While Xia Ziyu was using her body as a weapon to conquer a man in a Hong Kong hotel…

In America,

Xia Xiaolan was using her tongue for translation:

“Mr. Elmer, we have no intention of increasing our price. If you continue to delay your decision, our cooperation will have to end.”

Elmer smiled, “You clearly understand why our company would consider selling the production line to a Chinese company, right? Mr. To offered $9.7 million. If the Chinese side won’t increase their price, it’ll be very difficult for me at the company.”

Wilson hadn’t followed up either, and Elmer assumed Wilson’s support for the Chinese delegation only extended so far.

He’d been waiting for Mr. To to handle Mr. Zhou, hoping to delay until the Chinese delegation gave up voluntarily. That way, he could maximize profit without offending Wilson.

Unexpectedly, Mr. To made no progress, and the Chinese delegation neither raised their price nor gave up, resulting in a deadlock.

Both sides wanted him to decide quickly – how could he?

Unfortunately, Mr. To wouldn’t raise his price further. With just another $500,000, Elmer could ignore Wilson’s influence and sell the production line directly.

Being shrewd, Elmer wanted to see which buyer would crack first and raise their price.

Xia Xiaolan glanced at Zhou Cheng, who nodded.

Today, Deng Changxing seemed particularly confident: “Xiao Xia, tell Mr. Elmer that we won’t be staying in New York much longer. If he can’t decide quickly who to sell the production line to, the delegation will leave New York tomorrow, and this cooperation will end!”

Why did Director Deng suddenly become so confident? Had he received some assurance?

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t ask right then, but if she couldn’t trust Deng Changxing, Zhou Cheng was certainly trustworthy.

After translating Deng’s words, Elmer was shocked, asking “Are you sure” twice.

Was the Chinese delegation giving up on importing the production line?

Elmer had thought they’d persist longer!

After all, it was well-known that the Chinese were poor, and their business practices often emphasized “sincerity” while being stubborn negotiation tactics.

“Yes, sir. If we can’t cooperate, we’ll regret it too.”

Elmer escorted them downstairs with an apologetic expression, but back in his office, his true joy emerged. “Call Mr. To! I have great news, wonderful news!”

“Mr. To, congratulations! The company has decided to sell you the production line!”

“Mr. Elmer, I was just about to contact you. I’m withdrawing from the purchase. I hope we can cooperate in the future. Sorry, I have to catch a flight and can’t chat further.”

Beep beep beep—

The dial tone left Elmer at a loss.

This wasn’t how he’d imagined it.

Mr. To should have been rushing to sign the contract!

Why, after persisting for so many days, would he give up right before the Chinese delegation withdrew?

Elmer couldn’t understand it.

Calling back, the hotel front desk answered, saying Mr. To had already checked out!

Shit!

This was the year’s strangest event – first, they competed to buy, and now both sides withdrew simultaneously.

Mr. To had even rapidly checked out and gone to the airport, clearly wanting nothing more to do with the transaction.

But wait, the Chinese delegation wasn’t leaving New York until tomorrow!

Was this deliberate?

Had the Chinese delegation played him, with Mr. To just acting on their behalf?

Elmer’s mind was full of questions.

After two hours, assuming the Chinese delegation had reached their accommodation, Elmer called. He wouldn’t mention Du Zhaoqi’s withdrawal forcing them to sell to the Chinese delegation – that would be too foolish:

“Hi, I have good news! The company has chosen between you and Mr. To. We’ve decided to establish a lasting friendship with China and sell you the production line!”

Over the phone, Xia Xiaolan’s voice was strained:

“Mr. Elmer, we’re grateful for your company’s decision. This affirms our countries’ friendship and your goodwill. However, we’ve encountered some difficulties. The domestic authorities have strong opinions about Director Deng and Chairman Song’s inability to finalize the purchase agreement…”

After Xia Xiaolan’s roundabout explanation, Elmer caught the keyword:

“Lower the price?”

Had these Chinese gone mad?

They should be grateful he agreed to sell them the production line. If not for Wilson, the company would have sold it to Mr. To for $9.7 million long ago. Now that Mr. To suddenly withdrew, it should be a win-win situation for the Chinese delegation.

Not raising the price was one thing, but maintaining their previously discussed $8.7 million would be fine.

Instead of happily agreeing, the Chinese delegation wanted to reduce the price by $500,000!

Impossible! Impossible to sell at that price!

Was this a coordinated act, or had the Chinese delegation learned of Mr. To’s withdrawal so quickly? Surely Mr. To wasn’t foolish enough to inform his competitors after withdrawing.

“The delegation truly lacks sincerity. It seems we can’t reach an agreement – reducing the price by $500,000 is impossible!”

…

The call was on speaker, so not only Xia Xiaolan but everyone in the room heard Mr. Elmer angrily hang up.

“Now that the Du family has withdrawn, we should quickly sign the contract. Why lower the price?”

$8.7 million was already acceptable to Song Zhicheng and the domestic authorities. While Xia Xiaolan suggested using this opportunity to negotiate a lower price, Song Zhicheng feared complications.

Du Zhaoqi had withdrawn, albeit reluctantly.

If another buyer emerged, especially from another country, what connections would they need to navigate then?

However, Deng Changxing agreed with Xia Xiaolan’s proposal.

While Song Zhicheng didn’t care about that $500,000, Deng Changxing did!

It wasn’t just about saving foreign exchange for the country – the purchase price of the production line would reflect Deng Changxing’s competence. Reducing the initial price by several hundred thousand dollars would justify the connections he’d used to contact Du Chengrong.

“I support Xiao Xia’s approach. It’s just a suggestion – best if Elmer agrees, and if not, we lose nothing.”

Deng Changxing was optimistic. If they annoyed the other party, he could always shamelessly persist. When conducting business abroad, face wasn’t as important as practical results!

With Deng Changxing and Song Zhicheng divided, Zhou Cheng naturally supported his wife, plus he had his judgment:

“Director Deng, Chairman Song, Mr. Elmer said reducing by $500,000 was impossible, but didn’t say a price reduction was impossible. I see great hope. Even if we can’t reduce it by $500,000, there’s room to negotiate the $8.7 million price.”

This wasn’t a few-dollar hamburger – suitable buyers wouldn’t appear so quickly.

Elmer was responsible for this deal and could sell to anyone.

But with both buyers walking away, Elmer might struggle to explain this to his company!

Zhou Cheng had his judgment and confidence in Xiaolan – if she decided to negotiate the price down, she must have some assurance.