Chapter 60: Listening Carefully
No matter how many times Xu Youyou looked at those photos, she couldn’t help but marvel at Song Zhibai’s beauty. He was undoubtedly a future top star—she had never seen a man more captivating than him.
Lu Jingyao glanced at the photos of the young man who looked like an incubus, then noticed the admiration in Xu Youyou’s eyes. He clenched his fists involuntarily.
Little did he know that, in Xu Youyou’s eyes, Song Zhibai’s beauty equaled stacks of golden cash.
“If I could find another male artist with Xiao Song’s looks, my company would skyrocket overnight,” Xu Youyou sighed.
Even though Lu Jingyao wasn’t particularly familiar with the entertainment industry, he knew just how sought-after such an appearance was. He cleared his throat and deliberately changed the subject: “You seemed to be having a good conversation with Ms. Shen earlier. She must have given you a lot of insights into the semiconductor industry.”
Xu Youyou caught the strange tone in his voice and asked, “Is Auntie Shen some big shot in the semiconductor industry?”
She had already noticed how respectful Lu Jingyao was toward Shen Wenxing.
“She’s an academician candidate that the country specifically brought back from the U.S. She’s also the junior sister of Academician Chen,” Lu Jingyao explained, giving Xu Youyou a puzzled look. “You didn’t know this?”
Xu Youyou: What?!
She was completely shocked. If Shen Wenxing was someone the country had personally retrieved from abroad, then why had Shen Ju’an claimed they were just tourists returning from a trip?
Wait.
Xu Youyou suddenly thought about the crisis on the plane—it had happened very close to Shen Wenxing.
“Is Ms. Shen working for the government?” she asked.
Lu Jingyao nodded. “She just joined the National Academy of Sciences.”
Xu Youyou recalled how Shen Wenxing had said she and Shen Ju’an were working for a relative. If Shen Ju’an carried the aura of an elite soldier, then it all made sense—he was likely an active-duty soldier! He was probably assigned to escort Shen Wenxing back to China.
No wonder he kept rejecting her attempts to lure him into the entertainment industry—his loyalty belonged to the country.
Xu Youyou stopped thinking about Shen Ju’an and glanced around before lowering her voice. “Mr. Lu, is your company looking to buy technology from those two Japanese men? The EDAD technology?”
As Xu Youyou leaned closer, a faint citrus fragrance drifted into Lu Jingyao’s nose, making his heart involuntarily speed up.
He was usually highly focused, but this time, he was a beat late in processing her words.
“How do you know about that? Did Ms. Shen tell you?” Lu Jingyao asked.
Xu Youyou nodded. “Is it convenient to tell me how much you’re planning to pay?”
Lu Jingyao didn’t hide it. “They’re asking for four billion, but we plan to negotiate down to 1.5 billion.”
Xu Youyou was curious whether this was in yen or RMB. “RMB?”
Lu Jingyao picked option C: “USD.”
Xu Youyou: !!!
Her eyes widened, and her breathing quickened. She couldn’t help but think: That Japanese old man was still too soft. If my grandson lost $1.5 billion, I’d smack him on the spot.
Seeing her exaggerated reaction, Lu Jingyao explained, “The technology I’m looking to buy is exclusively owned by the Yasuda Consortium. Our R&D team hasn’t found a breakthrough yet. If we weren’t stuck in a chokehold, I wouldn’t even bother dealing with these Japanese people.”
Xu Youyou asked, “You don’t want to buy from them, but if you were to buy from someone in our country, would that cause trouble?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “Though they hold the patents, as long as we master the technology ourselves, they won’t dare to challenge us in our own country.”
“Why? Aren’t patents legally binding?” Xu Youyou was confused.
Lu Jingyao lowered his voice. “Patents only restrict the weak. The Yasuda Consortium isn’t strong enough to challenge us. Even if they found out, there’s nothing they could do.”
Xu Youyou finally felt at ease.
At that moment, the entire conference hall fell silent as the moderator took the stage.
The first speaker was Academician Chen. Xu Youyou tried her best to absorb some semiconductor knowledge, but the more she listened, the more stars danced in front of her eyes.
She yawned and pinched her palm to stay awake, then turned to look at Lu Jingyao beside her.
Despite the complex and technical content, Lu Jingyao was listening attentively. Unlike others, he wasn’t frantically taking notes, but he was clearly immersed in the discussion.
Xu Youyou tried to follow his example, but she was woken up by a sudden round of applause.
“Is it over?” she jolted awake.
Lu Jingyao replied, “Academician Chen’s speech has ended.”
That was when she noticed a jacket draped over her shoulders—it was Lu Jingyao’s. She caught a faint scent of cedarwood.
“Here’s your jacket. Thanks,” Xu Youyou said, handing it back.
Just then, the moderator announced loudly, “Next, we invite Mr. Lu Jingyao from the Lu Group to give a speech.”
All eyes in the room turned toward Lu Jingyao. In front of everyone, he casually took his jacket, put it on, and strode toward the stage.
Xu Youyou covered her face in embarrassment—everyone had probably seen her dozing off. Whispered discussions surrounded her, with people speculating about her relationship with Lu Jingyao.
She hadn’t understood Academician Chen’s speech, and she didn’t understand Lu Jingyao’s either. But this time, she forced herself to stay awake by staring at his handsome face, fantasizing about how much money he could make if he joined the entertainment industry. That was how she barely survived until the end of his speech.
On stage, Lu Jingyao had noticed how focused Xu Youyou seemed during his talk. Now that he was back in his seat, he looked pleased with himself. “I kept my explanation simple. You should have understood it.”
Xu Youyou: …
She hadn’t understood a word.
She found Lu Jingyao’s behavior odd—before going on stage, he seemed a little grumpy, but now he looked like a kid seeking praise.
“By the way, if there were another way to buy the technology—without dealing with the Japanese—how much would you be willing to pay?” Xu Youyou quickly changed the subject, fearing he’d quiz her on the speech.
Lu Jingyao asked, “Do you have a source?” He added, “We were scheduled to negotiate with the Yasuda Consortium tomorrow. If the technology is legitimate, we’re prepared to pay $1.5 billion.”
Xu Youyou nodded. “For such a large sum, can you pay in full at once?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “Our original plan with the Yasuda Consortium was to pay an initial installment of $300 million. The remaining balance would be paid in installments, with some of it covered through material trade-offs.”
Xu Youyou had never spent more than 10,000 yuan on a handbag. Even if Lu Jingyao only offered her $300 million upfront, she’d be thrilled.
“Alright,” she said. “If you’re interested, we can start negotiating the deal today.”
