SAG -Chapter 12 The Negotiation!

Su Yitian cautiously knocked on Zhang Ran’s door before stepping inside.

Seeing him sitting there in his usual daze, she couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief.

But almost immediately, her heart tightened again.

This time, the task she had been given was anything but easy.

Zhang Ran had just returned from class. They had already begun lessons on using modern technology and equipment.

He adapted remarkably quickly.

After all, these were things he had long since become familiar with—in his previous life.

Seeing Su Yitian, he greeted her politely before asking, “Miss Su, what brings you here today?”

She had originally planned to ease into the conversation with some small talk, but Zhang Ran got straight to the point. Fortunately, she had prepared herself.

She cleared her throat.

“Mr. Zhang, because of what happened before, you and everyone else aboard the cruise ship were officially declared deceased. You already know that, right?”

After briefly explaining the situation, she carefully observed his expression.

Zhang Ran wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

To him, that was only natural.

Seeing that he remained calm, Su Yitian relaxed a little before continuing.

“According to national law, since you had neither a will nor any legal heirs at the time, all of the assets under your name were transferred into state ownership.”

Zhang Ran nodded, indicating that he understood, then silently waited for her to continue.

His composure surprised her, but she pressed on.

“Now that you’ve returned, naturally those assets will be restored to you. The government also intends to provide additional compensation.”

Zhang Ran interrupted.

“Tell me exactly how much.”

Taking a deep breath, Su Yitian replied, “According to our investigation, your cash assets at the time amounted to 250 million yuan, based on the exchange rate then.”

She paused, only to find that Zhang Ran’s expression remained completely unchanged.

Suppressing a sigh, she continued, “In addition, the properties you owned in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and several other cities were later demolished for redevelopment. Based on the compensation standards at that time, those properties were worth a total of 2.8 billion yuan. So your current assets total 3.05 billion yuan.”

After saying everything in one breath, she stared at him.

Still nothing.

Not even the slightest hint of surprise.

She couldn’t help feeling a little discouraged.

Property prices had been incredibly low when Zhang Ran bought those homes. Their value had increased so dramatically—how could he not be shocked?

“What about the rest?” Zhang Ran asked calmly.

“The… rest?” Su Yitian echoed instinctively.

“I should still own a siheyuan in Beijing. Don’t tell me that was demolished too. And then there are my antiques. They should have been taken into state ownership as well. What? Are you telling me the government doesn’t intend to return them?”

His tone remained even.

Yet Su Yitian suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from him.

Quickly steadying herself, she replied, “Of course they still exist. However, you may not know this, but your Beijing siheyuan has since been placed on the list of protected properties that cannot be sold, so…”

She had intended to use that as a bargaining chip—to persuade him to make some concessions.

Instead, Zhang Ran suddenly laughed.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“If I remember correctly, I became the legal owner of that house before all this happened. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“That’s true, but—”

She tried to explain.

Zhang Ran cut her off.

“Then there’s no issue. I am the lawful owner of that siheyuan. Or are you planning to confiscate it by force?”

Without giving her another chance to respond, he continued, “My demands aren’t excessive. I simply want everything handled according to the law. I don’t need any additional compensation. Just return what belongs to me. As for the money that was previously taken into state ownership, I don’t require compensation—but the accrued interest must be calculated.”

For a moment, Su Yitian was at a complete loss for words.

Only now did she realize that Zhang Ran wasn’t nearly as easygoing as he usually appeared.

At last, a glimpse of his sharp edge had emerged.

Still, she knew these were entirely reasonable demands.

She had no grounds to reject them.

“Very well. Those assets are indeed legally yours.”

She hesitated before continuing.

“However… many of your antiques have already become part of the national collection, so perhaps…”

Seeing Zhang Ran about to speak again, panic flashed across her face.

She couldn’t allow him to seize control of the conversation once more.

Otherwise, she’d become even more passive.

“Mr. Zhang, please hear me out first. We’re here to negotiate. Our superior said the matter of the antiques is open for discussion. If you’re willing to donate them to the country, we’ll be able to assist you in certain matters.”

She continued, “You know how quickly society has changed over the past twenty-eight years. Many things aren’t easy to investigate anymore. Personal information is especially difficult to trace. In many cases, only the government still has the relevant records, and those archives aren’t something just anyone can access.”

She finally laid all of her cards on the table.

Although she didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning behind her superior’s promise, it was obvious that no one had expected a single siheyuan to persuade Zhang Ran.

This…

This was their real bargaining chip.

As expected, Zhang Ran fell silent.

He quietly contemplated her words.

Over the past few days, he had thought about many things.

Twenty-eight years had passed.

The world had changed beyond recognition.

Especially after he had been officially declared dead.

Many things that once belonged to him had probably ended up in someone else’s hands.

The people who had once surrounded him might well have forgotten he had ever existed.

He understood human nature all too well.

He immediately grasped what Su Yitian was implying.

They were offering government assistance in exchange for his antiques.

But Zhang Ran thought even further.

Her words revealed something else.

The most important clue was that many of the assets originally belonging to him had probably not been transferred entirely through normal legal channels.

Thinking about it, that made perfect sense.

Why would people willingly spend enormous sums of money to purchase those assets legally when they could obtain them with far less effort?

Especially in those days, very few individuals or companies had enough cash to buy assets worth billions.

Even if they did, tying up that much capital could easily put their businesses at risk.

Furthermore…

Not all of Zhang Ran’s wealth had been registered directly under his own name.

Some of it had been held through overseas companies.

All of these conclusions came from reading between the lines of Su Yitian’s explanation.

His mood immediately darkened.

Although he had mentally prepared himself for this possibility, actually confirming it still left a bitter feeling in his heart.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Zhang Ran finally spoke.

“I accept the proposal.” But it needs one modification.”

A surge of joy flashed through Su Yitian’s heart.

As long as the issue of the antiques could be resolved, everything else was negotiable.

Outwardly, however, she remained composed.

“What modification?”

“The antiques will remain where they are—for now.”

“But I won’t donate them immediately.”

He looked directly at her.

“Tell them this:

One favor… in exchange for one antique.”

He had never been particularly passionate about collecting antiques.

Back then, part of his reason for buying them had been to prevent China’s national treasures from leaving the country.

The other part had simply been investment.

After saying that, Zhang Ran waved his hand.

“I’m tired.”

“I don’t wish to discuss this any further.”

The meaning was clear.

The meeting was over.