Five days later.
The largest restaurant in China Base City.
A private room on the fifth floor.
Shen Ping and the Zheng Family Patriarch had arranged to have dinner here. Although there were only the two of them, there was a lavish spread of dishes on the table, and more than ten well-dressed waiters attended to their meal.
After two cups of wine.
Zheng Guorui gestured to the dishes on the table and asked with a smile, "General Manager Shen, how is it? Is it to your liking? If not, I'll have them prepare something else."
This restaurant was an asset of the Zheng Family. Its patrons were either wealthy or noble, and it generated a substantial profit annually. The dishes on this table alone were worth over ten million, something ordinary martial artists couldn't afford, and even some General Managers doing business in the Base City didn't dare to eat here frequently.
Shen Ping felt the other party's sincerity, so he spoke directly, "General Manager Zheng, I'm not a picky eater; I can eat anything. It's an honor to meet you today. Please, General Manager Zheng, speak your mind. Whatever I can do, I guarantee I'll agree to it."
Seeing Shen Ping speak so frankly,
Zheng Guorui no longer beat around the bush and stated directly, "It's like this: I heard from Manager Feng of the HR Alliance that Pingwei Materials Company can provide two Lord-level monster materials annually, so I want to cooperate with General Manager Shen."
Shen Ping leaned forward, "How do you propose we cooperate?"
Zheng Guorui pondered for a moment and said, "If Pingwei Materials Company can provide my Zheng Family with one intermediate Lord-level monster annually, then four-tenths of this restaurant's annual profit will be given to General Manager Shen, along with half a share of dry shares from Zheng Corporation, and a villa."
"A villa in Lishui District."
Upon hearing this,
Shen Ping's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he wasn't sure of the exact annual profit of this restaurant, it definitely exceeded five billion. This one item alone would bring in two billion, and combined with the shares from Zheng Corporation, the total value far exceeded the materials from an intermediate Lord-level monster.
And there was also a villa in Lishui District.
Lishui District was the largest area in China Base City, and those who lived there were not ordinary people. A villa there was almost equivalent to a small estate, and its value was incomparable to the martial artist villas in Nanyuan Community.
These conditions were indeed tempting.
However, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if the Zheng Family was trying to win over the intermediate God of War behind him, what they offered was simply too much.
Thinking of this,
Shen Ping picked up a piece of meat and chewed it, then said, "General Manager Zheng, my Pingwei Materials Company has only been developing for a few years. Cooperating with the HR Alliance and the military is already our limit. I'm afraid we are not fortunate enough to cooperate with the Zheng Family. Moreover, an intermediate Lord-level monster material shouldn't be difficult for Zheng Corporation to acquire with its financial resources and connections, should it?"
Zheng Guorui shook his head and said, "General Manager Shen thinks too highly of my Zheng Family. You are a martial artist, you should know how difficult it is to hunt an intermediate Lord-level monster. In terms of financial resources, my Zheng Family can indeed obtain it, but to consistently obtain it is not easy."
"Currently, competition for materials is fierce among countries globally, including various Base Cities domestically. My Zheng Family doesn't have an intermediate God of War behind it."
He spoke the last sentence with a hint of self-mockery.
Shen Ping remained silent.
He knew that what Zheng Guorui said was true. Domestic conglomerates were behemoths in the Base City, but compared to the core families of underground alliances in Europe and other places, they seemed somewhat lacking. The God of War powerhouses they could recruit were mostly elementary Gods of War.
"General Manager Shen, to be frank, my Zheng Family mainly wants these materials to exchange for resources. How about it? As long as General Manager Shen agrees, we can sign the contract now, and then our two families can work together to advance in China Base City!"
Zheng Guorui stared at Shen Ping with bright eyes.
The conditions offered today were, on one hand, a genuine desire to cooperate with Pingwei Materials Company, and on the other hand, a test of the strength of the God of War behind the other party. A God of War who could consistently hunt intermediate Lord-level monsters was considered to be among the stronger ones at the intermediate level.
If he could establish a connection with this person through this, then the Zheng Family's influence in the HR Alliance Mall would increase significantly in the future.
Shen Ping didn't rush to respond. He slowly ate his meal, taking over ten minutes before raising his wine glass and saying, "General Manager Zheng, a pleasant cooperation."
The Zheng Family was a conglomerate in the Base City.
The Shen Family's development couldn't bypass the Zheng Family. Instead of clashing in the future, it was better to cooperate now.
Zheng Guorui burst out laughing, also raising his wine glass, and clinked it against Shen Ping's.
The atmosphere of their drinking became much more harmonious afterward.
After eating and drinking to their fill.
Zheng Guorui said with a smile, "The restaurant also has dedicated rest rooms. If General Manager Shen wants to relax, I can arrange it for you. The massage therapists here have very special techniques."
Shen Ping immediately understood what General Manager Zheng meant. He shook his head and politely declined, "Let's not. I'm not very used to other places."
"Alright, then let's go sit and have some tea to sober up."
"How about letting the company's legal department review the contract first?"
"Sounds good."
The two walked out of the private room, and many people waiting at the door immediately followed behind them. However, as soon as they took the elevator down to the second floor, Shen Ping heard a familiar voice.
"Sorry, Chen Yu, I'm not thinking about dating during university."
Following the voice,
It was his distant cousin, Su Yin.
He walked straight over, "Xiao Yin, why are you here?"
Su Yin turned her head, first startled, then happily said, "Ah, Brother-in-law... a classmate, a classmate's birthday, so I came along."
Chen Yu, who was beside her, frowned. Just as he was about to greet Su Yin's brother-in-law, he saw a middle-aged man with a square face walk over, followed by many people. He quickly jogged forward to greet him, "Uncle Zheng."
Zheng Guorui smiled, "Xiao Yu, why are you at the restaurant today?"
Chen Yu replied, "It's my birthday, so I brought my classmates to celebrate."
Zheng Guorui glanced at Su Yin and immediately guessed most of the situation. He then turned to Shen Ping and said, "Young people, they always like to have fun on their birthdays. General Manager Shen, who is this?"
"My wife's cousin."
Shen Ping introduced her.
Zheng Guorui said gently, "If there are any gatherings in the future, come here."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Someone behind him informed the restaurant manager to send over a card.
After handling this small matter,
The two went to drink tea and rest. After sitting in the tea room for about half an hour, the company's legal consultant delivered the contract, and both signed it, officially establishing their cooperation.
Leaving the restaurant,
Shen Ping saw Su Yin standing at the restaurant entrance, so he gave her a ride.
"Brother-in-law, did I cause you any trouble?"
Su Yin, like a child who had done something wrong, lowered her head and spoke meekly.
Shen Ping looked into the rearview mirror and casually said, "No, but what about that Chen, Chen Yu, right? Did he bother you afterward?"
Su Yin then showed a sweet smile, "He didn't bother me again, and his attitude towards me was much more polite. Brother-in-law, please drop me off at home. I'm not going back to school tonight."
Shen Ping nodded. He didn't press for details, knowing it was likely just Chen Yu trying to confess his feelings during the birthday celebration. Such things were normal in school, and as long as there was no forced compliance, he wouldn't meddle unnecessarily.