Chapter 76

Assistant Chen assisted Tao Yi Xi in bringing the two people back to the hotel. Tao Yi Xi supported a staggering Tina, while Carlos kept mumbling drunkenly.

“No… No more drinks… I’m going to puke-“

After forcing out that sentence in Chinese, he suddenly squatted by the fountain and vomited.

Tao Yi Xi helplessly muttered to herself, “Why did they drink so much?”

Thinking she was directing the question at him, Assistant Chen guiltily explained, “About that… people around here are generally very hospitable. I’ll take Mr. Carlos back to his room while you bring Ms. Tina back to hers.”

“Thank you.”

Assistant Chen quickly responded, “It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

**

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Tao Yi Xi clenched the documents in her hand, hoping to wrap up the business quickly and leave the country.

Meeting him again made her realise that her control over her emotions was not as good as she had imagined.

With different thoughts in mind, the trio headed to their destination.

The same secretary from yesterday was there to greet them, but his expression was less relaxed compared to before.

“Good morning, Director Qi is already waiting for you in the meeting room.”

Tao Yi Xi glanced at her watch, relieved to find they were still ten minutes early. She released a breath of relief before replying, “Okay, thank you.”

With prior experience from yesterday, the four exchanged greetings in a relatively relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

After a few casual exchanges, Tao Yi Xi took the lead, “We have prepared the materials you requested, shall we get started?”

Qi Yue replied unhurriedly, “No rush, let’s wait a bit. Our president will be joining us shortly for this meeting.”

Tao Yi Xi’s heart thudded, “Who, is your president?”

As soon as she asked, the second hand of the clock ticked to twelve, and the meeting room door was pushed open from the outside.

A tall man walked toward them, bathed in the light streaming through the large meeting room window. His handsome face was expressionless, and his posture was upright and elegant. A secretary followed closely behind him.

Carlos was surprised, while Tina stood up excitedly. Only Tao Yi Xi remained motionless.

Qi Yue stood up, “Let me do the introduction; this is our president, Gu Jing Yuan, whom you all met last night.”

Tina restrained her excitement and smoothed her hair as she put on a professional smile, extending her hand proactively towards him, “Hello, President Gu. I didn’t expect us to meet again so soon. It’s a pleasure getting to work with you.”

Gu Jing Yuan did not respond immediately.

Just as Qi Yue was about to open his mouth to explain on Gu Jing Yuan’s behalf that Gu Jing Yuan did not like physical contact with others, Qi Yue saw Gu Jing Yuan reach out to shake Tina’s hand. Although it barely lasted a couple of seconds, it was enough to surprise Qi Yue so much that he could not shut his mouth.

Gu Jing Yuan then moved to Carlos, who imitated Tina and extended his hand, “Greetings, President Gu.” 

This time the handshake lasted slightly longer.

Finally, Gu Jing Yuan, with a cold expression, moved to Tao Yi Xi.

Tao Yi Xi could not appear too haughty. Hence, she extended her hand. Her fair and slender fingers were as flawless as delicate white jade, glowing softly in the sunlight, tempting others to hold and admire them.

Gu Jing Yuan paused for a moment before enveloping her hand in his large, warm palm. She felt him tighten his grip slightly, as if the next moment he might pull her forcefully to his side, leaving no room for resistance.

However, he quickly released her, making it seem like that moment was all part of her imagination.

Tao Yi Xi withdrew her hand to her side, her fingers curled. She lowered her eyes as she spotted the hem of his black suit brushed past her.

After he sat down at the chairperson’s seat, everyone else followed suit.

His gaze was sharp, exuding the dominance of a superior, vastly different from the proud youth in her memories.

The once innocent and pure boy had grown into a deeply calculating man, who was now a complete stranger to her.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Qi Yue broke the silence, “Yi Xi, why don’t you kick-start the presentation?”

By the time Tao Yi Xi looked back up, she had properly concealed her emotions. She stood up gracefully and took the multimedia pen.

Considering that Gu Jing Yuan had not been present at yesterday’s meeting, Tao Yi Xi briefly summarized the initial intent reached in the last meeting and also mentioned the supplementary materials that Qi Yue had requested.

Qi Yue was surprised, “You’ve already prepared them?”

He knew those materials he asked for were cumbersome and trivial. It should have consumed a lot of time to organize, which should easily take them two to three days to sort through.

Tao Yi Xi nodded and carefully distilled the essence of the conversation, her concise words adding just the right touch, making Qi Yue’s requests seem less abrupt and cumbersome. In doing so, she managed to preserve the reputation and appearance of the dignity of her superior.

Qi Yue secretly admired her, thinking that even after seven years, their school’s top student was still so impressive!

As he listened, he took a peek at Brother Yuan. Gu Jign Yuan was flipping through the documents, staring at her throughout the presentation, his expression inscrutable, making it hard for others to guess what he was thinking about.

Meanwhile, Tao Yi Xi’s gaze was broad and scattered, looking in the direction of the chairperson’s seat but never focusing on him.

These two… were evenly matched.

When the PowerPoint reached the last slide, Tao Yi Xi delivered a polished closing remark, “We hope to achieve a win-win situation through our collaboration. If your esteemed company plans to expand into the U.S. market in the future, we will also provide exceptional assistance.”

Her professionalism and charm were on full display in this presentation. If not for Brother Yuan’s stern expression, Qi Yue would have been the first to stand up and give her a round of applause.

After politely nodding, Tao Yi Xi returned to her seat, taking a sip of the coffee beside her. Today, pure Americano was served in the conference room. It was very bitter causing her brows to furrow slightly, but her slight change in expression was almost imperceptible.

Seated beside her, when their eyes met, Carlos gave her a thumbs up without inhibition and Tao Yi Xi returned his gesture with a faint smile. 

Gu Jing Yuan noticed this small exchange, and the paper in his hand crumpled.

“No matter how good you made the plan sound, it all comes down to the implementation. Furthermore, there’s an issue with the profit splitting. This doesn’t match the ratio we initially agreed on. We want an additional 10%.”

Gu Jing Yuan’s sudden demand was a difficult one.

Considering the substantial amount involved, even conceding one percent was difficult. Yet, Gu Jing Yuan was demanding that YD give up an additional ten percent. It was nothing short of an outrageous request.

Tina watched with schadenfreude as she waited to see how Tao Yi Xi would handle the situation. There was no way the headquarters would agree to such a large concession, and if this deal fell through, Tao Yi Xi, being the spearhead of this project, would be the one to shoulder the blame.

Agitated, Carlos was eager to speak up but was stopped by Tao Yi Xi.

Her gaze finally landed on him. stating her position, “President Gu, 10% would be quite challenging, but I can try to negotiate for 3% to 5%. Considering this is our first collaboration, if it goes well, there is a probability that our companies will continue to work together and the terms can be renegotiated in the future.”

Her respectful address placed more distance between them.

She remained composed, her eyes clear, treating him simply as a client, with no trace of past entanglements.

She was always so rational, which was so infuriating.

Gu Jing Yuan stared at her, his voice cold, “10%, you can communicate that with your higher-ups.”

If it were anyone else, she would have used various negotiation techniques, regardless of the method, to convince the other party otherwise.

However, with Gu Jing Yuan, she did not want to do that.

Tao Yi Xi pressed her lips together, her stubborn demeanour was still the same as before.

Gu Jing Yuan waited silently for her rebuttal. Yet, unexpectedly, she backed down.

“I will report back your terms to headquarters and get back to you on this.”

Gu Jing Yuan’s dark eyes were deep and unreadable, “Fine.”

It was just a single word, but only Qi Yue could hear the deep-seated disappointment in that one word.

The meeting could not proceed any further and ended early.

Only Qi Yue and Gu Jing Yuan were left in the meeting room.

Qi Yue held his forehead, “Brother Yuan, you approached YD and even requested Yi Xi to be sent over as part of the negotiating team. Now you’re making things difficult for her. Aren’t you afraid they’ll back out of this collaboration?”

Gu Jing Yuan held the file with her name on it as he slowly flipped through it, “I just put out the bait. YD is eager to breach into the Chinese market, they won’t miss this opportunity.”

“But asking for an extra 10% is too excessive. YD will never agree to it.”

“I know. That’s exactly what I want.”

“Huh?” Qi Yue was baffled.

“They’ll definitely come back. Next time, prepare some sweet tea.”

“… Since when did you like sweet things?”

“Recently. Make sure to have a variety.” Gu Jing Yuan held the file tightly in his grip and left. He was rushing off to his next meeting.

Qi Yue stared in shock at Gu Jing Yuan’s confident and assured figure as he walked away, feeling somewhat preoccupied.