Chapter 29: The Cunning Business Tactic
As soon as Xu Youyou finished speaking, a flash of delight appeared on Peter’s face. However, within just two seconds, he seemed to realize something and shook his head.
“You can invest less, but I want to keep some shares for myself and my friends,” Peter stated.
Xu Youyou frowned slightly. The young man in front of her looked naive and inexperienced, yet she couldn’t understand how he had figured things out so quickly.
“How much equity do you want to keep?” she asked.
Peter answered firmly, “At least fifty percent.”
Xu Youyou’s heart sank—this was beyond her expectations.
“That’s not how business negotiations work.”
A sudden voice startled Xu Youyou, making her turn around instantly.
She had no idea when Lu Jingyao had appeared behind her or how much of the conversation he had overheard.
“Mr. Lu, eavesdropping on others isn’t the behavior of a gentleman,” Xu Youyou said coldly.
Peter didn’t understand Chinese, but he could see the two Chinese-looking individuals talking intensely.
Lu Jingyao stepped forward, standing beside Xu Youyou. “Miss Xu, you were discussing things openly, so I listened openly. Your intentions are too obvious—even an idiot would sense something is off.”
Xu Youyou bit her lip hard. She knew she wasn’t smart enough; otherwise, she wouldn’t have suffered at the hands of Gu Xueying for an entire lifetime.
But even so, hearing Lu Jingyao speak to her like this made her feel an uncontrollable anger.
Then suddenly, she noticed an unusual emotion flash through Lu Jingyao’s eyes—was it… concern?
“Don’t bite too hard,” he said.
Xu Youyou was caught off guard, but before she could react, she tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
Without realizing it, she had bitten her lip so hard that it started to bleed.
Lu Jingyao handed her a clean white handkerchief. She took it, wiped the blood from her lips, and caught a faint whiff of a subtle, elegant woody fragrance.
Lu Jingyao sighed softly, his tone no longer as sharp as before. Instead, he said, “In business negotiations, you shouldn’t reveal your true intentions upfront. You should start by lowering your offer—for example, invest only three million dollars in exchange for half of the shares. Then, when he runs out of funds, invest another two million and acquire more shares bit by bit. By swallowing up equity gradually, you could secure at least ninety percent ownership.”
“Ninety percent is enough. If the founders have no shares left, they won’t be motivated to work.”
Lu Jingyao believed that Xu Youyou’s mistake was underestimating Peter because he was young. She had been too eager, making it clear that he was holding something valuable. The roles of attacker and defender had reversed.
Since Lu Jingyao was no longer being sarcastic, Xu Youyou was willing to listen to him. With just a casual remark, this business genius made her see things in a completely new light. She couldn’t help but admire how ruthless he was—it was no wonder he was so wealthy at such a young age.
“So, what do you think I should do now?” Xu Youyou asked.
“If I were you, I’d make him wait for three days.”
Without hesitation, Xu Youyou turned to Peter and said, “There are too many people at this banquet. It’s not the right time to discuss this. I’ll contact you in a few days.”
Peter, having faced countless rejections while seeking investors, immediately panicked. He had heard similar words before, only for those people to vanish without a trace.
“Miss Xu, you can at least take a look at our game materials…” He unbuttoned his wrinkled suit jacket and pulled out a stack of crumpled documents.
Xu Youyou didn’t take them immediately. Instead, she smiled politely. “I haven’t officially invested in your project yet. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to look at confidential documents so soon.”
Peter became even more anxious. “Miss Xu, is it because of the equity split? We can continue discussing that. As long as we can create this game, my friends and I are willing to dilute our shares further…”
At that moment, Xu Youyou experienced a thrill of power. The more nervous Peter became, the calmer she felt.
Suppressing her urge to agree immediately, she smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be in touch.”
Peter wanted to persist, but Lu Jingyao suddenly spoke. “It’s not very gentlemanly to keep pestering a lady.”
Peter could only sigh and step back.
Lu Jingyao led Xu Youyou further into the banquet hall. Once they were in a more secluded area, he said, “I thought you were only interested in art. I didn’t expect you to be so keen on investing in games.”
“I do things on a whim,” Xu Youyou replied. “If I like something, I don’t mind spending money on it.”
Lu Jingyao looked unconvinced. “Investing abroad is different from investing in China. Securing ownership isn’t as easy as you think.”
Xu Youyou immediately caught the underlying warning in his words. “Are you saying someone might try to take my shares?”
Lu Jingyao glanced at her. “A powerful outsider can’t overpower the local elite. If this project stays under the radar, you’ll be fine. But the moment it starts showing promise, the scent of profit will attract predators.”
Xu Youyou pressed further. “You’ve invested overseas before, haven’t you? How do you keep those predators at bay?”
Lu Jingyao smirked. “A fair exchange.”
Xu Youyou was momentarily stunned.
He elaborated, “You seem to know a lot about porcelain. Come with me to an exclusive appraisal event tomorrow. In return, I’ll help you with your investment. My professional team can assist you in securing the best possible deal with that young entrepreneur.”
Xu Youyou’s eyes lit up. Lu Jingyao exuded an aura of success—just standing beside him made people instinctively trust him.
With his team’s support, she would be nearly guaranteed to win this deal.
However, she had one concern. “You’re not planning to take a cut of my shares, are you?”
Lu Jingyao chuckled. “I may be a cunning businessman, but I still follow certain rules.”
Xu Youyou was skeptical. “At least you’re self-aware.”
Rather than feeling insulted by being called a “cunning businessman,” Lu Jingyao actually seemed quite proud.
As they talked, a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes approached.
Xu Youyou placed her empty glass on the tray and picked up a fresh glass of champagne.
Just as she was about to take a sip, Lu Jingyao spoke again.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t drink that.”
Xu Youyou froze, realizing that despite holding a glass of red wine in his hand, Lu Jingyao hadn’t taken a single sip.
