Chapter 1418 - 1394: You're Not a Good Businessman

"Then why not think it over a bit more?" the man said with a smile. "Personally, I think if we cooperate, it's a win-win."

"And if we don't cooperate?" Liou Rumei asked in a joking tone.

"If you don't, Qingcheng International is bound to lose." The man said, sounding a bit arrogant.

"Oh really? I don't buy that." Liou Rumei said with a smile.

"You can give it a try." the man said. "The beauty industry has something in common with the pharmaceutical industry and the infant formula industry—it's directly tied to people's safety. All I have to do is find some excuse to have Qingcheng International's products seized for three to five days for inspection, and all kinds of negative news will start pouring out.

At that point, do you think your products can still sell? Public enthusiasm rises fast and fades just as fast. You're making a lot of money now, but it's entirely possible you'll stop making money very soon. Who can say?"

"So this is a threat?" The smile on Liou Rumei's face grew even more intense, like a poppy flower just coming into full bloom.

"It's not a threat, it's advice." The man said with a smile. "That's why I say, cooperation is a win-win. Now, don't you think you should seriously reconsider?"

"No need to reconsider." Ren Feng stood up and said. "We're not selling."

Huaxia has had a saying since ancient times: "The common folk should not fight the officials." But if an official takes the initiative to make trouble for you, what then?

Ren Feng was not someone who went looking for conflict. As long as others didn't touch the domain he was determined to protect, he wouldn't fuss over minor details in life, and he could be generous and kind to people.

Once a company grows, it's bound to attract the covetous gaze of international giants. He welcomed people coming to discuss cooperation, because that was proof of Qingcheng International's strength. While he was sitting in on the meeting, that earlier speech by Mr. Wang was quite pleasing to the ear; he'd been trying to persuade and entice Liou Rumei to sell Qingcheng International to Cole Company by appealing to reason and emotion.

At that time, Ren Feng had no intention of stepping out and revealing himself, because he knew Liou Rumei had already made the choice for him. Her choice was the very choice he wanted to make.

But the moment that thin man opened his mouth, the whole tenor of the negotiation changed.

This was no longer a business talk; it was pressure from on high, coming down from above.

He was planning to leverage the political resources at his disposal to drive Qingcheng International into a corner, then wait until Qingcheng International was at the end of its rope to initiate an acquisition.

This kind of tactic is all too common—and extremely effective.

What he said instead stirred up the anger in Ren Feng's heart.

No—what it stirred was his pride.

Outstanding men are invariably proud and self-confident. They don't appreciate provocation or threats.

What's more, in this Yanjing, no one has the right to threaten Liou Rumei. If they had eyes, they'd naturally see that standing behind her is Ren Feng.

"We're not selling." Ren Feng said, firm as a hammer blow.

Ren Feng had stood up so suddenly, and he had the nerve to speak up and decide on Qingcheng International's behalf. Aside from Liou Rumei, whose eyes instantly lit up, her gaze turning soft and liquid as it fixed on Ren Feng, the other three all felt baffled.

"And you are?" Mr. Wang looked at Ren Feng and asked.

"He's my boss." Liou Rumei stood up, smiling brightly. "I may be the one running Qingcheng International, but he's the majority shareholder. If you want to acquire us, you should talk to him. As long as he says 'sell', I have no objections. I'll sign the contract with you on the spot."

Mr. Wang's eyes instantly turned sly and gleaming; his fat face was practically scrunched into the shape of a chrysanthemum. He eagerly stuck out his hand to Ren Feng and said, "At last, the real decision-maker. I'm Wang De, manager of the major business division at Cole Company. May I ask how to address you, sir?"

"Ren Feng." Ren Feng had no intention of shaking his hand.

"Fine surname, fine name."

Mr. Wang's right hand, left hanging in the air, did not drop; instead he clapped it together with his left hand. A man like this will never allow himself to fall into an awkward situation.

"Mr. Ren, this may be our first time meeting, but I feel like we hit it off right away. I can tell Mr. Ren isn't a man who cares for empty formalities, so let's skip the pleasantries—here's the situation: Miss Lucy and I have been entrusted by Mr. Kerribo, president of Cole Company, to come and discuss cooperation between your firm and Qingcheng International.

We've prepared two cooperation plans. One is to assess the value of Qingcheng International and have Cole Company fully acquire it. The other is for Cole Company to take a stake in Qingcheng International—we'll put in ten billion US Dollars to obtain fifty-one percent of Qingcheng International's shares-----"

Ren Feng waved his hand, indicating that this fat man could stop with the sales pitch for now, and said, "I heard everything you just said. I'm sorry, but I don't accept either of your plans. First, I have no intention of selling Qingcheng International. Second, Qingcheng International is not short of money."

Ren Feng shifted his gaze to the thin man's face and said with a smile, "What I'm interested in is actually the third plan you brought up. I wonder if you could explain it to me in detail. I'm not a man of the officialdom; there are many aspects I don't fully understand yet."

The thin man stayed seated in his chair, not bothering to stand. He leaned back, raised his face to look at Ren Feng, the corners of his mouth curled in a mocking smile. "Qingcheng International is in the beauty industry. But do you know which department regulates the beauty industry?"

Unfortunately, this man did not recognize who Ren Feng was. After all, he's a man from the bureaucracy.

"I don't." Ren Feng said.

"The Food and Drug Administration." The man said with a smile. "As it happens, I have some pull there. If I have the FDA run random tests on Qingcheng International's products, what do you think will happen?"

Ren Feng smiled slightly. "We welcome random tests. And we welcome you making the test results public, giving our products some free advertising."

Ren Feng knew the efficacy of the products very well, and he was thoroughly familiar with their pharmacological profile. These are pure traditional Chinese herbal formulations, with no chemical additives, and no harm to the human body.

If they were to publish such test results in the media, wouldn't it trigger a nationwide craze for using Jin Larva Skin-Nourishing products?

"Childish." The man shook his head. "You're not a good businessman."

"You're absolutely right. That's why I leave all business matters for Miss Liou Rumei to handle for me." Ren Feng fully agreed with the man's assessment of him.

"You're not stupid, so why can't you grasp the key point here?" the man said. "We don't need to come up with any results. All we have to do is release a statement to the media saying that a hot-selling product on the market may have some kind of quality issue-----then we drag the matter out for ten days, half a month. Do you think, during that period, anyone will still buy your products? How do you think the reporters are going to speculate about this incident?"