Negotiation

Before he knew it, another day had passed.

At 10 a.m. that morning, Guo Yuan arrived at the Digital Industry Information Park as agreed and called Wu Tianyu.

When Wu Tianyu learned that Guo Yuan had arrived, he immediately told his secretary to go down and receive him.

The secretary led Guo Yuan to the twelfth floor. The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Guo Yuan saw Tianyu Technology's sign.

"Mr. Guo, this way please. President Wu is waiting for you in the reception room."

When the two arrived at the reception room, Wu Tianyu immediately rose to greet him, displaying great enthusiasm.

As they shook hands, both men took the opportunity to size each other up.

Wu Tianyu wore a well-tailored suit, gold-rimmed glasses, and impeccably polished leather shoes—the very picture of a successful businessman.

In comparison, Guo Yuan looked far more casual. A black short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and sneakers—no matter how one looked at him, he resembled a student.

If Wu Tianyu had not investigated Guo Yuan beforehand, he would probably have thrown him out on the spot based on that outfit alone.

"Mr. Guo, your attire is certainly simple," Wu Tianyu said with a smile.

"I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare formalwear. Please excuse me, President Wu."

"Not at all. Clothes and such are merely external possessions."

This was a lie. Wu Tianyu cared greatly that you had not come in formal attire. He was wondering whether you did not take this acquisition seriously, or whether you were playing him for a fool.

Guo Yuan could not be bothered with small talk and went straight to the point. "President Wu, let's put the clothes aside for now and talk about your company."

"Alright! Xiao Chen, bring Mr. Guo the materials we prepared."

The secretary nodded and left the reception room.

A moment later, the secretary returned carrying two folders. She handed them to Guo Yuan, then obediently returned to Wu Tianyu's side.

The moment Guo Yuan picked up the folders, the narrator's voice rang in his mind: The contents of these two folders are largely accurate and complete, but Wu Tianyu has deliberately concealed part of the company's debt situation.

If you acquire this company, you will also need to take on its assets and liabilities. Please be careful.

The narrator had exposed Wu Tianyu's little scheme, and the corners of Guo Yuan's lips curled upward slightly. It was precisely because he had the narrator that a complete novice in business like him dared to come negotiate with Wu Tianyu alone.

Wu Tianyu's deliberate concealment of the debt was also a test—to see whether Guo Yuan understood such matters. If he did not, Wu Tianyu could swindle him for even more.

Guo Yuan then quickly skimmed through the contents of the two folders and gained a general understanding of Tianyu Technology's situation.

Though Tianyu Technology was small, it had everything it needed. It had all the functional positions a typical company should have. It had even kept up with the times by creating a VTuber rendered using its own virtual engine. Clearly, Wu Tianyu had initially intended to make a real success of it.

Unfortunately, Tianyu Technology's intelligent engine had gotten stuck at the final step and could not achieve a breakthrough. All those earlier preparations had naturally gone to waste.

In addition, Guo Yuan discovered that Tianyu Technology did not belong entirely to Wu Tianyu. Wu Tianyu held only 70% of the shares, while the remaining 30% were jointly held by three other shareholders.

"President Wu, have these three shareholders also agreed to sell the company?" Guo Yuan asked.

"The company has already gone bankrupt. Selling it is the only way to recover some of their losses; otherwise, they'll lose everything. The three of them aren't fools, so of course they agreed."

Wu Tianyu was not lying. The three men were his friends. When the company had been founded, each had invested five million out of friendship, taking 10% of the company's shares. Wu Tianyu could decide how to handle those shares himself.

With the narrator's confirmation, Guo Yuan had no further doubts about the shares.

"President Wu, I didn't see any information regarding your company's debts in these two folders. Could you explain it to me, or simply bring me a detailed debt statement?"

Hearing this, Wu Tianyu turned to his secretary and asked, "Xiao Chen, wasn't the company's debt statement included in the files?"

"It wasn't? I remember putting it in!"

Guo Yuan watched the two of them perform with an expressionless face. Perhaps Wu Tianyu also found the act awkward, because he directly scolded the secretary a few times and told her to bring over a new debt statement.

The secretary apologized to Guo Yuan as she hurried out of the office.

"Mr. Guo, I'm sorry. There's been a lot going on at the company recently, and Xiao Chen has had trouble handling it all by herself. She made a mistake in her rush. I hope you won't take it to heart," Wu Tianyu said with a smile.

"It's alright. Everyone has moments of oversight."

The moment Guo Yuan finished speaking, Xiao Chen brought over the debt statement.

After glancing at it, Guo Yuan frowned. He discovered that Tianyu Technology still owed the bank more than two million in loans.

"President Wu, how much are you planning to sell Tianyu Technology for?"

"I invested a total of fifty million in my company, and all the preliminary preparations were carried out perfectly. After Mr. Guo acquires our company, you can immediately continue operations, and even—"

"President Wu, just name your price," Guo Yuan interrupted.

"A flat fifteen million."

Guo Yuan sighed at that, rose to his feet, and left without the slightest hesitation.

Wu Tianyu froze. What did that mean? Why had he walked away as soon as he named a price? At least bargain with him!

"Wait, wait! Mr. Guo, what are you—"

"President Wu, I sincerely wanted to acquire your company, but you clearly aren't sincere about selling it. A company that has declared bankruptcy and still carries over two million in bank debt—do you really think the framework of an intelligent engine is worth fifteen million?"

Wu Tianyu's expression turned somewhat awkward. Seeing Guo Yuan's outfit and the lingering youthful innocence on his face, he had thought he could take advantage of him. He had not expected Guo Yuan to refuse to play along at all.

"Then name your price, Mr. Guo."

Guo Yuan shook his head. "President Wu, I no longer want to acquire your company."