Cai Renhe was so angry that he turned red in the face. He lost control over his emotions and blew up.
A freaking bank robbery? What did he think Xiahai was–the backdrop to a Hong Kong movie? If Xiao Luo was really at a bank robbery by some unlikely chance, then there would have been police officers on hand to deal with the situation. What was an entrepreneur doing getting himself involved? Suddenly, Cai Renhe was reminded about the threat that Jin Yitang posed, and he wisely chose to suppress his anger.
“Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s talk about that Jin Yitang of yours,” Cai Renhe said.
“Yes, what about my Jin Yitang?” asked Xiao Luo. He frowned as the cogs started to turn in his head.
“What about your Jin Yitang? Well, you’re about to monopolize the drug market, that’s what!”
Cai Renhe started getting angry again, as he felt that Xiao Luo was just playing dumb. “President Shen and I came here today to discuss the issue of the market share with you. Xiahai’s drug market has always been shared equally between my company, Renhe Medicines, and President Shen’s Huayao Corporation. Jin Yitang is not playing by the rules. Not only have you disrupted this market, but you’ve also encroached into the market share that traditionally belonged to us. Is this not…”
Xiao Luo interrupted Cai Renhe with a flick of his hand and said, “This is a free market—always has been, always will be. Anyone can enter, anyone can leave. Don’t you think you’re demeaning yourself when you say something like that, President Cai?”
“Spit it out, Old Cai. Tell us exactly what it is that you want. Stop beating around the bush,” Zhang Dashan pitched in.
Cai Renhe quickly realized that he had a favor to ask of Xiao Luo and assumed a friendlier demeanor. “I came here to discuss how we can split the market share so that the three of us stand to benefit the most,” he opined.
Xiao Luo chuckled and said, “If you’re here to discuss how we can split the market share, then there’s no reason to have any further discussions with you, Old Cai. The market share is not something that can be settled by a discussion. The customers are the ones with the power to decide. Besides, Jin Yitang sells Traditional Chinese Medicine, while Renhe Medicines primarily supplies Western medicine. There’s simply no basis for us to be discussing any sharing.”
He turned to Shen Qingyan and added, “And this goes for Huayao Corporation as well!”
Was he rejecting the offer to work with Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines?
The people from the three giant corporations turned pale. The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t bode well for the young to be this aggressive, President Xiao,” Cai Renhe said.
He was unhappy with Xiao Luo’s response and had a stern look on his face. “I’ll admit that Jin Yitang has a tremendous influence, but Renhe Medicines and Huayao Corporation aren’t pushovers, you know. Jin Yitang is a mere hatchling compared to our companies. If we went to war with you, your company will be crushed before you know it!” he retorted.
Xiao Luo glared at Cai Renhe coldly. “Then, time will tell just who will have the last laugh! See them out!” he said, turning to Li Zimeng. He anticipated that the talk would not go smoothly, but he wasn’t prepared to receive any threats. Xiao Luo was not about to entertain the man for another second.
“I’ll see you out, President Cai,” Li Zimeng said. She had a stern look on her face as she raised her hand to gesture him toward the door.
“You’ll pay for this!” Cai Renhe huffed, his indignance rising to new heights as he left with his secretary. He was an extremely successful man, and it has been quite some time since he had last suffered such ignominy. His anger blinded him so much that he lost the faculty of reason.
After Cai Renhe and his people left, the conference room plunged into an awkward hush.
It was Shen Qingyan who first broke the silence. She looked at Xiao Luo blankly and said, “The gladiator’s war drums, huh? I heard from your sister that you planned all of this from the start. So, did you? Was it your plan to chip at the market share that I have with Cai Renhe’s company? This won’t end as long as either one of us is still standing, am I right?”
“You’ve only got it half right,” Xiao Luo said.
“Half?” Shen Qingyan responded with a frown.
Xiao Luo nodded and replied, “Before Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines came at Luo Workshop, I had no intention of ever picking a fight to pick with your companies, and my only goal at that time was to manage Luo Workshop properly. So, Jin Yitang’s appearance was nothing more than a natural response to a situation that you both created.”
Shen Qingyan stood abruptly and lost control of her emotions. “That’s a load of rubbish. Why would you work at my company if you hadn’t planned to enter the drug market?” she hissed.
“You’re saying I was checking out the market in advance?” Xiao Luo asked.
“Weren’t you?”
Shen Qingyan laughed coldly and said, “Oh, Xiao Luo. Why didn’t I realize you were such a shrewd person? No, I think ‘scheming’ is a better word. You’re like a venomous snake—I don’t know when you’ll lose control and strike at me. I can’t believe I treated you like my friend!”
Why does it feel like he went too far?
Zhang Dashan stole a glance at Xiao Luo. Things did not feel right, and this was not going as he had planned.
“I won’t repeat myself. You can either choose to believe me or don’t,” Xiao Luo responded.
“How nice. I’ve misjudged you, Xiao Luo!” Shen Qingyan shouted at him. “Li, let’s go, Li… Li …”
She called out several times, but Su Li did not respond. She turned around and saw Su Li sitting there silently, openly staring at Xiao Luo in shock.
Her skin was pale as snow, and her eyes glimmered like the stars in the night sky. She had an elegant nose that accentuated the beauty of her face. Her lips were pressed together, and her exquisite beauty was intoxicating.
Nobody knew why, but they all fell silent as they looked into her eyes. They could not tell whether she was elated or in despair. It seemed like the mood in the conference room was solely determined by her.
Xiao Luo knew that it was time for him to speak to her in private.
“Clear the room!”
Zhang Dashan was the first to respond to Xiao Luo’s order. “Ahem! You all heard Old Xiao, let’s go. Must be menopause or something. President Shen, let’s wait outside,” he said.
Li Zimeng and Luo Qi were quick to react as well. They helped Zhang Dashan to clear the room, leaving Su Li and Xiao Luo alone.
“You two have a good talk!” said Shen Qingyan. She was still furious and glared at Xiao Luo before leaving.
Chai Zhiying stood rooted at her spot, unable to regain her senses. It felt like she was in a dream and a surreal one at that. In her eyes, Xiao Luo has always been an insignificant loach. How did he suddenly become the mysterious chairman of Luo Workshop? It was too big of a twist to this plot. As she made her way out of the conference room, she gazed at Xiao Luo the entire time. She even wondered if the Xiao Luo standing in front of her was fake.
BANG!
The conference room door slammed shut, leaving only Xiao Luo and Su Li alone in the spacious room. There were no words exchanged, and the room was in pin-drop silence.
Xiao Luo sat at the head of the table while Su Li sat somewhere on his right. There was about a three-meter distance between them.
After a few minutes of silence, Xiao Luo stood up and poured her a glass of water. He put the glass in front of her, then took to his seat again.
“Why did you never tell me that you were the boss of Luo Workshop?” Su Li asked. When she finally spoke, she did so with no expression on her face.
“I didn’t know how to bring it up. Especially after finding out that you were the boss of Sumir and what you thought of Luo Workshop. In any case, I’m well aware of the contrast between Luo Workshop and Sumir, and I didn’t think it would bother you when you found out,” Xiao Luo said.
He laughed hesitantly and explained, “All this time, I’ve been working hard to bring Luo Workshop up to standard so I could talk to you on equal footing…”
“So, you think you’re on equal footing now?” Su Li interrupted him, glancing at him coldly.
