Three people entered the room: two men and one woman.
Leading the group was a foreigner with blond hair.
The woman beside him looked like a secretary—tall and with long hair draped over her shoulders.
The other man, dressed in black, seemed to be a bodyguard.
As soon as the foreigner entered, he saw Xu Zhengyang sitting there casually, instantly grasping the other party's attitude.
However, he didn't get angry. Instead, he chuckled, pulled out a chair, and sat down on his own.
The female secretary, seeing Xu Zhengyang and the others' lack of enthusiasm, immediately looked displeased.
She spoke in a low voice:
"Mr. Che, this is Mr. Jack Larry, the person in charge of the Yunhai region for South China Corporation. Mr. Jack has decided to give your company another chance, so you'd better take it."
Che Zhihao took a deep breath but said nothing.
Xu Zhengyang sized up Jack. His deep blue eyes held a trace of mockery.
It was as if toying with a company that wasn't their match was the whole point of his visit to Yunhai.
After all, South China Corporation was a joint venture, with the real power held by foreigners.
"Give us a chance? What do you mean?" Xu Zhengyang asked, raising his left hand slightly.
Seeing Xu Zhengyang speak, Jack's group naturally understood that he was the boss. The secretary immediately explained:
"Agree to our acquisition terms. It's that simple."
"And the benefits?" Xu Zhengyang asked with a shrug.
The secretary was taken aback.
Benefits? Of course, the benefit is that we won't go after you anymore, won't poach your people, won't create media pressure. But these things can't be said openly.
"The benefit is that you won't go bankrupt!" the secretary retorted coldly.
"Bankrupt? Who told you we were going bankrupt? You think just because you poached some of our people, cut off our engine supply, and planted a few news articles, you can bring us down? How many drinks did you have to believe that?"
Xu Zhengyang sneered.
"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about," Jack said, shrugging. His Mandarin was clumsy, but he had been in China long enough to understand. He just pretended not to, denying Xu Zhengyang's accusations with a faint, mocking smile. Everyone knew what was going on, but he wouldn't admit it.
"Whether you understand or not doesn't matter. I'm just telling you, no matter what tricks you play, I can handle them. But the tricks I play, you might not be able to handle."
Xu Zhengyang's smile slowly faded.
Jack's face darkened too.
The female secretary, however, was furious. Before Jack could say anything, she snapped.
"Who do you think you're talking to? Mr. Jack is worth millions! He's the regional head of a joint venture! Even the mayor of Santai City would speak respectfully to him! Watch your mouth, you fool!"
Chen Chusheng immediately stood up, leaned forward, and pointed at the secretary with a cold smirk.
"Say those last two words again. Go on."
Chen Chusheng had a naturally intimidating presence, and his glare made the secretary flinch.
She glanced at the unmoving bodyguard behind her and could only bite her lip and glare fiercely at Xu Zhengyang.
The bodyguard was there to protect Mr. Jack, not to argue with a secretary.
"Worth millions? Ask any of these guys behind me—they're all worth millions. Is that supposed to be impressive?" Xu Zhengyang sneered, pointing at the people behind him.
"But their status isn't the same as his! He's an expatriate executive! And he works for South China Corporation! Do you understand the difference in status? It's not something money can fix!" The secretary sneered, her eyebrows furrowing. She even felt that Xu Zhengyang was embarrassing the Chinese people in front of Jack.
Clearly, Jack was enjoying this.
"Your words are laughable. Do you know why?" Xu Zhengyang asked, pointing at the secretary.
She frowned and let out a cold laugh.
"I'm laughable? Ha." She shook her head in disappointment, genuinely feeling that Xu Zhengyang was an embarrassment.
"The reason you can say such nonsense about money not bridging status is that you don't have enough money. Your understanding is limited. And your definition of status is also self-centered, confined to your own little world. Money can change many things. For example, if I have more money than you, I have the right to play with you and show you what it means to be helpless."
Xu Zhengyang flicked his fingers and then spread his hands, adopting a nonchalant attitude.
"Ridiculous! Your company is on the brink of collapse, and you still dare to spout such nonsense. How embarrassing!" The secretary sneered, gritting her teeth.
At that moment, Jack started rattling off a string of English.
The secretary listened, then translated with a smile.
"Sir, I don't know where your confidence comes from, but honestly, I admire the spirit of you Chinese—the spirit of refusing to give in. Oh, wait, you Chinese have a saying for this: 'Stubborn to the point of suffering.'"
Clearly, Jack couldn't convey such idioms or colloquialisms in English; this was mostly the secretary injecting her own bias.
"You don't believe me?" Xu Zhengyang asked calmly, not the least bit upset.
"Haha, I believe you. Please, let us feel it quickly. Don't just talk!" The secretary mocked.
Jack added something, and the secretary translated:
"Mr. Jack says he can't wait to see how you respond! You've made him very happy!"
Xu Zhengyang smiled, stood up, and headed for the door.
"As long as you're happy. Enjoy the experience. I don't like opponents who are too easy to beat, so I'll make sure to have some fun with you."
Che Zhihao, Chen Chusheng, and Tang Ying immediately followed Xu Zhengyang out.
They hadn't expected the negotiation to turn out like this.
This wasn't a negotiation at all—Xu Zhengyang was here to declare war.
Or more accurately, to respond to a war already started by South China.
After they left, Jack said with deep meaning:
"Haha, Sherry, you Chinese are really interesting, with a certain mysterious confidence."
Chen Xueli forced a smile and replied obsequiously:
"Sorry for the embarrassment, Mr. Jack."
"Haha, I can't wait to see how he handles this."
"You overestimate them. They're just a bunch of country bumpkins, not worth your time."
Chen Xueli smiled flatteringly as she adjusted her hair.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhengyang and his group had already walked out of the restaurant.
"Che Zhihao, how much stock do we have left of cars and engines?"