Du Zhaohui’s irritating smile made Tang Yuanyue uneasy from the moment he saw him.
Xia Xiaolan remained indifferent.
She wanted to see what would happen, even if Tang Yuanyue and Du Zhaohui were putting on a show. Since she had no intention of selling the land anyway, she wasn’t concerned about their plans.
Tang Yuanyue, however, was worried. He knew Du Zhaohui wanted the Golden Sands Pool property.
Du Zhaohui had a history with Xia Xiaolan. Tang Yuanyue knew that Du Zhaohui had brazenly proposed cooperation with Yuanhui Decorating, but they had completely ignored Young Master Du… This was a smart move – unsolicited favors usually meant ill intentions, and when someone with a grudge offers help, it’s likely a trap. Du Zhaohui’s family business had triad connections; trusting his words could be fatal.
Du Zhaohui couldn’t buy the Golden Sands Pool property.
Knowing this was impossible, bringing in Du Zhaohui would be problematic.
From the start, Tang Yuanyue never intended to split the Golden Sands Pool property with Du Zhaohui.
If the location truly had good feng shui, why shouldn’t the Tang family have it exclusively?
He was buying the land as a gift for his father – splitting it would diminish the sincerity of his filial gesture.
Was Du Zhaohui here to cause trouble?
Tang Yuanyue was annoyed but then reconsidered: Du Zhaohui’s presence might work in his favor. If Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to sell to Du Zhaohui, he might get a better deal.
He hadn’t had enough interaction with Xia Xiaolan to create any animosity.
Compared to the disagreeable Du Zhaohui, surely Xia Xiaolan would prefer to sell Golden Sands Pool to him!
Tang Yuanyue smiled: “Zhaohui, if we’d known you were coming, Miss Xia and I would have waited for you.”
Du Zhaohui showed no concern, “If I’d told you, there wouldn’t be any surprise. Don’t worry about hospitality, Brother Tang – I brought my own food and wine!”
Du Zhaohui had ordered an elaborate feast.
Covered dishes were placed on the table, and when unveiled, they were still hot, releasing rich aromas.
Abalone and shark fin were essential items. Du Zhaohui had also prepared bird’s nest soup, specifically for Xia Xiaolan: “Young ladies should eat more bird’s nest soup for nourishment and beauty. Don’t you agree, Miss Xia?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded, “As long as it’s not poisoned, anything is fine.”
Despite her words, she ate the bird’s nest soup without hesitation.
This wasn’t a martial arts novel – there weren’t many colorless, tasteless poisons.
Besides, this was a society governed by law; murder carried the death penalty. Their conflict wasn’t serious enough for Du Zhaohui to risk killing her.
After she finished the soup, Du Zhaohui smiled provocatively, “When selling the Golden Sands Pool property, won’t you consider our Chengrong Group? Despite our small misunderstanding, you shouldn’t let it affect your profits. I know you don’t like me, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking my money. Your dislike for me should motivate you to make more money from me. Spending that money while thinking about how you got the better of me would bring you joy every night!”
Xia Xiaolan admired Du Zhaohui’s thick-skinned approach.
She admitted he had a point and denied any dislike for him:
“Young Master Du is joking. You gave my birth father employment and helped my cousin escape prison – how could I dislike you? Your help to the Xia family is countless, and I’m grateful for all of it… But this is a business meeting, let’s skip the reminiscing and discuss the matter at hand. Chengrong Group is interested in Golden Sands Pool, and coincidentally, CEO Tang from Meihua is here. Since you’re friends, there’s no need for secrets – how much is Young Master Du willing to offer for Golden Sands Pool?”
Du Zhaohui looked at the feast and clicked his tongue:
“This meal was specially prepared by a Cantonese master chef. Miss Xia, won’t you do it justice? I thought discussing business over fine food and wine would create a better atmosphere.”
What a lunatic!
Du Zhaohui wasn’t here for business – he was here to obstruct her meeting with Tang Yuanyue.
Fortunately, Xia Xiaolan had no real intention of selling; otherwise, Du Zhaohui’s behavior would have infuriated her.
Tang Yuanyue maintained his composure, his expression barely changing. Xia Xiaolan turned to him: “CEO Tang, I prefer doing business with straightforward people. You mentioned earlier that Meihua would pay 12 million yuan for Golden Sands Pool – is that true?”
Tang Yuanyue nodded, “Of course it’s true. If Miss Xia agrees, we can sign the contract immediately.”
Tang Yuanyue could afford 12 million yuan. The Tang family was wealthy, and their parent company, the Yuhua Group, was even larger than the Chengrong Group. As the Tang family’s eldest son, Tang Yuanyue had sole control of the subsidiary Meihua.
He could make decisions for Meihua independently, unlike Du Zhaohui who had to report everything to Du Chengrong.
Du Zhaohui gritted his teeth, “I’ll offer 14 million yuan!”
Standing behind Xia Xiaolan, Ge Jian silently calculated. Simple arithmetic wouldn’t fail him – the land cost was 2.784 million, cleanup crew wages were 15 yuan per person per day for over 20 people working a week, plus transport vehicle rental, totaling less than 4,000 yuan.
Adding the gold buried at the spring, 1000g cost less than 50,000 yuan.
Total cost: 2.83 million yuan!
If Qihang agreed to sell and accepted Du Zhaohui’s offer, Miss Xia would profit 11.17 million yuan from Golden Sands Pool alone!
Why bother with bank loans?
With this money, Miss Xia could buy another plot and repeat the process.
Of course, Ge Jian kept these thoughts to himself. He hadn’t bought the land and couldn’t make decisions for Xia Xiaolan. Besides, she had already convinced him that this property was crucial for the company’s long-term development – she wouldn’t sell it.
Tang Yuanyue gripped his cup:
“Zhaohui, I can overlook your uninvited interruption of my meal with Miss Xia. But you’re ignoring business etiquette – randomly raising the price while Miss Xia and I are negotiating affects our friendship. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Du Zhaohui smiled, “Isn’t business about the highest bidder? Brother Tang, I need this land.”
This dog Tang Yuanyue had no idea that the Du family’s inheritance battle was reaching a critical point. While Du Zhaohui expanded in mainland China, Du Zhaoji was gradually eroding his Hong Kong stronghold.
Tang Yuanyue’s efforts to please Chairman Tang were just icing on the cake, but Du Zhaohui didn’t want the land for building villas.
Though not a large project, it had profit potential, and Du Zhaohui wanted to manage it himself.
The two former “friends” who used to play ball together now refused to yield.
Xia Xiaolan glanced at the door Du Zhaohui had left open, catching a glimpse of her uncle’s face. She knew the timing was right:
“CEO Tang, and Young Master Du, you’re both accomplished businessmen from prestigious families. Since you both want this land, my confidence in the Golden Sands Pool project has increased. Selling to either of you would offend the other, wouldn’t you agree?”