Chapter Twenty-One: The Negotiation Concludes

Li Fengyu thought to himself, "President Gu, oh President Gu, this price must be discounted, but I cannot give in yet. It hasn't reached your bottom line. You pushed me into such a corner earlier; how could I let you off without making you bleed a little?"

Li Fengyu immediately followed up, "President Gu, didn't I say we were done talking? Anyway, where shall we go to hang out later?"

Gu Yumin wanted to curse Li Fengyu. If you didn't want to talk, why wait until the end? You clearly think my price isn't low enough. Her intuition told her that Li Fengyu was bluffing, but she dared not gamble. If she guessed wrong, she would not only fail to make money but also suffer losses. In the end, she chose the lesser of two evils. Truth be told, the moment she adopted this mindset, she had already lost; she lacked the determination to stake everything on a single throw and the courage to burn her bridges that Li Fengyu possessed.

Gu Yumin’s heart was racing with tension as she said, trembling, "Vice President Li, twenty million, plus ten percent of your trading profits. How about that?"

Li Sen and Chen Yuxuan exchanged a glance. This price had already met their expectations, but Li Fengyu remained unmoved. He was like a customer who not only wanted the final price to meet his expectations but also wanted to push it to the other party's absolute bottom line to maximize his savings. Seeing that Li Fengyu was still unmoved, Gu Yumin decided to feign anger to force him to stop. She pretended to be furious and said, "Li Fengyu, stop this at once! Don't push me; this is my bottom line!"

After Gu Yumin’s outburst, the conference room fell into a deathly silence. What happened next caught everyone off guard. Li Fengyu slammed his hand on the table, eyes wide with indignation, and retorted, "President Gu, it is clearly you who has been aggressive from the start! It was you who said that the business world is like a battlefield. Oh, now that the advantage isn't on your side, you're losing your temper? You are far too ruthless." Li Fengyu grabbed his briefcase and pulled Li Sen and Chen Yuxuan toward the door, saying as they walked, "No more talk, no more talk! We’re leaving now."

Of course, Li Fengyu was acting. This was a ploy to force Gu Yumin into making further concessions. It must be said that Li Fengyu’s acting was quite convincing. As long as he hadn't stepped out of the Huayu Group's doors, the negotiation wasn't over. His feigned indignation was merely part of the process. Gu Yumin was at a loss as to what to do, and eventually, her secretary blocked their path, saying, "Vice President Li, we are here to negotiate, not to hold grudges."

Li Fengyu shouted back, "It is your president who is being aggressive! We came here with the intention of having a proper discussion, didn't we? From the start, she hit me with veiled sarcasm, and I endured it. Then she tried to trap me. I, Li Fengyu, have a temper too. Move aside!"

Just as the standoff at the door reached its peak, Gu Yumin spoke up again, "Ten... ten million, plus the ten percent profit. How about that?"

Chen Yuxuan noticed Gu Yumin looked somewhat deflated and nudged Li Fengyu’s sleeve, signaling that this was enough. Li Fengyu agreed and sat back down in his chair. With only three minutes left before the deadline, and the contract already prepared, Li Fengyu pulled out his fountain pen, hesitated, and set it down again. Gu Yumin stared straight at him and asked, "What is it?"

Li Fengyu replied, "President Gu, let's discuss something. We've cut the price from fifty million down to ten. Why don't we just waive that ten million as well?" Gu Yumin was about to explode, but her secretary leaned in and whispered, "President, let’s hear what the kid has to say first." Gu Yumin gestured for him to continue.

Li Fengyu stood up and said, "My father told me that business is about maintaining good relations on all sides, and making money is about letting things fall into place naturally. How about this: let our two groups become friends. I will increase the profit share from this trade to fifteen percent for you as a gesture of goodwill. Let's work together on business in the future. What do you say?"

While Gu Yumin hesitated, the secretary whispered, "President, I think he has a point. If we have to, let's just agree. We only have two minutes left. Let's cut our losses this time. Besides, I sense this kid has some tricks up his sleeve; we might need him later. It wouldn't be wise to make an enemy of them." Persuaded by her secretary, Gu Yumin finally agreed. Li Fengyu signed the new contract, and with that, the negotiation officially came to an end.