87: Chapter 87 The veteran director coughs up blood: How much do you want exactly?

The subtle gestures and glances exchanged by the three women on the edge of the bed could not escape the sharp, experienced eyes of Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan.

Seeing these three little vixens lower their guard, the heart that had been pounding in his throat finally settled back into his chest.

A smile of certainty hung on the corner of Old Zhang's mouth. He thought to himself that since the three wives keeping watch on the sidelines all felt the price was fair, there was no reason for a kid like Lin Chen to turn down a large stack of cash.

Fifteen million would completely appease this ancestor, saving the station five million from the twenty-million bottom line set by Director Liu Wei earlier.

"Young people these days are still a bit green at the negotiating table. Doing business is doing business; if you don't demand an exorbitant price on the spot, how can you call it a negotiation? At the very least, you should have thrown out a sky-high price of thirty million to stun me, and then I would shamelessly haggle you down. That is how it's done."

"Although the young man's talent is frightening, he still lacks the seasoning for bargaining in the vanity fair."

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan held his teacup, blooming with joy inside, and looked at Lin Chen with great certainty, asking, "Teacher Lin, if you think this amount is acceptable, shall we sign the papers tonight?"

Lin Chen's handsome face still held an expression as calm as an ancient well, as if this fifteen million wasn't landing in his own wallet.

For ordinary people, this amount of money is an astronomical figure they wouldn't even dare to dream of in a lifetime.

But in Lin Chen's eyes, it seemed less interesting than the wisp of a dark cloud that drifted across the night sky last night.

"Do you truly believe that my stock is only worth this much?"

Lin Chen had his hands in his pants pockets, his eyes staring at Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan with indifference.

The fingers of Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan holding the teacup stiffened suddenly, and the smile lines on his face froze instantly.

What does that mean? Is this kid not satisfied with the price?

He turned his head, feeling somewhat aggrieved, and glanced at the three women on the edge of the bed, cursing inwardly that they were truly useless.

A moment ago, they were all like little lionesses protecting their food, yet it turns out they have no say over this young master at home.

Tong Liya and the others sitting behind were also breaking into a cold sweat; they also thought Lin Chen was just being young and arrogant, finding the station's offer too low, and were anxious.

They knew well the hard truth that biting off more than one can chew is bad; one's value in the entertainment industry has to climb step by step, not by trying to strip the sponsor down to their underwear in one go.

"Haha, Teacher Lin, that's too distant. In my eyes, your talent is absolutely priceless."

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan let out a laugh, somewhat awkwardly trying to smooth things over.

Lin Chen shook his head, his eyes so clear they seemed to look right through people: "In this world, as long as a trade can be clearly marked with a price, it can ultimately be measured by numbers. I'll ask one more time, do you really think I'm only worth fifteen million?"

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan really swore internally this time. He had thought he was guarding against the three female bandits sitting on the edge of the bed, but he hadn't expected that the one standing in the middle of the room was the real wolf who eats meat without spitting out the bones.

This kid's negotiation technique was so seasoned it was like an old smuggler who had spent decades in the black market. He didn't say a single hard word, just went in circles with plain talk, making it impossible for you to grasp his bottom line, while instead forcing your own hand to be revealed inch by inch.

"Fine, Teacher Lin, I won't beat around the bush—eighteen million!"

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan fiercely made an "eight" gesture in front of his chest. "I flew here with the station's greatest sincerity. Today, I'm not playing games. This really is the top-tier price our Film Crew can specially approve without alarming the board of directors."

The three beauties all looked at Lin Chen at once, the meaning in their eyes couldn't be clearer: "Hubby, eighteen million is quite a lot. Hurry up and quit while you're ahead; we've made a fortune this time."

Unfortunately, Lin Chen didn't even sway his body, his face still holding that lazy, impenetrable expression.

He just lowered his head slightly and threw out his third sentence like a broken record: "Do you really think I'm only worth this figure of eighteen million?"

"Twenty million, exactly!"

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan slapped his thigh hard and stood straight up.

The three women sitting behind were momentarily petrified. After snapping back to reality, they cursed the ancestors of this usually upright-looking Chief Director in their hearts until they were blue in the face.

This damn old man said every sentence was the absolute maximum, yet every time he was asked, he would jump up by a few million as if he were being thrown into a wok of oil.

This made the three big stars feel somewhat ashamed.

They had been ready to raise the white flag and surrender back when it was fifteen million; it turns out if Lin Chen hadn't been standing at the front, they would have evaporated five million for no reason within a few minutes.

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan was also swallowing a mouthful of bitterness at this moment.

Having lived this long, he had sparred across the table with who knows how many top-tier superstars and veteran celebrity agents.

But never once had he felt as restless and uneasy as he did today.

The young man standing opposite him, with that extraordinary, lazy temperament aided by his Grandmaster-level Qi Cultivation, was as solid as an impenetrable iron mountain.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find even the slightest psychological flaw.

This sense of panic from not knowing the opponent's trump card was what truly made cold sweat pour down.

"Twenty million is truly the last drop of blood this program can spare right now, Teacher Lin. If there's one more cent, I'll have to pack my bags and leave; I can swear to the lightbulb above my head."

The three women sitting on the edge of the large bed curled their red lips in unison; this time, no matter how much Old Zhang thumped his chest, they wouldn't believe a single word.

This old man had used the same words three times in a row, each time claiming it was his bottom line as if he were having his kidneys cut out, yet the price kept skyrocketing like it was on a helicopter.

"I reckon this amount is just about the bottom line you can specially approve."

"Just now, when you gritted your teeth and shouted twenty million, your left finger was scratching unnaturally inside your sleeve, and even the roots of your eyebrows were twitching along with the frequency. In psychology, these are all instinctive defense mechanisms that a person cannot suppress with willpower when they are at an extremely tense juncture."

Lin Chen finally revealed a playful, faint smile at the corner of his mouth, nodded gently, and uttered the first long sentence of the night that was different.

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan's face, which was usually imposing outside, turned extremely colorful in a flash, with a mix of embarrassment and a thick sense of powerlessness.

Today's negotiation was simply the most disastrous Waterloo of his career.

The worldly wisdom he had accumulated over more than half a lifetime, in front of this twenty-year-old young man, was like a naked little brat, with his underwear seen right through.

At the same time, there was finally a hint of dread in his eyes when he looked at Lin Chen.

This pretty boy was not only frighteningly talented, but he even played micro-expression psychology so perfectly.

"Then... then Teacher Lin, what is your actual attitude toward this figure?"

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan sat back on the chair, feeling somewhat drained.

"Twenty million, huh."

Lin Chen sighed lightly, his two slender fingers tapping rhythmically on his thigh twice.

"It's certainly not a small sum. Countless ordinary people in this world work hard for a lifetime and still can't save up this much money..."

"But I still want to ask one thing, Director Zhang, do you really think that what I have is only worth twenty million?"

Lin Chen once again asked that devilish question that made Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan want to cough up blood.

Chief Director Zhang Zhiquan now really felt like smashing the teacup in his hand on the ground, then jumping up and pointing at Lin Chen's nose to curse, "F*ck you."

Yes is yes, no is no; why the f*ck do you keep grabbing that one sentence like a broken record, are you trying to torture me on purpose?

Is this how you do business?