Chapter Twenty: The Turning of the Tide

Li Fengyu was facing what was essentially a dead end. If he could not reach a settlement, he would face total failure, and he would have no face left to meet Lin Chu. Yet, if the conditions proposed by this woman were too harsh, the Xinmin Group would be unable to bear them. Li Fengyu had reached the end of his rope; his hand had long since been revealed to others, and the advantage was not on his side. At this point, conventional methods were completely ineffective. He only regretted thinking that entrepreneurship was too simple; the business world was like a battlefield, where one careless move could lead to a total loss. Just as the negotiations fell into a deadlock with no way forward, Chen Yuxuan leaned over and whispered something into Li Fengyu’s ear.

Gu Yumin stared intently at the two, trying to read some information from their expressions, but she saw nothing. These two had long been on guard against her. However, after listening to what Chen Yuxuan said, Li Fengyu felt a sense of relief inside, though he did not show it on his face. Li Fengyu’s expression relaxed as he said to Gu Yumin, "We have been talking for two hours with no progress. Let’s take a break. We can use the restroom, have some water, and talk slowly when we return." Gu Yumin smiled slightly and said, "Since the Vice President says so, let’s take a break." Inside, she wanted to laugh—no matter how much Li Fengyu struggled, he was destined to lose. What could fifteen minutes of rest change?

However, the situation would be vastly different after those fifteen minutes. The roles of the attacker and the defender were about to reverse, for Li Fengyu and Chen Yuxuan had found a way to break the deadlock. After those fifteen minutes, events would unfold beyond Gu Yumin’s expectations. Who would ultimately emerge victorious remained to be seen.

During the break, Gu Yumin poured herself another cup of coffee and glanced at the clock; it was 3:45 PM. With the deadline at 5:00 PM, only an hour remained. What reinforcements could Li Fengyu possibly bring in? She was certain to win the peace talks.

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Yumin, her secretary, Li Sen, Li Fengyu, and Chen Yuxuan sat back at the negotiation table. From this moment on, Gu Yumin sensed that the atmosphere had changed. Contrary to the frozen, tense atmosphere of the first half, she saw Li Fengyu and his group calmly sipping coffee and chatting about where to go in Shanghai, laughing and talking. Gu Yumin was puzzled. She looked at her secretary, but the secretary was equally clueless. Gu Yumin smiled slightly and asked, "Vice President Li, what is this about?"

Li Fengyu turned his head slowly. Unlike his furrowed brows from earlier, he now looked relaxed, appearing indifferent as he said, "Hahaha, President Gu, what is fun to do in Shanghai? Let’s go grab a meal together later. I heard the xiaolongbao in Shanghai is delicious; we must try it."

Gu Yumin was stunned. Had they given up? Or were they deliberately trying to make her lower her guard? She was in a position to win this negotiation easily. She asked cautiously, "Are you not going to negotiate anymore?"

Li Fengyu assumed an indifferent posture and laughed, saying, "No point in talking; there’s no progress anyway. Might as well take a break. The Xinmin Group isn't my family’s property, so why work so hard for it? I’ll just tell Lin Chu we tried our best. If it fails, we’ll just fight to the bitter end when the market opens on Monday. If I lose, I’ll go back to my studies; I don’t have much to lose."

At this moment, Chen Yuxuan chimed in, "That's right, we’re just employees. It doesn't matter who we work for."

Gu Yumin panicked slightly. First, Li Fengyu was right; there was no progress, and he might really be desperate enough to fight to the bitter end—a result the Huayu Group did not want to see. Second, Chen Yuxuan’s point made sense; they were just workers with options. As Gu Yumin hesitated, Li Sen added fuel to the fire. He checked his watch, which showed 4:30 PM. With only thirty minutes left, he began packing up his documents, and after finishing, he slumped over the table, showing no respect for Gu Yumin at all.

If the talks failed, Gu Yumin could only envision the worst-case scenario: not only would she gain nothing, but she might also bring losses to her group. Looking at the indifferent Li Fengyu and his team, she grew increasingly anxious. Finally, Gu Yumin spoke, "Vice President Li, there is actually room for negotiation." Once those words left her lips, the gears of the negotiation finally began to turn. At this moment, Li Fengyu had to hold firm; if he gave an inch, it would be all over. He did not respond.

Now the roles were reversed. The pressure had previously been on Li Fengyu, but now it had shifted entirely to Gu Yumin. Before, it was Gu Yumin who would not budge; now, it was Li Fengyu. Time ticked away, and only fifteen minutes remained until the deadline. Li Fengyu even began to push his chair back, preparing to leave. Seeing this, Gu Yumin grew more desperate and said, "Vice President Li, fifty million. How about we withdraw our capital for fifty million?" Her original plan had been to demand one hundred million to withdraw, plus fifty percent of the profits after Li Fengyu finished his trading. Her demands had been drastically slashed, yet Li Fengyu still did not budge.