Chapter 172: 172: Negotiating with a Tiger for its Skin (Second Update)

Encountering someone like Ye Qingyi, Feng Jun felt rather doomed, clearly there were opportunities to take advantage, yet he just couldn’t.

The dinner venue was chosen by Sister Shen, and it was a private restaurant.

The restaurant was located inside a residential building in a high-end community with high-rise buildings that had north-south through layouts. The apartment on the sixteenth floor, spanning five rooms and three living halls, not only offered great privacy but also had luxurious decor.

Feng Jun’s party of five picked a room facing the sun and soon after they sat down, the restaurant started serving the dishes.

Sister Shen introduced cheerfully to everyone, explaining that this place featured home-style flavors and typically didn’t accept customers ordering dishes. You just needed to call ahead, state the number of people and the price you’d like to pay.

Here, the prices of dishes were divided into three categories, two hundred, three hundred, and five hundred — per person, not including drinks.

Of course, if you insisted on the one-thousand-tier, the restaurant could also make that happen, but it was best to let them know in advance.

Sister Shen had ordered the five hundred per person tier, adding up to two thousand five for five people. It wasn’t considered too expensive, but the dishes served were really just home cooking, not even including drinks, which might be more than what an average wage-earner would afford.

However, for those with a bit of wealth, spending one thousand for five people on a casual business lunch wasn’t too extravagant.

In short, it was a restaurant that wasn’t superior in comparison but was more than enough in its own right, and the home cooking was truly good. The tofu was braised, the chicken was free-range, and the vegetables were grown by farmers — the kind you grow for your own consumption.

President Shen also specially ordered a softshell turtle, which the restaurant provided. A two-pound wild-caught turtle, valued at eight thousand. And don’t think it’s expensive; such items aren’t commonly available, so encountering one was considered good luck.

By the end of the meal, the bill was well over ten thousand.

Nobody talked about serious matters at the table; it was just idle chit-chat.

Feng Jun suddenly remembered something and asked Wang Haifeng, “What did you say to that Mr. Chen? You seemed all sneaky.”

Wang Haifeng just laughed, “What’s it to you what I said? I was just giving him some advice.”

Zhang Wei gave him a sidelong glance and chuckled with ill intent, “You didn’t show him a template, right? Taking it home to claim as their own family treasure.”

Wang Haifeng shot him a look, “I don’t show my templates to men, for fear of making you feel inferior!”

Everyone brushed it off as nothing serious, but then Feng Jun spoke earnestly, “If you two mess around, you’ll both have to compensate me for the labor and material costs!”

Wang Haifeng looked at him disdainfully, “You’re overthinking it. I was just asking how long it would take him to carve it.”

Was that really the case? Feng Jun didn’t believe it, but it didn’t matter either way.

Time flew by quickly at the dinner table; in the blink of an eye, more than an hour had passed, and Ye Qingyi spoke up, “I’m done eating. Aren’t you leaving, Feng Jun?”

I’m not interested in competing for favor with a cat! Feng Jun pondered for a moment, “Here, let me call you a ride… I can’t drive since I’ve had a drink.”

Xiao Yezi shook her head, “No need, I can call for one myself… Oh, seems like my mobile phone is broken.”

“It’s not that complicated,” Sister Shen chimed in, then pressed the table bell to summon someone.

The young man from the restaurant came in pushing the door open, grinning, “What can I do for you, bosses?”

Sister Shen pointed at Ye Qingyi and then slapped her car keys on the table, “Take this beauty home, use my car.”

“Sister Shen, what are you talking about,” the young man said, smiling apologetically, “Need a ride, right? I have a car.”

“Use my car,” Sister Shen said indisputably, “My car is safe, and it’s clean.”

The young man grabbed the car keys and turned to leave; Ye Qingyi also followed, waving at Feng Jun as she left the room.

Sister Shen smiled and said, “The food here is average, but it’s quiet and the service is good, we only serve people we know.”

Wang Haifeng blurted out, “Don’t have to pay taxes, how could the service not be good?”

“Hai Feng, what kind of talk is that?” Zhang Wei snorted dissatisfiedly, “Alright, let’s go. Step outside for a smoke with me.”

The two left the room, and Feng Jun took out a cigarette to light up, looking at Sister Shen with a smile, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Sister Shen took the cigarette pack from his hand, lit one up, took a deep inhale, and said with squinted eyes, “About that matter with Lei Guan last time, I’m sorry.”

Wow! Feng was truly taken aback, as he hadn’t expected her to bring up this affair. He pondered for a moment before responding, “It’s all in the past. You didn’t come specially to apologize, did you?”

“Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll get right to the point,” Sister Shen expressed very forthrightly, “I heard you have a jade mine, wondering if you’re open to investment?”

Feng Jun was stunned by what he heard, then eventually chuckled, “What does ‘open to investment’ entail, and what does ‘not open to investment’ mean?”

“I’m willing to invest if you’re taking investments,” Sister Shen said as she leisurely blew smoke rings, her interest piqued as she watched him.

“In this line of work, it’s crucial to have a few powerful collaborators, and as it happens, I do have a bit of capability… If you’re worried, I can just send my finance team to oversee things and share in the profits,” she added.

Feng Jun smirked silently. Her offer seemed reasonable, but her upfront eagerness to get involved in mining was definitely not borne out of goodwill—then again, could any honest person dare to get involved in such affairs?

So, he shook his head decisively, “Sorry, I have collaborators, and they’re sufficiently strong.”

Sister Shen wasn’t surprised by his refusal. She simply smiled indifferently, “It seems I was presumptuous. So, can we consider a different type of collaboration?”

Feng Jun remained silent, then suddenly asked, “How much TNT can you provide me?”

One of his main tasks for this trip was to procure explosives; if she could supply a significant amount of TNT, some things might be negotiable.

Of course, investing in Jade Mining was out of the question. He couldn’t possibly take her finance team into the Mobile Phone Space.

“Explosives?” Sister Shen’s eyebrows rose, then she smiled nonchalantly, “How much do you need?”

Huh? This piqued Feng Jun’s interest. Her tone was not that of a small-time player. He probed, “Aren’t you afraid it’s not safe?”

Sister Shen burst into laughter, entirely delighted, “If you hadn’t asked, I might have been a bit scared. But now that you asked, not so much.”

Feng Jun pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, “From a chemical plant?”

“Asking that is no fun,” Sister Shen replied coolly, unbothered by his probing, “I can provide the explosives but… I’m always taking the risk, aren’t I?”

Feng Jun nodded, responding bluntly, “Understood, what do you need me to do?”

“Straightforward,” Sister Shen said, raising her hand to lightly pat the back of Feng Jun’s hand on the table, her smile laden with innuendo, “I like dealing with straightforward people… If I can’t have your mine, how about you help me secure one?”

Her grip wasn’t too strong but not too light; Feng Jun seemed not to notice, “Which mine? Where is it?”

“An iron mine, to the north,” Sister Shen pointed northward, her hand resting on his, “Leave the aboveboard stuff to me. Your people take over the mine, and we split the profit seventy-thirty, you thirty, I seventy.”

So she thought Feng Jun had a tough crew at his disposal and wanted him to act as an enforcer.

“Not interested,” Feng Jun shook his head decisively, “I stick to what I know, protecting my own patch is enough for me.”

Sister Shen laughed, her fingers caressing the back of his hand suggestively, “Boss Feng, don’t be too greedy… I take seventy percent not just to grease palms but also to handle production and sales—it’s really not much.”

Feng Jun’s hand remained still; she was older than him by seven or eight years, but the allure of a mature woman was something he clearly understood. Besides, she was the one making the advances.

He simply shook his head, his expression unreadable, “It’s not about the division of profits, I’m just not interested, Sister Shen, you’re overthinking it.”

Did Sister Shen believe him? Anyone daring enough to run a private mine was desperate for money over life. Running one mine or two made no difference to them. Having her settle local disputes already made her a good partner.

She fell silent for a while, then sighed, “Okay, forty-sixty then. If you don’t agree, there’s no chance for collaboration.”

Feng Jun gave her a wry smile, “I’m sorry then, Sister Shen. Maybe another time.”

Caught off guard for a moment, Sister Shen’s gaze wandered, her fingers still teasing his hand, “Even with Sister Shen herself… it’s not enough?” she asked seductively.

Without a hint of agitation, Feng Jun withdrew his hand, reaching for his glass, “Sister Shen, I’m still young and have plenty of options… hence, I never graze near the nest.”

What a joke. Feng Jun was the full package—style, looks, wealth, and youthful to boot. To indulge you once was generous enough, and you think I’m the one benefiting?

Sister Shen’s smile then took on a forced edge as she nodded, “Mm, President Feng is surely destined for greater things. It’s for the best… Can I introduce you to some pretty girls, perhaps?”

Feng Jun felt that passively going along was not acceptable.

He downed his glass of alcohol, and with a staring intensity, he spoke firmly, “I’ve made it clear I don’t do business with strangers. And I am very curious, Sister Shen, you drive just a Great Wall car and you want to discuss such business with me… where’s your confidence coming from?”

His question was quite impolite, but it made sense. He believed he wasn’t offending anyone—after all, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could discuss collaborations with him.

As expected, Sister Shen didn’t get angry. She spoke nonchalantly, “I’m in the legitimate business, need to consider reputation. I have luxury cars, but only this one off-roader. As for my confidence… have you forgotten what you want to buy from me?”

I don’t lack cars, but surely they can’t all be luxury models, can they? With that kind of question, do you or do you not want the explosives?

But Feng Jun simply shook his head, unhurried, “I still can’t quite see your strength. How about this… start by selling me a thousand tons?”

“A thousand tons?” Sister Shen looked at him oddly, then smiled faintly, “Since you aren’t my partner, why should I sell you so much?”