Chapter 129: Negotiation [Ian: He, he...
After seeing Xirui leave with His Majesty the Insect Emperor, Ian was shocked and could only bite the bullet to confront Count Obedi.
His intuition told him that Xirui was unreliable - at least... well, not tonight.
Extreme shock was not enough to describe Ian's mood.
After Xirui had been swept up in the Zerg Tribe and had a male wife, the situation was now that Xirui seemed to be falling in love with His Majesty the Zerg Emperor—Ian's father-in-law and the High Prince's female father—...
Come to think of it, Xirui seemed to be involved in most of the shocking scenes in Ian's life.
To be honest, Ian hates those old foxes the most.
Just like those old senior officials in the Drug Administration, they hold meetings like they are practicing Tai Chi, saying this and that, unable to make a decision and always passing the blame around.
There was a time when Ian really wanted to carry a bazooka to work—to blow up all those old foxes.
Later, Ian single-handedly isolated that group of old foxes who didn't speak human language, and treated every idiot with a bad face. The old foxes finally learned to quit while they were ahead and shut up.
His bad temper may have improved a little after marriage, but doing Tai Chi with Count Obedi is still one of the jobs that Ian dislikes the most.
No, how come he remembered that this job should belong to Xirui?
Now Xirui just ran away like this?
No, is that reasonable?
But there was no other way. Ian, adhering to the spirit of "If I don't go to hell, who will?" and "I'll kick Xirui when he comes out", went to negotiate with Count Obedi with a fake smile on his face.
Ian should have been sleeping soundly at home, hugging the prince's strong waist, but he never expected that a job would fall from the sky so suddenly.
then.
Inside the banquet hall, crystal chandeliers cast soft light, reflecting on the smooth marble floor, refracting dazzling light and shadow.
Melodious classical music flowed in the air, guests gathered in twos and threes, chatting in low voices, and the sound of wine glasses clinking was crisp and pleasant.
Ian stood in the center, his long black hair tied up in a bun. He held a glass of champagne in his hand. The golden liquid swayed slightly in the glass, reflecting his slender fingers.
His eyes swept across the banquet hall and finally stopped on Count Obedi who was not far away.
Count Obedi is over fifty years old, with a hint of silver on his temples. He has a gentle smile on his face, but behind that smile lies a hint of shrewdness.
Ian frowned slightly, but still sighed, cursing Xirui madly in his heart.
After cursing him several times in different ways, Ian still walked towards Earl Obedi with an elegant and calm pace.
When he came in front of the Earl, he nodded slightly, with a polite but distant smile on his lips:
"Lord Obedi, I have long heard of your great name."
Count Obedi turned around and his eyes stayed on Ian for a moment. Then, he raised the wine glass in his hand and tilted it downward to show respect.
He gently clinked his cup with Ian's, making a crisp sound.
"Mr. Ian, oh no, Director Ian, I've long heard of your great name."
Ian still remembered that he had to make a quick decision. He smiled and said, "You are too polite, Earl. Seeing is believing."
Count Obedi seemed to have suddenly thought of something and continued:
"I heard that Her Highness is pregnant. Congratulations, Director Ian."
Ian's black eyes were as deep as the night, showing no strong emotions. He just raised the wine glass in his hand slightly and said in a nonchalant tone:
"Of course I'm happy, but I've been so busy lately."
Upon hearing this, Count Obedi laughed heartily, with a hint of tentativeness and speculation in his laughter.
He narrowed his eyes and let his gaze linger on Ian's face for a moment, as if trying to discern something from that calm expression.
He asked with feigned concern:
"What's troubling Chief Ian?"
Ian gently swirled the champagne in his glass and spoke seemingly casually, his tone carrying a subtle edge:
"I heard that the several large mining lines owned by the Earl are all growing medicinal herbs that the empire urgently needs."
This sentence was sharp and hit the sore spot of Count Obedi.
The smile on Count Obedi's face froze instantly, and a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.
He certainly understood what Ian meant - the promotion of YH medicine meant that the Drug Administration would have the right to forcibly confiscate ownership of the mountains, and his mining empire would face huge losses.
After all, with His Majesty Atalan's methods, he will not take any nobles into consideration. It's either obey or die.
Count Obedi knew clearly that this game had already gone beyond a simple dispute over interests, but was related to the future survival of his family.
His smile gradually faded, and the wrinkles on his face appeared even deeper under the light.
Count Obedi was silent for a moment, and finally looked Ian in front of him - this young male insect was not only a genius in the field of biopharmaceuticals, but also the master of the prince and the person in charge of the Drug Administration.
Behind this male insect stands the core of power of the entire empire.
Count Obedi took a deep breath, and his tone became serious and earnest: "Director, let's talk somewhere else."
Ian nodded slightly, the smile on his face still intact. He put down the wine glass in his hand and made an elegant "please" gesture, making a full gesture:
"Count, please."
The two left the banquet hall one after the other and walked through the long corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty space.
At the end of the corridor is a private reception room. The door is gently pushed open, and warm yellow light shines on the dark carpet.
Count Obedi walked into the room, turned to look at Ian, and said with a tone of tentativeness and compromise:
"Director, we can have a good talk about the YH potion."
Ian stood at the door, his long black hair shining softly under the light.
The male insect's eyebrows and eyes were sharp, but his tone seemed relaxed:
"Count, the prerequisite for cooperation is mutual trust. I hope that we can both show sincerity."
Count Obedi was silent for a moment. The old fox was very good at guessing people's hearts. He finally nodded:
"Of course, Director. For the future of the empire, we really need to work together. On behalf of our family, I would like to thank you for your consideration."
The old fox is very smart.
Ian nodded and sat down opposite Count Obedi: "Then, Count, we can indeed discuss cooperation."
——
The lights in the banquet hall gradually dimmed, the guests had long since left, and only a few waiters were left to clean up the mess.
Ian walked out of the reception room and rubbed his temples, his mind still echoing with the two hours of intense negotiations with Earl Obedi.
His head was spinning a bit, but he still felt relieved when he thought that he had finally negotiated this difficult cooperation.
However,
Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he thought of Xirui - the "culprit" who had caused him to work so hard for two hours.
Ian gritted his teeth and decided to go to the door to intercept Xirui. If he didn't kick him twice, he would be sorry for the two hours of torture he had endured!
He walked quickly through the banquet hall, searching for Xirui.
Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a figure not far away - Xirui seemed to be looking for someone too.
Haha, you know it’s out now?
Ian laughed angrily, strode over, and grabbed Xirui's shoulder:
"Xiri."
Xirui turned around, still with that nonchalant smile on his face:
"Hey, Ian, are you done talking?"
Ian was about to speak when he suddenly froze. He frowned and glanced at Xirui:
"Where's your coat? What do you smell like?"
The jacket in Xirui's three-piece suit was missing, and the collar of his shirt was slightly open, revealing a part of his collarbone.
He exuded a strong scent of golden iris, a pheromone that was extremely powerful, as if warning everyone who approached - this was the territory of a powerful female insect.
Xirui smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "The coat, well, it doesn't matter. It's probably the perfume that got on me accidentally."
Hearing this, Ian frowned even more tightly, and his tone was filled with suspicion:
"Don't lie to me, this is clearly the smell of female insect pheromones... Could it be Your Majesty?!"
Xirui shrugged, with his usual cynical smile on his face:
"Congratulations, you guessed it right."
Ian took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the speechlessness and shock in his heart.
He rubbed his temples, his tone somewhat helpless:
"Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this for now. I've already negotiated with Count Obedi. Go back first, I'll take you there."
Xirui blinked innocently when he heard this: "Maybe it won't work."
Ian was stunned: "?"
Xirui smiled frankly: "I will stay at the royal court today."
?
Ian really thought his ears were broken.
His expression froze instantly, his eyes filled with hesitation. After a moment of silence, he finally asked, "You said... you want to stay overnight at the royal court?"
Xirui shrugged, with a hint of teasing in his tone:
"Ah, who told me that I and Your Majesty hit it off right away?"
For a moment, Ian's expression was blank. He opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.
It's one thing to speculate that your best friend might be having an affair with your father-in-law, but it's another to be shocked to hear the truth with your own ears.
His pupils trembled for several seconds. He felt mixed emotions and was extremely shocked. His face showed a variety of expressions. Then, he didn't know what he was thinking, but he sighed deeply, and Xirui couldn't help laughing.
Xirui couldn't help but see such a rich expression on Ian's face. He laughed out loud, with a hint of ridicule in his tone:
"Why are you sighing? It's a good idea to keep the wealth within the family. People from the same family should stick together."
"Besides, we are now close relatives, so be happy, buddy."
Ian was silent for a while, and finally spoke, his tone was somewhat complicated:
"Okay... we're all brothers. To be honest, you usually look so carefree, but today - I think you're really happy."
Xirui was stunned, the smile on his face faded slightly, and an imperceptible emotion flashed in his eyes.
After saying that, Ian patted Xirui's shoulder, his tone filled with some helpless concern:
"You stay here, I'm going back first."
"Respect the blessing, and keep going."
"There's a saying from the ancients: Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. You have to know your limits. Don't let a trick ruin yourself."
Xirui's gaze settled, a hint of seriousness in his dark eyes: "I'm not kidding, I'm serious."
Ian glanced at him, said nothing more, just nodded, turned and left the banquet hall.
In fact, Ian was still in extreme shock.
It's just that he is better at pretending.
I just managed to trick Xirui.
Ian walked and thought, but nothing seemed to be going right, so he angrily opened the terminal and sent a message.
[Ian: Mr. Jin! Something big seems to have happened!]
Mr. Jin replied almost immediately.
[President Jin: What's wrong? Is there a problem with Count Obeidi?]
[Ian: No, there's no problem there, but Xirui is going to be a generation behind us!]
[President Jin:?]
[Ian: He, he, he has set his sights on His Majesty Attaran!]
After this sentence was spoken, it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
After a long time, Ian's terminal finally rang, and President Jin in the distance slowly typed a question mark.
[President Jin: …?]
As if he could sense President Jin's speechless expression through the screen, Ian felt a little more at ease.
The next second, Ian suddenly reacted.
——Oh my god! I was so shocked! I forgot to kick that bastard!!!
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