Whether in China or abroad, the vast majority of people have a herd mentality.

"Jinghua Center" secured contracts with "Polly", "Sevier" and "Fisos" in succession, and their negotiations with other brands went very smoothly in the following two days.

But nothing in this world is ever smooth sailing.

On the morning of December 4th, their group arrived in Milan, Italy by plane, only to be turned away at their first stop.

Zou Nan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "President Xiao, I did indeed schedule a time with the person in charge of 'Hanberg,' and I confirmed it with them yesterday..."

Xiao Jincheng waved his hand, "I know, this isn't your problem."

They arrived at "Hamburg" at the agreed time in the afternoon, only to be met with a curt response from the receptionist, who said, "Mr. Joseph has an appointment today. I'm sorry, you'll have to reschedule."

Xiao Jincheng said to Zou Nan, "Ask them when they can reschedule?"

The receptionist casually uttered a few words, "In two weeks."

After being away from home for more than a week, finally free from Jiang Xiaoli's shadow, Zou Nan had a strong feeling that it was time for him to shine.

"President Xiao, President Jiang, I'll go talk to him again."

Zou Nan quickly pulled Ye Tang to communicate with the receptionist.

Zou Nan spoke earnestly for a long time, and then the receptionist made a phone call. After hanging up, he said a few words to Zou Nan, and Zou Nan and Ye Tang were clearly excited and nodded repeatedly.

But soon, the receptionist said something, and their faces fell again.

Even Cao Jie found this a bit strange. "What did they say? How could they go from so happy to so sad in such a short time?"

Zou Nan and Ye Tang returned and told them the answer, "I convinced him to contact Mr. Joseph again, and he's willing to take some time to meet with us today, but..."

"But what? Just say it!" Xiao Jincheng urged, he really hated people who only spoke halfway through.

Ye Tang said, "Mr. Joseph said that if we can go to the Monza circuit and race against him, and we win, he can directly sign a contract with us to join the company."

Xiao Jincheng cursed under his breath, "Oh well, losing one more brand won't make much of a difference!"

Jiang Xiaoli stopped him from leaving. "Uncle Xiao, although 'Henberg' is a relatively new brand established after the 1990s, it has a lot of young people who like it because of its genius designer, Joseph. Our 'Jinghua Center' needs this brand that can constantly generate buzz in the mall."

Xiao Jincheng sighed, "But this person is clearly making things difficult for us!"

She shrugged. "Give it a try. Maybe he's just a newbie."

Zou Nan frowned. "President Jiang, racing is no joke. We should prioritize safety when we're out and about."

Xiao Jincheng nodded. "Yeah, Little Pear, let's forget about it. If we can't sign 'Henberg,' we'll just sign a few other brands."

Jiang Xiaoli smiled and said, "Uncle Xiao, please let me give it a try."

Xiao Jincheng couldn't persuade her otherwise, and the group, led by the reception staff, arrived at the Monza Circuit in Micheng.

Joseph was surprised that several Chinese people had agreed to compete against him.

He walked over carrying a safety helmet. "Are you sure you want to race me?"

Xiao Jincheng felt extremely anxious as he watched the cars whizzing past on the track outside. "Little Pear, maybe we should just call it a day."

Jiang Xiaoli breathed in the air that was both strange and familiar, and smiled as she comforted him, "Uncle Xiao, don't worry, I won't be stubborn."

This wasn't her being defiant. When she heard Joseph's demand that he sign her if she won the race, she suddenly recalled a gossip she had read in her past life.

[Hamburg's shares change hands! The reason? A car race?]

In the summer of 2009, news suddenly broke that Hamburg, a company that led the trend of aesthetics among a generation of young people, had transferred 12% of its shares, worth more than 300 million euros, to someone else free of charge by its largest shareholder.

The gossip revealed that the reason for the share transfer was a bet: the owner and chief designer of "Hamburg" was racing against someone, and the agreed stakes were company shares.

It was obvious that Joseph had lost badly, but he was a very trustworthy person and transferred his shares as he said he would.

When Jiang Xiaoli saw this gossip, she was curious. She originally thought that this genius with great talent in fashion design should be a racing expert, otherwise he couldn't have set up such a big bet.

But after asking around, I found out that this Joseph was a terrible cook with a huge addiction!

Jiang Xiaoli pondered that his racing skills were only average in 2009, and now that it's only 1997, they probably aren't much better.

He just needs an opponent willing to compete with him. Winning is a bonus, and losing is nothing to be ashamed of.

Thinking of this, she stepped forward. "Joseph, if I win, you'll agree to sign a contract with us directly, right?"

Joseph sized her up and down, then arrogantly said, "Is there no one else in your country? Sending a minor to compete with me?"

Jiang Xiaoli snorted, "Are you afraid you can't even compare to me?"

Joseph was easily provoked. He frowned and said, "Fine, let's have a competition. But if I lose, I'll sign a contract with you. What if you lose? What can you afford to pay?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"Tsk." Joseph glanced at her. "I only like cars. Let's see if you can offer anything in return."

Jiang Xiaoli chuckled lightly, "A Lamborghini Diablo VT-R, is that enough of a bargaining chip?"

Joseph couldn't believe it. "Are you sure it's a Lamborghini Diablo VT-R? There are only three of these in the world!"

She nodded. "Dark green, do you like it?"

"Oh my god! You're the owner of that car in the Fog City!" Joseph was very interested in his beloved possession. "Damn it, I've been to the showroom so many times, but the club owner just wouldn't sell it to me!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Xiaoli raised the price, saying, "Limited edition items are very valuable. I feel that simply signing a contract with us isn't enough for 'Hampberg'."

Joseph stared at her and asked, "This treasure is indeed very precious. Tell me, what else do you want?"

She discussed it with Xiao Jincheng for a moment, then said, "Not only will 'Hampberg' move into 'Jinghua Center,' but they'll also be holding their seasonal fashion show at our center!"

"Hahaha!" Joseph laughed loudly, "You really dare to dream!"

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I agree!"