenant; now, he was the homeowner. After discussing with Claire and considering her attitude toward him, Mu Lin decided to continue living at school, while Mei Fang and the others would be cared for by Claire rent-free, with Mu Lin covering their living expenses. Not wanting to owe anyone a favor, Mu Lin left 10,000 dollars with Claire before returning to school.
Reflecting on this house-purchasing experience, Mu Lin thought that although the economy was sluggish, there were still many middle-class people here. These individuals didn’t have the time or energy to check the courthouse or bankruptcy lawyers’ offices for property prices. Meanwhile, the courthouse and bankruptcy lawyers, trying to save costs, wouldn’t advertise in the media. If he could step in, he could launder his gambling money and avoid the attention of American gangs.
At this time, the private agency he had hired delivered a report on Claire: “Claire Reese, originally from Fujian Province, China, with the original name Huang Xiuli. Now 27 years old, at age 8, her father Huang Keshan opened a grocery store in New York’s Chinatown. Later, their territory was targeted by a Chinese community group, who schemed to involve him in gambling, forcing him to sell the store at a low price. He was beaten and disabled. Due to poverty, her mother left home and disappeared. At age 9, Huang Xiuli was molested by delinquent youths from the Chinese community group and suffered a mental breakdown. At age 10, her father committed suicide, and she became homeless on the streets of New York’s Chinatown.
In the same year, she was adopted by a black man named Jack Reese, moved to Boston, and renamed Claire Reese. At 20, she married her adoptive father Jack Reese. She graduated from MIT with a degree in economics, passed the Certified Public Accountant exam at 22, and at 23, Jack Reese died of colon cancer, leaving behind the adopted daughter, Daisey Reese. At 24, she married white pilot Tom Klaus, took out a loan to purchase their current residence. At 25, Tom Klaus died in a plane crash, leaving behind his daughter from a previous marriage, Bees Tom. She worked at Douglas & Associates Law Firm in 1983 and resigned in January 1985. She currently works at Mac Trading & Services.
Reading this, Mu Lin understood why Claire always looked at him with such bitterness.
He continued reading about the reason for her resignation. Douglas & Associates was a well-established law firm in the area, with 1,728 officially registered lawyers, all from top law schools in the U.S. or Europe, forming a business cooperation network across the entire U country and the European continent.
It also employed 3,250 other professionals, with assets totaling 55 million dollars. Its service scope covered direct investment, corporate mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investment, finance, overseas securities issuance, futures, asset restructuring, project financing, international engineering contracting, real estate, anti-dumping, trade, intellectual property, high-tech, international arbitration, and many other fields. It had 32 offices in the U country and Europe.
However, the owner of the firm had become addicted to gambling, losing over 98 million dollars in Las Vegas over three months, pushing the firm to the brink of bankruptcy. Claire was among the first round of layoffs. The firm was currently applying for bankruptcy, so there was no need to read further.
At this moment, Mu Lin felt as if he had found a pillow while drowsy—he was still a student and had no time to handle real estate matters himself. If he acquired Douglas & Associates, he could save a lot of time.
The next day, he went to the address listed in the report and found Douglas & Associates. The law firm occupied a 14-story building, entirely its own asset. Entering the front lobby, one of eight receptionists lazily asked Mu Lin whether he had an appointment with any lawyer or needed assistance with any other matter.
Mu Lin knew he was only 1.65 meters tall and still looked like a child. For a receptionist at a nearly bankrupt firm to treat a child this politely was, in his opinion, quite professional.
He then asked, “May I ask if Mr. Douglas is in?” “Oh! May I ask what business you have with Mr. Douglas?” The receptionist was surprised to see an Asian child asking for the boss. She knew that many people wanted to take advantage of the firm’s bankruptcy, trying to buy it at a low price. Mr. Douglas refused to let his family’s legacy fall into the hands of unscrupulous businessmen at a discount. Recently, few people had come to negotiate. If not for the contract requiring a hefty severance fee upon resignation, most employees would have already left.
“Well, my name is Daniel Mu, and I’m here on behalf of the Burse Law Firm to discuss some business with Mr. Douglas. Please inform him like this,” Mu Lin said politely. “Also, lawyers from the Phoenix Law Firm will arrive shortly. Please receive them as well and ask them to wait. When needed, please send them up.”
“Glad to meet you, Mr. Douglas! My name is Daniel Mu. I’m from Salt Lake City and currently studying at MIT. I know you’re having some trouble, and I’m here to discuss acquiring your firm,” Mu Lin directly stated his purpose in Douglas’s office on the fifth floor, seeing the puzzled look on Douglas’s face.
“Oh, so which family or company are you representing in these negotiations?” Douglas still looked confused. As far as he knew, there were no major Asian families in the state or Salt Lake City.
“I’m representing myself. You know that your firm’s assets are appraised at 55 million, and your personal assets amount to 26 million. However, I’m offering 92 million to fully acquire your firm and its debts at the bank.
After the acquisition, the firm’s name will remain unchanged, and you will continue to manage it. The two houses you live in locally will still be used by you under the firm’s name. You can use all six cars in your household, but you will be responsible for all related expenses. However, the out-of-state villas, cars, and your yacht will not be included and will require separate applications for use. I will offer you an annual salary of 500,000.”
Seeing the astonished and puzzled expression on the 50-something-year-old Douglas, Mu Lin continued, “Oh, sorry, I think you don’t know—I’m only 15 years old right now! If, within three years, the firm’s performance maintains its current growth trend, I will return the ownership of the house you live in to you, and your salary will increase by 10% annually. If, after those three years, the firm continues to grow at the same pace for the following five years, I will give you a 10% stake in the firm. I won’t interfere with management. That’s all my offer.”
Before coming here, Mu Lin had already learned through the report that Douglas owned two local houses and cars worth about 2.5 million, and another 42 villas, 52 cars, and a local yacht worth about 23.5 million outside the state and abroad, totaling approximately 81 million. That’s why he offered 92 million.
He also knew that Douglas had used the firm and his own assets as collateral to take out an 80 million short-term bank loan for three months, and borrowed another 10 million from friends. Considering U country’s laws, even if a minor purchases company shares and becomes a director, he still cannot exercise management rights, only other rights of a director. Even if he bought the firm, Mu Lin would still have no management authority and would need someone else to manage it.
Through his investigation, he found that Douglas had extensive local connections and decent management skills. To eliminate Douglas’s concerns, Mu Lin added an extra 12 million to the offer. This way, after the acquisition, Douglas would be free of debt worries, with 2 million left to cover expenses like interest and servant wages. By leveraging Douglas’s network, he could ward off other forces’ ambitions and ensure the firm’s management and development proceed smoothly, as the Douglas family had been established here for over a hundred years.
Rumors suggested that many people coveted the firm’s extensive business network and wanted to negotiate acquisitions for 50 to 70 million, aiming for a low price or joint venture. If such a deal went through, Douglas would still carry about 20 million in debt. Naturally, Douglas refused, preferring bankruptcy. Though life would be tight, he wouldn’t have to bear massive debts and could rely on government assistance for a quiet life in his later years.
Douglas considered these people “despicable plunderers” and refused to compromise. Thus, no acquisition had been finalized in the past two months. Now, the three-month bank loan was about to expire, and Douglas couldn’t find any more loans. Once the loan expired, the bank would apply to the court for Douglas’s bankruptcy. Moreover, the Douglas family no longer supported him, and his brothers, who controlled other family businesses, refused to invest in the law firm, waiting for its bankruptcy to strip Douglas of his family management rights.
Hearing Mu Lin’s words, Douglas realized that although his family’s business was no longer his, he would still manage it. In the future, he could even gain a 10% stake in the firm. The family legacy wouldn’t be entirely lost in his hands—this was like a dream come true. Mu Lin saw the excitement on Douglas’s face.
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