Chapter 954: Gladiator

He Yuzhu also smiled, raising his hand to pat Tyson on his thick shoulder: "Then it's settled. In the future, if there's a chance, you are welcome to come to our country for a Grand Prix; the scene will absolutely be no smaller than this."

"Really?" Tyson's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had struck a gold mine, his face wrinkling up as he smiled, "Then I will definitely go! To tell you the truth, my career has been stuck in a bottleneck recently, and I've been worrying about not having a breakthrough."

"No problem!" He Yuzhu smiled with breezy ease.

He turned and walked off the boxing ring. Director Li, who had been clenching his fists and watching the whole process with his heart in his throat, finally let out a long breath. He walked up quickly, his voice lowered but unable to suppress his excitement: "Factory Director He, today's matter was handled beautifully! Not only did we vent our pent-up anger, but we also left enough face for the American side. From now on, if they want to play these kinds of dirty tricks again, they'll have to weigh the consequences first. We've essentially told them clearly—even if we play by your rules, we can still win. It's the same on the sports field, and it's the same at the trade negotiation table!"

He Yuzhu turned his head, a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "Director Li sees the long term. Even if we concede some petty gains in this negotiation... there will naturally be opportunities in the future to take it all back with interest."

Director Li glanced sideways at Deputy Director Shi and Deputy Director Long beside him, "Factory Director He has hit the nail on the head. Today's match also made it clear—only when both sides leave room for each other can there be a good result. If you push blindly to the death, then there's nothing left to talk about..."

On the other side, Jeffrey, although not satisfied with the match result, saw that He Yuzhu had saved face for Tyson in the final round, which was a beautiful move. He put on a show of hypocritical warmth and stepped forward to shake He Yuzhu's hand: "Mr. He, you are indeed a Kung Fu master. I am also a Boxing enthusiast, and I hope to see your performance at the Olympic Games in the future."

He Yuzhu cupped his hands modestly: "The Deputy Representative is too kind. The previous two fighters were just unfamiliar with my style, which is why they fell behind for a moment. Mr. Tyson was much smarter; he watched the previous matches, found my flaws, and that is how we ended in a draw. If we had kept fighting, I wouldn't have been able to hold out."

Jeffrey smiled. He had practiced boxing, so he could naturally tell that He Yuzhu hadn't used his full strength at all; these words were merely giving the other party a way out.

The official events that followed became mere background noise; the audience below the stage was clearly distracted, whispering in twos and threes, discussing the duel that had just taken place.

The subsequent negotiations went smoothly.

It was mainly because the Huaxia side loosened up on chips, automobile protection, and subsidies, and also took the initiative to lower tariffs.

Although the American side still complained that the cuts weren't harsh enough, they saw the opening offered to them and reciprocated with concessions on various key points.

The conference room no longer had the gunpowder smell of the previous days, and everything was moving forward steadily according to procedure.

On the evening three days later, Tyson arrived at the hotel where He Yuzhu was staying.

He was wearing a bright red polo shirt, followed by his agent, Lister.

As soon as he entered the door, he opened his arms for a bear hug, acting like long-lost brothers reuniting.

He Yuzhu played along, bringing out his best Da Hong Pao tea to host his guest.

Tyson gulped down several cups and smacked his lips: "This tea of yours is much better than black tea!"

He Yuzhu couldn't help but feel amused; this good intention was like winking at a blind man.

Tyson wiped his mouth and jerked his chin toward the person behind him: "Lister, bring it over."

The agent immediately placed a metal briefcase on the table and clicked it open—thirty stacks of green banknotes were neatly arranged, the smell of ink from the printing plant still lingering.

Tyson smiled and pushed the case toward He Yuzhu: "He, thank you for going easy on me that day. To tell you the truth, I've become popular again this time, and several advertisers have already come knocking; it's all thanks to you."

He Yuzhu looked down at the case of money without moving.

A moment later, he looked up: "Mr. Tyson, I have a word of advice for you—watch out for Holyfield. In that incident, he was the one who dragged you into the water; I heard him whispering with his agent myself."

As soon as Tyson heard that name, his face turned black on the spot, and he slapped the table and cursed: "That son of a bitch! Every time he fights me, he's either holding or hugging, playing dirty the whole match; sooner or later, I'll beat him to a pulp!"

The two chatted aimlessly. The agent, Lister, couldn't sit still anymore; he stood up with a professional smile on his face: "Mr. He, since we're on the subject, I'm here to pass on a message—someone has organized a gathering and would like to invite you to attend."

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow: "What kind of gathering?"

Lister lowered his voice: "A closed-door match. Similar to the one the other day, but the audience will be the top political and business elites from our side."

He paused and smiled, "It's not for free; the prize money is five to ten million US dollars, with the specific figure fluctuating based on the format of the match."

"Is Mr. Tyson participating?" He Yuzhu asked.

Lister shook his head slightly: "His sparring with you the other day actually crossed the line... We professional boxers cannot participate in matches without official registration, especially those with a gambling nature."

He Yuzhu smiled, his fingertips slowly tracing the rim of his teacup: "This invitation, does it have the shadow of the White House behind it?"

Lister shook his head: "I'm not sure about that; I'm only responsible for passing on the message. The content of the match might still be many-against-one, but Mr. He, rest assured, every aspect will be subject to your consent."

He Yuzhu calculated quickly in his mind—he had been looking for an opportunity to make contact with the American elite layer anyway.

Once he knew these people, if they dared to go too far in the future, then he would be sorry...

"Mr. Lister, I cannot make a decision for the moment; I have to go back and discuss it with my leaders. In any case, we will be staying for a while, and I will give you a definite answer later."

That night, He Yuzhu found Director Li and told him the situation and his own plans exactly as they were. After listening, Director Li did not stop him, only repeatedly urging: "These Anglo-Saxons are full of traps everywhere; keep your guard up and don't fall into their schemes."

He Yuzhu smiled indifferently: "Don't worry, Lao Li. It's the group of rich people who should be nervous—if they dare to have any crooked thoughts, I will make sure not a single one of them leaves that Club."

Deputy Director Shi beside him nodded heavily: "I believe that one hundred percent. I know what Lao He is capable of."

Deputy Director Long stroked his chin, thoughtful: "If you ask me, this invitation looks more like an olive branch extended by the other side. They... perhaps want to further test your bottom line."

He didn't spell it out, but He Yuzhu understood instantly—the American upper echelons had likely already become suspicious of his identity. They were currently in a mess with Babylon and definitely didn't want to provoke a god like He Yuzhu. This invitation might well be an attempt to ease tensions.

After careful consideration, He Yuzhu readily accepted this boxing ring appointment at the rich man's Club.

Three days later, Tyson drove over personally to pick him up.

The car drove on the highway for over two hours before turning into a dense forest.

After continuing deeper for twenty minutes, the view suddenly opened up—that manor looked as if it had been cut directly out of an eighteenth-century oil painting.

The main building was in a cream-colored Baroque style, with roses carved vividly on the pillars.

The lawn was trimmed even neater than a carpet, and a white marble angel stood in the fountain pool, with water droplets splashing on the tips of its wings and shattering into fine diamonds.

But the most striking thing was the black-suited Bodyguards stationed every three steps around the perimeter of the lawn.

He Yuzhu followed Tyson out of the car and walked along the cobblestone path for over a minute before reaching the villa hall.

Pushing open the door, he was slightly taken aback—the hall was ridiculously large, almost as spacious as half a football field.

Crystal chandeliers poured down from the dome, and light was spread everywhere.

There were over a hundred people gathered in the hall, men and women, young and old, all in high-end attire.

The men were in crisp suits with meticulously tied bow ties, and the watch faces under their cuffs flashed with fine light. The women looked as if they had walked straight off a fashion week runway, dressed fashionably and dripping with jewelry.

They daintily held the arms of their male companions, and as their eyelashes fluttered across the old jacket on He Yuzhu, they quickly looked away, the curve of their mouths clearly saying—can this person even make it out alive?

A person in charge called Tyson aside to whisper a few words.

Tyson's complexion changed visibly; his steps were heavy when he walked back, and he leaned into He Yuzhu's ear and lowered his voice: "Mr. He, I was just informed—today is not boxing, it's... a death match. Twenty against one; this is completely different from what I heard before." He swallowed hard and gripped He Yuzhu's arm, "If it's not okay, let's pull out. No matter how down and out I, Tyson, am, I can't do the kind of thing that pushes a friend into a fire pit."

He Yuzhu smiled and said: "Today, they have treated me as a gladiator. Then I will let them open their eyes."