Chapter 517: 2.3 Main·Pinokangni (188)

Ho ho ho! Welcome, welcome, ladies, aboard! It's my fault for not taking good care of you, causing you to wait outside for so long, right?

Jade smiled gracefully: "No need for such words, Mr. Ao Di. It's an honor to see you. You may not know, but 'The Biography of Ao Di Aifufa' is required reading for new Strategic Investment Department staff."

Topa laughed and replied: "After all, in many people's eyes, you are the legendary figure who single‑handedly upheld the Pinokangni economic system."

Old Ao Di still smiled brightly: "Ho ho ho! No wonder you're among the ten stone‑hearted members of the Strategic Investment Department; the two of you truly master the art of conversation. I, Old Ao Di, enjoy chatting with clever people, skipping the formalities and getting straight to the point! Since I've invited the company's representatives aboard this time, you can probably guess the topic I want to discuss, right?"

Ms. Jade's eyes grew deeper: "The future of Pinokangni—if I'm not mistaken, that's what you want to talk about."

"Ho ho ho, exactly, right on the money! A few simple words, but the stakes involved are tangled and extremely complex! Take that absent golden‑haired youngster as an example—he spent half a day on it, nearly risking his own life. What was he after?"

"In the end, wasn't it just to create an opportunity for the company, giving you a reason to retake that juicy Asdena chunk? Ho ho ho…"

"The experience and wisdom distilled from ten Amber Eras of traversing the business world truly lives up to its reputation." Facing Old Ao Di's verbal sparring, Ms. Jade smiled calmly, unhurriedly said: "Assuming your earlier conjecture is true, Mr. Ao Di—facing this move by the company, what would you do?"

Old Ao Di nodded appreciatively: "I admire your composure, Ms. Jade! You've certainly seen many things. But your understanding of Pinokangni is still not deep enough… Ho ho ho… Facing a wolf that drools three feet long, I, Old Ao Di, have no intention of sitting idle and waiting for death."

——

Zero Zone.

"Wow… this Old Lord Ao Di, is he truly not planning to act at all?"

She sat cross‑legged on the sofa cushion, cradling half a bag of chips in her arms. The negotiation scene under the canopy was tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder, making her bite the chips gingerly, lest she disturb the three inside.

"Right from the start they skipped the boring probing stage; real business warfare is indeed more thrilling than movies!"

Zhe was also seeing this kind of real‑world business negotiation for the first time, and both sides were figures capable of deciding a planet's fate. Yet their way of clashing was much more plain than Zhe had expected, leaving him a bit unsettled: "No covert share transfers, no coffee thrown at the opponent's computer… It feels like something's missing."

"Brother, which era's business war are you watching? Modern high‑end business battles are often conducted in the most straightforward way!"

"No wonder you're the master," Fairy's voice rang in the room at the right moment, "According to the New Ailidu Public Network Information Database, traditional commercial conflicts employ physical means—such as poisoning, seizing official seals, pulling network cables—accounting for about 7.3%."

"And cases where direct verbal accusations and threats are made in public venues, successfully achieving strategic deterrence, make up less than 2.1%. Based on the canopy scene analysis, Mr. Ao Di Aifufa's behavior pattern falls under an extreme atypical strategy, usually indicating that the negotiation foundation has completely collapsed, or that Old Ao Di's side holds an extremely strong trump card and confidence."

After Fairy said that, Zhe became even more puzzled: "Trump card… confidence? Is that something the family can have now? On their turf a senior executive almost perished, causing the Harmony Festival to be postponed… the reputation has dropped to its lowest in years… If the company doesn't seize the chance to wipe out the family completely…"

——

When those words were finished, the negotiation scene fell into an awkward silence; Topa, unable to sit still with the current situation, glanced at the lady beside her, Ms. Jade.

"I don't mean to interrupt… please continue," Jade slightly lifted her head, smiling as she reminded him.

"Ho ho ho… then I'll get straight to the point. I arranged this meeting with the two of you before the formal talks to persuade the Strategic Investment Department to completely abandon the scheme of targeting Pinokangni. By retreating at this difficult step, you can exit more gracefully… and avoid losing the company's face at the grand negotiation table."

Jade's gaze grew icy, she furrowed her brows and lowered her hat brim, and Topa also launched a decisive attack: "A P45‑level executive was attacked in a dream, nearly losing his life; the company cannot ignore that. Coupled with the chaos during the Harmony Festival… Pinokangni's public credibility has already plummeted to a new low."

"Even if your stance is resolute, the real predicament still exists, doesn't it?"

Old Ao Di squinted, his gaze tinged with ill intent: "Miss Topa, you just used a phrase—'real predicament.' But don't forget, this is the world of dreams! To succeed here, your ideas must be big enough, wild enough!"

"Want to know how I'll handle the crisis? I don't mind telling you: through my maneuver, Pinokangni will take a great step and achieve autonomous listing across the universe!"

"…autonomous listing?" Topa was stunned.

"If I understand you… you intend to bypass the company and directly conduct a public offering to the entire universe?" Jade asked coldly.

"Exactly! Rather than sit idle and watch you gradually devour Pinokangni, I'd rather open the gates of beautiful dreams to the whole universe."

——

Aotu World.

"Public offering?"

Jin's bright blue eyes widened, as if a huge question mark appeared over his head, and he tugged at the sleeve of Zitang Huan beside him: "Zitang Zitang! What does a public offering mean? It sounds impressive!"

"Idiot Jin, you don't get it?" Kelly, legs crossed on the Star‑Moon Blade, scoffed, then looked down at Jin: "Simply put, anyone can later spend money to buy a bit of Pinokangni's 'shares' and become a shareholder~ In theory, that grants a sliver of say, and if it makes profit, you get a bit of pocket money. Of course, if it loses money, you share the misfortune too."

Jin nodded as if half‑understood: "It's still so complicated… but it sounds like many people can participate?"