"Minister Chen, I've finished reading, and I think…" Just then, Gu Feifei, who was sitting in the back, looked up and began to offer her insights.
"Yes, that's very well put!" Chen Yi slowly came to her senses, but she was in no mood to hear the details of what Gu Feifei was saying. At this moment, her cheeks were flushed crimson, her heart was pounding, and she shot a venomous glare at Zhou Fan. Prodded by the honking of the car behind them, she started the engine again.
'That scoundrel! He's utterly shameless, a complete degenerate!'
'What does he mean by a "hands-on inspection"?'
'Is a place that private somewhere you can just let anyone inspect?'
'And what's this about "curing the sickness with a touch of his hand"?'
'He actually wanted to…'
The worst part was that his action from that instant, along with the mischievous smile playing on his lips, seemed to have been carved into her mind, refusing to fade.
If she weren't driving with Gu Feifei right beside her, Chen Yi would have seriously considered biting Zhou Fan to death.
In the office of President Zhang Long of Yunlong Group, Zhang Long sat behind his desk, sipping tea as he listened to Chen Yi and Gu Feifei's proposal, looking completely unfazed.
"President Zhang, this is Fenghua International's proposal for this collaboration. I believe no other company's offer will be lower than ours. What do you think?"
As she spoke, Chen Yi pushed the contract across the desk to Zhang Long, her eyes fixed on him. Gu Feifei stood by, looking a little nervous. Zhou Fan, on the other hand, was seated casually to the side.
"Minister Chen, I believe I made myself perfectly clear last time. I'm satisfied with your company's offer, but I will not be working with you—unless your President Chu comes here to apologize to me in person."
Zhang Long didn't spare the contract on the table a single glance, his tone brazen.
Chen Yi's expression changed slightly. She hadn't expected this Zhang Long to be so vindictive. Just because Chu Yan had refused his dinner invitation at a cocktail party, this guy had held a grudge for so long!
Though Chu Yan embarrassing him in such a public setting might have been a bit much, who in their circle didn't know what a mess Zhang Long's private life was? As if his so-called "dinner party" would be something as simple as just a meal.
"If you can make that happen, get your President Chu over here. If not, you can see yourselves out."
Seeing Chen Yi fall silent, Zhang Long lifted one foot and placed it on the desk, his tone extremely arrogant, as if he had Fenghua International right where he wanted them.
"President Zhang, right? You should try to see the bigger picture. Keep this up, and you might not live to see next month."
Just as Chen Yi was preparing to leave with Gu Feifei, Zhou Fan, who had remained silent all this time, chose this moment to speak.
Hearing this, both Chen Yi and Gu Feifei were stunned, but they didn't say anything. They just assumed Zhou Fan was venting his frustration.
After all, any chance of cooperation was gone. What was said was said, so what did it matter?
"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that? Believe it or not, I can make sure you don't walk out of this company today!" Zhang Long's eyebrow immediately shot up, and his eyes widened in anger as he stared daggers at Zhou Fan.
Zhang Long hadn't gotten to where he was today by being a saint. With his resources and status, making someone disappear without facing any repercussions was all too easy.
"Oh? My, what big words, President Zhang. But let me ask you, have you recently been feeling that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? Not only are you having trouble in the bedroom, but is your heart also, from time to time, wracked with an excruciating pain, as if being stabbed by steel needles?"
Mimicking the other man, Zhou Fan lifted a foot and propped it on the desk. He then pulled out a cigarette and glanced at Gu Feifei. The young woman immediately understood, taking out a lighter and lighting it for him.
Zhang Long's expression changed dramatically, and he instantly shot to his feet. He did indeed have the symptoms Zhou Fan described, and they had been going on for about a week. During this time, he had gone to the hospital for a check-up, but the doctor had only told him that he was probably overtired and should get some proper rest.
"Not only that, but in the last two days, whenever you try to get intimate with a woman, the temples on both sides of your head start throbbing uncontrollably, and then you zone out for a short period, about ten seconds or so. Am I right?"
Without giving Zhang Long a chance to breathe, Zhou Fan slowly exhaled a smoke ring and continued, his words designed to shock.
BOOM!
Zhou Fan's words were like a clap of thunder, exploding in Zhang Long's mind.
"Save me, brother, save me! As long as you save me, I'll sign the contract with your company!"
At this point, Zhang Long no longer cared how Zhou Fan knew, nor did he care why his body was in this state. He just wanted to be cured, because Zhou Fan had said he might not live to see next month.
When Chen Yi heard their conversation, although she was filled with disbelief, she still immediately walked back over, ready to produce the contract.
But Zhou Fan held up a hand to stop her, the corners of his lips curling into a knowing smile.
"Does President Zhang really think his life is only worth a few million?"
Zhang Long understood. The other party felt that a contract worth a few million wasn't worth his effort.
At the same time, Zhang Long also understood that since the other party was willing to bargain, it meant that as long as he offered a high enough price, this problem could be solved. With that, he wasn't quite so scared anymore and slowly sat down again.
"How about we trade this contract for an answer? I want to know why my body is in this state." Zhang Long was smart. He didn't ask how Zhou Fan knew, because the other man would never say, and besides, that answer was meaningless to him.
"Deal."
Zhou Fan smiled faintly, his estimation of Zhang Long rising a few notches. He hadn't expected the man to regain his composure so quickly. He took the contract from Chen Yi's hands and pushed it across to Zhang Long.
"The reason your body is in this state is, on one hand, your years of womanizing have caused you to leak too much yang energy." Zhou Fan paused, fixing Zhang Long with an unreadable gaze.
Zhang Long knew how to take a hint. He immediately grabbed a pen and, without even looking at the contract, signed his name.
"On the other hand, someone has been feeding you a slow-acting poison every day for at least half a month. This poison is called Yang-breaking Powder, and it has a very bitter taste."
As he finished speaking, Zhou Fan leaned forward slightly and cast a seemingly unintentional glance at an empty cup to Zhang Long's left, which still contained the dregs of unfinished coffee.
"Thank you." Zhang Long naturally noticed Zhou Fan's glance and instantly had a good idea of who was poisoning him. After taking a deep breath, he continued, "So, shall we discuss my… condition now?"
"Two conditions!" Zhou Fan slowly held up two fingers. "First, on the ground floor of every mall under your Yunlong Group, you must reserve a spot for Fenghua International so we can sell our cosmetics."
"No problem with that. And the second?" Zhang Long pondered for a moment before agreeing. Although he would incur some losses by doing this, it wouldn't be too much. Besides, he had to rent out the mall space to someone, right?