After stating the terms of the exchange, Cao Jinbo stood up and poured Ye Zhi a cup of tea, then handed his cup to her, saying, "President Ye, I, Cao Jinbo, would like to offer you a toast. I hope you can show your generosity and give me and Michael, the younger generation, a happy ending... I also thank you on behalf of the local entrepreneurs in Dali for your noble character. The Cangshan Villa project must be undertaken by us locals."

Ye Zhi was a very assertive woman at heart. She pushed away Cao Jinbo's cup and replied, "Mr. Cao, let me say this: I think it's wrong of you to bring up the conflict between local entrepreneurs and outside investors regarding the Cangshan Villa project... The future development of Dali cannot be separated from the cooperation of locals and outsiders... While you complain that we're overstepping our bounds, we also hope for a better investment environment... And this is also the situation the 'government' hopes to see... We should abandon prejudices and choose cooperation, instead of insisting on distinguishing between local entrepreneurs and outside investors... In fact, whether it's local entrepreneurs or outside investors, in the end, everyone must implement the spirit and instructions of the 'government'—fairness and impartiality... right?"

Cao Jinbo sat back down in his chair. He smiled first, and then said, "I, Cao Jinbo, am just a rough man who made my way in the world with knives, guns, and clubs. I don't have the same vision and perspective as President Ye... Now I just want to know, what do you mean by cooperation?"

"We can cooperate in the development of the Cangshan Villa project."

"What about the investment ratio?"

“Our Binjiang Group is nine, and you are one… your actual control is equivalent to your shareholding ratio.”

Cao Jinbo's expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "So, in the end, your Binjiang Group will take 90% of the profits from this project, and I'll only get 10%, is that right?"

Ye Zhi nodded, then picked up her teacup and took a sip of tea.

"Mr. Ye, you're leeching off me!"

“This is my bottom line… You should know better than me that giving up this 10% is a favor… Our Binjiang Group can withdraw funds at any time to take over the project completely… You are using bank leverage, which will inevitably involve many procedures… The seller and the ‘government’ certainly do not have the time or patience to wait for you to complete this series of ‘operations.’ This is the actual situation you are facing now.”

Cao Jinbo looked at Ye Zhi with a very aggressive gaze, and Ye Zhi met his gaze without giving an inch.

Cao Jinbo finally spoke up: "One percent profit is too little... at least thirty percent."

“I’ve said it before, 10% is my bottom line… You can choose to accept it or you can choose to give it up… Bargaining is not an option I’m giving you.”

Cao Jinbo looked at me again and said, "President Ye, if you can't give me, Cao Jinbo, face, then I, Cao, can't give you face either... This meal is on me, let's not talk about anything else."

After Cao Jinbo finished speaking, he gestured to his henchmen to settle the bill.

After he made this move, Ye Zhi didn't even show any change in expression.

Throughout this process, I remained silent.

...

Cao Jinbo had already stood up, then picked up his briefcase and walked out of the private room...

Chen Jin tried desperately to signal me with his eyes, but I still didn't move.

Chen Jin chased after him again, and vaguely heard him say to Cao Jinbo, "Mr. Cao, let's keep things separate. Please give us a chance to speak, okay?... We really need your shops in Jiulongju... If we can boost the business atmosphere there, you'll be the one who benefits in the end, Mr. Cao... That's actually a considerable income!"

There was no response from Cao Jinbo, only his henchman telling Chen Jin to "get lost," and then everything went quiet again.

Including this private room where only Ye Zhi and I are left.

...

Chen Jin returned to the private room with his head down and sat down in his seat. He lit a cigarette without saying a word, but I could see the frustration in his heart and knew the kind of determination he had brought to Dali to do this.

I didn't light a cigarette because I didn't want to make the atmosphere too dull.

At this moment, Ye Zhi's expression changed, and she said to me softly, "I'm sorry... I didn't expect Cao Jinbo to have such a big appetite... I have the interests of an entire group behind me, and I really can't compromise any further."

I forced a smile and replied, "How could I put you in a difficult position... Just do what you think is best... People thrive when they move, but trees die when they're moved. I'll definitely think of another way!"

"sorry."

"It's alright, really alright... Let's eat quickly, don't let Cao Jinbo's meal go to waste... I'm always the one treating him, finally he's treating me this time."

...

After having dinner at "No. 1 Courtyard", I took Ye Zhi back to her hotel and we agreed to leave for our hometown the next morning. At this point, I was already thinking about how to operate the "Jiulongju" project without Cao Jinbo's 16 shops.

I find it hard to be optimistic because the plans have been completely disrupted.

...

Chen Jin and I returned to the apartment we had just rented in "Shanshuijian". Both of us were preoccupied with a sense of crisis, so we didn't talk much.

Finally, Chen Jin spoke to me, saying, "Michael, I won't say much more about this... We can't just give up on this because we failed with Cao Jinbo... I'm going to Beijing tomorrow to talk to another major owner in Jiulongju. He also has nine shops. If we can reach an agreement, we can continue with the work... Anyway, we can't just sit here and wait to die."

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