"You figured it out," the man said with a grin. "We did join forces, or rather, it wasn't exactly a joint venture. We just made a bet."
He touched his chin, silently stepping over the shards of glass on the floor and walking to the edge of the balcony, gazing at the vast blue sky outside.
"He said he wanted to make a bet with me to test your abilities. If you could successfully overcome the crisis of the stolen design drafts at the press conference, I would cooperate with you wholeheartedly. If you couldn't, then I wouldn't lose anything on this project either."
After all, the contract clearly stated who would have to compensate whom for double the profit loss if the project's interests were harmed.
The man felt the bet was fair. No matter the outcome, he wouldn't lose, so he readily agreed.
"It seems you truly don't know how to write the word 'death'."
Fu Jingshu spoke word by word, his voice icy.
The man cleared his throat. "No, no, no, I do know. That's why it was just a bet. I didn't do anything behind the scenes, because I knew that with your methods and temperament, if I did anything, the cooperation would likely fall apart."
He thought he was quite clever.
Fu Jingshu let out a cold laugh. "Then should I praise you?"
"That's not necessary."
The man's voice carried a nonchalant tone, clearly indicating he didn't believe he had done anything wrong, and maintained a carefree demeanor.
Fu Jingshu said coldly, "We'll see."
With that, he hung up the phone.
The man rubbed his throbbing forehead. He had dealt with Fu Jingshu before and knew that he was famous for being vindictive and holding grudges. He feared that this matter was far from over.
As fate would have it, less than two hours after that call, he received a call from his company reporting that one of his employees had been arrested for suspected theft.
He rushed over, but before he could even see the employee, he had to go to the police station to inquire. Upon asking, he couldn't help but sigh.
Fu Jingshu was truly ruthless!
He followed the leads to find the person who stole the design drafts from his office, yet remained calm and unruffled, extracting the relationship between that person and his company's employee.
Then, he immediately called the police.
He didn't give him any chance to salvage the situation.
The assistant asked, "Director Deng, what do we do now?"
"Have you handled the matters I asked you to?"
"Everything has been handled. Please rest assured, I wasn't the one who contacted them initially. Even if they investigate, they won't trace it back to us."
Director Deng nodded slightly, tugged at his tie, and sat down on the sofa in his office. "Fu Jingshu's methods are extraordinary. Even if you are confident, you still need to be cautious. We are in the wrong here. If it really comes to it, we can push someone out to take the blame. As for his family..."
Some words didn't need to be spoken.
The special assistant had followed him for so many years and naturally understood the implication. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. And this project..."
"Of course, we'll continue to cooperate," Director Deng said with a proud smile. "As the saying goes, he who doesn't make money when it's there is a fool."
But the impact of this incident was clearly not over. The next morning, Director Deng was awakened by a piercing phone ring.
The assistant's voice was anxious and angry.
"Director Deng, Fu Jingshu leaked this news to the reporters. The media is now reporting that our company deliberately cooperated with Ruis Group on the surface while secretly sending someone to steal design drafts. They're saying we have base methods and demanding a public apology!"
This wasn't the worst consequence; the assistant didn't dare to say the rest.
Director Deng, having been in the business world for so many years, could imagine it without him saying it. Instantly, his forehead began to throb. "Quickly, have the public relations department handle this matter. We can't let it escalate further. Also, immediately contact Fu Jingshu. I want to talk to him personally. Actually, forget it, I'll contact him myself. And remember to hire some internet trolls to sway public opinion online."
"Don't worry, I'm already handling it," the assistant replied, still a little concerned. "But how do you plan to negotiate with Fu Jingshu?"
He wasn't someone who would easily forgive others.
Yet, this time, it was indeed their carelessness in not cleaning up their tracks that got them caught, leaving them no room for negotiation.
Director Deng rubbed his forehead and gave a bitter smile. "How else can we negotiate? According to their demands, we'll have to cede territory and pay reparations."
He said it lightly, but his heart ached. Fu Jingshu was a shrewd businessman. He feared he would have to bleed profusely if he went there.
After hanging up the phone, he called Fu Jingshu.
But the other party didn't answer.
Director Deng, enraged, sat on the bed and laughed. It was obvious the other party was well-prepared, anticipating his call to negotiate and giving him a taste of their power.
But with his fault, what could he do? He could only keep calling the other party.
Until Fu Jingshu finally answered.
Director Deng didn't waste any time and got straight to the point. "I know this incident was my fault. I didn't manage my subordinates properly. I apologize for the impact and losses caused to your company, and I'm willing to bear them. Just tell me what you want."
"You're quite direct."
Fu Jingshu's voice was cold and inscrutable.
Director Deng took a deep breath. With the rampant rumors outside, he really had no mood to play cat and mouse with him. "Just tell me, what do you want? I'll give you a 2% profit concession."
Fu Jingshu's thin lips moved slightly. "Not enough."
Director Deng paused. "3%."
Fu Jingshu remained silent.
Director Deng became somewhat exasperated. "This is the most I can give you. If I concede any more, this project will make me lose money!"
This was a large corporation, not a small workshop where he alone made the decisions.
If he had to make money-losing projects, let alone whether he could do it, the shareholders would drown him in spit.
Fu Jingshu still didn't agree immediately. "Let me consider it."
"Can we stop playing games? You know very well this is the biggest compensation I can offer." Director Deng understood perfectly that the other party was deliberately delaying to make him anxious.
The longer it dragged on, the more unfavorable the rumors would be for the company. The most important thing now was for the two companies to cooperate and put on a show for the reporters.
At least everyone needed to know that the two companies were not at odds, and in fact, their relationship had become even closer because of this incident. Otherwise, the project would also be affected.
Director Deng painstakingly explained these reasons to Fu Jingshu.
Fu Jingshu, however, simply said, "I never said I absolutely had to do this project with you. If you're not willing, we can just not do it."
Director Deng was on the verge of a breakdown.
The situation had escalated to this point; it was no longer a choice for him to do it or not.
The project had already started, and the news had been disseminated. If he were to back out now, wouldn't it prove to everyone that his company had indeed engaged in such underhanded tactics as stealing design drafts?
It would be too embarrassing.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I said, let me consider it." Fu Jingshu hung up the phone after speaking.
Director Deng gritted his teeth in anger.
Shen Qingqing sat on the bedside, watching Fu Jingshu gaze at his phone screen with a smile, clearly in a good mood. She couldn't help but smile too. "After this incident, those who wanted to compete with you will have to seriously consider if they have the ability."
Otherwise, they would lose both their army and their women.