Chapter 40
Secretary Wu, who was closest to the speaker, probably heard this.
Secretary Wu's eyelid muscles twitched slightly. He respectfully accepted the file bag from Huo Junyan's hand, without glancing at Chu Ci at all.
The group drove to Huo Junyan's private residence.
"Mr. Huo, should we schedule a meeting with Dato' Okun immediately?"
Secretary Wu also knew that going to see Okun at this moment was no different from rushing to give him money. Huo Chengxun had already gotten on Okun's good side, and might offer a price lower than what they had expected in this negotiation.
Without seeing Okun, they don't even have the right to negotiate.
Chu Ci and Huo Junyan exchanged a glance.
No rush.
Seeing this, the other senior executives also understood that this was a psychological game.
Okun must have received news of Huo Junyan's appearance, and he is probably waiting for Huo Junyan to take the initiative to contact him so that he can gain greater benefits from it.
Even if Huo Chengxun gave him enough benefits, Ao Kun would still have doubts in his heart about whether Huo Chengxun could completely make decisions.
If the business deal falls apart completely, Okun will suffer even greater losses and will have a difficult time explaining itself.
However, since they have come, they cannot do nothing. Otherwise, once Huo Chengxun makes a deal, Huo's shareholders will naturally favor him, and Huo Junyan's obstruction will become an obstacle to the group's development.
The current situation is one of stalemate and mutual probing and game-playing among multiple parties.
Huo Junyan had someone contact Sangtu.
Several high-ranking officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Some questioned that Santo was taking on the lowest-end market in Southeast Asia, and he himself was jokingly referred to as a "peasant" here, which was different from the positioning of the Huo family.
Huo Junyan patiently explained that the situation in Southeast Asia is different from that in China, where the market is nearing saturation and competition is fierce.
Southeast Asia is still in a stage of unregulated development. The terms "low-end" and "high-end" are only definitions based on domestic market demand, not applicable to Southeast Asia.
He held a meeting with several high-level executives to discuss the situation and contacted Sangtu to learn about the local market.
Multiple lines running in parallel.
Chu Ci actually agreed with his unconventional approach on the plane.
In Southeast Asia, the low-end market is actually much larger than the high-end market; it's just that the high-end market is easier to penetrate and receives more support.
However, while proposing an alternative approach, she severed Huo Chengxun's connection with the domestic supply chain, effectively cutting off his lifeline.
Huo Junyan did not agree.
The Huo family controls most of the supply chain for high-end products in China.
The so-called "breaking" in Chu Ci (a classical Chinese poetry) is not about calling each person to tell them not to support Huo Chengxun, but about directly seizing power. This method is risky and may incite unrest.
It's understandable that Huo Junyan disagreed.
Chu Ci felt a chill in her heart. Her method might cause turmoil among the Huo Group's top management, but the conflicts among the group's top executives had already reached an irreconcilable point, and the person who caused all of this was Old Master Huo.
Everyone knows the truth, but they just dare not say it.
Chu Ci wanted to prick this boil prematurely, but Huo Junyan held onto hope for his family.
No, to be precise, he never doubted it.
This is a kind of subconscious suspicion that makes him wary of people under normal circumstances, but Huo Junyan has a natural trust in his family.
From birth, the Huo family raised him according to the standards of an heir.
His parents trusted and loved him, his older sister favored and protected him, and even his grandfather took great care in raising and teaching him.
All his relatives always put him first.
That kind of affection wasn't superficial; it was genuine care and love. Even Master Qin, his second uncle, would go through fire and water for him.
The same applies to others.
He needs to learn finance, economics, international relations, and so on, and the most professional people will teach him everything they know.
The chosen ones, the focus of everyone's attention, have never truly experienced the malice from their own family.
Hidden malice.
He had witnessed the struggles within large families, such as Huo Chengxun's illegitimate children, and the power struggles among uncles and aunts, but no one had ever used such tactics on him.
He had never experienced those subtle, imperceptible instances of neglect, ridicule, or disdain.
Moreover, the Huo family members who control the supply chain of high-end products have never disobeyed Huo Junyan's wishes. Taking away their power without cause would chill people's hearts.
It's not advisable to say anything about striking first in the Chu Ci (a collection of classical Chinese poems).
They didn't go against Huo Junyan before because their interests aligned, but this time it's different. If Huo Chengxun and Datuk Okun reach an agreement, they have no reason to oppose Huo Chengxun.
Huo Junyan still chose to trust.
The senior executive who contacted Santu called back, saying that Santu was very willing to do this business with the Huo family, and that the specific details would be discussed in person.
For several days in a row, Huo Junyan and others discussed the details of the cooperation with Sangtu and others.
Chu Ci changed into a long dress with local characteristics and went out for a stroll around the mansion.
Looking up at the palm leaves that are two stories high, "Huh?" Through the gaps in the palm leaves, I saw a person perched on the tall, pointed top of a coconut tree.
She couldn't help but take a few steps back, leaving the palm leaves and standing in the middle of the road, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand, when the man suddenly slid down from the coconut tree.
He was a dark-skinned, thin boy with messy hair, who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old.
Chu Ci wanted to go up and say hello, but the boy took off running.
She noticed that he was barefoot, and it looked like his skin was broken.
What are you looking at?
Chu Ci turned around, and Huo Junyan appeared behind her, looking tired, but with a smile in his eyes.
"Is everything settled?"
"The contract has been sent back to China, and the contract manufacturers on the coast have already started production."
Chu Ci was genuinely pleased, "Junyan."
She suddenly ran towards him, opened her arms and leaped, he reached out and caught her, spun her around, and circled under the palm tree.
Chu Ci lowered her head and kissed his forehead. Huo Junyan hugged her legs, lifted her up, and turned her around so she sat on his shoulders. "This is how people travel around here. Let's go out and have some fun."
Chu Ci chuckled, one arm around his neck.
"Is Okun getting restless?"
"Smart." Huo Junyan spun around, startling Chu Ci, who grabbed his hair tightly. He bared his teeth, "Ouch."
"Who told you to scare me?" Chu Ci scolded, pinching his earlobe with her fingers. "He contacted you?"
Huo Junyan patted the coconut tree, and the car behind him was parked on the side of the green belt.
"Put me down." She gently patted his shoulder.
This was Huo Junyan's personal vehicle, and Chu Ci knew he was going out.
"I'm going to see Okun."
Huo Junyan slowly bent down, but before he could squat down, Chu Ci jumped down. He subconsciously reached out to help her, only to find it was completely unnecessary.
"He asked you to meet him?"
"He congratulated me on reaching a cooperation agreement with Santu."
Chu Ci frowned, "It sounds like you're not saying it sincerely."
Huo Junyan helped her into the car. "Okun has always wanted a piece of the pie from Santu. This time, he signed a contract with me, and he might actually take away Okun's market share."
"Then he should hate you."
“He wants the benefits I have, and I need his influence here. Hatred is meaningless; he knows what to choose.”
Chu Ci smiled wryly. The Huo family, who control the high-end supply chain in China, have not defected yet, and the situation is very good. She lowered the car window, stretched her hand out, and felt the wind blowing against her palm.
"hiss!"
"What's wrong?"
Chu Ci clutched her chest; her heart had just suddenly ached, and her heart was racing. "There's a fishy smell; it makes me uneasy."
Ahead, after a bend in the road, overlooking the inner sea, some fishing boats were moored, with fishermen casting nets and drying fish and shrimp.
"How about I go first?"
Huo Junyan's next words were completely drowned out by the roar of a large truck that suddenly rushed out from the side.
Time seemed to freeze in that one second. Before the driver could react, the vehicle was pushed onto the side of the road by a large truck.
The edge is a slope of only two or three meters, with protruding stones and rubble on it.
The truck was too heavy and completely out of control. The vehicle was overturned, and the force of the roll and fall caused the people inside to be thrown into the air, but they were restrained by their seat belts.
She vaguely remembered Huo Junyan shouting, "Unfasten your seatbelt!"
The last words were swallowed by the sea. The violent impact caused her to lose consciousness for a moment, but she quickly woke up from the excruciating pain and suffocation.
Fortunately, the car window was open. Holding her breath, she felt someone push her from behind. Chu Ci climbed out of the car window, and her body instinctively turned around, seeing Huo Junyan also climbing out of the car.
The two men saw the vehicle continuing to fall, and the driver appeared to be struggling.
Chu Ci held up the ring on her middle finger to Huo Junyan, who immediately took it off, swam towards the vehicle, pressed a button, and the car window shattered.
The ring has the power of a projectile critical hit; Chu Ci bought it for self-defense.
I never expected to actually need it.
The three men swam desperately upwards, and the truck also fell into the sea. The driver seemed to be struggling inside, but no one cared about him at that moment.
The stones on the truck were scattered in the sea, and several of them hit them, but fortunately the seawater blocked some of the force.
However, the strength of the resistance also decreases.
He had multiple abrasions on his body.
It seemed that some fishermen were casting nets to rescue people, but they were too far away. Many people jumped into the sea like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. Huo Junyan's people could be vaguely seen, but most of them were strangers.
They must be fishermen.
As Chu Ci struggled upstream, he suddenly saw that the people swimming towards them were holding knives.
She quickly gestured, and the three of them immediately swam in the opposite direction.
Those men were hot on their heels and well-trained. They quickly caught up with Chu Ci. Huo Junyan circled around from behind and kicked him. The man dodged easily, his dagger clearly aimed at Huo Junyan.
Who is it?
They really dare to be so blatant?
Without a moment to think, Chu Ci took off her necklace, caught the man off guard, wrapped it around his wrist, and pulled, causing the dagger to fall to the ground.
All three reached for the dagger at the same time, but the dagger fell to the ground very quickly.
Chu Ci, unwilling to continue the fight, gestured to Huo Junyan that she was already suffering from oxygen deprivation and was about to suffocate.
Ignoring the pursuers, they headed straight upstream.
"Plop..." Finally, they surfaced, panting heavily and coughing repeatedly. The fishing boat wasn't far from them, and the sloping shore next to them was also quite close.
The Chu Ci (a type of classical Chinese poetry) floated on the sea, “Junyan?”
Just as she was about to plunge in, Huo Junyan also surfaced. The two looked at each other, and without saying a word, swam towards the shore at the same time.
Two fishing boats immediately came toward them.
Chu Ci realized that the people who had just tried to harm Huo Junyan were lying in ambush on the fishing boat.
Huo Junyan's men also noticed the problem and jumped onto the fishing boats, handing them a wad of cash. The fishing boats eagerly joined in, and the sea instantly descended into chaos.
Secretary Wu's boat was the fastest. When it arrived at their side, Huo Junyan reached out and grabbed Chu Ci, then pushed her upwards.
As Chu Ci climbed onto the boat, she immediately turned around and reached out to grab Huo Junyan's hand. Just as he was about to grab Secretary Wu with his other hand, a water monster seemed to emerge from the water, and the force of its drag almost pulled Chu Ci into the water as well.
Finally, he let go.
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