The next day, the two sides held two rounds of talks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Zhao Min remained tough and refused to budge, insisting on the original terms. Xiao ZhengYi likewise stuck to his original conditions, and the cooperation made no progress.
On the third day, negotiations over the cooperation continued, but the venue was no longer Ant Army Company's headquarters. It had moved to a government conference room in Bin Hai City. The two sides clashed once again across the conference table, each holding firm to their own terms, and the talks fell into a deadlock.
Both sides were trying every possible way to probe the other's bottom line.
On the fourth day, the negotiations were still deadlocked. Both sides knew that whoever gave ground first would lose the initiative in this cooperation.
Both sides had ample patience. Though the situation was at an impasse, Zhao Min and Xiao ZhengYi would ease the atmosphere at critical moments, tactfully avoiding any unpleasantness at the table. They both understood that the cooperation had to proceed, but they also needed to secure the greatest possible benefit for their respective sides.
At the hotel where they were staying, the official delegation gathered in a conference room. Everyone was studying the results from that day's talks, hoping to uncover Ant Army Company's bottom line.
Xiao ZhengYi and the other delegation members all wore deep frowns.
Neither side had taken the initiative to break the deadlock. They had no idea what Ant Army Company's limits were.
Li Chengzhi was the most relaxed. He was the intermediary, and although he was part of the delegation, the cooperation negotiations were not his responsibility. He was only there to help Xiao ZhengYi and the others understand Ant Army Company, so he did not