"Brother Xiao, why are you so agitated?!"
Zhao Cheng glanced at Xiao Luomu's abdomen and said seriously, "I knew it! Brother Xiao isn't the kind of person who gets excited just by hearing about beautiful women!"
"It has nothing to do with whether she's a beauty or not!" Xiao Luomu pulled away and explained, "Young Prime Minister, I won't lie to you, the reason I'm drinking alone here is because I can't find Boss Wu!"
"You know her?"
"Yes, yes! I've met Mr. Wu before!"
"Sigh!" Zhao Cheng sighed.
Xiao Luomu's heart tightened, and he asked in surprise, "Why did the young prime minister sigh?"
Zhao Cheng said with a sigh, "Brother Xiao wanted to find someone in Yanchuan City, but he never thought to ask me for help. I've failed as a friend..."
"How dare I! How dare I!!" Xiao Luomu was terrified, almost kneeling before Zhao Cheng, and quickly said, "I absolutely did not doubt the young prime minister's abilities, it's just, it's just... I dare not trouble you!!!"
"Alright, now that we know each other, it's even easier to talk. Let's go together!"
...
The Red Sleeve Pavilion in Heaven and Earth.
Private rooms on the third floor.
Zhao Wu and Xiao Zhi stood behind the door, while only Zhao Cheng, Xiao Luomu, and Wu Sisi were at the table by the window.
From the window, you can have a commanding view of the singing and dancing on the ballroom floor.
Xiao Luomu said in surprise, "I really didn't expect... that Young Prime Minister and Boss Wu would meet here!"
Zhao Cheng said, "I like girls, and Boss Wu likes seclusion, so this place is perfect."
Xiao Luomu asked doubtfully, "This... is it hidden?"
“Young Master Xiao doesn’t understand.” Wu Sisi smiled and said, “What the young prime minister means is that this place is not secluded for men, but it is secluded for women.”
Xiao Luomu immediately understood and laughed, "I've learned something!!"
"I heard from the young prime minister that you've been looking for me all day. Is there something urgent?" Wu Sisi brought the conversation back to the main topic.
Xiao Luomu glanced at Zhao Cheng.
Wu Sisi said, "My friendship with the young prime minister is... well, you can tell me anything!"
Xiao Luomu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Cheng and said, "Young Prime Minister, I didn't mean to avoid you, I was just worried that it would be inconvenient for Boss Wu."
Zhao Cheng stood up, but instead of going out, he rested his elbows on the window and looked down, saying, "You guys talk your business; I'm not interested in business matters. Hey, that male model dances pretty well!"
Seeing this, Xiao Luomu said seriously, "Boss Wu, Su Ye said that the price of soap has risen to five taels of silver per bar. Forgive me for being blunt, but this is not a price for sincere cooperation!"
Wu Sisi looked completely bewildered and asked suspiciously, "When did I raise the price?"
This time it was Xiao Luomu's turn to be confused. He asked doubtfully, "Didn't you say that?"
"Young Master Xiao, have you forgotten what I told you?"
Wu Sisi shook her head and said, "The reason I chose to focus on the eastern market instead of the western market is to expand my customer base and adopt a strategy of low profit margins and high sales volume. To be honest, the day I thought you would agree to cooperate with me, my bottom line was even lower than three taels, how could it possibly rise to five taels?"
"Then why is Su Ye..." Thinking of this, Xiao Luomu shook his head.
"You can't judge a book by its cover." Wu Sisi picked up her wine glass and said, "I've already agreed to give him the exclusive sales rights for Yanchuan. Maybe he's gotten a little arrogant and wants to make more money off you."
"But he can't hide this from me. You'll know as soon as I ask!"
"So what? I've already given him the exclusive sales rights. Even if you know the bottom price, you still have to get the goods from him, right? He dares to openly quote a price of five taels, which clearly shows he's not afraid of you finding out!"
Wu Sisi sneered, "He's a businessman, and you're a businessman too. At worst, we can just stop being friends. But for the sake of profit, you'll still cooperate."
"Smack!!"
Xiao Luomu slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage and roared, "That bastard is disloyal!!!"
"Come on, have some to cool down."
The two shared a drink.
Xiao Luomu put down his wine glass and asked, "Have you already signed the cooperation agreement for Yanchuan City?"
"Not yet. I said we should choose a good day, and Su Ye said he would sign the contract on the day of his investiture ceremony."
Wu Sisi winked at Xiao Luomu and tentatively asked, "How about it? If you change your mind now, it's not too late for me."
Xiao Luomu paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Mr. Wu, this wasn't a trap you set on purpose, was it? Did you deliberately try to sow discord between us so that you wouldn't bring Su Ye along?"
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Zhao Cheng clapped his hands, turned around, and laughed, "I knew Brother Xiao was very level-headed. Except for not recognizing me at first, he was clear-headed than anyone else afterward. His intelligence is unmatched by other playboys."
Seeing Zhao Cheng respond, Xiao Luomu asked in confusion, "Young Prime Minister, what... what exactly is going on here?"
“Ms. Wu and I are old friends. She came to you about the soap issue because I recommended you.”
Zhao Cheng walked back to the table and sat down, then continued, "Mr. Wu told me about what you talked about later, including the situation with Su Ye, and asked me to give her some advice. I just said one sentence to her..."
"Xiao Luomu will succeed! Su Ye will fail!"
Xiao Luomu was somewhat moved and asked, "Why does the young prime minister think so highly of me?"
"Don't be so mushy! It's not that I think highly of you, it's that I don't think highly of Su Ye! Take this incident for example, whether he raised prices to make money off you, or whether Boss Wu deliberately cheated you, you don't need to delve into it. But Su Ye just slept with the daughter of Minister Lu, and that girl is still talking about how good he is to her family, wanting to marry him. And what does he do? He's fawning over Boss Wu like a lapdog, trying to get her business. Would someone like that really prioritize integrity like you, Xiao Luomu?"
"I don't think so?"
"The most important thing for business partners is to share the same values! Brother Xiao's philosophy is that a business cannot stand without integrity. Even if you cooperate now, you will eventually part ways!"
Zhao Cheng took out two scrolls from his pocket and handed one to Xiao Luomu first.
"Look at this painting."
Xiao Luomu unfolded the painting and saw a woman weeping with her face covered in the lower left corner, while in the middle right corner was a man embracing two women. Scattered around them were a few people, all talking at once, pointing and whispering towards the weeping woman.
This painting is incredibly lifelike, employing an exaggerated, impressionistic style. The woman's eyes, the man's hands, and the mouths of those people are magnified several times, making them appear ferocious.
Xiao Luomu exclaimed in surprise, "This is..."
"This painting is titled 'The Heartless Lover,' painted by Chen Feier."
Zhao Cheng stared into Xiao Luomu's eyes and saw that they were filled with sympathy.
"The man in the painting is naturally Su Ye. Chen Feier is depicting her current situation and her inner state. Brother Xiao, it's not hard to imagine that if Su Ye really hooks up with Boss Wu, then the daughter of Minister Lu will be the next Chen Feier."
"How many more Chen Feier like this will there be in the future?"
Xiao Luomu remained silent.
Zhao Cheng handed him another scroll and said, "Take a look at this one too."
Xiao Luomu unfurled the scroll. He was initially calm, but as he looked at it, his body gradually began to tremble, and finally he stood up abruptly!
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