Chapter 577: Negotiations Fail, Hostilities Renewed
Upon hearing Huang Yu’s words, President Zhang’s face instantly darkened, but he didn’t back down either.
“President Huang’s silver tongue is as sharp as ever! But morale is sky-high at Suning, and we’ve gained another two percent of market share this quarter. You’d better be careful, President Huang, or we might just overtake you and knock you off your perch.”
Huang Yu’s eyebrows rose slightly at this, a haughty expression appearing on his face. “Fighting spirit is a fine thing. But President Zhang, when faced with an absolute gap in strength, spirit alone isn’t enough. I am destined to be an insurmountable mountain before you.”
As the tension between the two grew increasingly volatile, threatening to erupt into another argument, several familiar faces among the executives quickly stepped in with smiles to smooth things over.
“Presidents Zhang and Huang, are you two really going to duke it out right in front of us?”
“Indeed, everyone present is a person of considerable standing. Making things too awkward would be unseemly.”
“Healthy competition is a good thing. With your two giants chasing each other, us smaller suppliers can make a living.”
“Exactly, exactly. Today is Finance University’s anniversary celebration. No business talk, just reminiscing.”
“……….”
Thanks to everyone’s mediation, the previously explosive atmosphere gradually eased.
Huang Yu straightened his suit collar with an expression of disdainful indifference and turned to leave.
At that moment, a clear female voice rang out.
“President Huang, a moment please.”
Huang Yu acted as if he had only just noticed Liu Yutong, his tone noticeably cold. “Well, if it isn’t Chairwoman Liu? What can I do for you?”
Liu Yutong had ruined his plans in South City, showing no regard for his status as the wealthiest man. Naturally, he wouldn’t give her a warm reception.
Completely unbothered by his attitude toward her, Liu Yutong smiled brightly. “President Huang, there is something I’d like to discuss with you in private. Would you do me the honor of stepping aside for a moment?”
Huang Yu’s eyebrows rose, seemingly surprised by Liu Yutong’s reaction.
“Oh? Chat with me? Chairwoman Liu, why not speak plainly right here?”
“There are too many people here, too many eyes and ears. Please, let’s move to a quieter spot.”
Huang Yu studied her for a few seconds, then finally nodded. “Lead the way.”
The two walked to a relatively quiet corner of the VIP lounge, one after the other.
Huang Yu stopped first and turned to face Liu Yutong. “Now can we talk?”
Seeing this, Liu Yutong cut straight to the chase. “President Huang, since you’re a straightforward person, I won’t beat around the bush. According to my information, you hold approximately 8% of Qiming Electric’s shares. I wanted to ask if you would be interested in selling that stake?”
The moment Huang Yu heard her proposal, his gaze turned razor-sharp. “Qiming Electric? Chairwoman Liu, are you joking with me?”
“I’m completely serious. On price, we can discuss a 10% premium over market value.”
Huang Yu let out a cold laugh, rejecting her outright. “Impossible! Have you forgotten what my company does? Since you’re eyeing Qiming Electric, just as I am, you should also see that its price is undervalued, correct? You want my shares for that paltry sum? Ridiculous.”
Liu Yutong sighed inwardly at his words: As expected, there are many smart people in this world.
She could assess that Qiming Electric’s value didn’t match its price mainly because she knew the Four Trillion Stimulus Plan and the Rural Appliance Subsidy Program were about to be announced. Even if Qiming Electric was currently trading at a high point, once these two policies were made public, the stock price would still skyrocket.
Yet Huang Yu, relying purely on his business intuition, had quietly acquired 8% of the shares to become Qiming Electric’s second-largest shareholder. If not for Qiming Electric’s poison pill defense, his character would have driven him to seize control of the company long ago.
“I naturally admire your business acumen, President Huang. But since you also believe Qiming Electric is undervalued, we could certainly cooperate,” Liu Yutong spoke frankly, without any evasion.
“Cooperate?”
Huang Yu acted as if he’d heard a joke. “Hahaha, Chairwoman Liu, have you forgotten what happened in South City?”
“Back in South City, you didn’t leave me a shred of face. You slapped me down thoroughly. Do you think I could cooperate with you? Based on what—your words?”
“Let me tell you, Liu Yutong, after all these years in business, there’s nothing I despise more than an arrogant youngster who doesn’t know their place. Want to buy my shares? In your dreams!”
The smile on Liu Yutong’s face slowly vanished. “President Huang, we’re discussing business. Why resort to personal attacks?”
Huang Yu snorted again. “I have no business to discuss with you. I’d rather let my Qiming Electric shares rot than sell them to you!”
“I must also remind everyone present: be careful when cooperating with a disrespectful, unscrupulous youngster like this. One day, she might just stab you in the back.”
He deliberately spoke these last words loudly enough for many nearby to hear.
The guests exchanged glances, all thinking the same thing: How did Liu Yutong manage to offend the richest man?
Having heard this, Liu Yutong dropped all pretense of politeness. “President Huang, I’ve taken note of what you’ve said today.”
“I’d also like to remind you of an old saying: if you walk by the river often enough, eventually your shoes will get wet. President Huang, you’d best be careful from now on!”
With that, she turned and left without another glance at Huang Yu.
Little did she know, her final words left everyone present dumbstruck.
“Damn! Did I hear that right? Is Junior Sister Liu threatening the richest man?”
“You heard right. Our junior sister is something else!”
“She’s crazy! Absolutely crazy! It’s not that I don’t support our junior sister, but someone of Huang Yu’s stature in the business world—she can’t just say something like that, no matter how capable she is!”
“I think this young lady isn’t simple. Think about it—could someone who built an enterprise to this scale in just one year be reckless? She dares to say this either because she’s young and foolish, or because she’s genuinely fearless.”
“It’s good for young people to have drive, but ultimately, the business world runs on strength.”
“Quite right!”
“………”
President Zhang, on the other hand, rather admired Liu Yutong. The young woman had real courage, brimming with dominance. Though he wished she could topple Huang Yu, he knew it was impossible.
The two weren’t even in the same league—one was the nation’s wealthiest man, the other merely a rising regional tycoon. How could they compare?
Yet for some reason, he couldn’t help but entertain an absurd thought.
What if Huang Yu actually fell to this young woman?
He’d vaguely heard some rumors—that the Wanlong Society was no simple organization. It operated in both legitimate and shadowy realms, particularly the latter, where its power was terrifying.
If that were true, then President Huang might indeed be in real trouble…
No matter how rich the richest man might be, you wouldn’t casually offend a society with underworld connections, would you?
Unless you had a death wish.
Meanwhile, several executives with close ties to Huang Yu had gathered to talk.
“President Huang, that girl is too arrogant. Should we teach her a lesson?” a balding man said, leaning close to Huang Yu.
This man was one of Huang Yu’s suppliers, dependent on him for his livelihood, so naturally he toed the line.
Huang Yu didn’t look pleased either. In all his years, this was the first time a junior young enough to be his daughter had publicly threatened him. What infuriated him more was Liu Yutong’s expression as she left—she seemed to not even see him.
Truth be told, he was actually a little afraid of her. Because of the South City incident, he’d heard some rumors about how Vulture Master had been ‘taken care of.’
This girl had some seriously dark connections!
But he certainly wouldn’t show any weakness to her face.
“No need. I want to see what this ignorant little girl can actually do to me!”