Chapter 1546: You aren't handsome at all

"I'll take you home."

"To the International Hotel."

Just as Li Xuewu said he would take her home, Zhou Xiaobai stubbornly insisted on going to the International Hotel.

"You aren't living at home?"

Li Xuewu frowned as he glanced at her and asked, "Your parents don't know you're back?"

"Do you think that's possible?" Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes at him, turned her head, and emphasized to the driver again, "Take me to the International Hotel."

After saying this, she looked at Li Xuewu and complained, "Ever since I joined the military, my every move has been under my father's watch. I've had enough of this life."

"He won't be able to see you at the medical college?"

Li Xuewu shook his head with a chuckle, looked ahead, and said, "I thought you had changed."

"I *have* changed!"

Zhou Xiaobai stared at him in the dim environment of the car, pouted, and huffed, "I've become cold-blooded and heartless."

"Mm, that's true." Li Xuewu nodded as if coaxing a child, affirming with a half-smile, "You're even more formidable than me; I'm scared just seeing you."

"Screw you—" Zhou Xiaobai, whose defenses were breached in a second, wanted to cry. She punched him hard, hating him for being so heartless, not giving her a single word for over a year.

"Do you really not want to see me?"

She looked at Li Xuewu with a bit of feigned anger. Seeing him shake his head, she huffed again, "Exactly, you are just—"

"Sigh—if you say so, then so be it."

Li Xuewu crossed his right leg, rested his hand casually on his knee, and said, "Why did you suddenly decide to come back?"

"Otherwise what? Never come back for the rest of my life?"

Zhou Xiaobai pursed her lips and said, "Wouldn't that be exactly what you wanted? Hmph—"

"How could I oppose you coming back?"

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "I'm just a bit surprised. When you left, you said you wanted to get ahead, to make something of yourself, and that you wouldn't come back if you didn't succeed."

"When did I ever say that!"

Zhou Xiaobai sat up straight, paused for a moment, and then chuckled, "That's what Zhang Haiyang and the others said!"

"Oh, so I remembered wrong?"

Li Xuewu feigned ignorance as he looked at her and asked, "You really never said that?"

"Of course not. I'm not as naive as them, dying to let the whole world know the moment I have a shred of ambition." Zhou Xiaobai shook her head, leaned sideways against him, and curled her lip, saying, "I've thought it through; nowhere is as comfortable as being at home."

"Then you should have gone back to your compound. Why study medicine?" Li Xuewu tilted his head to look at her and asked, "You don't have some grand ideal of saving lives or a political ambition to help the distressed, do you?"

"Brother, I've noticed you've become snarky."

Zhou Xiaobai straightened up, sized him up, and asked, "Have you changed, or are you only like this with me?"

"Is this considered snarky?"

Li Xuewu chuckled, pushed her to the side, and said, "Then you'd better stay away from me, lest you catch my snarky habit."

"I like you no matter how you are—"

Zhou Xiaobai seemed to have latched onto him. Ignoring the mute driver in front, she squeezed next to him and asked, "Brother, tell me the truth, aren't you very happy to see me?"

"Can I not answer that question?"

Li Xuewu dodged toward the car door, looked at her with some wariness, and said, "This is a trap question, right?"

"Hee hee—hahaha—"

Zhou Xiaobai suddenly laughed. It seemed she had already gotten the answer she wanted. She gave him a coquettish roll of her eyes, as if blaming him for being a fake prude.

The car turned into the courtyard of the International Hotel. A guard rose from the gatehouse to take a look, and seeing it was a group vehicle, he called the duty desk via intercom.

"Brother, you have to come down with me."

Seeing the car stop but Li Xuewu showing no intention of getting out, Zhou Xiaobai stiffened her neck and said, "First, I don't have money in my pocket, and second, I want to talk to you."

Li Xuewu only glanced at her once, and from her gaze, he saw that persistent stubbornness.

Knowing that this Buddha wouldn't let him off the hook today unless he handled things properly, he could only push open the car door, give the driver a word of instruction, and get out.

Seeing him tell the driver to find a hotel car to go back later, Zhou Xiaobai got out from the other side.

The drivers in the group's car pool were very sensible; most had learned to play deaf and dumb. Once the two were on the steps, they drove out of the courtyard from the other side.

He didn't know who this girl calling the Secretary-General "brother" in the car was, but he knew who the Secretary-General's former driver was—it was the head of their motorcade.

Zhou Xiaobai looked back at the entrance, and seeing the car leave, she chased after Li Xuewu into the lobby.

Although she hadn't been here for a year, she was still familiar with the place, more natural than returning home.

"I want a room on the sixth floor."

She walked to the service desk, stood beside Li Xuewu, and emphasized to the attendant inside, "One facing the window."

"Alright, I'll process that for you right away."

The attendant only looked up once and recognized who the girl standing next to the Secretary-General was.

It was Zhou Xiaobai, the so-called "VIP of the International Hotel" and the annual consumption champion, President Zhou.

In this day and age, you needed identification and an introduction letter for food and lodging wherever you went, and the International Hotel was, of course, no exception.

However, the International Hotel didn't require introduction letters for internal staff, but they did require work identification—proof of employment within the group.

Zhou Xiaobai used the credentials and introduction letters of the Tianjin Shunfeng Trading Company for her activities in Tianjin or Beijing. Now, she only had her student ID, so naturally, she couldn't process the check-in.

But since she brought Li Xuewu along, even if the attendant lacked judgment, they wouldn't dare ask Li Xuewu for work proof—not to mention the guest was the consumption champion.

"Room 604 on the sixth floor, here is your key."

The attendant simplified the process, handed the key onto the counter, and didn't say who it was for.

Zhou Xiaobai didn't stand on ceremony; she grabbed the key and asked with a frown, "It's not the room where someone died the year before last, is it?"

This question made the attendant's face turn pale. If you weren't a frequent guest or very knowledgeable about the past events of the International Hotel, how could you know that?

"No, no—"

The attendant waved their hands and said, "Please rest assured, our rooms are cleaned daily."

"Why are you so particular?"

Li Xuewu glanced at Zhou Xiaobai, pointed at his feet, and said, "This place has decades of history. What hasn't happened here? And you're still picking and choosing."

"Thank you—" Zhou Xiaobai first nodded to the attendant to express her thanks, then chased after Li Xuewu and explained, "If I didn't know, that would be one thing, but knowing about this is so unsettling."

"Hey, brother, are you hungry?"

She had just said it casually, but turned to ask Li Xuewu if he wanted to eat a late-night snack.

Li Xuewu pressed the elevator button, looked back at her, and said, "If you're hungry, eat. Don't worry about me. I don't eat anything after dinner."

"Aren't you even more particular than me?"

Zhou Xiaobai curled her lip and muttered, "Always lecturing people..."

"The elevator is here, go upstairs."

Li Xuewu gestured toward the elevator, but showed no intention of moving his feet.

Zhou Xiaobai heard the wrong note in his words, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes—they came very easily.

She didn't speak, just stared at him, seemingly locked in a contest of wills, with the posture of "if you don't leave, I won't leave either."

Li Xuewu had no choice. Seeing the elevator operator eyeing them with a surprised look, he could only compromise once more and step into the elevator.

Zhou Xiaobai still didn't let him off. She let the tears slide down her cheeks, followed him into the elevator, and ignored him, feeling too aggrieved to speak.

Li Xuewu asked the elevator operator for the 6th floor, then shoved his hands into his pockets and stayed silent. The atmosphere was a bit stifling for a moment.

Zhou Xiaobai stood with her head down at the elevator door. She wasn't afraid he wouldn't get off the elevator now.

He wouldn't dare!

If Li Xuewu really dared not follow her down, she would dare to cry herself to death right there, just to see if he was scared or not.

Ding—

The sixth floor arrived. Li Xuewu gave her a gentle push, and they stepped out of the elevator together.

A curve appeared at the corner of Zhou Xiaobai's mouth, but she still didn't lift her head, seemingly still angry.

"Open the door." Li Xuewu walked in front, and she followed behind. It wasn't until she heard him say "open the door" that she lifted her head and realized they were at the door of 604.

"Hmph—" She used the key in her hand to open the room door and walked in first.

She didn't need to look carefully; she knew exactly where the light switch was and turned on the room lights.

The occupancy rate of the International Hotel was not low; almost every day, foreign affairs departments or international groups visiting the mainland would check in here.

Good conditions, good service, unique features, and close proximity—these were the unique advantages of the International Hotel.

So, as the door opened, Li Xuewu smelled a faint scent of perfume. A woman had stayed in this room.

The scent of perfume was very complex; ordinary cleaning agents couldn't dissipate or cover it up. It would remain on the surface of furniture for a period of time, and someone with a sensitive sense of smell could easily distinguish it.

Zhou Xiaobai, however, didn't notice the smell in the room; her heart was entirely on the person behind her.

"Your group also makes tea drinks, why don't you provide some good tea leaves for the International Hotel?"

She lifted the teacup on the coffee table to take a look, picked up a tea bag to examine it, curled her lip in disdain, and complained.

Li Xuewu ignored her and didn't sit on the sofa. Instead, he leaned against the head of the bed, watching her, waiting for the "talk" she mentioned when they were coming down.

"Do you want to eat some fruit?"

Zhou Xiaobai brewed him a cup of tea. Turning back to see him sitting on the bed, she blushed and said, "I'm going... I'm going to take a bath."

"Take a bath? Where would you get dates?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "It's mid-winter, where am I supposed to find dates for you? Don't make things difficult for people."

"You—" Zhou Xiaobai was stunned by his words, but seeing his serious expression, she couldn't help but snort with laughter, followed by a burst of hearty laughter.

Li Xuewu was stunned by her laughter and realized he had misunderstood—the "dates" she was washing weren't those dates.

"Hahaha—washing dates—"

Zhou Xiaobai was almost laughing until she couldn't breathe. She covered her eyes and said, "Brother, how did you come up with that? Hahaha—"

"I'm thin-skinned, if you laugh again, I'm leaving!"

Li Xuewu couldn't bear to look at her. He twisted his body and lay down sideways, saying, "I've been tired all day, I don't have time to joke around with you here. Say what you have to say quickly, I'm going back to rest early, I have things to do tomorrow."

"You're not allowed to leave—" Zhou Xiaobai scrambled over like a monkey, straddled him, looked down into his eyes, pouted, and said, "I won't allow you to leave—"

"What's this? You want to use force?"

Li Xuewu glanced at her and asked, "What do you want to tell me? Is it that you don't have enough money?"

"I said I missed you, do you believe me?"

Zhou Xiaobai pressed her hands on his shoulders, looked into his eyes, and said, "I missed you. This whole year I've been thinking of you, day and night, three hundred and sixty-five days."

"Hm? Three hundred and sixty-five days? Wasn't last year three hundred and sixty-six days?" Li Xuewu looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Who were you thinking of on that remaining day?"

"Ah? Was last year three hundred and sixty-six days?"

Zhou Xiaobai was completely stunned by his question, which shattered the atmosphere she had just built up.

She shook her head and emphasized, "Then it was three hundred and sixty-six days of thinking of you, every single day."

"Just teasing you. Last year only had three hundred and sixty-five days. You can't even calculate that, and you say you missed me for a whole year?"

Li Xuewu reached out and patted her thigh, saying, "Get up. If you want to talk, I'll talk with you."

"No! What if you run away again!"

Zhou Xiaobai pressed on his shoulders, glared at him, and said, "You're just bullying me. Am I very stupid?"

"Not stupid. Being stupid and lacking common sense are two different things."

Li Xuewu lifted his shoulders and said, "You're tired like this, and I'm tired too. I'm not leaving, let's talk."

"Then—I'll go take a bath first." Zhou Xiaobai avoided his eyes and said coyly, "Let's..."

"Did you not find a suitable romantic partner this whole year?" Li Xuewu bluntly tore away Zhou Xiaobai's fig leaf, looked at her, and asked, "Are you really thinking of me?"

"You don't believe me?" Zhou Xiaobai seemed anxious. She reached out to undo his belt and emphasized, "I'll prove it to you right now!"

"Hey! Hey! I believe you—I believe you!"

This crazy girl dared to do anything when she got stubborn; Li Xuewu was a bit unable to handle it.

"Believing me isn't enough, let's speak with facts!" Zhou Xiaobai was also unforgiving. No matter what he said, she was single-mindedly focused on that.

She didn't even mention the bath anymore, because Li Xuewu really might run away at the last minute. What if he really ran off?

"You'd better think it through." Li Xuewu held her hands down and said seriously, "A year is enough time for you to think clearly about what you want. Don't regret it."

"I'm just afraid *you'll* regret it—"

Zhou Xiaobai glared, unwilling to waste the courage she had just mustered, looked into his eyes, and said, "Let go, we must do it for real today!"

It's said that female squad leaders dare to say anything when training and managing troops, and male soldiers would blush just hearing it.

After a year of training, Zhou Xiaobai's strength had increased a bit, and her courage had grown significantly—especially her audacity, which could reach the heavens.

Could Li Xuewu let her take the initiative? Seeing her so determined, he suddenly sat up, threw her onto the bed, and reached out to disarm her.

There was no need for nonsense; she wasn't afraid of death, so why should he be afraid of the hard work?

"You—be gentle—!"

"Mr. Li, sorry to have kept you waiting."

Kenichi Nishida very politely took the initiative to reach out and shake hands with Li Xuewu, bowing slightly to explain, "I just finished attending the reception meeting, I am truly sorry."

"Why be so polite? We are old friends." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, looked at him, and said, "Given the cooperative relationship between the Red Steel Group and the Sanhe Stock Company, you're being a bit distant."

"It is truly an honor. With those words from you, even the coldest Beijing feels as warm as spring."

Kenichi Nishida glanced at Gucang and Sanshang who had followed him. After a slight nod, he looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I believe your side has already received our request for in-depth cooperation negotiations. I wonder what Mr. Li's intention is in coming this time..."

"Oh, received it. Is it that consultation letter your side entrusted the First Ministry of Machine Building to forward?"

Li Xuewu asked a question he already knew the answer to, and said meaningfully, "Our Red Steel Group attaches great importance to this letter. Under the guidance and requirements of the higher-level departments, we have seriously deliberated and studied the relevant work preparations."

He glanced at Kenichi Nishida and replied very seriously, "In accordance with the principle of being seriously responsible for the requirements of the higher-level departments, we are working hard to study it."

Hearing him say this, Kenichi Nishida was stunned, looked at him, and asked, "Then in terms of time, is it..."

He proposed, "I came to Beijing this time with Mr. Kenzo Matsumura specifically to facilitate this matter. If we can complete the negotiations as soon as possible, we are very sincere."

"I understand what you mean, and I fully understand your feelings. I personally am very willing to carry out negotiation work with our old friend and partner of many years, Sanhe."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "It's just that you should understand our work system, and you can also understand the procedures and steps by which our decisions are generated."

He explained a little, looked at the other party, and said, "With instructions from higher-level departments, our group cannot act on its own. We must make full preparations and detailed negotiation process documents, which is very time-consuming."

After explaining clearly, he didn't continue to beat around the bush, but nodded slightly and said, "However, please rest assured, we will complete the plan discussion as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible is... how long?" Kenichi Nishida clearly wanted to complete the negotiation work "as soon as possible."

He was anxious because the Red Steel Group was not anxious.

Kenichi Nishida had come to Beijing with Kenzo Matsumura and others to meet with Mr. Z.

The purpose of the consortium representatives led by Kenzo Matsumura was very simple: to deepen mutual trade cooperation, cultivate the existing foundation of economic and trade cooperation, and carry out more aspects of trade work, which was very beneficial to Japan.

Who was Kenzo Matsumura? Li Xuewu had already learned about him from Li Huai De and had also read his materials.

This former cabinet member and honorary doctor of law from Waseda University was not visiting the mainland for the first time—he had been here in '62, '64, '66, and this year.

Counting it up, this was his fifth visit to China. Kenichi Nishida very much hoped to use his influence to facilitate a new round of technical cooperation negotiations with the Red Steel Group.

But looking at the attitude Li Xuewu had just displayed, it seemed he was somewhat... repulsed by his approach?

"Chairman Nishida, does Mr. Li mean that our work has put the cart before the horse?"

As the person in charge of the office, Pingji Gucang had long since learned the ways of the world in China after three years here.

Just hearing Li Xuewu say a few words, he knew where the problem lay.

At this time, there was no way to call Chairman Nishida out to explain, nor could he stand out to influence the talks, so he could only remind Chairman Nishida of the problem in this way.

"Oh, is that so." Kenichi Nishida glanced at Li Xuewu, then glanced at Pingji Gucang, who was standing to the side bowing slightly, and said, "I don't quite understand."

"That... Chairman Nishida." Pingji Gucang didn't care about the strange look Li Xuewu cast his way; he bowed and quickly explained a sentence in Kenichi Nishida's ear.

At first, Kenichi Nishida was a bit strange, seemingly unable to believe it, but after Gucang explained it thoroughly, he understood what Li Xuewu's words just now meant.

It truly was a country with a long history; even the way they spoke was so profound and implicit.

But did Kenichi Nishida not understand?

He just wanted to poke through this layer of window paper through the mouth of Pingji Gucang.

No matter how low Pingji Gucang's voice was, it could be heard clearly in the meeting room, and Li Xuewu naturally heard it too.

He observed Li Xuewu's expression, but it was one of indifference, as if he hadn't heard what Gucang said.

"I am truly sorry, it's all my fault." Once Gucang finished explaining, Kenichi Nishida took the initiative to admit his mistake, saying, "I didn't understand your work process and almost ruined a major event."

"No, that's not what I meant."

Li Xuewu raised his hand to stop him, put down the teacup in his hand, and said, "You misunderstood."

"No, it's my fault. I made a decision without understanding, hurting the harmony between us."

Kenichi Nishida very frankly admitted his mistake, stood up, and bowed, saying, "I am very sorry for causing you trouble."

"Look, if you do this again, I won't dare to say anything at all." Li Xuewu stood up and supported his arm, saying, "You are an old friend of the Red Steel Group."

"Sigh, I was just taking things for granted."

Kenichi Nishida knew that Li Xuewu had ten thousand reasons to stall him, or even reject him.

Just think, with higher-level departments pressing down on this item, the Red Steel Group could completely stall this matter on the grounds of "comprehending and studying the instructions and requirements of higher-level departments," and could choose not to pay attention to him at all.

Without the subjective willingness of the Red Steel Group, what were they going to negotiate? They might as well pack up and leave.

"Mr. Li, we are very sincere."

Kenichi Nishida took a set of keys from Sanshang's hand and placed them on the coffee table in front of Li Xuewu, saying politely, "This is a gift I brought specifically from Japan. Please be sure to accept it as my apology gift."

"This is..." Li Xuewu looked hesitantly at the set of keys on the coffee table, thinking to himself: Do these Japanese devils also know about Old Li's penchant for hiding beauties in golden houses?

"This is a Toyota car we brought specifically from Japan, a gift for you."

Kenichi Nishida sat on the sofa, bowed slightly, and explained, "This car was originally intended as a celebration gift for the cooperation negotiations, but now it's just early."

He looked into Li Xuewu's eyes and explained, "I am truly sorry. We are really too eager to facilitate this cooperation negotiation, and we have caused you a lot of trouble."

The Japanese are like this—they like to apologize very much, and are willing to apologize, apologizing for causing trouble to others, not necessarily because they realize where they went wrong.

Yes, even if they don't think they are wrong, as long as they think they have caused trouble for others, they will apologize.

So if one day a Japanese person angers their neighbor because of erroneous remarks, I hope that neighbor will not easily believe their apology. Even if they really apologize, there is no need to feel satisfied, because they are very likely forced, unwilling, or just because their erroneous remarks caused trouble for the neighbor.

Li Xuewu glanced at the car keys on the coffee table, his gaze swept over everyone in the meeting room, and finally landed on Kenichi Nishida's face. He smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Nishida doesn't seem to have understood what I meant."

Whether it was Kenichi Nishida or the two who followed him in, they were all stunned.

Only to see Li Xuewu shake his head slightly and emphasize, "The meaning of my words was not to emphasize anything, but to hope that we, having many foundations for cooperation, can discuss our future cooperation and development path fairly and calmly."

He pointed to the set of car keys on the coffee table and said, "Instead of using this form to make up for the gap in our negotiation inequality this time, don't you think?"

"Let's stop here for today. On behalf of the Red Steel Group Management Committee, I once again welcome Mr. Nishida's arrival."

Li Xuewu reached out and said with a smile, "We also welcome Mr. Nishida to visit the Red Steel Group."

"Certainly, I will definitely pay a visit."

Kenichi Nishida's many methods had all been seen through by Li Xuewu. He had used both soft and hard tactics, but what was the result?

He was somewhat unwilling, but now that things had reached this point, where had Li Xuewu left him any room to maneuver?

It wasn't that they weren't willing to talk; they were really given a chance, but they had to go to the Red Steel Group to talk in person.

However, he had managed to get on Kenzo Matsumura's fast boat with great difficulty. If he gave up the opportunity in front of him and went to the Red Steel Group to talk, wouldn't this trip have been in vain?

If he had known it would be like this, why bother with all the trouble? Wouldn't it have been better to talk directly?

Now he was in a dilemma. He couldn't keep Li Xuewu, and he couldn't pin Li Xuewu down to set the tone for the negotiations. This trip was a waste of time.

Unless he was willing to abandon the influence he currently possessed and take the initiative to go to the Red Steel Group to talk.

There was another way, which was to use the influence of Mr. Kenzo Matsumura to put pressure on the First Ministry of Machine Building.

This method could quickly solve the problem of the Red Steel Group not playing along, but it also had endless future troubles.

If he really used this method, the relationship with the Red Steel Group would not be partners, but enemies.

So this method could not be used until the last moment, so he didn't have many choices.

"Mr. Li, about this car..."

Seeing Li Xuewu about to leave, Kenichi Nishida reached out, grabbed the car keys, and chased after him, saying, "This was also brought from Japan with great difficulty. If you don't accept it, our painstaking efforts will have been wasted."

"I have never driven such a high-end small car." Li Xuewu looked at the car model nameplate on the key ring, smiled, looked up at Kenichi Nishida, and said, "It's a pity, I rarely drive myself. Let's leave this car for your office to use."

"Mr. Li, this is a gift for you."

Kenichi Nishida chased after him for two steps and emphasized, "We don't have any other meaning, we are sincere."

"It's best if you don't have any other meaning."

Li Xuewu met up with Zhang Enyuan, who was waiting at the door, looked back at them, smiled, nodded, and said, "That's it, I'll wait for your arrival at the Red Steel Group."

"He did that on purpose—"

Watching Li Xuewu's back disappear at the stairwell, Pingji Gucang said somewhat helplessly, "This Mr. Li is one of the few strong men in the Red Steel Group."

"Mm, did you need to tell me that?"

Kenichi Nishida didn't look back until he saw Li Xuewu leave. Only then did he turn his head and glance at Pingji Gucang, but his gaze finally landed on Yua Sanshang.

"Three years, why?"

He asked in a suspicious, or even questioning tone, "The company's money cannot be wasted."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Chairman." Yua Sanshang's body bent down instantly.

"I don't want 'I'm sorry'."

Kenichi Nishida looked at the back of Yua Sanshang's head and emphasized, "The company wants results, results in your economic activities and human network construction in Beijing."

He pointed at Pingji Gucang, who was also bowing, and scolded him with hatred for his failure to meet expectations, "What have you two been doing for these three years? Why can't you get close to him?"

"I'm sorry, Chairman. This task is truly too difficult." Sanshang explained very guiltily, "We've tried all kinds of methods but haven't been able to get close to him."

"Yes, Chairman, we tried our best!"

Pingji Gucang chimed in, "But we can't get close to him, we can't even talk to him."

"Are you playing with me?"

Kenichi Nishida glared and gestured toward the meeting room where they had just talked, asking, "Didn't you see him just now? Wasn't he sitting right here?"

"But..." Yua Sanshang tried hard to explain, "We can't see him under normal circumstances."

"Then go to his house and wait for him!"

Kenichi Nishida suddenly flew into a rage, threw the keys in his hand, and scolded loudly, "I don't care what method you use, whether you hide under his bed or go under his desk, you must firmly grasp him!"

He gestured with his fist and emphasized, "I won't give you another three years. You have only one year. You must settle this Mr. Li; don't let him block our cause again, do you hear me!"

"Yes! Chairman—"

Regardless of whether they could do it or not, at this moment, in order not to be fired, they could only bow and agree.

Seeing them like this, Kenichi Nishida's face became even gloomier, but he didn't vent wantonly anymore.

He gritted his teeth, reached out to help Yua Sanshang up, looked at the panicked look in her eyes, and shook his head slightly, saying, "What a beautiful girl, how could he not be moved?"

Just as Yua Sanshang was trembling with nervousness, she saw Chairman Nishida reach out and remove the wool shawl from her shoulders, revealing her shoulders covered in goosebumps—they were caused by the Chairman's sharp gaze.

"It doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense."

Kenichi Nishida's hoarse, suppressed voice flashed with dissatisfaction. This atmosphere made the two of them shudder.

"We will definitely continue to work hard!"

Pingji Gucang bowed deeply and indicated, "Please believe in us one more time."

Kenichi Nishida glanced at him sideways, a faint cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he asked rhetorically, "Believe in you?"

After saying this, he raised his hand and patted Yua Sanshang on the shoulder, saying, "Don't be afraid. Fear doesn't solve any problems. What you need to do is get close to him, seduce him."

"Remember, the highest level of emotional exchange is on the spiritual level, understanding his pursuits and tastes."

Kenichi Nishida gently taught Yua Sanshang, "You must first know what he likes before you can cater to his preferences and find an opportunity to get close to him."

"Yes... yes... Chairman..."

Sanshang was already numb; she was answering the Chairman's teachings entirely by instinct.

She didn't feel this was patient and caring guidance; it was more like a devil standing in front of her, luring her into sinking into hell, and the words spoken were the language of a devil.

"I believe in you, Miss Sanshang."

Kenichi Nishida sized her up and said with a smile, "With your conditions, you are fully capable of handling this job. The promise remains the same: as long as you can take him down, you can choose any house in Tokyo Bay."

"Thank you, Chairman, we will definitely work hard!" Seizing the opportunity, Yua Sanshang stepped back slightly and bowed with Pingji Gucang to express their stance.

"Good, good, as long as you work hard."

Kenichi Nishida smiled and sized her up. Only then did he reach out and grab Pingji Gucang by the neck, walked a few steps outside, and without caring whether Gucang was standing steady, he slammed him against the wall.

"I don't care what kind of tricks you have!"

He stared very angrily at his company's Beijing office manager and emphasized, "Don't touch what isn't yours. Even having a greedy heart is a mistake!"

"I'm sorry... Chairman..."

Pingji Gucang squeezed out a plea for mercy from his throat. He didn't even dare to look directly into Chairman Nishida's eyes; those were a pair of eyes sharper than an eagle's.

"No need to say sorry to me."

Kenichi Nishida exerted force once more before letting him down. He looked at Pingji Gucang, who was covering his throat and lying on the ground retching, and emphasized, "If you dare to reach out to them again, I will have you buried here, and you will never think of going back for the rest of your life!"

"I'm sorry, Chairman—"

Finally seeing his status as a beast of burden, Pingji Gucang endured the discomfort in his body and struggled to support himself to apologize once more.

"Give Sanshang and the others more funds, buy the most beautiful clothes, and use the best cosmetics."

Kenichi Nishida just curled his lip, gave his instructions, and turned to leave without any mercy.

How could there be any ordinary people who managed to break through from that era more than a decade ago? Kenichi Nishida didn't get to where he was today by luck. If he didn't have some means, could he still be mingling in the Japanese trade circle at this time? Keep dreaming!

So he also used all kinds of means on his subordinates, not only intimidation but also encouragement and care.

It's just that Yua Sanshang only felt disgust and fear at his encouragement and care, and didn't dare to have the slightest bit of gratitude or excitement. She was very afraid of being sold out.

Of course, the task the company gave them was no different from what she was worried about.

Taking down Mr. Li and getting a heavy reward from the company—wasn't this just a transaction of selling one's soul and body?

She walked to Pingji Gucang, who was slumped on the ground, with unwillingness in her heart, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Pingji Gucang dodged to the side, nervous and sensitive, as if he were truly afraid of Chairman Nishida's words.

"No—nothing—"

He avoided Yua Sanshang's concerned gaze, hung his head, and said, "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

He didn't know why he said this, but he couldn't help but say it. He clearly knew how much distress saying this would cause Sanshang.

It was very obvious that after he finished saying this, she no longer felt any warmth from him.

"We can choose to stay here."

It was Yua Sanshang's voice, carrying a trace of sobbing, with more disappointment and regret.

But she still bravely put forward her own opinion; she was even willing to stay in this foreign land forever.

"It's useless, it's useless—"

Men are always more rational than women, can see through the essence of problems better, and also appear too realistic.

Reality is always cold, so cold that it's not easy for people to accept, although this is reality.

"Without the company's status, we have no way to stay here for a long time."

He stated the most realistic problem, completely shattering Yua Sanshang's extravagant hopes and plans.

"We can go find Mr. Li."

Yua Sanshang turned her head to look at Pingji Gucang, who was hanging his head, and said, "Perhaps he can help us."

"On what grounds? Hehe—"

Pingji Gucang smiled exhaustedly, sat on the ground hugging his knees, and said, "How could he betray the cooperative relationship between enterprises for our sake?"

"Once he chooses to shield us, the Sanhe Stock Company will attack the Red Steel Group. Our value cannot offset the losses from this part."

He finally had the courage to look up at Yua Sanshang, but there was no emotion left in his tone.

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have said those messy things to you. I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

Yua Sanshang looked at the man kneeling on the ground kowtowing to her, and her vision gradually blurred.

It was tears that sealed her vision. Closing her eyes could only let the tears fall, but it couldn't solve any problems.

Chairman Nishida was right: fear doesn't solve any problems, and crying doesn't solve any problems either.

She turned her head to look at the sunlight outside the window. The sunlight that should have represented warmth was so cold at this moment, and it didn't have a shred of temperature when it fell on her body.

Sanshang had no reason and no right to blame the man kneeling on the ground; this was her own choice.

"Please... be sure to... complete the task!"

Pingji Gucang stood up and bowed again, then turned and walked away quickly. Career and love were indeed like fish and bear's paw; they couldn't be had at the same time.

Sanshang didn't turn back, she just used her hand to catch the sunlight in front of her. The brilliance of the tears flickering on her hand was icy cold—that wasn't sunlight, those were tears.

"What does Sanhe mean?"

Gao Yaqin hurried out of her office. Seeing Li Xuewu in the office, she walked in, raised the document in her hand, and asked, "Either comprehensive cooperation or terminate cooperation?"

"Do you believe it?" Li Xuewu stopped the fountain pen in his hand, looked up at her, and said, "An industrial base that cost millions—would they just terminate it like that?"

"It's good that you're back. You take over this matter; you're still responsible for the negotiations."

"What do you mean I take over?" Gao Yaqin walked over, glanced at him, found the negotiation plan for cooperation with Sanhe from the pile of documents at his hand, flipped through a few pages, and said, "You want to keep them hanging?"

She was a bit surprised; she had never thought that Li Xuewu had no intention of facilitating the negotiations this time at all.

"The time isn't right, and the timing isn't right either."

Seeing that she could actually find the location of his documents, Li Xuewu simply laid his cards on the table and said, "Let's stretch it out a bit more; perhaps there will be unexpected gains."

"You're too greedy—"

Gao Yaqin put back the document she had finished reading and said, "You're still responsible for this matter. I have no way to explain why I don't want to reach a cooperation."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I brought you a gift from Hong Kong. Go get it at my place after work."

"You brought me a gift too?"

Li Xuewu asked with a chuckle, "President Gao, don't you have any ulterior motives, do you?"

"Don't be too confident."

Gao Yaqin narrowed her eyes, glanced at him with a smile, and said, "You aren't handsome at all." ===== CHAPTER 1547 =====