Climbing the Career Ladder - -

“What are you doing… Please leave this place! If you don’t go now, I’m calling the police.” The man in the black jacket exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly.

This was in a hotel located in a developed industrial zone in Guangzhou, which actually resembled more of a commercial zone, bustling with shops, restaurants, and other hotels.

man was no stranger to this hotel, having stayed here for several days. Usually, the room was exceptionally quiet, only becoming noisy at night.

But now, the room was filled with several unwelcome guests, making him feel extremely uneasy.

He knew these people were trouble the moment he walked in. One stood behind the curtain, eyes vigilantly scanning the outside; another was by his bedroom’s telephone, seemingly claiming his bed; a young man casually pared his nails with a knife while sitting on the coffee table; and another figure stood by the bathroom door, a position he only noticed when he involuntarily stepped back, obviously, this strong fellow had blocked his means of escape.

Soon, the man calmed himself. He couldn’t stop what was happening, nor could he escape, especially since his woman had already been subdued by these people, and he knew he couldn’t get away from their grasp on his own.

So, he went over to his woman, trying to offer her some basic comfort.

She was quick-witted, too. Although not physically restrained, she did not panic but clung tightly to him. Since the robbers had entered the room, his gaze had never left the man in the suit and leather shoes sitting across from them, who had been smiling at him since he entered, not responding to his questions or acknowledging his small movements.

He was somewhat afraid of this man, unsure of their intentions, even though he understood their purpose.

He knew they had been kidnapped.

He had to calm down. It was up to him to save themselves. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah.”

“Great courage and loyalty, I’m impressed,” the man across from him said, clapping his hands lightly…

“I wonder what brings you to my room? If I can be of any help, Please feel free to speak!” He had been in negotiations before, but this time he was truly out of his depth, with no one to bolster his courage, making his speech less smooth, as if something was stuck in his throat.

“I wouldn’t presume to command, but money has been hard to come by lately, and I was hoping to borrow some,” he admitted, the worry he had been harboring finally surfacing.

The man opposite had clearly gotten the better of him, and he realized that he could neither be too soft nor too harsh; he needed to remain calm and not panic.

It was only now that he had fully regained his composure. Years later, his woman would say he was born with a knack for money; whenever it came to financial issues, he could quickly find a solution.

He astutely noticed that the man across seemed momentarily taken aback, obviously not expecting him to be so easy to talk to. This reinforced his innate confidence in his negotiation skills-the other party did not know how much money he actually had.

“Enough talk, hand over all your money, and if you behave, the Boss might spare you,” said the man at the restroom door, who had just entered the room, clearly unaccustomed to the calm atmosphere inside.

“2 hundred million, how about that?” the man across glared at the other guy before speaking softly, his words light yet clearly articulated and forceful.

He sighed deeply, as if he hadn’t breathed at all during that period, needing to expel all the air from his lungs.

“Sir, you’ve got the wrong person, I don’t have that kind of money. If I did, would I still be living here? If I had that kind of money, would I still be running into you here?” He felt the woman in his arms stir, but he did not look down at her; instead, he took the opportunity to hold her tighter, pressing her face closer to his chest, and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.

“Is that so? Then you do not wish to cooperate!” the man across furrowed his brows and said with a cold laugh.

At this point, the man in the jacket had relaxed. He felt reassured, confident that he could handle the situation, even though he knew the other party was formidable.

“Sir, there seems to be a misunderstanding. You must have heard about our ongoing negotiations with Wansheng Company, right? I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but we’re planning to invest billions yuan¹. I can’t use a penny of this money，” His speech became smoother, and a slight smile began to emerge at the corners of his mouth, although it was imperceptible to others.

“Really? Do you think I would believe that? It seems you are not willing to cooperate,” the man opposite him replied.

“Chairman Ye and Mr. Chen believe it; otherwise, they wouldn’t be dealing with us. You should know, we just arrived in Guangzhou and started engaging with Wansheng Company. They recognized us as the official equity representatives right away. I don’t know how it happened; we just submitted a few documents, and Mr. Chen began negotiations with us. You know, I’m just a minor employee at Uchida Company; I only earn a commission.”

His tone carried a hint of grievance, as if he was dissatisfied. Indeed, he was just a minor employee, but how could he have so much money?

Who would believe he had billions? Are there fools in this world?

Yes, there certainly are, all kinds of them. He now felt somewhat foolish himself, even stupid and silly, for getting into such a predicament.

“Ah,” he sighed softly.

“Sir…” the man trimming his nails hesitated, then looked at the two of them.

The room fell into a silence…

“Look, if you cooperate and give us 2 million yuan as activity funds, how about that?” The man across bit his teeth, seemingly making his final decision.

The bucket he had been holding in his mind finally hit the ground, but he couldn’t relax. “You can’t be serious, sir, that’s all my commission! I only get 2.5 million yuan in total; you can’t take it all. Besides, the negotiation is still far from successful, and I haven’t even received my commission yet.”

He seemed anxious, worried about the present and fretting over the unknown future. He sat up straight; if it weren’t for the woman in his arms refusing to get up, he might have stood up and started pacing. But the woman in his arms was uncooperative, snuggling into his embrace and not getting up.

“Sir, how about this? Let me go, and I’ll give everyone 20% as a consolation fee. You know, there must be quite a few people watching me,” his voice choked a bit, filled with pleading and a sense of helplessness.

“Sir, how about this: we take his woman, and in the future, we exchange her for money,” said the young man trimming his nails.

Clearly, the woman in his arms was important to him; everyone could see that: from the moment he entered the room, he was holding this woman; and she, too, nestled in his embrace motionless, as if she had already fallen asleep.

“Alright! Once we get the money, we will release the person. In the meantime, my men will protect you and make sure no one finds you. Also, we will take good care of your woman. ” The man on the other side was expressionless, his voice hollow and devoid of any emotion.

“How will you take care of her?” he couldn’t help but interject.

“She will be treated like a guest of honor. This woman is so delicate and beloved by everyone; we cannot bear to harm her,” the man clipping his nails also seemed reluctant to leave a bad impression in front of the girl, his tone carrying a hint of sincerity.

“Thank you! But it’s still not acceptable!” Until now, the weight in his hand has been growing heavier, and his words have become increasingly fluent, making him start to want to negotiate.

The man across seemed to be losing patience, an unprecedented situation for him. As a member of the underworld, his word was usually final, until he met this “pretty boy.” Now, not a penny had been received, yet he had to send protection;

“No… Sir, you misunderstand. It’s not just you, even if you offered me a bowl of cold water, I’d gladly accept it. How could I possibly disrespect you? But this deal simply cannot proceed without her. Consider Guangzhou, a place of risk, yet importance can still be discerned. She’s indispensable. Without her, the negotiation with Wansheng Company would surely fail. I’m not capable enough on my own. For this negotiation, she alone would suffice, as Wansheng recognizes her, not me.”

He hastened to explain as the negotiation seemed to be nearing success. The person could not be handed over, not by anyone.

“What, this woman is quite capable, then you must be the fool!” the nail-clipping man was clearly interested in the woman in his arms, always targeting him, though not overtly lecherous.

“Look at what you’re saying. Xiaoyu is a lawyer by training, well-versed in law. She knows the terms of the negotiation best. I only have a vague understanding of them, so this negotiation cannot proceed without Xiaoyu,” he was on the verge of losing his temper, infuriated by the nail-clipping man who was deliberately provoking him.

Footnote:

1. Yuan(元):“Yuan” is the basic unit of currency in China, often denoted as “CNY” (Chinese Yuan) or “RMB” (Renminbi). It is the official currency of China.