Chapter 431 - 430: Situ Wenze Seeks Collaboration with Lu Yunque

As for himself, he hadn’t given Yun Zijin a single cent.

But even so, he still wanted to pull rank as her older brother.

Yun Zijin was no longer the same powerless girl she once was. In the face of Situ Wenze’s constant nitpicking, she simply let it go in one ear and out the other.

She would listen, but that was as far as it went. She wouldn’t take it to heart, much less obey him.

"That’s right. You want to take advantage of him? You don’t stand a chance."

On an international scale, the Lu Group wasn’t far behind the Situ Family. But in Hua Country, if the Situ Family wanted to work with the Lu Group, they would have to show some sincerity.

Although Yun Zijin couldn’t stand Situ Wenze, if he showed enough sincerity, she wouldn’t stand in the way of their collaboration.

It’s all about profit, after all. She would never turn down a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But if Situ Wenze was just trying to use the Lu Group to break into the market in Hua Country for the Situ Family, without offering anything in return, then there was no point in even having this conversation.

Hearing Yun Zijin’s words, Situ Wenze’s eyes narrowed. ’Looks like I’ll need to rethink today’s agenda.’

’With Yun Zijin here, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to get the better of Lu Yunque.’

He knew that, just as Yun Zijin had said, if she called Situ Yunliang, he would only get an earful.

Lu Yunque and Yun Zijin sat down opposite Situ Wenze.

"I’ve already ordered. Go ahead and order what you’d like. It’s on me today."

Situ Wenze pushed the menu toward them, and just then, a waiter approached.

"Would you two like to order now?"

The waiter had a keen eye. Seeing them pick up the menu, he immediately stopped and asked.

"Yes, we’ll order now."

Yun Zijin nodded, opening the menu and began to look through it.

Truth be told, Yun Zijin rarely drank coffee, so faced with all the options on the menu, she had a hard time choosing one she might like.

Ultimately, Yun Zijin settled on a classic cappuccino.

"I’ll have this one. What about you?"

After ordering, Yun Zijin looked over at Lu Yunque.

"Just a black coffee."

When Lu Yunque was busy, he often worked late into the night, and he always drank black coffee to stay awake.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The waiter jotted down their order, took the slip to the counter, and handed it to the barista.

"Alright, out with it. Why did you suddenly call my assistant to set up a meeting?"

Spending so much time with Yun Zijin had rubbed off on him; Lu Yunque didn’t like beating around the bush either.

Situ Wenze took a sip of his own coffee. "What’s the rush? Our coffee hasn’t even arrived yet."

Unlike them, however, Situ Wenze preferred to talk in circles.

"The reason you’re hesitating is that you know we won’t agree to whatever you’re about to propose, isn’t it?"

With Situ Wenze, Yun Zijin saw no reason to be polite.

’What good will it do him to drag this out until we lose our patience?’

"You’re still too impulsive. No matter how you look at it, I’m your cousin. You should be on my side."

The moment Situ Wenze finished speaking, Yun Zijin looked at him in utter shock, unable to fathom his mindset.

"Oh? My cousin, who I’ve only met a handful of times? Are you aware that your aunt abandoned me?"

’Since Situ Yunliang was the one who did it, she couldn’t be blamed for airing the Situ Family’s dirty laundry.’

Sure enough, the moment Yun Zijin spoke, Situ Wenze’s expression soured.

"Aunt had no choice. It’s been so many years. What’s the point of still holding a grudge?"

As far as Situ Wenze was concerned, Yun Zijin couldn’t hold a candle to Situ Yunliang.

"Of course it’s meaningless to you. But for me, I nearly died. And I’m not allowed to blame her?"

Situ Wenze opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

He knew Yun Zijin was speaking the truth, and there was no way for him to deny it.

"Didn’t I acquire the Xia Group for you? It was compensation from your mother, but you were the one who refused it."

’Situ Wenze thought Yun Zijin was being too melodramatic. She was alive and well, wasn’t she? It wasn’t like she’d actually died.’

If Yun Zijin had known what was going through Situ Wenze’s mind, she might very well have pointed at his head and asked, ’Are you out of your mind?’

"I never said I wanted it. You acquired it, so it’s yours. It has nothing to do with me."

’Besides, if Situ Wenze gave her the Xia Group and she actually accepted it, she’d just have to use her own money to plug its financial holes.’

’What kind of person gives someone a company only to make them pay out of pocket to cover its debts? The very idea was laughable.’

Situ Wenze pursed his lips. He decided not to argue with Yun Zijin anymore. When it came to the events of twenty-one years ago, he knew he could never win an argument against her.

At that moment, the waiter arrived with their coffee.

"Here is your coffee. Please enjoy."

"Thank you."

Yun Zijin thanked the waiter, while Lu Yunque simply gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"The coffee’s here. So, what’s your agenda?"

Earlier, Situ Wenze had used the coffee’s absence as an excuse to avoid stating his purpose. Now that it had arrived, Yun Zijin wasn’t giving him any more chances to stall.

In truth, Situ Wenze hadn’t been trying to stall; he just felt it was inappropriate to discuss business before the coffee was served.

Now that the coffee was here, he would have brought it up even if Yun Zijin hadn’t prompted him.

"The Situ Family wants to break into the Hua Country market. You’re both aware of this, I assume?"

Lu Yunque nodded in understanding.

"And? What’s your point?"

Yun Zijin met Situ Wenze’s gaze unflinchingly.

"I want to partner with the Lu Group. In return, the Lu Group would have the Situ Family as a partner in France. It’s a win-win situation."

"The Lu Family already has a significant presence in France. This doesn’t seem like a partnership of equals."

’The Situ Family has absolutely no footing in Hua Country. All they’ve done so far is acquire the Xia Group, and they were planning to give that away to Yun Zijin.’

Situ Wenze had anticipated Lu Yunque would say that. He pulled a folder from the briefcase he’d placed on the chair beside him.

"This is the proposal. Take a look."

Situ Wenze slid the folder across the table to Lu Yunque.

Lu Yunque raised an eyebrow, opened the folder, and began to read its contents.

Lu Yunque made no attempt to hide the contents from Yun Zijin; she could easily read it if she leaned in.

Situ Wenze said nothing about it. Strictly speaking, Yun Zijin was a member of the Situ Family, so there was no reason she couldn’t see it.

"This proposal... does anyone else in the Situ Family know about it? Or is this your idea alone?"

’Truthfully, many of the terms were highly beneficial to the Lu Group. In his bid to secure a partnership and establish a foothold in the Hua Country market, Situ Wenze was offering a surprising number of concessions.’

’But Lu Yunque was no naive amateur. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. For Situ Wenze to offer so many concessions, there had to be a catch.’

"It’s my idea alone. However, the family has given me full authority over breaking into the Hua Country market. Even if anyone is unhappy about it, they’ll just have to lump it."