Lu Fei didn’t think much of it. Business negotiations had nothing to do with him. He would rather finish his work early and head home to enjoy a leisurely, carefree evening.
Meanwhile, in the large conference room on the 32nd floor, Wang Zihua, director of the second department, brought five analysts to meet with Xu Liang from Youmao Video. Xu Liang arrived with just three people—his finance director, legal counsel, and assistant. The conference room was equipped with surveillance cameras, and Xu Yan, seated on the top floor, was observing the entire negotiation through the feed. For a project worth 125 million yuan, she didn’t see the need to attend in person, but she was still curious. Would they accept the price the mutt—Lu Fei—had suggested?
Elsewhere, several other directors were also watching the negotiation unfold.
“Director Wang, hello,” Xu Liang greeted politely. After all, Mingyu Finance was always the dominant Party A in such deals.
Wang Zihua remained courteous as well. “Mr. Xu, please have a seat.” Once everyone sat down, Wang Zihua got straight to the point. “We have thoroughly reviewed your company’s materials. Shall I get to the conclusion first?”
Xu Liang nodded. “Please.”
“We are open to investing, but the 160 million yuan you proposed is unacceptable,” Wang Zihua stated firmly.
Xu Liang frowned, clearly dissatisfied. “Why?”
The people beside him also looked displeased.
Wang Zihua replied calmly, “There are three key issues. First, your investment direction is unclear.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Liang asked, his expression tense.
“Your internal criteria for evaluating content creators are lacking, making it impossible to quantify allocation recommendations.”
That hit Xu Liang’s blind spot. He had to admit—they hadn’t considered that at all.
Following Lu Fei’s prior analysis, Wang Zihua laid out the remaining two issues. By the end, Xu Liang was completely dumbfounded.
Wang Zihua concluded, “Based on these three points, our initial recommendation was to reject the project. However, the analyst who pointed these out also suggested that we could still proceed—under revised terms.” You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
“We can offer 120 million yuan. Other conditions remain unchanged.”
Xu Liang’s face darkened. “That’s too low. Wouldn’t it be better for us to find another investment firm?”
“You’re free to do so,” Wang Zihua replied indifferently.
Xu Liang fell silent for a moment, then sighed. “Add 5 million more.”
Wang Zihua’s brow twitched. Xu Yan’s beautiful lips parted slightly in surprise, and the directors watching from the top floor were equally stunned. The number landed exactly on the price Lu Fei had quoted—125 million yuan. The precision was shocking.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Liang asked, noticing Wang Zihua’s expression.
“Nothing,” Wang Zihua replied. “125 million it is. When you’re ready, we can sign the contract.”
Xu Liang let out a sigh. “Mingyu Finance really is rich.” For such large investments, most companies would break up the payment, but Mingyu Finance had enough cash reserves to pay the entire sum at once.
The negotiation moved on to discuss the specifics of the contract. At the same time, Hou Jianjun and several directors prepared to go upstairs to meet with Xu Yan. To meet her, they first had to notify the secretariat. If Xu Yan agreed, they could enter.
Xu Yan knew they would come up, so she instructed Chen Yu to let them in.
Upon entering the office on the top floor, Hou Jianjun’s face was filled with excitement. “CEO Xu, that person you found is incredible! The calculation is flawless! Securing a 160 million yuan project for 125 million yuan—this is outstanding!”
Xu Yan kept her gaze down, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know how he came up with that figure,” she replied calmly. But on the piece of paper in front of her were several doodles of dog heads. Clearly, she was far from calm.
“Any other questions?” Xu Yan asked, trying to maintain her composure.
Hou Jianjun looked serious. “How old is this person?” he asked.
Xu Yan raised her eyebrows and looked up. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. Did she really need to answer that?
Li Hong jumped in eagerly, “If he’s around your age, why not consider dating him?”
Xu Yan remained composed on the surface, but under the table, she shifted her crossed legs. Her fair feet, wrapped in light-colored high heels, swayed impatiently. She was obviously flustered.
Trying to regain her calm, Xu Yan said coldly, “Director Li, I know you have a good relationship with my mother, but please don’t meddle in my personal affairs.”
Li Hong looked awkward and chose not to speak further.
Hou Jianjun exchanged glances with the other directors and asked, “So, this project will proceed as discussed?”
“Yes, it’s fine,” Xu Yan answered.
“Then we’ll take our leave, CEO Xu.”
As they turned to leave, Xu Yan added, “I’ll be arriving at the office later tomorrow. If any urgent matters come up, handle them yourselves first.”
Though her tone remained calm, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes lowered, ears visibly red. From tomorrow onwards, she would leave after Lu Fei went to work. Mingyu Finance had a mature internal system, and it was rare for any urgent issue to require immediate handling within an hour or two. Her absence wouldn’t matter much.
The directors didn’t mind. “Alright, CEO Xu. Anything else?”
“Nothing,” she replied.
Once the directors left, Xu Yan rubbed her forehead and looked down at the dog heads she had drawn. She picked up her pen, drew crosses over them, and let out a long sigh. Finally, she felt a little better.
At that moment, her phone lit up. Tang Shufang had sent her a message: “Are you free to come home for dinner tonight?”