Chapter 66 (066) - Revealed
I went back to the bedroom to retrieve the bronze plaque, or more accurately, the bronze box.
When you place the copper box next to the coin slot, the diameter is just right.
Should we try putting it in?
Ye Baoling worried, "What if we can't get it out after throwing it in?"
Ye Huaizhang: "Let's try submitting it first. If we can't get it out, we'll think of another way."
The two men took the copper box and carefully stuffed it inside. When they were about half a millimeter away from it, it got stuck.
After that, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get it in.
The copper box inside can rotate and slide. Ye Baoling said, "It's a bit like the gear in a safe's combination lock."
They took out the copper box, turned it over so the bottom was on top and the opening was on the bottom, and tried to put it inside.
This time, they couldn't even squeeze it in.
This proves that the copper box is the key to opening the door, and that the first attempt was in the right direction.
They turned the copper box inside out and put it back in, but the same problem persisted.
Ye Huaizhang held up his flashlight and looked down slightly. After the copper box was inserted into the coin slot, there was still a gap of a few millimeters above the coin slot.
“We previously guessed that this bronze box was used to hold the Ugly King Jade Pendant. I remember the Ugly King Jade Pendant being a bit thicker than the box. If you put three Ugly King Jade Pendants into the bronze box, there should still be a few millimeters of jade pendant sticking out at the top.” Ye Huaizhang pointed to the gap above the coin slot, “It should fit here.”
"Yes, put the ugly king's jade into the copper box, the size should be about right."
The ugly king's jade pendant is stored in a bank safe deposit box. We can only retrieve it after dawn and try it again to see if the height is suitable.
They went home to rest first.
The next morning, Ye Baoling went to the bank to retrieve the two ugly king jade pieces. They were right; the copper box contained the ugly king jade pieces, and the size was perfect.
It's a pity that it's missing one piece of the old eldest son's ugly jade to complete a circle.
They tried to fit the bronze box containing the two ugly jade pieces inside, and the height matched perfectly.
If you collect all three pieces of the Ugly King Jade, you should be able to open the bronze door.
This is very similar to the survival task the system gave her, and I don't know if there's any hidden connection between them.
There must be a secret behind the bronze door that the three families must keep together.
Ye Baoling joked, "Could we make a fake Ugly King Jue and stuff it in, following this curve?"
Ye Huaizhang was amused by her. "If you can fake it so easily, what's the point of having such a complicated door lock design? Look, this jade pendant isn't completely smooth; it has raised and recessed textures. These textures are definitely the key to unlocking it."
Ye Baoling glanced at him sideways: "Can't you tell this is a joke?"
And you answered so seriously.
Ye Huaizhang nodded with a smile: "The current situation is that we're missing that ugly jade pendant that your grandfather has."
Ye Baoling sighed: "I am a granddaughter, and my grandfather will not easily give me the Ugly King Jade."
The eldest son's family is not short of money, and it is impossible for them to sell or mortgage the ugly prince to Ye Huaizhang.
The patriarch of the second son's family has passed away. Now, the descendants of the second son's family are probably similar to those of the third son's family; they don't know the use of the ugly king's jade pendant.
That's why Old Madam Guan was able to easily borrow the Ugly King's Jade from the second son's family.
But Ye Qizu is different; he should have known about it.
He may also be the only living person who knows the purpose of the ugly king's jade pendant.
Getting the jade from him will definitely not be easy.
Ye Huaizhang: "No rush, we have plenty of time to figure out a solution."
He wasn't in a hurry, but she was.
She has eight months left and must win over the ugly king's jade pendant.
Ye Baoling put away the bronze box and the two ugly king jade pieces, and made a request to him: "If you want to enter this gate, I'll give you two ugly king jade pieces, and you give me one. You figure out a way. My request isn't too much, is it?"
Let him think of a way, another route, maybe he can get to Rome sooner?
Ye Huaizhang laughed and said, "These two ugly jade pendants in your hand originally belonged to me."
Ye Baoling smiled and said, "Now it's mine."
She patted him on the shoulder, "Keep it up, I believe in you. If all else fails, you could marry into our family, that might be an option."
Ye Huaizhang: "..."
She had only taken two steps when she turned back: "If you come up with a solution, remember to let me know first. Don't act on your own."
Two people shouldn't compete for the same ugly jade pendant at the same time, so as to make her grandfather more vigilant.
He walked behind her, holding up a flashlight to light her way. Suddenly, he asked, "Have you been trying to get your grandfather's Ugly Jade Pendant all along?"
This person still harbored doubts about her.
Ye Baoling knew that no amount of rebuttal would dispel his doubts at this point, so she deliberately tripped and cried out, "Ouch!"
He quickly reached out to help her, then kicked the brick in the middle of the road to the side.
Ye Baoling changed the subject and assigned him something: "When you have time another day, you can come and pick up these bricks."
Ye Huaizhang replied, "I have time to rest and recuperate."
After the topic was changed, he wisely refrained from pressing the issue further.
*
Lisa and her husband arrived in Hong Kong with their team, and Ye Baoling personally went to the airport to greet them.
The legendary miser Daniel, after initial contact, wasn't as difficult to deal with as I had imagined.
The first day was spent adjusting to the time difference; the second day was spent visiting Ye Qingtang's factory and company; the third day was for business negotiations; the fourth and fifth days were spent meeting with Tong Po and sightseeing in Hong Kong; and the sixth day was for a preliminary decision on whether to cooperate.
Ye Baoling's team members accompanied her almost the entire time.
The next day, Yang Baozhu brought them back from the factory and they arrived at the Yulong Building.
Yang Baozhu explained, "This entire building belongs to Ye Qingtang. In Hong Kong, there are no more than 10 companies like ours, where a group company occupies an entire building."
Everyone gasped in amazement.
This was Daniel's first time in the port city, and the level of prosperity here was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Their group visited the product department on the 6th floor, the sales and brand department on the 7th floor, and then went to the 29th floor, where Lin Zhong and Qu Zhengming personally received them.
During this time, Lisa pulled Ye Baoling aside and whispered, "Honey, I heard them say that Ye Qingtang is your family business? And the boss is your grandfather?"
Ye Baoling explained in a low voice, "We are a listed company, and the Ye Qingtang brand has a history of over a hundred years. We are very reputable. You can rest assured when cooperating with us. And as you can see, I am also very professional."
Actually, the key point of Lisa's sentence was, "You are the boss's granddaughter?"
Ye Baoling was well aware of Lisa's true intention in asking the question, but she avoided the topic and simply told Lisa that Ye Qingtang was a well-known brand and that she was very professional.
This was also a roundabout way of telling Lisa that she wasn't deliberately hiding her identity, but rather that as a professional marketing manager, she felt there was no need to talk about her background.
This made Lisa even more appreciative and reassured, since it was a project personally negotiated by Miss Ye Qingtang, so it must be reliable.
Of course, the reason Lisa knew Ye Baoling's identity was because Ye Baoling arranged for someone to tell Lisa and her husband.
If you can use your identity, why not?
That afternoon, they held their first round of consultations in the conference room on the 7th floor.
Daniel, with whom I had been getting along quite well, became a completely different person the moment we sat down at the negotiating table.
He made three demands in a very forceful manner.
First, if the partnership is confirmed, L&D must have exclusive rights to represent the entire North American market.
Second, the wholesale price cannot be higher than that of local wholesalers.
Third, the shipping costs will be borne by Ye Qingtang, the brand owner. Of course, the best way would be for Ye Qingtang to build a factory in the United States.
Ye Baoling quickly jotted down Daniel's requirements and smiled, "Regarding the exclusive agency, your colleagues have already mentioned it to us, and I've discussed this issue with the company's senior management. We would very much welcome L&D to have exclusive agency rights for the entire North American market. However, as the exclusive agent, you will need to bear more of the product promotion costs. We can discuss the specific sharing ratio later."
"Points two and three can be answered together. It's acceptable for the wholesale price to be no higher than that of local wholesalers, but we must settle the price according to the FOB price. That is, you will bear all other costs after leaving the local port. If we are to bear the freight, customs clearance, insurance, and taxes, the wholesale price will definitely be at least 50% higher than that of local wholesalers. We negotiated the same terms with other agents in our other groups."
Daniel's business partner immediately grasped the key point in Ye Baoling's words and asked with a smile, "Which other agents are you still in talks with?"
Ye Baoling smiled and shook her head: "It's not my responsibility, it's other groups following up. Of course, I hope our cooperation will be successful."
Their negotiation meeting lasted for more than two hours. When someone from Daniel's team went to the restroom, Ah Zhen rushed out to give directions.
It wasn't that Ah Zhen wasn't enthusiastic enough; the reason she didn't take the other person directly to the restroom was because they had set up a small trap on the way.
On the way from the conference room to the restroom, at the corner, on the photocopier, lay a copy of Ye Qingtang's communication and negotiation with the second-largest beverage distributor in the United States.
This information was a mix of truth and falsehood, which made Daniel's team believe they had obtained accurate intelligence.
The copy contains communication regarding regional agency rights and discussions about delivery prices. Ye Qingtang negotiated an export purchase price with the other party that was 146% of the local wholesaler's price.
After Daniel returned to the hotel, he asked his team's deputy, "If the final purchase price is 146% of the local wholesaler's price, how much profit can we make?"
"It depends on how you price it. But it'll definitely make more money than Coke." His deputy joked, "Of course, it's also possible we won't make a penny. What if it doesn't sell?"
Daniel thought for a moment and said, "These past two days you've listed out all our advantages over ApexBev Distro. If we can negotiate the price down to within 130%, then we'll consider a partnership."
OK.
As one can imagine, another round of intense back-and-forth negotiations ensued, and ultimately, a partnership could not be finalized.
Because Ye Baoling's price was also very tight, she insisted on 146% and was unwilling to lower it by even a penny.
*
Business negotiations are business negotiations, but in private, people still eat and have fun as usual.
Yang Baozhu, Azhen, and their colleagues from the brand department treated Daniel's team to a trip to the beach, while Ye Baoling and Gao Lizhen took the couple to meet Tong Po.
Granny Tong's residence was on the second floor of an old tenement building. Even before entering, one could smell the strong scent of incense and candles.
Upon opening the door, the small Taoist shrine was filled with strange oriental decorations and sculptures under the warm candlelight.
Ye Baoling had made two special trips beforehand and had already discussed the content of their conversation with Granny Tong.
The old woman was born to do this; she was adept at using ambiguous language to confuse those seeking divination.
With Ye Baoling providing on-site translation, she could translate whatever information Lisa and her husband wanted into the appropriate type of information.
Looking at Lisa, Granny Tong seemed to say from the bottom of her heart, "You are a very kind person. Your parents can't help you much, and they even drag you down. Everything you have is something you have worked hard for yourself."
These words really touched Lisa's heart.
“Yes, God. I’ve always been all alone until I met Daniel, my parents… my parents…”
Lisa helplessly stretched out her hand, and her eyes reddened when she talked about her parents.
Ye Baoling and Daniel quickly comforted her.
Granny Tong patted her hand: "It's alright, I'll give you a talisman. Wear it carefully, and you'll definitely be happy for the rest of your lives."
Lisa smiled like a child: "Thank you, Granny Tong."
Next up was Daniel's turn, and Lisa quickly pulled Daniel to the front.
"Granny Tong, where is he? How is he?"
Granny Tong smiled at Daniel: "This gentleman cherishes his wealth. It's impossible for anyone to easily take a single copper coin from you."
Everyone laughed, making Daniel a little embarrassed.
Granny Tong changed the subject: "But you have a kind heart, and you like small animals, right?"
Daniel laughed and said, "Yes, how did you know I like small animals?"
“Everyone has a different aura. I can see the spirit of a little dog following you. It says it was your childhood friend. It got lost and always wanted to come back to you until it was killed by a stray dog. Its spirit finally returned. It has been with you for decades.”
The old woman spoke with such sincerity that Ye Baoling almost believed her.
Daniel had a dog when he was a child, but it went missing and was never found again.
This was a piece of gossip that Ye Huaizhang had heard.
Ye Baoling hurriedly explained what the soul is in the Eastern world.
Daniel looked around again and again, but there was no sign of the puppy. He was clearly nervous. "Can you tell me its name?"
Grandma Tong was prepared: "I don't understand English. This dog is white and has spots."
Upon hearing Granny Tong describe the characteristics of her lost puppy, Daniel was astonished: "Yes, that's it. Is it really with me?"
"It still longs for you and protects you, but that's not good. If you're willing, I can perform a ritual to let it reincarnate and be a lovely little dog again."
Ye Baoling then explained what reincarnation is.
Daniel was surprisingly moved after hearing this, saying, "I sincerely hope that Milo can be reincarnated and become a cute little dog."
The old woman would inevitably perform a sword dance and burn paper money in front of the hall. Her movements were fluid and graceful, quite impressive.
After all, she was a sorceress who could fool Old Lady Guan, so she must have some skills.
After the ritual was completed, they were each given two talismans.
Lisa tactfully handed over a large red envelope, but Granny Tong didn't accept it directly; instead, she let her place it on the table.
Granny Tong looked at Daniel and said, "Your face is dark, and your luck with money has been bad lately. Although I asked Miss Ye to write you a note, you didn't listen and still lost a lot of money."
After Ye Baoling finished translating, Lisa smiled helplessly and said, "When I came to Hong Kong last time, I should have come to see you first. Maybe I would have believed you then."
“It’s fate. That’s how people are; they have to take detours before they’ll believe.” Granny Tong pointed at Ye Baoling. “They were the same; they took detours before choosing to believe me.”
Ye Baoling smiled and nodded, giving Granny Tong a thumbs up.
The implication is that the Ye family's business wouldn't have developed so well without Granny Tong's guidance.
At the end of the conversation, Ye Baoling asked Granny Tong if she wanted to say a few words to them.
The old woman smiled and said, "Only when they truly believe will their words of advice be effective. When they truly believe, then they can come and ask me again."
Lisa couldn't help but make a face at Daniel, feeling a little guilty. They wanted to believe it, but they didn't dare to believe it too much.
It's a contradiction.
After leaving Granny Tong's place, Ye Baoling took them back to the hotel.
Daniel was getting restless. "Did they specifically research my past...?"
Lisa quipped, "Are you the President of the United States? They even researched you specifically!"
“But I only told you about Milo the puppy. Did you tell them?” Daniel even doubted his wife.
Lisa resisted rolling her eyes: "I'm not so bored as to talk to someone about your puppy from decades ago."
Daniel scratched his head: "How can it be so accurate? Is this some kind of mysterious Eastern power?"
That's incredible.
“My little dog has been with me for decades, my God…” Daniel said, and then he started to cry.
He didn't dare to show his emotions while he was with Granny Tong.
Lisa comforted him, "It loves you very much, darling."
That evening, Daniel couldn't eat, so he decided to go see the old woman again with his translator.
Granny Tong wasn't surprised when they came in.
Just as Ye Baoling had predicted, they would definitely come back.
This time, Daniel the Grandet gave another large red envelope.
He sincerely hopes that his puppy will be reincarnated in America and live near his home.
The old woman was always responsive to his requests and even performed a ritual for him.
Afterwards, Granny Tong told him, "You are very kind. Your career has hit a bottleneck, and it's difficult to make any further breakthroughs. If you trust me, please seize the opportunity before you, and your career will see a significant boost."
"The opportunity right in front of us?"
“Yes.” Following Ye Baoling’s instructions, Granny Tong added, “Please remember, your wife is your lucky star.”
She couldn't mention Ye Qingtang directly, since the other party was very wary.
Daniel quickly understood the unspoken meaning behind the old woman's words.
Indeed, if his wife hadn't met Miss Ye, he would have certainly lost even more during this global stock market crash.
The opportunity right now should be a collaboration with Ye Qingtang.
Back at the hotel, he held another meeting with his team and agreed to raise the price to 140% of that of local wholesalers.
Ye Baoling's response was that the biggest concession she could make was 145% of the local wholesale price.
It only decreased by 1%.
Later, Ye Baoling brought together Lin Zhong, Cai Yongming, Qu Zhengming, and other senior executives to sit down and negotiate with Daniel's team.
The final price was set at 140%, excluding import taxes and storage fees.
As for the promotion and advertising in the United States, L&D was responsible for 70% of the costs, and they also handled Xianbi's promotion and endorsement fees, while Ye Qingtang was responsible for 30%.
Two days later, the two parties signed a preliminary cooperation agreement. L&D plans to purchase US$80 million worth of jasmine iced tea over the next year, which is equivalent to HK$580 million.
In previous years, the majority of Ye Qingtang herbal tea's revenue came from Southeast Asia, followed by Taiwan, while the local Hong Kong market, due to its small population, didn't even reach 100 million NTD in a year.
The European and American markets have only just been opened up, yet the sales figures are already more than six times those of the domestic market, which is truly astonishing.
Of course, Ye Baoling knew that it was still unknown how much of the actual revenue this $80 million purchase order would ultimately generate. Daniel was able to sign such a large order largely to repay the favor she had done for him during the stock market crash.
Whether the company can truly achieve $80 million in sales in the coming year will depend on its excellent quality and effective advertising.
However, this did not stop Ye Baoling from using this order to promote it extensively in the media, and Ye Qingtang's stock price rose accordingly.
Ye Qizu shook off his dejection and gathered his family, especially Ye Qizong and his sons, for a meal at Xihetang.
During the dinner, Ye Qizu praised his granddaughter Ye Baoling to the skies, saying she was unparalleled and practically a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang.
Aside from Ye Kaimin and his daughter Ye Baoling, almost no one wanted to hear these words.
Although Ye Kaisi and Liang Meiyun are now on the same side as Ye Baoling, they are not happy because Ye Baoling is too popular.
As long as it doesn't affect their interests, they can tolerate it.
Zheng Junni and Ye Baoxin, mother and daughter, simply did not believe that Ye Baoling had achieved this result through her own abilities. In their minds, it was most likely that Ye Huaizhang had brought in business for her.
In short, this is a resource obtained by sacrificing one's physical strength.
In three words, it can be described as: shameless.
Ye Kaishen already resented Ye Baoling for causing a scene at the company last time, which not only cost him his position as the group's vice president but also made him lose face.
In his view, this order was nothing but an empty promise, and how much of it would actually come to fruition was completely unknown.
But Ye Qizu was in high spirits, and he couldn't refute him or lose face, so he could only join the others in congratulating him.
Ye Baoling knew, of course, that her relatives all had their own agendas and that few of them genuinely wanted her to achieve anything.
But she didn't care.
Resulting in tangible achievements is the most important thing.
After the gathering, she asked her grandfather to fulfill his promise.
This old man, Ye Qizu, would praise his granddaughter to the skies in front of outsiders, but when it came to fulfilling his promise, he would want to trample her to the ground.
"First of all, this is not your achievement alone, but the result of the joint efforts of all your colleagues. You must not be arrogant or complacent."
Ye Baoling really didn't want to waste any more words: "Of course this isn't my achievement alone. But this is the market I developed, my performance. Without me, there wouldn't be this order. Grandpa, if you don't agree, I can call L&D right now and have them cancel the order."
Startled, Ye Qizu quickly said, "I didn't say this wasn't your achievement. I just wanted to tell you that I praised you a bit too much just now. Grandpa hopes you won't be arrogant or complacent in the future."
That old man!
Ye Baoling suppressed her anger and said, "Then can you fulfill the conditions you promised me back then? According to our agreement, if the size of the newly developed market reaches more than three times that of Hong Kong, I will not only become the group's vice president, but also a director of the board."
Ye Qizu clearly didn't want his granddaughter to jump too high, "Has the $80 million arrived? No! That was just an order. We must use the amount received as the basis for confirmation."
She knew her grandfather wouldn't agree so easily!
Ye Baoling: "L&D is about to transfer an $8 million deposit. If nothing unexpected happens, we will definitely be able to achieve our goals. If you, Grandpa, do not acknowledge the $80 million order, then we can simply state in the press release that there is no such $80 million order."
Ye Qizu compromised, saying, "The position of deputy general manager of Ye Qingtang Herbal Tea branch is not low. You should adapt first. Once the sales target is achieved, I will promote you to group vice president. You have to take things one step at a time. Ye Kaishen worked his way up to the position of group vice president for decades, and before he could even settle in, you kicked him out. It's not good for you to become group vice president right away. The taller the tree, the more the wind blows, understand?"
She really wanted to throw her major shareholder position in her grandfather's face, but for the sake of Ugly Wang Jue, she would endure it for the time being.
Ye Baoling tapped the back of the chair lightly with her fingers. "Alright."
As I came downstairs, I ran into Zheng Junni.
Zheng Junni smiled broadly: "Baoling, congratulations! You've really made your father proud this time. He's so happy that he insisted I ask you to come and ask him to let's go out for tea as a family sometime."
Her father wanted to invite her for tea, but there was no way he would let Zheng Junni ask him.
Ye Baoling smiled and nodded: "Okay, Aunt Jun, let's pick a weekend."
Seeing that Ye Baoling seemed to be in a good mood, Zheng Junni quickly asked, "Did you find out the results of the investigation that Liang Meiyun forced you to do? Who exposed it? I've been misunderstood by her family for a long time, and I feel really wronged."
Ye Baoling: "Where can we find out the results? I've been busy lately and almost forgot to tell Grandpa that we really can't find out anything."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Junni's smile widened even more.
Finally relieved, she went to talk to Ye Baoxin before going to bed.
"She's really not going to investigate?" Ye Baoxin was still a little worried.
“I asked Uncle Xing, and he said that she only pretended to investigate on the first day, asking Ye Baoshun a few questions, and then he never saw her investigate again. Besides, how can you investigate like that? There’s no way to start.” Zheng Junni was just scaring herself, afraid that Ye Baoling would find out something.
Zheng Junni wanted to expose the dirt she had on Ye Baoling.
Ye Baoxin said worriedly, "But if you tell everyone directly, Dad will definitely be angry with you. Grandpa might not appreciate it either; he'll think you're causing trouble."
Zheng Junni lowered her voice: "Your mother isn't stupid, I wouldn't shake on my own."
She already has someone in mind.
"who?"
"Ye Kaishen and Feng Yufang hate Ye Baoling to the core now, so why not have the private investigator sell the information to them directly? They'll definitely make a big fuss about it."
This idea seems pretty good.
-----------------------
Author's note: Ye Huaizhang: You must not disappoint my expectations.
Dong Jian: I think they are all unreliable, so we should do it ourselves.
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