Inside a room adorned with a blend of splendor and subtle elegance, Lin Yide sat calmly in the main seat. Xingyun accompanied him, seated to his side, while his two sons stood silently behind him.
A hint of barely contained excitement laced Xingyun's voice as he asked, "Director Yide, is the proposal you previously mentioned to my unworthy son, Xingqiu, true?"
Lin Yide looked towards Xingxia, who stood behind him, a talented and presentable young man. He affirmed, "It is true. As long as the Feiyun Commerce Guild is willing to cooperate with the Furina Foundation, we will help him become one of Liyue's Qixing."
Upon hearing this, Xingxia's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile, unable to hide his inner elation.
Xingqiu, standing beside him, reacted with extreme indifference.
Xingyun strove to calm the turbulent emotions in his heart. He cautiously asked, "Director Yide, I have no doubt about the West Factory's power. However, the selection of the Liyue Qixing is, after all, a private internal affair of Liyue. If the West Factory were to intervene, I fear it would be highly inconvenient."
The caution and astuteness of a merchant were fully evident in his words.
Lin Yide did not reply immediately, simply gazing at him with a calm and gentle expression.
In this silent standoff, Xingyun suddenly realized his misstep. Sitting opposite him was a man whose word was absolute, a veritable harbinger of death.
A chill ran down his spine, and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Just as he was about to apologize, Lin Yide finally spoke, "Guild Master Xingyun, seeing as this is our first cooperation, I shall tell you a secret: the Tianshu Star is set to retire soon."
Upon hearing this, Xingyun's doubts about the West Factory's power immediately vanished into thin air.
The Tianshu Star usually keeps a low profile, interacting rarely with others, making them the most secretive among the Qixing. Yet, the West Factory managed to acquire such confidential information as their impending retirement. This proved the formidable strength of its intelligence network, truly, as the rumors claimed, capable of reaching anywhere.
However, new doubts arose in Xingyun's mind. After some deliberation, he decided to voice his concerns: "Director Yide, I understand that the selection method for the Tianshu Star is quite unique. It is usually an assessment conducted personally by the former Tianshu Star, and requires the approval of the other Qixing. It seems difficult for outside forces to interfere with this process."
A sneer appeared on Lin Yide's face. "Indeed. To prevent interference from external forces, the selection of the Tianshu Star is never made public. Therefore, successive Tianshu Stars have either been the children of their predecessors or their personal disciples. They have essentially treated the power of the Tianshu Star as private property, inherited within their families!"
At this, a flicker of deep disdain crossed his eyes. "However, our West Factory has no shortage of methods."
His voice was laced with bone-chilling coldness.
As his words fell, Xingyun's heart trembled. His voice slightly shaking, he said, "Director Yide, our Feiyun Commerce Guild absolutely trusts you."
He paused briefly, then asked, "May I ask what kind of cooperation model the West Factory intends to adopt?"
Lin Yide slightly frowned, correcting Xingyun's statement: "It is not cooperation with our West Factory, but with the Furina Foundation."
Xingyun hastily assented, "Yes, yes, cooperation with the Furina Foundation." He then added, "Our Feiyun Commerce Guild has no direct dealings with the West Factory."
Only then did Lin Yide elaborate on the cooperation plan: "The Furina Foundation intends to invest one billion Mora to acquire half of the Feiyun Commerce Guild's shares and to engage in deep cooperation in sectors such as industry and real estate."
After listening, Xingyun fell into contemplation.
The Feiyun Commerce Guild's total assets amounted to five billion Mora, yet the Furina Foundation was acquiring half its shares for only one billion Mora. On the surface, it seemed the Feiyun Commerce Guild was taking a considerable loss.
However, from a long-term perspective, this deal was extremely lucrative. Simply propelling Xingxia into a Qixing position would be enough to recoup the losses. Moreover, the future profits from cooperation in areas like industry and real estate held immense potential.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Xingyun decisively made his decision: "Director Yide, the Feiyun Commerce Guild is willing to cooperate with the Furina Foundation."
A warm smile appeared on Lin Yide's face. "Guild Master Xingyun, your choice is very wise."
Saying this, he stood up and extended his hand to Xingyun. "In a couple of days, representatives from the Furina Foundation will come to discuss the specific cooperation details with you."
Xingyun quickly rose, grasping Lin Yide's hand firmly, and said with a slightly fawning tone, "Our Feiyun Commerce Guild will negotiate with the utmost sincerity."
Xingqiu stood to the side, witnessing this scene, a mixture of emotions swirling within him. He harbored a deep dislike for the Qixing, yet now, his elder brother was about to become a new member of the Qixing.
…
Qunyu Pavilion.
Ningguang sat regally in her opulent chair, her brows deeply furrowed. "I never expected Yide to seek cooperation with the Feiyun Commerce Guild."
Yelan, meanwhile, sat casually to the side, her legs crossed, idly fiddling with a dice in her hand. She replied bluntly, "The Feiyun Commerce Guild primarily deals in gem products and rare ores; they've always been your business rival. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn't it perfectly normal for Yide to team up with the Feiyun Commerce Guild?"
Ningguang couldn't help but let out a cold snort. "Even if he teams up with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, what then? In terms of business competition alone, he is absolutely no match for me."
Hearing this, Yelan teased, "Lady Ningguang, aren't you being a bit overconfident? From what I know, Yide's money-making ability is no less than yours. Those official Furina merchandise stores make money faster than a printing press."
At the mention of this, Ningguang was somewhat speechless.
She had always believed her businesses were sufficiently lucrative, but compared to Yide's official Furina merchandise stores, they fell short. Those figurines, costing merely ten thousand Mora to produce, could astonishingly sell for a high price of two hundred thousand Mora, and customers still had to queue up to snatch them. What's more, some limited-edition, ultimate-quality figurines could only be obtained through gacha blind boxes. This marketing tactic undoubtedly further inflated the product's rarity and value.
Ningguang had also considered venturing into this business, as Rex Lapis's popularity in Liyue was exceptionally high, and the market potential was immense. The crucial point was that she had not obtained the exclusive official authorization from Rex Lapis, and the market would not recognize the value of unofficial figurines, thus preventing her from directly replicating Lin Yide's successful model.