12: Chapter 12: I'm a pro at selling cough syrup like liquid gold.
In the shadows of the terrace, the air seemed to have frozen.
Only the sound of the butterfly knife whistling through the air as it flipped through Rosa's fingers broke the silence, "swish, swish," like a silver viper ready to devour its prey at any moment.
Chen Yuan walked straight over and sat down in the only empty chair, his movements as natural as if he were sunbathing in his own backyard. Alice stood half a step behind him, her icy blue eyes locked onto Rosa's wrist.
"You know, Chen."
Rosa didn't look up, her gaze still fixed on the tip of the blade. "The last man who dared to look me in the eye like that has his eyeballs soaking in a formalin jar in my office."
"That's because he wasn't as handsome as me."
Chen Yuan picked up his glass and took a sip, his tone frivolous. "Besides, I believe Her Majesty didn't seek me out tonight to collect eyeballs, but for something far more valuable. For example... dollars?"
"Ding!"
The butterfly knife came to a sudden halt, its tip less than a centimeter from Chen Yuan's Adam's apple.
Rosa looked up, her wild eyes burning with rage.
"Dollars? You have the nerve to mention dollars to me?"
She leaned forward, the scent of gunpowder mixed with heavy perfume wafting over. "That purple sugar water of yours is ruining my business! The junkies who were supposed to be buying 'flour' are all running off to buy your 'Dali' now! Because you sell it cheaper than I do, and it hits harder!"
"In just one week, my shipment volume has dropped by forty percent."
Rosa's voice was as cold as ice shards. "Chen, you're taking the food out of my mouth. In San Verde, taking someone's livelihood means their whole family dies."
Victor, standing nearby, shrank back in fear.
As a former information broker, he knew this woman's methods all too well. If Jack was a mad dog, then Rosa was a venomous rattlesnake.
"Let me correct you."
Chen Yuan extended a finger and gently pushed the blade away from his throat. "This isn't taking your livelihood; it's called market iteration."
"Your product is too outdated, Rosa. It's expensive, harmful, and the DEA is breathing down your neck. Whether it's user experience or risk cost, you're losing across the board."
"You!" Killing intent surged in Rosa's eyes.
"Don't be so quick to get angry."
Chen Yuan set down his glass, his gaze instantly turning sharp. A merchant's shrewdness and a gambler's madness intertwined in his eyes. "If you can't beat them, why not join them?"
Rosa froze for a moment, slowly retracting her knife. "You want me to help you sell that purple water? Be your subordinate dealer?"
"No, that's a low-level way to play."
Chen Yuan shook his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "I don't sell the finished product. I sell the 'raw materials'."
He snapped his fingers.
Victor hurriedly pulled an unlabeled brown glass bottle from his briefcase and placed it carefully on the table. The liquid inside was as thick as blood, a deep purple-black color.
"What is this?" Rosa frowned.
"High-concentration compound cough syrup... of course, that's the official story."
Chen Yuan unscrewed the cap, and a strange, sweet aroma instantly filled the air. "This is the concentrated base for 'Dali'. One bottle of this, mixed with Sprite, ice, and fruity candy, can make fifty cups of 'Dali'."
Rosa was an expert; she only had to take one whiff for her expression to change.
This purity... it was practically liquid gold.
"Listen, Rosa."
Chen Yuan leaned back slightly, projecting an air of total control. "I'm responsible for producing this 'legal veterinary cough syrup'. I have formal approvals and tax records. Even if the FDA investigates, I'm just selling medicine."
"And you, you're responsible for sourcing it from me."
"You take it back, mix it into cheap soda, give it a new name—call it 'God's Blood' for all I care—and then sell it to those junkies through your city-wide distribution network."
Chen Yuan spread his hands, his smile bright yet cruel:
"If you get caught, it's for illegally mixing and selling unlicensed beverages. What does that have to do with a legitimate pharmaceutical businessman like me? I just sold a batch of 'raw materials' to a client."
"Risk isolation, profit sharing."
"I take the cleanest portion of the money, while you take the distribution fees and the markup. Although the unit price is lower, your customer base will expand tenfold. Even the paupers who couldn't afford 'flour' will become your loyal customers."
Rosa was left dumbfounded by his words.
Even Victor was wiping sweat from his brow in the background. The boss's move was too ruthless; it was essentially dumping all the blame on Rosa while he sat safely on the shore counting money.
Is this the legendary... capitalist?
Rosa stared at the purple-black liquid on the table, her gaze shifting unpredictably.
She was calculating.
As a drug lord, she knew the terrifying potential of this model better than anyone. It didn't just bypass her biggest supply risk; it transformed her into a "beverage distributor" overnight.
If she didn't agree, Chen Yuan would continue to seize the market with low prices and eventually squeeze her out.
If she agreed, she would become Chen Yuan's underling, but... she could earn much more.
"How much do you want?" Rosa looked up, her voice raspy.
"Ex-factory price, one hundred dollars a bottle."
Chen Yuan held up a finger. "As for how much you sell it for after diluting it, that's up to your skill. I suggest you make a 'Limited Edition,' add some ice, and sell a cup for twenty bucks. Those idiots will be fighting over it."
"One hundred dollars?"
Rosa gritted her teeth. "Your heart is even blacker than mine! The cost of this probably isn't even five dollars, is it?"
"Technology is priceless, darling."
Chen Yuan stood up and straightened his suit. "Besides, only I can produce this. That's a monopoly."
He extended his hand, looking down at the woman known as the Scorpion Queen.
"So? This deal—are you in or out?"
Rosa looked at the long, pale hand, then at Chen Yuan's handsome yet cold face.
Suddenly, she laughed.
It was a laugh filled with wildness and appreciation. She put away her butterfly knife, reached out with her black-gloved hand, and gripped Chen Yuan's hand firmly.
"Chen, you're a devil."
Rosa licked her red lips, her eyes no longer filled with killing intent but a more dangerous ambiguity. "But I like making deals with devils. Especially a devil as good-looking as you."
"I'll take the deal."
"However..."
Rosa didn't let go; instead, she pulled hard, using the momentum to stand up, her sultry figure pressing almost flush against Chen Yuan.
She breathed into Chen Yuan's ear, her voice low and seductive:
"Just talking business is so boring. Since we're partners now, wouldn't you like to see my turf?"
"It's the freest place in San Verde, where neither law nor morality can reach."
Chen Yuan looked down at this dangerous woman.
Go to a drug lord's lair?
To anyone else, this would seem like a death wish.
But he only smiled slightly, turning his hand to grip Rosa's wrist, his fingertips lightly stroking her pulse.
"Since Her Majesty has extended such a gracious invitation."
Chen Yuan turned and snapped his fingers at Victor, who was staring dumbfounded:
"Get the car ready. Tonight, we're taking a trip to Hell."