Chapter 648 - 429: A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Mingzhu City.

At nine in the morning, Jiangg Ning arrived right on time at Youxia Real Estate Company.

She came with her lawyer, heading to the seventh floor to meet President Xia’s secretary as scheduled.

Today, Jiangg Ning wore a form-fitting, deep-blue maxi dress, a sparkling necklace at her throat completing a look of exceptional beauty and elegance.

When out in public, she wasn’t just Jiangg Ning; she was a representative of the Jiangg Family—a mindset likely instilled in her by Jiangg Ruxue from a young age.

Jiangg Ruxue had always insisted that whenever the two sisters appeared in public as members of the Jiangg Family, they must dress impeccably so as not to bring shame upon their name. That was why Jiangg Ning had specifically chosen this outfit before leaving this morning, even putting on jewelry she seldom wore.

In Jiangg Ruxue’s words, dressing elegantly was a sign of respect for others.

"Please have a seat and wait patiently," President Xia’s secretary said graciously as she poured them tea. "My boss is in a morning meeting. She should be back in half an hour at most."

"Alright. Thank you."

"It’s no trouble at all, Miss Jiangg. I’m just doing my job."

Even though it was also a real estate company, Jiangg Ning had been deeply impressed with Youxia during her last visit.

The morale and professionalism of a company’s employees are, to a large extent, a reflection of the quality of its management.

And at Youxia Company, from the receptionist to the secretaries, everyone was unfailingly courteous.

How could one not have a good impression of a company like that?

After the secretary left, Lawyer Gu lowered her voice. "Yesterday, I contacted a few out-of-province companies for you. Each offer was higher than the last. That equipment in your factory was bought just a few years ago, so it’s sure to fetch a good price. When you get a chance, organize the model numbers for all the machines and send them to me. Do you know if they’re four-axis or eight-axis, specifically?"

"I’m not really sure about that. I’ll need to contact the manager over at the factory. I’ll try to find their number, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get through..."

"Alright. We can deal with that after we’re finished here."

"Let’s not rush to sell the factory equipment yet. We don’t know what kind of offer or terms Youxia Company will propose. If their offer is even more outrageous than President Qi’s, we’ll have no choice but to go back and reconsider that contract from yesterday..."

"What’s there to consider? We can’t sell to him, even if it means not selling at all," Lawyer Gu said with a frown, recalling the man’s overbearing attitude from the previous night. "We can’t give in to bullies."

Jiangg Ning sighed. She knew Lawyer Gu was right, but if they were truly pushed into a corner, they would have no choice but to sell.

’After all, we’re the ones desperate for the funds. How can we dare to hope for a fair deal?’

A short while later, Lawyer Gu took out the contract documents, set up her laptop, and began meticulously discussing the contents with Jiangg Ning.

Once they had gone over every single clause, Jiangg Ning finally nodded, agreeing to all the terms.

"I hope today’s meeting goes well," she said, taking a deep breath.

’Earlier this morning, Chen Yuan sent a message saying he and Jiangg Yao had boarded their flight. If I can successfully sign the acquisition contract with Youxia Company today, I can share the good news with them tonight,’ Jiangg Ning thought.

...

Half an hour later, the sound of footsteps went CLICK-CLACK down the hallway, and President Xia of Youxia Company pushed the door open and entered.

The moment she entered, she picked up her teacup and took two large gulps. She must have done a lot of talking in her meeting.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. A small matter came up, and the meeting ran over by about ten minutes. My apologies."

"It’s no problem, President Xia. We were just discussing some other matters ourselves," Jiangg Ning replied with a smile.

"Alright, let’s get down to the matter of the acquisition."

Xia Ming settled onto the sofa, her thoughts turning to the arrangements she had made with Ji Hai the day before.

"The Meiruxue Building is in an excellent location. Our Youxia Real Estate Company has been doing well these past few years, and we’ve been wanting to acquire a property to house a new investment firm. The trouble is finding a suitable place in Mingzhu City. As everyone knows, Mingzhu is a global metropolis where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. Then, I happened to hear that you, Miss Jiangg, had visited our company with the intention of selling a property."

"That’s right. I’m currently in need of liquid capital."

"Does this mean you no longer plan to operate your cosmetics brand, Miss Jiangg? You should know, once this building is sold, there’s no chance of buying it back. If you want to build your brand again in the future, you most likely won’t find a suitable location." Xia Ming spoke frankly, perhaps to ensure Jiangg Ning wouldn’t have any regrets.

"I have no choice but to sell... However, you can rest assured, President Xia. Once we sign a contract, we will absolutely not go back on our word," Jiangg Ning said with sincerity.

"That’s right. The contract will include clauses for breach of contract, so you needn’t worry, President Xia. We are serious about selling," Lawyer Gu chimed in.

"Very well. Last night, I had my assistant draw up the key points for a contract, including our proposed price, default conditions, required legal documentation, and the closing date." Xia Ming rose and walked over to her desk to rummage for the documents. "We are a very experienced real estate company. To be precise, my family has been in this business since my father’s generation. That is why I’ve taken the liberty of preparing an offer without prior discussion. I hope you’ll understand, Miss Jiangg."

Hearing this, Jiangg Ning and Lawyer Gu exchanged a look, a sense of deep unease suddenly washing over them.

The most important thing in a negotiation is to seize the initiative. Both sides have a price in mind, and at this point, it all comes down to who can take a tougher stance.

They had prepared a contract of their own, but before they even had a chance to present it—after barely exchanging a few pleasantries—the other party had already seized the initiative.