Chapter 1036: So many tricks!

"What can I get?"

Smith Parker looked at Li Xuewu very seriously and asked the most critical question.

And the answer Li Xuewu gave was also very clear: "10% of the shares of the car dealership, but without operational rights."

"Are you joking? My friend."

Parker shook his head and scoffed: "I have never encountered such a harsh cooperation negotiation."

He looked at Li Xuewu and said seriously: "I'm afraid you are not negotiating cooperation with me, but treating me like a fool."

"Don't jump to conclusions too early, Mr. Parker."

Li Xuewu looked at him calmly and emphasized: "I never deceive friends, and I never joke at the negotiating table."

"Why not listen to my explanation? Maybe you will agree with my point of view."

"Alright, since you've already said so."

Parker looked at Li Xuewu with a somewhat arrogant attitude, spread his hands and said: "I'm waiting for you to convince me, with 10% of the shares."

"Establishing a car dealership in Hong Kong will undertake the export operations of all car projects and brands of the Steel Mill."

Li Xuewu was not affected by Parker's attitude, but explained seriously: "At the same time, it is responsible for the introduction of advanced technology and equipment, as well as the training of excellent talents."

"No, this is not enough to move me."

Parker held his wine glass and shook his head slightly, saying: "This is not the UK, and the Red Star Steel Mill doesn't have such great car production capacity to support my appetite."

"Production capacity is not measured by the British automotive manufacturing industry; you still don't have a sufficient understanding of the situation in the mainland."

Li Xuewu smiled confidently, then sat up straight, crossed his right leg, and introduced leisurely: "We possess independent steel smelting industry, independent steel rolling industry, independent core production capacity, etc."

He opened his hands and confessed: "Even without British technology and equipment, we can build cars that sell for 600 pounds."

"Batch, large-scale, cheap."

Li Xuewu widened his eyes, his attitude gradually becoming serious: "You said your appetite is big; how big is it?"

"Is an annual production capacity of fifty thousand units enough to eat? One hundred thousand units? Can you eat it?"

Parker was stunned by Li Xuewu's question and asked suspiciously: "Can the Steel Mill produce one hundred thousand cars a year?"

"I don't know, because no enterprise in the country can do it."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said: "But this doesn't mean we don't have this ability; do you understand what I mean?"

"Sales channels and purchasing power have limited our production capacity, even overshadowing the short board of core component production."

"I'm not afraid to show you my family background."

Li Xuewu pointed his finger and introduced: "The production capacity of the Red Star car manufacturing plant's core kits is between twenty thousand and thirty thousand sets."

"This means that as long as we go all out, producing thirty thousand Jeeps a year is a very easy job."

"But what is the difficulty?"

He said seriously: "First of all, what can be determined is that the production capacity of core kits needs to be improved; its index is the biggest difficulty limiting production at present."

"Secondly, it's sales channels."

Li Xuewu pointed his finger at his knee and said: "We are laying out our own sales network, covering cars and other commodities."

"In the creation of the car sales network, it includes pre-sales, maintenance, after-sales, parts and consumables, driving training, etc."

"I don't need to tell you the advantages of integrated, one-stop operation; after all, A. S. Watson is a predecessor in this regard."

Li Xuewu looked at Parker and asked again: "Do you still think that insufficient production capacity is the key to your questioning of us?"

Parker sized up Li Xuewu for a few moments and said: "You need me to help the Steel Mill introduce technology and equipment to improve the production capacity of core kits."

"That's it, without a doubt."

Li Xuewu blinked and affirmed Parker's words, and also determined: "For this, we have set up a specialized production factory."

"Thirty thousand sets, hehe."

Parker shook his head slightly and laughed lightly: "This is the production volume of an ordinary British car factory in a month; why don't you directly purchase core kits? It's more suitable."

"Then why would we take a detour through Hong Kong and obtain these required technologies and equipment through you?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said seriously: "The car dealership is not a shell company, let alone a showpiece; you should be clearer about the supply and demand relationship between cheap cars and potential markets."

"But 10% is still too little!"

Parker looked at Li Xuewu and shook his head slightly: "Even if you possess an annual production capacity of thirty thousand units, even if all of them are used for export, how high can the profit of cheap cars be to give me 10%?"

"Then there's nothing to talk about."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said: "We don't trust your so-called independent channels; this cannot guarantee that our products won't be backlogged."

"Technology and equipment investment won't work either?"

Parker frowned slightly and said: "I am throwing real money into this; if it doesn't sell, I'm also losing money."

"If you lose, you can still make a comeback."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and looked at him, saying seriously: "But we can't; we can't take a single wrong step, striving for absolute certainty."

"This is too absurd!"

Parker spread his hands in annoyance and said: "No one can guarantee that doing business will be absolutely certain; this is impossible!"

"Of course, you are right; even God can't do it, but we must."

Li Xuewu nodded slowly and said: "Must reduce the risk to a level that won't affect us, understand?"

"Understand, individual is superior to the collective."

Parker had some temper and said directly to Li Xuewu: "Your so-called dedication is actually still selfish, not daring to have even a little risk!"

Li Xuewu looked at him complaining quietly, and at the same time, the living room was extremely quiet; everyone was looking at Parker.

Parker also found that something was wrong, hurriedly stopped his words, pursed his lips and let out a long breath, and said to Li Xuewu: "Sorry, I was a bit excited."

"I understand your mood very well; this won't affect our friendship."

Li Xuewu nodded politely, then signaled Zhou Xiaobai and said: "Help us get another bottle of wine, thank you."

Zhou Xiaobai looked at Li Xuewu, then looked at Parker, and only then nodded and went.

"Mr. Li, I must say one thing; I really want to do this project."

Parker made a final effort, leaned forward slightly, looked at Li Xuewu and said: "My career is in Hong Kong, but it is currently facing changes."

"I can transfer the work center to car distribution, fully guarantee the smoothness of the channel, and will never affect your development."

"A. S. Watson, Hutchison in Hong Kong?"

Li Xuewu took a small sip of the wine glass handed over by Zhou Xiaobai, then looked at Ji Wang Weidong and asked: "Have you met that Mr. Li?"

"Of course, I see him often."

Ji Wang Weidong nodded with pursed lips, then introduced: "He is a character with a very wise head; he strikes hard and does business very well."

He winked at Li Xuewu amusedly and said: "Miss Lou doesn't like him; they had two conflicts during the land competition process."

"Is that so! How come I didn't know?"

Li Xuewu looked at him amusedly, turned his head to ask Bao Peigang: "Director Bao, any interest in doing a project together in the second half of the year? It's a sure-win deal."

"Hahaha! If it's a sure-win deal, would you come to me?"

Bao Peigang could see that the negotiation had fallen into a deadlock; Li Xuewu was giving him a chance now.

He laughed out loud, pointed at Li Xuewu and said: "I'm actually more interested in the cheap sedan project you are negotiating."

"No, this project won't work."

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and denied: "The cheap car project is a true sure-win deal; you have no chance."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone in the living room laughed upon hearing his emphasis; which sentence was true?

Li Xuewu also laughed along for a few times, then raised his eyebrows at Bao Peigang and said: "At least five million, otherwise there's nothing to talk about."

"I'll give you ten million!"

Bao Peigang suddenly became serious, looked at Li Xuewu and asked: "Does the Steel Mill dare to do a big motorcycle project?"

"Motorcycle?"

Li Xuewu's eyebrows pressed down; he looked at Bao Peigang for a good while before restoring his smile and said: "Our factory's motorcycles can't compare to cars in excellence."

"But it's cheap enough, isn't it?"

Bao Peigang took a small sip of foreign liquor, narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Li Xuewu and said: "As long as the Steel Mill can bring the price of motorcycles down to three hundred yuan, I believe no factory in the country can beat you."

"I know this too!"

Li Xuewu glanced at him speechlessly, then knocked on the sofa armrest, turned his head to look at the silent Parker, and asked: "Does the UK have advanced technology for cheap motorcycles?"

"Sorry, I haven't looked into it, really."

Parker said with a bitter smile: "I don't like motorcycles very much; it's a dangerous means of transport."

"But it's cheap enough!"

Investor Bao Peigang emphasized again, then raised his glass to toast him, saying: "If you invest in operation, you have to look at the target group; there are plenty of manufacturers, as long as you want them."

"Director Bao, Deputy Director Xue and I are still here!"

Li Xuewu reminded him amusedly: "You can't treat us as nothing just because you have money!"

"Hahaha, sorry, I said the wrong thing!"

Bao Peigang laughed, then pointed at Parker and asked: "Do you still have the intention to do this project? I'm talking about cheap cars."

"Are there no cheap motorcycles?"

Parker was quite compliant and was already thinking about his words.

Bao Peigang was quite straightforward; he laughed and waved his hand, saying: "You still don't understand what I mean."

He pointed at Li Xuewu and said: "The Steel Mill is a fertile piece of land; you need to invest seeds and fertilizer to bear the crops you want!"

"And I am optimistic about the crops you want to plant, so I will help you buy fertilizer to reduce your burden."

"But! The crops you want to plant are not for you; they don't suit you."

Bao Peigang turned his head to look at Li Xuewu and said: "At least press it to five hundred yuan, and produce fifty thousand units a year; I don't believe we can't eat it up ourselves."

Parker frowned slightly, as if he had already understood Bao Peigang's meaning.

Liu Shaozong, who had been listening for half a day, nudged him and said: "Mr. Parker, let me say a word; you listen to it; whether it's right or wrong, you think about it yourself."

Li Xuewu and Bao Peigang were still discussing the motorcycle matter, but the two of them were chatting.

Liu Shaozong first introduced the traffic situation in the country to Parker, and then briefly talked about the current consumption level of the people and the purchasing power of unit customers.

This explained why Bao Peigang, a big shot in the credit union, dared to invest ten million in the Steel Mill for car and motorcycle production.

Simply put, it was to break through the current situation where cars or motorcycles could only be purchased by units or organizations.

Once the working class began to afford motorcycles, this investment would inevitably ignite the entire sales channel.

The unit price of a 28-inch bicycle had now risen to 160 yuan, and it also required 12 industrial coupons to exchange for a bicycle purchase coupon.

If you work hard to save industrial coupons, you can buy a motorcycle to ride.

What is the concept of a single-cylinder 50CC machine with a fuel consumption of 1-1.5 liters per 100 kilometers?

In these years, gasoline is sold by the kilogram, with a unit price of 8 cents.

One kilogram of gasoline is approximately equal to 1.38 liters.

Even if one kilogram of gasoline runs 100 kilometers, it is 8 cents after calculation.

Beijing city worker monthly pass is 3.5 yuan, suburban worker monthly pass is 4 yuan.

Calculated this way, riding a motorcycle is no more expensive than taking a bus, and it can carry a person.

Of course, families that can buy motorcycles must be in the minority, but the base of the urban population is large; it's much larger than the UK.

As long as dual-income families have savings, have few children, or have high-level positions, they can definitely afford it.

Bao Peigang set a base for Li Xuewu at 500 yuan, so what if it's pressed to 450? 300?

Don't say 300 yuan can compare to a bicycle; even 450 yuan can break a part of the buyer's psychological defense line.

No one can refuse the wish to own a motorcycle, just like in later generations, no matter how expensive luxury car taxes are, there are still people selling them.

Section-level cadres don't have assigned cars, monthly wages are sixty or seventy yuan; dual-income families can buy one in half a year, and single-income families can also buy one after saving for a year.

Riding a motorcycle to work is not the same thing as riding a bicycle.

Why did Li Xuewu dare to bring Bao Peigang out to play? This old guy ate so much seafood and drank so much foreign liquor; if he didn't squeeze some oil and water out of him, how much of a loss would it be.

Motorcycles were still being experimented with in the Steel Mill, and technical breakthroughs were still being made, all to lower the price while ensuring quality.

The sample Li Xuewu saw brought by Xia Zhongquan after the year was actually already very good, but he was still dissatisfied.

To fight a price war, fight the price to the bottom, the kind where no one can survive.

Since Bao Peigang took a fancy to the motorcycle project and dared to invest great effort, the other party wasn't afraid of death, so what was he afraid of in burying people?

Bao Peigang was naturally not a fool; when talking to Li Xuewu about the development of the automotive industry and the breakthrough of key motorcycle technologies, he pointed at Parker and emphasized: "Must let the British guy invest!"

"Damn—!"

Li Xuewu scoffed and asked: "Do you have no confidence in me, or no confidence in our factory, that you have to pull a foreign guy to be a cushion?"

After saying this, he winked and asked with a smile: "How about I introduce a Japanese girl to you?"

"Get lost! Hahaha!"

Bao Peigang didn't fall for Li Xuewu's trap; and a Japanese girl, don't let both the person and the money be gone.

The laughter of the two here also affected Parker, who was listening to Liu Shaozong's lecture over there.

His emotional fluctuations were very intense; while listening to the lecture, he was thinking.

Liu Shaozong's rhythm of speaking wasn't affected by the jokes over there, and he continued: "If you want to find suitable suppliers in the mainland, this is very difficult!"

"I admit, there are quite a few enterprises like the Steel Mill that possess car production capabilities."

"However! I must tell you!"

He looked at Parker and said seriously: "Enterprises that have the courage to engage in foreign trade like their factory, have the vision to exchange products for technology and equipment, and possess overseas trade convenience are rare."

"You don't need to care about the 10% share ratio; this just proves that they are serious about doing this project."

Liu Shaozong looked at Parker and said: "Foreign investment likes to focus on the pros and cons of the project itself, but our mainland investment is more willing to look at the subject of the project—people!"

He pointed at Parker and said: "Enterprises like the Steel Mill are rare in the mainland, but people like you shouldn't be hard to find in Hong Kong."

He pointed to Ji Wang Weidong beside Li Xuewu and reminded: "They don't lack channels for external contact; they possess special abilities beyond your imagination."

"You say, why does he want to cooperate with you, using 10% of the shares to exchange for your help in introducing technology and equipment without leaving A. S. Watson?"

"Why?"

Parker understood the surface logical relationship of Li Xuewu's words, but the deep logical relationship had never been figured out.

"Interests, interaction."

Liu Shaozong held his fists together and pulled them, explaining: "They can give you too much, but what you can give back is too little, and even carries production risks."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

Parker frowned and said: "Aren't we negotiating a car production project? Are there other interest entanglements?"

"This is what I want to tell you, Mr. Parker."

Liu Shaozong reminded seriously: "You have also worked in Hong Kong for many years; you should be very clear that whether doing business or talking with us, we are very implicit."

"Many demands won't be expressed to you directly, but you must understand."

He pointed to Li Xuewu and reminded: "He has already talked about some things in Hong Kong with that Mr. Ji just now; didn't you notice?"

"A. S. Watson? Hutchison?"

Parker frowned and looked at Liu Shaozong, asking: "Could he even intervene in Hutchison's acquisition of A. S. Watson? This is too absurd!"

"Why don't you talk to him personally? Mr. Parker."

Liu Shaozong didn't answer his question directly, but reminded him again: "I said it, he possesses abilities beyond your imagination."

"I still dare not believe it."

Parker shook his head, sized up the laughing Li Xuewu, and inquired: "Isn't he a representative of the Steel Mill?"

"Yes, but not just that."

Liu Shaozong smiled slightly and said: "Still that sentence, your investment looks at the project, our investment looks at people."

He pointed at Parker and said: "I'll teach you another sentence; here, you can't underestimate the energy of any person, even if he looks very ordinary."

As he said this, he pointed to the little girl who was dazed beside Li Xuewu and asked: "Can you see what energy she has?"

"Are you saying..."

Parker frowned and thought for a while, then asked softly: "Could she be Mr. Li's lover, who can interfere with Mr. Li's decision?"

"Hahaha, that is the absurd one!"

Liu Shaozong laughed, waved his hand and said: "Completely wrong; she is more of a partner relationship."

"I explain it this way, you should be able to understand."

He pointed at Parker and said: "You British also have relationships of trust beyond friendship, right?"

"Of course, of course."

Parker pursed his lips and nodded, still sizing up Zhou Xiaobai, not expecting a girl to have any energy that would make Liu Shaozong specifically ask him.

Liu Shaozong didn't play riddles with him anymore, but whispered: "Her father..."

"Oh—"

Although Liu Shaozong introduced it very tactfully and didn't say Zhou Zhennan's specific situation, or even his name, it was enough to cause Parker's shock.

And just when Parker was shocked, Liu Shaozong signaled Li Xuewu's direction and said: "He also possesses such an identity background."

"Now do you understand why I suggest you talk to him properly? And why I remind you that he possesses absolute influence?"

"If—he also has energy in Hong Kong?"

Parker was a bit skeptical and asked: "Isn't your organization not allowed to do this?"

"Of course, I didn't say he participated in Hong Kong's operations, let alone that he used his influence to do anything beyond his status."

Liu Shaozong emphasized seriously: "What I'm telling you is that his energy is beyond your imagination."

"For example, the young man sitting beside him."

He pointed to Ji Wang Weidong's direction and said: "You should be able to think, what does it mean that they can sit together and sit here to negotiate with you?"

"Oh~~~ I understand! Ji is also...!"

Parker suddenly felt that he seemed to have touched some opportunities, or rather, touched the nerves of the mainland.

He looked at Liu Shaozong seriously and asked: "Can I believe that what you said is true and reliable?"

"This requires you to judge for yourself, Mr. Parker; I believe you possess such ability."

Liu Shaozong said a bunch of mysterious words, pointed out a bunch of mysterious relationships to Parker, and didn't take any responsibility until the end.

Especially the introduction of Li Xuewu and others' identities, it was said that it was understood, heard, but couldn't be said again.

This kind of negotiation technique was too easy for the old oil sticks in the ministry.

Parker felt that he seemed to understand a lot, and seemed to understand nothing.

Fortunately, the afternoon time was long enough; everyone woke up from the wine and found space to rest, or continued fishing and playing.

In the end, only Li Xuewu and the young man who returned from Hong Kong were left in the living room.

After Liu Shaozong finished talking to him, he went to the outside of the ship with great interest to continue sea fishing.

Fishing doesn't make people addicted, but after catching the first fish, there's no way to quit.

The joy of catching a fish is more refreshing than picking up a girl; it's simply incomparable to women.

Zhou Gancheng and Xue Zhifu huddled together and started playing poker; the entertainment activities against the backdrop of the sea view were very happy.

Zhang Changming and Gao Yaqin chatted together; the two also went out of the cabin and picked up fishing rods to talk.

Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun's wine strength had passed, but the sleepiness after a full meal also came up; they fell asleep on the sofa.

Li Xuewu noticed that Luo Yun started snoring slightly, smiled apologetically at Parker.

Then, together with Ji Wang Weidong, he picked up one each and sent them to the rest cabin.

When the two came back, they found Parker still waiting for them in the living room.

"Wang Weidong also works in Hong Kong."

Li Xuewu sat diagonally opposite Parker, signaled to Ji Wang Weidong, who was lying on the sofa without any shape, and introduced: "Prince Port, Shunfeng Ocean, or Modern Security, you should have heard of them."

"Is that so, Mr. Ji is the... of these enterprises?"

Parker did know some of the capital forces that had risen in Hong Kong in the past six months; the Oriental series and the Era series, the connection point was the Oriental Era Bank.

"Equity representative, indirectly responsible for some business; you guys should get to know each other and make friends."

Li Xuewu didn't introduce it very clearly, but Parker should be very clear about the relevant secrets.

He had already introduced Ji Wang Weidong's identity just now, a person from the Investigation Department.

Now he said some specific business he was responsible for; I believe the other party wasn't a fool.

Parker was indeed not a fool, but the shock in his heart was beyond measure.

It turned out that the Oriental Era Bank, which was stirring up Hong Kong's assets and real estate, possessed mainland background relationships.

In fact, many people had already thought of it, but there was no evidence, or rather, the Oriental Era Bank was too low-key.

"Mr. Ji is young and promising; if we met in Hong Kong, maybe we would have known each other long ago."

Parker didn't care about Ji Wang Weidong's casualness; this was at a private gathering, and it was organized by a mainland unit; no one mentioned rules to him, so naturally, he couldn't ask others to set rules.

Ji Wang Weidong shook hands with him lazily, smiling as he said, "Easily done, easily done. When you return to Hong Kong, we can get together."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the environment inside the cabin and said, "We have things like this for playing at sea, but the land-based entertainment here can't compare to ours."

He smiled mysteriously and asked, "Which nightclub do you frequent often? Perhaps we've met before."

"Hehe, I don't really like that kind of entertainment environment."

Parker understood exactly what he was getting at from Ji Wang Weidong's hint, and he felt a bit embarrassed in front of Li Xuewu.

Ji Wang Weidong, however, smiled nonchalantly and said, "That's perfect. I happen to know a few 'bookstores' I can introduce you to—the elegant kind. The games they play there are actually quite fancy, too."

"Hahaha—haha—"

Parker laughed somewhat awkwardly, his gaze toward Li Xuewu carrying a plea: let's talk about something serious.

Li Xuewu smiled at him, then looked at Ji Wang Weidong and asked, "What are these 'bookstores'? Places that sell books?"

"Stop playing dumb with me!"

Ji Wang Weidong switched back to Mandarin at this point, glanced at Li Xuewu, and said, "I don't believe you don't know what those bookstores are for!"

"I certainly don't!"

Li Xuewu said righteously, "I am a decent person; I never go to those kinds of places."

"Hey! Hey! My eyes have truly been opened!"

Ji Wang Weidong chuckled, "I hadn't even said what kind of place it was, and you already knew what kind of place it was?"

"So what?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "Places that indecent people go to are just indecent places, that's all."

After finishing, he switched back to English and said to Parker, "Please don't mind him; he has an overly excessive sense of humor, but he's actually a good person."

"Just for that remark!"

Ji Wang Weidong pointed at him, eyes wide, and said, "I'll spare you for now!"

Having said that, he smiled at Parker again and added, "Next time, next time—I'll organize the gathering, you treat, and we'll consider it settled."

Parker didn't mind his words, nodded with a smile, and steered the conversation away from the current topic.

"Mr. Liu just introduced some of your situation to me. I really didn't expect it, truly."

You have to say, the British are just straightforward; their speech isn't subtle enough.

Even though he had said it now, Li Xuewu and Ji Wang Weidong knew full well it was Liu Shaozong who had spoken, but they wouldn't say anything.

But now that Parker had directly sold Liu Shaozong out, how were the two of them supposed to respond?

"I don't know what Mr. Liu said to you, but the identity with which I sit here and interact with you remains that of a cadre from the Steel Mill, and your friend."

Li Xuewu's words were very tactful and very clear as he picked up the wine bottle to top off the glasses for all three of them.

"Actually, it's not strictly necessary to cooperate in order to be friends. Personally, I very much welcome Mr. Parker to visit the mainland more often for exchanges."

He looked at Parker and said sincerely, "I can learn more about the outside world from you, and I can also learn more extensive knowledge."

"You are truly too modest, or perhaps I should say, you are all this modest."

Parker smiled and said, "Liu was telling me about your situation on the mainland and introduced the excellent conditions of the Red Star Steel Mill's automotive industry."

"Really, to be honest, it gives me the feeling of re-acquainting myself with the Red Star Steel Mill."

He looked at Li Xuewu and said, "Can I talk to you seriously?"

"Just like Liu said."

Parker spread his hands sincerely and said, "I hope it will be frank, the kind that is sincere and earnest."

"Of course, certainly, no problem."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "This is the duty of friends supporting one another."

He then pointed at Ji Wang Weidong and asked Parker, "Do you need me to ask him to leave?"

"Hehe, no need. It's not a top-secret topic."

Parker chuckled and said, "I actually prefer Mr. Ji to be here. He is more helpful regarding Hong Kong, regarding me, and regarding your understanding of these things."

"Alright, I'll listen to you."

Li Xuewu smiled and gestured toward Ji Wang Weidong, saying, "Then we'll keep him here, and we can have a good talk."

"Regarding the automotive industry, I have thought about it seriously. We both have some points of focus."

Parker was serious with every word he spoke; one could tell from his measured pace that he had thought it through carefully before speaking.

"What you require is technology, trust, and absolute secure control over the channels."

"And for me, what I want is security, efficiency, decision-making, and also profit."

Parker waved his hand and tentatively asked, "Is it possible for us to find a key point from the inside or the outside to break this stalemate?"

"For example, cooperation in other fields, or..."

"Mm, please go ahead, I am listening."

Li Xuewu did not take the bait; instead, he wanted him to make his words clear and explicit.

Parker obviously realized this, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "I just heard you and Mr. Ji mention Watsons, mention Hutchison, and mention Miss Lou of the Far East Bank."

"Let me interrupt here for a moment, Parker."

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Today is a private gathering. If this is not a negotiation setting, what we say represents only our personal views."

"I understand, I understand."

Parker understood Li Xuewu's meaning, nodded, and said, "I just wanted to express my sincerity and attitude."

"Of course, I understand your feelings."

Li Xuewu affirmed, "I know you are a sincere and reliable gentleman, which is why I treat you as a friend."

"You and I haven't spent much time together, and you probably don't know me very deeply, but I am actually someone who particularly values friendship."

"Mr. Ji can attest to this point."

He explained earnestly to Parker, "I never deceive friends, and I certainly never cheat friends."

"I can attest to that! Mr. Parker!"

Ji Wang Weidong pointed at himself and Li Xuewu, smiling as he explained, "We are friends, the very close kind. It's not like it looks to you; this is just a way we interact and show closeness."

"I understand. Teasing each other requires a certain foundation of friendship; I get it."

Parker smiled, then looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I also hope to forge a friendship with you that transcends business cooperation."

"Of course, isn't that the purpose of me inviting you out to play! Haha!"

Li Xuewu smiled and spread his hands, saying, "Even if the cooperation doesn't work out, it won't hinder our getting along."

"I firmly believe in that as well."

Parker straightened his attitude, became serious, and said, "Since we can be confident in our friendship, I won't beat around the bush anymore."

"Watsons—that's what you want to obtain, right?"

"No, no, Mr. Parker, you may have misunderstood!"

Li Xuewu and Ji Wang Weidong exchanged a glance and waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "The competitive relationship we mentioned is not within the scope of this conversation."

"I understand, we are friends, after all."

Parker nodded and said, "Frankly speaking, the reason I hid away in the mainland is actually related to Hutchison currently acquiring Watsons."

"If your friend is interested in intervening in this acquisition case, I think I can be of some small help."

"Mr. Parker, our friendship is pure and not to be interfered with by interests."

Li Xuewu said sincerely, "We have no intention of using any conditions to threaten or demand your help; that would be contrary to friendship!"

He pointed at Ji Wang Weidong and said, "The conflict he mentioned is not the focus of what we want to talk about. Regarding this point, I hope you won't misunderstand and will terminate this topic."

"Why? I don't mind this point at all!"

Parker said earnestly, "I didn't feel any threat or demand at all; this is something I proposed voluntarily. We are friends."

"Li Xuewu, you should respect Parker's friendship."

Ji Wang Weidong suddenly interjected from the side, "He is a sincere person; saying that will hurt him."

"You don't speak!"

Li Xuewu pointed at Ji Wang Weidong, then said to Parker, "I still cannot allow interests to be mixed into friendship; that would be unfair to you."

"Oh—Li, you are too stubborn."

Parker said voluntarily, "Isn't cooperation between friends very normal? I don't feel offended, and I certainly don't feel that our friendship has been polluted, really."

"Really?"

Li Xuewu looked at him suspiciously and hesitated, "I am a very pure person; I have never... and you are still a friend I just recognized."

He spread his hands in a somewhat troubled manner and said, "You know, asking friends to do things is a bit uncomfortable for me."

"You should trust me, Li."

Parker nodded, then looked at Ji Wang Weidong and said, "I think there is no difficulty in communication between us regarding Watsons, right?"

"Mm—"

Ji Wang Weidong made a zipping motion across his own mouth, his eyes glancing at Li Xuewu, signaling that he was not allowed to speak.

"Hahaha—"

Parker looked at Li Xuewu with amusement, and seeing him covering his face in embarrassment, said to Ji Wang Weidong, "We can talk about the Watsons topic now; we don't need Li."

"This is my business! It has nothing to do with you!"

Seeing Li Xuewu glare over, Ji Wang Weidong stiffened his neck to emphasize, then said directly to Parker, "I have Li Xuewu's connections, so I don't lack export goods. You know this, right?"

"I know. The Steel Mill possesses a massive production cluster and even more numerous cooperative enterprises."

Parker nodded, signaling for Ji Wang Weidong to continue.

Ji Wang Weidong nodded and added, "I possess the agency relationship for Shunfeng Ocean Shipping, and even more, the management relationship for the Prince Port. You can understand what I mean, right?"

"I understand. Goods exported from the mainland and imported to Hong Kong are all under your control."

Parker once again gave the correct understanding in his response and signaled for Ji Wang Weidong to continue.

Ji Wang Weidong gave him a look of confirmation and then said, "Currently, the distributors and retail channels we cooperate with are Wofung Hong and other trading companies."

He used both hands to gesture the relationships here, introduced the content of the cooperation with Wofung Hong, and then looked at Parker and asked, "If the resources I possess could be added to Watsons' retail terminal capabilities, what effect do you think that would produce?"

"Integration, a true price advantage."

Parker had become serious; he understood Ji Wang Weidong's meaning but emphasized, "Watsons is only a health product and pharmaceutical sales enterprise; it does not possess the business scope you mentioned."

"The current Watsons doesn't, but that doesn't mean it can't!"

Ji Wang Weidong said earnestly, "I need a sales network with sufficient brand credibility, sufficient store management capability, and a complete management system."

"The only thing it doesn't lack is the capability for capital injection and development. You should understand what I mean."

"Far East Bank, right?"

Parker nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Are you intending to turn Watsons into a full-category retail terminal?"

"That is exactly what I mean."

Ji Wang Weidong nodded and said, "A super terminal with powerful production and service capabilities."

"Why Watsons?"

Parker asked in confusion, "Hong Kong doesn't lack retail terminals; it's not like there aren't better brands than Watsons."

"But their general manager isn't sitting in front of us."

Ji Wang Weidong tapped his foot and said earnestly, "Their management team has even less confidence in walking into the mainland to be guests in our home."

Parker listened to his words and suddenly realized, suddenly understanding what that Mr. Liu had said to him earlier.

They are more willing to look at projects when investing, while mainlanders are more willing to look at the subject of the project—the person.

Rather than saying Li Xuewu and Ji Wang Weidong were talking to him about cooperation in automobiles and retail terminals, it would be better to say they were talking about cooperation with him.

Only when person-to-person cooperation is reached can all the interest conflicts surrounding key figures be cleared.

And regarding the cooperation on the automotive project, just like with Watsons, the 10% isn't the point; the cooperation is the point.

The profit he can obtain isn't the point; the profit he can control is the point.

Watsons—isn't that the confidence Li Xuewu has been emphasizing all along that he needs to hand over to the other party!

Oh my, mainlanders really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves!