Chapter 286: Game of Wits_l

Translator: 549690339

“Indeed, you didn’t make a deal with me, but you brought me a pot of white liquor,” Fan Chengxu said.

“I just heard from Shopkeeper Shen that boss Fan has sold the liquor for me. I’m really grateful. I wonder how much commission Boss Fan wants?” Wei Ruo said.

“Brother Heyou, that’s not fair,” said Fan Chengxu, tugging at the corner of his mouth.

In all his years of conducting business, he had never encountered a “opponent” like Xu Heyou.

Wei Ruo chuckled, “Boss Fan, why would you say that? How am I being unfair?”

“You left that liquor here for me to sell, but you didn’t tell me how much to sell it for. It’s clear that your purpose isn’t just to sell this pot of liquor,” said Fan Chengxu with conviction.

When Fan Chengxu visited the Zuixian Residence that day, and was given the liquor by a waiter, he had sensed something was wrong.

If it was only this pot of liquor, Xu Heyou wouldn’t have specially brought it to the wine shop for him to help sell.

If Xu Heyou wanted him to help sell it, he must be thinking of the long game.

Even though he had multiple collaborations with Xu Heyou, he always carefully weighed up any ploys from Xu Heyou.

He had tasted the first cup of the pot of liquor himself, for he wanted to see what kind of liquor Xu Heyou wanted him to sell.

Initially, he had scoffed at Xu Heyou’s tactic of using his Zuixian Residence for self-promotion and had no intentions to help sell his liquor.

But after tasting it, Fan Chengxu changed his mind.

Not only did he want to sell this liquor, but he also wanted to do his best to help Xu Heyou sell it, employ every possible means to help him sell.

Wei Ruo gave a slight smile, his eyes bright and clear, “What do you think of my liquor, boss Fan?”

“Your liquor is naturally good, and many people in Taizhou Prefecture have taken a liking to it recently, including the young master of the Lu family from the Capital City and the young master of the Xu family from Tongzhi Prefecture.”

“That’s good news. You’ve gone to a lot of effort, boss Fan,” said Wei Ruo.

Having talked so much, Wei Ruo did not reveal his aims of having Fan Chengxu help sell that pot of liquor.

It was the first time in his years of business dealing that Fan Chengxu was put in such a passive position.

He had status and background, as well as intellect and connections, hence in these years doing business in Taizhou Prefecture, he was almost always on top, with everyone wanting to collaborate with him.

This gave Fan Chengxu a sense of helplessness and frustration, but at the same time, it provided him with the thrill and exhilaration of finding a worthy opponent.

Ultimately, Fan Chengxu could not resist spelling it out, “Brother Heyou, we are well acquainted with each other, so stop playing coy with me. Where did this liquor come from? And how much more do you have?”

“It’s brewed at my own brewery. There will be as much as you want in the future,” Wei Ruo said, no longer playing coy with Fan Chengxu.

“Is that so?” Fan Chengxu’s eyes lit up.

In the time they had been collaborating, Wei Ruo had certainly surprised him with some of his products, but this time was the only instance when Fan Chengxu had noticeably lost his composure.

However, it was just for a moment, as Fan Chengxu quickly regained his composure, swaying his folding fan in hand, giving off an elusive vibe.

“Boss Fan, you’ve probably guessed about it already, haven’t you?” Wei Ruo said.

“I did speculate in this direction, but it was still somewhat of a surprise. After all, the technique of brewing white liquor is known to only two breweries in the Capital City, and it’s a closely guarded secret unknown to outsiders.”

“Then this first brewery in Taizhou Prefecture will be my family’s brewery,” Wei Ruo said.

“And as far as I know, this liquor you brew is as good, if not better, than those two from the Capital City,” Fan Chengxu said.

“I haven’t tasted the white liquor from the Capital City, so I can’t answer that question,” Wei Ruo replied.

As Wei Ruo said this, he picked up the teacup in front of him, took a careful sip, still appearing to be relaxed and composed.

She knew very well that she was in the driver’s seat in this game, so she was in no rush and felt no obligation to make any proposals.

Especially when dealing with an old fox like Fan Chengxu in business, she had to keep her cool.

Fan Chengxu took note of every move and every expression of Wei Ruo, feeling both annoyed at his posturing and admired his calm.

If it were him who had this white liquor today, he would indeed behave in the same way, without eyeing too eagerly to let the other party see his hand.

Even though he knew exactly what Xu Heyou wanted, he was still helpless; he knew Heyou’s aim, but yet had to follow his lead.

After all, in this case, he was the one on the defensive.

After giving it some thought, Fan Chengxu said to Wei Ruo, “Brother Heyou, I sold this pot of liquor for you for fifty taels of silver. The buyers were reputable people in Taizhou Prefecture. Some of them are rich, some of them are influential, and they’re all esteemed clients of my Zuixian Residence.”

That Fan Chengxu could arrange this was quite an effort. The fifty taels of silver was a trivial matter; what was more essential was that he had successfully promoted Wei Ruo’s product.

“Thank you, boss Fan,” said Wei Ruo.

“There’s only my Zuixian Residence in the whole of Taizhou Prefecture that has so many notable patrons and can receive approval like this. In other wine shops, getting so many influential people and patrons who can afford white liquor is quite impossible.”

“Indeed so,” Wei Ruo agreed. He didn’t say much, his expression remained composed.

Fan Chengxu knew that Xu Heyou understood everything, understood what he was expressing and wanted, but Xu Heyou just wouldn’t say it, and made him be the one to bring it up.

A clever, cunning, and capable Xu Heyou! Fan Chengxu both loved and loathed him.

Fan Chengxu said, “Brother Heyou, our previous collaborations have been satisfactory. The five-spice powder and oyster sauce you supplied have sold well at my Zuixian Residence. If you continue to sell this white liquor here, I believe our collaboration will still be very satisfying.”

Fan Chengxu finally revealed his intention that he had been hinting at for so long.

He wanted to secure an exclusive supply of the white liquor produced by Xu Heyou’s brewery, just like the previous collaborations on five-spice powder and oyster sauce.

“Of course, it’s possible. The Zuixian Residence is the largest wine shop in Taizhou Prefecture. I’m delighted to collaborate with Boss Fan in selling wine. However, this wine won’t be sold to Boss Fan exclusively,” Wei Ruo said.

Fan Chengxu closed his fan abruptly, his expression grew serious, and his gaze became much more icy.

“Xu Heyou, are you aware of the consequences of offending me here in Taizhou Prefecture? Do you truly believe that if you don’t cooperate with me, you can still work with others?”

Fan Chengxu’s voice became much colder, his gaze sharper, and he was nowhere near as affable as before.

Fan Chengxu had anticipated Wei Ruo’s response, so he wasn’t truly angry.

But he needed to make Xu Heyou aware of the seriousness of the matter, to not let Xu Heyou lead him around by the nose.

Fan Chengxu’s sudden change in mood gave a shock to the shopkeeper, Shen, who was standing nearby. He looked anxiously at Wei Ruo, worrying uncontrollably.

Xiumei, standing behind Wei Ruo, clenched her fist, her palms sweating in anxiety, with her sense of caution at an all-time high..