Three Years and Three Years

Chapter 45: Desire to Conquer

Zhou Mushi was originally not a person who liked to shrink back in the business world. The more competition and challenges there were, the more enjoyable the business became, and this should be the norm for him to face.

The problem is, because this involves Jin Yang and Linda, he doesn’t have much interest in participating, even if it means fighting tooth and nail. Even if he wins, what’s the point? Doing business with a woman who has slept with her ex-boyfriend won’t make him happy either.

If they lose, it would be fine if HeHui Group chose another company, but if they choose Yucheng Group where Jin Yang works, it would be really embarrassing. Anyway, the company won’t suffer much if they don’t get this deal.

As Zhou Mushi was thinking this, before he had a chance to notify his colleagues in the business department, his elder brother, Zhou Muxian, called him.

Zhou Muxian was always clear about the boundaries between work and personal matters. Since it was a workday and during work hours, so under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t call Zhou Mushi at this time.

Zhou Mushi was thinking and figured it was probably business-related, so he swiped to answer the call.

“Hello, Brother.”

“Hey, Mushi, I heard that our company in China is considering partnering with HeHui Group?”

“Your information are quite accurate. We just had the first round of negotiations with HeHui Group.”

“We must secure this partnership with HeHui Group, the amount of money we earn is not a problem. The key is that we have studied this and if we can reach an agreement this time, we can continue to cooperate with them for the next wave of raw materials abroad at a relatively low price, bypassing middleman directly, and the profit potential is substantial.”

Zhou Mushi fiddled with the small ornaments on his desk and said, without any fighting power: “For this cooperation, not only our company, but also several other companies are interested. Moreover, there are other companies that have close relationships with the boss of HeHui Group. I am not very confident about this. If you really want to cooperate with their company, you can come over and discuss it in person. After all, I am not too sure about the follow-up cooperation. It may or may not work out, which will affect your side.”

On the other end of the phone, the person said: “If I could go back, I would have gone back already. Not only is the overseas business busy, but also your sister-in-law’s body has not fully recovered after having a miscarriage. How can I leave? Linda, the person in charge of HeHui Group, is my college classmate and we have a relationship. If you have time, invite her to dinner and arrange a time. Bring your computer and I can video chat with her to discuss the details. Can you help me out with this?”

When Zhou Muxian mentioned this, Zhou Mushi couldn’t really refuse, so he had to agree.

As a brother, he had been good to him when they were growing up. From a business perspective, he was often more suitable to be a businessman than Zhou Mushi.

The best state for a business person is to always prioritize their own interests. If a partnership could be established, the overseas company controlled by Zhou Muxian would undoubtedly make a profit, and as for the profit and loss of the domestic company, he doesn’t really care about it.

Zhou Mushi opened his computer in front of him and calculated what price increase would be needed to secure this business deal. He needed to ensure that the price was just right so he could solidify the deal, and he also had to figure out how to make up for the excess money that went beyond the budget by finding other deals to compensate for it. This was necessary so that the company’s year-end financial report wouldn’t look bad.

“Zhou Mushi done calculating, stood up and took a few steps before knocking on the door of Chen Daqiang’s office.

“Director Chen, can you help me arrange a dinner with the person in charge of HeHui Group? I will personally go there.”

Chen Daqiang was taken aback for a moment, but quickly responded, “Okay, President Zhou.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little strange in his heart. President Zhou was a young person who had studied abroad and had different ideas from their old-school mentality. He usually disliked attending negotiations at the dinner table, so why did he want to go there in person this time?

However, it’s best for a small employee like him not to speculate on the boss’s thoughts. Getting the job at hand done quickly and efficiently is the right thing to do.

The dinner was scheduled for Friday evening, and the location was chosen by the other party at a very stylish Western restaurant.

When Zhou Mushi got off work and arrived, Linda was already sitting at the reserved table.

The dim lighting added a touch of mystery to the beauty’s face.

It must be said that Linda is indeed a beauty, a Chinese traditional beauty with gentleness and gracefulness.

“Hi, over here.”

She waved to him, raising a beautiful little arm and revealing two dimples on her cheeks with a sweet smile. Even though they could be considered “rivals in love,” such a person was destined not to make Zhou Mushi feel annoyed.

The two ordered their meals separately, and Linda poured some red wine, taking the initiative to speak first.

“I know why you came today. Your brother and I are old friends, and we have already discussed the cooperation in advance.”

“You are a straightforward person, so regarding this cooperation, what do you think…” Zhou Mushi didn’t continue, because Linda across from him made a gesture to stop him.

She smiled apologetically and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but as a friend, I feel that I need to tell you the truth, even though it may not be appropriate from a business standpoint.”

Zhou Mushi sensed that this conversation was going to be different from what he had expected, and said, “Please, go ahead.”

Linda thanked the waiter who brought the steak, and then while cutting the steak, said: “Doing business, it’s all about seeking wealth. But to be honest, when you reach our level of business, the gains or losses of several million or even tens of millions are not that important. After all, besides money, there are also love in life.”

Zhou Mushi’s face was a bit stiff, and he forced himself to maintain a smile and continue listening.

“To say something a bit presumptuous, President Zhou is still young after all, and probably doesn’t understand the urgency of love for someone my age. I’m not hiding anything from you. To tell you the truth, I’ve known Director Jin of Yucheng Group for a long time. At that time, he had a small company that was going through a crisis, and I could help him. My request was simple: to be my boyfriend.
I do know that at that time he seemed to have a very young lover, but what do a child know? she only knew to make her boyfriend accompany them all day, eat well, dress well, and pamper her. How could she truly understand? People like us who started from scratch have to endure so much disdain and hardship for a single business deal, and for a little bit of money.
I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me. At that time, I was quite confident. Jin Yang is a smart person and knows what the best choice is for him. However, sometimes being overly confident is not a good thing. He didn’t choose me and the situation of his company at that time was clearly not bankruptcy under normal business conditions, but rather it was being calculated by someone. If at that time, I didn’t help him, he would have been really desperate.
A clever man who can see the situation ahead clearly, yet remains firm in his beliefs, can easily ignite a woman’s desire to conquer him.”

End of Chapter 45

TL/Note: In my opinion, Linda did not know the gender of Jin Yang’s “young lover” and automatically assumed that the gender was female. Therefore, in the text, Linda referred to Jin Yang’s “young lover” as “she” instead of “he.”