Seeing the conference room door close shut like that, Xia Qingtian glanced at Mr. Gu and sat down. "Mr. Gu, regarding the joint acquisition and mining plan for raw materials, what is your company's proposal?"
"On the premise of the original market price, I'll offer a two-fen profit margin." Mr. Gu said, looking at Xia Qingtian.
Xia Qingtian knew this concession was significant. She nodded and said, "Then I thank you for your generosity, Mr. Gu. For subsequent matters, please have your company's project liaison and legal department contact me to sign the contract. Mr. Gu, I know you're busy, so I won't disturb you further."
With that said, Xia Qingtian flashed a perfect, brilliant smile, then quickly composed herself. She placed one hand on the table and prepared to rise.
The moment Xia Qingtian stood up, Mr. Gu placed one hand on the table and the other on her shoulder. "Qingtian, must we be like this?"
Xia Qingtian, whose backside had just left the chair, was pressed back down by Mr. Gu. She took a deep breath and removed his hand from her shoulder. "Mr. Gu, this is how we are."
"But we previously..." Mr. Gu frowned slightly.
"Just consider me socializing with a client. It's business etiquette," Xia Qingtian said, looking directly into Mr. Gu's eyes with a casual tone.
Hearing Xia Qingtian's words, Mr. Gu couldn't help but let out a laugh, amused.
"What's so funny?" Xia Qingtian asked, displeased by Mr. Gu's sudden laughter.
Was what she said amusing?
"Business etiquette?" Mr. Gu took a deep breath. "Is your social etiquette for clients to eat and drink at your place?"
Hearing this, a blush spread across Xia Qingtian's cheeks, and her gaze involuntarily shifted away in guilt. She weakly replied, "I... I even peeled garlic..."
Seeing Xia Qingtian's reaction, Mr. Gu chuckled again. He gently brushed a stubborn strand of hair from Xia Qingtian's cheek. "Qingtian, I know there are things I can't explain clearly to you right now, but I think you can feel that I have no ill intentions towards you."
Xia Qingtian looked up at Mr. Gu, giving him a look that said: Explain, I'm listening.
"You ate and drank at my place... no, you were socializing with me." Mr. Gu noticed Xia Qingtian squinting slightly and immediately corrected himself. "At my home, if I truly wanted to harm you, I could have put something in the food that could end your life. Controlling the dosage, I think it wouldn't be difficult to do it without anyone noticing. There would be no need to go through such lengths, right?"
"What if your goal wasn't to kill me, but to have other intentions?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"I don't deny that," Mr. Gu said. "I do have other intentions."
"What are they?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"Win-win cooperation," Mr. Gu replied.
Hearing Mr. Gu's answer, Xia Qingtian's expression seemed to soften. If Mr. Gu had replied with a flippant remark like "I want you," she would have turned and left immediately.
However, with Mr. Gu stating his intention for win-win cooperation, Xia Qingtian found the answer much more plausible.
Besides, this was something she had been pursuing all along.
Although she was very angry that day and even had nightmares upon returning, after a few days of calm, Xia Qingtian had come to terms with many things.
Frankly speaking, she wouldn't tell anyone about her reincarnation and binding with the Chosen Son system.
Even though this Chosen Son system was unreliable, constantly freeloading, and always causing trouble, it was still a golden finger that many people dreamed of!
At this moment, the system silently rolled its eyes. It could hear her!
Clearly, it was enough to just say the last part. Why did she have to lay so much groundwork to scold it?
So annoying!
It suspected this host was gaslighting it, but it had no evidence.
Seeing Xia Qingtian remain silent, Mr. Gu continued, "Regarding the Tang family, there's something I need to tell you."
"What?" Xia Qingtian looked at Mr. Gu.
"I mentioned before that the Tang family has two main figures, the hidden one and the visible one. The hidden one is Er Ya, and the visible one is Er Ya's twin sister, named Tang Youxi. She was ambushed last night and her whereabouts are currently unknown." This was the news Mr. Gu received that morning.
It was also the reason he was late that morning.
"Her whereabouts are unknown?" Xia Qingtian asked in surprise. "How could that happen?"
"If Tang Youxi truly met with misfortune, Er Ya might be called back to the Tang family to become the family head. You know her personality, she might..." Mr. Gu hoped to find a more tactful adjective, but recalling how completely he was outmaneuvered by Er Ya's few words at the Yue family, he could only offer a meaningful expression.
Everything was understood without words.
Xia Qingtian immediately understood, and she also gave a wry smile. "Do we have any information on Tang family's visible master's approximate location now?"
"Not yet. I've already had people looking into it," Mr. Gu replied.
"I'll also have people help me check," Xia Qingtian said. "Mr. Gu, you..."
"There's no one else here. Call me by my name," Gu Yaoyang said, looking at Xia Qingtian.
"Don't push your luck! I'm still upset!" Xia Qingtian glared at Gu Yaoyang.
"French Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops, Phoenix Chicken Slices, and Stuffed Meat with Chili," Gu Yaoyang said, looking at Xia Qingtian.
"You think a few dishes can win me over?" Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow.
"Hollow Glazed Meatballs, Pan-Seared Duck Confit, and Lemon Fish Fillet?" Gu Yaoyang's voice was gentle, his tone slow as if still contemplating. "And perhaps a bottle of sparkling champagne?"
"Hmph." Xia Qingtian snorted, then silently swallowed.
"Come over this Sunday at two in the afternoon," Gu Yaoyang said with a smile, patting Xia Qingtian's shoulder. "And sign the contract while you're at it."
The contract was just an afterthought? Dining was the main event?
Xia Qingtian clicked her tongue. Watching Gu Yaoyang's retreating back, she didn't refuse.
After all, the dishes Gu Yaoyang had listed sounded delicious.
No.
It should be said, signing the contract was important.
Meanwhile, in a small conference room downstairs, several close company directors were holding a private meeting.
"This Xia Honglang is an old fox, and Xia Qingtian is a little fox! Father and daughter are of the same mind! In my opinion, there's no place for us to speak in this Xia Corporation!" Director Han, who had been kicked out by Xia Qingtian for blocking the door earlier, was now pounding the table in anger.
"Be content! At least the person you recommended is still in the project team! I was only a little late, and we couldn't even get in!" Director Lin, who hadn't made it in time, and several other directors who were late and couldn't bring their people in, all had grim expressions.