Chapter 42: Li Fengyu's Scheme

Li Fengyu looked at the flippant young man sitting across from him, a surge of irritation rising in his chest. Yet, for the moment, he forced a genial smile and said, "The young master of the Liu Corporation is truly a talent among youths. Hahaha!"

Knowing that Li Fengyu was extending this courtesy and fully aware of the purpose of today's visit, Liu昕洋 decided to return the gesture, offering a semblance of respect as he replied, "Young President Li, I have heard much about you. Meeting you today, you are indeed a hero among young men."

Li Fengyu knew that Liu昕洋’s words were nothing more than empty flattery, but the two of them tacitly chose to play along, keeping up the facade.

In society, courtesy must always be maintained. As the saying goes, diplomacy comes before force. Even if peace talks ultimately fail, one avoids burning bridges and leaves room for maneuver. In any case, practicing politeness never hurts.

Gu Yumin invited the two of them to take their seats, and Li Fengyu and Li Sen sat down as well. Before the formal negotiations could begin, Li Fengyu posed a question: "Hahaha, Young President Liu, before we officially start the negotiations, let me run something by you and see what you make of it."

Liu昕洋 paused to think for a moment before replying, "Alright, Mr. Li, go ahead."

Softening his tone, Li Fengyu spoke slowly, "Some time ago, an employee of my company named Chen Yuxuan was involved in a car accident. It happened right at an intersection. What a coincidence—that car drove straight into him without swerving." At this point, a hint of suppressed anger crept into Li Fengyu's voice.

Sensing the underlying implication in Li Fengyu's words, Liu昕洋 put on a pretense and remarked, "Well, I suppose that driver must have had a personal grudge against him," subtly taking a dig at Li Fengyu.

Suppressing his rising fury, Li Fengyu continued, "Whether the driver had a personal grudge against him, I do not know. But he certainly had a grudge against someone else."

By now, the atmosphere in the room was growing increasingly tense. Gu Yumin stepped in to smooth things over, and Li Sen urged Li Fengyu to stay calm and not let anger cloud his judgment. In truth, however, Li Sen failed to see what was really happening. As a senior executive of Huayu Group well-versed in psychology, Gu Yumin had seen right through it: Li Fengyu had not actually been genuinely enraged. Of course, Li Fengyu knew full well that the Liu Corporation was behind the incident—the note left in the office earlier had already made everything clear.

He was merely testing Liu昕洋, deliberately using the incident involving Chen Yuxuan to stir the waters. By observing Liu昕洋's reactions, he could deduce his personality, logical thinking patterns, and emotional baseline, allowing him to tailor his approach when the real negotiations began. Indeed, that had been the first clash between the two men, though it was abundantly clear that Liu昕洋 had seen through Li Fengyu's little scheme and revealed no major flaws.

Intervening to ease the tension, Gu Yumin said, "Let's set this matter aside for now and focus on today's primary business. None of us should forget the purpose of this meeting."

Li Fengyu and Liu昕洋 exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing to drop the subject for the time being.

Li Sen asked, "Young President Liu, what are your company's terms?"

Liu昕洋 immediately produced a contract and slid it across the table toward them. "Seventy million. We withdraw our capital immediately."

At first, Li Fengyu wore a look of utter disbelief, which quickly twisted into a forced smile as he said, "Seventy million? Young President Liu, even if you were to sell the entire Xinmin Group, along with Li Sen and myself, into bondage, we wouldn't have that kind of money."

Liu昕洋 replied coldly, "There is no room for negotiation. Seventy million is seventy million."

Li Fengyu gritted his teeth. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his eyes, and a devilish smile spread across his face. "Young President Liu, no problem at all. Seventy million, is it?"

Li Sen, Gu Yumin, and Liu昕洋 were all stunned into silence. Li Sen was dumbfounded because he knew the Xinmin Group simply did not possess that much capital—had Li Fengyu lost his mind? Gu Yumin was astonished, thinking: *Well, well, Mr. Li, when we negotiated last time, you haggled with me over every single million, yet now you readily agree to seventy million?* Liu昕洋 was equally shocked; he had never expected Li Fengyu to accept such a steep price, having fully anticipated that Li Fengyu would try to bargain.

At that moment, no one could read what was going on in Li Fengyu's mind. Only Li Fengyu himself knew the path to breaking the deadlock.