Chapter 73: Want to Give It a Try?
"You can go," Chen Feng said, frowning in thought. He then shook his head helplessly. 'Ten times the price is sixty-seven billion. That's far more than I can afford!'
"You can't go!"
But just as Chen Feng's words fell and Zhou Fan was about to turn away, Ah Lian, who was lying on the ground spitting blood from Zhou Fan's earlier attack, cried out with extreme difficulty.
"Oh? Did I not hit you hard enough? Want me to do it again? I'm telling you, I won't hold back this time!" Zhou Fan looked at Ah Lian with a smirk, curious to see just how far she would push things.
"No, that's not it! Can we discuss the price? You said it yourself—you make an offer, and we can make a counteroffer!" Ah Lian explained hastily. She knew that without using her trump card, she stood no chance against Zhou Fan. 'It was just one move. If he hadn't wanted to kill me, I'd probably be dead already.'
"Of course. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm the easiest person to talk to!" Zhou Fan said with a harmless-looking smile. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and waited quietly for Ah Lian.
"Please wait, I need to make a call for approval," Ah Lian said with a nod, then walked to the side to use her phone.
Zhou Fan glanced over at Chen Feng and nearly laughed out loud when he saw the man turn his head away, refusing to look at him.
A moment later, Ah Lian hung up the phone. "How about three times the price?" she asked, slowly raising three fingers.
Hearing this offer, Chen Yao was so shocked that she subconsciously tightened her grip on Zhou Fan's arm. Zhou Fan shot her a glare. 'And she calls herself a CEO? Can't even handle this much?'
Chen Yao felt she was being unfairly judged. 'Three times the price! That's over twenty billion! Our entire Chen Conglomerate isn't even worth that much!'
"Looks like you aren't very sincere. Should I just give it to you for free? That's no way to bargain. Five times the price. Not a single cent less, or it's not for sale!" Zhou Fan shook his head and held up an open palm, showing five fingers.
Chen Feng was stunned. He hadn't expected Zhou Fan to dare ask for so much, but what shocked him even more was that Ah Lian actually agreed.
"Alright. But we can only pay you three times the price for now. We'll need a week to get the rest of the money."
At this, Zhou Fan leaned back slightly and lit a cigarette. His eyes narrowed as smoke swirled around him.
'What kind of magic does this Chen Conglomerate possess, that they're willing to pay such an enormous price and do whatever it takes to get it?'
'And they can raise over thirteen billion in just a week? What kind of organization is backing them?'
While Zhou Fan was thinking, Ah Lian looked on nervously, afraid that he might not agree.
Chen Feng, on the other hand, frowned subtly, his thoughts a mystery.
"Deal!"
Zhou Fan nodded, then turned to Chen Yao. "Draft a contract, then give them your account number for the transfer."
Chen Yao froze for a second. 'Give them *my* account number?'
However, seeing Zhou Fan's unyielding gaze, Chen Yao swallowed her questions and turned to go prepare the contract.
Once the contract was signed and the money was in the account, Zhou Fan smiled genially. "I wish you both prosperous business. We'll be on our way."
"Was it worth it?" Chen Feng couldn't help but ask in a low voice after only he and Ah Lian were left in the conference room.
"I don't know either, but they ordered me to succeed at any cost." Ah Lian shook her head. An expression of pain crossed her face, and she clutched her broken right shoulder, her body swaying on the verge of collapse.
"Let's go to the hospital," Chen Feng said, helping to support her.
"Young Master, I know you have many questions, but please believe me. No matter what, I will never harm you!" Ah Lian looked up at him. Her face was beaded with sweat from the pain of her broken bone, but she still gazed at Chen Feng with pleading eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll never doubt you. I firmly believe you would never harm me," Chen Feng said, nodding solemnly. In his mind, however, he recalled what Zhou Fan had said before: that the person raising the second Gu insect in his body by feeding it with another Gu was someone who was often by his side.
Meanwhile, after leaving with Chen Yao, Zhou Fan went straight to where Qian Rong and the others were.
"Boss!"
"Master!"
Qian Rong and Xu Ruonan were the ones to greet Zhou Fan; Qian Kun and Qian Hui were out taking care of other matters.
"How has your training been lately?" Zhou Fan asked Xu Ruonan, his expression serious.
"Master, want to see for yourself?" Although Xu Ruonan wasn't tall, only about five-foot-three, she was eager to show off her skills.
"You've only been training for a few days and you already think you're something special, huh? Daring to challenge me now?" Zhou Fan gave her a flick on the forehead that almost made her cry.
"Let's go. I'm taking you to meet someone."
With that, Zhou Fan drove them to the Yunlong Group.
"Younger Brother Zhou, you're finally here! What do you think of this building next door?" Zhang Long greeted him immediately but didn't lead him into the company. Instead, he pointed at a five- or six-story building not far away.
"It's great, but Brother, it can't have been cheap, right?" Zhou Fan glanced at the surroundings. It was indeed a good location, far from the bustling city. 'If something were to happen here, no one would know.'
"Don't you worry about that. It belonged to a friend's company, so I bought it directly at a low price. When my Younger Brother Zhou asks for something, I make sure to get it done right!" Zhang Long said with a confident flair, thumping his chest in assurance.
Chen Yao looked at the building, then back at Zhang Long, wondering, 'What on earth is Zhou Fan planning to do?'