The meal between Xie Ran and the Meng family was scheduled for the weekend. When the day came, Xie Ran changed into slightly formal clothes and drove himself to the Meng family’s old residence.

Originally, Meng Feixuan had enthusiastically offered to personally pick up Xie Ran, but Xie Ran ruthlessly refused.

If Meng Feixuan really came to pick him up, it was unclear who would be picking up whom.

The Meng family’s old residence was located in the villa district of Haijing City’s old town, a well-known wealthy area where every inch of land was precious. As soon as he entered the area, the streets were filled with top-tier luxury cars, making Xie Ran’s modest economy car appear particularly down-to-earth.

Xie Ran remained calm and followed the navigation Meng Feixuan sent to reach the destination, then drove into the garage under the guidance of the Meng family’s security.

Just then, a luxurious limited-edition sports car also pulled in beside him. Meng Sien got out of the car and came face to face with Xie Ran.

“Mr. Xie, we meet again,” Meng Sien greeted first.

Now that Xie Ran’s status was completely different, Meng Sien treated him with great politeness.

“Hello,” Xie Ran nodded slightly, neither warmly nor coldly, as a response.

Meng Sien’s gaze fell on Xie Ran’s car, and he let out a light laugh, then casually remarked: “Mr. Xie’s car is too low-key. Didn’t my brother get you a better one?”

Before Xie Ran could reply, Meng Feixuan’s voice came from outside the garage: “Stinky little brother, talking behind my back again?”

Meng Sien’s back stiffened slightly. Ever since Meng Siyun’s condition started improving, his way of addressing him had changed to things like “little brother” or “stinky little brother.” Although he was indeed the younger brother, the way Meng Siyun said it always carried a strange tone of mockery.

It felt like after the car accident, Meng Siyun somehow acquired a passive-aggressive buff—everything he said made people inexplicably angry.

Meng Sien took a deep breath and turned to greet Meng Feixuan: “Brother, what are you doing here?”

Meng Feixuan didn’t even look at him. He drove his wheelchair confidently toward Xie Ran and said with a smile: “Sir, I came to pick you up.”

“Mm.” Xie Ran naturally placed his hand on the wheelchair and took over the task of pushing it.

Meng Sien felt slightly awkward, so he gave a forced laugh and took the initiative to say: “Brother, honestly, Mr. Xie has helped our Meng Group so much. Why haven’t you gotten him a better car?”

Upon hearing this, Meng Feixuan finally glanced at him but only gave a snort: “Little brother, there’s something wrong with what you said. You just said it was for helping the Meng Group, and you benefited too. So why are you expecting me to get him a car? Why don’t you get one yourself?”

As he spoke, he clapped his hands, suddenly looking enlightened: “What you’re doing is moral coercion—being generous with someone else’s money.”

Meng Sien’s smile instantly froze.

He originally wanted to sow discord between Meng Feixuan and Xie Ran, but unexpectedly, Meng Feixuan was so good at sarcasm. After that sharp rebuttal, he only felt more embarrassed.

“You misunderstood,” Meng Sien reacted quickly and adjusted his expression, smiling: “Of course, I’d love to give Mr. Xie a car too. I just don’t know him well and was afraid of being rejected.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Ran suddenly said: “You wouldn’t.”

Meng Sien was stunned for a moment, confused: “What?”

Xie Ran’s expression remained unchanged: “You wouldn’t be rejected.”

Meng Sien blinked blankly, still not understanding.

“Sir said that if you want to give him a car, he wouldn’t reject it,” Meng Feixuan immediately fanned the flames expertly: “Then it’s settled. You’ll give him the car.”

He didn’t forget to emphasize: “Remember, get the best one. Don’t embarrass the Meng family.”

Meng Sien: “……”

Meng Sien walked out of the garage behind the two of them, his expression dazed. After a while, he still hadn’t figured out how he went from trying to trip up Meng Feixuan to randomly losing a car.

Meng Feixuan led Xie Ran through the garden to the Meng family mansion. Several of Meng Group’s elders were already waiting in the living room.

They said it was just a casual meal, but everyone knew that the content of this meal wasn’t that simple.

Knowing that Xie Ran had an unusual relationship with the Young Master and held critical technology, the elders of the Meng family had complicated attitudes toward him, including a lot of scrutiny.

When Xie Ran entered, Meng Yucheng and his wife were the first to get up and greet him: “Mr. Xie, you’ve finally arrived.”

Several other elders also stood up and greeted him.

Xie Ran responded one by one, neither humble nor arrogant, with measured and polite words and behavior, showing the demeanor of someone from a prestigious family, which surprised the elders who had initially viewed him through the lens of an internet celebrity.

Meng Yuguan was also among them. After greeting, his gaze fell on Meng Sien, who came in behind Xie Ran and Meng Feixuan. He scolded: “Sien, your elder brother has trouble walking now. Why didn’t you lead the way for Mr. Xie and show some hospitality?”

Upon hearing this, Meng Yucheng’s expression darkened. Meng Yuguan’s words sounded like a rebuke to Meng Sien, but they actually emphasized Meng Siyun’s disability and subtly elevated Meng Sien’s status to that of a host.

Meng Yucheng didn’t care about these petty schemes—he only feared that Meng Siyun might take the words to heart. He was about to change the subject—

But Meng Feixuan suddenly chuckled and, without waiting for Meng Sien to speak, said first: “You misunderstood little brother. He did very well this time—very polite and very generous.”

The elders were all puzzled.

Meng Yuguan frowned slightly: “What do you mean?”

“Little brother just said he wants to give Sir a car,” Meng Feixuan rubbed his hands together, looking at Meng Sien like he was a freshly caught fish: “And he said he’ll get the best. It’ll cost at least a few million, right? He’s really too generous.”

Meng Yuguan: “……”

Meng Yuguan almost jumped up on the spot. Everyone knew that Xie Ran belonged to Meng Siyun—why would Meng Sien give him a car for no reason? And it wasn’t just any car, he talked about one worth several million. Wasn’t he a fool?

But Meng Yuguan couldn’t just scold him in front of everyone, so he held back his anger and asked Meng Sien: “Sien, is it true?”

Meng Sien suffered in silence. With so many elders watching, he couldn’t go back on his word, or else it would expose his ill intentions earlier. He could only say grudgingly: “…Yes, I was just thinking that Mr. Xie is our honored guest.”

“Thank you,” Xie Ran responded smoothly, finalizing the matter with one sentence.

Meng Yuguan was so angry that he sat back down heavily.

Meng Yucheng and his wife, on the other hand, were quite pleased and led Xie Ran to a seat: “Mr. Xie, please have a seat.”

Xie Ran did not stand on ceremony and sat down. Meng Feixuan rolled his wheelchair over and stopped next to Xie Ran.

Meng Yucheng casually asked Xie Ran a few questions about his recent situation, then shifted the topic to equity distribution.

Meng Yucheng said: “Since Mr. Xie is willing to transfer the drone technology to the Meng Group, according to our company’s charter, we will allocate shares to you accordingly. I wonder if you have any ideas? Feel free to share them with us as a reference.”

After he finished speaking, the others present only glanced at Xie Ran out of the corners of their eyes, not taking him very seriously.

In their view, Xie Ran was just an ordinary little internet celebrity. Though he was skilled in technology, he had never worked with other companies before, and he had shared his technology with Meng Siyun without hesitation, so he probably didn’t understand the value of his own technology or how the business world worked.

Now that Meng Yucheng had taken the initiative to offer him shares in the Meng Group, Xie Ran should have been overjoyed.

However, Xie Ran leaned back slightly in his chair. His face did not show any excitement from being favored by the Meng Group. He maintained his usual indifference, resting one hand on the armrest, tapping it lightly with his fingertips. Instead of answering, he asked in return: “I’d like to hear your thoughts first.”

Xie Ran’s reaction completely surprised the others present. With just a light remark, he seized the initiative for himself.

Especially with his posture, it made everyone momentarily feel as though they were reporting to a superior.

Everyone: “……”

“Say something,” Meng Feixuan said impatiently when he saw them frozen: “Didn’t you already finalize the plan?”

Everyone again: “……” What kind of betrayal was the Young Master pulling here?

Meng Yucheng cleared his throat and tried to smooth things over: “Siyun, don’t be impatient.”

Meng Yuguan glanced at Meng Siyun out of the corner of his eye and let out a quiet, mocking snort.

The Meng Group naturally wouldn’t allocate shares in the main group to Xie Ran. The shares were to come from the drone company.

And since the drone company was currently managed by Meng Siyun, he should logically be the one designing the equity plan.

But Meng Yuguan had taken precautions in advance. On the grounds that Meng Siyun and Xie Ran had a close relationship and needed to avoid suspicion, he suggested the shareholders discuss the plan together.

Meng Feixuan had no objections to this. He only responded with a sarcastic warning for them not to regret it later.

Now, seeing Meng Feixuan so openly supporting Xie Ran, Meng Yuguan secretly felt relieved. Luckily, he had taken charge of this matter himself—otherwise, who knew if Meng Siyun would have secretly funneled benefits to Xie Ran?

“I’ll explain,” Meng Yuguan volunteered. If he spoke, he could best suppress Xie Ran’s momentum and prevent him from bargaining.

Meng Yucheng certainly knew what he was thinking. But internal power struggles within the Meng family were at their peak, and he needed to proceed cautiously with every step.

The equity plan currently proposed for Xie Ran wasn’t Meng Yucheng’s ideal version, but since Meng Yuguan had made many arrangements during the six months after Meng Siyun’s accident, Meng Yucheng didn’t want to force him into a corner just yet. This was a compromise between the two factions.

Meng Yucheng didn’t believe Xie Ran could negotiate anything big. The fact that Xie Ran had helped Meng Siyun secure this much capital after being severely injured for half a year already satisfied him.

So Meng Yucheng didn’t care who spoke and waved his hand: “Then let Yuguan explain.”

Meng Yuguan slowly took a sip of tea, then looked at Xie Ran and asked casually: “Mr. Xie, are you still doing livestream work now?”

“Mm.” Xie Ran also casually picked up the coffee cup beside him and took a sip, speaking in a calm voice: “I signed with a platform for a yearly salary of five hundred thousand. The monthly gift split is about one hundred thousand, totaling over a million a year, not including promotional income. You should have investigated all this thoroughly already. Any other questions?”

Meng Yuguan: “……”

The hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

According to his original plan, he was supposed to ask Xie Ran about his current profession and income level, then hint that Xie Ran’s income was not high, thus comparing it to the conditions offered by the Meng Group, making Xie Ran feel the treatment was already very generous and that he should be reluctant to ask for more.

Unexpectedly, Xie Ran reported his income first and revealed that the Meng Group had already investigated thoroughly, directly disrupting Meng Yuguan’s plan.

Xie Ran’s attitude was too straightforward. If Meng Yuguan wanted to emphasize his low income now, it would seem too deliberate.

Meng Yuguan was somewhat surprised. He did not know if Xie Ran had just stumbled upon it by accident or if he had already seen through his tactic.

He slightly restrained his expression, no longer dared to underestimate Xie Ran, and smiled: “It seems the streaming industry has quite high income.”

Xie Ran replied with minimal effort: “It’s okay.”

Meng Yuguan sensed that Xie Ran was really impervious to persuasion, so he no longer kept him in suspense and said: “Here’s the thing. Our board has carefully discussed and decided to allocate Mr. Xie five-thousandths of the drone company’s shares. Currently, the drone company’s market value is about 50 billion. Five-thousandths of the shares are worth approximately 250 million. Additionally, we will give Mr. Xie 50 million in cash… in total, Mr. Xie can get 300 million. I wonder if you are satisfied with this plan?”

Although Meng Yuguan asked if Xie Ran was satisfied, his expression already showed complete confidence.

Xie Ran had no reason to be dissatisfied.

He was just an ordinary small-town citizen who accidentally became an internet celebrity. His income was already top among peers—about two million a year. The Meng Group offered him nearly 300 million in assets all at once. Even if Xie Ran continued livestreaming until retirement, he might never earn that much.

Xie Ran’s expression did not change. He answered concisely: “Not satisfied.”

His reply was too straightforward and natural, showing no trace of embarrassment. Immediately, several people from Meng Yuguan’s faction changed their expressions.

Meng Yuguan’s face stiffened, his gaze darkened, and his tone grew less polite: “May I ask what Mr. Xie is dissatisfied with?”

Xie Ran lightly tapped the armrest, calmly: “After the new technology was released, the Meng Group’s stock price rose by 20 points, and the total market value increased by nearly 30 billion. The drone company has not yet gone public, but before the new technology’s release, the entire company’s valuation was only 30 billion. Now it is 50 billion, an increase of 20 billion…”

He glanced at Meng Yuguan faintly: “In other words, the new technology brought nearly 50 billion in wealth growth to the entire Meng Group. Mr. Meng Yuguan holds nearly 10% of the group’s shares, plus some shares in the drone company. In this period, Mr. Meng Yuguan’s personal wealth increased by nearly 4 billion… It seems you haven’t done anything during this time, right?”

In just a few sentences, everyone present immediately toned down their expressions.

Xie Ran’s technology had indeed brought huge wealth growth to the Meng Group. Just Meng Yuguan’s personal wealth increased by nearly 4 billion.

In other words, the Meng Group’s promise of 300 million assets to Xie Ran was not exactly stingy, but certainly not generous either.

Xie Ran’s dissatisfaction was reasonable.

However, Meng Yuguan had assumed Xie Ran did not understand business value, so he was naturally very surprised by this outcome.

Meng Yuguan belatedly realized this small internet celebrity not only understood business rules but also knew how to negotiate very well.

Xie Ran understood the profits everyone gained from the new technology release clearly. It was impossible to persuade Xie Ran that the benefits he received were already generous, neither logically nor emotionally.

Meng Yuguan glanced at Meng Feixuan suspiciously, suspecting Meng Feixuan was scheming behind the scenes, and maybe Xie Ran’s move was taught by him.

But suspicion was just suspicion. Without evidence, he could not openly accuse Meng Feixuan.

Still, Meng Yuguan was an old hand and not afraid of Xie Ran’s strong attitude.

His expression changed quickly, and he soon calmed down, smiled, and said: “I didn’t expect Mr. Xie to be so clear about the group’s situation. But since you understand this, you should also know that the share allocation is based on company regulations. It’s not that if the stock price rises, your technology is worth that much.”

There was a hint of mockery in his words.

What Xie Ran said sounded plausible but wasn’t entirely true. New technology could indeed drive a company’s value growth, but that relied on the company’s capital and operations. Otherwise, the richest people in the world would be technicians, not capitalists.

Without capital, even the best technology couldn’t be realized. Many talented researchers had excellent tech but couldn’t develop or monetize it.

In other words, the Meng Group’s wealth growth was because the group already had enormous assets. Technology was a driving factor but not worth that much on its own. Xie Ran was naive to use the group’s wealth growth to argue he deserved more.

Meng Yuguan then explained the principles of capital profits in detail, intending to give Xie Ran a lesson. After finishing, he looked directly at Xie Ran, curious how this small internet celebrity with no company work experience would respond.

If Xie Ran thought relying on Meng Siyun’s advice and shallow financial understanding, talking about the Meng Group’s market value alone could justify a huge demand, that would be too naive.

Unexpectedly, Xie Ran did not discuss the Meng Group’s value further. He remained indifferent and lazily changed the subject: “Xinsiang offered me a contract. They will exchange 5% of their shares for my technology.”

At this, the room fell silent.

Xinsiang was another drone company on the market, and also the biggest competitor of the Meng Group’s drone company. Before Xie Ran provided the new technology, Xinsiang and the Meng Group had roughly equal market shares.

That day at Haimeng’s opening, the Meng Group immediately suppressed the news, but such important news would ineVittably reach Xinsiang.

Even if Xinsiang couldn’t find out, Xie Ran could contact them himself anytime.

The recent rise in Meng Group’s stock price relied on technological leadership. Once the technology could no longer maintain its lead, the bubble would burst quickly.

Meng Yuguan finally realized where Xie Ran’s confidence came from. He did not need to negotiate with the Meng Group. He had the ability to cause both Meng Group’s and Xinsiang’s stock prices to soar.

And it seemed Xinsiang was willing to pay a higher price.

Meng Yuguan’s face turned extremely ugly: “Are you threatening us?”

Xie Ran looked at him, confused: “I am stating a fact.”

Meng Feixuan then laughed: “You haven’t even made an offer yet, and they say you threatened them? Are you really that fragile?”

Meng Yuguan: “…”

Meng Yuguan was angry and embarrassed, glaring at Meng Feixuan: “Siyun, you belong to the Meng Group. You should think about the group’s development. Isn’t this inappropriate?”

“I have thought about it. You just wouldn’t listen,” Meng Feixuan crossed his arms: “I made a share plan from the start, which Mr. Xie would surely accept. You insisted on making a new one… you couldn’t do it well, so why blame me?”

Meng Yuguan: “…”

Others in his faction: “…”

Meng Siyun had indeed submitted a plan initially, which gave Xie Ran the highest share percentage within group rules, and that was acceptable.

But Meng Yuguan and others thought Xie Ran knew nothing, so they found an excuse to take over the matter and tried to weaken Meng Siyun’s support as much as possible.

Meng Yuguan schemed carefully but never expected Xie Ran himself to be much harder to deal with than Meng Siyun.

Although Xie Ran never said exactly how much equity he wanted, since he brought up Xinsiang’s contract, the Meng Group couldn’t offer him a lower price than Xinsiang.

That offer was even higher than the one Meng Feixuan made initially.

Meng Feixuan glanced at them and said sarcastically: “I warned you not to regret this.”

Meng Yuguan and the others: “…”

They regretted it deeply now.