Meng Yao bit her lip and said softly, "Then I don't want you to be lonely."
"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly." Song Jiaping frowned and lowered his head, wanting her to repeat it to confirm he hadn't misheard.
"I said I don't want you to be lonely." Meng Yao repeated her words, her tone becoming lighter as she asked, "Are you sure you want to be with me? Our parents harmed your family..."
"That was their fault, not yours. And they have already been punished. Aren't you angry with me, or do you hate me?" Song Jiaping said with a heavy heart, "I didn't expect your mother to die. I only wanted her to face legal sanctions. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you in the slightest."
He truly couldn't bear to hurt her, otherwise, he wouldn't have left everything behind and fled Lancheng, nor would he have wandered through war-torn lands without a way back.
"I was by my mother's side until the very last moment she crashed the car into the bridge railing. I know it was her own choice," Meng Yao said heavily. "At the last moment, she must have wanted to ask for your mother's forgiveness. I am the one who should be apologizing."
Song Jiaping tightly held one of her hands and said, "The grudges of the previous generation are in the past. Can we forget them and start a new life?"
"Okay, I love you too," Meng Yao said, revealing a bright smile.
...
Lancheng,
At Yao Feili's persuasion and mediation, Qin Tianyi and Meng Qi finally sat down to discuss the major project of building an international transit center.
"Miss Huangfu, I don't see anything special about this project. You want our group to invest five hundred million. What's in it for us?" Tianyi seemed uninterested in the project.
Meng Qi said, "Once this international freight center is completed, it will become Lancheng's largest financial port for foreign trade. At that time, your group will naturally receive corresponding benefits based on your investment proportion..."
"I'm not talking about the money we can earn in the future," Tianyi said indifferently. "Besides, no one has a hundred percent certainty that this project will be profitable in the future. I want benefits that are available now."
Yao Feili couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, not expecting Qin Tianyi to make a move so soon. However, he stayed silent, believing Meng Qi could handle the negotiation herself.
Meng Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Qin, you know the current situation of the Huangfu Group. If we could manage our finances, why would we look for partners? We would naturally digest the opportunities that come our way. Right now, I can't offer you any equivalent benefits."
Tianyi said coldly, "I know your group is facing financial difficulties, but you still have fixed assets. I want you to use your group's financial building as collateral. This way, even if the invested funds are lost or don't generate profit in the future, I won't have to worry."
"Absolutely not. Our group is primarily in the financial industry," Meng Qi said firmly. "If I mortgage the financial building to you, it will shake the foundation of the group."
Tianyi said calmly, "It's not that serious. You only need to mortgage the building to our group. Your financial institutions and businesses within the building will not change. We just want a guarantee."
Meng Qi didn't believe his intentions were so simple. She stood up and said, "I cannot agree to your terms. It seems we cannot cooperate this time. Perhaps next time."
After speaking, Meng Qi left the conference room of Aoxiang Group without hesitation.
Yao Feili also quickly followed her out.
An Jing, who was waiting outside, spotted Meng Qi and her companions leaving in disagreement and knew the negotiation had failed.
He waited until Tianyi came out of the conference room and walked over to ask, "How did it go? Is this young lady unwilling to mortgage that financial building?"
"It's not that easy." This was entirely within Tianyi's expectations; he hadn't planned to succeed in one negotiation.
"Is there any possibility she might change her mind?" An Jing asked.
Tianyi didn't answer him, only saying, "Spread the word that the Huangfu Group's project has no investment value. With the current poor foreign trade market, building such a large international transit center in Lancheng is too risky."
"Understood." An Jing immediately grasped his intention: he wanted to deter other groups from cooperating with Meng Qi.
Tianyi felt this was a good opportunity and was determined to take a gamble.
If he could exchange five hundred million for that financial building and fulfill his grandfather's last wish, it would be worth taking some risks.
...
Meng Qi angrily left Aoxiang Group and got into the car. As Yao Feili was about to speak, she immediately said, "Don't say anything, just shut up. Qin Tianyi doesn't want to cooperate with me at all; he's just after the financial building!"
Yao Feili knew she was angry and said nothing more, letting her calm down on her own.
On the way, Meng Qi thought about the glory of the Huangfu Group when her father was alive. Now, under her management, it was far less prosperous, and everyone wanted to take advantage of her difficulties.
She wanted to turn the tide, but it was too difficult to support the group at this time.
Meng Qi tried to calm her emotions and looked out the car window, thinking that if she couldn't negotiate with Qin Tianyi, she could find other partners. Someone would surely see the value in their group's project.
They arrived at the Huangfu Group's office, and Meng Qi slammed the door shut.
Seeing that she seemed less angry, Yao Feili finally spoke, "Since you couldn't reach an agreement with Qin Tianyi, and you're looking for other potential partners, you don't need to get so agitated."
"Do you know what that building means to our group? It's a symbol of our Huangfu family's status in Lancheng!" Meng Qi said angrily, throwing her bag onto the office sofa.
Yao Feili said calmly, "I understand. Qin Tianyi wants to replace the Huangfu Group's status in Lancheng. But have you considered that even if you don't mortgage that building to him, with the current momentum, his group will eventually replace the Huangfu Group anyway?"
"What do you mean? Are you suggesting I just hand it over to him?"
"You're not giving it away for free; it's five hundred million. The entire construction of your project might only cost seven or eight hundred million. He's contributing the majority, holding only fifty percent of the project's shares. Once it becomes profitable, it's a great deal for the Huangfu Group. And you won't have to invest too much in the project, allowing you to retain some liquidity to revitalize the main financial projects, thus overcoming this difficult period," Yao Feili analyzed.
Meng Qi stared at him, feeling that his thinking wasn't confined within the framework of the Huangfu Group.
As the eldest daughter of the Huangfu family, her priority was to help her father protect the group's and the family's interests, preventing anyone from coveting them.
Yao Feili, acting as an observer, continued, "In the current unfavorable situation, is it too old-fashioned to stubbornly cling to so-called symbolic glory? In business, there are no permanent friends or enemies. As long as there is profit to be made and your goals can be achieved, what's wrong with taking a step back and enduring for a while?"