Chapter 183
“So, do you want to cooperate with me? I think us working together would be a win-win situation.” Liu Yan looked at Xu Ke with hopeful eyes.
“Cooperation is possible, but I need to see your value first.” Xu Ke put down his coffee cup and spoke leisurely.
“Isn’t what I just said enough to prove my value?” Liu Yan’s eyes were filled with great doubt.
“You also know that what you said is just talk. You need to get the product ready first. I’ll see if the effect is really as good as you claim. If it truly achieves the results you mentioned, I can offer you a two-percent share.”
“Two percent is already quite a bit. The initial investment, network promotion, employee recruitment, and company management are all my responsibilities. Starting a company requires me not only to invest a large amount of money but also to use my connections for many things, while you only need to provide the formula. So do you have any objections to me giving you only two percent? The more you contribute, the more you get in return. I contribute a lot, so I take more. Is there a problem with that?” Xu Ke spread his hands and asked.
“You want to be a hands-off manager, taking money and the majority of the shares. Miss Liu, there’s no such good thing in the world for you. Usually, you only get what you give. Don’t be too greedy. Of course, if you feel you’re at a loss working with me, you can choose not to cooperate with me and sell the formula to others or start a company with someone else. I have no objections.”
Xu Ke adopted an indifferent stance, while Liu Yan across from him was successfully caught in a dilemma, her eyebrows revealing clear hesitation and struggle.
“This isn’t a small matter. You can consider it slowly. This is my personal number. If you decide, let me know your answer. But I’m leaving Shangjing in three days, so please try to make your decision a little sooner.” Xu Ke placed his business card in front of Liu Yan. “I have other things to attend to, so I’m leaving first.” After speaking, Xu Ke didn’t give Liu Yan a chance to hold him back, turned around, and pushed open the café door, stepping into the wind and snow.
Liu Yan held the business card in her hand, still as conflicted as ever. “How should I choose?” she muttered to herself, finally reaching up to tousle her already far-from-perfect hairstyle in frustration.
“Waiter, check please.” Liu Yan called out.
“Hello, the gentleman from earlier has already paid for your table.” The maid in bunny-ear attire wore a shy blush on her face.
“Oh, I see.” Liu Yan walked out of the café in a daze, unsure of when Xu Ke had paid. She wandered in a trance until she found herself back at the previous bank, where she thought her second aunt had left, yet she was still kneeling at the bank’s entrance.
“Since when did you become so obedient, kneeling here without feeling embarrassed?” Liu Yan couldn’t help but start mocking as soon as she saw her, causing the already pale-faced second aunt to turn even paler.
“No other option, where’s that man who’s always with you?” The second aunt looked around but didn’t spot Xu Ke, and her previously straight back slumped in an instant, her whole body relaxing.
“Of course, he’s gone home. He’s been out for quite a while. Why are you asking? Could it be you’re afraid of him?” Liu Yan squinted, her expression enigmatic as she pondered something.
“I’m not scared at all. Not saying more, I’m heading home.” The woman struggled to stand up from the ground, swaying as she rose from kneeling long in the snow, nearly falling over. If she hadn’t caught herself in time, she might have face-planted right there. Although the woman didn’t fall today, the fact she knelt so long at the bank’s entrance left her resentful, and she immediately held a grudge against Liu Yan and Xu Ke.
Liu Yan didn’t care in the slightest about the other’s resentment. Her answer was already clear when she saw her second aunt kneeling despite her angry expression.
Xu Ke was sitting in the car when he received a call from Liu Yan after driving not far. “I agree to your terms, two percent it is. I’ll produce the product as soon as possible for you to see in the coming days.”
Liu Yan’s strong voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece. Xu Ke raised his brows, and despite the apparent delight in his expression, his tone remained unchanged. “Alright, I hope you can proceed swiftly.”
“I’ve never asked, have you ever heard of my dad’s name?” The Bluetooth earpiece went silent for a moment, just as Xu Ke thought Liu Yan might have hung up, her voice came through again.
“I’ve heard a bit.” Xu Ke replied with a voice still unchanged.
“So you do know my dad.”
“Are you going to back out now?” Xu Ke asked in return.
“Why would I back out? If Dad knew the product the company painstakingly developed could be produced one day, he’d surely be very happy. I’ll strive to have the product finished before you leave Shangjing, just wait for my good news.” This time, Liu Yan’s voice brimmed with energy and determination, so much so that her vitality and resolve could be felt even over the phone.
“I look forward to your success.” Xu Ke said calmly.
After the call ended, Xu Ke’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile. Who would have thought that just by going out to rent a house, he’d encounter such a big catch? Indeed, the heavens had not let him down. The secret formula from the Liu Group — he initially planned on searching for it, but hadn’t expected it to fall so easily into his lap. It truly felt like being given a pillow right when he was about to nod off.
Xu Ke’s good mood lasted until he met Chu Lian.
“I wonder what Miss Chu wants from me?” Xu Ke saw Chu Lian, who had clearly been crying, and couldn’t help but retract his smile.
“Do all you guys like those fake good girls and green tea bitches? I just don’t get it, are you all blind? It’s clear what kind of person she is, yet why can’t you see it? That bitch Yi Duo’er clearly set me up, yet Lian Xuan, that blind fool, believed her and scolded me, making me lose face. Tell me, are all men blind?”
“Miss Chu, please don’t generalize. Young Master Lian’s actions have nothing to do with us guys.” Xu Ke sat across from Chu Lian, speaking leisurely.