sonovelo Chapter 729: The First Day of Missing Huyan Bin (II)
Chapter 729: The First Day of Missing Huyan Bin (II)
Chapter 729: The First Day of Missing Huyan Bin (II)
Lackey A wiped the grin off his face and gave a report to Chu Liang. "Head Disciple Ye and Young Heroine Zhang from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion have arrived. They are here representing The Seven Stars Gazette to discuss a collaboration."
"They actually sent two young people," Chu Liang muttered with a smile.
He had expected, at the very least, Zhou Yijian, the master of the Wind-Catching Hall, to handle the negotiations. It seemed the Celestial Pivot Pavilion still valued their status greatly and sent young disciples in Chu Liang's generation instead. However, considering that Chu Liang represented the Red Cotton Peak, Celestial Pivot Pavilion's actions seemed rather petty.
Hearing what Chu Liang said and then seeing his expression, Lackey A could tell what he was thinking.
Lackey A promptly explained, "Head Disciple Ye has acquired a lot of power in the Celestial Pivot Pavilion the past few years. Enlightened Wu Lou has been having him handle everything. It seems he is grooming Head Disciple Ye to be his successor. So, sending him to negotiate this collaboration isn't a sign of disrespect."
Chu Liang nodded. "I see."
After all, six years had passed, and his peers had experienced a lot during that time. Ye Yongxing had always been calm and exceptionally clever, but he had a bit of social anxiety. It made sense that Enlightened Wu Lou would want him to gain more experience in social interactions by having him handle negotiations like this.
In any case, they were all old friends, so Chu Liang got up and went out to warmly welcome Ye Yongxing and Zhang Xiaohan inside.
Ye Yongxing's appearance hadn't changed much; he still seemed like a quiet, refined, and shy young man. He would also still avert his gaze slightly away from the gazes of others. However, when he saw Chu Liang, he showed a normal expression.
Zhang Xiaohan was there because she was fairly well-acquainted with Chu Liang. Additionally, she was more talkative than Ye Yongxing, so she complemented him well. The once delicate and naive young lady now seemed much more mature. Chu Liang had even heard that her writing style had changed; it was no longer as flamboyant as before.
"It's been a long time," Chu Liang said with a big smile. "It's really great to see both of you again."
Ye Yongxing gave a slight nod. "Yes, we've been worrying about you all these years."
Zhang Xiaohan smiled back. "We couldn't find you for so long that Esteemed Senior Feng was pretty close to demolishing our sect. Fortunately, you're back."
"Indeed, my teacher loves me very dearly..." Chu Liang replied, chuckling embarrassedly.
He gestured for them to sit down.
This time, they were there to discuss a deep collaboration between the Circle of Immortal Friends and The Seven Stars Gazette.
Chu Liang had initiated this meeting, but the party that was more in need of this collaboration was definitely the Celestial Pivot Pavilion.
"Lastly..." Chu Liang hesitated for a moment. "If your sect is still worried about the development of the Circle of Immortal Friends and how it might negatively affect The Seven Stars Gazette, I have a solution that works for both sides, which is..."
He slowly uttered one word, "Investment."
"Investment?"
Ye Yongxing and Zhang Xiaohan looked at him a bit strangely.
Chu Liang explained with a sincere smile, "It means that you can invest a certain amount of money to purchase thirty to fifty percent of the shares for the Circle of Immortal Friends. All the profits from our operations will be shared with you accordingly. Whether it's The Seven Stars Gazette or the Circle of Immortal Friends, they will both be considered part of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion's enterprises. This way, you don't need to worry about competition, and we can focus on collaborating."
Indeed, the dagger revealed itself once the map was fully drawn. This had been his goal all along.
Red Cotton Peak was facing serious financial issues. After the fall of Taotie City, it had left a massive gap in the market. Nevertheless, for Red Cotton Peak to expand and claim that portion of the market, it needed to acquire resources, and for that, it needed money. Furthermore, Red Cotton Peak still had yet to make a return on the funds that had been invested in the Hall of Construction.
Red Cotton Peak had been stuck in this situation of only having an outflow of funds for an extended period. Why else would Chu Liang have invited the Celestial Pivot Pavilion to collaborate when Red Cotton Peak was clearly winning with the Circle of Immortal Friends?
It was all because Red Cotton Peak was in dire straits, like when even the grain reserves of a wealthy landlord's household had run empty.
Seeing Ye Yongxing's and Zhang Xiaohan's expressions become even stranger, Chu Liang put on an awkward smile, feeling a little guilty. "This... If either of you have any doubts, feel free to bring them up, and I'll explain in more detail."
Ye Yongxing and Zhang Xiaohan were actually quite knowledgeable about investment models. As an established media outlet with access to first-hand information, the people behind The Seven Stars Gazette were well aware of the previous cooperation between Taotie City and Red Cotton Peak.
Of course, Ye Yongxing and Zhang Xiaohan were among them, and that's why they looked so conflicted.
"Actually, we don't have any objections to the investment model. We don't think it's bad, but..." Zhang Xiao said meekly. "Young Hero Chu, if our information is correct, the first person to invest in Red Cotton Peak was someone named Hu Yanbin, right?"
...
After a long while, Chu Liang was left alone in his office. He massaged his forehead and picked up the United Hearts Jade.
[Chu]: "As I expected, It's not that easy."
[Chu]: "I kind of miss Brother Huyan Bin."