Chen Nian: ...
Chen Nian: Ask Xiao Qi to organize the offline meetup. I'm busy.
Chen Nian: I've got a batch of equipment here. Xiao Qi, I'll hand it over to you. Distribute it to the brothers who need it.
Xiao Qi: Wow, Brother Buyu, you're so nice!
And so, Chen Nian distributed all the equipment he had looted earlier. None of it was particularly high-quality, but there were always people who needed it.
Most importantly, it helped win the brothers' loyalty from time to time.
"Brother Yu, you're so generous!"
"Thanks for the equipment, Brother Yu! Hehe!"
"Holy shit! If he's giving all this equipment to the brothers, does that mean Brother Yu already has better gear?"
"No shit. With the boss's strength, would he even look at this junk?"
After the group showered him with praise, Chen Nian spoke again.
Chen Nian: Does anyone have connections with real estate companies? I need help with something.
The moment they heard the boss needed help, the group exploded!
Having Buyu owe them a favor would be an absolute jackpot!
"Brother Yu, me, me, me! I'm a chairman with more than a dozen branches nationwide. Just come to me if you need anything!"
"My company's business is all connected to real estate. Just give me a shout whenever you need me, Brother Yu!"
"Boss, I work at the market regulation bureau, and my uncle handles tax investigations. Would that help?"
Everyone scrambled to volunteer, eager to do something for Chen Nian.
Back in the game Calamity, Chen Nian had treated his brothers exceptionally well, and they had already formed deep friendships.
But that had only been in a game!
Now that the game and reality had merged, Chen Nian's potential was terrifying!
Perhaps in the near future, he would become the strongest person in the world. Building a good relationship with Chen Nian was the same as clinging to a super-powerful thigh!
Compared with a relationship with Chen Nian, money was utterly worthless!
In the end, Chen Nian picked someone.
Chen Nian: Big Goose, you're up. Message me privately.
Seeing that Chen Nian already had a suitable candidate in mind, everyone was utterly dejected.
"Boss, if he can't meet your requirements, let us take over!"
Big Goose: Screw you! Even if I have to give away half my company's shares, I'll make sure Brother Yu gets what he wants.
And so, Chen Nian told him what he wanted.
It was simple.
Make the billion-yuan deal Growth Ring Real Estate Company was about to close fall through.
"Oh, that's way too easy! They're offering a billion? I'll offer one and a half billion. I'll send someone to negotiate right away. Those bastards in Linhai City wouldn't dare refuse me that much respect."
"If you want, boss, I can even bring the whole company down!"
Chen Nian: No need for that. I owe you one.
Big Goose: It's only right!
That afternoon.
In an open-air garden meeting room, Liu Xingchen sat with his legs crossed, accompanied by his secretary and assistant, waiting for the client to arrive.
Today, they would be discussing a massive billion-yuan deal!
This was his first deal to prove himself after becoming CEO. As long as he closed it, everyone on the board would see him in a new light!
Most importantly, his father would value him more, instead of fretting over that useless son of his.
The female secretary walked over with a smile, wearing a tight skirt.
"Mr. Liu, your tea~"
"Remember to wear black stockings next time. I like those."
"You're so naughty, Mr. Liu~~"
With a laughing reprimand, Liu Xingchen patted the secretary's pert bottom. He drank his tea and basked in the sunlight, feeling as though he were bathed in a spring breeze.
He could not have been more comfortable!
He truly felt as though he were riding high on success, taking in all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day!
Everyone revolved around him. When there was work, the secretary did it; when there wasn't, he did the secretary. So this was how wonderful it felt to hold a high position!
"That useless son doesn't know what's good for him, either. If he came back and worked under me, he'd at least have a stable job. Out there? Heh, who knows when he'll drop dead."
"But that's fine, too. Once Dad kicks the bucket, the inheritance will all be mine."
Just then, the client arrived.
Liu Xingchen immediately stood up, smiling as he prepared to greet him. The other party was a business tycoon, after all. He could not afford to show the slightest discourtesy.
Once they settled the contract, they could all go for a foot massage that evening and strengthen their relationship further.
But the moment he stood, he froze.
The esteemed business tycoon had not come. Only a female secretary working under him had arrived, with no one else.
Liu Xingchen frowned. "It's almost three. Where's your boss?!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Liu. My boss sent me to tell you that this deal might not be a good fit. We can work together another time if the opportunity arises."
"You fucking..."
Liu Xingchen forced down his anger and asked through gritted teeth, "Everything was going fine during our video conference two days ago. You have to give me a reason."
"Well, another company in the industry offered one and a half billion to acquire this project, so naturally, we chose to work with them."
"What?!"
Liu Xingchen trembled all over, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Impossible! If they're paying one and a half billion, what profit are they going to make? This project doesn't have that kind of margin. Are they insane?"
"I wouldn't know. My apologies, Mr. Liu. I'll be leaving now."
Liu Xingchen stood frozen for a long while. Then, all the strength suddenly drained from his body, and he dropped into his chair, slumping limply.
He kept muttering things like "Impossible."
To him, it was as though the sky had fallen...
"Mr. Liu, please calm down!"
The female secretary immediately hurried over, only for Liu Xingchen to shove her roughly away. "Get lost!"
His face was practically ashen, and he could not utter a single word.
Before negotiating this deal, he had signed a performance wager agreement with his father, demanding full responsibility for the project.
If he succeeded, his position as CEO would be secure.
If he failed, he would have to step down and gain more experience.
But Liu Xingchen had been very confident, because he happened to have connections on the client's side. With those connections, he had an eighty-to-ninety-percent chance of closing the deal.
Yet some lunatic had swooped in at the last moment...
Just then, a text message arrived on his phone.
The message contained only one simple sentence.
[Are the contract negotiations going well?]
It was from Chen Nian.
That sentence was like the final spark to the fuse, almost making Liu Xingchen explode on the spot!
"It was him... He's been pulling strings behind the scenes!"
"That's impossible... He's just a lousy gamer. How could he possibly have that much influence?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"This has to be a coincidence. As long as I talk to that other company, there has to be a chance to salvage this. That's right."
It was a one-and-a-half-billion-yuan project, and the other party was in the same industry. Finding out who they were would not be difficult.
Liu Xingchen immediately called.
"Hello, is this Mr. Jiang? Ah, hello. My name is Liu Xingchen. I'm..."
"Busy."
-Beep, beep, beep.
Clatter. Liu Xingchen's phone fell to the ground, and he stood as motionless as a statue.
The blatant insult was like a heavy slap that left his face swollen!
Were the contract negotiations going well?
As he recalled Chen Nian's words again, Liu Xingchen felt his hair stand on end and his heart constrict!