Soon, the young woman in a white suit brought over the printed contracts and handed them to Zhuge Tao. He took the contracts and a pen, casually flipped through them, and quickly signed.
Then the young woman in the white suit handed the contracts and pen to Luo Zhe. "There are two copies. Just sign here, here, and here."
Luo Zhe took the contracts and, mimicking Zhuge Tao, casually flipped through them. The terms were clear and straightforward, with every clause spelled out plainly and no headache-inducing legal jargon.
The clause Zhuge Tao had mentioned—"For a total value of under one hundred million, you may choose any Guidance Technique, movement technique, or offensive technique manual from Home of Extremes"—was even specially highlighted in bold black type.
By Luo Zhe's standards, this was definitely a contract made in good faith. He didn't hesitate and signed it on the spot.
Suddenly, a young man in a white suit received a phone call. He stepped aside, murmured a few acknowledgments, then hung up and went over to whisper something in Zhuge Tao's ear.
After listening, Zhuge Tao's expression turned strange. His face darkened as though he'd just stepped in dog shit while walking down the road.
After signing the contract, Luo Zhe noticed that something seemed off about Zhuge Tao's expression. He couldn't help asking, "Is something wrong, Manager?"
"Nothing, just a minor matter." Zhuge Tao forced a smile and held out his hand to Luo Zhe. "Welcome to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall family, Luo Zhe!"
Luo Zhe was a little confused, but when he saw Zhuge Tao's outstretched hand, he quickly reached out and shook it.
"Starting today, you can move straight into the Warrior Villa District."
Zhuge Tao smiled. "As for your starting funds and choosing manuals, you'll have to wait until you officially become a warrior. Once you have warrior-level access, you'll be able to enter the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's internal network and select manuals. Your starting funds will also be deposited directly into your warrior account."
Perhaps worried Luo Zhe wouldn't understand, Zhuge Tao explained further. "All the warriors under our hall can only officially purchase manuals after becoming warriors."
Luo Zhe nodded.
"I have an urgent matter to handle, so I'll have to leave you now." As he spoke, Zhuge Tao turned to Uncle Bai, who was standing nearby. "Old Bai, take full responsibility for Luo Zhe's arrangements from here on. Put all the expenses on my account."
"Yes." Uncle Bai bowed.
"Tong Yang, come with me. I need to talk to you." Then Zhuge Tao left the villa with Tong Yang, followed by four young men and women in white suits.
In the blink of an eye, the villa's second floor was empty. Only Uncle Bai and Luo Zhe remained, staring at each other.
"Um, would you like to go relax?"
Luo Zhe: "???"
What kind of suggestive proposition was that!?
On the grounds of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Jiangnan Base City headquarters, pedestrians were sparse along the walkway.
Zhuge Tao strode hurriedly ahead, with Tong Yang beside him and four young men and women in white suits following a few paces behind.
"You called me out in such a hurry. What's the emergency? Don't tell me you're taking me drinking. I still have to take that kid Luo Zhe home later." Tong Yang strode along with a smile, teasing Zhuge Tao.
It was clear that Tong Yang was in a good mood.
Suddenly, Zhuge Tao stopped. Tong Yang, caught off guard, walked a few more steps before stopping and turning around to look at Zhuge Tao in confusion.
"I just got word that the chairman knows about our plan. He wants to see you!" Zhuge Tao said, each word deliberate.
At that, the expression on Tong Yang's face froze almost instantly.
"How did he find out about our arrangements!? Did someone on your side leak the news?"
At that, Zhuge Tao immediately bristled.
"What do you mean by that?" Zhuge Tao pointed at Tong Yang with his index finger, anger in his voice. "Don't forget, without me, those two would never have agreed to get involved!"
"We're in this together now, and you suspect me!?"
Seeing Zhuge Tao's reaction, Tong Yang realized he'd said the wrong thing. He also knew the other man couldn't possibly have leaked the information, so he quickly tried to soothe him. "Don't be angry. That's not what I meant. I just can't figure out how the chairman could have found out about our arrangements. We've always kept our operations tightly under wraps. There shouldn't have been any leaks."
"How should I know!"
Zhuge Tao gave a cold snort. He was clearly still angry, but he knew this wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"No matter how carefully we planned it, there were bound to be gaps. With his network of connections, it wouldn't be hard to spot a few clues." Even Zhuge Tao, usually mild-tempered, couldn't help clenching his fists in anger. "Hmph, that old fox Zhou Zhengyong. He couldn't have come earlier or later, and he just had to ask to see you now. He's obviously trying to swoop in and claim the prize."
"We've been planning this for ages, and now someone else gets to pick up the fruits of our labor for nothing!"
Zhuge Tao glanced at Tong Yang, his teeth practically grinding with resentment. "I'll give up at most half a percent. Not a cent more! If Zhou Zhengyong dares to ask for too much, I'll walk away. We can all go our separate ways!"
Tong Yang's expression darkened at those words. He understood that Zhuge Tao was saying this plainly for his benefit.
Walk away and go their separate ways!?
Impossible!
They'd spent years planning this and had finally made it this far. The prize was practically within reach. There was no way they would give up! Besides, even if they wanted to quit now, the ravenous wolves who'd already caught the scent of meat would force them to press on.
But Chairman Zhou Zhengyong was coming at them aggressively, with his sights set squarely on the two of them. He was clearly trying to take advantage of their predicament and carve out a hefty share for himself.
How much profit to give up, and how much each person should concede, all had to be discussed first.
And now Zhuge Tao was pulling a drastic move, laying his cards on the table. His meaning was simple: he didn't want to lose too much of his own share. In other words, Tong Yang would have to take the hit.
Tong Yang looked deeply at Zhuge Tao. The other man's impassive expression chilled him, but things had come to this. Tong Yang gritted his teeth and said, "I can give up another ten percent of the profits, but I need him to smooth things over with the authorities. He can't let the Chinese government step in and disrupt our plans!"
"Otherwise, we can all walk away!"
Zhuge Tao thought it over. Ten percent was already the most Tong Yang was willing to concede. Add Zhuge Tao's own half a percent, and that made a full ten and a half percent in profits.
Putting himself in Zhou Zhengyong's shoes, if all he had to do was keep things stable on the official side to pocket that ten and a half percent, there was no way he'd refuse.
As long as Zhou Zhengyong wasn't too greedy, that ten and a half percent should satisfy him!
"Then it's settled. We'll give him that ten and a half percent. Let's hope he has the appetite to swallow it!"
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